#ORIGINAL POST ON MY NON BL BLOG

[madeinkorea-blbambeyond]

MADE IN KOREA

PARK SHIN-HYE

LEE MIN-HO

[clairedaring]

Okay, so the original post you wrote has been a while and I saw it by ghost-reading (this is when I read someone's blog without signing into Tumblr. I'm only signed in on a specific browser on my laptop to prevent mindless scrolling).

If I recall correctly, you mentioned being ready to protect a Thai actor because he's some BL actor but is married to a wife (or has a girlfriend). That reminded me of an incident my best friend told me while we were chatting.

She said there was this time when two pairs of BL actors (she coded them as Pair A + B, and Pai C +D since I don't know them and their names weren't the point) got massively flacked by fans because B kissed C on camera when the four friends were hanging out. Fans apparently saw it as a betrayal of the "BL pairing," even though all four of them were just vlogging their activities not as characters they play.

I wanna know more about this phenomenon out of curiosity!

Is it as common as my best friend put it? Or is she just unlucky enough to be caught in such a storm?

Why do fans think this way, when these are just actors and not the real characters? Is it similar to the issue of fans of Kpop, Jpop, or even Cpop artists who cannot accept their idols marrying or dating anyone?

What do the companies hiring or signing these actors do to mitigate such an issue/protect their actors?

Or... Do the companies cash in on this sort of fanatic fervor, such that they encourage fans to believe this illusion, or mandate their actors to uphold such an illusion even when they are being themselves outside of acting?

How does an incident like this usually get resolved?

What are the major stances of Thai BL fans on this issue? Not all of them support this sort of fervor, right?

Lastly: what do you think, personally, is central to this sort of incident?

Sorry if it sounds like some college assignment, but I really wanna know what you think! I'm so curious as an outsider to all of this...

Thanks!!!

Hiiiii Lyn \(￣︶￣*\))

You have no idea how happy I am to receive this ask because I've been wanting to talk about that couple incident that you're referring to since forever but I've never gotten the chance to properly collect my thoughts about it. Thank you for allowing this opportunity to ramble about this and for your very introspective questions.

So firstly to give some context to it, I think it's a bit more important to cover some background information of the two pairings that you're talking about.

OffGun and TayNew are some of the oldest pairings in GMMTV. They are known to all be good friends with each other (if not to say they're each other best friends). They've all done non-BL works with different actors but in terms of promotions, OffGun and TayNew have always been regarded to be the 'pillars' of GMMTV (their company) branded pairings.

Even though the four people are close with each other, Tay is particularly close with Gun (and this is public fact known by everyone who follows them), often teasingly calls each other pet/master and have some hangouts/vacations with just them two.

In the case of TayGun, I think their playful kiss being caught unexpectedly on livestream caused so much reactions was because it's a private moment between them. BL fans are too used with using private moments (re:clips of casual skinship between actors during work events and non-work livestream) to prove the existence of their closeness or togetherness -> so when New accidentally turned his camera to show Gun playfully kissing Tay during livestream, I think many (outraged) fans falsely equated that TayGun kissing in private like that means they're romantically involved to a certain degree.

Even though Tay has come out to explain that it isn't the case and that Gun was just playfully teasing him, there were still so much flacks thrown his way. Even with clarifications from both sides, you can basically see from the comments section of these Tiktoks (1, 2, 3, 4) that there is a considerable portion of OffGun and TayNew upset and disappointed (even though there is no reason to). I'll just translate some of the Vietnamese ones because those are the comments that show up first for me.

For those who follow [OffGun], you'll already know that Gun has been avoiding skinship from Off since 2022, fans used to think that he was shy but now we get it 🥲

10 years is just a number =)))))) (t/n: OP is insinuating that OffGun has been fooling their fans for 10 years)

What kind of 'friends' kiss each other on the lips?!

Now I can't watch OffGun series anymore 😇 Can they please give us a TayGun series 😌

Have I been blind all this time because how can everything has been so clear yet I still don't know it 🥲🥲🥲

Is it as common as my best friend put it? Or is she just unlucky enough to be caught in such a storm?

I think it's both common and not. So 'common' is in the sense that whenever one half of a branded pairing or 'koojin' is close and intimate with another person or displaying any possibilities of them being involved with said person in real life, it always trigger these reactions from shipper fans to immediately deny that possibilities or to attack the actors in the branded pairing as if they have 'deceived' their fans.

This has infinitely lessened in recent years with actors actively taking a stance against their fans harrassing their colleagues over ships but in general we still see it now and then with popular/rising/active ships or inactive ships but with astronomically huge fandoms (see: reactions of brightwin fans to bright's dating news).

I'm also saying it's uncommon for 'two halfs of two different popular BL pairings to get rumored to be together' but in 2024, it has already happened twice so who knows what's real really 😅 Aside from the case of TayNew/OffGun, there's also the case of actors Mew and Tul (who were both parts of ships with HUGE fandoms MaxTul and MewGulf) confirming their in real life relationship but their news was more well received internationally as neither of their old ships have been active in having series together for a while (i still see flacks for both of them here and there but that's because i'm vietnamese and vietnamese negative reactions are always the ones i see first to any dating news of one half of a BL pairing).

Why do fans think this way, when these are just actors and not the real characters? Is it similar to the issue of fans of Kpop, Jpop, or even Cpop artists who cannot accept their idols marrying or dating anyone?

I think there are several reasons like actors and companies contributing to the delusions of shipper fans and fans not being able to separate real life actors from the characters they play on screen, which have been extensively discussed in these Reddit threads (1, 2) so I won't delve into them. I'll just focus on a common reason i've seen from vietnamese fans being the combination of emotional and financial investment in these ships.

Similar to Kpop, Jpop or even Cpop idols as you've mentioned, there's a large degree of parasocial relationship involved between a CP/idol and their fans. Rather than the Kpop idol feeding fans the delusion of them being an attractive yet attainable, relatable, single person, these 'koojins' offer CP fans the image of a beautiful friendship/'will they/won't they'/'ambiguous more than friends, less than lovers' relationship -> so once there is a strong emotional attachment to the actors who are part of a pairing, fans will inevitably have strong feelings about their romantic life aka whether the CP is really together or not.

Even though branded pairings or 'love teams' have been an age old phenomenon since the dawn of television (not just in Southeast Asia but in Hollywood as well), I think this phenomenon has flourished particularly in Southeast Asia with many successful stories of actors having on-screen to off-screen real life romances (see: KathNiel in the Philippines, NadechYaya in Thailand...)

What do the companies hiring or signing these actors do to mitigate such an issue/protect their actors? and How does an incident like this usually get resolved?

I think one of the most interesting things about Thailand entertainment industry is that it's so easy for celebrities to sue people for online defamation. So rather than making any statements to 'save' their branded pairings or to resolve any confusion, the company doesn't do anything (which I understand because the artists are already clarifying themselves to the nosy press about any 'possible scandals that happened'). In the case that online commenters are getting too toxic, the artists can just screenshot the toxic tweets/posts, send them to the company's legal department and those defamation cases get resolved by the police.

But even then, that hasn't really stopped fandoms that are too large in size, too delusional in mind to do the crazy things they do even after a branded pairing has stopped working together, such as showing up at the fanmeeting of one actor, wearing masks of the other actor in that inactive ship. In this case, the company can't do anything since... well those people paid to attend the fanmeeting and get a photo with their idol. The most a company could do is probably to 'officially announce the ending of the ship' but... their comments section are still full of obsessed fans til this day so i doubt that announcement made any difference to the fully obsessed and delusional cp fans.

Or... Do the companies cash in on this sort of fanatic fervor, such that they encourage fans to believe this illusion, or mandate their actors to uphold such an illusion even when they are being themselves outside of acting?

Companies have always generated as much revenue from brand endorsement, brand promotions fanmeetings, concerts, selling merchs of these pairisings as they do from producing and airing these series if not more, so I've also felt a sense of these companies capitalizing upon their branded pairings and the volatileness of delusional fans.

If you're interested here and here are two interviews with P'Tha, the CEO of GMMTV company which TayNew and OffGun are under, I think his sharings in these interviews are very insightful into how the companies view these branded pairings (the main source of income for these companies basically).

I wouldn't say that the companies mandate or force their actors to act a certain to create an illusion of an ambiguous/are they aren't they ship for any branded pairings, but i DO think that being in an environment where two people (who are part of a branded pairing) are constantly being shipped or teased by co-workers and sometimes even the ceo himself... that does make shipper fans more delusional than they normally would. it's like as if you were in a class and everyone around you start shipping two people or pushing two people to be together, you'd be questioning what the others know about those two that you don't... it's 'sus' as the cp fans will say 😂

What are the major stances of Thai BL fans on this issue? Not all of them support this sort of fervor, right?

