#history 1: obsessed

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

Because you said Taiwan might be your favorite country for BLs. What are some of your favorites or ones you think are underrated? I'm just looking for recs 😊

Why Anon, I am so glad you asked! I have such a soft spot for Taiwan. Thai BLs are usually most people's starting point (understandably so), and Japan and Korea get a fair amount of attention and praise, but no one should be sleeping on Taiwan.

I don't know your level of experience with Taiwanese BLs, so I may be repeating some that you're already very familiar with, but hopefully there's something new for you in there!

Also I have not watched everything, and still have some to catch up on, so if anyone else wants to chime in with something I am missing, please do!

History 3: Trapped

My official entry into BL obsession. A cop and a gangster falling in love while trying to figure out who is responsible for the deaths of people they both cared about. Side couple is the most innocent and naive policeman in existence and a bad boy who just wants to be his househusband. Co-written by Lin Pei Yu, whose name is behind a lot of the shows on this list, so her filmography on MDL is a great resource.

History 4: Close to You

Warning Anon, some people really hate this one. It has a stepbrothers romance, so depends on your comfort level with that kind of story. And there is some dubcon. There are a few bits I usually skip on rewatch, though overall I still enjoy their romance. But for me, the real selling point is couple number two, who are my all time favorite friends to lovers couple. They are both disasters in their own way, but when they fall in love, it's so damn romantic and sweet.

History 1: Obsessed

Lol, yes, I like the History series a lot. This is just a single episode, they didn't have the money for full series at this point, so they have three one hour stand alone stories. The other two in season 1 were pretty forgettable for me, but this one stuck. Another warning here, this one does live up to the title and there is dubcon. As the first season, it's clearly low budget. But you can tell it's a labor of love. I have a fondness for it, the acting is really good, and actor Teddy (who is gay and married irl) has talked about how much it meant to him to do a queer story that was different from the norm of what had been portrayed up to that point.

I enjoyed other History series, but the above are my favorites. Also you may have already heard, History 3: Make Our Days Count is very, very good, but has a tragic ending that was excruciating to get through. If you want to dive in, just be prepared.

DNA Says Love You

This is one I feel is super underrated. I almost never see people talk about it, but it is so incredibly sweet and uplifting. It does start a little bit slow, but it picks up once Amber arrives. Amber is the most precious blorbo ever, and I just want to put him in my pocket and keep him safe. Also, I don't want to spoil anything, because it is plot-related, but it has a form of representation that we almost never get to see in QLs, and is handled well.

See You After Quarantine?

A very quick watch, takes place almost entirely over video chat. This is a really fun one, it's a romance between a Japanese man and a Taiwanese man, and considering the limitations of the format, they do a fantastic job of selling two people falling in love when they cannot see each other in person.

Kiseki: Dear to Me

I don't know if anyone could have missed this one, as it's so popular on here, but it's such a good series. Totally lives up to the hype. Basically Taiwan's version of "what if the entire mafia was gay, and also bad at their jobs".

Unknown

Anon, this one will make you feel things. I literally had to stop watching because it was hurting too much to wait between episodes, and I needed to be able to binge it. It's another brothers romance, in this case an adoptive brother, but it was so beautifully done. There is quite a bit of angst, but the payoffs are worth it.

First Note of Love

Another really sweet one. Two people struggling with where they are in life lifting each other up, and finding their own balance in the process. A rare BL reappearance for an actor, as Charles Tu from History 4 comes back to work with a new partner, and they're fantastic together. Also a very cute side couple, and genuinely good music (if singing scares you in BLs).

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but hopefully this gives you a few ideas of things to watch!

[doestheqlcharacterkeeptheglasses]

SHAO YI CHEN - HIStory 1: Obsessed

Does this character keep their glasses?

NO.

Shao Yi Chen wears glasses in the future but he loses them when he travels back to the past and becomes his younger self. He does not have his glasses when he returns to his future self.

*Note: it is possible that he still wears glasses in the future as we only see him in bed and wake up from his dream. We do not see him leave the bed so it is possible that he puts glasses on when he does eventually leave the bed.

