#Worst BLs of 2023

[absolutebl]

Best & Worst BLs of 2023

My Top 15 BLs of 2023 are (in order)

1 Our Dating Sim

Korea Viki

Nerds in love, deadlines, gaming, teasing, pining tiny idiots, casual affection, linguistic oops, ADORABLE. If you haven't watched this, it's a must. A perfect short form KBL, an office set reunion romance featuring geeks that really suits 8 eps with no fluff and no chaff. Just comforting and yummy.

I adored every aspect from the casting to the pristinely simple premise to the quietly smooth execution. Sure it’s low stakes, but that makes it high domesticity and extremely warm and gentle. This is a fuzzy blanket of a story - a cozy BL. It lives in my rewatch pile and you know what’s best about it? Every single episode is in that pile. There’s no skipping with this one, it might be good natured and calmly sweet but it’s tight and the pacing is excellent.

Also recieves my 2023 award for best giggle.

2 I Cannot Reach You

AKA I Can't Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai

Japan Netflix

This classic friends-to-lovers BL is everything Japan does best. Angsty. Emo. Aching. Driven by real thirst. Yamato is deeply in love with his childhood bestie, Kakeru, and has been for ages, unable to hide his ungainly damaging high school need. He wants Kakeru in every way possible and it oozes off of the screen.

Kakeru is silly and a little simple, but not frenetic or overly camp about it. He is earnest, and genuinely wants to keep Yamato in his life which means giving a romance (and gayness) a fair chance. We watch him realize his affection and what form it can take in a truly authentic way.

This show was impossibly kind to both of its lead characters and I felt almost honored that I got to watch something so lovely and rare play out on my screen.

Also wins the best thirst award.

These were the 2 BLs that got 10/10 from me in 2023. The rest of these got 9/10 from me.

3 My School President

Thailand YouTube

GMMTV gave us a classic high school set Thai BL with tropes like messy boys singing their feelings that made this one Love Sick for the modern age with all the gentle sweetness and pining ache, but none of the dated damaging tropes or issues. Who let my BL be this wholesome and funny? My favourite GMMTV BL offering to date. And yes, I've watched them ALL.

Received the Namgoong award for best wingman 2023.

4 I Feel You Linger in the Air

Thailand grey

IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework. Steeped in history and family drama this is an elegant and classy BL. The main couple (both as a pair and individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine. It's a marker of how great it was that it's so high on my list despite the ending which was very much not what I wanted.

Additional accolade, sexiest moment of 2023 - (the oil scene).

You could try to fight me, but you'll have no grip.

5 Kiseki: Dear to Me

Taiwan Gaga & Viki

The plot is totally ridiculous and slightly unhinged. There’s a gum-ball machine of cameos, elder gay rep, great chemistry from all pairs (everyone is queer), and a KILLER side couple. It involves all the tropes under a very offhand framework of gay mafia gangs + food = love. As a result Kiseki is a poster child for Taiwanese BL, and I happen to love Taiwanese BL. Bonus? They also managed to END IT WELL, which we cannot expect from Taiwan.

Best side couple 2023!

(thank goodness Taiwan made this list!)

6 Jun and Jun

Korea Viki

A delightful office romance about an ex-idol who joins cubical life only to find his new boss is his first love. With a snappy (sometimes even raunchy) script, enjoyable sides, a pretty as peaches cast, and descent chemistry this show made up for in style what it lacked in substance. I like fluff. I loved this. I smiled every moment I was watching.

Best flirting 2023.

AKA "the tongue knows" award

7 The Eighth Sense

Korea Viki

This one is a bit chewy and sticky and less perfect than most KBLs. It’s got a bit of an age gap, country boy/city boy, stellar acting, complex characters, and leads with great chemistry and tension. This isn’t in the KBL bubble, there’s sharp edges and lots of triggers. For a BL the darkness of the content left me feeling unsettled (which is the only reason it didn't get a perfect score) but it has a glorious ending and that counts for a lot.

2023's most likely to appeal to non-BL watchers.

8 Unintentional Love Story

Korea iQIYI

The lead, Gongchan (maknae of B1A4) is a fucking GIFT, who carried this show. He was luminous with extraordinarily expressive eyes, which he used to carry a killer plot and challenging role. Forced into a totally understandable betrayal, falling in love despite himself, put into a corner he can't get out of, the AGONY, the eyes EMOTING at us in PAIN. Driven by external conflict, social tension and pressure this story seems simple but it's actually refined and quite complex. I loved this show.

Best story structure 2023.

9 My Personal Weatherman

AKA Taikan Yoho

Japan Gaga

This is classic yaoi of the kind that really only works from Japan. Basically: boys who fell in love in college end up living together but both are so repressed they actually don't realize they're in love. It's high heat is well done, but it leaned into the "why don't they just talk for fuck's sake?" which is exacerbated by the fact that they're already fucking. Sure is sexy tho.

Best use of props 2023 for the shower of sheets.

10 Our Dining Table

AKA Bokura no Shokutaku

Japan Gaga

Lonely salaryman and talented cook gets accidentally adopted by a college kid and his little brother. It’s a quiet & cozy little parable of found family alleviating loneliness. It's lovely & sweet with the romance beats used to build a family relationship, not just couple intimacy. Special.

First prize for domesticity.

11 Laws of Attraction

Thailand iQIYI

This is a great gay suspense thriller with several solid couples, fun plot, killer characters, queer rep, and a happy ending. It’s tons of fun and I had an absolute blast watching it.

Charn wins my favorite character of 2023.

