#clara ontheroad

[clara-ontheroad]

Brutalist Crawl, Hamilton, Canada

Whenever I tell fellow French people about Hamilton, Ontario, they can hardly believe they haven't heard of one of the 10 most populated cities in Canada, though after all it doesn't feature in any travel guidebook. But maybe it should.

@clara_ontheroad on Instagram

[lurkingshan]

It was only one scene, but Yo broke my heart today.

In some previous discussions tracking the theme of ephemerality across this series, we had assumed that Yo and Plug were meant to be a stable counterpoint to the messier, more fleeting relationships between the boys. But today we learned they are also not on the same page, and Yo herself is uncomfortable with the notion of believing in permanency in her love life. This dialogue comes from a place of deep hurt; we can tell that Yo has put her heart on the line and been burned many times. Plug seems utterly sincere in his desire to be serious and committed with her, but she is too afraid trust it and too afraid to let herself believe she can have what he is offering.

And Plug can’t accept this boundary she’s drawn. He wants a partner who will rely on him and trust him, not one who will always have a guard up and hold him at a distance. If she is unwilling to commit, he would rather just ends things and protect his own heart.

Plug wants permanency; Yo is only comfortable living in the ephemeral moment (perhaps not surprising given she named her bar YOLO). It’s an impasse.

Tagging ephemerality squad: @ranchthoughts @neuroticbookworm @waitmyturtles @slayerkitty @chickenstrangers @clara-maybe-ontheroad @twig-tea @thatgirl4815 @wen-kexing-apologist

[slayerkitty]

Narrative Frameworks in Only Friends

Something I have been tracking as part of the ongoing discussions about Only Friends is the use of the narrative framework for each episode.

So, I'm making this list specifically for tracking purposes, to note which framework was used for which episodes, if they repeat, and what they may be paying homage to. The goal is to update it every week.

We have seen three frameworks used so far:

1. Voiceovers: gives the audience specific insight into a characters thoughts and feelings; also a great way to provide exposition. It's more of an audio than visual framework, as we don't always see the character doing the voice-over because it plays over other scenes.

2. "Talking Heads" (is there a better descriptor for this?): The characters talk directly to the camera, interview/documentary style. We get to see exactly how they feel about a given moment because they are reacting to it at that time. Audio and visual. Homage to Love8009 (per P'Jojo).

3. Social Media (ft The Artist Formerly Known as Twitter): Not as insightful as the other two frameworks but does give context and a way for interaction, commentary, and exposition on a given plot. Visual. Probable homage to Together With Me, one of the first spicy BLs starring our kings, MaxTul.

Episode 1

Framework: Voiceover

Title: What's Your Role in a Bar?

Narrator: Mew

End Credit Shot: Mew sitting on the floor in front of his fish tank

Episode 2

Framework: Talking Heads

Title: M.F.M My Favorite Man

Narrator: Everyone

End Credit Shot: Ray driving

Episode 3

Framework: Social Media (Twitter)

Title: What Am I to You?

Narrator: Nick and Boston

End Credit Shot: Nick listening to TopBoston sex audio

Episode 4

Framework: Voiceover

Title: Emergency Contact

Narrator: Ray

End Credit Shot: Ray driving (repeat from episode 2)

So far, we have had a repeat framework with the voiceovers. If anyone can think of anything else to add, please let me know! (Also, the episode titles are in a weird q & a format, but I can't tell if it's coincidence or on purpose; either way, it's funny)

Tagging the Ephemerality Squad: @lurkingshan, @waitmyturtles, @wen-kexing-apologist, @chickenstrangers, @ranchthoughts, @twig-tea, @clara-maybe-ontheroad, @distant-screaming

Apologies to anyone I forgot!

[waitmyturtles]

Damn. I spent Sunday kind of simmering at GMMTV for possibly forcing Jojo and team for making Sand into a weepily sympathetic character by having him admit his feelings to Ray at the end of Only Friends, episode 6.

BUT: this EXCELLENT exchange between a fabulous anonymous poster and @thatgirl4815 has me thinking (what an exchange, btw! I got crazy in my tags.). Is the sympathy play -- either on the part of Sand, and/or unto Sand by the OF writers -- on purpose?

If so, then: SHIT. Because! Sand was a jackass in this episode, too. He sussed out Ray on Mew! He stole the sex recording of Top and Boston and shared it! Dick moves.

Couple that with his ongoing illegal-in-Thailand activity of making and selling plum wine, and: who knows. Maybe Sand is setting HIMSELF up to be woobified (cc @lurkingshan @neuroticbookworm: mom, internet, etc.) so that he can get away with this shit without being Big Called Out.

And, man: he totally fucked over his insane privacy-breaking he's-in-the-shit-too-criminal-activity-much roommate in Nick. Nick has his suspicions. I hope Nick can smell out that he's gonna get targeted as the source of the recording.

Oh my gosh, I love this -- it's so toxic and real. The game of telephone: from Nick, to Sand, to Ray, to Mew, to Top. Boston doesn't know: he's the only one (besides Cheum) who doesn't know.

Nick certainly made the recording -- he's ground zero -- but Sand was the, say, influencer to make everyone else aware.

And that's so Sand. He's gotta market himself somehow, right? He's gotta market his plum wine product while protecting himself. So, spreading some information, secretly-ish, is something he knows how to do real well.

Goddamn. If this is a bigger commentary on the meowification of the ships and the GMMTV boys -- if Jojo is saying, hey girlies, everyone's a fucking asshole -- then this just slayed me with the genius. I am SO obsessed. Sand is still a baka, but so much more insidiously than I had previously realized.

(Is any of this ephemeral? Maybe the nature of gossip? I'll tag the Squad just in case -- and thanks to @thatgirl4815 again for that excellent exchange! @lurkingshan @neuroticbookworm @twig-tea @distant-screaming @slayerkitty @ranchthoughts @clara-maybe-ontheroad)

[twig-tea]

Liminality in Last Twilight

Here are the two main definitions of liminal:

of, relating to, or situated at a sensory threshold [or limen]: barely perceptible or capable of eliciting a response

of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition : IN-BETWEEN, TRANSITIONAL

(the above phrasing from mirriam-webster).

