#it's not going to be an uwma and i don't expect it to be

[grapejuicegay]

I need a big focus on the cooking for Cooking Crush. I need them to spend time explaining recipes. I need time spent on exploring how food is a part of the growing relationship. I need the food to be a main character and not a prop. please

[absolutebl]

There was a surprising amount of sex in Be Mine Superstar! I really wasn’t expecting it…. Similarly, Love Syndrome had a LOT less sex than I was promised by the trailer…

Are there any BLs that had either many more or many less NC scenes than you were expecting before you started watching them?

BLs that exceeded (or underperformed) sexy expectations

Interesting question. So far, not that many Thai BLs. But I think that's just because I pay attention to the pairs and the actors in Thai stuff, and you sort of get a feel for what they will (and won't) take on. So in your examples: I know JaFirst did high heat so I expected the producers to lean into that advantage as part of BMSS because, frankly, it didn't have much else going for it.

I haven't watched Love Syndrome III yet but knowing Frank I wouldn't expect it to go super high heat in terms of actual physical contact.

I guess the ones that have surprised me are mostly out of Thailand are pulps that I knew nothing about going in. Let me see...

Thai BL that ended up being way hornier/better than I expected

Secret Crush On You - such a weird show but BillySeng brought IT, whatever IT is, they got it.

Love in Translation - yeah, what happened in that sauce isle boys? Very saucy. Whatever pun, more please.

2 Moons 3 - about on par with ForthBeam from 2 Moons 2 but nothing else in the previous 2 series would lead one to expect the horny we got in this show on the main.

Second Chance - yeah it was a throw away pulp and this studio is hit or miss on chemistry but it had one of the best kisses of its year.

Big Dragon - I don't know what I expected form the trailers, but it wasn't as good as it turned out to be. Don't get me wrong, the rest of the show is naff, but the chemistry/heat levels are scorching.

Ghost Host, Ghost House - generally the horror stuff doesn't do chemistry well, but these two have some of the best chemistry EVER put into a pulp. I really hope we see more of them.

KinnPorsche - It's no secret I'm not as wild about this show as most, but I did think the VegasPete stuff was unexpectedly killer in all ways.

Oh My Sunshine Night - yeah it was exactly what one expects from OhmFluke but THE SIDES!!!! I mean... WHAT? I'm not mad, just pleasantly surprised.

TharnType - Okay but remember at the time what we'd had from Mame was LBC (relatively low heat) and other Thai stuff I was familiar with at the time was Make It Right, Love Sick, SOTUS, and UWMA. TT was way higher heat that I'd seen from Thailand before. And then...

Why R U? - ZeeSaint's "away trip to the beach" full on sex scenes plus repping for verse was just crazy at the time. Especially since Saint played Pete in LBC before this and Zee was new to BL. Add that to the very odd and disjointed (and miss-matched) SaifahZon counter story and WRU? was this insane all over the place viewing experience, including the heat levels. There was this "what will they do next?" kind of tension over the production. Not the story (because who was following that?) but the PRODUCTION. At the time, it was welcome, but truly bonkers. What a way to drive narrative tension... pure high heat chaos.

Thai BLs where chemistry failed meet my (relatively low) expectations

My Ride - honestly, if they had just gotten the kiss right this might even have earned a 10/10 from me

Unforgotten Night - ugh

Bite Me - double ugh

Friend Forever - I know I'm the only person who watched this but why could we not have gotten ONE kiss from the leads?

Nitman - studies have since shown us it is entirely not Noh's fault... see Oh My Sunshine Night

Wedding Plan - the leads were fine, but Mame usually fails me in every way except chemistry, so "fine" is not up to her usual standards. Those standards being predominantly "they hawt together" and nothing else. There wasn't even a side dish couple to pick up the slack noodle... so to speak.

Korean BL

For most of 2022 I was consistently getting surprised by Korean BL's chemsitry when it was good but now I've settled into half expecting it yet still being delighted when it happens and is well done.

I do think Semantic Error was a bit of a seed change for them.

The problem is, now we know they can do it, we are starting to get pissed when it's bad or entirely absent.

Taiwanese BL

Taiwan is the opposite of Korea.

I expect good chemistry and almost always always get it. I struggle to think of a time when they've disappointed me (in this arena). Maybe a few? But I tend to cut Taiwan more slack than other countries because they have so few BLs and they are generally so consistent. If they falter at all, at least the side couple will pick up the slack.

Japanese BL

I have no expectations of Japan. Life as a BL fan is a lot easier that way.

(source)

[bengiyo]

Hi, what's your 30 favorite Asian BL characters from dramas or series you've watched? (unless you don't have that many) Thanks.

Nonnie, respectfully, that's just too many characters to write about. However, I have written about The Knowing and why I identify with those characters, and I've written about Framboise, one of my favorite characters of all time.

However, now is as good a time as any to join @lurkingshan and @waitmyturtles in reaffirming my love for Dynamite!

In her post, Turtles talked about how Dynamite and Fire are products of internalized and externalized homophobia. Shan went on in her post to talk about how their story works because of how Fire shifts as he becomes comfortable with himself and his relationship with Dynamite.

I think part of why I feel so protective with it comes to Dynamite and his friends is that I care so much for fem gay men and the kinds of visible queers that don't get loved, especially when they're assertive about themselves. It was always obvious to me why Dynamite, Prem, and Samsee were together. They're all lonely queers who don't expect others to love them or take care of them.

I've noticed over the last decade that fandom really struggles with friend groups like these. It was somewhat similar with the SCOY quartet on the front end, especially Toh. I often wonder if there is a component of visible queerness or gender play that doesn't reach sections of the audience. However, as a gay man who is loved and protected by queers like this, these are my best friends. You've heard my best friend on @the-conversation-pod when David guests, and he is one of those queers. He is a fighter. I am not.

Prem and Samsee clearly know Dynamite's story. The crux of why Samsee is upset with Dynamite at the end of episode 9 and going into episode 10 is because he felt like he should have been trusted with something important about Dynamite. Samsee is the kind of man who is like Whoopi Goldberg: He doesn't want people in his house. However, he opens his door for Dynamite when he loses his apartment, and keeps letting him live there even when he's pissed. Samsee believes in his friends and loves them. Dynamite is the de facto leader of their friend group because they love and trust him. Dynamite is more than just his persistent attraction to Fire.

Dynamite likes Fire because Fire protected him from what clearly reads as a bashing. Dynamite has been thinking about that for years, and toughened himself up because of white Fire inspired in him.

We also know that Dynamite lost his parents to homophobia. You don't get a queer like Dynamite if they're loved and supported by the people who were supposed to do it. You get this when he's loved and supported by the people who chose him. I keep my guest room ready because we sometimes have to take care of a friend in the local community.

When Fire gets serious about Jane and weird about Dynamite, he backs off, forcing Fire to come after him. He knows that Fire is also into him, but he isn't going to be jerked around. It's the sincerity of Dynamite's attraction that makes Metha force Fire to reckon with how he's suppressing who he is.

