#i already love nuea so much

[pharawee]

I wish someone would bump me into his back. I won't ask for anything else the whole week.

—Bonus:

[twig-tea]

Wonderful day in Thailand. but now for the important questions.

Of all the ql thai couples, if you could choose one and they would film a wedding special which would it be?

Rose💜

I'm so happy for Thailand and everyone there who will have that equal status under the law, access to benefits, and for the way (from experience in my own country) having marriage equality makes it feel a little safer and for social stigma to reduce as a result of the legal change! Sorry for being a little slow to the party with my own contribution.

1 5 Wedding Specials I Most Want to See

Until We Meet Again

Dean and Pharm talked about getting married overseas while visiting Pharm's family, but how wonderful would it be for Pharm's grandfather/Korn's father to be a witness to their legal union after being one of the main blockers to their past lives' being together at all? Goosebumps. Imagine if they had it at the aquarium where they had their first date? Where Pharm felt so much residual fear from In about even just holding hands?! Using In's ring and cementing that they will stay by one another's side this time around?!! I would expire.

Diary of Tootsies

I've been a fan since forever, and I would love to see the spectacle that Gus, Golf, Kim, and Natty would plan (and then mess up, and then fix). I would be so happy with it happening for Gus and Win; I'm not a 'they need to get married for it to be a happy ending' person but this story feels like that's their trajectory. I want to see it because i want to see someone actually struggle with whether marriage is what they want/a good thing, which Gus would totally give me. And because I love Jaylerr so much, I want him to show up again and hav Top finally find someone new of his own.

Laws of Attraction

We'll never get it, and we already got the wedding, but since this is entirely my pie-in-the-sky list, I want to see Charn being competitively the first one in line so that he can also be the first divorce--he'll marry Tinn again of course but he understands the importance of setting precedent. I just think this one would be extremely fun (especially if Nawin is around to crash this time). And Organ and Maya will need to be there to flash their already-signed documents in Charn's face to annoy and delight him, of course.

My Ride

Listen, I'm not weeping at the thought of Cheep and Dej (Mork's uncles) finally seeing their relationship to one another recognized under the law, there's just something in my eye. I love Mork and Tawan too and would of course love to see them also have a special, but these two deserve to get there first!

Wedding Plan

Honestly, we got to see some of their international wedding already in the special, but I want to see these girls get to be married back in Thailand, so that Nuea and Lom can attend this time!! Imagine the special where these two couples become the witnesses for each others' legal weddings in Thailand? I will not be able to survive.

[lurkingshan]

Wedding Plan and the Evolution of MAME

I have a bit of a love/hate thing going on with MAME, one of the most notorious writers in the bl genre. Her shows have traditionally been a mixed bag of incredible chemistry, high heat, dubious consent, and pushy semes transgressing every boundary laid out for them, all of it built atop a foundation of heteronormativity and homophobic tropes. In the early years of bl, her shows were one of the only places you could go to see mature depictions of intimacy in relationships, but they also necessitated dodging through a landmine of problematic content. So my long standing policy has been to never watch her shows live and instead binge them when they’re done so that I can go in with some idea of what to expect. As someone who liked Love By Chance and TharnType for what they did well despite their problematic aspects, and actually kinda loved Love in the Air, I figured I would watch Wedding Plan at some point, but it wasn’t that high on my priority list. 

So imagine my surprise when people I trusted started telling me: hey wait, this is actually really good? Like, not good for MAME, but genuinely, legitimately a quality show. @bengiyo wrote a great post on the queer read of the story that was very intriguing indeed. @ginnymoonbeam wrote about seeing an authentic representation of her own experiences in the show. When I asked for others to weigh in, @negrowhat, @slayerkitty, @thegalwhorants, @nieves-de-sugui, @he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle, and @magpie24601 all said they were enjoying it to various degrees and that it felt different from MAME’s previous works. So this weekend, I sat down to watch it, and as soon as I finished, I pinged @waitmyturtles, who had previously said she did not intend to watch any additional MAME shows, to tell her she had to add it to her project tracking the evolution of Thai bl. 

Because y’all, this show! This show is stunning, in more ways than one. The people and settings are gorgeous (shoutout to that McDonald’s money), the characters are compelling and sympathetic even when they behave in frustrating ways, the romance is properly swoony, the friendships are deep and touching, the family relationships are complex, and the ending is triumphant. I enjoyed it immensely, and I was taken aback by how genuinely rooted in queer experience and celebratory of queer love it felt. It was kind of a revelation, and I felt compelled to get down some thoughts about it. I’m going to break this down by narrative themes and characters so that I can dig into some of the tropes at play and what makes their deployment feel different here than it has in MAME’s previous shows.

The Core Premise

When I say this story feels authentically queer, this premise is the foundation of that. A lavender marriage is something that can only occur between queer characters. Right away, we are kicking MAME’s typical use of heteronormative tropes right out the door, because Lom already has a wife. Yiwa is his stand-in for the female partner his parents and society expect him to have, so Nuea cannot and will not fulfill that role. Instead, Lom’s pursuit of Nuea is explicitly about his desire to break away from those constraints and pursue the authentic queer life he has never been allowed to live, even if he has to do it undercover of this facade. Lom is gay, and he is pursuing a relationship with a gay man, and there is no coding here to make a heterosexual audience feel like what he wants with Nuea is the same as what he’d have with a woman. The difference, and the way one fulfills Lom while the other doesn’t, is the point.