Hopefully y'all are already picking up what I'm putting down; this show is all about that liminal space both these characters are in when they meet, and the limen of Day's vision is a major moment already highlighted in the trailers. I thought it would be useful to track those moments of liminality and see if they have significance/if this lens adds to my understanding of the show. After EP 1, I'm pretty confident this is intentional and adding value to at least my watch, so I'm committing!

Incidences of liminality in Last Twilight EP 1

Start of the series is Day waiting for his game to start; that liminal space right before the game begins

Similarly the first time we see Mhok is on that trolley thing under the car; a tool used to move from one space to another

Mhok is placing sequential bets, living in that liminal space before the game ends and money is owed

The uncertainty around Day's health in the game; where he can't tell what's happening, and is transitioning from playing the game to unwell and needing to leave

The first instance of limen represented to the audience via blurry camera, when Day looks up at the lights

Porjai unable to get out the words to Mhok about what happened to Rung, and the extended liminal space of not knowing what happened to his sister

The liminal space of having been locked up and now free but still not free from having a record

Also just undergoing any job search especially while unemployed is liminal space

Day trying to get a caretaker/adjust to his new life

20% vision: a defined limen for Day's sight

The car in the garage waiting to be paid for; refusing Mhok's decision and extending it for another 6 months

Day and Mhok meeting for a second time in the elevator (a liminal space)

Day waiting for a cornea transplant, with an unknown amount of time before it will happen (if it happens at all)

Day and Mhok meeting for the third time in another liminal space, this time the middle of the street

Another instance of limen represented to the audience using blur, this time of the street and of Mhok's face (thank you to @pondphuwin for your post that made me go back to notice this)

Again, when Day offers Mhok the job, Mhok makes a firm decision and is to told to think about it more--he keeps getting thrust back into liminal space

In Mhok's flashbacks, he thinks back to moments of liminality: the car, the job hunt, and then being told not to let opportunities pass him by

Tagging the ol' ephemerality squad as well as folks I've seen post about this show or who I've spoken with about this show so far, because I want other thoughts on this, but no pressure. I won't tag anyone who doesn't engage with this idea in any future posts unless you ask, and I won't mind!

@chickenstrangers , @clara-maybe-ontheroad , @colourme-feral , @distant-screaming , @lurkingshan , @neuroticbookworm , @rocketturtle4 , @slayerkitty , @thatgirl4815 , @ranchthoughts @waitmyturtles , @wen-kexing-apologist, @bengiyo, @heretherebedork, @respectthepetty, @my-rose-tinted-glasses

Whether or not you want to follow along, I would love help noticing the visual instances of liminality because I tend to not process visual changes well and it means I don't clock a lot of visual things. So please tag me in anything like that, even if you don't want to be tagged!

[rocketturtle4]

Don't mind me I'm just collecting evidence for Ray's complete lack of self-esteem self-anything

(I'm shadowbanned which means that fact that I'm tagging everyone is USELESS (although I may have someone to help me out) but maybe it won't be useless later. Also I also cannot reply to comments, and you will not see in your notes if I reblog your post...fun times) @waitmyturtles should thee wish)

Finally pushed over by this post (@burnsuncomet @dewtu @plantsarepeopletoo) because @thegalwhorants that's right, it is VERY SAD

Because is this scene funny and ironic? Yes!

Do I think people (me, I'm people) are going to swing around in 1-11 weeks time pull out screenshot one and comment not on the irony of this shirt but it's poignancy? ALSO YES. (Screenshots stolen out of this post @chickenstrangers)

So I'm starting my evidence collection now...

Poor Boy Gifs (a selection) (in no particular order)

His t-shirt and reactions @khaotunq

Drunk boy this gifset by @gunsatthaphan

More Drunk Boy this gifset @heretherebedork

This gifset @gunsatthaphan

Also this scene again because it's so awful it deserves to be included twice:

this gifset by @userneos

speaks for itself:

this set by @sunsetandthemoon (whose ENTIRE set here is just good evidence, but I promised myself I'd only steal one gif per post)

Ray's face when he sees Top and Mew dancing

gifset here by @plantsarepeopletoo (multiple parts of this gifset have flashing lights)

this gifset by @nick-nellson

Look how happy he is surrounded by his friends!!!

Oh and I'm sad again...

I gave in and grabbed 2 from this one @raypakorn

Since I already broke my rule I'm grabbing another one from @sunsetandthemoon:

This is clearly just the (shit)icing on the (shit)cake of his (shit)life.

Finally thanks to @plantsarepeopletoo

His pure excitement at the idea of doing this project with his friends help...

verses everyone else...

Other Posts:

You're a burden screenshots (by @heretherebedork)

Information about Ray's subtitle/label "the one who [abandoned/discarded/threw away/cast out] himself" @lurkingteapot

Interesting thoughts on Sand and Ray by @bird-inacage - Ray's Fear of Inadequacy

Someone else who is sad with excellent screenshots @poetry-protest-pornography

I feel like this line might come back to haunt us lol @sparklyeyedhimbo

Trajectory of relationships and sex by @thatgirl4815

also by @thatgirl4815: Ray and apologising

Body language notes @captain-xandis

More random thoughts worth noting (Sand & Ray) @clara-maybe-ontheroad

Tweets

this post by @thatgirl4815

(directly referencing the scene where Ray wakes up and doesn't seem to mind the fact that he thinks he got roofied and kidnapped for sex)

Plus:

originally posted here by @elliebirdwrites

Thoughts

(I'm not really taking it THIS seriously, just apreciating all my feels...also I don't think I've ?EVER actually watched a show from week 1...I normally have 2-3 episodes to obsess over by the time I start. This one ep business is not taking up enough time)

How much of Ray's identity revolves around making his friends (Mew) happy?

How much is he going to break when the ?rich? hotel owner moves into the only space he feels like he has value in?

(and how much is his breaking going to break our best boy Sand?)

Let's see how much Ray(and Sand) can singlehandedly make me cry for the next 11 weeks...It is afterall, a FirstKhao specialty.

(now do I make a similar collection about Sand...or wait till next week hmmmmm....)

I'm going along with the masses and loving the poor boy and his rich (poor) boy.