[dragonsareawesome123]

BL Wrapped 2023

template by @loveable-sea-lemon

Tagged by @celestial-sapphicss. Thanks for tagging me!

you watched 9 bls this year but only finished 3. that's about yeah idk what happened this year since i was on a bl roll last year hours! (i think this was more of a kdrama year for me)

Never Let Me Go - finished

Moonlight Chicken - didn't finish

Our Skyy 2 - didn't finish

History1: Obsessed - didn't finish

The Luminous Solution - didn't finish

Dangerous Romance - finished

I Feel You Linger in the Air - finished

Last Twilight - still airing and won't finish airing until next year

Night Dream - still airing and won't finish airing until next year

you primarily watched bls from GMMTV.

you spent way too much time thinking about these characters: Palm, Nuengdiao, Yai, and Jom.

your favorite show was I Feel You Linger in the Air. you kept thinking about it all year.

your overall bl mood was soulmates and yearning.

you read the most fanfiction about Palmnueng. like way too much.

another of your favorites from this year was Never Let Me Go. they captivated your gay little heart.

the soundtracks you listened to the most were I Feel You Linger in the Air. it made you feel really normal.

your favorite acting pair was Brightnonkul. there was just something so mesmerizing about them…

Also, shout out to the GLs I watched/am still watching:

GAP the Series (tv show): finished

Lucky Fish (short film): finished

Love Senior (tv show): still airing and won't finish airing until next year

I'm In Love with the Villainess (tv show): finished

Green Night (film): finished

And the non BL GMMTV shows I watched this year:

Home School (tv show): didn't finish

Enigma (tv show): finished

Taggging: @benkaaoi, @fiddlepickdouglas, @iamdarthbader, @tenprem, @callipigio, @yourstormthlaylirahh, @laowen, @theheightofdishonor, @williamrikers

[heretherebedork]

Think about the oldest BLs you've ever watched. They have to have been released prior to 2020. Now name 5 - 10 iconic scenes that you cannot forget.

I got tagged by @iguessitsjustme and was surprised by how many I've watched, honestly, and how hard picking out some that really hit me was as well.

Just Friends? - 2009

The giddy smiles as they ask permission to go spend the day together and end up running through the city followed by a kiss in uniform? Never forget those who walked even though we still haven't run yet. This is such a special short to me. And the song with drag queens and kings? A+.

History 1: Obsessed - 2017

My first time seeing the little 'block his eyes from the sun when he's sleeping moment' stays with my forever but more important it's when he twirls around that corner, so excited and happy to take care of and spoil the man he claimed not to love? I mean, honestly, I basically have this entire series memorized because I have watched it SO MANY times. I love it. Toxic yaoi in its purest form.

Something Crunchy Crunchy - 2013

I wish I had a screenshot of the moment that is in my head forever but I cannot find it and I cannot find this short anywhere but I have an undying devotion to this weird little gay BL musical thing about eating candy I just cannot with how much I adore it. Does this fully count? Maybe not. Love it anyway.

Long Time No See - 2017

Can anyone ever forget this little scene in this gorgeous BL which is still the best mafia/assassin BL ever made? Can you? Is it possible to forget this brilliant and soft moment amid the strife that proved that what makes life worth living is the gentle and soft moments that other people might not think matter?

What Did You Eat Yesterday? - 2019

I could do twelve screenshots of this because every single time they come back together, again and again, to share the intimacy of a meal and the tenderness of their love even when they're fighting the world and sometimes each other is just the best kind of moment and the best feeling.

Advance Bravely - 2017

One of the original biters! And is it truly a BL? Close enough. But still! One of the original biters must always be remembered.

LoveSick - 2014

This is the scene that I saw on @absolutebl's post that included this show that convinced me to watch it. No hesitation, no denial. And it's still glorious!

I'm not tagging anyone, do it if you want but most people already have. Love y'all!

[dissentersbedamned]

an entire doodle page worth of content of just these two waow

art commissions

full page for you nerds

[sweetmapple]

Back-from-the-dead celebratory wip

No spoilers here, I even cropped out the line. Just wanted to show off my fashion set

[become-a-robot]

The most formative JL moments:

- Meeting JF

- '64 World's Fair

- Bicycle Crash

[gender-luster]