12 La Pluie

Thailand Viki

This BL takes to task the fated mates trope and what it means to have love chained intimately to predestination. It’s about how faith in destiny before choice diminishes the authenticity of emotion, relationships, and connection. This is a high concept to examine through the lens of a BL. With good chemistry and decent acting all around, plus some excellent high heat and representation of consent and a few other rare tropes, this one has to (like it’s sibling show My Ride) earn high marks.

Most interesting concept 2023.

13 The New Employee

Korea Viki

So good, SO QUEER, so soft, a near pitch perfect office BL with conflict derived from that setting. Also found family and a lesbian bestie. This is what I wanted from this new crop of office set KBLs ALL ALONG. Rainbow rice cakes forever!

Best overall queer rep from Korea.

14 Step By Step

Thailand Gaga & YouTube & Viki

This was Thailand’s answer to The New Employee, and everything I loved about that show I loved about this one. This was an office romance between stern boss and sweet subordinate that felt more authentic to an office environment than previous Thai BLs of this ilk which added tension to the narrative and character development.

Chot wins best queer character 2023.

15 Love Tractor

Korea iQIYI

Most of this country-set BL had me feral for the beautiful broken city boy and his hot young farmer. Hyung romance, puppy/cat pairing, open frankness meets jaded reserve, language play, water hose frolicking, only one bed = all my favorite silly tropes.

Biggest "he so pretty" gasp of the year award.

10 Worst BLs of 2023 (that I watched)

My Blessing

My Universe: Casanova Begins

Boyband the series

Cafe In Love

Chains of Heart

Hit Bite Love

Only Friends

Senior Love Me

The Luminous Solution

The Promise

Yes, you read that right. I know I'm against the flow but I really did not like Only Friends. Everyone's taste is different.

However I DNFed faster and more BL's this year than ever before, so that means my 10 worst probably aren't quite reflective...

10 Probably Actually Worst BLs (I dropped 'em)

My Story

The Day I Loved You

Beyond the Star

Crazy Handsome Rich

Dinosaur Love

House of Stars

Mr Cinderella 2

Love Bill

Stormy Honeymoon

The Star Always Follow You

Codicils in General

I only carefully track/watch Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. Other countries are not fully represented.

My Numbers

So my spreadsheet chronicled 138 BLs that finish airing in 2023.

101 = watched & reviewed

2 = still in the docket (WDYEY2 & Love Syndrome III)

15 = CNF (could not find)

20 = DNF (which also accounts for how few very low scores I handed out in 2023 as opposed to previous years, I just stopped watching). Speaking of which...

Ratings spread

(# of stars. #of BLs given that rating)

0 (see the DNFs instead)

2 - IT'S DEPRESSING they killed the gay, save yourself

7 - I DON'T KNOW WHAT I AM WATCHING AND NEITHER DOES IT

7 - FATALLY FLAWED but still basically BL, however… do we want to support this kind of behavior?

9 - WATCH IF YOU HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO but don’t expect much, it’s a total hot mess

17 - WORTH WATCHING BUT FLAWED probably around the ending or in narrative structure/cohesion or censorship

14 - RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS i.e. isn’t quite BL, convoluted, not strictly HEA, too short/long, or chemistry issues

30 - RECOMMENDED some concerns around tropes (like dub con) or story structure but still satisfies as BL

13 - ABSOLUTELY RECOMMENDED probably a few pacing issues or one flaw

2 - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED faithful to tropes, happy ending, good chemistry, few flaws, high rewatch potential

(source)

[lgbtally4ever]

The Worst BL Series of 2023, so far (according to @ThaiBL on YouTube)

I agree with ALL, except Hit, Bite, Love, which, after a few episodes I found to be quirky, often funny, and just plain weird, for the most part (but NOT one of the worst)!

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Most memorable items of clothing in bl series in 2023

In order of their airing/me watching them:

I'm thankful I've gotten into the habit of noting which shows I watch and when otherwise I wouldn’t be able to remember. As it is, first on my list is Bed Friend, which kind of sets the tone for this post since it features the best and the worst outfit choices for Uea. The waffle robes and cat ears vs the fake sleeves shirt.

Next is a quick shout out to Por in My School President, since the show started in 2022 but did finish in 2023, and basically all of his outfits. The man is a style icon. But this stripy polo shirt takes the biscuit for me. I need to have it.

On to Moonlight Chicken and this one is a combined effort between Heart and Li Ming. @telomeke prompted me to write a little about it, but essentially the two shirts together are saying 'you're my other half'. Urthe / Tomato sauce.

The Gloves! Need I say more? (Alright, for those of you who don't know - how could you not?! - they're from Chains of Heart).

And now not strictly an item of clothing but an accessory, the most straight ankle bracelet you'll ever see in a thai series. Totally platonic, not gay AT ALL. In Midnight Museum.

In July the different Thai production companies took stock of three versions of the same stripy linin shirt – the cream long-sleeved, the brown short-sleeved, and the charcoal short-sleeved - and proceeded to clad every actor they could in one of them within a three and a half month period (six shows*, eight different characters). We had couple-shirts with both Kawi and Pisaeng and Mew and Top wearing them, and Namneua in Wedding Plan wore all three. (*Step by Step, Be My Favourite, Hidden Agenda, Wedding Plan, Love in Translation, and Only Friends).

Staying in July for a while, and speaking of weddings, Kawi rocked on up to Pearmai and Not's wedding in Be My Favourite in this brown houndstooth shirt and black pants outfit - an almost exact replica of Ray's outfit in the original pilot trailer for Only Friends. I waited with baited breath to see if Ray would still wear the outfit in the actual series...and he did! Not only that, I then realised Uea had already worn it in Bed Friend earlier in the year.