More than anything, it's that Fire admits this to himself when he can't put up the front anymore. Dynamite is so important to me because so many of us who were closeted are like Fire. We pretend like we don't like gay men chasing us, like Intouch chasing Korn in UWMA, and then we lose them! You will lose confident gays like Dynamite if you treat them like shit and keep calling them annoying. Their friends will call you DL trash and you will not be invited out.

I just love Dynamite so much. He is the kind of gay character I love the most in BL. He's a kinda fem gay man who is earnestly pursuing his hot, super fit love interest. He has the support of his visibly-queer friends. He knows what he wants out of his relationship. He supports his partner through a major difficulty while still being clear about what he wants as secondary to his partner's safety. He is passionate about his goals, and wants to succeed with his friends (I ugly cried about their dish narrative in episode 10).

We have a fully-realized queer character surrounded by complex, layered queer characters. His story and those of his friends are about queer love making people's lives better. He will always be a favorite, and I really hope the people in the audience who've struggled with him can find more ways to appreciate him.

[twig-tea]

Absolute Zero ep. 1 First Thoughts

Absolute Zero already has me in a chokehold. This is everything I want from New Siwaj. It's beautiful, it's sad, it's cinematic, the background music is orchestral. People have visible real skin texture, and different skin tones. There is so much good, subtle physical acting (not every reaction is in the face), something New excels at bringing out in his actors.

There is SO MUCH NOSTALGIA! I am drowning in the aesthetics. And I love that two of our characters, the cinephiles, are clearly also quietly obsessed with retro things for their own reasons--the DVD/VCD rental store owner who has a gramophone and cassette deck in 2008 and was still renting DVDs through 2018, and Soon, who carries around a walkman and a flip phone in 2008, past when mp3 players and smart phones were a thing, renting rather than pirating DVDs, and watching films projected from real film on a reel [also was that an old school tape-based voicemail machine on his desk?]. Anachronism is established so early in this show, so quietly but thoroughly. I wonder how many younger audience members would even know that these things are anachronistic (I know it's not just cultural differences because Remember Me confirmed Thailand had smartphones by ~2005). I know we've already established that Soon is stuck in the past because he misses his recently deceased parents, but I am curious about how else these anachronisms are going to interplay with time travel as a theme.

I am also trying so hard not to reminisce, but I had a corner store that I passed on the way home from school and so would stop in all the time and rent VHS tapes from and the old guy who ran it knew me and would say hi and point out new things I would like and would make fun of me for renting the same thing over and over and would give me free gum from the gumball machine at the counter....it was even smaller than the one in the series and it was such a comfort and man I miss it!

And the time pieces! The hourglass, the old school analog alarm clock, the cigarettes which indicate the mystery neighbor [Soon from the future] has been on the balcony awhile, the ticket stubs to indicate the amount of time Ongsah missed Soon, the lack of anything on Soon's wrist (contrasted with the watch on Ongsah's--this might be a stretch but I'm thinking about it), even the stars as old timepieces (this is definitely a stretch).

And the grief this episode! So much and so quiet. We have Soon so overwhelmed he looks like he's choking on his grief at his parents' grave, as well as his general constant air of sadness [Mix improved so much since What the Duck and UWMA!]; Ongsah crying silently at the water for reasons we don't yet know; the DVD/VCD rental place's daughter grieving her father, and Soon also grieving him, and then the preview for the next ep so we know more pain is coming. I really appreciate how different each of these circumstances and depictions of grief have been so far, and it's something I'll be thinking about as the show goes on too (because I'm sure there will be more!).

Anyway. I am really excited that the first episode lived up to my expectations!

@bengiyo you asked to be tagged 💕 Anyone else talking about this show, feel free to tag me too!

[thebroccolination]

Key! I wanted to ask what your interpretation of that scene when Team cut/hurt his foot and after Win says that "its not an excuse to not train", Team then says "don't worry, I'll be running around in no time" but then Win looks up at him, stands up slowly and then looms over Team with this sort of irritated/fierce/angry look on his face- which to me feel unprovoked- and even Team kind of notices it for a second before his friends come back...

What do you think that was all about?

Do you think Win was angry that Team didn't defend himself by saying he couldn't participate in training and instead brushed off an injury that (objectively) could affect the entire team or (subjectively) shows Win Team's lack of self worth and/or self sabotage??? Or do you think maybe Team reminds him of his nong so he feels kind of angry about the lack of self care? Do you think that was an entirely emotionally detached response and Win is just pissed off Team is sabotaging the team?

What'd'ya think?

OH BOY, ANON, AM I HAPPY YOU ASKED THIS.

I was about to go to sleep but I want to talk about this more.

Okay SO. I've said this elsewhere but after writing WinTeam fic for almost three years based on their unfinished novel and their limited screentime in UWMA, I was fully prepared and excited to accept that canon characterization in their series would likely be different from how I'd seen them and imagined them to be.

This scene was a perfect example of characterization that I didn't expect, and I LOVE THAT!!! It means there's still a lot to explore about these characters and a lot to think about regarding where they're coming from and how their larger character arcs influence each other.

NOW. THE INJURY SCENE.

So, here's my take based on the only episode we have so far.

I think this whole exchange was meant to hint at Win's larger problem when it comes to his interest in Team.

As stated in the synopsis:

Win is a middle child who only knows how to give love but never receives it. He only knows how to treat people equally, making it harder to approach Team.

So at the top of this exchange, Win crouches down and takes Team's injured foot in his hand, intent on helping him. He doesn't hesitate, so I assume he's probably had to do similar things as an older brother and as the club's vice president. For him, this is both his responsibility and a way of showing affection.

But that's what makes this interesting: Win would do this for anyone in his care, and only Win knows his own motivations. It isn't clear to Team or anyone else observing his actions that at this moment, Win is taking care of Team because he's starting to care about Team as a person. From anyone else's perspective, Win's just taking care of a first-year who hurt his foot.

So then we have Team's reaction: "phi, I'm fine," and "my feet are dirty (/bloody, probably)".

Regarding the honorific, we already know that Team will permanently drop "P'Win" after this episode and change to "Hia Win" instead. Culturally, "hia" implies a closer relationship than "phi", so it's significant that Win wants Team to call him that. In the novel, Win tells his younger brother View, "I'm only nice to those who call me 'hia'." So I think it's a pretty strong sign that Win's inviting a closer relationship in the only way he knows how. It's possible that as Win starts to feel more and more drawn to Team, the "phi" honorific is bothering him more and more, too.

Next, I think Team politely telling Win that he doesn't have to touch his bloody foot comes across to Win as Team dismissing his help. And again, I think Win sees this action as one of care, but Team probably sees it as Win just helping him out of obligation. As club president. Because Team's his nong, and his responsibility. So to Team, he's saying, "Hey, you don't have to go out of your way," but to Win, that's essentially saying, "I don't need you."

And Win's whole thing is that he wants to feel wanted.

I think the expression he gives Team is mostly hurt. Because this, caring for people, is all he knows. The only person he's this gentle with is View, who openly and happily relies on him. The fact that Win's trying to do the same thing for someone new, someone outside his family, and that person is rejecting it probably hurts him.

I love that Win just silently goes about this next part. Grabs a bottle, opens it, pours water over the cut. Team hisses, and then Win says this:

I think here he's falling back on what he'd say to any of the members as their club's vice president. Because as much as Win might want it, he and Team aren't close yet, and Win doesn't know how to get to the place he wants to be with Team.

