#and keeping chinzhilla!

[aprilblossomgirl]

i know. i know my school president is about a high-school life. but, for ourskyy2, i really really wish the show would go into their first-year campus life. transitioning from high school to university on different schools or faculties or departments. but, always, always, still manage to find time once a week, or every two weeks, or even a month, to meet and play music together and having bbq pork, or any other dish, afterward. or just simply having a day out together. of course, the dating life too, of tinn and gun, and sound and win. and, please, please, also a bit, no, a lot of tiw and por on their talking stage, or maybe already unknowingly dating. and finally, one (or two) performance of chinzhilla needs to be there. 

[theworldinclines]

[airenyah]

might fuck around and get myself a chinzhilla hoodie blanket

[justafriend-ql]

it's all about the *hands* (hidden agenda meta)

i really love the focus hidden agenda is putting on hands, and not just in the hand-holding scenes. even when joke and zo's hands aren't the primary focus of the shot, they're almost always doing something interesting - especially in zo's case. although he's tight-lipped and hesitant about his feelings for joke, zo's hands reveal what he dares not admit.

the expressive power of hands

first, let me nerd out a little about how important hands are as conveyors of emotion. earlier this year, i had the opportunity to go to an exhibit displaying the work of french sculptor françois auguste rené rodin, who "almost obsessively explored the expressive power of hands" . he believed that hands could convey just as much, if not more, emotion than facial expressions. he created several hand studies, my favorite of which - "the cathedral" - i've featured below. the sculpture depicts two hands encircled around one another, fingers just about to touch.

you don't need to see anything but the hands in order to get a feeling of romance, anticipation, and desire. in the spirit of these rodin statues, i want to focus just on joke and zo's hands, and how the series has employed them to tell us how joke and zo feel about each other, even when they otherwise mask their feelings.

joke reaches out; zo panics

hidden agenda #1 in this series is joke's plan to get close to zo under the pretense of helping him win over nita. but it's not very well hidden, as many viewers have noted, because joke keeps reaching out and touching zo. most of the time, it's intentional: too afraid to say he likes zo aloud, he uses his hands to tell zo instead.

and you can tell zo receives the message, because every time joke touches him, he Feels Things and freaks out.

what's interesting is that zo isn't freaking out about joke wanting to touch him. he's freaking out because he wants to touch joke. and he has since the beginning.

gif from @respectthepetty, who first highlighted this moment

and when he's not thinking too much about it, he does reach out and touch joke.

gifs from @gunsatthaphan and @mooninagust, respectively

unfortunately, zo is an overthinker.

zo's hand gestures are usually precise and deliberate, but when joke flirts, they become nervous and clumsy

another way we see zo's feelings for joke through his hands is how zo's precise gestures become clumsy when he's around joke. zo is a dedicated member of the debate team, and that affects the way he talks and gestures. in promo videos and interviews for the series, dunk has frequently mentioned how he had to practice talking and gesturing in the distinct, formal way people do during debates. he thinks before he speaks, talks slowly, and exaggerates his hand gestures to emphasize what he's saying.

but when he's flustered by what joke says or does, all that debate team training goes out the window. he flails, fidgets, and clutches his hands into fists. because he's nervous - big time.

fantastic gif from @chinzhilla

(right before joke asks zo how he feels about him)

when things get intimate, zo doesn't touch joke

reflecting his nervousness and hesitancy about his feelings for joke, zo is careful not to touch him when they kiss, nor when he finds their faces centimeters apart when they're sharing a bed.

gif from @mooninagust

he doesn't touch joke in these especially heated moments because to do so would be a confession in of itself, and he's not ready for that. but he's working towards it - as he becomes more comfortable with his feelings for joke, he's started to reach out to hold his hand (twice in episode 6).

zo's hands are very dynamic in these two scenes. he's relishing the ability to express how he feels in a way that feels comfortable for him, and he's exploring the new sensation of closeness with joke, finding that he likes it.

gif from @userneos

so next time he kisses joke, he's not only going to touch joke - he's going to pull him in closer.

[shortpplfedup]

2023 Year In Review: Quick Hits

It has been...a year. I struggled a lot this year, lots going on in my real life and ending on a mixed bag, but there was a lot that kept me lifted and plenty of it was in and around QL. I legit don't have the energy for a long and intense write up, so some quick hits.

1. The People

So many of y'all, you know who you are, but I want to call out the loyal pod listeners, the whole clown squad (no tags, Fight Club rules) and extra-specially @the-conversation-pod team @ginnymoonbeam @lurkingshan and especially @bengiyo. You don't even know friend, but there's days you legit kept me going.

2. The Shows

There's so much I genuinely enjoyed this year, across the spectrum, and you'll get to hear more on that when we publish this year's VIIB Awards and Year In Review eps around the last week in January, but my personal top 5 this year in no specific order:

Our Sky 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale Of Thousand Stars

Step By Step

What Did You Eat Yesterday 2

My School President

Moonlight Chicken

3. The Characters

I've said before I process a lot of my emotions through media. Here are the characters that resonated most this year:

Uncle Jim (Moonlight Chicken)

Ichijou Souta (Naked Dining)

Kaido Amane (If It's With You)

Cher (A Boss and A Babe)

Kawi (Be My Favourite)

4. The Moments

Most people don't know but I live in Rewind City, on 0.25x Speed Street. Here are some of the moments I watched on a loop this year.