Nuea

At first glance, our POV character, Nuea, feels like a stock MAME uke character. He is cute, he is a romantic, he is emotionally reactive, and he has a massive crush on Lom pretty much from jump. But pretty quickly, we start to notice some important differences between Nuea and those who came before him, starting with his competence and confidence. Nuea is the ace at his company and excellent at his work, and he’s financially comfortable. He is an out and confident gay man with a strong community of coworkers, friends, and family who will support him through anything and close ranks to protect him when needed. He does not share the standard characteristic of typical MAME ukes: uncertainty about who he is and/or low self-esteem. There’s simply not a whiff of that anywhere on Nuea. He knows who he is, and he knows what he wants. And as the story unfolds and Nuea gets deeper entangled with Lom, we recognize another crucial aspect of him: he is experienced, both emotionally and sexually. Nuea has been in relationships before, he knows how to say no, he knows how to draw a boundary, and he knows when he is deciding to cross one. In short, Nuea has something crucial that a lot of MAME ukes are lacking: power and agency. 

We see this throughout his relationship with Lom, as Nuea begins their flirtation eyes wide open about his own feelings and the fire he’s playing with, and alternately pulls back and pushes forward as his conscience wars with his desires. Nuea wants Lom. Their attraction is extremely mutual. No one is wearing anyone down or inspiring a sexuality crisis in this dynamic. Instead, Nuea’s struggle is rooted in his own morality and desire to be a good person, because he thinks Lom is taken, and he wants him anyway. Which is why we see him waffling so much and sending Lom all kinds of mixed signals, pushing him away with one hand while grabbing him back with the other, drawing boundaries only to step right back over them at the next opportunity. And when he finally crosses a boundary that he can’t rationalize (sex with Lom), he retreats back home to try to get his head together. It’s not an accident that despite Lom being in the active pursuer role, we see Nuea make a conscious decision to move forward and even be the one to initiate a relationship progression at several crucial points in the story. Nuea is making his own decisions here, and he has his own power over Lom that he exercises consistently. He’s warring with himself, not with Lom.

Lom

Lom is also, on the surface, a fairly standard MAME seme character. He wants Nuea, and he’s comfortable being pushy about it. He pursues Nuea fairly relentlessly, showing up in front of him even when he’s told not to, and leverages his role as Nuea’s client to see him as often as possible. He obsessively pines for Nuea in a way that also feels familiar. But for me, there is something that makes Lom stand out and feel markedly different from his predecessors in his romantic pursuit: sincerity and frank honesty. 

From the start, Lom is genuine in his interest in Nuea and sincere about how much he likes and admires him. He tells him in a very straightforward manner that he likes him and wants to spend time with him. He tells him he knows he doesn’t have the right, but he wants to kiss him and be near him anyway. He tells him exactly what he intends to do to stay close to him, and then he does it. He tells him honestly that he loves Yiwa, but not in the way Nuea thinks, and that he is not marrying her because he’s being forced. “But Shan,” I hear you yelling, “he did not tell him the most important truth!” And you’re right, he didn’t, at least not until he was forced to do so. Which brings me to the other thing that makes Lom so compelling: the constraints of the closet and his loyalty to Yiwa. 

Lom, unlike Nuea, does not have a supportive family or the freedom to live as an out gay man. What he does have is a best friend whom he loves deeply and completely, to the extent that he would sacrifice his own life and chance at happiness to protect hers. He has no choice but to hold some things back, because to lay it all bare would expose not only him, but her. The decision to tell a boy he likes the truth about the nature of their relationship is not just about him; anyone knowing is also a risk to Yiwa and the life she is building with Marine. And he takes his duty to protect that very seriously. On top of that, Lom has been in the closet since he was a teenager. We know that Lom and Yiwa connected over their queerness and their mothers’ bigotry when they were only 15 and 13, respectively. They grew up Knowing. That self-protective mindset is not something you can easily shake off, and not something you risk for any given person you develop a crush on. He is trying to walk a line in his pursuit of Nuea to snatch whatever happiness he can without blowing up his entire life. 

And to Lom’s credit, the moment he realizes how serious he is about Nuea, he goes after him (with Yiwa and Marine’s support), dutifully pays his penance and earns the respect of Nuea’s family, and finally unburdens himself, looking at Nuea with complete and total honesty and saying to him “This is who I am, this is my situation, can you deal with it? Do you still want me?” And by the way he sobs when Nuea says “YES” and asks to be part of his arrangement with Yiwa and Marine, he never expected for someone like Nuea to accept him and all the complications of his life. He was absolutely overcome by gratitude and relief, and you could see the burdens he’s been living under start to lighten. 

Yiwa and Marine

I don’t have anyone to compare Yiwa and Marine to, because to my recollection, they are the first significant female characters in any MAME story. And significant is an understatement. Yiwa is the engine that drives this entire story. The lavender marriage is her idea, because it’s the only way she can think to give herself the freedom to be with Marine under her mother’s watchful eye. She is the one who goes to her best friend and begs him to do this for her, because she trusts him absolutely and the devotion between them is complete enough that she knows he will sacrifice in such a monumental way for her. She is the one who encourages Lom to pursue his own happiness with Nuea within the constraints of their arrangement, hoping that he will find his own Marine that can hang in for this half life they’ve constructed to meet the tenets of filial piety. She is the one who ultimately decides to come clean when she sees how the lie is hurting Nuea. And she is the one who makes the final decision to prioritize her love over her obligations to her parents, and in doing so frees them all. 

The fact that a character like Yiwa exists in the bl genre at all, let alone in a MAME show, is mind-blowing to me. A female character with this much depth and narrative importance, who is not just here to play a cheerleader to men but instead to be a fully realized character with her own narrative? A female character who matters? In my Thai bl?? 

And Marine gets to matter, too. Marine, whose experience of coming into this relationship and accepting the limitations of the life Yiwa can offer her is treated with the utmost seriousness. Marine, who we see in joy and in struggle, who is kind and compassionate with Lom, who offers solace and guidance to Nuea, and who ultimately crumbles under the weight of Yiwa’s mother’s cruelty and reaches her breaking point. As minor as her role is, she feels like a real person, not a generic side character. The relationship between her and Yiwa is developed enough to make us feel invested in their happiness, to understand the choices they make, and to ultimately feel joy at them breaking free and living a more authentic life, even if it comes at the expense of Yiwa’s family bonds.