I think there's all sorts of opinions that pops up whenever there's news of someone dating surfaces, there are no consensus on it because the feelings of the fans rely largely on how emotionally invested they are in the actors/real people. There are fans who will take the news harder (feeling tricked, deceived, all that jazz) and there are also fans who will feel like 'oh that's normal' or they would rejoice in the happiness of their favorite actor having an in real life parner. Also it's probably important to note that the stance of Thai BL fans do not necessarily align with the stance of general Thai audience, for example when Thai actor Bright revealed his girlfriend Nene, basically the entire Thai netizen is supportive of him whereas his previous branded pairing fans are divided between supporting him and feeling 'betrayed' by this reveal.

Lastly: what do you think, personally, is central to this sort of incident?

Personally, I think it's fans' expectations. Similar to what Monk Dol told Dear about not holding on to things too tightly, I think fans often hold on to the romantic stories portrayed on screen more strongly than they do with non-romantic stories. Therefore, the reality of an actor having a real life partner often dispels this illusion of a 'screen-to-life' romance stories that fans may have concocted in their mind for any pairings not limited to whether they are in queer love or straight love stories.

I feel like it's just much easier for fans of straight pairings to move on since they don't get paired repeatedly as leads together every 1-2 years and they often don't have couples' work (like promoting brands togethers...) long after the ending of their series together, contrasting with branded pairings in BL/GL series who still get brands work together after the ending of their series -> allowing their "ship" fanbase to grow and the fans to have even larger expectations of the actors to have future works together.

Again it might be a lot of me to ask that these dedicated fans not to have expectations (which may eventually lead to their own suffering) because logically these fans do pour in not just emotional investment but also like HUGE financial investment so having expectations are really inevitable ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ perhaps they should watch สาธุ and learn to let go of having any expectations for a ship or an idol which will benefit all parties involved 😅

Anyhow before I end this, please let me ramble and promote my beloved actor, JJ Krissanapoom whom you've mentioned first in your ask.

JJ Krissanapoom is a prolific Thai actor whose works I've followed really early on in my journey of Thai media consumation. He's starred in works of different genres and he's had queer love-adjacent projects before like Diary of Tootsies (with Paopetch aka Monk Ekkachai in สาธุ) and Great Men Academy (with James Teeradon aka Win in สาธุ).

But JJ has been in a highly publicized long term relationship with his girlfriend Thanaerng for seven years now, so I have no fears/worries about the reception of Thai fans to his upcoming queer love work Spare Me Your Mercy.

That being said, I'm still very worried about any negative reactions from delusional shippers because even if the actors have nothing to insinuate that they're together or even if they're both actors with in real life partners, the delusional fans always have the following comment templates to bash the drama/actors

I can't see the chemistry between the actors, probably because they both have girlfriends.

Why is the actor posting pictures with his girlfriend instead of promoting his own series?!!?

Why does the actor have an event with his girlfriend rather than an event with his co-star??!?!?!?

things like these... i'm already expecting.... and praying they won't happen... also if they do... i wouldn't be very surprised... and i'm actually very parasocially attached to jj and thanaerng's irl relationship so i feel like i'm even extra protective of their relationship than i already do.

and i'm definitely going off track here... but yes i'm very much looking forward to having jj krissanapoom on my screen again, in this BL series about a cop solving a series of murders of dying patients, to which his doctor boyfriend is the no.1 suspect of.

and here's a cute recent clip of all three people jaylerr, gun and tay to end my lengthy incoherent ramble

[absolutebl]

Hi!

I love your Blog and love to read your takes in everything. So thank you so much for all your Posts and thoughts about the industry etc.

Here is my question: i came across one of your posts where you wrote "actually gay, not bl gay" (it was a Post about Jojo and Only Friends) and while I FELT that I TOTALLY understood what you meant and instantly was like "yes 100% clear" Id love to read and learn more about what this means exactly and why some bls feel quite heteronormative while some dont. Would you mind explain the take on "actually gay Not Bl gay" a little bit? And why some Shows feel just more queer than others (besides the unbelievable stupid "gay only for you" trope lol)

Thank you so much and I hope you will have a nice day!

actually gay, not bl gay

There's actually quite a discourse on this right now mostly originating with @waitmyturtles and @wen-kexing-apologist (Post @killiru references above is here.)

I tend to mostly talk about this in broad brush strokes as a queer lens.

But there's a great ven diagram (which of course I've lost the link to) that approaches the idea of and queer lens by tunneling into its approach and intent:

about queers

by queers

for queers

How do different BLs intersect in different ways with these three elements?

When I said "actually gay, not BL gay" I was alluding to this discourse. Specifically the "about queers" category of BL.

There are characters in BL who read as genuinely gay (as in belonging to the queer family of this terrible reality we live in) and then there are those that seem more performative (to exist in a bubble of fantasy were sexual identity is almost unimportant, only the romance matters, everything is safe sweetness & light). For some queers this can read as manipulative or even exploitive (because it is inauthentic to most queer experiences). For me, it's fine... even desirable. I like the safe bubble. I enjoy the utter delusional escapism of it. Sometimes I will call this sanitized gay. (Since it is designed to make gay palatable to non-gay identified folks e.g. seme/uke.)

A sanitized gay BL may be unintentional but it is nested in origin yaoi and mm romance whose target market has never been the queer community, and whose authors have historically not been members of it, either.

Let's be frank, we queers are generally a terrible target market, we don't have enough spending power - especially not for a piece of pop culture as niched as BL. And as creators we really want our voices to be heard (obvs), which makes us produce content that those unsympathetic or uncaring find uncomfortable. (Yes, I know, fuck them, but also, they have all the money and the entertainment industry is a numbers game.)

So in the arena of office romances, just as an example:

actually gay = The New Employee

sanitized gay = Our Dating Sim

actual gay = Step By Step

sanitized gay = A Boss And a Babe

All of the above have the same tropes, archetypes, and premises. All of them are BL. Some are just... queerer feeling than others. And the characters in those shows (Step by Step and The New Employee) read as more "actually gay."

This has nothing to do with the actors, chemsitry, or how much we may personally like the show (Our Dating Sim is one of my absolute favorite BLs). It has to do with how closely those CHARACTERS intersect with the reality of queerness as we inhabit it today. It will be lots of little touches given to the drama by director and script:

language use,

surrounding friendships (and friendship style),

mannerisms and physicality (specially body language around straights vs other queer characters),

makeup & wardrobe,

facial expressions,

surrounding queer-coded behaviors by side characters,

layers of story nuance that indicate a complicated queer-driven back story.

Markers of specifically a queer identity are given to the leads.

These kinds of BLs are satisfying the "about queers" category. ("By queers" can be difficult to extract because IRL outting is involved. "For queers" is the rarest kind of BL, because making something specifically for us often alienates the majority of the rest of viewership/market. I could be argued that SCOY did this.)

I'm sure I've missed things, but I hope that kinda makes sense?

By/For/About discourse from @wen-kexing-apologist here:

Parts 1

Part 2

Part 3

I'm indebted to them for the links!

More Queer Stuff from Yours Truly

BL Linguistics & Queer Identity - I Am Gay versus I Like Men 

Will BL Get More Honestly Queer? 

Queer lens (from the director) and chemistry (from the actors) in BL (A Tale of Thousand Stars)

Touch & Daisy in Secret Crush On You - Queer Coded Language and 3rd Gender Identity

BL in Taiwan & Gay Marriage

Debating Queerbaiting in BL ( + Devil Judge... is it queerbaiting?) 

BL Actors and the Assumption of Queerness - outing actors, coming out, being out, more:  Is that BL actor actually queer?

So is it really fetishization? straight women loving bl 

Some BL fans are sasaengs, and it’s a problem in this fandom 

BLs That Highlight How Society Treats Queers

10 BLs That Are Honest to a Queer Experience 

(source)

[yuwumeniji]

Luxiem & A Trace Of Wonder

WARNING: Please remember that I am writing about Luxiem based on their characters online and not of the people behind their vtuber avatars, thank you!