In a surprising turn of events, Be My Favourite – and Krist – turned out to actually be Quite Good. Perhaps distracted by Krist's puppy eyes, we weren't entirely ready for the first appearance of the Dudes shirt – itself a wonderful comment on the narrative since Kawi was figuring out his feelings for Pisaeng – but it was a delight to see it again on Nick in Only Friends, and offering a different narrative comment.

This next one may only be notable for me, but when I was doing my dedicated scan through of oh so many shows to collect items for the communal wardrobe, I noticed this sand and grey sweater amongst the many other items of shared clothing which appeared in The Warp Effect and then very briefly on Pisaeng in Be My Favourite. Not long after, the trailer for Last Twilight dropped and I spotted it again immediately. I've also since noticed it in a speed scan of The Shipper. Not only do I think it's a pretty neat sweater, but I loved the effect it gave in Last Twilight, which I wrote about at the end of this post.

This is getting long but I'm going to keep going (this might be the only 2023 wrap up I do so I'ma make it count).

If you've been following me for a while (or since the BBS days), you’ll know how rabid I go when I see a pair of the yellow-soled Mustard brand shoes in a show. The most recent being in Hidden Agenda worn by Zo…but they're not the ones on this list. Oh no, it's Joke's blue-soled shoes which made me sit up and scream this time...meaning even their shoes were colour-coded in this show. Oh how I wish I could buy a pair of each.

There were many fabulous outfits in Laws of Attraction (especially Charn's) but Tanthai's green rope shirt wins out for me. Green seemed to be used in the show to represent the lies and secrets Tanthai was forced to keep because of his father, and he was metaphorically bound and trapped in these lies and his life. Ah perfection!

I've mentioned a lot of brilliant items but there have also been many awful ones, and the one I can't seem to stop thinking about (or horrifying over) is the Droopy Tits shirt (or Nipple Protector, whichever way you want to call it) which first appeared in Dangerous Romance and then The Jungle just three days later. I'm surprised we haven't seen it again to be honest, but I imagine if we get more spoiled rich kids we probably will.

These next two aren't specific items but more of a shout out to the whole wardrobe design of the shows.

First, Only Friends, with Mew and Ray's transformation to Ray and Sand's (respective) wardrobe choices, as well as the inversion of colours to highlight differences in relationships, and the use of colour-groupings to separate characters (<- a post i have yet to write). I wish I could write more about it…but life is just too busy to give it the time it needs.

The second is, of course, Ai Di and Chen Yi in Kiseki: Dear to Me with how they always share a colour in their different outfits. @respectthepetty details this perfectly here, so I don't need to. I am however still feral about these two and can't wait to do a full re-watch of the show.

And lastly, much like Baseball Mom in Bad Buddy two years ago (and to be honest many of Pat's other shirts), Aof recently gifted us another absolutely ridiculous but brilliantly poignant t-shirt slogan in Mhok's Fart Proudly shirt in Last Twilight, which I went into detail about here. Just A+

Thanks for sticking with me through all that! Any others that stood out for you or that I missed?

[lurkingshan]

Random BL Grievances, 2023 Edition

Listen. I was going to be nice. I was going to listen to my better angels. Shan, I said, there is no need to hate, it's all love! Just let it all go! But then my Tay Tawan was cruelly ripped away from me and @my-rose-tinted-glasses gave me inspiration. So fuck it, we ball. Hateration turned up to 11, let's go.

Worst Waste of a Good Start: Jun & Jun

Remember when this show started and it was all about scent kink and extremely horny energy, and then suddenly that all evaporated so we could add a bunch of side plots and do four different love triangles instead? Yeah I'm still mad about it!!

Most Overused Metaphor: Dangerous Romance

Hey y'all, did you know windmills need wind to power them?

Rudest Boy: Lomfon, La Pluie

The audacity of this boy. The chaos he sewed. Look at this scene! Immediately after this he not only plotted a secret date with his situationship's brother, he kissed said brother without consent. He made Tien cry. I may have forgiven your lanky ass, but I sure didn't forget!

Worst Retcon: Naughty Babe

This is not Men in Black and you can't just mind wipe me into forgetting these two already worked through half these issues in Cutie Pie. Not to mention suddenly turning a dog into a CGI tiger!! Thanks to Nat and Max for their service though those sex scenes at the end did help me cope.

Biggest Audience Betrayal: Minato's Laundromat 2

Plot contrivance amnesia! In my painstaking slow burn self acceptance journey that I have spent two entire seasons on. I will never forgive them.

Most Egregious Lack of Threesomes: Only Friends

You put me through all that messy drama and all those teases and I did not get to watch even one (1) threesome? Just a couple of kisses and everybody vacates the pool. I ask you, what was the point of Boeing if he wasn't here to fuck everybody! For shame, Jojo.

Most Undeserved Forgiveness: Eun Ji and Tae Hyung, The Eighth Sense

These two assholes are really up there amongst the worst friends in drama this year. I don't care what Jae Won says, I do not forgive you. Ji Hyun should have kept that petty energy for the both of them.

Biggest Character Letdown: Sand, Only Friends

Eternally pouring one out for the rougher, more cynical version of Sand who was wielding a baseball bat in the trailer. I don't know what happened to you, my guy, but you live on in my heart.

Most Baffling Dropped Plot: Thyme, A Boss and a Babe

Why was Drake even in this show? What was the point of all that plot set up in the first half if they weren't going to resolve it?? Why wasn't Thyme the mole??? Make it make sense.

Most Obvious Lack of Purpose: Between Us

How on earth did this happen? You have literal years to write a compelling sequel story for a wildly popular side ship and this is all you can come up with?! Aside from a couple nice sexy scenes at the start, this show really had no idea what it was about and nothing interesting to say.