The Ending

Which brings me to the way this show ended its story, and how glorious it was. Yiwa and Marine run away to live on their own, freeing Lom from their agreement in the process. Yiwa takes full blame for the broken engagement, a parting gift to Lom that saves face for his parents and gives him cover to publicly dodge any further expectations for marriage to a woman. Lom’s mother, who is just as bigoted but not quite as stubborn and short-sighted as Yiwa’s mother, understands exactly what has happened, and reaches out to her son to assure him that she will no longer try to force the issue, and to ask him plainly not to run away from his family like Yiwa did. It’s not the support and love of Nuea’s family, but a kind of resigned acceptance that she offers. She knows who Nuea is to her son and she knows if she tries to intervene any further she will lose him for good. It was reminiscent for me of the dynamics between Shiro and his parents in Kinou nani tabeta—it still hurts, but it's a detente everyone can live with.

And Lom and Nuea? Have the freedom to love each other more openly. To flirt in a restaurant and hold hands in public. To live together and call themselves partners to the people who matter. We end on a message from Nuea about the beauty and joy of queer love, the simple nature of two people deciding to marry regardless of their gender, and a promise that someday soon he and Lom will be the ones to make that commitment. Just, perfection, and an earned resolution so rooted in a genuine queer experience. It’s not something I could have imagined seeing in a Thai bl even a few short years ago, and I am stunned that MAME is the one who delivered it. Her storytelling is clearly evolving with the culture around her, and I will be going into her future works with an open mind.

[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

[bisexualboysbroadcast]

this was unbearably difficult to choose. I have a frankly absurd amount of favourite kisses and this list is non exhaustive and completely randomised because I physically could not bring myself to choose exactly five of my fave. in kinnporsche alone I have like 15 lmao

thank you to my darling @williamrikers for the tag! you’re angelic!

I tag:

@winnysatang @sparklyeyedhimbo @respectthepetty @porschekinn @nattawinlove-andmygaytea @jflower278 @corettaroosa @pose4photoml @scarefox @blmpff @khathastrophe @threezoz @charles-edwin @kinnporsche and of course anyone else who wants to hop on! (I’m sure a lot of you have been tagged already. please feel free to ignore)

propaganda:

I’m just gonna link the gifs and or vids that show off these kisses and you guys can make that decision <3

kinnporsche : yes this link does lead to a seven minute compilation of alllllll kinn and porsche’s kisses but the one I mention is in there and really who doesn’t want to relive the insanity of these two?

taikan yoho : maybe if you were someone’s oxygen and the only reason they could breathe and survive the turmoil of every day life you would understand (speaking from a place of insane jealousy)

never let me go : the pain. the care. the tension. oh my god the way palm would do ANYTHING to see nueng happy. what if i end it all right now? what then???

3 will be free : I actually don’t even remember if they kiss in this scene (they defs do in the scenes proceeding) but there was so much goddamn tension I felt my bones being strangled so you know what I think it’s safe to include

bed friend : you ever see something so hot you develop a psychological fixation with it? yea this is how I discovered new kinks of mine. whatever I’ve always been normal about them. do you believe me?

okay I love you MWAH! BYE!

[bengiyo]

Dangerous Romance Ep 3 Stray Thoughts

Last week, Kanghan took his bullying to maximum levels, but got dunked on by his own grandmother when she called out his bullshit in front of the principal and then hired Sailom as his tutor. Kanghan continued to lose to Sailom, so fucked with his money by accusing him of being a sex offender in the parents’ chat. Kanghan took a gun to Sailom’s house to try and intimidate him only to find him being beaten by debt collectors. Kanghan scared them off, and we left at Sailom still in shock as his brother arrived late.

Oh, good we’re picking up with the gun. Let’s not forget that he took a fucking gun to Sailom’s house. Perth’s characters waving guns around dangerously is the GMMTV theme of the year.

Compensation for losing your job? Look, I read a bunch of negative takes on Sailom of Wedding Plan for fucking with Nuea’s money when it wasn’t actually a big deal there. It is a big deal here! Kanghan was actively fucking with his money! Kanghan called Sailom a pedo and cut off his tutoring gig!

Kanghan went to the library smelling like soccer? I don’t know about that.

I love them putting a PS5 on a coffee table so we can see that Kanghan has money as he talks about how he’s not going to study. It’s not even plugged into anything!

Kanghan seems really nervous around his dad. It feels a bit out of sync with the way his dad seems to have no expectations of him.

I don’t know how I feel about the implications that Sailom has had feelings for Kanghan already with the way he’s nervous about holding onto him, and then smiling about it. I really hate stories of gay boys having crushes on their bullies.

Oh, so now we're buying fancy dinners for Sailom? I see you, Kanghan.

Did he really just order meat and no veggies? He is such a boy.

Speaking with others casually is a low-stakes way to learn a language, but I'm with @shortpplfedup that this sounds like JoJo Tichakorn learning English to flirt with tourists.

Yes, let's try to deceive our way into the bar. Incredible.

Oh, so we're going to acknowledge in English how thematically linked their names are? Sure, why not!

Pepper is about to turn into Claire Huxtable. "You ain't paid me back for that loan but you decided to go out and have big fun with the Wretched?"

Chimon really makes incredible facial expressions. He and Perth are well-matched.

Sailom continues to see through all of Kanghan's bullshit.

Kanghan may not be great at English, but he knows how to tell people to fuck off. Was curious if a GMMTV show would reference sex tourism at some point.

Kanghan also clearly watches too many movies if he immediately resorted to kissing to blend in with just ONE other couple.

I appreciate that Kanghan sensed that something was amiss in his house right away.

LOL! Sailom also thinks Kanghan watches too many movies!

That is a seriously good portrait of Perth. Goddamn.

Pretty fucked that his dad got him the thing he wanted but not on the terms they agreed.

Oh no. Please tell me that Sailom has not been crushing on this boy since middle school.