[thatgirl4815]

I'm not totally convinced Dan is out of the narrative. I know there's only one episode left, but we know Boston plans to leave for NYC soon, so who's to say that Nick's relationship with Dan could not blossom after Boston is gone? I don't see Nick and Boston's romance becoming a "I'll wait for you" situation; Boston especially does not seem like that type of person, nor would he expect Nick to wait for him.

Assuming Boston really does leave Thailand, BostonNick's relationship seems to really focus on the idea of ephemerality that has permeated so much OF meta. It's a moment in time, a relationship that taught Boston and Nick things about themselves that they did not know before. Particularly for Boston, it's a sign that he can enjoy being in a committed relationship and that he can be cared for on a deeper emotional level. I'm excited at the prospect that this could incite real growth in Boston as a person. He doesn't need to make up with his friends (in fact, if he does that would be incredibly unrealistic), but I think he's realizing more about himself in this short time with Nick than he has in a long time.

Tagging the ephemerality squad because I'm curious how others imagine BostonNick's storyline will wrap up and if it really is meant to capture this idea of a transient relationship with long-term effects: @ranchthoughts, @chickenstrangers, @twig-tea, @neuroticbookworm, @lurkingshan, @distant-screaming, @clara-maybe-ontheroad

[ranchthoughts]

Not sure if people have as much interest in diagrams as I do, but I figured I would share my latest creation:

I've been trying to get a sense of some of the interwoven themes we've seen in Only Friends so far, and my brain works well in mind map form, so here we are!

tagging the ephemerality squad, if they find this interesting: @chickenstrangers, @clara-maybe-ontheroad, @colourme-feral, @distant-screaming, @lurkingshan, @slayerkitty, @twig-tea, @waitmyturtles

[wen-kexing-apologist]

BL/QL Ask game : The Ugly, the Bad and the Worst

Alright, I was tagged in this game by @clara-maybe-ontheroad, so it's time to make some enemies.

Worst soundtrack / weirdest song choice in a BL

I don’t really pay the most attention to this, I can’t recall anything that sticks out to me as particularly egregious even if it may be a tad odd. Weirdest song choice though is Jojo and Ninew letting First sing in Only Friends. I love the boy but we all have our flaws and his is being horrifically out of tune.

Most cringe-inducing line (cute)

“Then I am gay too,” Bee from Between Us. A show that I did actually enjoy despite many people grumbling. I hold that it’s cause I didn’t wait three years for it, and didn’t know Until We Meet Again existed when I started watching it. But regardless, Bee and Prince had like 5 minutes of screen time, max and they won my motherfucking heart.

Most cringe-inducing line (actually bad)

Not a specific line, but literally any time that Nuea questions whether or not Hia Lian loves him in Cutie Pie 2 You. Bestie, you already agonized over that for far, far too long in Cutie Pie, by the time you ran out of the marriage proposal at your father in law’s birthday, I was already way past over the bullshit. And now you want to get back on the bullshit when you are planning your wedding? Come on…

Most stupid decision made by a character

I agree with @bengiyo, Teh giving up his spot in school for Oh. Honestly, you know what, looking even further back the stupidest decision was Oh and Teh’s friends coming up to Teh AT FOUR O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING THE DAY HE WAS GOING TO GO COMMIT TO COLLEGE TO TELL HIM OH WAS GIVING UP. Y’all couldn’t have fucking waited like…one day? You know Teh is stupid motherfucker prone to grand gestures.

Worst plot line

“I’m going to kill your mother from third hand cigarette smoke and spend the last hour and a half of a genuinely otherwise beautifully crafted show making the world’s longest anti-smoking campaign” by New Siwaj in My Only 12%. What a way to ruin a show at the very last minute.

The most problematic show you've watched

Fish Upon the Sky, what in the racism, support of stalking, invasion of privacy, manipulation was that show?

A show people love but you find bad

Enchante. I just hate Theo so goddamn much.

A show people find bad but you will defend

Also gonna agree with @bengiyo here and say Wedding Plan, I have seen so little conversation around that show since it aired and it was super adorable and very very outside of MAME’s typical taboos. Just fluff, lesbianism, and lavender marriages abound. But if you think La Pluie is bad, then I will fight you to an early grave.

A show that is just objectively bad but you enjoyed it

I wouldn’t say it is my favorite, but I didn’t mind Vice Versa, but maybe that’s cause I was paying attention to trying to predict the next episode’s colors and not to the plot?

A bad show that you kept watching because you were intrigued/fascinated

Mine is the same as @waitmyturtles. It’s currently still airing, so it’s entirely possible I drop it, but, Dangerous Romance, I am so mad at how quickly it is brushing past interesting topics, but I am still watching it because I am curious where they intend to go with it. I don’t think they can salvage it, but I need to know what it is they want to say that made them think handling this show the way they are is better than exploring literally any of the class questions presented in the first couple episodes.

A bad show that you kept watching because you were horny

I don’t really watch shows because I am horny,  I watch shows because- Why R U? FighterTutor, only reason I watched that show, I skipped through most of the rest of it.

A bad show that you kept watching because of that one character

Why R U? Because Fighter was such a compelling character and I thought Zee did a phenomenal job in the way he handled Fighter’s internalized homophobia. I wish they were giving Zee more complicated roles than Hia Lian because he’s a strong actor and I think his talent is wasted on Cutie Pie.

A bad show that you would still recommend

I don’t really recommend shows that I think are bad to people, so it is a case by case basis. I did not end up liking A Boss and a Babe, but I did recommend @emotionallychargedtowel watch at least some of it so she could get a better idea of Book’s acting ability.

The character that ruined a show the most

Nadia, My Ride. She’s such a self-entitled, incredibly judgemental bitch and I hate her, runner up is Toy for destroying Boss’ bookshelf.

Most awful character that you hated

Tawan, KinnPorsche. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him. I was glad when he died, and I must commend Na for his performance because he did such a good job playing an asshole that I still hate his face when I see it.

Most awful character that you loved

Korn from KinnPorsche, I am obsessed with how casually evil he is, and how he keeps his loyalty through faked compassion rather than abusive fear the way Gun does. He’s consistently winning, even when his lies are revealed. I think he does a superb job of flying under the radar as a visibly awful character. But he’s a terrible person.