Then my favorite part:

This is quick and subtle, but I love Prem and his eye-acting choices, so I'm going to read into it. I think Team's trying to gauge what Win wants from him because he truly has no idea what Win's deal is at this point. From their first interaction, Win's been kind of a jerk, and Team's been nothing but polite and deferential in return. From Team's perspective, what kind of person must Win come across as?

We know Team's good with people. He made at least five friends (that we saw!!) on his first day of university without hesitation. That's not something a lot of people can do! Team's not shy or introverted. So I wonder if Win is especially frustrating to him because he refuses to treat Team nicely like most people do.

Then he says this, and I think that's the funnest part of this scene.

I think Team thought, "If I agree with him and brush this off, he'll approve," but Win interpreted it as, "I don't need you, I'd be fine without your help."

And I think it would explain why here:

Team seems confused and Win seems upset.

Win doesn't realize that his act of care is too subtle for Team to catch. Team doesn't know him yet. He has no reason to think Win wouldn't do the exact same thing for literally any member of the club. And I think Win, a whole twenty-one-year-old, just hasn't learned how to communicate his emotions with anyone let alone his eighteen-year-old junior.

That's why his parting shot is:

He wanted to be the only one taking care of Team. That's why he sent the ABC gang away to get the first aid kit. He's never had anyone important to him. He's never had something that's only his. I think without being fully conscious of it, he's lashing out because Team dismissed his help twice (while likely thinking it's what would get Win's approval).

Then Team does a smart thing:

It's in the synopsis!

Team helps Win feel wanted.

He understood as Win was leaving what he hadn't done yet: acknowledged his help.

And yeah, this could have been a lot clearer to Team if Win had just said what he wanted. The thing is, though, Win can't even explain himself to Dean, his best friend. He doesn't even realize he's been keeping people at arm's length until Dean suggests it later that night.

And I think that conversation is heavily on Win's mind for the rest of the episode.

Up to the point where he repeats his earlier taunt:

He keeps saying this: "Just do it yourself, then." He's blatantly telegraphing to Team that he wants the opposite. He wants Team to rely on him, to come to him, to need him for something, anything. Even if it's just cleaning the blood from his foot or getting off for the night. Win doesn't realize how lonely he is, or how much he needs someone who sees him and appreciates him as Win. Not the club vice president, not the heir of his family's business, not his brothers' caretaker. Just himself: a boy in his own right who's barely into his twenties and shouldn't be shouldering this much responsibility with only a motorcycle to substitute someone making him feel special.

That's why he asks this:

He just wants Team to want him.

That's my take for the moment, anyway! It's fun to speculate as the series airs, because my thoughts on them will definitely evolve over time. But for right now, I think this episode was just dropping a lot of hints all over the place that Win's desperately lonely and Team is the first person who's ever paid attention to him in a way that makes him hope for more. Not something permanent, I don't think he's anywhere near there yet, but just more than what he's had.

Anyway Win is my baby boy and he's never done anything wrong in his entire life and I'm going to cry every single episode over him. <3

[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

[liyazaki]

MOR! My beloved. I can always expect the truth from you. Overall thoughts on Between Us? I know the final ep was not your fave but how about the series? What would you want to keep? What would you want to change?

Eboni, my darling- hoo, boy. you're about to get way more than you bargained for, but I got some Thoughts™️ & some Things™️ to say.

disclaimer: Between Us was a sweet, serviceable, inoffensive show. I mostly enjoyed watching it & I loved being back in the UWMA universe, however tangentially.

speaking to the collective “you” here: if you loved the show from start to finish, I'm sincerely happy for you! if it'll lessen your BU fandom experience to read critiques- which is valid & completely understandable- click away. I swear I'm not trying to rain on your parade (or argue with anyone, which I won't be- period).

also, let's check ourselves: this is a show. it's not that serious- it couldn't be less serious, actually. sometimes I just like to go off the analytical deep end...it's a good time for a nerd like me. this is my house (my blog) & I'm just having fun, throwing digital paint around.

with all that out of the way, let's jump into it.

UWMA set an extremely high narrative standard. we knew from scene one the writers weren't messing around. that opening is burned into my memory forever.

from compelling flashbacks, to multiple couples that had something for everyone, to little plot details weaved in from the beginning that only made sense later- they knew exactly what story they were trying to tell & they told it in a big way. it was tightly constructed, cleanly delivered and hit all the right notes for me personally.

UWMA is a tough act to follow. in the end, it felt like Between Us barely tried. to quote an MDL reviewer (before the finale even aired): in with a bang, out with a whimper.

step one of any good story is solid character development. it's what draws us in, making & keeping us emotionally invested. we have to like these characters- and know enough about them- in order to care. that- and a good, solid plot- is what sustains our attention.

in a pretty atypical way, Between Us had serious emotional fan investment long before it had basically any character development (thanks to BounPrem's chemistry, IMO).

Win and Team had roughly 31 minutes of total screentime in UWMA, but you'd have never known it from the fever-pitch fandom support years before its release. we didn't have much real character knowledge or depth to go off of, but many of us came into this show ravenous for more of their story (raises hand).

the show's over now and, disappointingly, I don't feel like I learned much about either Win or Team that I didn't already know. we did see them struggle- Team with his guilt and insecurities; Win with his vague intimacy aversion and self worth issues.

Team and Win had plenty of things between (heh) the two of them to overcome- so what went wrong?

for me, Between Us suffered from a tragic case of barely-scratching-the-surface character development (there was so much there to play with narratively & yet- sigh), paired with serious flaws in the rising action.

every single story in existence uses rising action. to quote Henry of The Closer Look, a media analyst I like: "rising action is basically narrative tension. it's the way the conflict builds as the story goes along."

when a story utilizes rising action effectively, the audience ends up feeling almost elated by the end. it's almost like we actually went on the same journey as the characters, and we now get to bask alongside them in just how far they've come. we want to see characters we care for improve, persevere. overcome, conquer.

when rising action is handled correctly, the plot progression looks something like this.

via Henry's excellent analysis on why TLOU2 divided its fandom so thoroughly

Between Us had tension, it had conflict- but it looked something like this (I'd add way more hills, personally).

"what you're seeing here is an abomination of story structure." hey- Henry said it; not me.

the conflicts went up and down throughout the story. Team internally spirals; Win does something sweet and pulls him out of it. everything seems fine; Win pulls back.

rinse, wash, repeat in an endless cycle, made worse by the fact that they struggled with- and apparently overcame- the same. exact. issues, over and over, the entire time.

conflicts that seemed to be resolved came back exactly as they were, sometimes multiple times in a single episode. by episode 7 or so, it was getting tedious. by the end, I was just bummed.

for me, watching Between Us was going around in circles, hoping we were working towards some actually-important climax that never came. and I wanted to believe we were going somewhere, right up until the bitter beige-on-beige end.

there were no scenes that actually made me hold my breath, ala Bad Buddy’s confession-of-legends on the rooftop. no repeating themes, masterfully culminating in the finale (running up the cape in ITSAY). Between Us left me with an itch for depth and impact that only fan fics can scratch at this point (bless you writers).

yeah, Win and Team ended up together- of course they did. I don't think anyone had any doubts they would eventually. but standing at the finish line, do I care that they ended up together?