🌻

(ask game)

in the film ravenous (1999), during the bathing scene, antonia bird said that she wanted to evoke a christ-like image with the character of colqhoun (played by robert carlyle). another time that antonia bird likens a robert carlyle character to jesus christ in one of her films is in priest (1994), which is a recurring theme throughout the movie, but especially during the communion scene, where scenes of carlyle's character (graham) are interspersed between the consecration of the bread and wine, especially scenes of graham and the titular priest having sex. this not only likens the character of graham to jesus, but it also likens the act of communion to the act of sex (gay sex), giving a whole new meaning to jesus' words of "this is my body which should be given up for you" communion also has a small part to play in ravenous, where it is compared to cannibalism

so anyway. what i think i'm trying to say is

ask game

[trentcrimminallybeautiful]

i have this really stupid idea in my head that im frankly a little obsessed with and the idea is this: trent crimm doing a drunk history episode on ted lasso's first tenure at richmond. is that how drunk history works? i don't think so. do i care? absolutely not. it's a special episode who cares because this image is not only hysterical to me but treasured. i treasure this image. i hold it close in my heart and also laugh and laugh and laugh.

[lemonyellowlogic]

instead of working on my final paper, i’ve been reading conclave fanfiction and i feel like it was worth it

[hottestthingalive]

mickey smith my beloved... local man keeps getting dragged into alien bullshit against his will because of he cares so much about his childhood best friend/situationship/girlfriend/ex and her mom that he can't let them deal with it alone. he's also full of enough spite to power a small city-state. he's a mechanic. he's a murder suspect. he's fought aliens. he was in a band. he's hacked into government databases. he runs a conspiracy theory website with the widow of the guy who told rose about the doctor. he plays the bass guitar. he's canonically bisexual or gay in at least two alternate universes. he's frenemies with his (ex) girlfriend's mom. his cabinets contain enough pickled goods to stock a fallout shelter. he successfully infiltrated a top-secret government organization pretending to be a scientist. his girlfriend left him for a shapeshifting alien. he's legally dead in two worlds. he saved the universe multiple times. he's a tin dog

[carnivalls]

Killing myself a thousand times over. Do I want the setting of Good Intentions to be past based (fantasy greece meets the industrial revolution) or futuristic (fantasy greece meets itself after a stupidly ambiguous amount of years)

[sunshinechay]

15 Day BL Challenge! Part 2!

Day 17: What's your most returned-to / comfort BL show?

Part 1 post found here and part 2 post found here

Love In The Air is probably my most returned to show. Specifically episodes 10 and 11. What can I say. I love my boys. I love Prapai and I love Sky and I love their love story. While they don’t start off in the best of places, the devotion they have to each other by the end is amazing and I love it so much.

Cherry Blossoms After Winter is another show I rewatch often. I do not talk about how much I love this show enough. It’s story is simple and doesn’t waste your time with unnecessary drama or characters. It’s just two boys falling in love and wanting to be happy while navigating their last year of high school and into university.

HIStory 1 is another I rewatch entirely too much. Is their relationship toxic and fucked up? Yes, yes it is. Do I care? Not particularly. I love the idea of their love being inevitable. Something Shao Yi Chen can’t run away from and ultimately isn’t sure he even wants to. So instead he decides to dive back in head first, this time with his eyes open and the knowledge he has from his past life.

[balkanlila]

ALSO THE FOCUS ON THE HANDS IN THE SHOWWWW!!!!!!!!!!! it's so important for this story overall, but... they come from a place where you can only count on your own two hands in order to survive... lila's shoe drawings, lila making the infamous shoes with rino (which is why stefano's comment about "(lila's) little girl hands working" feels insulting from him who inherited everything from his father), enzo gifting lila the fruit his family worked hard to be able to sell (the point i am about to make is LARGELY why this moment is so significant to lila), pasquale the bricklayer, enzo getting his diploma all on his own, elena's writing, elena getting out of the neighbourhood, publishing books... for the girls to constantly express their love through either hand-holding or hand-kissing means more than simply acknowledging the other as a person, but it's also about acknowledging all the history that's woven into their existence, a topic that is so haunting and ever-present throughout the story. it's saying i value every sacrifice that was made either by your ancestors or you yourself in order for you to stand here with me. it's saying i know where you come from and i love you for it. it's not just loving a person, it's loving entire cities, entire worlds, so many lives that came before and that will come. and much like the scar lila has from when enzo threw a rock at her when they were kids or their whole diagram of the door opening thing, this act of hand-holding exists in contrast to what elena says about them becoming their parents and their bodies turning into their fathers' bodies and it challenges the central idea of dissolving boundaries. because it's an act of lingering on in spite of time while simultaneously painting history in a good light for once. it's enough of a change to encourage hope, but not too much to be overwhelming... oh god i am crying now

[deadinarussianelevator]

I need more Hoid.