EXTRA NOTES: wuwuywuwywuw did i finally start writing again??? yes . do i have a new fixation on a bl novel???also yes so now im mashing these two interests of mine together... just like how i started this blog

GENERAL

a luxiem au based on 해의 흔적 (a trace of wonder)

for the sake of this au, they are from the same jp guild - Luxiem (the guild from the original is an sk guild, so since anycolor is jp, luxiem will fall under jp.... plus en is a very broad area... bear with me LMAO)

Luxiem are considered the top JP Guild and one of the top guilds worldwide

the source material IS from a BL novel, but there will be no mentions of romance for this post

i went a little chuuni to name the abilities ok i dont think the novel had that - im just cringe like that

dear god i did not proofread this but something definitely possessed me in order to write this out instead of whatever college essay i got due soon

BRIEF ATOW UNIVERSE EXPLANATION

ok so think of it as like a modern era rpg game - the awakened class of people refers to those with supernatural abilities and dungeons are areas in the world where treasure and strong monsters spawn (sometimes these dungeons are based on parts of history as well)

the awakened class makes up about 10% of the population

those who are awakened have access to these dungeons in order to beat them within a certain time frame with Class S dungeons being the most deadly

those who are awakened also form guilds in order to enter such dungeons and have jurisdiction over ones that spawned with the guild's country - no other country is allowed to interfere with another

those who are awakened have two abilities - one main and one hidden ; the hidden ability also comes with a penalty and should be used with caution as the power may interfere with every day life outside of combat/cause hindrance when dungeon crawling

for the powerscalling in the universe, it is from Class E (lowest) to Class S (highest) ; this works for both the classification of awakened people and dungeon ranking

the main abilities that are at least mentioned here are restorers, hunters, mages and healers ; 2/4 classes are combative while the others are non-combative, but still useful when dungeon crawling

i hope my shitty explanation gets you to read the novel/manwha so that you can understand it better LMAO

MORE UNDER THE CUT

❀•°•═════ஓ๑♡๑ஓ═════•°•❀

IKE EVELAND

CLASSIFICATION: Class A Healer

MAIN ABILITY: Priest's Waterfall

ike has the ability to heal using his staff without using too much mana. however, he is restricted to water - by using other elements, he runs the risk of depleting too much mana before entering the boss' room in a dungeon.

his staff has the appearance of a large quill. no one knows the reasoning behind it as most staffs on the guild markets are stick-like

HIDDEN ABILITY: Darkness of the Deep

ike has the hidden ability to summon a powerful tentacle-like creature of nightmares. with this, ike switches classes - from non-combative to combative. however, the tentacle-like creature is sentient and moves on its own, ike has no control over what it hits. the creature is also considered to be a glass canon ; while it is powerful, it can only withstand attacks for so long and is on a time limit.

ike can only use his hidden ability when threatened ; he and mysta are the only non-combative members of the guild and this is his only way of protecting them both if no one else could not help.

PENALTY: everything he touches becomes an inky water

without mysta around, most solid objects around ike become an inky liquid that is as viscous as water if he touches it - it's strange, but definitely an inconvenience to his everyday life.

fortunately, his penalty does not harm humans

his strength lies in his durability and mana. he is also quite knowledgable of different types of potions and strengthening spells that help out with dungeon crawling

in fact, ike naturally houses the most mana within the guild followed by shu, mysta, vox and luca.

he originally came from a swedish guild overseas before his meeting with vox, who recruited ike with the promise of hatsune miku figures if he joined Luxiem (this is my attempt at humor)

ike is usually the one who gathers intel on their next dungeon - thanks to his quick reading speed and familiarity with mythos, ike predicts what would the location and boss of the dungeon with 99.99% accuracy

LUCA KANESHIRO

CLASSIFICATION: Class A Hunter

MAIN ABILITY: Heightened Strength

despite not wielding any kind of weapon, luca is proud of his brute strength - just one tap from him could reduce skyscrapers into dust clouds.

HIDDEN ABILITY: Shapeshifting

luca's hidden ability can only be activated if he has ingested a specific kind of gemstone - however with his hidden ability, he can only turn into a lion that possesses supernatural qualities for a short period of time

the lion is big btw ... just letting you know haha

PENALTY: Lion's Mane

with the penalty in place, luca essentially walks around with a huge lion's mane. he complains about how heavy it is and how the hair gets everywhere

unlike the other members, luca does not possess any magical strength - arguably he could just be a regular civilian who happens to possess superhuman strength; most of luxiem thought he was a civilian until they found out about his penalty

he also is proficient with long range weapons such as guns and arrows, but he is mainly the brawler of the group

while luca was originally scouted by vox to join, luca is actually the one who has the leadership role - the demon said that he prefers a more 'in the shadows' kind of role anyways and handed the position to luca; the guild members aren't sure if luca is actually aware of that, but they all appreciate the work and effort he gives towards the guild.

the guild luca was in has a partnership with luxiem and is currently being led by his older brother

MYSTA RIAS

CLASSIFICATION: Class A(?) Restorer

MAIN ABILITY: Restoration

after seeing a structure, mysta has the ability to 'restore' it to it's original state - for instance, if ike had turned a wardrobe into ink, mysta has the ability to restore the wardrobe's appearance and functionality before it was turned into ink.

mysta's true abilities is unknown - if anything, he has enough magical strength to bring life back

however, there are some ethical issues involving the restoration of life and is considered taboo for a restorer to interfere with the death of a living thing.

generally, mysta has the strength to restore even stadiums after an earthquake to its original form and functionality - it is possible that he may be a Class S, but no further assessment has been made yet

HIDDEN ABILITY: Medusa's Petrification.

this is the only ability mysta has that is allowed to be used on living creatures - he essentially turns things into stone rather than restoring them to its original state

the only way this ability is activated is when mysta experiences a very strong emotion such as fear or despair

he only has to look at the object or creature in front of him in order for it to turn into stone - fortunately, even with the hidden ability activated, he could still undo the process if he accidentally petrifies a guild member

PENALTY: Floating

for some odd reason, mysta's penalty is that he has no control over gravity - his body becomes weightless and therefore starts to float. he essentially becomes a balloon and many of the guild members just walk him around with a string attached to his belt so he doesn't fly off to who knows where before his penalty wanes off.

mysta was actually not part of a guild when he was scouted - in fact, he was working as an odd-jobs repair man who did small gigs in order to get by.

mysta also has the least amount of dungeon experience as he is of a non-combative class ; surprisingly enough, not many guilds seek restorers to join.

despite that, mysta is a highly sought out restorer due to his efficiency - buildings turned into rubble could be restored within a matter of seconds

he is also the only one in the guild who is responsible for the loot they earned and items each member brings into the dungeons

SHU YAMINO

CLASSIFICATION: Class S Mage

MAIN ABILITY: Summoner

as his main ability states, shu is a summoner who could gather up to Class A monsters to listen to him.

he also has the ability to call upon 'yokai'-classed monsters through the usage of shikigami ; this aspect of his ability is dependent on the amount of shikigamis he brings with him into dungeons.

HIDDEN ABILITY: God's Messenger

when activated, shu has the ability to call down one of japan's seven lucky gods to battle. this is randomized and he doesn't have the ability to choose which one will come help.

luckily for him, he doesn't have to worry about the gods not responding to him; no matter the call, they will answer.

depending on who is summoned, shu takes on the form of one of the seven lucky gods and uses their abilities in combat.

essentially, shu becomes possessed by the god he has summoned but does run the risk of being permanently possessed by them even though his combat ability is on a timer

the only problem with this ability is that this can only be activated if he senses that the danger is too high ; ideally in Class S dungeons where the survival rate is essentially 0%.

PENALTY: Inability to feel pain

this penalty could be proven fatal to shu as he would be numb to all kinds of pain - from the tiniest scratch to getting his heart ripped out ; it would be too late for shu to notice if anything bad happens to him.

this penalty is activated the minute he uses his hidden ability, thus putting his own life at an even higher risk of possession and even death

similarly to mysta, shu was not a part of a guild when he was scouted, in fact, he had been staying at his family's temple as one of the priests who carried out sacred rituals to protect his town from dungeons spawning nearby.

tragically, shu is one of the few guild members to experience loss through the dungeons.

when vox found him, he was surround by the rubble of what was originally his home town - the Class A dungeon wiped the town off the map. with no where else to go, shu decided to follow vox and the rest of luxiem.

shu often helps ike with intelligence and is often in charge of dungeons that originate in japanese mythos

he was the last member to be recruited - words of a powerful sorcerer had reached vox's ears, but he didn't expect to find him in that state.

despite the tragedy, shu is thankful for having met the boys of luxiem - he's glad to call them home

VOX AKUMA

CLASSIFICATION: Class S Hunter

MAIN ABILITY: Shadow Swordsman

vox is quite proficient with the sword, combined with the demon-like energy that festers within the shadows, he becomes an unstoppable killing machine

not only can he infuse the dark energy into whatever blade he is holding, he also has the ability to create a clone who wields the sword the same way he does

HIDDEN ABILITY: Divine Judgement

he has the ability to strike a mighty light into his opponents - it is a devastating ability that clashes with his already dark main ability

it can strike through the thickest material and destroy what is wicked ; often destroying the dungeon completely and automatically clearing it in order to avoid any more casualties.

it is another ability that can only be activated during dire situations, similarly to shu's hidden ability.