I hate to say it, but- not really. they didn't give me enough to make it feel meaningful- like it actually meant something. it just- is. yay? I guess?

this post was brutal enough, but to answer your question about what I'd keep & what I'd change? it's hard to pick when the whole thing just felt like special episodes (filled with lots of cute, sweet moments, to be fair) with an enormous dash of missed opportunity.

all in all, I don't regret watching but it's a universe I'll only be returning to via fan fic fixes- and UWMA, my forever top 3 BL beloved.

[bl-inded]

2022 BL Wrap-up

As a disclaimer, I’m still a relatively new BL watcher. So a lot of the classics that have come into my radar are something that I haven’t watched yet (including ITSAY and I watched UWMA only very recently). This is just a list of dramas I’ve watched this year and My opinions about them. 

Shows I’ve watched this year 

Completed

Semantic Error (Korean- 2022)

Oh! Boarding House (Korean- 2022)

Light on Me (Korean- 2021)

Bleuming (Korean- 2022)

To My Star (Korean- 2021)

Cherry Blossoms After Winter (Korean- 2022)

My Ride (Thai- 2022)

Cutie Pie (Thai- 2022)

Be Loved in This House: I Do (Taiwanese- 2021)

Love Class (Korean- 2022)

Kieta Hatsukoi (Japanese- 2021)

Star and Sky: Star in my Mind, Sky in my Heart (Thai- 2022)

Plus & Minus (Taiwanese- 2022)

Cupid's Last Wish (Thai- 2022)

You're my Sky (Thai- 2022)

Not Me (Thai- 2021)

Triage (Thai- 2022)

KinnPorche (Thai- 2022)

Vice Versa (Thai- 2022)

The Eclipse (Thai- 2022)

To my Star 2: Our Untold Story (Korean- 2022)

Love in the Air (Thai- 2022)

Ghost Host, Ghost House (Thai- 2022)

Until We Meet Again (Thai- 2019)

My only 12% (Thai- 2022)

Ongoing (still airing)

Between Us (Thai- 7/12 episodes)

My School President (Thai- 4/12 episodes)

Never Let Me Go (Thai- 2/12 episodes)

As I'm listing these down I genuinely forgot I saw half of these this year let alone that most of these were released this year. Isn't time a funny concept.

For the purposes of the next part I'm going to ignore the ongoing BLs

Favourites of the year

Favourite BL: This one has a lot of competition tbh. But if I had to pick one it would be Semantic Error. I had read the manhwa before and I didn't find out about the BL till it started airing. I was pleasantly surprised with a Korean BL coming in with the heat and the sexuality crisis and not to mention Jaechan pushing the smartest marketing ploy to get DKZ relevant (so glad about the rebranding).

Favourite Couple (on screen): Another toughie, but i think i have to give this one to Aye and Akk from The Eclipse. First and Khao did an amazing job. I was soooo excited about Khao's acting debut in a main role since 1000 stars and boy did he deliver.

Favourite Pairing (actors): (side note: i do not ship the actors IRL, I just think their chemistry on and off screen was off the charts good) Fort and Peat. This one is a easy give for me because I didn't even expect to like LITA, the second half of it floored me.

Favourite unexpected pair: I am very late to the game for this one but Korn and Intouch from Until We Meet again win this one. i have seen Kao in Lovely Writer, but it was my first time seeing Earth act. And both of them brought their A game and they are the reason Dean and Pharm's story stands a chance (don't come at me).

Favourite story: Light on Me. I was sleeping on this BL. But in my defence I only watched Thai BLs till this year. Light on me surprised me in so many ways. The gentleness with which they dealt with their feelings, the setting, the awkwardness. It was all just really endearing.

[gillianthecat]

Between Us - episode one an intrepid reporter watches, without having seen UWMA

Going in, I know next to nothing about this show. I have the tag filtered, and I haven't read the summary or seen the trailer. I did see part of the first episode of Until We Meet Again, but as far as I remember these characters weren't in it. The only information that has made it through the cone of silence is that either the characters or the actors are named Win and Team, one of them is blond, and they did a bunch of product placement in UWMA, possibly with Lay's chips. And I'm not very positive about any of that being true.

summary after watching: For me, this show is holding up on its own. It turns out I did remember more about the beginning of UWMA than I thought, but I feel like Between Us would work even if I didn't know UWMA's basic premise. Yes, Pharm's flashbacks would be confusing, but they're also confusing for him so I don't think that would make the episode too confusing overall. There are a lot of things I still don't know, but it feels like normal episode one information still to uncover, not plot holes because the show is assuming I already know the story. And, up to a point, I would rather have less information than too much, so I appreciate the mystery. I was surprised by how prominent Dean & Pharm's story has been so far. I expected it to be more background. I wonder if its going to stay this prominent, or if it's more to set the stage. Overall the show feels very professional and... not expensive, but adequately funded. The production values all feel pretty high - lighting, sets, editing, soundtrack, cinematography - and the acting is very good. It all makes me trust these storytellers know what they're doing. So yes, I am hooked. I can see why y'all have been so excited about this show. I will definitely keep watching.

Below are my notes as I watched. I took a lot so they're beneath the cut.

So. Diving in.*

*pun unintentional at the time, but appreciated now post-viewing

- I like this parallel morning opening. Blondie with the tattoos is hot, pushing back his hair to the rock soundtrack. Actually they're both cute. I like the alarm clock cliche, although Mamoru from Kabe Koji wins with his 20 plus clocks, and Wah from Why You... Y Me? still beats this guy with his paltry single alarm clock.

- The cool kid and the chaos boy? That's my first impression.

- Hmm. Swimming pools may be important? based on the opening credits.

- Aw. A crash-into-you with an adorable het couple. Including whats-her-name (Sammy?) from those other shows I can't recall. Were they in UWMA too? (Don't answer that.) Interesting that they get to meet each other first, before our main couple.

- ooh... A one sided pining situation? or love crush at first sight? I can't tell yet.

- And here comes That Fucking House 2.0. I guess I knew four things about this show- I'd heard she was in it too. (Do you think there is stock footage of the exterior that all these shows are using, or do they each shoot their own?)

- Wait, is that Santa?! He looks so different, I mostly recognized him by voice. I'm still not sure, I haven't gotten a good view of his face yet.

- Ah. Team at least is a swimmer. That makes sense with the pool footage. And now I've figured out their names.

- I like Team's dorky new friend group! I don't always like the comic relief characters but so far A, Bee and Sea seem fun. (Also love the names joke.)

- I feel like I just saw this pool in something but I can't remember what show.

- I think I like Win's friend group dynamic as well. Whew, that's a relief. I also like Win's slight mysterious brooding air. And the way he looks at Team, with the heavenly music on the soundtrack. (so I guess it is crush at first sight? rather than long term pining?)

- so far I've gathered Team is a first year and Win seems to be a sophomore or a junior, but my instinct is junior. (I don't know if the U.S. terms apply in Thailand.)