A character that wasn't awful but that you just don't like

Saifah, Why R U? It’s not his fault, but I just hate Jimmy’s face.

A hero that should have been a villain

Palm, Never Let Me Go, I had too many theories about the ways in which Palm could have betrayed Nuengdiao. Hell, I’d have settled for Chanon being a villain, but no, only loyalty :(

A morally bad character you're into

*ahem* *gestures to my username*

Wen Kexing, Word of Honor who has done nothing wrong in his entire life.

A morally bad character you're not into and you wish people would stop being into

Theo, Enchante, I hate that motherfucker with a burning passion. I know that I said I think Book should be able to play more assholes cause he’s doing a great job with Mew’s revenge era, but Theo was a goddamn fucking major asshole who was not really presented as such.

The show that disappointed you the most

Again, it’s not done yet, so there is still time to maybe climb out of this hole, but I am very disappointed by Dangerous Romance at the moment.

The Worst Show of Them All Because of Your Own Reasons

Enchante because how the fuck do you think it is okay to write a romance where one of the romantic interests both creates the most fucked up, convoluted lie to mess with your feelings, AND is so goddamn helpless that you GET FIRED FROM YOUR JOB FOR HELPING HIM, and not have either of those things be a wake up call or deal breaker?!

Tagging @ranchthoughts, @respectthepetty, @solitaryandwandering

[bengiyo]

BL/QL ASK GAME : THE UGLY, THE BAD AND THE WORST

I was tagged by @clara-maybe-ontheroad on some fandom asks in a tag game. I normally don't think this hard about things I don't like, but here we go.

Worst soundtrack / weirdest song choice in a BL

Remember Me. It was horrible.

Most cringe-inducing line (cute)

Probably “Kiss you until you drop.” Sarawat is low-key a gay disaster. I still find it endearing.

Most cringe-inducing line (actually bad)

“I’ll make you my wife.” I know the Kongpob line was a big deal, but I’m still not into it.

Most stupid decision made by a character

Probably Pat’s decision to help Wai since he got shot for it. Also Teh giving up his spot for Oh-aew.

Worst plot line

I’m still salty about it, so the stupid fucking amnesia plot in Minato’s Laundromat 2.

The most problematic show you've watched

Honestly, it’s Handsome Stewardess because of the IPV and the way it was handled.

A show people love but you find bad

Probably Star in My Mind and Sky in Your Heart?

A show people find bad but you will defend

Right now? Wedding Plan. Historically? Make It Right.

A show that is just objectively bad but you enjoyed it

Rainbow Prince

A bad show that you kept watching because you were intrigued/fascinated

Low Frequency

A bad show that you kept watching because you were horny

‘Cause You’re My Boy because Frank and Drake had that.

A bad show that you kept watching because of that one character

Ocean Likes Me for Holland’s character.

A bad show that you would still recommend

Once Again. It was kind of difficult, but it executed its themes well.

The character that ruined a show the most

Puen in Vice Versa.

Most awful character that you hated

PLERN PLENG from Together Wtih Me. I know @negrowhat and @lurkingshan got my back on this one.

Most awful character that you loved

Green from 2gether. Gun deserved and still deserves better.

A character that wasn't awful but that you just don't like

I don’t like Dr. Sing in Triage that much.

A hero that should have been a villain

Is this where I dig at Tharntype?

A morally bad character you're into

Zhou Zi Shu from Word of Honor

A morally bad character you're not into and you wish people would stop being into

Vegas from KinnPorsche

The show that disappointed you the most

Bite Me

The Worst Show of Them All Because of Your Own Reasons

The Shipper and My Extraordinary

I don't think I'll tag anyone specific, but if we've been chatting about BL since before 2gether, I wanna know your answers.

[visualtaehyun]

BL/QL Ask game : The Ugly, the Bad and the Worst

Thank you for tagging me @twig-tea 🙏 I read your post and the questions while going Ohhh interesting but when I actually tried to answer them myself, I realized that I'm usually pretty positive about the shows I watch or else I just move on from them. Most of the time, I don't fault characters or a whole show for being bad anyway, it's more the writing/script, directing choices, or editing that I tend to have gripes with.

So! Of the entire 22 original questions (by @clara-maybe-ontheroad), I'll only be answering a handful. This will also only be about Thai BLs because they make up the vast majority of QLs I've seen.

1 Worst soundtrack / weirdest song choice in a BL

My knee-jerk reaction was "Never Let Me Go country song NC" lmao but then I went to rewatch said scene and it barely stood out to me. So after re-thinking I'll have to nominate two shows: Dangerous Romance and Until We Meet Again, for basically the same reason.

Chimon's OST สายลม (Wind), which I actually fell in love with when it dropped because Chimon's voice was such a pleasant surprise, is being entirely overused in DR, to the point that I'm starting to tire of a song that I actually like. Honorable mention: The completely random and unnecessary stage performance of Perth and Chimon's ซบกันไปนานๆ (Sunset) in ep. 5. Was it not enough to have them sing and vibe to it in the car earlier in the same episode??

Similarly, UWMA's OST is either entirely by one guy or entirely one song but it sure was grating on me, my patience and my enjoyment of the show. P'New series are already hit or miss for me but that singer/song/OST had me so fed up.

5 Worst plot line

The first show I ever dropped was Star In My Mind which is ridiculous considering how short it is. But the entire premise of Kluen being unable to open his goddamn mouth frustrated me to no end. I did pick it back up again at a later point though, so I could watch Sky In Your Heart and indulge in the JoongDunk cuteness from there on out.

7 A show people love but you find bad

I'm sorry to say but- it's Vice Versa. It was one of the first Thai QLs I watched along with as it aired but ultimately I gotta say Oof. It has a fun premise, the cinematography is super nice, and it's genuinely sweet. But the amount of product placements was staggering! I also just didn't vibe with JimmySea's chemistry, they just gave too much Friend energy for me to find them believable as a couple. They're not the only ones or the only series where I didn't really find the spark but that's not a Them problem. That's a me 'Needing my fictional couples to be head over heels for each other for my acespec ass to see/experience the attraction and connection' problem lol

8 A show people find bad but you will defend

Cutie Pie! And I will die on this hill, @twig-tea 😂 It has everything I love: good production quality, good acting, tangible chemistry between the couples (see last question lol), complicated emotions, push-and-pull between the romantic leads, a dedicated cast and crew, a great OST, I'm certain I'm forgetting a lot of stuff but there's just so much I love about this show.