PENALTY: Temporary Blindness

as the light he summons is from the almighty, it does temporarily blind vox for a little while as punishment for using god's ability for his quest to find out what causes dungeons to spawn

the first and last time vox had his penalty in place, shu was the one who helps guide him around with the usage of his shikigami - on the other hand, luca was the one to pull pranks on vox while he's blind (vox can tell it's luca because of his laugh)

vox has the most dungeon crawling experience out of all the members of luxiem and is the one who recruited all of them to join his guild - he's happy to find such like minded people he could call home.

while his physical or magical strength doesn't exceed all members of luxiem, he is the most proficient and stable in terms of combat ; he has used his hidden ability only once in his entire career as a hunter

luxiem's leader in the shadows, while he doesn't take a direct leadership role, vox usually is the one who approves of or disapproves of luca's wild antics.

ok a lot of the times, vox does approve of luca's antics because "he's just being silly your honour" - only when the situation is that dire will he take matters into his own hands.

he's usually the one calling strategy meetings before going into dungeons

[munequitta]

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀thank you so much for 200+ little dolls.

 please keep in mind that the original draft of this thank you post was made on march 30 but i never posted it due to my mini hiatus. i have since edited and revised it accordingly ! at the time, my 100+ post was made a little over a month ago but now it has been exactly two months since february 23, thank you for kindly loving and appreciating my blog ♡

 my apologies, this time i am too lazy to provide a translation in esp & pt, i’m sorry please forgive me ..

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀A SPECIAL THANK Y♡U T♡ D♡LLS :

 first i thank all of my kind mutuals as well as little dolls (and non-little dolls!) for leaving kind and encouraging messages underneath my posts and for being so warm and friendly and supportive towards me and my blog, i’m genuinely so thankful 💗🎀

 lastly to address the state of my blog, i might not be as active in the following week because of school so while i wholeheartedly appreciate everything, it isn’t at all necessary to continue to water and check on my little flower (as in, support my blog) while i’m away. i love you all so much, and until next time take care ♡

-milk ♡

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀L♡VELY BL♡GS ( FAVORITES ) :

@agsthv @baesol @bambicito @coralidos @fairytopea @gaecoo @gigittamic @iluvrei @jaes1lvr @jeonzio @jochoi @khaer @lorlita @muruffin @plutism @p-oisn @raeceah @tookio @v6que @wiotas @yeonzen @yeritos @y-vna + more 🎀

sorry for the tags, i probably won’t tag anyone next time because i’m not trying to get attention sorry

[web-novel-recs]

Pinned Post

1. About Me

Web, Sunnie

Pronouns: he/they/any except she/her or it/its (masculine in non-gender neutral languages)

Main: @weepingfireflies

Other Blogs: @web-novel-polls & @incorrect-web-novels

Icon - Taemi from Heavenly Archive's Young Master

Header - Kim Dokja from Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint (made by @/oskmey)

My Reading List

Mastodon: @/weepingfireflies@/blorbo.social

Hablo muy mal el español. Soy solo un niño pequeño 🥺

2. Tags / Las Etiquetas

In English – En Español

Overall - En General

not a rec - no es una recomendación

web speaks - web habla

recs - recomendaciónes

translations - traducciones

unread / reading / read - no leído / leyendo / leí

my recs - mi recomendaciónes

Type - El Tipo

novel recs - recomendaciones de las novelas

drama recs (includes cdramas, kdramas, jdramas, etc.) - recomendaciones de dramas (coreano, chino, japonés, etc.)

webcomic recs (includes manhua, manhwa, manga, etc.) - recomendaciones de cómics 

fanfic recs (includes any fanfiction from a web novel source) - recomendaciones del fanfiction

Genre - El Género

Action - Acción

BL / Boy's Love (includes danmei)

General 

GL / Girl's Love (includes baihe)

Harem

Horror 

Mystery - misterio

Sci Fi - ciencia ficción

Romance

Origin - El Origen

CN: Chinese Web Novels, manhua, cdramas, etc.- China

KR: Korean Web Novels, manhwa, kdramas, etc. - Corea

JP: Japanese light novels, manga, jdramas, etc. - Japón

3. Read Alongs

[bloody-wonder]

First of all, thanks so much for sharing your books recs and reviews. I love reading your blog (especially since I did not find many books blog that as good as you in tumblr). 💐🥰

Can I ask your opinion on something? So, I saw some discussion on why shounen series (or series with strong bromance vibes) have more romantic vibes than BL manga/mahwa (MLM books). (Sorry, do you like any BL manga/manhwa or shounen series?) And I kinda agree. But what do you think?

Sorry for this random ask, feel free if you want to ignore this ask....

wow thank you! i love sending my bookish posts into the void and i love it even more when the void expresses its appreciation haha

i didn't know about this discourse but in general i agree with the controversial (?) opinion that non-canon queer-coded or homosocial relationships oftentimes make for more compelling ships than their canon counterparts. one could argue that it's bc something that is just out of reach feels more appealing than something that you already have but in regards to my personal frustrations when reading romance stories and plotlines it often comes down to how the relationship of characters who the author already decided are going to fall in love has little room to breathe beyond that - the sword of damocles of romance is constantly hanging over them and determining their entire narrative. there's little intrigue in that bc when you're an experience reader or a genre-savvy media consumer you know exactly how it's gonna go, bit by bit.

furthermore, i think it's interesting that women and people who used to identify as women when they were young are likelier to write an explicit romance or a canon queer relationship bc they have been socialized to value that type of fiction and in doing that they will, whether by intention or not, regurgitate all the possible tropes and clichées which doesn't necessarily make their original story a compelling romance. by contrast, people who grew up socialized as men have been taught to suppress emotions and value no homo male bonds with their bros which is why a stereotypical cishet male sff author will 1) write an absolutely yucky romance for his male lead and his female love interest, 2) rather die than acknowledge that queerness exists and 3) pour all the most profound and intense feelings his conscious and subconscious mind is capable of into the depiction of the male lead's relationship with his male sidekick. ambiguity tends to make things more interesting so no wonder people will feel more drawn to a ship that is ambiguously homosocial in eve kosofsky sedgwick's sense rather than to a ship that is merely a love story between two people of the same gender.

which brings me to my last (more personal) point: as someone who has been socialized as a woman i am slightly obsessed with romance. however, as someone who identifies as aroace i don't find most romance books or even romance subplots relatable or compelling. this contradiction is a source of constant frustration that accompanies my reading experience - i often seek out romance books bc i do so enjoy a good love story and end up disappointed and alienated most of the time bc of this built in failure to connect with fiction that is written by allos for allos. for example, i have tried to take refuge in historical mm romance bc i figured that neither comphet nor modern identity politics would spoil the magic of two people falling in love for me in this case. however, having read quite a few of those, i have noticed this compulsion the authors have to 1) let the reader know by any means necessary and as soon as possible that the characters in question are in fact into men and 2) state explicitly that these men find each other attractive - a compulsion that speaks to the allo experience of being aware (most of the time) what type of person you're attracted to and being able to interpret a perceived connection as romantic or sexual attraction almost immediately. a compulsion which i, as an aroace reader, find utterly bizarre and terribly frustrating. not to shame allos for how their sexuality works or anything, but i think trying to convince the reader that two characters are into each other without relying on these two conveniences would be a good writing exercise.

by comparison, a relationship that is just allowed to develop without its participants interpreting it as a romance (bc the author who wrote it didn't intend them to at all) feels like freedom. yes, it's unfortunate that they won't kiss or fuck in the end of all that quality time but ah well, i can go to ao3 for that. and yes, if they're not canonically queer it's not real rep etc etc but i think that by now we have all understood that media consumption is not activism and queer rep in your favorite tv show will not bring about the age of tolerance. what i'm talking about in this post is why it sometimes feels like queer fiction fails to depict queerness and romance in a compelling way.

[foralleternityidiot]

BL/Drama Recap 2023

Thank you @ommited-miscellaneously for the tag (ages ago). I finally cracked open my laptop and decided to give a go at catching up on some tagged posts.

Number of BLs you watched this year: I watched 140+ dramas this year, and I know at least 100 of those were BL. I didn't keep exact count though. There are even more if we count dropped series.

Primarily watched BLs from: Thailand. Hands down. Japan probably ties with Korea for second place.

You spent way too much time thinking about these characters: Hmmm TinnGun ate up a LOT of my brainwaves in the early months of 2023. Later in year I was all about WubiSuyu, then DaouOffroad for a while there, and now everything is HuaLian as far as the eye can see.

Your favorite show was: My School President probably tops the list. Runners up include Moonlight Chicken, Stay with Me, Love in Translation, Laws of Attraction, I Will Knock You, Our Dating Sim, Taikan Yoho, The Eighth Sense, Our Dining Table, La Pluie, Be My Favorite, god this list could keep going and going... oh, and we have Last Twilight and The Sign finishing out the year strong af. Footnote: I'm watching the donghua of Heaven Official's Blessing and honestly, it takes the whole BL cake for 2023.

You read the most fanfiction about: I really don't read fanfiction. At all. I was once fiercely addicted, but I haven't touched the stuff in over 10 years.

Another favorite from this year: Going for non-BL favorites here. Hidden Love was my favorite 2023 drama hands down, but I am also OBSESSED with A Journey to Love (I just haven't finished it yet). Although Love Between Fairy and Devil was a 2022 show, I watched it in 2023 and it's the best thing I saw all year.

The soundtracks you listened to the most: Definitely the MSP OST, but actually I listened to the originals more than the covers (City by Three Man Down, my beloved). Lots of Thai OSTs of even series I didn't watch fill up my top 100 playlist for 2023. And the soundtrack to LBFAD gets a regular listen.