I don't know, y'all. I like Chimon and Perth a lot, but I'm not that into this dynamic. I do like a cross-class romance as much as anyone else, but I was hoping things would be a little more contentious between them. I feel like we're moving past some things quickly.

[ginnymoonbeam]

Sending you an ask to dream on. Are there any particular themes in dramas that tend to speak to you most or draw you into an emotional connection with a story?

Oooh there sure are! A big one that I've talked about before is grief and loss: not necessarily a death, although it often is that, but anything where a character has lost a major underpinning of their life and has to rebuild around that gap. I love the bittersweetness of a happy ending built on the grounds of a loss that's still felt: it will make me weep like nothing else.

Another is the stories characters tell themselves and how it shapes their interactions. Toh in SCOY is a great example: he's got this story in his head where Nuea is the inaccessible star and he's the humble adorer worshipping in secret, and he's so stuck in that narrative he can't see how much Nuea loves and treasures him. Only Friends is also giving us some fantastic examples, especially in Mew and and the stories he tells himself about who he is relative to his friends, and how his love life is supposed to go.

In terms of romance themes, pre-existing intimacy gets me so invested. When characters already love each other, understand each other, or see each other as essential in their lives, and THEN start to fall in love?? I'm in, I'm hooked, I live for it. Friends to lovers is obviously a great trope for this, but so is longstanding enemies to lovers like in H3: Trapped. (H4, of course is ENTIRELY about the complications of changing the nature of pre-existing intimacy, which is one of the reasons I love it so.)

Thank you for the ask, this was fun to think on!

[heretherebedork]

So! I was thinking about Wedding Plan and Jun & Jun and the idea of having a fiance, being in an arranged match and being gay and the whole Lavender marriage and what happens when you fall in love while marrying someone for the sake of your family and with both of you fully aware that you don't love each other.

Now, we don't have a ton of details on Choi Jun's arranged marriage yet but what we have seen... it's obvious that there is no immediate plan for marriage, no fake love between them and, hey, no one hired a wedding planner just to flirt with him. Already off to a slightly better start! Choi Jun does not seem especially dedicated or interested in actually getting married to her and she doesn't appear to have any expectations.

On the other side, we have Lom. Lom is, in fact, actively getting married. He is flirting with the wedding planner he hired to plan his wedding to his bride who he has, multiple times, proclaimed to love. Now, we know that Yiwa has her own girlfriend and Lom is gay but his facade was about marrying her and loving her, not just the arranged marriage.

(Actually, I want this to call back to Big Dragon because this much more similar to that idea of an arranged marriage for the future, as a concept, that is not acted on in the show but rather rejected.)

Another aspect that is important, though, is that Choi Jun told Lee Jun that she was his fiancee and never explained it before asking him out and, hey, Lee Jun rejected him, told him boundaries he wanted and Choi Jun... left. He left. He didn't start harassing him on the phone, didn't force him to let him back in. He asked him out, was rejected and... left. And he only did that move after they both talked about their hearts fluttering. He was stupid, no denials, and needs to clarify this whole engagement thing (I suspect she will be the one to do better) but he also asked.

Lom has never actually done anything as formal as asking Nuea out. Instead he just forcefully flirted, used the work he hired him for a cover up to force them to spend time together both in work and outside of work (Yes, Choi Jun uses work to keep them after together but he isn't calling Lee Jun all hours or planning excursions against his specific and requested wishes) in an effort to flirt without revealing that all of this is a fake marriage.

It's a very interesting comparison and I'm hoping we learn more about the engagement/arranged marriage of Choi Jun because I'm wondering if it's less arranged and more 'strongly suspected' or something similar... who knows? Again, this is data we lack.

Anyway. Regardless of anything, I find Lom much more frustrating because he simply refuses to listen to Nuea or let him make any choices while Choi Jun might be pushy but he does always listen to Lee Jun's boundaries and respects his choices.

Both of them need to learn to use their words a lot better, though. Y'all, explain to people things that effect them.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - 2023 Begins!

Jan 20232 Wk 1

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Never Let Me Go (Tues YT) 4 of 12 - I keep saying this, but I can’t get over how delighted I am to have Perth back on my screen, and under the GMMTV umbrella. He is a stellar actor. I like that the first kiss of this show wasn’t btw the leads. Felt more realistic to high school. Big drama next week!

My School President (Fri YT) 5 of 10 - I missed these two so much last week. But also there was A MUSICAL INCIDENT and it caused a bit of a rant from yours truly. 

Between Us (Sun iQIYI) 9 of 12 - no ep this week, resumes tomorrow WATCH ALONG HERE.

609 Bedtime Story (Fri WeTV) 7 of 11 - Game remains my spirit animal (pushy fucker), and the plot of the main couple is interesting even if I don’t like the cheating component. 

Cutie Pie 2 You (special) 1 of 4 - Oh it’s a full on special. Very very pretty and, is possible, more sappy and full of manufactured angst. Nuea protecting Hia’s interests was sweet. Lots of making out. So... more of the same, basically. What year are we in now, anyway?

I Will Knock You (Fri Gaga) 8 of 12 - (note from my Thai language spy rgr ep 5: the writing on the stone tablets was their names + 2 family members) And now we are suddenly firmly in BL territory and baby Dom is just a baby Seme. No bisexual identity crisis needed... just diving into cheese fest. 

Remember Me (Sun Gaga) 13 of 14 - I would have kept JaFirst apart for longer, quite frankly. I mean otherwise why bother split them up in the first place? Please just end this show already. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

The New Employee (Korea Weds Viki) 3 of 8 - I love them so much, and they are so cute, and this is not open to discussion. Viva la age gap! 

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner (Korea Weds iQIYI) 7-8 of 10 - There is a lot implied about the leads history together, but it was still nice to get backstory plus GAT KISSES. I love it when they flip the dynamic and give the uke agency. I’m really enjoying this show now, I’m even invested in the love triangle.