P'Jeng and Nong Pat's first time, Step By Step (neck smelling drives me insane)

Chinzhilla performing 'Just Being Friendly' on the Hot Wave stage, My School President

Mon topping Sam, GAP The Series

Jim sniff kissing the fuck outta Wen and rocking his entire world, Moonlight Chicken

The chocolate kiss, Utsukushii Kare 2

Every time Ritsu pleasured Masumi without taking his eyes off his face, The End Of The World With You

Phupha finally making it right and giving Tian the mosquito net moment he should have given him all those years ago, OS 2 x 1000 Stars

Cher takes off Gun's shirt and just looks at him, A Boss and A Babe

King, Uea and the goddamn birthday cake, Bed Friend

Sailom and Namnuea's wedding, Wedding Plan Special

Hantae carrying Baram to the bedroom, Sing My Crush

The Big Damn Kiss, I Feel You Linger In The Air

Yamato and Kakeru intertwining fingers as Kakeru tells Yamato to keep liking him, I Cannot Reach You

Mhok and Day getting a little closer than necessary on SkyTrain, Last Twilight

5. The Messages

This year more than ever, I found myself gravitating toward shows centred around ideas of compassion, acceptance, bittersweetness and 'a soft epilogue'. I'm well out of the first flush of youth, and while it can be heartwarming to watch the younguns experience it all for the first time, lived experience makes romance DIFFERENT. There's something about having tried and failed and finding it in you to try again that just hits. Something about knowing yourself and feeling something you thought might be dead in you come alive again. Last love for me, every time.

Happy Holidays folks. Onto the next one.

[raypakorn]

*skips in like I've kept up with this like I said I would*

Okay, so I have actually been feeling like my dash is a bit dead especially during the week...which could also just be that I'm a bit busy lately and haven't been able to check it as much but even checking my fellow close mutuals blogs and show tags (a shock that I'm doing that I assure you) there hasn't been too much I have found to keep my queue full. So, I figured why not go back through some of my favs that I didn't give the extra love to over the last few months by doing this. Also, I've gotten a few new followers (hi, hello, welcome to the chaos) and figured why not possibly put some amazing things in front of y'all that you might have missed or not seen because you've come to us at this hellsite only recently.

So without further ado, here are the lovely creations that crossed my dash in April through July that I just couldn’t stop staring at. Will be setting up my queue to give all these sets some more love that they deserve. Thank you for continuing to share your gifts with the fandom!

Asian drama’s

The Known Artifacts of Zone 16 - Moths of Memory by @oswlld

Fuji x Phleng + Fire & Water by @hup123hup123slapslap

Akk's journey, BL SIde Dish Menu, & Akk x Ayan Kisses by @chinzhilla

Pansexual Coded - Thai Characters by @sparklyeyedhimbo

Theerapanyakul Main Sons + Mama , Vegas + Name Meaning, Kim Barbie, & KP Scenes + Video by @spicyvampire

Our Skyy 2 + quotes by @taeminie

Puen x Talay + This Love & Pat x Pran + Won't Say I'm in Love by @morkofday

The Villian that is Vegas & Vegas Barbie by @thoresque

Porsche x Pete + Besties & Tankhun the Icon by @kinnporsche

Kinn Pantone & Porsche Pantone by @moerusai

First x Khao + Your World, My World by @dropthedemiurge

Kinn x Porsche + sun, moon, stars by @kinnsporsche

Gun Guntaphon + purple by @sollucets

Ink x Pa + Pink by @akingyouniverse

Akk x Ayan + Rainbow by @pranink

Misc

Endure & Survive & Henry x Sam Burnell - If my brother is dead... by @taiturner

The 99 + discord profiles by @jakeyp

Imagine Me & You + lesbian pride by @cobiesmlders

Pride Dinos by @pimsri

Shadow & Bone + guide to the ships by @taoargents

Ted Lasso + Forgiveness Quote by @anya-chalotra

Jamie Tartt + Bisexual Poster Boy by @lemoncupcake

Kaz x Jesper + Quotes by @christophernolan

teen flicks 101 by @obligatorymain

bisexual nick nelson by @revengeofthesiths

the crows + If I had a kruge... by @alinaastarkov

Joel x Ellie + Ivy by @claire-randall

Joel + blorbo status by @arthurpendragonns

Jesper x Wylan: A summary by @yenvengerberg

Steve Harrington + Dancing in the Dark by @ladyhawke

Max Mayfield + colors by @clarkgriffon

[berestweys]

since 2022, after watching kinnporsche twice that summer and losing my marbles, i've fallen into a deep well of thai tv.

shout out to love in the air, bad buddy, and cutie pie, my 2nd, 3rd, & 4th bls watched in the fall of 2022. they were all so delightful (in very different ways) that i simply had to keep going.

in 2023 i watched 24 thai dramas: mostly bl's but 1 notable gl gap the series (and another tiny gl if you count zero photography with inkpa my beloveds), and two shows that are neither (mama gogo and the warp effect should be on everyone's watch list! so great!) i have never in my life watched this much television.

my favorite of 2023 is definitely my school president. there was a lot of competition (wedding plan! moonlight chicken! so many more omg) but msp is the only one i rewatched immediately. the chinzhilla babies stole every inch of my heart. it couldn't be anyone but them.

last twilight is still ongoing so i'm going to count it as 2024, and since it hasn't finished i can't say for certain it will end as beautifully as it started (i think it will. i hope it will.). it is currently rearranging every molecule in my body 24/7. i think it's going to be one of my favorite shows ever heyyyyyyyyy. I'M SERIOUS I AM VIBRATING

also currently watching cherry magic with taynew and it is completely adorable. my dash is soaked to the gills with the sign and pit babe, though i'm not watching either show. it's entertaining to watch them both in gifs (every pit babe post i see hacks another week off my life though. lord.)