- Team seems like a sweetheart so far. Is Win making this announcement about scholarship students not being guaranteed a spot in a "I like you. Get out of my school" kind of way, or is it just a coincidence? Either way, its stressful. Athletic scholarships are a fucked up system in general.

- Oh Pharm! He's the main guy from UWMA! I recognize him. I (obviously) have no idea where we are in his story.

- My guess is that Pharm and Manow were his friends in UWMA, but A, Bee and Sea are new for this series.

- Win looks so cool, even his sauntering walk. I totally would have had a crush on him in college.

- Oh! I was about to get excited about their first real interaction but they were just teasing us.

- Is Win basically raising his brothers? He acts like it.

- It is Santa. He seems so different here somehow.

- Tul looks vaguely familiar, but I'm not sure from what.

- Hmm, what is going on with Team? Why is he being mopey?

- I continue to really like the way Win looks at Team, and how they show Team as totally oblivious.

- oh. That's why this whole thing with Manow is familiar? I think I did watch this part of UWMA where they watch the swim tryouts. So I guess Pharm's love interest is one of the other guys on the swim team? I honestly can't remember what he looks like, or how they met. Ah, I guess this must be him staring love struck. It's slowly coming back to me. (Are these scenes reshot? or are they using footage from UWMA?) Ah Dean, that's right. I did know his name at some point. So far I'm finding him more intriguing here than I did in the little bit of UWMA that I watched.

- oh yes, I remember that Pharm was in the cooking club too. It's slowly coming back. Maybe I did watch a little more then I thought.

- These hints of Dean and Pharm's story are working for me. Perhaps they're just there as a treat for UWMA fans, but I'm enjoying them as well. But I do know the basic premise of UWMA, I suspect I would be more confused if I didn't know the whole second life thing.

- Also, I was not expecting this much of their story. It really feels like a side couple, rather than a couple whose story is over and done with. Which perhaps makes me expect that the makers intend this story to stand on its own - that Between US and UWMA are supposed to be parallel pieces, rather than a main show and its companion.

- There is a lot more attention to Pharm & Dean's story than I was expecting though. Which isn't a problem, I was just expecting them to be more background characters. And this is making me want to watch UWMA more than seeing the beginning of that show did.

- Aw, what a good friend Team is. And Win thinks so too. Yet again, I like the way Win looks at him.

- So far I have No Idea what Win & Team's story is going to be - what their conflict or obstacles will be. But I don't mind, I'm still intrigued.

- Is Tul played by the same actor who played the horny roommate in Love By Chance? If so, he's certainly been typecast, poor guy. I did like him in LBC though.

- They finally interact! I love how Win is always tracking Team with his eyes, while Team remains basically oblivious to existence. Ignoring him, not in a mean way, just in a only aware of him as a generic swim team leader way.

- Ouch. The make up artists here are good.

- Win. What is your deal? You obviously have a crush, why are you so mean to Team to his face? I am Intrigued.

- Dean comes across as such a weirdo, omg.

- Interesting that it feels like In learning more about the setup of Dean and Pharm's relationship than about Team & Win's. I admit that I'm getting a bit impatient with it. Part of the reason I dropped UWMA is that I didn't find Dean's actor that compelling and I still don't (so far, that could change).

- Ah, some insight into Team: "You never let anything be important to you!" I do like his and Dean's friendship.

- Um, WHAT is Team's friend (I can't remember if he's A, Bee or Sea) wearing as a pendent? It looks like a piece of fried chicken.

- oof this porn watching scene is so awkward. Poor Team. It does all feel realistically adolescent though.

- Ok, wow, I was not expecting THAT. I like it though.

- on shit, and Team's following him!

- oh I really like this sex scene. See BL, consent is sexy. The way that Win, keeping tight rein on his very obvious desire and arousal, makes sure that Team wants this, that he knows what he's doing. It is Very Hot. And their chemistry is fire. I also like how cool kid Win has his post-shower fluffy unstyled hair, making him feel much more vulnerable.

- I don't know if it's intentional, but I like the contrast between Pharm and Dean's literally destined love, and this thing between Team and Win, which feels like it could be any college hook up. Yes, Win has had his eye on Team for a while, but as far as I can tell, Team took little notice of Win until his porn induced horniness drove him into Win's arms. And Team I really don't think was planning this, he just got aroused by win's arousal and gave in to temptation. I just like the arbitrary feeling of it against the backdrop of the heaviness of fate.

- I still don't know what their story is going to be. And honestly, if I wasn't being an intrepid reporter I probably wouldn't even try to figure it out, I'm just intrigued by them and their dynamic and content to see where it goes. But since I am doing these reports, my first guess is that they're going to continue to hook up in secret, outside the bedroom Win is going to pretend Team doesn't matter to him, and Team will slowly fall in love and get hurt by this. I'm not very attached to this theory, but it's the best I've got so far.

- Thinking about it, so far I actually know very little about Win and Team as characters. But the actors have made them both compelling enough that I'm intrigued, and want to know them. I feel like my initial impression of Win as "cool kid" is probably correct, but I'm not so sure about Team as "chaos boy." He seems a little more organized than that, a bit innocent but not too naive, kind but not saccharine. He seems a bit of an average everyman in fact, but not in a boring way.

Ok! That's it for now. I probably should go to bed, but I want to watch episode two instead. The nice thing about starting a few weeks behind is I don't have to wait.

[absolutebl]

Hi.

I was watching TharnType for the first time. I started wondering why people have issues with gay for you and wifey and other things like that. From what I'm seeing it isn't intended in a harmful spirit. It's not received badly in the show in context. I'm not just specifically talking about TharnType but just these tropes in general. I was wondering if someone, the writer/screenwriter, director, any actor or someone else said that they'd intended it as demeaning or in a bad way... I don't know if I phrased that correctly. But I guess I'm wondering what people are basing this on. Even UWMA's Pharm's entire demeanor. Before I watched it I'd read that he is too feminine and damsel in distress-y. But watching the show made me realize that he is traumatized. I noticed similar patterns with other shows as well. Is it audience interpretations?

BL Is a Mess of Really Damaging Stuff & You Probably Shouldn't Just Accept it

Because, if you do just accept it without thought, you're also being damaged. If you're gay, you're being taught a type of gayness that doesn't exist and will fuck up your expectations. If you're straight you're misinterpreting what an entire group of people are like (that's prejudice, FYI). And if you're somewhere in between you're learning really bad behavior patterns for your coming out and self actualization journey.

And no, I don't think you're capable of distinguishing fiction from reality, because you've just asked a question that patently demonstrates a burgeoning parasocial tendency. (And yes, parasocial relationships can and do form with fictional characters. Why do you think I am so terrified by KinnPorsche fandom and shipper culture?)

Here have some education, first one is free:

Imaginary Friends & Real-World Consequences: Parasocial Relationships (YouTube video)

But also, if you don't want me to rant about this, and you just wanted to justify your questionable taste, you should stop reading right now. I get it, denial is great! Go sail that river.

Here I am talking about the good BL can do. That doesn't mean I'm blind to its flaws.

Still reading?

Okay, well, now you asked for it.

And guess what, I'm not gonna sugar lube coat it.