HIStory 5: Love in the Future (Taiwan Weds Viki) 2 of 10 - Side couple ascension: Daddy Long Legs trope, it’s been a while since I have seen this in ANY romance drama. I’m not really into the main couple, at least not yet (and I totally missed that they hadn’t met each other in person yet), but I really love the side dishes. It’s like H4 all over again only with less dub con.

Candy Color Paradox AKA Ameiro Paradox (Japan Fri Gaga) 4 of 8 - nothing this week. 

It’s Airing But I’m Not Watching It

Love Bill (Vietnam Sat YT) - Bah Vinh is back but I’m too distracted. Also there’s a lot of fund raising stuff going on with them. I can wait.

The Star Always Follow You (Vietnam YT) - same Team RL peeps we have seen before (Sunshine, Stupid)

Moonlight Chicken GMMTV’s Midnight series (Weds YT) 1 of 8 eventually - first segment has begun bit it’s not the EarthMix messy gays. Sorry all, I’m so not interested in messy hets, so I’m waiting until they grace my screen.

Questions!!! 

Should I watch The Warp Effect? Tublr seems excited about it and BL bits look good? Will they end happy? Thoughts anyone? 

Till the World Ends (Thai YT) finished at 10 eps, the heat looked good but I don’t know about the ending with that kind of title, so did anyone risk it and want to tell me what they thought? I haven’t seen much chatter on my feed so I am not optimistic. 

In Case You Missed It

2022′s The Usual Night (Twitter account) from Japan is a 10-ep fake documentary series starring the members of Jpop group the Fantastics. It flew under everyone’s radars but apparently has a BL subplot featuring Yagi Yusei (My Beautiful Man) and Seguchi Leiya. This officially means they beat OnlyOneOf to the punch as the first inter-group BL pairing. Keito Kimura (Onoe from Candy Color Paradox) is also a member of Fantastics and in the show. Source reddit. No word on official international release. Japan is like that. 

OnlyOneOf’s Nine dropped the last (?) in their BL Kpop series, 'beyOnd' (be #6) 

I posted all my 2022 wraps, top picks, industry stats, etc.. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Jan 19: Individual Circumstances 8 eps - A reunion romance between a movie director who was once promising and a writer who disappeared due to past wounds. Stars JunQ (main rapper of 2nd gen group MYNAME) and Han Jung Wan (Mr International Korea winner).

2023 forthcoming BL master post is in the works... wait for it... I had to finish all the 2022 wrap ups first. Also waiting for the last of the studio announcements.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Never Let Me Go

Ah the love triangle. 

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner caught himself a live one. 

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? You gotta check out VIXX (sub unit) new single. Gonna Be Alright = 2 BL stars in one croon. (Hyuk Color Rush 2 & Leo Happy ending Romance). *props chin on hand and bats eyes winsomely at Ken* So?

[quodekash]

I HAVE ICE TEA, TIME FOR EPISODE 2 im so scared

iMMEDIATE winnysatang. i love them but i genuinely dont understand why it couldnt be seanmaitee.

im gonna rewatch simm after this and write an essay about why seanmaitee should be together, just in case theres anyone who doesnt believe me

i have so many mixed emotions rn

i love them both so much

and there's no hatred towards them at all because theyre just the actors, not the ones in charge

and i do love winnysatang and i love the chemistry they have with each other

and theyre both so pretty

and bc theyre the same actors they make me think of soundwin and soundwin make me infinitely happy

but theyre not soundwin, theyre sean and nay

and sean is desperately in love with maithee, he has been for the entire series

and, as far as we know, in canon, sean and nay have literally never interacted so why are they suddenly sticking to each others sides??? why isnt sean sticking to maitee's side?? he's always at maitee's side, always has his arm around him, always looking at him. why did his character suddenly have to change once msp came out, just for winnysatang fanservice??

is this neurodivergent backpack-holding i see here?

"i told you to wear warm clothes" "well i wanted you to hug me more" NO YOU DONT UNDERSTAND, THATS SO STINKING CUTE

bro theyre so in love

theyre so in love

how are they so in love

i love them

wait a sec (lmao win/nay in that screenshot looks great)

dont tell me naysean are gonna share a tent

that doesnt make sense even without considering the ships

sean and maitee are clearly the bestest of friends

even if you were to argue that the constant arms around each other is entirely platonic, it feels a lot like a close-friends-been-close-forever-dont-want-to-let-go-and-lose-you kinda thing, so wouldnt you expect them to share a tent?????

idk man

sean captaincy reigns supreme

dang it

GOSH DARNNIT PART OF ME KINDA LIKES THE NAYSEAN

going from two people who barely know each other because of a mutual friend and then they meet for the first time and theres like immediate attraction and yadda yadda storyline

i still think i prefer seanmaithee tho

hmm

perhaps nayseanmaitee

then everyone's happy

how is he so pretty

and gender

gimme the gender pls

i want it

seriously, the GENDER ON THIS MAN

THE WAY HE DOES THE GENDER

...okay im starting to believe the naysean storyline

but i still want seanmaitheeeeeee

nayseanmaitee is still a strong contender tho

sean, honey, you're not subtle

"i love him even more, every day" kluen, i love you so much. he's so whipped. hes so in love. it makes me the happy

I CANT EXPLAIN IT, BUT KLUEN'S OBNOXIOUS (not in a bad way) AND UNAPOLOGETIC LOVE FOR NUEA IS SO FREAKING SWEET AND WONDERFUL AND INCREDIBLE AND I LOVE HIM SO SO SO SO SO MUCH

"or i might have been with someone new already" "then id be happy for you that you found good love" "that means you must be happy for me now" "why?" "because i found my very good love already" GI3U4EJRBGJKREBDGKHRE

LITLE KISSE

THEY DO THE LITLE KISSE

HAPPY

HAPPY LITLE KISSE

MAKE ME THE HAPPY

NOT LITLE KISSE

LONGE KISSE

LONGE KISSE HAPPY

MAKE ME THE HAPPY

what im tryna say is i love them

"i dont like spaghetti" exCUSE ME MAITHEE?? I PICCOLI ITALIANI CHE ABITANO NEL MIO CERVELLO SONO FURIOSI

PERCHÉ NON TI PIACE GLI SPAGHETTI??