2024 is off with a bang.

it's pretty funny that so many of us started watching thai bl's because of kinnporsche, looking for more of ~that~, because as it turns out there is no other show like kp, and yet i am completely hooked. i think i've seen enough of them at this point that i have a feel for the rhythms of the genre, though my watchlist is tiny in comparison to a lot of the blogs i follow. i love it and i have loved learning more about thai language, culture, & politics.

it's been a wild fun time, and i'm thankful to everyone i follow, including my handful of mutuals who have given me recs, made gorgeous gifsets & vids, written fic, & thrown some of the best and most hilarious tags in any fandom i've been in. you're all fantastic!!!

happy new year and let's keep collecting blorbos

[bengiyo]

My School President Ep 12 (Finale) Stray Thoughts

Most of the week I was actually ready to finish this show and begin anticipating its impacts. Now I just know I'm going to miss these losers.

Last week, Chinzhilla lost Hot Wave, and we spent the episode watching them grapple with yet another defeat: this time on the biggest stage yet. They decided to go back to the beach to honor their wishes, and we watched the group tear apart at the seams. Still, Yak came through with some perspective, Tiwson with some food, and Tinn with the final performance for the band at prom. Tinn's mom is aware of his relationship with Gun, but is trying to be a good mom and keep her anxieties to herself and her husband.

Oh right, we're picking up with Tinn's mom asking Tinn directly about Gun.

Not them cutting between both moms! Don't make me compare them!

Fine, let's compare. Tinn and Potjanee have this huge wall between them in their relationship that seems founded entirely on her expectations of Tinn. It's hard for well-behaved children to be open with their parents when they've thrived so long on praise for meeting those expectations. On the other hand, Gun and Gim have struggled and lost a lot together, and so much of their relationship is about Gim not letting Gun give up on his dreams. So, of course Gun can tell his mom about Tinn and it mostly be a formality and yet another excuse for them to hug and reassure each other.

I do feel for Potjanee. Seeing your son scared because you might ask about the person he cares about can't feel good, and there's no obvious way of fixing it at this point. However you've raised him has convinced him that he can't trust you with this. That's actually just so sad.

I get these two agreeing to continue as they are. The reality that some of your families won't accept you is unfortunately a norm for many viewers.

This Canon ad is cute, but anyone on the school network can access this printer???

The boyfriend era is fun.

Tiwson said you will absolutely give him his flowers.

The homophobia creeping at the edges is an unfortunate reminder of my own adolescence. I do like that the show is highlighting that it impacts queer girls too.

Irritated, jealous Gun is so demanding.

A tandem bike! My goodness.

Oh, I like them sliding in cute boyfriend kisses first. That's such a good choice, because they've actually been together for a while.

Phat, we're asking about juniors now??? I've been asking about this for like six episodes!

I really think we as a global society should stop taking pictures and videos of people on the streets and using them as content. What sucks so much about this is that Gun is finally willing to be openly affectionate with Tinn. He decides to kiss his boyfriend on their date, and now someone is going to take that joy from them. It's not like they were hooking up in the park, and yet here we are.

I love Chinzhilla with my whole heart.

Kajorn saying he quits if they're not on the same page, and Gun coming behind to say he already used the same lie Tiwson suggested...but Tinn doesn't want to lie anymore....set to a sad piano version of Let Me Tell You...oof.

Not Gun using Tinn's nose suggestion to keep from crying in the rain.

Best Boy Tinn is not gonna let this pull them apart. Interesting that we just saw Fourth and Gemini hug tightly in Moonlight Chicken. Gemini places arm in a similar way here, too.

I'm installing an EMP on every queer so that we can demolish people's phones when they record us.

Very much enjoying Sound and Win in the finale. I will miss all of Chinzhilla. I hope they appear in the Our Skyy 2 episode.

See, and this is why I never turned on Potjanee. I know some of y'all feel some kinda way about her, but here we are. These boys have not even been out for 24 hours and the shit is already piling. She asks, "Why aren't other people as kind as the characters in the series we watched?" Good question, ma'am. Our lives are not fictional, and we face the horrors daily. It's the dad saying, "We can't force other people, honey. It's down to us whether we're as kind to our son as those in the series." I see they learned Uncle Tong's lesson. Now go stand beside your son.

Not Tinn whispering the name order thing to Gun and Gun immediately asserting that his name is first!!

Having adults you trust being casually homophobic is so damaging.

Gemini has a fantastic eye roll. We saw it on episode 5 of Moonlight Chicken, too.

KAJORN!!!! COME THROUGH, BABY BOY! HIT AGAIN! HIT HIM FOR ME, TOO!!

What did I say?? Don't you ever lay hands on someone else's child! I SEE YOU, POTJANEE! YOU ARE INVITED TO BRUNCH!!

And this is how you make it right with your son. You show him he can trust you by standing in front of those who would make him feel lesser.

Okay, I like the outfits Chinzhilla picked!

They're playing You Got Ma Back. 😭 I love them so much.

Now they're doing Come Closer! I do love Ford's voice.

Oh I love Rock & Star as a song from Gun to Tinn.

I love getting Tinn back on stage again.

POTJANEE!!!!

I'm gonna need Gun to stop looking at Tinn's lips!

I'm so glad Gun got into a program he wanted. I can't take any more losses for this boy.

And here I was living in a world without Texas Chicken ads.

Oh, Sound and Win. I'm going to miss your dynamic. Look at Winny and Satang giving two solid kisses.

Poor Phat. Yo dropped him so fast.

Tinn and Gun are so cheesy. I love them.

Not me crying over Chinzhilla again!

I like the notes for their juniors and not showing any actors. It would lead to the wrong kind of speculation, and this lets GMMTV pick up this setting again any way they want.

Not @respectthepetty getting into my head about Gun's blue socks and Tinn's red shirt when he formally meets Tinn's parents.

I love Tinn's dad. He's embarrassing in only the way a loving father could be. He's also constantly rooting for Tinn.

We get 'eating' jokes and a sweet kiss in bed to close out the series. I'm good.

And they verse? We love to see it.