At its core, it's about two people who turned themselves into the versions they think they should be for each other, based on their upbringing, expectations placed upon them, status differences etc. and how they learn to be honest with themselves and each other.

I've re-watched this show a number of times, each with different levels of Thai proficiency, which made me consider that this show might've been such a hit in Thailand but not as much internationally because there's maybe a language and trope/culture barrier here? On my first-time watch, I knew no Thai and was largely unfamiliar with what tropes are common in Thai romances and such. At the time, the show didn't hit me very much, I struggled to make sense of that pivotal fight in episode 1, I enjoyed the singing, it was mostly just a nice romance. On my most recent re-watch a few months back, I had reached the point where I could follow a spoken conversation in Thai as long as there were translated subs to guide me along. And suddenly the full weight of episode 1 but especially the fight at the end, setting up the central conflict, hit me and I realized: Oh wow! This is good writing! Introduce your characters, their backgrounds, their goals, and the show's core conflict and that's how you hook viewers.

This has already gotten long enough but I wanna mention how much it means to me to have this show not just call for marriage equality repeatedly but also to have them shout it out to the world by having their mlm couple fully make out in what is arguably one of the busiest corners of Bangkok - Siam Square! More specifically it is the area with the fountains between Siam Paragon on one side and Siam Center on the other, and the skywalk (that connects the various malls in the area) as well as the central BTS station Siam both overlooking that space. It's also called Parc Paragon, there's frequently events there, and it is busy as all hell!! And they not only cleared it for filming a lengthy queer kiss scene but, in the show, the huge LED/ad screens are used to project pride colors, a call for equal rights, and a queer marriage proposal in plain view of the entire square!

If you've never been to Bangkok, I beg you to look up photos, via Google Street View or the IG location tag for Parc Paragon so you get an idea of what I'm talking about. 🙏 (this isn't the only busy prominent location they used btw but djdjhdjsdj let's not write a whole damn essay here)

10 A bad show that you kept watching because you were intrigued/fascinated

Dinosaur Love - I watched the first episode, excited for Tonnam and Pepper, and found it charming with its low budget, pink-filtered tropey-ness. Except I quickly realized that this show was Actually Bad. The framing and blocking were often a big question mark to me. The pink filter and the background music got annoying quickly. The acting was subpar. At some point in episode 2 I started questioning if they ever even did more than one take per scene. There was a panning shot involving a mirror where the crew is just fully visible in the reflection?? Suffice it to say that I dropped this show like a hot potato when episode 3 very suddenly and very graphically had a side character self-harm. Squicked me out like nothing before, moving on!

11 A bad show that you kept watching because you were horny

I mentioned this already but I'm on the aro/ace-spectrum (...somewhere, don't ask me specifics lol) so I don't really watch shows for horny or eyecandy reasons. If I don't vibe with the characters or dynamics then I won't even perceive them as sexy, to be honest.

12 A bad show that you kept watching because of that one character

Why R U (the og Thai one), I guess? Everyone who's seen it probably knows that the production and filming suffered because of Covid so I wouldn't hesitate to call this show bad on that basis. I set out to watch it because I wanted to see more of Zee Pruk's acting, in another role, after having seen Cutie Pie. And Fighter ended up being most of the reason I stuck around till the end. The nuanced struggle with his own sexuality was so well-portrayed. Tutor is a very memorable character as well! And I'm entirely 🥰 about Hwa, she just perfectly fits this character archetype that I will always, without fail, completely adore.

21 The show that disappointed you the most

Most of the time, I either don't have big expectations or I let go of them quickly enough once I get a vibe for where a given show is going. The closest thing to 'disappointment' would then probably be all the shows that I kept seeing being recommended and hyped but that didn't leave a lasting impression on me after watching, like KinnPorsche, Love Mechanics, Manner of Death. None of these are bad OR disappointing and there's things I genuinely enjoyed and liked in them but ultimately I just didn't Get why they're so popular. I'm sure part of it is to do with me not having been around to follow along on a week-to-week basis but watching them long after they were done airing, basically in a vacuum. But alas!

I don't know how you managed to do all 22 questions, Twig Tea, when this fraction has already taken me like five hours 💀 Passing this time-eating curse on then to @airenyah @cangse-sanren/@zeesqueere @sadwetcatray @sorry-bonebag @telomeke @thegalwhorants @pharawee I'm sure this tag is making the rounds so some (if not all) of y'all have probably done this already. If anyone I didn't tag reads this and wants to play, feel free to tag me in it, I do enjoy reading hot takes and impassioned essays lol

[clara-ontheroad]

Stairs, Hamilton, Canada & Lyon, France

(Guess which pic was taken where, easy mode)

@clara_ontheroad

[lurkingshan]

BL/QL Ask game : The Ugly, the Bad and the Worst

Tagged by @clara-maybe-ontheroad to start some trouble. There are a lot of these, so I'm mostly going to do quick hits and maybe expand on a few that really get me going.

The categories are:

Worst soundtrack / weirdest song choice in a BL

It would be easier to list the BL soundtracks that are not horrible (offense intended).

Most cringe-inducing line (cute)/Most cringe-inducing line (actually bad)

I'm so bad at remembering specific lines of dialogue unless I think they're beautiful/heart-wrenching, so I got nothing.

Most stupid decision made by a character

In a BL?? Baby, I do not have all day.

Worst plot line

Hmmm I'm gonna give in to recency bias and say faking amnesia to get your fiancé to love you again after you iced him out and denied him sex for four years because of your tiger attack-related PTSD (no I am not making that up, never change actually Naughty Babe).

The most problematic show you've watched

Problematic is in the eye of the beholder, so honestly who can say.

A show people love but you find bad

LOLOLOL. There are. So many. Probably the one with the wildest fandom fervor :: Shan personal enjoyment ratio is KinnPorsche.