É MERAVIGLIOSO

VAFFANCULO

TI VOGLIO BENE, MA NON MI PIACI AL MOMENTO

"when did you guys stop fighting" che???? what do you mean by that?? what happened between them??????? ANSWERS PLS

omg this started like 40 minutes ago. ive only just finished 1/4. what the hell is wrong with me

nuea and kluen are so freaking in love i love it what the hell

"sean, go wake them up" OH NO, SEAN'S CAPTAINCY OF THE SHIP HAS FINALLY TURNED TO A CURSE

NOT LIKE THIS, MY FRIEND

TRUST ME GUYS, YOU DO NOT WANNA OPEN THAT TENT

lmao they pushed it onto phoon, nice

BVRHKDBFGHJR THIS IS SO FUNNY

i was pretty sure they were awake already (how the hell could one person sleep through the racket those guys were making. even if one of them slept through that, the other would like poke them and say 'we gotta wake up'

iS PRINCE THERE???

PLS

I WANNA SEE PRINCEFAH

GOSH FREAKING DARNNIT

altho the way that thats worded it sounds like he died lmao

lmao nuea and kluen just left them

PHOON LEFT TOO

NAYSEANMAITEE???

dang it just naysean

NUEAKLUEN AND NAYSEANMAITHEE

i refuse to give up on this dream

seanmaitee get together or i. die.

MINPHOOOOOOOON i love them so much

i love nuea and phoon's friendship its so wholesome and pure

everything in this show is so pure

i love it

NO WHY AM I SMILING

ITS BC I LOVE WINNYSATANG

GOSH DARNNIT IM SUPPOSED TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST SEANMAITHEE ADVOCATES WHY AM I FALLING INTO THE TRAP

ITS BC WINNYSATANG (and thereby soundwin) AND ITS ALSO BC NAYSEANMAITEE

THAT IS ALL

nueakluen are so in love i love them

how many times have i said that today

probably too many

its fine

oH MY GOSH

CHE CAVOLO

IM DYING

IM FREAKING DYING

A SUNFLOWER RING???

i think im gonna cry

no thats a lie

i know im gonna cry, for sure

WHAT THE HELLLLLL

THIS IS SO FREAKING SWEET

HES SO DRAMATIC

IN THE BEST WAY

I LOVE HIM

HE DID LITTLE GRABBY HANDS GHRBGHBHR

just like me with his gender

*grabby hands* gimme

"THERES A SUNFLOWER AND A STAR" I CANT WITH THEM

BROOOOOOO

"what are you talking about" nuea, it was pretty clear. i think he just proposed to you. or like some kind of statement like 'we're absolutely getting married, that's happening'

i think theyve had a conversation about this in the past. idk if it happened in canon (i dont think it did?????) but it feels like theyve had The Marriage Conversation before

same

LITLE KISSE

lift and walk back into their room lmao

captain is disappointed in his crew

"nuea, ive been rooting for you since high school" nay was the one tending at the docks or whatever and then the ship started sailing and the only one on the boat was sean and he was like 'ah shoot i better figure out how to make a ship not sink now'

i think im getting lost in the metaphor

what im tryna say is even tho nay's been there since high school, sean is still the captain

"should we jsut go to their room?" "let's go" GUYS WAIT NO-

THIS IS MAKING ME HAPPIER THAN I CAN POSSIBLY EXPRESS

MY BOYS

THEYRE FINALLY HAPPY

THEY FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT

THEYRE IN LOVE AND THEYRE HAPPY AND THEYRE TOGETHER AND SOMEONE HELP ME IM GOING TO EXPLODE

LONGE KISSE

HAPPY LONGE KISSE

I HAVE THE HAPPY

THAT'S WHAT WE MUST LEARN

WHETHER ITS SAD OR HAPPY

LET IT HAPPEN NATURALLY

WE MIGHT NEED DESTINY, WE MIGHT NEED TO SAY A PRAYER, WE MIGHT NEED TIME, I STILL NEED TO DISCOVER

LOVE MENTIONED IN A SONG, LET IT PLAY, ONE DAY WE'LL KNOW, JUST LET IT GROW

sorry the msp brainrot is too strong

THE FREAKING FLASHBACKS WHAT THE HELL

THAT WAS WONDERFUL

FREAKING INCREDIBLE

okay now i need to prepare myself for the eclipse preview

goodness gracious im not gonna be okay

im already Not At All Okay, but its gonna be worse in a sec

sorry i just need to take some deep breaths

aaaaaaaaaaaa

okay im ready

(im not ready but i have to watch this)

oh holy hell im already about to have a breakdown

theyre on bikes

they have HATS with the SYMBOL on them

I WANT THOSE HATS

THEYRE STARING AT EACH OTHER INTENTLY

THEYRE SO FREAKING IN LOVE

THEYRE KISSING

akk's waking up from a dream

"are you up, shortstop" HANG ON DID THEY SWITCH THE NICKNAMES????