Wow. Just amazing. I loved this show.

Final Verdict: 10, Highly Recommended. I've been in queer media since I was a teen almost 20 years ago. I have experienced a lot of wins and losses as a viewer of BL. In so many ways this show healed any gripes I had with early productions like Lovesick, Make It Right, etc. This show is damn-near perfect. It's so heartwarming. I loved all of this. It's a show about a bunch of losers trying to help each other, and there's nothing more beautiful than that. We now have my new default recommendation for people curious about BL after coming off something sweet in the West.

[chickenstrangers]

Conflict and Empathy in My School President and Kieta Hatsukoi

I have been thinking about how My School President and Kieta Hatsukoi (My Love Mix-Up!) utilize structure and pacing to create a very honest depiction of a high school experience. I've said before that I think My School President is the quintessential high school show for me in the way that it captures how it feels to be a teen, to be in a relationship for the first time, the heightened emotions in both romance and friendship, but also shows this in such a caring and loving way. Kieta Hatsukoi does a lot of very similar things, focusing on friendships and empathy and trying to communicate (despite all the misunderstandings), and it rings true in the same way for me. I think this comes down to how both shows are structurally formulated and how they depict conflict.

@khaothanawat (i) and @ranchthoughts (ii) (iii) (iv) have written excellent posts on the topic of My School President's use of narrative pacing and specifically the subversion of audience expectations. For example, it has big reveals early on, such as Tinn's secret crush. Plot points that might be episode-long arcs, or be the whole premise of the series, are resolved quickly, often within the episode.

Kieta Hatsukoi speeds through narrative conflicts as well (spoilers for the first 3 episodes). Aoki has a crush on Hashimoto. He learns Hashimoto has a crush on Ida. But wait! Now Ida thinks Aoki has a crush on him! Oh, but now Aoki really is falling for Ida, and worried about hurting Hashimoto because of it. But Hashimoto doesn't actually like Ida, she likes Aida, it was a whole misunderstanding. Ida is starting to maybe like Aoki back. But now Ida thinks Aoki does not have a crush on him, when Aoki most definitely does. Aoki goes through approximately 3 existential crises per episode. In Kieta Hatsukoi, the love truly keeps getting mixed-up!

This plot structure is part of why these two shows are some of my favorite high school shows. It feels very true (though exaggerated) to the teen experience to have so many things happening that you're trying to decipher, building on top of each other, coalescing in terrifying and beautiful ways. These are obviously not the only shows to utilize this structure but I think it works especially well in a show about high school where so often little things can feel unimaginably huge and then get completely pushed out of the way as new things emerge or they turn out to be less catastrophic than they first appeared. In the wise words of Riverdale, it's about the epic highs and lows of high school football.

What I love most about these two shows and how they use this rapid-fire pacing is the way they don't trivialize the characters' emotions or experiences. Yes, there is humor that comes specifically from the twists in the narrative and the range of teen emotions and miscommunication. But we're not laughing at the characters; instead we are swept up in the tidal wave with them, in part because it's so easy to empathize with both ensembles, and because we are accustomed to the traditional narrative pacing styles that these shows subvert and play with. Just because the characters' emotions shift—because they come to new revelations, because they communicate and forgive one another—doesn't invalidate their prior feelings.

The scene that really stands out to me in My School President is in episode 11 when the Chinzhillas have their big fight on the way to redeem their wishes. This is the real conflict of the episode 11 of doom that we are primed to expect from other shows. Instead of a breakup, we are faced with the potential dissolution of the friend group. This scene hurts, showing the culmination of the tension throughout the episode and the band's disappointment over losing Hot Wave. It seems that the Chinzhillas might be unable to reconcile after what was said. But this is where My School President subverts expectations and doesn't prolong the conflict longer than necessary. They all talk it through, communicating what they're feeling, and apologize.

Both shows introduce and resolve conflicts in different ways. In My School President, many conflicts that arise are initially external: for example, the club is going to be cancelled because of the new school rules, Sound joins the band and takes over as leader, Gun's mom is sick but Gun doesn't know, the band loses the Hot Wave competition, and another student outs Tinn and Gun. The story is then about how the characters respond to the internal conflicts that arise due to these external events, rather than fixing the external source of conflict. The characters deal with Gun not feeling capable of leading the band after Sound's introduction; Gun and Tinn need to figure out how they feel about Tinn keeping Gun's mom's health a secret; and the band needs to decide how they can forgive themselves and each other after such a huge disappointment.

The characters don't have the power to do much about the root cause of these problems. They can't cure Gun's mom, they can't go back in time and stop the student from outing them, and they can't win Hot Wave. This is what the argument in episode 11 is about, realizing that the loss is not on any one of their individual shoulders, and so the only thing they can do is figure out how to move forward together. What the characters learn, which allows the show to avoid drawn-out conflict, is the ability to communicate healthily with each other, to be kind to one another, to show empathy and respect. The rest is outside of their control.

In Kieta Hatsukoi, conflict is often not directly resolved but instead subsumed by new conflicts and new (mis)understandings. Aoki's initial problem (that Ida thinks Aoki has a crush on him) is overtaken by the new one (that he actually does like Ida but Ida now thinks he doesn't). The characters keep learning new things about themselves and each other that change everything.

The characters in Kieta Hatsukoi struggle to understand each other and they struggle to tell each other the truth about their feelings. But they're trying so hard to be kind to one another. The friends are always striving above almost all else to be careful with one another's feelings. Aoki keeps Hashimoto's crush a secret to protect her; Hashimoto is distraught to learn of Aoki's past crush on her because she has inadvertently hurt him; Ida is so deliberate in thinking through his own feelings in order to not hurt Aoki's. They're trying, even when they don't get it right.