Biggest Waste of Everyone's Time: Absolute Zero

New Siwaj, you're getting the triple dose on this list!! And AZ is your biggest sin this year because what the fuck was this! You had all that money, all that talent, all that time at your disposal, and this is what you did with it. UWMA squad was lined up to see you finally do another masterpiece, and you delivered this mess instead. What is going on with you, sir, I feel it's time for an intervention.

Worst Derailing of a Good Show: Step by Step

You didn't think this post was ending without me mentioning this disaster, did you? An all-time cautionary tale in how to waste a good slow burn. Jeng deserved better and so did we.

[bitacrytic]

A Power-balanced Enemies to Lovers BL that ends happily, 2024

When TDJ came out, I was enamored by the idea of the evil, possessive boss who was obsessed with his "good boy" employee and I prayed for the day when I'd watch that dynamic in an action bl.

And then KP came out with the same trope, setting Kinn up as the perfect mix of Yohan's possessiveness, anger issues and violent nature. Played against Porsche's "I'll never be a gangster... unless I fall in love with one," which reminded me of Gaon going undercover only to change his mind and join Yohan in the end.

While that was great, I wondered how awesome it would be if, for once, the Porsche/Gaon "good boy" character had more agency. If he was just as strong and just as aware as the Yohan/Kinn character. I knew I'd love it and given how many times Yohan/Kinn abused, lied to and manipulated Porsche/Gaon, I really wanted to see things be flipped with the good boy being the one with all the facts and manipulating his evil boss.

And do you know what the cosmos did????

THEY GAVE US THE WORST OF EVIL.

Like, it just keeps getting better. 2021 gave us TDJ, 2022 gave us KP and 2023 gave us TWOE. So 2024, I'm looking at you with a new addition to my requests.

Please give us a proper enemies to lovers arc where they end up together... HAPPILY!!!

Not and ending like the distant relationship in TDJ. Not an ending like the emotional imprisonment in KP and definitely not with one of them dying like in TWOE.

A proper happy ending, 2024. Please. That's not too much to ask, is it?

[jaemmphilia]

★ 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 ★ || seo c.b

★ summary: changbin is at the top of his acting career. he's been in major movies and shows of all kinds ever since he was in diapers. his manager approaches him one day with a script. changbin gets excited, skimming the words in the book. his face falls when he realizes that he's going to starring in a BL mini-series with his worst enemy: moon y/n.

★ pairing: seo changbin x male!reader

★ genre and rating: enemies/idiots to lovers, actor au, mature rating (18+)

★ warnings: this is going to be a mature series with colorful language and sexual themes, minors please do not engage with this series.

★ date started: july 2, 2023

★ date finished: tba

★ disclaimer: this fic in absolutely NO way represents the stray kids members as people. this is just for fun, so don't take it to heart. just enjoy!

★ episode one: casual

★ episode two: morning light

★ episode three: body language

★ episode four: wild beach

★ episode five: down low

[frances-and-the-moon]

So!

Since there is a Spotify Wrapped and a Youtube Wrapped I thought it a good idea to make a personal K-drama Wrapped a.k.a. a list of all K-dramas & J-dramas I watched this year!

I had a lot of time this year to watch lots (and lots) of TV Shows. So, without farther ado, here's a list of all TV Shows I watched in 2023, ranked by my very personal vote (I'm probably forgetting some but it's ok lol. Favourite ones are in bold + bromance ones are pink, BLs are purple)

1. Beyond Evil (10/10)

2. The Devil Judge (9/10)

3. Weak Hero Class (9/10)

4. The Glory (10/10)

5. Strangers from Hell (8/10)

6. The Worst of Evil (10/10)

7. The Guest OCN (8/10)

8. Revenant (7/10)

9. Sky Castle (7/10)

10. All of Us are Dead (8/10)

11. Little Women (7/10)

12. Lies Hodden in My Garden (7/10)

13. Sweet Home (9/10)

14. Duty After School (7/10)

15. KinnPorsche (8/10)

16. The Eighth Sense (7/10)

17. Girl From Nowhere (8/10) (Thai Drama)

18. The Good Bad Mother (7/10)

19. D.P. (8/10)

20. Black Knight (7/10)

21. My Mister (9/10)

22. Bloodhounds (7/10)

23. Atelier (Jdrama) (8/10)

24. Moving (10/10)

25. Evilive (8/10)

26. Flower of Evil (8/10)

27. My Dearest (8/10)

28. The Deal (8/10)

29. Duty After School (6/10)

30. Vigilante (9/10)

31. The Killing Vote (7/10)

32. One Room Angel (8/10) (JDrama)

33. Extraordinary Attorney Woo (8/10)

34. Reborn Rich (8/10)

35. Taxi Driver (8/10)

36. Only Friends (7/10)

37. Home School (7/10) (Thai Drama)

38. Castaway Diva (8/10)

39. Celebrity (7/10)

40. Last Twilight (8/10) (Thai Drama)

41. My Personal Weatherman (8/10) (Jdrama)

42. Black Knight (7/10)

43. Perfect Marriage Revenge (8/10)

[respectthepetty]

GMMTV 2024 Part 1 - Hot Tops

I did this last year, so I guess I'll do it this year too even though I'm salty like the Great Lakes in Utah about not getting JoongDunk, release dates for the remaining 2023 shows, nor Midnight Museum 2. Even though I have questions like if High School Fremeny is gonna be queer and why GMMTV is determined to make Earth seem old (Ossan's Love, really?!), there was a lot that I liked about this lineup like . . .