Consider yourself Drunk Type lying in a bed and I'm Tharn's c*** shoving some dry BL reality into your a******.

Oh, don't like that image, do you?

Tough nuts.

Put yourself in my position. I don't wanna have to do this either.

Consider this a "BL narratives made me do it" post.

I'm not responsible for anything, I'm just an archetype.

I'll be your seme for today and you were all just "too cute" for me to resist and now you have to take some tumblr dub con...

But first:

Seme uke when it specifically conflates seme with "the man" and uke with "the girl" is old fashioned, anti-feminist, and anti-queer. Here's some of where I talk about it, but I talk about it a lot. Too much, some might say.

Pharm is a blushing maiden archetype character, I talk about it and what that means here:

It's sex negative. And a lot of it stems from internalized misogyny and ties to something called benevolent sexism. It's pretty rampant in BL.

Yes I think Pharm's behavior can be perceived as traumatized, but that trauma is brought about by In's past actions and the fact that In was punished (BY THE NARRATIVE) not just for being gay but for being a self-actualized pro-sex uke character.

There is a distinction being made between critical discourse over narrative versus how the characters behavior makes an audience feel (within the immersive experience of the drama). Some viewers care about this distinction, others do not.

I very much get why someone might like TharnType (I did) but actually also, you might want to think about why you like it despite the messages the narrative is sending... You might want to think about not just the characters in their little perfect romance world together, but consider if you were in the position of either of those characters how you would feel or behave.

And NOW the Dub Con Portion of tonight's BL party

Okay I was trying to be my usual semiseme-welcoming snark self but ya know what, let's be VERY FUCKING CLEAR HERE because I am jet lagged and tetchy....

We (the collective of BL critics here on tumblr) aren't always talking about WHAT is depicted so much as HOW it's depicted, and whether that HOW allows the WHAT to skate by without encouraging the audience to reflect on the damage the WHAT does to their own perception of what is romantic. Or what is queer. Or what is morally acceptable for decent human interaction.

Like thinking, for example, that it's okay for Tharn to RAPE Type while he is drunk.

Why on earth is that okay? It's NOT OKAY. It's just NOT!!!!

Did Type ask for it?

Did he dress too sexy?

Was his skirt too short?

Was he too much of a jerk?

Did he want it anyway?

Did he not protest enough?

Did he protest too much?

You gonna make that call for him, are you? You read his mind (apparently the way Tharn can?)

But SERIOUSLY.

What if you were actually in Type's position? Roommates with someone you didn't like who molested you when you were drunk. At home. In your own bed. What if that roommate didn't look like Tharn? What if your roommate were the wrong gender or body type or age or familial relationship (!) for your preferences? How would you actually feel?

Because if you're okay with this, really okay for yourself, you have a strong kink and you need to seek out the appropriate community or you are signing up for a very abusive relationship and likely an early death.

Can't put yourself in Type's shoes/bed?

How about Tharn?

Are you the kind of human who would molest a drunk person just because you desired him? Her?

Because they're homophobic and you want to punish them with your queerness?

Because they were a jerk to you?

You always get back at people by raping them?

You an old white dude putting your hand down secretary's shirts because they're just "too cute to resist"?

Why should you have to resist taking what you want? Who cares that there is a whole other human involved?

Grabbing ladies by the pussy any chance you get and bragging about it, are ya? Or is it somehow different or less damaging because TT is dude on dude?

So, are you gonna justify taking what you want and violating another person because they're the same sex?

Now who's being "gay for you"? This is going all the way into DL closet case "it doesn't count if it's with a man" territory.

Because if you are any of the above 8, please block me right tf now. (And... do I have a world leader to recommend for YOU to get into a car with.)

GAH!

Fucking TharnType.

Anygay...

I talk about dub con here:

My initial post about TharnType is here, but more recently here's us having a whole ThanType discourse unpacking Mame among other things as part of the BL movement both as a genre and as a fandom:

and here's an important article on rape culture in Thailand

Gay for you talked about here:

Wife language talked about here:

I'm gonna go watch some BL trash that, hopefully, doesn't have any rape in it. (You never know tho...)

Fuck me (consensually) I am so tired.

I'd drink but I did too much of that already this week.

Maybe I need to eat something.

Don't troll m,e just block me.

For heaven's sake please.

(source)

[bengiyo]

Hi! I'm here for the ask game and ready for you to choose violence! I'm interested in questions #3, 12, 18, and 25. If you don't mind, I want to narrow these questions to BL only, unless you have a particularly violent non-BL answer that's too good not to share. I don't have any specific BLs in mind, but if a restriction like "only those that finished or will finish airing this year" or "not this year" is interesting or productive, have at it. Thanks!

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

I'm just gonna keep talking about La Pluie. I saw multiple reactions calling most of episode 8 boring. I am sorry, but if you came to the show interrogating the concept of soulmates and were bored because the two romantic leads said that they choose each other even if they aren't destined to be together, I think you are too jaded and need to take a break from romance.

Sincerely, it baffles me to see people engaging with genre stories and seemingly getting mad that a show is playing around with the conventions of the drama. The spoiler culture brain rot is destroying media literacy and it really makes me sad that it seems like we're chasing the high of something new and unexpected. This on the website of the people reading the same kind of fanfic for the umpteenth time to get their fix.

I just don't get going into romance and being mad that they're doing the big romance things in a show literally about big romance.

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

I am going to interpret this to mean a character that the fandom doesn't like, and not just someone that folks don't know about. I could write about Uncle Man from 21 Days Theory, and I've already written about Framboise.

So I'm going to write about Korn from UWMA. Sometimes I will say on the podcast that "y'all don't like gay men when we're not pretty, funny, sexy, or entertaining." I have to suffer through comments about how Kao is a bad actor or that Korn sucks all the time, and both are wrong. Y'all just don't care about the stoic gay boys that try their damndest to pass and quietly suffer.

Korn is a tragic character because he was trying to be the man that he was expected to be, and then Intouch came along. He was harsh to Intouch throughout much of their romance because he knew what he was going to do. You can see the pain leaking out of that man's eyes the entire time. Intouch tried to save him. Hell, they brought Perth Tanapon to cry about their deaths to hammer home how sad the whole thing was.

It just makes me really sad sometimes around here that we're only ever going to get worked up about the loud and flamboyant characters, or the especially pretty and charming ones.

I am here for characters like Korn (UWMA), Mamoru (Kabe Koji), Shiro (WDYEY), Mitsuru (EY), Teh (IPYTM), Cairo (Gameboys), Shin (3WBF), Inthawut (180DLPTU), and many more.

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

Currently, I feel some kinda way about how people keep looking for reasons to hate Patts in La Pluie, as if his ideal partner signalling is somehow to be mistrusted. It's just a bit sad for me that folks seem determined to hate the lead in this.

I don't really ever get second lead syndrome that often, so everyone on the Lomfon-Tai train confuses me. Lomfon is RUDE, and I do not fuck with that boy.

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

Not a specific complaint, but I've said many times around here that I really hate when folks abuse the tools of criticism to say that they didn't like something. Y'all really don't need to pathologize why you don't like something and reach for flaws in the storytelling or production to justify why you don't like something.