A show people find bad but you will defend

Theory of Love and y'all stay wrong about this. It is easily one of the best early Thai bls and the writing, character development, and narrative structure are all excellent, but people hate slutty characters so they can't deal with it.

A show that is just objectively bad but you enjoyed it/were horny/because of that one character

Why r u? What can I say, I'm a Fighter/Tutor girlie.

A bad show that you kept watching because you were intrigued/fascinated

Hmmm I usually just drop it if I'm truly not having fun. I guess you could count me finishing Minato's Laundromat 2 despite knowing any hope for it was over at the end of episode 9. I just needed to see how mad I was going to be in the end (pretty damn mad).

A bad show that you would still recommend

There is too much BL nowadays to be trifling with the bad shit.

The character that ruined a show the most/most awful character that you hated

PLERN PLENG (Together With Me). cc: @bengiyo the co-president of the Plern Pleng antis.

Most awful character that you loved

Boston, a beautiful chaos demon (Only Friends).

A character that wasn't awful but that you just don't like

Anyone played by Podd or Jimmy (it's their faces I can't stand them sorry to those men).

A hero that should have been a villain

This is an interesting one! I’m not sure this counts, but I’ll just say I did not love the way The Untamed white washed Wei Wuxian and removed his culpability for all his worst choices (I recognize this was largely due to censorship). I much prefer the more morally complex and deeply flawed version of him we got in MDZS.

A morally bad character you're into/you're not into and you wish people would stop being into

I don't believe in holding fictional characters to real life moral standards. Bad behavior makes for good stories.

The show that disappointed you the most

Let me take this opportunity to drag Plus & Minus again, a show that had all the right ingredients to be a top tier friends to lovers narrative and absolutely blew it to do some beyond clichéd noble idiocy and breakup bs that violated character and undercut the relationship to such a degree that I can never rewatch or enjoy anything about it again.

The Worst Show of Them All Because of Your Own Reasons

Hmm I do not have one. It's rare for me to not be able to find something of value in any media I consume.

Tagging @chickenstrangers @sorry-bonebag @kayatoasted @blmpff @twig-tea in case you want to play!

[slayerkitty]

On Top and Mew and "but there's a perfectly good bed right there!"

After last week's episode of Only Friends had Top and Mew having sex on the couch in Top's room and not on the perfectly good, wonderfully large and comfortable looking bed, I made a post about it, because it felt like the show was trying to say something but I wasn't sure what.

@sunshinechay pointed out that something similar happened in Between Us, with WinTeam. (*spoilers for Between Us so if you haven't seen it, you might wanna avert your eyes, lol*). Win and Team's relationship begins as a situationship where they end up having sex in several places that are not either of their own beds (bed at a resort, locker room, bar bathroom, bed at another resort).

For the bulk of the series, the only thing they do in their own beds with each other is sleep. As @sunshinechay reminded me, it was because of the disconnect between Win and Team and the undefined nature of their relationship that kept them from having sex in one of their own beds. Canonically, the only time we see any kind of sex in one of their beds is on Valentine's Day, near the end of the series. And it's because they have defined their relationship, admitted feelings and are on the same page with each other. The disconnect is gone.

When this was pointed out in regard to Top and Mew, it felt like this concept applied to them too. In episode one, Top and Mew have this really amazing talk over ice cream and when Mew lets Top sleep over, they cuddle in Mew's bed. They were on the same page. There was trust.

In episode two, when Top reveals his sleep issues (and potential PTSD??), Mew isn't sure if he believes him. But he likes Top and feels bad, so he cuddles with Top on the couch. Everyone made the same "but there's a perfectly good bed in the other room?!" comments, myself included. However, since Mew had started to distrust Top (thanks, Boston), the disconnect has started and Mew cannot take Top to sleep in his bed.

The same logic applies to their sex scene. They cannot have sex in Top's bed because narratively, they have never been more disconnected than at that point. Top is lying/hiding his cheating with Boston. Mew was playing hard to get and then rewarding Top "quitting" drugs with sex. It's hard to say if they were lying more to each other or themselves in that moment. I do think they genuinely like each other, and I do think that actual feelings/love is happening between them (well, until episode 6...) but it felt like they were just having sex because they were supposed to? Because that's what you do in a relationship. This disconnect keeps them off the bed.

And then we end up in episode six. We get Mew, who is turning on the seduction the moment he and Top walk through his door. He's lighting candles, putting music on his phone, dissing Ray. He is practically aggressive in the way he (man)handles Top onto the bed and pins him there. They have finally ended up back on a (Mew's) bed and it's because they are finally back on the same page. The disconnect is gone. So is the trust, but they have the truth between them again. Whereas before they cuddled in Mew's bed, now their relationship is falling apart in it.

(also Boston is now both metaphorically and literally in their bed with them in this moment and that is just so good)

Tagging the Ephemerality Squad: @lurkingshan, @waitmyturtles, @wen-kexing-apologist, @chickenstrangers, @ranchthoughts, @twig-tea, @clara-maybe-ontheroad, @distant-screaming

Apologies to anyone I forgot!

[waitmyturtles]

A bunch of us (I'll CC fam below) had some fantastic conversation over the weekend about ephemerality and the fickleness of time in Only Friends (here and here and here), and I had one tiny thought to append to this line of thinking:

I was chewing yesterday on how wonderfully Neo Trai and Khaotung Thanawat play their characters of Boston and Ray with a kind of aloofness. They've been able to convey this sense that Boston and Ray are not quite rooted -- they are like flags being whipped in the wind, if that makes sense.

I can't find this excellent post (man, this is what happens when a show produces reams of meta), but there was an excellent post about how Boston is only engaged in conversation when it's about himself. If Nick starts to talk about Nick -- Boston disengages. It was a brilliant point. (If someone can link me to that post, I'll edit this post and cite it.)

Khao is portraying Ray as someone floating. What business would Ray have to follow Sand at the bar? We know Ray's rich, but -- what's up with Ray not having a sense of.... something, an awareness, that would otherwise keep Ray from loitering around the bar and interrupting Sand's conversation with a woman?

