#my only 12%

[colourme-feral]

Annnnnd once again, no one asked for this, but here is GMMTV 2024 Part 2′s shared filming locations game in thai ql,

Ossan's Love Thailand and Moonlight Chicken

The Heart Killers, Pit Babe and its Official Trailer, Playboyy Official Teaser and Midnight Motel

Revamp the Undead Story, Tell the World I Love You, Pit Babe, Dead Friend Forever - DFF Pre-Release, My Dear Gangster Oppa, Y-Destiny, Return Man, 55:15 Never Too Late, Midnight Motel, Never Let Me Go and My Only 12% (1, 2)

The Dark Dice, Baker Boys, I Will Knock You, My School President (and its pilot trailer), PP Krit - ลังเล [Official MV],  Never Let Me Go, You’re My Sky and The Miracle of Teddy Bear (location)

GMMTV 2024 PART 1・OTHER SHARED FILMING LOCATIONS

[loveisactivated]

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Forehead touches - an indication of not only the emotional or physical connection, but also a mental one. (Part 1/?)

Goodbye mother

Ghost Host, Ghost House

My Tooth Your Love

War of Y

Love in the air

My only 12 %

Wish You: Your melody in my heart

Don't say no

My favorite bl-tropes collection, as always in no perticular order.

[absolutebl]

I've just started watching Thai BLs and I don't know which ones would be worth getting thru the bad acting. Could you please recommend me some? xo

20 Thai BL's With GREAT Acting

Laws of Attraction

Moonlight Chicken (review here)

Not Me (review here)

Until We Meet Again (discussion here)

Bad Buddy (review here)

A Tale of Thousand Stars

Love By Chance

He's Coming to Me

The Eclipse

My Ride (review here)

Step By Step (review here)

My School President

Bed Friend (review here)

Dark Blue Kiss (PeteKao watch guide here)

Make a Wish

My Only 12%

Never Let Me Go

Theory of Love

Dear Doctor, I'm Coming For Your Soul (review here)

Triage (review here)

Love Sick is also pretty special but it's very long and complicated and kinda a steep buy in. But if you are of the Degrassi Jr High inclination...

You might also want to try I Told Sunset About You. It wasn't for me but is for LOTS of super fans of high quality BL.

From the tone of the question I am assuming we are going with a a western value judgement which prioritizes grittiness and subtlety.

Here's more stuff for you to explore if you're interested.

(Many of these will not have been updated with 2023)

Here's me talking about western struggles with Thai language and acting style:

Here's the master post on Thai BL

Not specifically Thai but here's my:

10 Best BL All Rounders - acting, script, music, narrative, production

(source)

[krystaljungs]

eiw and cake forgetting the world around them when they’re together

[guzhufuren]

Pride Month Celebration: LGBTQ actors from asian queer shows

Holland (Ocean Likes Me) Copter Panuwat (Close Friend, That’s My Candy, Gen Y) Zorzo Natharuetai (Lovely Writer) Ex Piya (KinnPorsche) PP Krit (I Told Sunset About You) Jennie Panhan (3 Will Be Free, The Shipper, Drag, I Love You) Fluke Natouch (Until We Meet Again, Close Friend, Oh! My Sunshine Night) Earth Katsamonnat (Until We Meet Again, 7 Project, My Only 12%) Sprite Patteerat (KinnPorsche) Bruce Sirikorn (Lovely Writer)

+ 2 in 1, Nakayama Satsuki (Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss!)

[forkaround]

someone asked me recently "what is the appeal of BL?" what do you think?

@heretherebedork @respectthepetty @yeetlegay @shortpplfedup @lutawolf @luckydragon10 @apomiles @moerusai @pharawee @poetry-protest-pornography @disaster-j @laughsalot3412 @queersouthasian @everyforkedroad @iffervescent @dancinbutterfly @godotismissingx @highpriestessofjogan @jupiterjames @colourme-feral (I don't know most of you but I've been following your blogs and I'd like to know what you think)

[lurkingshan]

Hiii Shan,

I cannot remember for the life of me if I asked you about it or not and tumblr search does not help. I've been listening to the @the-conversation-pod round-up ep and apart from making me burst out laughing in public transport, it got me thinking about 'I Cannot Reach You' and the friends-to-lovers trope. Have you ever listed your fav dramas that use it? If not, can I ask for one pretty pretty please?