We are a niche fandom. We are not seeing the huge sums of money poured into our productions that huge setpieces are going to get. Y'all need to show a little fucking grace to the creators bringing these things to us.

🔥 choose violence ask game 🔥

[consentkingwin]

i love how soft and vulnerable win looks in the river kiss scene. He looks so unsure, soft. With his white t-shirt, his open hair, the dark eyebags under his eyes.

Like boun is one of the most prettiest people on this earth but in that scene it hits different. You just want to protect him. He looks like he is giving team his heart and is like do what you want with it, it's been yours since the beginning. Now he just actually needs to say those words. How do you think the confession will go?

oh man RIGHT?? that scene was so precious, i feel like it's rlly the most vulnerable and like youngest we've seen win look?? he was all full of hope but vulnerable and nervous at the same time and their slow kiss was so romantic and hopeful it makes me wanna rip my laptop apart with my bare hands,,, i keep saying team is baby but in that scene Win was Definitely Baby i'm really going insane waiting for the confession though i'm ngl. i really wasn't expecting the plot to diverge from the original uwma timeline so it threw me!! but in my mind, i think the confession has to come after or at least congruently with team finally telling win about the childhood accident. i think the reason they're both so uncertain and terrified of confessing still is because there's big parts of both of each other's trauma they don't understand, but especially with team not having told win exactly what happened back then. the way the show's set up themes, my predictions is that it's gonna be in one of their bedrooms aka the safe spaces we've seen them in together over the whole show, team will finally tell win about the accident, they'll both have kind of a reckoning with their emotions; win will tell team something like it wasn't his fault and he's not a burden, team will tell win that he loves him and isn't going anywhere,,, i'm spiralling into headcanons more than predictions now but lbr however it happens i'm gonna be found dead in the woods at 3am after viewing it so

[gunsatthaphan]

Me watching the first ep of Between Us: Well. That escalated quickly.

Don't get me wrong I'm not mad (and was expecting it as I'd read some unofficial translation of the unfinished hemp rope novel way back in 2019 because I wanted more Winteam) but still! 0-100 real quick! 🤣🤣

That aside, we love to see that consent is key in this relationship and Boun is still too goddamn pretty for this world. Like stahhhhppp. Save some beauty for the rest of us 😭

Kudos to between us makeup and costume and art dept, it doesn't feel like a show that happened over 3 years ago. Everyone looks same/similar. The only person who have evident difference is Manaow and that is only if you are looking for it.

---------------------------------------

yeah I sure didn't expect them to go all out in the first episode but then again that's what a lot of shows have been doing lately so I guess it wasn't that much of a surprise lol. I liked the episode but that scene at the end made no sense to me. The story starts where uwma starts so I'm assuming they literally don't know each other. So??? it was a little strange.

But aside from that I was pleasantly surprised. Like anon 2 said the production is good and it really felt like I was back in 2019 but with an upgrade in lighting and sound lmao. It's nice. The other pairings seem to be interesting too although I'm still skeptical how they're gonna handle 5 couples in total lmao rip. Also I hope they won't go too heavy on the deanpharm story because we've been there lmao. But so far so good. Thumbs up 👍🏻

xxx

[thebroccolination]

Hi I watched Enchanté because of this thread of yours https://x.com/hadakanomind/status/1571447042165149696?s=61&t=3Iphv9v3mu5kk7BVikT_Ow do you have plans on updating this thread seeing as Be My Favorite isn’t in it?

Hi there! Aww, I'm so happy you watched something based on my recommendations! Thank you for telling me. :')

So I have a new list that I'm keeping on my pinned post.

As of now, my top fifteen looks like this (beware my long, rambling commentary on all of them):

Be My Favorite (2023) 🔮 High quality across the board from the script (which bears almost no resemblance to Jittirain's novella, and the director Waa took his time with it and even asked GMMTV for an extension so he could make sure it was as good as it could be) to the directing to the acting, music (leitmotifs!!! MULTIPLE LEITMOTIFS!!!), cinematography (the LIGHTING in some of these scenes), just. It's all so, so good. KawiPi mean so much to me, I flew to Thailand for the first time to see the series finale. This one's gonna be really tough to beat. It skyrocketed to the top of my list by the eighth episode, and my top three had been pretty solid for the past three years. Director Waa called it the production he's proudest of, and he directed The Gift. Krist also said it's his second-favorite series he's done after SOTUS (which, lbr, is going to be his favorite series forever, no one loves SOTUS more than Krist, and speaking of which––)

The SOTUS Trifecta (2016-2018) ⚙️ It's funny. I thought UWMA was my top series from 2020 until 2023, but as I got further into BMF and it threatened SOTUS as my #2, I couldn't knock SOTUS down to #3. So UWMA went from #1 to #3 in a day just because BMF and SOTUS are that powerful. I fully expect Ex-Morning to give me another crisis, and it may even take BMF out. Exes-to-lovers is a platinum level trope, and it's sanctioned RPF based on their lives so. But yeah, SOTUS is my baby. I rewatched it three or four times last year. It just gets warmer and cozier in my heart as time goes on. <3

Until We Meet Again (2019) 🧶 I'm really and truly grateful this was my first Thai BL series. I started watching when the penultimate episode had just aired, so I got to experience that last little stretch live! It's where I found BounPrem and WinTeam and the pandemic was much, much easier than it would have been if I hadn't had that online fandom experience to soften all the solitude and fear. It's also just a really great series. <3

Triage (2022) 🚑 DBK was my #3 since I saw it in 2020, then Triage pulled a BMF and stormed up my whole list as I watched it live in summer of 2022. It couldn't quite take out UWMA or SOTUS, but juuust based on its plot being stronger than DBK, it took the #3 spot. Time stuff, man, I fuckin' love it. <3 And it gave me SingGap! One of my favorite couples to this day. Top five, easy.

Dark Blue Kiss (2019) 🐻‍❄️ PETEKAOOOO. SUNMOOOORK. I have such immense fondness for this series, I'll defend it with my life. Does it have flaws? NOPE. Not a single one. Not that one. Nope, not even that one. Everything is perfect, don't touch my baby, thank you. <3 (Non deserved a redemption arc, but that's not a flaw either.)

Between Us (2022) 🥦 The series that made New my eternal nemesis! I tried so very hard to be optimistic about this series as it was airing. We'd waited two years for it, we expected the best, and it just…under-delivered in almost every way. New shot himself in the foot claiming the novel didn't have enough material for a full series and then not using huge, massive chunks of the novel. And…changed Team's backstory? The big traumatic thing that's at the core of the whole story? It's at #6 because of BounPrem and WinTeam. Their storyline was fantastic, and BounPrem did their absolute best with it, but by god it should have been better. I don't know why. I've kind of made my peace with it by now, but I don't watch most of New's series anymore, and after Revamp, I'm not interested. Whatever passion he had when he directed UWMA was probably taken out of him by trying to be CEO and sole director at Studio Wabi Sabi, and Between Us suffered immensely for it. He should have given it to someone else, because BounPrem deserved better.

Something in My Room (2022) 🎭 I'm so happy Supanut has I'm the Most Beautiful Count. He's really deserved such a prominent spotlight. I genuinely think Supanut's one of the industry's strongest actors, and his performance in SIMR really cemented that for me. Spoilers in the following link, but this scene is still my favorite acting moment in any BL series. SIMR is suuuper underrated.