"shortstop my *ss. you're shortstop" THATS WHAT I SAID

oh nooooo pls dont do a wat/sani thing, pls

do wat/namo

i want puwin's characters to be happy and gay

and sani is a teacher

its problematic

i mean it could be worse but i dont like it

OMG KAN STARING AT THUA

"i thought you wouldnt come" UM FLASHBACKS FROM THAT LINE??? JEEZ THAT SCARED ME

omg cowboy hats

cowboys

i love them

help

im not good

help help

my boys

THEY KISSE

HEEEEEELLLLLPPPP

THOSE LIKE 30 SECONDS ARE GONNA MAKE ME CRY HARDER THAN THE FREAKING SUNFLOWER RING

im rewatching that every single day

help

NEXT WEEK

THEYRE COMING BACK NEXT WEEK

IDK WHAT TO DO WITH MY ARMS AND HANDS

I HAVE TO KEEP TAKING THEM AWAY FROM MY KEYBOARD TO STIM

HELP

AKKAYAN ARE COMING BACK

AND SO ARE THUAKAN

AND IM GONNA GET TO SEE MY WIFE AGAIN

AND THE COMFORT CHARACTER THAT IS WAT

AND THE COMFORT CHARACTER THAT IS KAN

AND THE COMFORT CHARACTER THAT IS THUA

AND THE COMFORT CHARACTER THAT IS SANI AKA MY WIFE

AND THE COMFORT CHARACTER THAT IS AKK

AND THE COMFORT CHARACTER THAT IS AYE

WOAH BIG SURPRISE THEYRE ALL MY COMFORT CHARACTERS BECAUSE ITS MY COMFORT SHOW

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[cryingatships]

3/4 in today's ep 6, and I feel like crying already.

Tw- homophobia

There's been a lot of dislike towards Lom, but his situation, his story, is a sad, sad reality in many parts of the world. Even today. In some families, people just never come out because there's so much to lose. You can lose your parents, your family (who, by the way, are considered the main support and identity providers in many cultures) and you hate how they can not accept you, but you can not cut them off either. Perhaps you need them, or you love them even after everything. Sometimes, in some parts, there's the chance of losing your life should you ever disclose your non normative sexual identity or orientation. Even if it doesn't turn mortally dangerous, heteronormativity can be so prominent that publicly disclosing your orientation, openly having a same sex relationship is not possible for many in face of social ostracization.

Lavender marriages happen a lot. Sometimes, it's the only way out, like for Yiwa. (For Lom, too? He won't be harassed by his mother's nagging about marriage anymore.) And sometimes, you can not tell your secret to anyone, not even to your friends. That's just painful. Knowing you're attraction and/or love isn't like "everyone else" as a teen, being told "that doesn't fit in our culture, it's ok, but it's for the western coutries", "it's a phase/fling" for years, it gets too much sometimes.

(Suddenly remembering Badhaai Do....)

Idk, it just speaks to me personally. The pain of knowing that some people you love and care about would never accept you wholly, the fact that you may have to play a hide-and seek game... Cause Yiwa, Marine, Lom—we may come across actual people like these characters any day. It might be one of my queer friends. It might be me. Lavender marriages are still a reality. when are we gonna get equal rights in marriage and everything else

ANyway, gonna go finish watching the rest now. And because this is fiction, can I hope that Yiwa's and Marine's, and Lom's and Nuea's story would have a happy resolution? (And their mums would get some repercussions? Maybe a few slaps? Some scratches from Marine? This is fiction after all!)

[gunsatthaphan]

9 People You'd Like To Know More

I was tagged by @nieves-de-sugui thank you so much love!! 💜🥺 I did this already a while ago but why not lol.

Last song:

I've been listening a lot to Valley lately which is a new discovery and their music is just sooo nice. My last song was Have a Good Summer. I recommend!!!

Currently Watching:

Only Friends (no further questions. my associate will get in touch. leave a message after the beep)

Hidden Agenda (this is getting the worst reviews which makes me sad because it's cute!! also funny and just an easy watch.)

Be Mine Superstar (the absolute cutest, purest, most endearing little show out there, that's all. I'm obsessed.)

Wedding Plan (nuea's wedding plan is going out the window and so is my plan not to get attached to Mame shows anymore but here we are. I can't look away. there's no escape.)

The Jungle (no idea why I'm still watching this lmao it's so bad. I love the girls though and every week I'm waiting for Mook and Mild to return because they're the only reason to watch this mess lol rip)

Currently Reading:

nothing but unhinged tweets, MDL comments and asks.

Current Obsession:

Like series-wise I guess it's Only Friends and Be Mine Superstar which are polar opposites but both are keeping me up at night for different reasons lmao.

Can't think of anything else sdkjh

It was fun doing this again after a while so thank you for the tag!!! 💜

I wanna get to know a lot more people that I can tag lol, also I tagged a bunch last time so I'm gonna pass it on to everyone who wants to do it!! 💜

xxx

[kwonzoshi]

I’m back with another question!! What were your top 5 moments in a BL.

It could be the moment you went from “I kinda like this show to I love this show so much” or like moments that made you swoon.

AAAH I'm excited to do this but also ONLY FIVE?! You're killing me, Nonnie hahaha

5.) NueaToh shrine discovery/confession. This did not go the way I thought it would and it was so perfect and emotional. Nuea was so open and vulnerable with Toh. The tears that I cried. This scene was just... incredible. The way they reassure each other and just the LOVE here... beautiful [Secret Crush on You].

4.) "Let's go." When I tell you I SCREAMED when Taekyung took Shinwoo's hand in that moment. Shinwoo was already waiting for him to reject him again and his FACE when he didn't. Call an ambulance for me because I was ready to PASS OUT [Light On Me].

3.) The hair drying scene. UGH. Something about them being so DOMESTIC kills me. Porsche being the absolute sweetest thing. The way that Kinn was looking up at him with so much adoration. And the conversation was also so sweet and intimate. I felt like I was interrupting something [KinnPorsche].

2.) Ji Woo's confession. Gods this was GUT WRENCHING. Him finally being honest about his feelings and fears. Trying to make things better by cooking Seo Joon's favorite meal. The tears, the intensity of his emotions... And when he walked up to him and clutched his cardigan? I started SOBBING. AND THE HUG?! PLEASE MY HEART WAS IN SHAMBLES [To My War 2].

1.) Pluem and Kevin still having their tuna can rings after 3 years of being apart. This TORE ME UP. Pluem's FACE when he realized Kevin was wearing it?! My gods... They loved each other so goddamn much, even after all of those years. Them having the "rings" was just a visual and representation that their love never went away or dimmed. Ugh, I LOVE THIS MOMENT SO MUCH. I can't even describe it [Ghost Host, Ghost House].