Ray's eyes dart. His head wobbles. More often than not, he's either drunk or hungover. Ray's not rooted in the minute-to-minute reality of the world. He's high in alcohol -- likely high in grief and/or trauma over his mother's passing -- and god knows what else.

There's not too much more to this, because we just don't know enough about the characters yet. But Neo and Khao are doing a HELL of a job de-centering these two characters in their acting, and I LOVE what this aloofness gives to the both of the characters by way of the show's writing. It's totally brilliant, and it gives me the very deep sense that there are a lot of fucks that Boston and Ray just don't give at the moment.

(CC @ranchthoughts @chickenstrangers @lurkingshan @twig-tea @clara-maybe-ontheroad @invisiblegarters @slayerkitty @wen-kexing-apologist if y'all have thoughts on this.)

[twig-tea]

BL/QL Ask game : The Ugly, the Bad and the Worst

Thank you for the game, @clara-maybe-ontheroad! And thanks for tagging me @clara-maybe-ontheroad and @lurkingshan! I started out by saying to myself that I'm going to do my best to ignore my urges and just answer the first thing that comes to me rather than treating this like a quiz. And then I went into a fugue and worked on this for >5 hours. WHOOPS.

Original version here for anyone else who wants to play!

Also quick warning, this is asking about the worsts, so TW for mentions of horrific plot points below.

Worst soundtrack / weirdest song choice in a BL

Ohhhhh man, ok so the first thought that came to mind was Never Let Me Go, which mostly had fantastic background music, and that's maybe why when it didn't hit it stood out so badly (sorry to my man Pond, not all BL actors should be singers! And having his OST play over their kiss in Part 7 4/4 was just mean). For the record I love this show (actually maybe it should go in one of the below categories because so many tumblr folks dislike it) but this was rough.

Most cringe-inducing line (cute)

These don't tend to stick with me...there are so many, and I am allergic to sincerity so everything earnest is various levels of cringe to me. So with that in mind, basically everything Gavreel ever said in Gameboys counts.

Most cringe-inducing line (actually bad)

Anytime someone said "Once I start I won't be able to stop" or some variation.

Most stupid decision made by a character

Jun Ho deciding to die rather than bite Min Hyun in Kissable Lips. Min Hyun was offering. it would have made Jun Ho human. He could have had his friends around to make sure he didn't go too far and kill him. Instead he decides to fade away in his arms like a dick. WHY.

Special mention to NuengDiao going back to his hotel where his murderous uncle is waiting with no plan other than to walk in wearing a suit and a cocky expression in Never Let Me Go.

[@bengiyo and @wen-kexing-apologist are correct about Teh giving up his spot to Oh Aew in I Told Sunset About You as the actual correct answer, btw]

Worst plot line

Every penultimate episode crises resulting in the leads splitting up so that they can reunite in the finale that are not earned and significantly detract from my enjoyment of a series [this list is not comprehensive]: 2Gether, Minato's Laundromat S2, Enchanté, Love Class, Plus & Minus.

The most problematic show you've watched

I've seen literally all of them so this feels like an unfair question lol there are layers of problematic; like, is it even worth considering all of the problems with A Round Trip to Love, or The Shortest Distance is Round, or What the Duck s2? I wrote out summaries for these and then decided no thanks. If anyone wants to know they can DM me.

In terms of series that are problematic but not often considered problematic, I'm calling out Love Area the series. It hits two of my pet peeves: shitty treatment of a poor character by an oblivious rich love interest that directly affects their sources of income, and an ableist subplot. I think it also has an unearned separation in the penultimate episode but honestly I remember thinking they should stay split up so maybe it was earned.

A show people love but you find bad

Vice Versa. Sorry to all who love that show. I wanted to like it; the colouring and cinematography are beautiful and the alternate universe was neat worldbuilding. But the plot makes me so, so angry.

Ditto Cutie Pie the series. I just can't enjoy it.

A show people find bad but you will defend

Honestly there are several, but the one that is most disliked that I will ride hardest for is probably Secret Crush On You (which I argued ended with one of the most healthy relationships in a BL here LMAO). I get why people find this show hard to watch, the cringe is real. But the gender expression! The found family! The "he's a weirdo and that's why I love him" dynamic! The mutual lusting! The body dysphoria! The fact that both start by playing into BL tropes and it's only by throwing those out that they can actually have a meaningful relationship! The way both characters have real growth! And like yes Toh is a fanboy stalker but that is problematized in the show! It gave us the growth from fanboy to faen that Be Mine Superstar didn't. I have a lot of emotions about this show.

ALSO because I cannot stop, I will forever to my dying breath defend Color Rush. I don't care what you say about dead fish kisses I can't hear you over the incredibly powerful metaphor about the queer experience!

A show that is just objectively bad but you enjoyed it

Bahahhaha. Um. So many, my friends. OH I'm going to take this chance to shout out the lesser-known webseries Discipline Z: Vampire (Korean, YouTube, 2020). It's ostensibly a sequel to Discipline, but the only thing they share is a single character so you don't need to watch it to understand what's happening in Discipline Z (they are entirely different shows in every way; Discipline is more youth slice of life with a queer story as part of the ensemble). Listen, I'm talking about this show in this category for a reason; it's about a vampire who falls for a street dancer, whose motley crew of hacker friends help rescue the vampire from an evil corporation that wants to experiment on him to understand his immortality. It is BAD.

But. BUT! I love it. Everyone is so pretty. There is a cute hacker girlie. There is scifi nonsense to explain immortality. There is a good kiss. There are characters willing to sacrifice to do the right thing. I am a simple woman. [Fair warning to my happy ending only pals: this ending is ambiguous at best; there was supposed to be a follow-up epilogue for the couple, but it never got filmed.]

Bonus, En of Love was absolutely trash and it has a very special place in my heart. It's not good (like, at all), but it's great.

A bad show that you kept watching because you were intrigued/fascinated

Let's go with Physical Therapy the series. At some point I just kept watching like a car wreck to see how bad it could get. Also shout-out to Dinosaur Love, which was...similarly bewildering.