#1 - ON SALE Peaceful Property

I don't know if this show is a BL or not or what its name is, but I don't care. I'm gonna watch the hell out of it regardless. After enjoying New in The Warp Effect act wild, then Tay in Midnight Museum (thug tears!) be unhinged, I'm excited to see them play to those strengths in the Thai edition of one of my favorite shows, Los Espookys, because we have the rich kid who needs the help of the poor ghost hunters. It looks like a funny (and heartwarming) take on los espookys, so I'll be scared, but it has color coding which makes it a HOT TOP for me. - For the Heart

#2 - Wandee Goodday

Great was queer in Manner of Death. It was canon to me, so I followed him to Catch Me Baby where he clearly wasn't queer, but NetJames as the support were, so it was a win. So I'll be damn sure to follow this fine man on this wild adventure with Inn where he is playing an actual queer. Like he knows "he is queer and is already having casual sex with a guy" queer. It also features THOR, DRAKE and POND, while being directed by GOLF with the possibility of color coding, so who am I to argue with perfection. - For the Kinks

#3 - My Golden Blood

I don't like vampires, but I love camp, and nothing gets campier than this pilot trailer even if was unintentional. I laughed so many times during it that I'm going to treat this as a comedy whether it is or not. It had Neo and Mond while also saving some space for potential "older" vampires to show up (Papang anyone?). Fluke Gawin continues to take one for the team, yet stays winning, so thank this babygirl for his service, while Joss serves body. Amen. - For the Laughs

#4 - The Trainee

Everyone looks miserable in corporate America Thailand, which is realistic because it is soul-sucking and never-ending, but OffGun are getting to play adults AGAIN, and like I wrote last year - They are Kelly Clarkson. Even at their worst, they are better than every one else, performance-wise, and they have View, Piploy, and Sea with his beautiful side profile as supports. Because it is an office BL, I'm already rooting for it, and it features Gun crying which is only rivaled by Khaotung tearing up, meaning it's marvelous. - For the Adults

#5 - Kidnap

Both Ohms are in it with Title and a newbie, but I'm only showing up 42% for them and 58% for PAPANG! That's it! That's the reason. - For the PAPANG!

Honorable Mention - Pluto

It's really shitty of me to put a picture of the bully, played by THOR (again!), as the image for this when it is a GL, but the entire reason it isn't even ranked is because . . .

WHAT WAS IT ABOUT?!

There are twins? One gets in a car accident with her husband right after the wedding or on the way to the wedding? The other twins takes her place to figure out what happened? But falls back in love with her bestie? Or were they already in love? Or did the chick actually love the other twin? Make it make sense, Mary! All I truly understood was Thor & Baseball Bat. Everything else was confetti. - For the ???

Everything Else

As usual, I'm showing up for everything queer, so even if I'm not looking forward to them I'll watch them.

But Ossans' Love . . . really, GMMTV? *eye roll for making me sit through it again in another language*

[gmmtv-bl-tournament-but-evil]

Hell-oh one and all to the Worst GMMTV Boy's Love Series Tournament*!

While it is always everyone's greatest wish to keep fandom a positive and wholesome experience, sometimes we just want to go ham and have a little toxicity in our lives… you know, as a treat! So that's where this Tournament comes in.

Starting next Monday, November 27th 2023, and over the course of the next ten weeks, we are going to have a series of polls to find out which is the most be-hated GMMTV Boy's Love Series. During the course of the tournament, it is allowed and even encouraged to get a little mean with it. Vote for the option you like the least, reblog the polls talking about how and why you hate the series you hate, leave asks to this blog to let me know, and feel free to engage in a little light-hearted ribbing - or even discourse! - in the replies to each round. Anything goes, the sky's the limit!

Unlike the original tournament, this is going to be a Double Elimination Tournament. That means that if a show you particularly hate has already been eliminated, fret not! because it will then be knocked down to the Losers' Bracket where it will keep competing with the other losers until it loses one last time or makes it all the way to the Ultimate Final for another chance to prove itself the worst in the business!

There are 24 shows in this tournament. The reason Water Boyy, My Gear and Your Gown, and My Tee ('Cause You're My Boy) were not included was that they're not liked enough and I didn't want to make it too easy. Also I haven't watched them so it wouldn't have been fun for me.

Now that we've gotten to know each other, stay posted for the beginning of the tournament and get ready to do your worst! I'll see you all very, very soon.

*no association with the original @gmmtv-bl-tournament. Be a little mean and have fun but don't go over the line. OP can take anything you dish but don't get too testy with others who might not appreciate the attitude.

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Top 5 shows that you enjoyed giffing this year

Shan, thank you for this question! 💚

Now I can come up with five more fantastic shows I enjoyed giffing this year, what makes things way more easy for me to decide on the shows! 😊

Basically, I liked every series I giffed... those I stopped giffing were the ones I lost interest in over the episodes. But there were some series which stood out for me, be it because of the story itself or because of how visually pleasing the show was.

So for this answer I'm gonna start with one of the most beloved shows of mine this year:

I Feel You Linger In The Air

This show has everything for me. The love, the romance, the most saddest fuck this year, the intimacy, the cinematography, the story, everything was pure beauty and I enjoyed watching every piece of it so much. I am still waiting patiently for the special episode and I will wait for it till the end of my days.

In second I present you another beautiful series with two people who desperately needed to talk to each other about their true feelings:

Tokyo in April is...

On a technical aspect, it was fun coloring this show. I like to destroy filters and make the sets look more natural. And with this show it felt like they used all the yellow or all the blue and sometimes it was impossible to make it look good, but other times I felt really good with my coloring. The other side was my personal and @nieves-de-sugui's love for this story that made it so enjoyable to gif the scenes we loved the most. Thank you again for all your requests! It really made the experience of this show a very special one!