At the core of both these shows is empathy. The characters strive to be kind, to communicate, to understand one another. This is not often easy, especially with the amount of stuff they are all bombarded with—new situations and experiences to grapple with, transforming feelings that they don't always understand. But this is all part of growing up. My School President and Kieta Hatsukoi are both able to utilize their narrative pacing in order to put forward a story so full of warmth and love.

[wangjiclub]

Zo chose Nita first. But he started to choose Joke somewhere along the way.

i've been trying to post this since yesterday but somehow the gifs are not uploading so i had to make some changes on the text sorry if it got confusing

One thing we know about Zo is that he's serious about his thoughts, convictions, and dreams. When his mind is set on something, he goes after it with full force. That can be good, but sometimes it stops Zo from thinking about other perspectives, and other ways.

For example, whenever the debate club is brought up, we can all see how dedicated and enthusiastic Zo is about its activities, and his desire to conquer the NOVA trophy. Zo is also very upset about Pok not telling him about his relationship because Zo thought there was something wrong with himself.

But when it comes to Joke and Nita things get worse somehow. Knowing now how Zo feels about this whole situation, we can go back and reanalyze his behavior.

gif by @mantrisanu

"Do you think if your heart races whenever you're around someone, does that mean you have feelings for that person? Even if it was never part of your plan."

gif by @gunsatthaphan

"I felt bad about kissing you, avoiding you, and being the idiot I've been. Despite all that, you still helped me. […] [This time] My feelings are involved. I thought I was into Nita. But I couldn't figure it out why I kissed you. […] I'm feeling like such an idiot. I'm so confused about my own feelings. I feel guilty about Nita and you. Is it because I like you?"

In fact, Zo is someone who wears his feelings on his face. The thing is he doesn't have a mirror 24/7 in front of him, so his brain is blind.

Getting straight to the point, I believe that Zo has been feeling attracted to Joke for years now, since before they fought in the past. But since it has always been weird between them, and he did feel a pull towards Nita as well, he chose Nita. From the moment he made that choice, all thoughts and feelings about Joke were not correctly processed by him. Zo chose to be oblivious to his feelings. He never intended to act on them.

Yet, in the first scene of the show, we have Zo almost panicking at how close Joke was, at how he had no escape while cornered into that wall.

gif by @chinzhilla

Zo's reaction to all the times he gets too close to Joke says it all. He has no control over his expressions, his eyes don't know which part of Joke's face to look at. Zo gets so nervous. And this keeps happening: the two times he tripped and fell right into Joke's arms; when Joke was training him and the book fell in a scene that came right out of a teen movie... We understand why Joke stares, but Zo should be the one who's starting his path towards liking and feeling attracted to Joke.

gif by @justafriend-ql

Another default "Zo around Joke" behavior is the "letting go of all thoughts and living in the moment." When Joke is around, it is so easy for Zo to be himself, to laugh, to bicker, to run around and smile, to talk and enjoy their time together. The world outside of their bubble suddenly doesn't exist.

gif by @ayan-sukkhapisit

But something always brings Zo back to the earth. It's when he realizes something is not going how he planned. What do you mean my heart races when I'm this close to him? Why the thought of touching his hand scare me? Why do I feel all weird when he places his arm around me? Why is he here, in front of me, when I'm trying to run away?

The truth is Zo is fighting against himself. All those years back, he chose Nita. He focused on getting to her, and that's why asking for Joke's help wasn't that much of a burden. But Zo didn't realize his body and mind were working independently from him, doing things his rational side wasn't even suspecting. Zo started to choose Joke instead.

Joke is the one whom he's comfortable with. Joke is the one who makes his heart race. Joke is the one who helps him when Zo needs the most. Joke is the one who pushes Zo out of his comfort zone and makes him discover all these parts that Zo locked inside of himself.

When Joke is honest and open about his feelings, all of Zo's walls, which were already crumbling, go down for good. Zo can't help but let Joke win him over.

[quodekash]

—- —-

Tinn: You have an impressive pain tolerance.  Gun: Thanks, it's the trauma.

—- —-

Sound: Win! For the love of god, please turn down that music. I have a hangover.  Win: *blasting the mii theme at full volume* That sounds like a you problem, not a mii problem.

—- —-

Tinn: Tiw! For the love of god, please turn down that music. I have a hangover.  Tiw: *blasting the mii theme at full volume* That sounds like a you problem, not a mii problem.

—-(it worked for both of them)—-

Sound, joining chinzhilla: I think I mostly want to see what happens when this whole place breaks apart. 

—- —-

Gun: I hate when people ask me, 'What did you do today?' Buddy listen, I woke up at noon and then it was five p.m., okay? I don't KNOW! 

—-(adhd gun hcssss)—-

Yo: So uh, for this party and everything, do you, uh...  Por, sighing: You don't know how to dress for this, do you?  Yo, panicked: WHAT IS CLOTHES??? 

—- —-

Tinn: I’m this close to falling in love with Gun.  Tiw: Your fingertips are touching.  Tinn: Exactly. 

—-

Gun: So, Pat is no longer allowed to take the trash out at night.  Sound: Why?  Gun: Because I've caught him trying to train raccoons to fight five times in a row.  Pat, arms crossed and pouting: You'll be thanking me when the third raccoon battalion saves your ass.

—-

Tiw: Why would anyone want to harm Tinn?  Sound: Maybe because they met him? 

—-(you cant tell me this didn’t happen)—-

Tiw, teaching Tinn to drive: Okay, you're driving and Gun and Por walk into the road. Quick, what do you hit?  Tinn: Oh, definitely Por. I could never hurt Gun.  Tiw, massaging his temples: The brakes. You hit the brakes.

—- —-

Tinn: Bye Gun! Bye Win! Bye Sound! Bye Yo! Bye Por! Bye Pat! Bye Gun!  Tiw: You said ‘bye Gun’ twice.  Tinn: I like Gun. 