A bad show that you kept watching because you were horny

@lurkingshan already stole my first answer for this, but oh man I stay a Why R U apologist for the Fighter/Tutor chemistry. I actually think somewhere in there is a really interesting show, if the pandemic hadn't made it impossible for them to film the ending that they wanted to, but based on the Korean version and the parts that we were told had to be cut, maybe it would have actually made it worse. But just to get on my soapbox for half a sec, Tutor was in debt, working himself to exhaustion, and Fighter (after he got over himself) protected him at his one job, joined him to help him meet his sales targets at another, hired him for a third, paid off his debt collector to take the pressure off, and then took him on vacation to help him relax--twice. I have issues with depictions of poverty in BL but at least my man secured the bag while also pursuing love or whatever. Also he whispers "get inside me" while they're making out, sorry, Tutor will forever be a fave of mine.

Since that's taken, I'm going to use this as an excuse to shout out the hotness of My Day the Series. It was predominantly not great but the heat moments....

A bad show that you kept watching because of that one character

I'm giving this to Noey Watplu from I Will Knock You. I was obsessed with him. I want his confidence so badly. I love how he's essentially a dork in cosplay but gets away with it because of his rizz. Truly iconic. This man decided he was being seduced and said "bet". I really enjoyed this show because of him and him alone.

A bad show that you would still recommend

I'm going to put Ghost Host Ghost House here. It's "bad" in the sense that it had low production values (like, really bad, so bad the time of day changes at random because they lost the light while filming). But the romance was cute, the story around the romance was interesting, the worldbuilding around the merit credits was fascinating, the side mystery was so heartbreaking, the various characters actually had a lot of difficult emotions to portray, and overall I think this show is underrated.

I also already have and will again recommend YYY as a fun and fascinating watch to anyone who asks about it, @waitmyturtles is correct on that call.

The character that ruined a show the most

There are several annoying sides in BL, but I'm giving this to the side hets in My Oxygen. A fujoshi who records people without their consent for online clout is bad. A doctor using his role as a doctor to get closer to his patient is really bad. Pretending to be interested in his friend because the girl he likes is a fujoshi is worse; then using her brother as his friend's stand-in when his friend won't put up with it anymore is the WORST.

Most awful character that you hated

I mean, Lhong in TharnType takes it for not only arranging the gang rape of Tar, but being forgiven for it in the series. Neung in Tonhon Chonlatee comes a close second for attempting to rape Chonlatee and then claiming the moral high ground against his homophobic "friend". Tony in History 5: Love in the Future doesn't get enough hate for trying to murder someone just because he was his love rival. Namning in La Cuisine had her love rival bullied, beaten and who knows what she was going to do with that gun. Also shoutout to @wen-kexing-apologist's answer of Korn, in KinnPorsche, he was so insidiously evil, it was so well done.

Most awful character that you loved

I'm going with "awful" as not necessarily (just) morally bad but that people didn't like: Jaime from Win Jaime's Heart. Objectively he's a fuckboi of the worst calibre. He agrees to go on a webshow in which he dates Heart so that he can seduce the creator of the show Winston. And Jaime is so charming that I don't care about his bi wrongs (partially, to be fair, because the premise is ridiculous so it's hard to take too seriously).

Special mention (because it's not a series) to Wine in Red Wine in the Dark Night. I love a murder twink (speaking of, things are looking really good for me to stay in love with Ai Di from Kiseki if it keeps on this track).

If we're interpreting "awful" as characters that other people don't like, it'll probably go to Toh from Secret Crush on You or Gus in Diary of Tootsies. They're flawed, they're femme, they're fantastic.

A character that wasn't awful but that you just don't like

Can in Love By Chance and the sequels. Tinn is an asshole and knows it; Can is an asshole but is also self-righteous, but in all honesty his biggest flaw for me is that he's not competent and I have little patience for that.

A hero that should have been a villain

Tempted to give this to Ko from Love Poison for essentially trying to love spell date rape his love interest--this is only not that bad because magic isn't real so of course it doesn't do anything.

Possibly Athit (Boun's character) from Even Sun? I put a question mark there because this was so convoluted and hard to follow I'm not even 100% sure I remember it right, but from what I remember, this was not a romantic story at all.

Taking a totally different approach to the question, Joke from Hidden Agenda should have been a secret villain (in the sense that he should have been scheming and sociopathic but hiding it, ineffectually, from Zo) in order to make the series make sense, but apparently I can't have nice things.

And finally, special mention to Phu in The Promise for being the villain for so many of us already.

A morally bad character you're into

Zhu Zi Shu, canon war criminal and child murderer from Word of Honor. He thought he was doing bad things for good reasons (protecting the people he loves), realized he was just doing bad things and the people he loves were all dead anyway, and crafted a convoluted plot to get out of the secret society rules that he created to prevent anyone from leaving. And then he wanders aimless until he meets Wen Ke Xing and becomes as loyal to this equally morally dubious man as he was to his secret society. I love him (and them) so much.

Same type of deal, different scale of crime: Akk from The Eclipse. I have a soft spot for this trope.

A morally bad character you're not into and you wish people would stop being into

Xue Yang from The Untamed. Also a mass murderer, but doing it just for the vibes/to avenge his finger, so he gets zero love from me. People woobify him just because he's sassy it's...rough.

The show that disappointed you the most

From hype to execution? So Much in Love / Ni Yam Ruk. I slogged through such awful subs TWICE (because they claimed they redid them, but they are still terrible) to try to give this show a chance, because the premise sounded right up my alley. I still think there's a show in there that I would have liked, but it is literally unwatchable.

Most disappointed from what the show seemed like it was doing at the start to what it delivered in full is a tie between The Shipper and Step By Step.

The Worst Show of Them All Because of Your Own Reasons

That's My Candy. I've only ever dropped/not finished I think 3 or so shows? And this was the most painful and the one I am least likely to ever finish. The pairing was overplayed, the comedy was heavy handed, and the plot was absolutely cringe inducing. It was literally torture trying to watch this.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading!

Tagging @visualtaehyun @nothingsbetterthancoffee @lurkingteapot @snidgetwrites @formayhem @slayerkitty @respectthepetty @ginnymoonbeam no pressure as always! And if you play and I didn't tag you but you're reading this, tag me anyway! I love reading everyone's answers.