Cherry Magic (2023) 🍒 TAYNEW REUNITED. No flaws. Love me some TayNew being sappy and adorable. God I love them. They're not allowed to separate ever again. I'm sorry to them. I make the rules.

Not Me (2021) 🏍️ Not Me could've been at the top of my list easily if they'd had the script editors they needed. I fully, very seriously believe Not Me could have been, like, world famous. I was recommending it to Non-BL Fan Friends in the first six episodes. And then it fell apart narratively. It's still incredibly ambitious, and I think Nuchy did all she could have possibly done with what resources she had, and Thailand is a difficult country to make Anti-Government stories in, so that's why I'll always have profound respect for it. It fell short because it was failed, not because they failed.

Manner of Death (2020) 🔫 Also flawless. Idiot dead people doctor is horny and reckless, and his hot man is cock-stupid and hot. Perfect series, no notes. Cutest side couple in history.

Bake Me Please (2023) 🍰 LISTEN. It's simple and sweet and Guide is adorable and I want Ohm back in BL full time, thank you for attending my TED Talk.

I Feel You Linger in the Air (2023) ⏳ I love them. :') I enjoyed myself immensely. TIME STUFF.

The Eclipse (2022) 🌗 FirstKhao did great. Ayan and Akk are lovely. The story itself is kind of a mess, and I didn't feel much of anything for any of the other characters good or bad, but I had a great time and I'd rewatch it someday.

Cutie Pie (2022) 💍 ZeeNuNew are great. This used to be waaay higher on my list, so maybe I just need to rewatch it to remember how much I love it. Cutie Pie is one of the only series I watched weekly as it aired. And didn't touch my phone the entire episode. This was pure joy for me. Established relationship shenanigans? THAT IS MY WHOLE THING. ………Yeah, I don't know why I have this so low. I need to reevaluate this whole list. My confidence in my system is shaken.

He’s Coming to Me (2018) 👻 Singto the Cute Ghost is legendary. Long live the Cute Ghost Singto. This series is truly underrated. Like, not as much as SIMR, but it deserves more love. Singto's such a gem.

[hongtiddiez]

prism watches uwma e3

oh fuck im actually so glad we get to see the aftermath of In and Korn's actions and the people left behind. fuck yes. i'm eating this (through tears.)

oh my god and they don't know why. "do you think it was painful? i'm so worried that he would be in pain." oh wow. okay. i'm fine. totally fine.

its still so funny to me they expect me to believe Win is doing any kind of swimming with all those earrings in.

dlskagjalk TEAM IS A REAL BRO. absolute bestie behavior.

god the subconscious reaction to sudden loud noises will emotionally destroy me every time.

you... you don't need to go to the hospital for a panic attack. like. i have at least one a week. i feel for you boy but the hospital cannot help you, you need therapy and maybe yeah some meds.

oh ok that picture was his dad, i was pretty sure but good to know. i love them sharing every little detail immediately, fuck they're so cute.

'I'M STILL SINGLE' HELL YEAH DEAN SHOOT YOUR SHOT WHAT A MAN and him calling Pharm to make sure he has his number too uugghghghghghhhh. chewing on them.

oh this is a weird but kinda cool touch? the text conversations being imagined in person. kinda dig it.

HE WANTS AN OMELETTE. (me too tbh)

DAMN IN HAD BALLS WHAT THE FUCK, HELL YEAH GET YOUR MAN.

Dean's pants are fighting for their life, please why did you give him the Inspector M treatment. (i mean i know why and i respect it)

OH MY GOD HE'S AN HOUR EARLY ALSKJGLJAL WHAT A GOOB. its so cute seeing him be so soft and earnest when it comes to Pharm.

"no need to hurry, i can wait" ooh why do i feel like this is going to be a recurring theme.

god and the reassurances that "i'm here" each time Pharm has a panic attack, because Korn wasn't there. he left first. HHGGLSKJG VOMITING UP MY STOMACH LIKE A CAMEL.

[thequeenofsastiel]

Watching/Rewatching/Planning to Watch List

I've gotten tagged for this twice by @lelephantsnail and @blmpff and feel flattered enough to do it.

Watching:

GAP The Series-The first Thai GL that's in the style of their BL shows. It's fucking incredible so far, beyond my wildest dreams. I love all of the characters except cardboard villain grandmother(whom I nevertheless think will eventually get a somewhat sympathetic backstory), and Nop, who is irritating, but fortunately and wisely not a big part of the show. I find all the other characters interesting and they're being well fleshed out. The relationship between Kirk and Sam is quite charming. The relationship between Sam and Mon is utterly delightful. It feels fairly realistic, and the actresses have excellent chemistry. The scenes in ep 3 that established their sexual desire for each other were filmed in a respectful way that very much felt like it was made for the female gaze, which is something I almost never see when women are sexualized on screen. Related to that, I love that their attraction to each other is emotional, romantic, and sexual, but not in a way that seems like it was made for the titillation of men. The show truly feels like a lesbian love story made for queer women. I feel spoken to in a way I never have watching anything, either from Asian countries or Western countries. It's a mind blowing, wonderful, amazing, ALL the positive adjectives experience. There isn't the D/s power dynamic there that I enjoy, but I don't need it, and honestly I don't even want it. I don't think it's possible for me to gush enough about this series, and I'm not remotely interested in hearing any criticism about it because it's BEYOND meaningful to me. I'm not, of course, going to attack any posts that speak negatively about it, I'll just scroll past them, but I don't want to hear it on posts of mine gushing about it.

Okay that got intense but the point is I love this show and everything about it and it's definitely the thing I look forward to the most every week.

Remember Me-Honestly at this point the only parts I'm watching are the GolfGun parts. Name's story is too depressing, the het romance is too boring, and Champ's storyline is too triggering. It's nice to see Jafirst again, but I'd have preferred them to have their own show again.

Between Us-Absolutely delightful so far. I want to say that there are too many characters, but most of them are interesting and I feel like enough screen time is given to all of them for me to care about them. I like all the couples(though I'm especially trash for PrinceBumblebee), except the het couple which is mercifully given the least screen time. The writers know what most of us want. I wasn't remotely interested in Winteam in UWMA and honestly expected to only be watching for Deanpharm crumbs, but I'm happy to say that I adore Winteam and don't even care that there's almost no Deanpharm. I've enjoyed every episode thus far, and I'm excited to see where it goes.

Recently binged:

Oh! My Sunshine Night-It was a wild ride, but I came away from it feeling strangely empty. I don't expect to ever rewatch it.

Plan to Watch:

Semantic Error the Movie-Excited to see their story again, and for the new scenes.

Cherry Magic the Movie-Same as above. Drop a link if you know where to find it.

My School President-I've heard nothing but good things, and apparently there's lots of singing, which I'm complete trash for(yes I watched all six seasons of Glee).

Choco Milk Shake-Waiting for it to finish and binge because the episodes are WAY too short.

If anyone has any recs, do please drop them below! I'll tag @aliceisathome @gillianthecat @odi-et-amo85

and @scarefox