Next in line is a show I didn't know I would love as much as I do. Like Last Twilight I went into this show without great expectations and was blown away by its perfection:

Be My Favorite

The lovestory of Kawi and Pisaeng was one of the most beautiful written stories for me this year. From the first moment on I loved Kawi and his awkward and depressive ass. Yes, the drunken kisses weren't my favorites, but at least he finally came clear with his emotions and those two made the best couple and I lost it, when the series showed us how they live their happily couple-life. I want that with all of my favorite couples. The beginning of a relationship is always beautiful in those shows, but the life with the person you love the most and who loves you the most is something I really want to see from time to time. They will forever live in my heart!

Without many words we come to number four:

Kiseki: Dear To Me

Taiwan and its lightning! Those gifs are so satisfying to make and to look at. The camera work and angles made those scenes so fucking beautiful and overall I enjoyed giffing this series very much. I could play with my coloring without ruining the scene too much, because it was overcolored from the beginning. And it felt good to clear those scenes up a little bit. A plus was the fact that I loved AiDi's and Chen Yi's kissing scenes and watching them doing exactly that over and over again wasn't the worst 😅

I end this top five which is a secret top ten with a series that touched many of us with its great storytelling:

The Eighth Sense

JaeWon was the most depressed, most precious character for me this year. I thanked the series to show therapy sessions, it gave depression and trauma a face and him punching his "friend" was so fucking satisfying to watch! Sometimes it felt like a dream far away and other times it felt way too real.

Ask me Top 5 BL Anything from 2023

[bengiyo]

Top 5 These Dudes (gender neutral) are the Worst

Before we get into this year let me remind you all of the standard.

Plern Pleng from Together With Me

I still hate her so much. It's on sight!

But on the real there are some pretty fucking awful people in BL this year.

Kim An's "Brother" from Love Class Season 2

The shit he put his "brother" through is so vile. His need to posses him was so dark.

Whal from My Dear Gangster Oppa

I hate this dude so much. He didn't seem to get into his own gay feelings until he thought he could lose Guy. This is not fucking romantic at all. This is gross. Guys like this hurt us. He's one bad day away from being like that mofo above.

Pisaeng's Mom from Be My Favorite

I don't care if Pisaeng forgave her. I didn't. She is awful.

Krit, Thida, Sorn, and Uea's ex from Bed Friend

Truly, Uea's mom, Uea's stepdad, and Uea's manager are the worst trio of the year. What they all put Uea through was so difficult to watch. Also Uea's ex assaulted him in a parking lot.

Ask me Top 5 BL 2023 Anything

[kexing]

so i started watching enchante for the first time because i enjoy the forcebook chemistry very much in only friends and im very much enjoying myself, it's such a feel good show and it's so pretty and also akk. as i'm watching i'm going through old posts and i came across one about a lot of hate that either forcebook or enchante seemed to have gotten? and im so confused bc it just seems like a normal gmmtv show? would you mind explaining what happened there?

hi there! glad you’re enjoying yourself! as i’ve always said, enchanté is warm and the world is cold, so i hope it keeps you warm as well!

dearest, i wish i could explain it to you but there’s no actual solid explanation for this issue that plagues our every move to this day.

like. one could argue enchanté has a really flawed ending, which is true, but the show got SEVERE hate throughout its entire run.

people mocked book’s french accent from the start, absurd shit tbh. and then proceeded to pick the show apart for no fucking reason.

i understand if enchanté isn’t your type of show, whatever. if you have issues with it, whatever. nobody’s obligated to like it. but the amount of hate it got? unjustified. especially when they never tried to make it a revolutionary show, like you said, it’s a FEEL GOOD SHOW but like seven people got the fucking message.

and that has TRAGICALLY affected forcebook’s reputation back then and now. people hate on them all the time for no fucking reason.

“they have no chemistry!” “they’re bad actors!” “they don’t know how to kiss!” and even more offensive takes from mfs who clearly didn’t watch enchanté at all.

2022 was a really difficult year for them. they barely got work after enchanté because of all the nonsensical backlash.

it hurt my heart to see everyone saying they were sure forcebook were done for, that they were never getting another show. like. i’ve always respected everyone’s faves?? but god forbid people respecting mine 🫠🫠🫠

admittedly, 2023 has brought forcebook a lot of good things and new fans but the stupid hate continues and it insists on tarnishing everything.

it’s like no matter what force and book do, they’re never good enough to just be allowed to exist in peace. and it gets tiring, you know?

i mean, forcebook are graceful beings. they’ve always been the kindest throughout this entire mess. they get all that hate and give it all back in love and hard work. i truly admire their strength! but i’m honestly beyond tired of reading the worst possible takes about them all the time.

my point is: no, enchanté isn’t the worst bl out there and no, forcebook haven’t killed anyone that i’m aware of. but everyone will keep on acting like they did.

have a lovely weekend! 🩷

[bunnakit]

what were your top 5 iconic bl moments of shows that aired in 2023?

FINALLY GOING TO PUT A DENT IN MY ASKS AAA im so sorry ive neglected this for almost a month now.

Chen Yi picking up Ai Di and opening the door with his foot? iconic. i'll never forget this. it's engraved on the back of my eyelids.