Thank you so much for asking this, even though it took me a couple of days to come up with this list.

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Choi Yuna, Yiwa, Nara (La Pluie)

Oh ho ho ho bestie. Difficult fucking choices here

Wife: Nara

Oh would you look at that, she's already wearing white. While Patts and Nara had their ups and downs, Nara has proven to be an effective communicator and I do think that is vital aspect of maintaining any relationship. And I know what you are thinking "what about Dream?" don't worry, that's what throuples are for.

One Night Stand: Choi Yuna

She is so fucking hot. Choi Yuna is so fucking hot. Choi Yuna was a love at first sight kinda character for me, and I just know we'd have a good time. Look at that bisexual posture. Honestly, the only reason I am putting Choi Yuna in the ONS category instead of the wife category is because a) she does not seem like the kind of person who is at this point in her life interested in pursuing a committed relationship and b) because I do not think I have anywhere close to the suaveness, coolness, or sex appeal required to successfully bag Choi Yuna long-term.

Bestie: Yiwa

The entire plot of Wedding Plan centers around the choices Sailom makes because of how much he loves Yiwa as a friend. The extent to which the Lavender Wedding proceeds, and the fact that Yiwa and Marine make the active choice to be the "bad guys" in the eyes of both Lom and Yiwa's families simply to free Sailom from any obligations and let him be with Nuea is a phenomenal indication to me that Yiwa is a wonderful friend.

Send Me a Trio for Husband Spouse/ONS/BFF

[wilderavyn]

Watch Wedding Plan Ep1 with me.

I know nothing about this bl going on but I see Pai and Sky and I'm 100% in. This could be hot garbage and I will watch it in its entirety for even snippets of them.

1:23 Don't love that they called them the bride and groom. :(

2:32 Called them bride and groom again. :( That kiss was real nice though.

3:28 Starting their story at a McDonald's. Classy. Actually they always look way nicer in other countries but it's a low bar.

3:52 He's real cute. Already rooting for him.

4:27 Die from happiness. I like the way he thinks.

5:19 This is funny. I enjoy people watching too.

5:36 Love this

6:21 I know this is one of those moments but it's not working for me just yet.

7:13 Sure. That's what you meant.

8:05 The evil groom falls in with me in the intro? This just got a whole lot more interesting.

12:50 Oh this is going to be so much fun.

13.00 Damn he only has 3 months to ruin this man's wedding. I think he's up for the challenge.

15:00 Gross is she a yes woman. I don't like yes people.

17:59 These two have no opinions. Do they have personalities? Do they even like each other? I can't see them getting married.

20:49 Already planning to murder him huh. This is going super well. At least there is passion between them.

22:05 Ok I'm suddenly starting to get the appeal of Lom.

25:30 A man that loves to eat and hates to go to gym. Nuea is so relatable.

27:38 Are they trying to ruin their reputation. Is that the goal? Who has no opinions about their wedding. Or is this being forced on them maybe?

37:15 It's a little early to be this possessive of him isn't it Lom?

37:27 What is going on. He clearly already has a crush on him. Is this whole thing a set up to let him hit on the wedding planner? Lol

39:34 I swear this man is planning the wedding to him. (I haven't read the novel if there is one).

40:41 Oh their chemistry is sizzling.

41:21 Damn what a tease he is.

41:57 Ooh so they have met before?

43:25 Why is he marrying someone else when he clearly only has eyes for Nuea.

44:00 Ah ha. I love a good set up. Well done.

44:52 What the what? Are they just friends? Is this polyamory? I have so many questions I know they won't answer yet.

[tm-trx]

currents.31/2023

selections from my week in media [30 july - 5 august 2023]

[anticipating]

Big Mouth - I was going to finally start it a few weeks ago, but then I realized that Yoona was in it and decided to wait until King the Land was over. KTL ends today, so this week it's finally time.

[ditching]

I DNF'd two dramas this week, which I don't think has ever happened:

Suspicious Partner - Initially paused after episode 8 because the female lead was annoying and not getting less so over time, and when I tried again I just lost interest.

Thirty But Seventeen - Stopped after episode 4. The acting is fine and I really like the lead's nephew (I would absolutely watch a show about him and his two friends). However, I can't help wondering how on earth a rehab hospital loses a patient but then never does anything to find her. Yes, it's a plot device but wow is it a bad one. Add to that the chemisty is nonexistent between the leads and I'm ready to move on.

[loving]

The highlight of this week was easily Ren and Kazuma getting their cozy happy ending on Shigatsu no Tokyo wa...

(also my new kitten, but this is a post about media so she technically doesn't count lol)

[watching]

Destined - I was enjoying it so much during the last third I almost completely forgot to take notes. It was just a really enjoyable drama. And it made me want to rewatch New Life Begins, which is never a bad thing.

Hidden Agenda - Episode four was great and I'm hoping location filming wasn't the reason for the slight tone change. I love that we already got the first kiss and I'm very interested to see where they take the plot from here. I do really like the cast mix and Dunk's acting has improved. He and Joong really play off of each other well.

Jun & Jun - Korean BL gets frank. I love it. I am incredibly curious to see next week's episode and how much more backstory we get by way of Simeon showing up.

Shigatsu no Tokyo wa... (April in Tokyo is...) - I'm sad it's over. Once again, Japan delivers. I wish we could see Ren and Kazuma build their company and their relationship over the next few years.

Wedding Plan - Yiwa and Marine Forever: I love them. And 13 years together, wow. Clearly, they should be the ones getting married. Another appearance by the Love in the Air quad, with Rain and Phayu's engagement. Such a beautiful moment. But the look on Lom's face, before he finally took Nuea's hand was painful. He just witnessed a beautiful engagement between two men and it hit him hard that he is giving that up for himself.

previous Currents posts