—- —-

Tinn: If you see me talking to myself, go away! I’m self-employed and we’re having a staff meeting!

—- —-

Pat: I drink to forget but I always remember. Gun: You're drinking orange juice.

—- —-

Tinn: Hi- Sound: Leave before there's a terrible misunderstanding between my foot and your ass.

—- —-

Gun: I haven't seen Yo and Win for fifteen minutes now. *Outside a nearby window, a car without a driver inside is seen rolling down a driveway, with Yo and Win running after it in a panic. Gun doesn't look outside at all.* Gun: That probably means they're getting into trouble.

—-(yo and win's friendship means everything to me)—-

Pat: Hey Win, can you give me the opposite of these words? Pat: Always, Coming, From, Take, Me, Down. Win: Never, Going, To, Give, You- Win: The fucking satisfaction.

—-(pat likes rickrolling i decided)—-

Gun: Can you keep a secret? Tinn: Well, I'm good until I meet the next person.

—-(hes literally told tiw everything and idek if gun knows that tiw knows)—-

Tinn, trying to reconcile with Sound: Hey, can I get a sip of that water? Sound: It’s not water. Tinn: Vodka! I like your sty- Sound: It’s vinegar. Tinn: …What? Sound: It's vinegar, PUSSY.

—-(im a sucker for these sound-tinn rivalry quotes. mostly cos i desperately need to know wHY)—-

Gun: Wasn't icarly that guy that girlbossed too close to the sun because he was down for Apollo? Tiw: ICARUS?

—-(his poor nerd heart)—-

Pat: I’m gonna die alone. Win: Pat, you’re not gonna die alone. Pat: Gun, was my safety net, okay? He got married and now I have to get a snake. Sound: Uh-huh. Why is that? Pat: If I’m gonna be an old lonely person, I’m gonna need a thing, you know? A hook. Like that guy in the subway who eats his own face. Pat: So I figured I’ll be “Crazy Man With A Snake”, you know? Crazy snake man. Pat: Then I’ll get more snakes, call them my babies. Kids won’t walk past my place, they will run! RUN AWAY FROM CRAZY SNAKE MAN!

—- —-

Win: I like to play this game called nap roulette. I take a nap and don’t set an alarm. Will it be 20 min or 4 hours? Nobody knows. It’s risky and I like it.

—-(that's why he's always late for school)—-

Win: I hope no one lowkey hates me. Win: Highkey hate me. Hate me with every fiber of your being. Win: Go big or go home.

—- —-

Tinn: Your smile? It makes my day. Gun: Your happiness? I live for that. Yo: A room? Get one. Pat: Hotel? Trivago.

—-(i will milk pat's loneliness dry bc its funny)—-

Tinn's mum: Where's Tinn and the music club? Tiw: They're playing hide and seek. Tinn's mum: Where? Tiw: I don't think you get how this game works.

—- —-

Gun, walking into their house: Hello, people who do not live here. Yo: Hey. Win: Hi. Sound: Hello. Por: Hey! Gun: I gave you the key to my place for emergencies only! Pat: We were out of Doritos.

—- —-

Por: I’m the smartest person in my friend group. Tiw: You hang out with Gun, Win, Pat, and Yo. Tiw: It’s not as high a compliment as you think.

—- —-

Pat: Dumbest scar stories, go! Tiw: I burned my tongue once drinking tea. Por: I dropped a hair dryer on my leg once and it burned. Win: I have a piece of graphite in my leg for accidentally stabbing myself with a pencil in the first grade. Tinn: I was taking a cup of noodles out of the microwave and spilled it in my hand and I got a really bad burn. Gun: I have emotional scars.

—- —-

Squad reactions to being called straight: Por: The fuck, no I'm not. Tiw: Excuse the hell out of you? Tinn: Ding dong, you are wrong! Gun: Who told you that? And why did they lie? Sound: Rude. Win: *punches the person*

—- —-

(I couldn’t decide who would fit this next one best so you get all three versions of the same quote)

Gun: You don't need my blessing to go kiss Win. In fact, I was pretty sure you were already kissing Win!  Sound: Nope.  Gun: In that case, as the archbishop of Sound's fully awakened gaydom, I give you my blessing to immediately leave and rectify that as soon as possible! Go now, my child, and kiss Win right on the lips!!!

—-

Gun: You don't need my blessing to go kiss Por. In fact, I was pretty sure you were already kissing Por!   Tiw: Nope.  Gun: In that case, as the archbishop of Tiw's fully awakened gaydom, I give you my blessing to immediately leave and rectify that as soon as possible! Go now, my child, and kiss Por right on the lips!!!

—-

Tiw: You don't need my blessing to go kiss Tinn. In fact, I was pretty sure you were already kissing Tinn!  Gun: Nope.  Tiw: In that case, as the archbishop of Gun's fully awakened gaydom, I give you my blessing to immediately leave and rectify that as soon as possible! Go now, my child, and kiss Tinn right on the lips!!!

—- —-

BONUS-

Pat: Ah, Hello again. We really need to stop meeting like this.  Pran: Maybe we would, if you would sTOP BREAKING INTO MY FUCKING HOUSE!!! 