I'D GO BACK AND HIT ON YOU AGAIN??? ARE YOU KIDDING??? HELLO?? i think i actually screamed into a pillow at that line. pisaeng you motherfucker (affectionate)

moonlight chicken had my whole undivided attention when they showed a one night stand that wasn't rushed, wasn't all teeth and grabbing hands and unchecked lust. there was a conversation, trepidation, and the sex was considerate and gentle. it is still one of my absolute favorite NC scenes, regardless of how not really NC it is.

i'm going to get a little heavy here but the way laws of attraction dealt with thaenthai and his father's death hit me HARD.

my dad passed away in july of 2022 after years of emotional abuse, gaslighting, manipulation, and eventually me having to go very limited contact with him. he called me on my 29th birthday, never wished me happy birthday, and instead told me he was dying of cancer. i didn't believe him because he'd told me the same story many, many times before. he died 8 months later.

despite all the abuse and all the bullshit he'd put me through my entire life i was still a mess when he died. he was still my dad, still my family, still someone i'd spent so many years of my life with. even though i was limited contact with him there was always the knowledge in the back of my mind that he was there, that i could still reach him. suddenly being without that is a lot to come to terms with and on top of that you feel guilty that you aren't more upset, you feel horrible that their death is a massive weight off your chest.

laws of attraction really did not have to show these aspects of grieving your abuser, they could've shown thaenthai happy and moving on with his life, but what they did show was so, so fucking validating for someone like me that was very much still in the process of mourning their abuser.

im cheating a little including cherry magic (thailand) as it's not done airing yet but sue me, i ran out of things i KNEW came out in 2023.

what really stole my heart about cherry magic is that achi is being forced to understand that his own self esteem and assuming the worst of what people may think about him is doing the people around him an incredible disservice. his self esteem is entirely based on his own internal, cruel thoughts (with some external input but very few and far between) and i think this is an incredibly important message of how our own self worth can self sabotage potential relationships.

i've said it before but gun to my head i wouldn't have told you i'd love this show as much as i do, yet here i am.

[manogirl]

My favorite friendships in BL, 2023

I'm not even going to do a post for my favorite shows or my favorite ships because honestly they're the same as everyone else's. And maybe this list will be the same too, but I have really come to adore when a BL puts a good friendship in front of me along with the love story.

Tinn and Tiwson, My School President. Surely everyone who watched MSP has these buddies on their list. Tiwson is the solid wingman every romantic hero needs. And when Tiwson says to Gun, "You think this loser could have gotten you without me?" you know he's right. Even though Tiwson's brain clearly goes blank whenever Por is around, he's Tinn's braincell when needed.

Uea and Jade, Bed Friend and Middleman's Love. I feel like Jade is an acquired taste but once you love him and he loves you, he will be the bestest friend you ever have, and in return, you'll do anything for the guy. I have been reevaluating my feelings about Bed Friend as I've rewatched it a million billion times (rough estimate) and part of why I love it is how lovely the connection Uea and Jade have is.

Ae Ri, Joon Pyo, and Ji Hyun, The Eighth Sense. A unique show in that it has some of the worst friends ever (Eun Ji and Tae Hyung, WOOOOOOF), and some of the best. I love that Ae Ri is a nosy busybody who thinks Ji Hyun is hopelessly country and kind of rude about it, but who also makes no bones about loving him and wanting the best for him. Joon Pyo eats a lot and as far as I can tell is happy to share his food. And he clearly wants the best for Ji Hyun. Also he uncomplainingly left the room so Ji Hyun could make out with his new boyfriend. Two thumbs up, friendos.

Ai Di and Zong Yi, Kiseki: Dear to Me. Big ol' MSP energy here; anyone who watched this SURELY loved how the friendship between these two unfolded and continued in and out of prison. Zong Yi is a giant baby man (in the BEST way possible) and Ai Di is a giant baby man in an entirely different way (in the other BEST way possible) and the fact that they're besties is like, perfect. You just know Chen Yi and Ze Rui sometimes have to commiserate over the dumb shit their babies do.

The gaming gang in My Dear Gangster Oppa. Tom is silly, Muffin is sillier, and Pai is a goddamn badass who keeps everyone in line. Every time Pai said, "Muffin" I loved her more. And by her I mean Pai, not Muffin. Muffin was too silly for words. But listen, all with good hearts and who clearly love Guy and so yeah, I liked it. Also I enjoy the uncomplicated presentation of the fact that girls and boys both like games, and girls and boys are both good at games. Yes, and yes.

[bipirate]

favourite things: 2023 edition

last year i made one of these and i thought it'd be fun to make another one. i have a notion spreadsheet with all the media i watch/read/play throughout the year (not just things that came out this year!) and i give them ratings. these are the highs (and some of the lows) of 2023 (not in order).

Games

Tunic - such a great and beautiful game that i do not want to spoil. seriously, play it. if you like zelda, exploration, solving puzzles, and cute little foxes, then it's a must

Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - what can i say, i love a zelda

Portal 2 - just an even more excellent sequel to an excellent game

TV

Alice in Borderland - i didn't know what to expect at first but it was excellent and highly addictive

Not Me - my introduction to thai BL (for better and also definitely for worse lol). anyway this show changed my brain chemistry. it has everything: gays, a twin switch situation, leftism, arson, rooftop kiss... you know

Bad Buddy - speaking of rooftop kisses...... if you know you know. anyway this is also a thai BL and it's still rotating in my brain. i rewatched it almost immediately, that's how good it was

The King's Affection - cheesy historical kdrama about a crown prince who is secretly a woman, with a swoon-worthy romance and political intrigue. this one's for the bisexuals (after all, the male love interest falls in love with the prince before he finds out it's a woman)

Vinland Saga - this anime fucking wrecked me. season 2 had me crying every single episode. thorfinn is my new child and i WILL name my future cat after him

The Devil Judge - a kdrama about a dystopian south korea with a fucked up justice system. anyway kang yohan character of all time. oh and also toxic homosexuality (affectionate)

Books

The Poppy War trilogy by R. F. Kuang - what an excellent series to get me back into fantasy series. it was not without faults, but i was hooked anyway

Babel by R. F. Kuang - i read this brick in 5 days straight. it's beautifully written and has such interesting things to say about language and colonialism. again, it has flaws but i wasn't bothered, i was obsessed with this book

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon - i didn't realise how much i missed high fantasy until i read this. it has lesbians, dragons, a bitter old homosexual, magic, and did i mention dragons and lesbians?