Ok, that's all for me. Here are a few no pressure tags from my recent notes. The last three blogs in my activity feed are: @writerwithoutsound @fiddlepickdouglas @youdontnohme

[stickers-on-a-laptop]

Hey wazzup this is Stickers' blog

Finally doing a pinned post that's about me!

Toku shows I've watched/am watching under the cut, I am not currently watching Reiwa Kamen Rider!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Things to know:

I write, at this point it's vastly toku, with some BLs and random dramas thrown in. feel free to transform my works (art/podfic/translations), BUT NOT WITH AI.

I'm 25+, she/her is fine.

Feel free to ask me about anything, but if you're looking for more specific things, toku or bl! (or how those two are vastly intertwined good lord). Also feel free to tag me in things! I especially love music asks, since my music taste is all over the place.

If you are from Twitter, hi, I REALLY like toku here in a way I didn't on Twitter! Just something to keep in mind because I suck at tagging reblogs and I've watched. Many shows and will keep watching more!

I tag my liveblogs with silly catchphrases, I'd say I'm sorry but I'm not.

WATCHING:

Boonboomger - live blog tagged as: boonboom shake a lot

Ultraman Arc - live blog tagged as: now imagine an ultraman

CURRENTLY REWATCHING:

UPCOMING: (subject to change)

Kamen Rider Kuuga

Ultraman Taiga

Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger

Power Rangers Dino Thunder

WATCHED:

Kamen Rider:

Agito

Ryuki

Blade

Kabuto

Den-O

Kiva

Decade

W+Fuuto PI

OOO (x2)

Fourze (x2)

Wizard

Gaim

Drive

Ex-Aid

Build (x2)

Sentai:

Jetman

Boukenger

Go-Onger

Shinkenger (x2)

Gokaiger

Kyoryuger

Toqger

Zyuohger

Kyuuranger

Lupinranger VS Patranger (x2)

Zenkaiger

Donbrothers

Kingohger

Ultraman:

Gaia

Mebius

Ginga/Ginga S

Orb/Origin

American Adaptations:

Saban's Masked Rider

Kamen Rider Dragon Knight

Power Rangers Operation Overdrive

Power Rangers RPM

Power Rangers Samurai/Super Samurai

Power Rangers Dino Charge/Super Charge

Saban's Power Rangers (2017)

Ultraman Rising

Non-Japanese/American Toku:

Ultraman Towards the Future <- 🇦🇺

Jushi Sentai France Five <- 🇫🇷

Parodies:

Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger+Season Tsuu

Kanpai Senshi After V+Shin Kanpai Senshi After V

He-Low+He-Low the Second

Gun Caliber (Movie)

Movies:

Kamen Rider J

Kamen Rider ZO

Kamen Rider the First

Kamen Rider the Next

In the Hero

Bravestorm

Hurricane Polymar

Rise: Dhuaruriser

Ork

Shin Ultraman

Shin Kamen Rider

Other Toku:

Kamen no Ninja Akakage

Choukou Senshi Changerion

Chousei Kantai Sazer-X

Keitai Sosakan 7

Tomica Hero Rescue Force

Kamen Rider Amazons s2 (yes only season 2)

High-Speed Parahero Gundeen (x2)

Dogengers High School (not the other seasons)

The High School Heroes

Sentika F8ABA6 Jisariz

Feel free to ask what else I'm watching! I'm always watching something, whether ongoing or finished!

[allthefujoshiunite]

Thanks for answering my ask ....If you don't mind me asking (again), who are your favorite romantic relationship's couples in books/ manga/manhwa/ anime/movies/tv series (can be canon or non-canon)? Sorry if you've answered this question before....

You're welcome! Although I used this handle before on Tumblr, I deactivated long time ago so you can consider my account new ^^ It's my first time being asked questions. I'll pick 5 so I can narrow down my choices.

Bokuto x Tsukishima: Since I started my other answer with Bokuto, it's only natural that I start this one with one of my biggest ships, and they might be the one that got me into shipping non-canon characters! At least, consciously. These two are also a ship that I wrote my first fanfiction for. That being said, any rare ship from HQ!! could make it into the list, I love them all ~

Jongchan x Seunghyun: These two are a canon couple from one of the BEST office romances EVER, The New Recruit from Moscareto & Zec. I'm ready to go down on my knees and beg anyone to read this perfection. First 25 chapters of the all ages version is free to read on Manta (that's more than half of the whole series) and mature version is on Lezhin.

Takina x Chisato: Its lukewarm approach to its great premise aside, the biggest strength of Lycoris Recoil is the main duo Takina and Chisato. While it's never exactly spelled out, it's pretty obvious that they become a couple towards the end of the series and given that the series also have a canon mlm couple, I consider Chisato and Takina as a canon wlw couple as well. A fun and action-packed series with mouth-watering sakuga moments throughout, but the highlight is always these two bickering, going out for shopping but mostly taking down other guys with guns.

Jihu x Ji-u: I feel like I'm the only one reading Love and Leashes in my little circle of online friends and THAT MAKES ME SAD!! I first came across the movie adaptation on Netflix, and it was after that the original webtoon was licensed in English (ycan be read for free on Webtoon). The adaptation was "eh..." in certain aspects but the webtoon... THE WEBTOON!!! Gosh it's perfect. It's the sweetest romance with equally great BDSM portrayal that I think anyone should give a chance.

Jiho x Inwoo: Guys... What are you even doing if you're not reading The Insatiable Man???? I wrote a first impressions post on them before but I need MOAR people to join me in on this beautifully written BL manhwa on Tapas. PLEASE I BEG!!

Honestly, I rarely read romance books since I get my fill through webtoons/manga and I either read literary theory or contemporary/modern classic fiction. Plus, I barely have time left from watching anime, reading books & manga and writing about them on my blog/instagram/twitter that I don't watch TV shows/movies anymore unless it's fervently recommended by a friend I trust or I really feel like it. That's why I end up talking about anime/manga when it comes to romance or shipping xD Hope it's at least remotely interesting, have a nice day!

[feuqueerfire]

Feu's October 2022 BL/GL Wrap-Up

A little monthly wrap-up of all the shows I’ve watched or am watching in October 2022, general thoughts, and ranking of them all.

Recommendation of the month: 

No Touching At All the 2014 JBL Movie, it’s 1.5 hours and it made my brain melt.

Ranking

The Eclipse = But I’m A Cheerleader = No Touching At All

Do Revenge 

Vice Versa = Star and Sky: Star In My Mind = Old Fashion Cupcake = He She It

Minato’s Laundromat

Ai No Kotodama (Words of Devotion)

My Dear Loser: In-Sun

MDL Updates - Added to Watchlist:

A section because I’m curious about how many shows I decide to add to my Watch List a month and also the ratio of watching them:adding them

More than Words

180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us (starting the month by adding 2 sad queer stories than fluffy BL rip)

Once Again (adding 3 sad shows in the first week wtf)

Takara-kun to Amagi-kun

To Watch List At Start Of Month: 47

To Watch List At End Of Month: 41 (b/c I watched 7 shows from To Watch, added 4, removed 3. so decrease of 6)

Removed from To Watch List:

Restart After Come Back Home (It was next on my to-watch list from japan but then was like... I just don’t want to and don’t think I will)

Innocent

I'm Tee, Me Too (just randomly heard 2 different people mention not liking it this week + that it was boring and i realized idc about it)

Watching On-Air

The Eclipse

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: Aug 12, 2022 - Oct 28, 2022

Dates Watched: Aug 24 - Oct 29, 2022

Rating: 7.5/10 7/10 [Jan 24, 2023 Update: Decreased by 0.5 stars when rerating my top BLs] [Jan 25, 2024 Update: Decreased by 0.5 stars when rerating my top shows: 7.5 -> 7]

Watched Via: GMMTV Youtube (free)

General Thoughts: I enjoyed the middle few episodes immensely (like 5 - 10, with #9 being my fave), as well Ayan/Akk + the acting + how the plot and themes were handled for those episodes but the ending definitely took a hit and I wish it had tighter/cleaner writing and editing in general. The show tackled interesting topics, including societal expectations and the status quo, fighting back, how characters we want to root for can be doing bad things and how they grow from it, mental illness, all the intersectionality of like queerness and financial situation and mental illness. It didn’t hit the mark for all of them because I think the script needed to be tightened and the editing needed to be stronger but it was well enough considering the budget + them filming and doing post-production while it was airing. I loved Ayan/Akk soooo much, definitely one of my favourite couples of the year.

tags: the eclipse (+ special ep)

Also Appears In: Live Blogging For Ep 9, Ep 10, Ep 11, Ep 12

Completely Watched

Vice Versa

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: Jul 16, 2022 - Oct 1, 2022

Dates Watched: Sep 28 - Oct 1, 2022

Rating: 6/10

Watched Via: GMMTV Youtube (free)