—- —-

BONUS AGAIN-

Korn: Do you guys want to see a butterfly? Pat: Ooh, yes please! Pran, with his laptop open: I'm not going to stop working to look at a stupid bug! Korn: It's not a bug though... Pran: ... Pat: ... Pran: Well I still don't want to see. Pat, realizing: Please don't throw- Korn: Whee! *throws a stick of butter*

[lost-my-sanity1]

chinzhilla served with that fight scene at the beach while climbing upwards. their fight scene is so packed and heart wrenching. cuz everyone was disappointed in themselves, but had no way out of it. they blamed each other, took the blame on themselves, threw hands, apologised, hugged (even tinn was included in that hug. idk what to so with that information), made up with each other.

soundwin's relationship is the most interesting thing there according to me. cuz it's damn true they are boyfriends but their past also contains them fighting (physically and verbally) with each other. and they didn't just stop that when they acknowledged their feelings. it takes time to adjust to a new setting. and I'm happy p'au is showing that. relationship is not a bed of roses. even more so when you both have sharp mouth and unbending nature. it takes a lot of compromise and forgiving each other

their fights are not childish and lovey dovey ones lovers do. it's serious everytime they fight. everytime they fight they do it with intention! I'm just so intrigued by their dynamic

and at last coming to their song HEAL, it's so amazing. yak did something goof for once. his call was so encouraging, and hopeful. he basically said what if you lost once? there are still chances in the future. keep fighting. also I present you your own song you sang to us when we lost hope. have a good night babies bye

sound and tinn joining that song was another masterpiece.

[dearspnik]

ok, I know it took me a long time! It's been almost a week since we hit the goal of 2k followers, but I only had time to do the thank you post now.

(pt/br) ok, eu sei que demorei muito! Já faz quase uma semana que batemos a meta de 2k de seguidores, mas só tive tempo de fazer o post de agradecimento agora.

I definitely don't know how to explain my happiness, I found it very quickly, considering that this account is limited to content from very few groups, but I'm so happy, guys, really! This is very special for me, because I can see that my effort is paying off and there are people who like what I produce! I'm so happy that it's been hard even to put it into words, I have a lot to thank the people who didn't make me give up when I thought about it, the people who support my content, and who also follow me, of course! You are the reason I keep posting here! Thank you also to my friends for being with me, some have been here for a long time, since a good part of my journey here! Thank you so much to all of you!

(pt/br) Eu definitivamente não sei explicar minha felicidade, eu achei bem rápido até, levando em consideração que essa conta é limitada a conteúdo de pouquíssimos grupos, mas eu tô tão feliz, gente, sério mesmo! Isso é muito especial pra mim, porque consigo ver que meu esforço está valendo a pena e tem gente que gosta do que produzo! Eu estou tão feliz que está sendo difícil até por em palavras, tenho muito a agradecer as pessoas que não me fizeram desistir quando eu pensava nisso, nas pessoas que apoiam meu conteúdo, e quem também me segue, claro! Vocês são a razão de eu continuar postando por aqui! Muito obrigada também aos meus amigos por estarem comigo, alguns estão a bastante tempo, desde uma boa parte da minha trajetória por aqui! MUITO obrigado mesmo a todos vocês!

★ My BIGGEST inspirations: @gyusito @k4i-lizzz @i6gyu

thanks and my favorite blogs: @oikawazitos @cattzitos @petitgetou @lilixbby @ischuuy4 @nick-web @multifancore @alfaire @kiwicidios @hongvr @chouqs @s-telar @emocatts @i4junie @i4219s @chinzhillas @hongvr @yeonbins @xu-xu @jenflag @miumiu-s @y-umark @yoonitos @japnz @nyuzinho

[justafriend-ql]

rewatching my school president with the knowledge that homophobia does in fact exist within the universe of the series is such a crazy experience because it adds an extra layer of meaning and interpretation to so many lines and moments that we often either overlooked or explained away during the first watch-through.

first off: the music club's rule about not having lovers as a kind-of-sort-of metaphor for society not being accepting of LGBTQ+ couples (i.e., main obstacle in tinn and gun's relationship)

the fact that tiwson knows about tinn's massive crush on gun before the beginning of the series (meaning tinn trusted tiw enough to tell him)

gun's stunned silence when tinn admits he's hitting on him during the pool scene and the kind of scared look on gun's face when he gets flustered after looking into tinn's eyes in episode 3

tinn pointedly asking gun "are you okay with that?" after he indirectly confesses his feelings by the pool in episode 5/6

gun saying "you can't control something like this, can you?" after tinn's previously mentioned confession of feelings at the beginning of episode 6

gun's anxiety about what it means to accept that tinn likes him and he likes tinn back (e.g., "has it ever occurred to you that there are things you want to ask, but you're too afraid to?")

the look of trepidation on sound's face after filming the medal kiss scene with win in episode 6 and realizing he has Feelings

everyone in chinzhilla being on board with filming a bl version of the 'just being friendly' music video (because they're all gay or allies lmao)

tinn interpreting gun's mention of the dating rule after his implied love confession as rejection + gun clarifying that "it doesn't mean he feels bad about it" in episode 6 (music club dating ban as a metaphor for homophobia again)

tinn and gun having to hide the fact that they are seeing each other while at the aquarium with yo and nook, who can openly date (ostensibly because of the music club dating ban, which oddly enough doesn't prevent yo from pursuing nook - there's that music club dating ban metaphor again)

gun repeatedly voicing his concern that it would be easier for tinn if he decided to hit on someone else (e.g., a girl)

tinn's out-of-control gay fantasies as a possible coping mechanism for the fact that he can't be open about his feelings with his family or anyone at school (besides tiw and gun)

yak telling sound he has to accept "what he's really into" in order to write a good love song (and sound clearly glancing at win afterwards)

gun telling tinn "be patient. when i win hot wave, everything will get better. at least with our friends" when they hide from tinn's mom outside of tinn's house at the beginning of episode 10 (music club dating ban metaphor again + hints at concern that tinn's mom may not accept their relationship)

tinn feeling comfortable enough with gun's mom to tell her about his crush on gun while keeping it a secret from his own mom

tinn's mom not knowing tinn could sing as an allusion for how she doesn't know about other aspects of tinn's true self (i.e., his sexuality) either

gun telling tinn that after hot wave, "whatever shitty rules there are" can't stop them (foreshadowing the hostile reaction they get to their relationship in episode 12)

there's probably more but these are the ones i can think of off the top of my head. many of these comments/moments could make sense in the context of a universe without homophobia (i.e., due to general shyness/anxiety about relationships, the music club's dating ban, etc.), but it's neat to interpret them through the lens of heteronormativity/homophobia too.

it's interesting to me that we as a fandom didn't really pick up on the fact that there was homophobia in the universe of the series as it was airing despite all these "signs." it's almost like the show was leading us to ignore or explain them away, just like many of the characters do before they're forced to confront homophobia in episode 12.