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker Chan - the sequel to She Who Became the Sun, my favourite book of last year. this sequel fucking DELIVERED. i went insane about it multiple times. it's a must read

Graphic novels/manga

Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama - i started this manga 2 years ago, but since it's still ongoing and I've read new chapters this year, it counts for this year as well

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run by Hirohiko Araki - not finished with it yet but it is truly as good as everyone says it is

The Adventure Zone: The Eleventh Hour by the McElroys and Carey Pietsch - i know not everyone likes the taz comics, but i do, i think theyre great adaptations, and this one looked incredible

Movies

Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse - not as good as the first one, but still really good. beautifully animated and extremely entertaining

Bonus: the lowest of the low, titles that earned my 'sucked shit' rating

Theory of Love - amazing that out of the 3 thai BLs ive watched, 2 managed to make it on my favourites list, and one of them was some of the worst television i've ever seen

Where the Crawdads Sing - read the book for book club last year, we all hated it, and now we decided to watch the movie for a laugh. it also sucked

[blouisparadise]

Upon request, here is a rec list of BL fics where Louis subdrops at some point in the fic. While this is a shorter rec list, we hope you enjoy these fics. If you want more rec lists from us, please be sure to support this rec list by liking and reblogging it. Happy reading!

Note: This rec list was updated in May 2023. Newly added fics are marked with a 🍑.

1) Wild And Exciting (I'm Breaking You Down) | Explicit | 2200 words | 🍑

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

The tug and pull of the collar around his neck has him gasping for  air but he's so hard under the knickers, and Harry's rubbing soothing  circles into the soft give of his hip while murmuring praise and he  really, really doesn't want to disappoint him.

2) Sugar Cube | Explicit | 5015 words | Sequel | 🍑

Louis is fine. He knew this would happen. He knows. The  beat up laptop stuffed under his mattress can attest to how much porn  he’s watched and hell, he’s been on his knees in a piss stained alley  for a few tenners. He’s not some scared blushing virgin.

Except. He kind of is.

3) Your Pain (Is Mine Now) | Explicit | 5184 words

“Stay still for me, baby,” Harry murmurs, completely unaware of how such an easy command affects Louis’s ability to think.

The tattoo gun buzzes away over Louis's chest, the job an easy touch up to his chest piece to smooth out the lines of calligraphy he hastily got some random to do before he was aware how much there was to know about tattoo artistry. Becoming friends with Zayn made him realise he could do a bit better next time he wanted some ink done, and in the meantime he’d recommended Harry to go over and darken the faded ink. It was supposed to be quick and painless. A no brainer.

“There’s a good boy.” Harry’s hand swipes over the area to cleanse away extra ink and spotty bits of blood.

Louis closes his eyes to hide how they roll into the back of his head.

4) Close Your Eyes Before The Sleep | Explicit | 15851 words | 🍑

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

The Coffee Shop AU where Louis falls too fast for Harry. Featuring Zayn  as Louis' long-suffering roommate, Niall as the life of any party, and Nick as the boyfriend that gets in the way of true love.

5) I Been Feeling High When I Touch Your Body | Not Rated | 16947 words | 🍑

Harry is a boxer, Louis is an architect and Liam is the worst cupid that could ever exist.

6) Now I Think That I Could Love You Back| Explicit | 42255 words

“I do not care if she banishes me to my chambers for a month or the rest of the year, you two must see reason,” Louis protests, feeling a minor fit coming on. “He is nothing but an insufferable, cocky, cloddish, pitiful excuse for an Alpha, and he deserves to live the rest of his days in solitary, not me.”

“My, my, what an array of abuse. I surely would loath to be this inadequate excuse of an Alpha you speak of, but alas I cannot relate to possessing such deficiency,” a honey-glazed voice drips out from behind Louis, and the omega can feel the steam pouring over, ready to burst out of his already flushed ears.

7) What Hell You Put Me Through | Explicit | 59508 words | 🍑

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

Louis needs a place to stay. Harry makes a mistake. A few, actually.

8) Sleeping On Our Problems | Explicit | 67429 words

I’m in love with you, Louis thinks. He feels empty, weighed down by his sadness and the loss of Harry inside him just moments ago before his knot finally went down.

There’s moments where he’s sure Harry feels the same. Like now, when he’s gazing down at Louis with so much adoration and tenderness. It’s like they’re both on the cusp of something more, but neither of them ever say a word.

His confession is on the tip of his tongue ready to slide out like honey, and yet he remains silent. They both do, looking at each other and recognizing the reluctance mirrored in each other’s eyes. It’s then that Louis realizes they’re both scared.

9) Submarine From Hell | Mature | 76049 words

When Louis and Harry are the first omega and alpha, respectively, to become submariners, they have to find a way to survive lethally too strong suppressants while being forced to live in confined quarters with each others. In a submarine among betas, they decide to risk their blind noses by stopping all suppressants, but eventually, they must find a way to survive their heat and ruts, all while not getting killed in combat.

10) Rogue | Not Rated | 94992 words | 🍑

Louis is a rogue Omega who's suffered through rejection and abuse for  the biggest part of his life. He stumbles onto the Styles pack, quite possibly the kindest one he's ever met.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.