General Thoughts: This show worked for me while binging in a way that it wouldn’t have worked if watched weekly. I enjoyed watching it while watching but I fast-forwarded sometimes and don’t care enough to be upset at its pitfalls because I came in knowing many of its flaws (draggy middle few eps that went better bc i binged, insufficient world building that i didn’t get to theorize about or scruitinize, I knew there’s not much OhmNanon after the first two eps, that there’s nothing from the original universe, that they worldbuilding isn’t very expansive, etc). 

tags: vice versa

Also Appears In: Vice Versa Live Blogging

But I’m A Cheerleader (1999) (non-BL more like queer with a focus on lesbians)

Country: English

Release Dates: 2000

Dates Watched: Oct 3 - 4, 2022

Rating: 7/10

Watched Via: Criterion (free with uni access)

General Thoughts: This was so good, moved me in a way oof Also, this paralleled the “I know I’m queer, you know I’m queer, but I gotta pretend because of circumstances” vibes from Episode 8 of The Eclipse. Loved the queer adults taking the kids to the gay club + taking them in when they have nowhere else to go. The parents saying ‘you’re choosing to cut us out of your life if you choose to continue with that lifestyle’ when in fact they were cutting out Megan struck a chord. The ending made me teary eyed and the 2 second after-credit scene with Megan’s dad going to the Parents and Friends of Lesbians & Gays meeting and saying “My name is Peter and my daughter is a homosexual” made actual tears fall lol

tags: but i’m a cheerleader

The Graham and Megan dancing with diff people and getting jealous scene reminded me of History 3: Trapped, so I’m skipping certain parts of that too. Ep 5 (Shao Fei and Tang Yi making each other jealous dancing with other people at the club), Ep 9 (Shao Fei jealous of Andy/Tang Yi, the doctor/Tang Yi, and then asking “is your body for people to line up to touch? should i do the same” and tang yi replying by taking off his jacket and saying "go ahead, feel away”), Ep 15/16 (Tang Yi sending those messages and voicemails, going to Shao Fei’s workplace, Shao Fei playing the messages back), Ep 20 ending part

Do Revenge (non-BL more like queer)

Country: English

Release Dates: Sep 16, 2022

Dates Watched: Oct 6 - 8, 2022

Rating: 6.5/10

Watched Via: :>

General Thoughts: I watched it because Camilla Mendes is sooooo  attractive to me - everytime I saw her in Riverdale I was like :0 Thought this was about college kids though, lol they’re 17? Also, knew it had queer stuff. After PS I Hate You last month, maybe I should have a new “girls who are interesting and evil and their rocky, rocky friendships” show/movie to read everything month lol Anyway, this was fun and entertaining and off the rails. I’d thought that Eleanor saying “Carissa accused me without reason” and them running with it was too easy, so I was glad to see it again come up in the twist. The twist was great but I think the writing and character/relationship development went a little wonky after that. Regardless, still fun

tags: do revenge

Star and Sky: Star in My Mind

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: Apr 8, 2022 - May 27, 2022

Dates Watched: Oct 8 - 9, 2022

Rating: 6/10

Watched Via: GMMTV Youtube (free)

General Thoughts: Fine, cute enough. Got annoying in the middle with the Phoon thing and then got boring after they got together. The start was the strongest part, the way they portrayed being awkward around one another but still having giddy, cute moments was great. It’s kinda like Vice Versa in the sense that it’s a fun show to binge but you mustn’t think while doing so.

tags: star in my mind

Also Appears In: Star In My Mind Live Blogging

After watching 2 episodes of Minato’s Laundromat, I got distracted and watched  The 354 Squad’s reaction to Squid Game on Oct 10 and 11. Sigh, it’s just a good show that I loved. TODO Gotta find that Squid Game fanartist who drew sooo well and gave me some favourite Sangwoo fanart. Update: Unfortunately despite downloading my Twitter archive, I couldn’t find it in my retweeted media nor could I find it in my likes after scrolling down to around Oct 10, 2021. Very frustrating and sad, I think the artist maybe deleted

Minato Shouji Coin Laundry (Minato’s Laundromat)

Country: Japan

Release Dates: Jun 29, 2022 - Sep 14, 2022

Dates Watched: Oct 10 - 17, 2022

Rating: 5.5/10

Watched Via: GagaOolala (paid, so :>)

General Thoughts: I am who I am meaning my fave character is Sakurako, Shin’s younger sister, who is soo cute, a little doll. Also, Shin’s actor has suchhhh a beautiful face :0 I wish I felt more for this but I don’t. My comment from ep 5 is still true at the end “tbh i don’t have much to say about this show like it’s fine, it’s handling the age gap interestingly, it’s very slice of life, Shin is very beautiful, I’m a little bored.” I’m not even invested enough to feel anything about the characters’ actions even though I feel like I should have loads of thoughts. I think I get bored with longer Japanese shows, the next few will be movies, so maybe I’ll like them more?

Also Appears In: Minato’s Laundromat Live Blogging

PARTNER IN CRIME - YINWAR - a concert trailer that’s a heist bl and is directed by P’Jojo ahh

No Touching At All

Country: Japan

Release Dates: May 25, 2014

Dates Watched: Oct 18, 2022

Rating: 7/10

Watched Via: Youtube

General Thoughts: Watched it at the perfect time to give me brainworms with its tropes and dynamics. Whenever it’s boss/employee, it’s often like young CEO and an intern or their secretary (at least in the fics), so it’s great fun when it’s like regular ass job with raw, jaded people. yknow I like that this movie has so many longshots and still shots. the actors have to work double time with their body language (bc we can see their whole bodies) + their voices because we’re not getting their facial expressions as closely. I think my only major criticism of this is just that the last big conflict and reason for breakup was different instead of transferring + shima thinking tugowa. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it itched the same part of my brain that AO3 fics often do. Girl it had me writing down every scene in the live blogging at one point bc it was all doing smth that i loved.

tags: no touching at all

Also Appears In: No Touching At All + Ai No Kotodama Live Blogging

I’ve been reading a whole bunch of VegasPete fics again the past 2 weeks or so. So good

Ai no Kotodama (Words of Devotion)

Country: Japan

Release Dates: Jan 25, 2008

Dates Watched: Oct 20, 2022

Rating: 5/10

Watched Via: Youtube

General Thoughts: agh just today we were talking bout how established relationship shows tend to mostly focus on jealousy/cheating/etc and yeah this movie also just focused so much on unfounded jealousy that it wasn’t fun. It was cute when the two of them were messing around and being chill but it kept being ruined by jealousy like agh

Also Appears In: No Touching At All + Ai No Kotodama Live Blogging

Old Fashion Cupcake

Country: Japan

Release Dates: Jun 13, 2022 - Jul 4, 2022

Dates Watched: Oct 21 - 23, 2022

Rating: 6/10

Watched Via: Viki (free)

General Thoughts: I’m very annoyed, why did I not enjoy that as much as I wanted to? There weren’t any glaring issues I had with anything but I just, once again, did not care. I recently liked No Touching At All with a similar boss/employee dynamic and that one gave me brain worms but this one didn’t make me care at all ?? I really don’t get it. Maybe it was the timing? At least unlike Minato’s Laundromat (which I also should’ve really liked), I didn’t wanna DNF this nor did I have to resort to almost 2x speed because of boredom.

Also Appears In: Old Fashion Cupcake Live Blogging

My Dear Loser: In-Sun

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: Aug 9, 2017 - Sep 13, 2017

Dates Watched: Oct 23 - 25, 2022

Rating: 4.5/10

Watched Via: GMMTV Youtube (free)

General Thoughts: definitely got the early BL vibes. I guess this probably stood out a lot more when it was released but I was bored as hell and didn’t care about anything/anyone. I wanted to give it a watch because P’Aof said he put a lot of personal experiences when he wrote this + I wanna finish up Our Skyy but yeah, idc and don't care to watch Our Skyy either

He She It

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: Oct 31, 2019 - Jul 1, 2020

Dates Watched: Oct 27 - 30, 2022

Rating: 6/10

Watched Via: Youtube (free)

General Thoughts: my BL for the spooky season! I was spoiled for the major plot point (Jeff kills Gameplay in a pool) and the OST Comedy but didn’t know about anything else. Something about low budget shows I love is how raw and real it feels sometimes, like the “She” episode’s beginning while hanging out with friends and then Mike and Peam hanging out are just such good scenes. They feel like a college student’s project but that makes it realer and idk a different kind of feeling to more polished and higher budget shows but still good in a different way. Part 3 initially confused in regards to Part 1′s but I rewatched it (I originally watched that on the 27th before watching the rest on 30th) and rewatching that definitely helped. To me, it seems like Part 2 happened, Peem just disappeared and nobody knew why or that he was dead (thus the actor teacher’s questions about what’s wrong and Mike being like aw why’d you disappear in the skit), the skit was paralleling Mike/Peem’s current situations (Peem disappeared, Peem ~almost~ drowning) but also maybe Mike’s wishes (him confessing, him saving Peem)? Then, when they kiss, the drowning aspect is also passed onto Mike and that’s when he maybe realizes Peem’s a ghost and between this scene and part 3 is when people figure out that Peem’s dead or something. Although the last part when the teacher and the students all were smirking and were acting fishy at the end while Mike was hyperventilating was sus and I couldn’t understand that beyond them thinking Mike’s doing this for attention.