[ashedddaisy]

Look at our soon to be in med school taking care and being near of our chinzhilla members. 🥺

I just keep on falling for him tf.

[shortpplfedup]

My School President Episode 11: So what now?

Man I freaking loved this episode. Grief, healing and the power of friendship? An overprotective mother's internal struggle to let her son grow up and live his own life? Sign me up. An incredibly focused episode this week, as Chinzhilla doesn't win Hot Wave and almost comes apart over it, and Ms. Potjanee contemplates how to broach the subject of Gun with Tinn now that she's realised they're together.

Verse: Sad est moi

Didn't I give it all? Tried my best Gave you everything I had, everything and no less

Adele | Take It All (2011)

The stages of grief, starring Anger as the main character. Watching our boys first turn away from each other, then lash out at each other as Por (!) tries desperately to keep them all together...that hurt a lot. To fail at this thing they had so much of their self-worth tied up in causes a big spiral. They really left everything on that stage, and still came up short. Life goes that way sometimes. Add in the disastrous return trip to the temple at the beach where everything that can go wrong does go wrong, and it's no wonder they're all at each other's throats. Harsh words are spoken. Fisticuffs are threatened. Tears are shed. Watching Win lash out at Gun was especially painful, because Win has been the most loyal. He has been the one most supportive of Gun's leadership, so to see him scream repeatedly at Gun that their loss is his fault...oof. We already know that's exactly how Gun feels, so for Win to just scream it in his face over and over and over was the absolute worst. I hated every minute of the boys fighting, they're all so fragile, so scared, so hurt, so sad.

We've already seen that Por may be dumber than a bag of hair, but has a keen emotional intelligence. I loved him bringing the fight to a swift close by taking the blame onto himself, by reminding them that THEY ARE FRIENDS FIRST AND FOREMOST and they shouldn't be fighting like this, that they have to mourn together, and keep going. He basically shames them all into acting right, all while wearing a fab outfit and sporting a broken leg. And then Yak, who understands intimately this particular pain, calls to remind them in his own way that there's life after this. That losing Hot Wave doesn't mean they're losers. Yak's band winning their Freshy Music Contest (look, in my head BB and MSP exist in the same universe, just go with it) is some sweet after the bitter. This defeat isn't the end, as much as it feels that way. There will be victories to come, and one of those victories is getting to see the next generation try and hopefully succeed.

There hasn't been a great deal made of the fact that the Music Club doesn't have any juniors for Gun et al to hand the Holy Chinchilla over to, but it's been noteworthy to me. Chinzhilla is a tradition that's been passed down, along with You Got Ma Back, for generations we've been told, but Gun and the gang seem to be the end of the line. There hasn't been interest in joining the bunch of slacker losers who just eat BBQ pork and never accomplish anything. But it seems like the band are more loved than they think, with the student body voting for them to play the prom. The school year might be winding down, graduation might be approaching, but there's still time for some kid or kids to poke their head around that corner and ask 'is this Music Club?'

Bridge: Facing the music

I'm holding on (barely) Mama's got a lot to learn (it's heavy) I'm holding on (catch me) Mama's got a lot to learn (teach me)

Adele | My Little Love (2021)

The other big story this week is Ms. Potjanee slowly and quietly coming to terms with her baby boy being queer. She almost fumbles it at every juncture, but she always pulls back and does the right thing. I was SO NERVOUS when she went to see Gun, but in the end she didn't put her jumbled feelings on him and I breathed a sigh of relief. Her asking Tinn flat out if Gun invited him to the beach, and him deciding to trust her with the truth that he is going on Gun's invitation, and her just quietly allowing it without asking questions in that moment...it's all so well done. Potjanee is trying so hard to do right by her son, even as she struggles with all that means, like not being overprotective and trusting that she has raised Tinn to handle the slings and arrows of the world. It's a different response from Ms. Gim, who I think is going to start wedding planning when Gun tells her he and Tinn are dating, but it's still the response of a loving mother. It's why I don't buy the cliffhanger dread and the doom preview: because Potjanee has continued to struggle but in the end do the right thing.

Ad Libs

It looks like most of the Chinzhilla boys haven't secured a university place. I wasn't surprised at Gun and Win, but Pat and Por not having future plans in place yet was a bit unexpected. I wonder if this is kids who've done the direct admission exams at this point while the others are still preparing for the GAT.

Watching Chinzhilla dream-sing 'Healing' to themselves put me right in my feels.

Is Ford gunning for the Mix Sahaphap sultriness crown? There was WAY too much sauce for a high school romcom coming off Por when he was flirting with Tiw.

That said, the Tiw/Por came out of nowhere but I refuse to be mad about it.

Tinn is EXACTLY the kind of boy who would gift his musician boyfriend a custom-made music box that plays the love song he wrote for him. Mixtapes are for the weak!

They're playing with us now when it comes to a Tinn/Gun kiss...lol. But in a way I'm glad they're dealing with the parents stuff first.

After the Bad Buddy episode 12 preview I'm absolutely not believing a single moment of this one.

The finale is going to be prom, and I can't think of a more fitting way to end this story (until Our Skyy 2 anyway).