Not currently watching anything but probably gonna watch a bunch of Thai stuff + some Taiwanese stuff next month and then in December gonna rewatch my faves, along with any airing shows (like GAP)

[olderthannetfic]

Re: shounen ai and it's improper usage. I learned yesterday from your blog the history of the term and it's definition! I learn so much from here about media, and it's great. I've been reading BL/yaoi/shounen ai for around fifteen years (only in English-speaking circles), and I've always seen shounen ai used to suggest "non-explicit BL" or some other variety and never the definition or history you've explained. Even most manga-hosting sites have shounen-ai as an established genre and the content to be found in that genre is basically "soft-BL" regardless of it's decade of origin or style of story. Do Japanese-speaking circles use the term/genre shounen ai today the way you've laid out in your previous posts about it, differently, or at all? Do they recognize the way it's used in English-speaking circles? Revile it? Is this a case of a runaway term being severed from its context and misused by English-speakers? And if the term has been misused for over 15 years (bc it was well established already when I first started consuming BL) at what point does a separate/second definition become legitimized/acceptable? This seems particularly sticky when it's a word from another language and culture. In case it isn't clear over text, I'm asking in good faith and am fascinated by the evolution of definitions between languages! (One of my favorite examples of this is the Korean good luck/do your best English exclamation "Fighting!")

--

Heh. Yeah. It's been (mis)used that way for a long time in English. It's baked into old fanfic archives like MediaMiner too. 'Shoujo ai' too! (Which would actually mean something more like "the love of adult men for pubescent girls". But this one is more of a coining by English speakers by analogy.)

I don't think Japanese fans have any need to care about how English speakers misuse their terms unless they speak enough English to participate in fandom in English (and unlike with a lot of languages, there's a vibrant home-grown geek community and no real need to go to other languages).

Today, people sometimes use 'shounen ai' to talk about those 70s series. It's more likely to turn up in a history lecture by a professor of manga than to pop out of most fans' mouths, IME. (Though my Japanese is garbage, so it's not like I'm watching how people are talking out loud. I just see textual stuff online mostly, like people going "What does term X" mean in that yahoo answers way.)

BL is "BL". Period. There is not some standard term for the "soft" end of it.

"at what point does a separate/second definition become legitimized/acceptable"

If this were an honest mistake or not super confusing, maybe rather quickly. Japanese is littered with wacky, "misused" loan words from English.

But even English-speaking fandom had people trying to stem the tide of incorrect usage all the way back to the 90s, and the usage tends to not just mean "I personally found this soft" but "This is objectively soft and there's a meaningful distinction between these two things" when BL is not actually divided into tiers like that.

It's the same as people classifying "shounen" and "shoujo" based on romance and fighting content when these have objective measures of what magazine a series ran in.

I would also be more inclined to accept this dumb usage if it weren't (in the 2020s, but not in the 1990s) constantly coming from kink-haters shaming and attacking their fellow fans.

[tired-fandom-ndn]

Bad news about the “non-standard body types” in the One Piece characters; they’re a transmisogynistic and homophobic stereotype often found in anime & manga. Here’s a post explaining it from a gay Japanese speaker (whose blog isn’t active anymore) that’s a good rundown and mentions One Piece specifically:

https://satans-tiddies.tumblr.com/post/174413663441/bl-okama-and-gay-stereotypes-in-animanga

I don’t wanna police your blog or posts, I’m just assuming you didn’t know the implications when posting about good body type representation and might want to know that.

I'm already aware of the transmisogyny and homophobia in One Piece and many of its characters. I've spoken about my issues with the okama stereotype in the manga before and I do actually have that specific post floating around on my blog.

I don't understand how any of that is relevant to my posts though? I'm not talking about okama characters, I'm talking about how women in One Piece are either stick thin with huge tits or they're turned into caricatures for other characters (particularly men) to laugh at and degrade. And yeah, a lot of the ways Oda designs "ugly" women in One Piece are inspired by homophobic and transphobic stereotypes, but I am also criticizing that. The way that Kokoro specifically is drawn would be totally fine if I didn't know that her makeup is meant to remind Japanese audiences of trans people, but I do know that and it changes the context.

I'm not praising Oda for including diverse body types, I am explicitly saying that he only includes diverse women in the series as a punchline and uses bigoted standards for that and that even his characters with unique and interesting designs can't really be appreciated when you know that they have bigoted origins and intentions.

[lithi]

Getting to know Spoon!

[TW: Slight mention of Rape/Non con: if you feel comfortable reading about such a subject, don’t read the part 3.1)

Translation: Spoon’s Namu Wiki profile

Pen name: 스푼 (Spoon)/제시아 (Jessia)

Nationality: Korean

1) Summary

Before her debut as an illustrator for the romance fantasy series WMMAP, she was active in the doujin world for works such as Hakyuu/Kuroko no Basket.

She was in charge of the cover illustration of the novel ‘I became a princess one day’, and is serializing a webtoon that is an adaptation of the novel.

2) Illustrations

(A list of covers Spoon has illustrated)

3) Controversy

• The setting that the author Spoon changed in the webtoon [1] overlaps with the 3-stage regression setting of 'Doctor Elise' [2], which became controversial. What both characters have in common is that they were orphans when they lived in Korea. The difference is that Elise remembers everything before reincarnating from the beginning, while Athanasia doesn't remember what happened before her reincarnation, and she just knows that she is was reincarnated in a novel.

3.1) Doujinshi that has been serialized in the past

(Cover of the work the author has published in the past [3])

In addition, there is another controversy, as in the past, the author drew the BL doujin work in the above photo with the main subject of hypnosis rape.

Although there are points that certainly have to be ethically criticized in this work, it is common among doujin writers to draw this kind of doujinshis. Many artists have a past history of doujinshi activities, but no one makes an issue out of it, and of course, it is not a problem. However, no matter what, there are strong opinions on the fact that such a depiction of rape is a problem.

While most critics of Spoon's deeds focus on rape, not on the R18, Spoon's fans argue that it must be allowed in the name of R18.

However, that does not mean that we should not have a prejudice that 'writers of stories with hypnotic rape as the main subject should not draw webtoons for all readers', and while refusing to mention the author's past works, people either repudiate comments that show malicious intent on the work, or write malicious content towards the author. You must not post malicious comments that exceed to personal attacks. [4]

3.2) The controversy of the illustration

The controversial Illustration of WMMAP that was presented to the writer Plutos as a gift during the serialization period on Joara*

(*Joara is a site to read web novels. WMMAP was originally published there.)

In order to give [the illustration] the feeling of a romance fantasy, I referred to the romance fantasy illustrator, Ciel-nim. (시엘)

I made a mistake while studying my drawing style. I will reflect and be careful when studying in the future.

I have no intention of drawing like this a second time, it was just for reference... Because it doesn’t suit [me]. ㅠㅠ (I think that this style of art shines the most in Ciel's illustrations.)

I usually mention it when I reference to something, but I've been very busy lately, so I forgot to write it. I'm sorry. Excuse me. People who saw it and to Ciel as well. *Since this is a reference picture, I only posted it on my blog for the record and did not post it on Twitter.

The author intended to this picture as the cover [of the novel], but at first, I didn't know that it was meant to be a cover, but I contacted the author in order to take down the picture, as it would cause trouble.

Controversy arose and author Spoon provided this explanation.

Lithi’s Note: This is Ciel’s Twitter is anyone is interested!! Their art is very pretty!

[1] WMMAP’s Athanasia died and was reincarnated as Lee Ji-hye in Korea, and after she died in Korea, she became Athanasia again, a character of a novel she read during her previous life.

[2] After Elise's death, she was reincarnated as Song Ji-hyeon in Korea, and after she died in Korea, she became Elise, the person she was during her first/previous life.

[3] For reference, it is said that the doujinshi was uploaded to a Japanese adult doujinshi-related platform.

[4] There were many people who posted malicious comments that accused [Spoon] of being associated with the Nth room and being a sex offender because of this rape series [in the doujinshi].

Note: I tried my best to translate, but there might be some errors!

Edit: Additional note: You... can actually buy Spoon’s KNB doujinshi here. It costs 18$! Or this one on EBay. It costs 40$. Or this one

Please do not repost ⚠️

[eternally-daydreaming]

hi there! welcome to my blog 😄

i’ve been getting more and more requests lately so i figured i’d introduce myself and give a few important fanfic-related announcements for you all :)

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a little about me

my name is emma and i go by she/her pronouns. i’m relatively new to using tumblr, but i’ve been an ao3 reader since 2018 and writer since 2021. i’ve linked my ao3 profile to the bottom of this post.

some of my likes are kpop, bl dramas (obviously lol), art and photography, reading, and listening to music. starting out, my blog was mostly kpop-related things but now it’s been entirely taken over by kinnporsche (as you can probably tell by scrolling a little). i’ll say though, there’s probably gonna be non-kinnporsche posts sprinkled here and there.

announcements regarding requests

whether or not requests are open can be found at the top of my blog directly under the title

all finished requests are reblogged to the original ask post as an ao3 link

requests that can be fulfilled as one-shots can generally be finished within a week of my receiving the request, but there will be situations where i may take longer

in those cases, i will try not to take more than three weeks (give or take) to get the requests out

overall, the only thing i ask is to please be patient and bare with me 🤗

at the time of creating this post i’m on summer vacation, but come end of august i’ll be starting my first year of university as a forensic science major. due to that, my presence on here and on ao3 is likely to decrease while i focus on my studies.

•❅─────✧❅✦❅✧─────❅•

aaaand i think that’s all for now! i’ll probably redo this post at some point but right now i think this is enough. feel free to comment or message me whenever and about whatever! my inbox is always open ☺️🤍

[maggiecheungs]

2020 ~everything~ wrap

i finally have time to do all of the tag games that people have tagged me in over the past month or so! i cannot for the life of me remember who tagged me in which one, so i’m just putting ~everything~ in one huge post. if i tag you anywhere then consider it a standing invitation to do whichever of these you haven’t done :) in fact, this is me issuing a standing invite to any of my followers who wants to do it :) also, thank you all!

Creator Wrap: Favourite Works

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

this collection of philosophy quotes paired with thai bl series, (and its sequel) which is possibly my favourite thing i’ve ever made. for, uh, nerd reasons.

these gifted text post memes i made still make me laugh sometimes

this fic about green from 2gether, which i wrote in the notes app on my phone and published the same day. not my absolute best writing but i am very fond of it <3

i have a bunch fof friend zone dangerous area edits/shitposts which i like, but i’m particularly fond of my fzda as satire headlines (which now has a sequel!)

i also love my crisgood-walmart-lesbian post. i might send it in to gmmtv to try and convince them to do a crisgood-bffs spin-off

+ bonus: since i wrote this list i made this gifset (my first ever!) of jennie panhan in the shipper and i love her too much not to include her on here

+ extra nerdy bonus: this niche meme about Chinese philosophy, which still makes me crack up whenever I think about it

Favourite Creators/Follow Forever

i’ve completely lost track of who’s following who from which blog, so this is just going to be a haphazard, non-exhaustive list of people who i adore/admire/am vaguely intimidated by, mutuality be damned. maybe we talk all the time! maybe we’ve never interacted! maybe i am constantly there in ur tags... lurking... 👀... but if you’re on this list you have made me smile at least once this year and i love you for that alone <3

@wjmild kylie!! you make gifs of arm & tay & lee (separately or in various combinations) & the shipper & and kapook & random fluke pusit cameos & school rangers so i don’t have to <3 ilysm

@janeramida vianey, you have such impeccable taste in general, but your sizzy gifset in particular is so gorgeous it lives in my mind rent free

@applelapis bri, this post was a callout and i want you to know that it haunts me at night as i lie awake staring at the ceiling :((((( i hope you are happy

@gigiesarocha cata, i love it when you show up on my dash bc you have!! such taste!! also, every time you gif gigie i gain five years of life <3 pls continue doing the Good Work

@pvrrish​ eleni, i remeber legit thinking that this was an official poster when i first saw it, it’s so beautiful

@ahysopae​ juliette your khaithird fic is so good and it literally changed the way i think about khai (not an easy feat)

@kurosawadachi angel, whenever i think about grace’s speech i remember your gifset and get literal chills

@doctorbahnjit alexa, you have no right to be as funny as you are. your friend zone edits give me life

@khaotungthanawat sam, you’re probably sick of getting tagged in these lists by random strangers, but i just had to bc your gifsets are Pure Art

@tanwirapong roa, all your gifsets are so ✨iconic✨

faiza @asianmelodrama and rahul @petekaos! yours were the first two thai drama blogs i followed and for ages i lowkey thought of you as my fandom parents.

and some more blogs that make me happy: @curlykytta / @lee-thanat  / @fck-inspector-m / @pangwave / @tichawongtipkanon / @tawanv @kimmonv (violet istg i have spent more time this year trying to figure out how many blogs you have than i have spent admiring your gifsets. & i spend a lot of time admiring your gifsets) / @taytawan / @1akorn and @yihwas (and your radiant lovechild @lakornladies ofc) / @teh-ohaew / @vihokratanas (mel your gifsets are just so gorgeous) / @tootiredtoosadtooangry / @headcompletelyempty / @demiromanticmickey​ / and there are definitely more but my brain is a sieve so apologies if i’ve forgotten anyone!! i love you all!! 

2020 HIGHLIGHTS ✨

rules: list your top 10 shows (bl or not) you watched in 2020 (doesn’t necessarily have to be shows that came out in 2020 though!)

1. 2GETHER & STILL2GETHER

my first thai drama, and even after all the amazing shows i’ve watched this year, it still has a special place in my heart. watching 2gether was the first time i’d ever seen a queer romcom that just... was. for me, by the simple fact of its being, 2gether was revolutionary. and then still2gether came along and took all the best things about the first season and gave us something beautiful and quiet and lovely and just proved to me, once and for all, that queer happiness doesn’t need to justify its own existence. there can be gay cuddles on the beach for no other reason than that we want them. 

2. UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

i don’t really have the words for this one but. it makes my heart so very soft.

3. FRIEND ZONE 2: DANGEROUS AREA

season one was mindless fun because everyone was an absolute trashfire and it was hella cathartic to watch, but season 2... wow. i love it for so many reasons: it has messy and authentic queer rep; the characterisation is excellent and i somehow care about all of the characters; amazing women taking centre stage(!); a wlw relationship with lesbian, ace and bipolar rep; multiple interesting plotlines; actual character development; arm weerayut as a chaos gremlin... absolutely one of my favourites of 2020.

4. CHERRY MAGIC

i don’t think i need to explain this one, which is fortunate, because i have no idea how exactly i’d describe the happy-warm-fuzzy-queer-seen-loving-affirmed-profound feeling that rises in my chest whenever i think about it. 

5. THE GIFTED: GRADUATION

confession: i liked season 2 more than season 1 (with the exception of the ending, which we don’t talk about). season 1 was enjoyable and interesting, but for me it was season 2 which made me love this series. it did some incredibly interesting and complicated things (even if it didn’t quite nail the landing): it pushed characters to the breaking point and wove so many layers into the story and questioned its own underlying themes. plus, watching it alongside everyone in the fandom made it 200% better. i love all of you and i love this show. egg girl 5eva.

6. THE SHIPPER

i 100% understand why so many people didn’t like this show, or found it problematic, but through some fluke it absolutely worked for me (even the ending). one day i will write an essay explaining my rationale, but for now i’ll just say that it’s one of my favourite shows about adolescence and queerness and identity and compassion and friendship and love that i’ve ever watched. 

7. YYY

this series is absolutely off its rocker, and it somehow managed to be one of the most affirming shows i’ve watched. it shouldn’t have worked by it did, and i love it so much.

8. 3 WILL BE FREE

absolutely iconic. amazing plot, stunning visuals, great characters, canon polyamory, jennie being incredible... what a series.

9. MANNER OF DEATH

i love the fact that this show exists; i love the mix of crime and romance; i love maxtul’s acting; i love the central relationship; i love bun. i know we’re not even halfway through yet, but this show is doing something special and i’m so grateful that i get to watch it unfold in real time. 

10. CHIHAYAFURU (SEASON 3)

odd one out on my list, but I had to include it. chihayafuru is my all-time favourite anime and it finally got a third season, which is somehow even better than the first two. mashima taichi is one of my favourite characters of all time and his storyline hits me on such a profound level. plus, in the years since i first say this show i’ve fallen in love with classical japanese literature (particularly heian poetry) so i had newfound appreciation for the karuta matches (aka i cried every time someone recited one of my favourite poems)

other favourites: together with me, he’s coming to me, sotus and sotus s, my dear loser: edge of 17, why r u, theory of love, wake up chanee!, gameboys, pearl next door, uta koi (anime), three kingdoms (2010), blood and water (netflix). (itsay would almost certainly be on my list if i’d had time to watch it. same with dark blue kiss, which i had to pause so i could do my assignments)

Final Thoughts

well, it’s been... a year (i don’t think anyone needs a reminder of the details) but writing this post has reminded me of all the amazing shows and people I discovered over the course of it.

thank you to everyone for being so lovely and creative and funny and quirky and kind and passionate. you’re all incredibly awesome people and i wish all of you the very best xx