Thank you for listening to the @the-conversation-pod! And this is such a good question, because friends to lovers is actually a hard trope to get right and often isn't executed that well. It's also a term that is often misapplied to mean something more like friendly to lovers, aka a romance that starts out with the main pair meeting and keeping things platonic for awhile before they escalate to romance.

A true execution of the friends to lovers trope in its purest form is a relationship change narrative, and that requires an established and important friendship, a major transition in the way both members of the pair view each other, and most importantly, lots of angst. If there's no serious anxiety and fear about the changing feelings and losing the friendship present in the narrative, it's not actually friends to lovers, it's just a natural romantic relationship progression. So something like Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, while a great story about a pair of college students who establish a friendship before eventually realizing they like each other, is not really a FTL as defined here. And my beloved Sing My Crush doesn't qualify either, because romantic feelings were present the entire time, just suppressed.

So with those parameters set, there are only a handful of dramas I think have done this really well. Onto the list:

I Cannot Reach You

You already mentioned this one, so let me just reiterate what I said on the podcast: it's the best friends to lovers bl ever made. This story absolutely nails the relationship change arc and puts us in Kakeru's shoes as he realizes his best friend since childhood 1) is gay and 2) has developed feelings for him, and takes us along for the ride as he decides what he wants to do with that. Yamato is the absolute picture of tortured angst and the whole thing is excruciating in the best way, because it makes the payoff so very sweet.

Fight For My Way

I am pretty sure I have recommended this show to you before, and I will keep right on doing it because it's a fantastic romcom and my favorite friends to lovers drama of all time. This one is heavier on the comedy beats, but still gets to the heart of the fear and anxiety, and also goes deep on how hard it is when one of the friends clues into their feelings much sooner than the other and hangs in as a loyal friend while nursing their wounded heart in private. Watching Dong Man finally figure out what the hell is going on and catch up to Ae Ra was one of the greatest pleasures of my years of drama watching.

Theory of Love

I said what I said and I meant it! This drama is controversial because it hits the angst really hard and pushes the characters to some ugly places and some people just can't deal, but it's such an authentic portrayal of how much it hurts to be in love with your oblivious friend, and how much we hurt ourselves by not being honest about our feelings in a misguided attempt to protect the relationship we already have. I love it dearly and will defend it to anyone.

Romance Is A Bonus Book

A bit on the lighter side, watching this drama is like curling up on the couch in a cozy sweater with your favorite book and a cup of tea. It manages to both take the relationship arc seriously while never once making you doubt that these friends will be okay, because they are truly ride or die. There is also an age gap at play here, so we have the added bonus of watching Dan Yi wrestle with her changing feelings for her best friend that she has always thought of as a little brother. I will never forget her staring into the mirror to practice telling Eun Ho "I don't see you as a man" and getting increasingly desperate as she realizes that is no longer true. *chef's kiss*

My Only 12%

See-iw and Cake, my beloveds! I love this pair a lot, and think this drama is a fantastic example of how powerful the friends to lovers trope can be when combined with a queer awakening and the added layer of fear that brings to the story in a non-bubble show. The arc of their close childhood friendship morphing through time, separation, and changing identities is so so good. This one comes with a caveat because the last two episodes of the show are abruptly bad and weird (New Siwaj *shakes fist*) but happily, the FTL arc is already complete by then and none of the nonsense messes with the couple.

Hospital Playlist

I know you know this one, but I cannot possibly finish this list without talking about Ik Jun and Song Hwa. This is such a slooooooooooow burn that plays out over 24 episodes, and it's brilliantly done. What I like most about this take on the trope is how mature and adult it is; these two are 40 year old booked and busy professionals, and they also value their friendship more than anything. I love that you get the whole arc of their relationship over 20 years as they meet, have initial sparks, don't get together for reasons, genuinely settle into a platonic friendship and date and even marry other people, and then realize their feelings are changing again later in life. The payoff after all this time and patience and quiet yearning is so beautifully earned.

[gabrielokun]

[perths]

"I have something I want you to know"

My Only 12%, Episode 12

[loveisactivated]

Rest your head against me.

[prapaiwife]

LISTEN MY FOLLOWERS THIS IS HOW U DO A LOVE DECLARATION!!!!!!! GIVE SANTAEARTH THEIR FLOWERS MY 12PC IS ACTUAL ART

[bl-bracket]

Most Babygirl in a BL Bracket

Round 1

Bai Lang (My Tooth Your Love) vs Dan (Not Me: The Series)

Twi (My School President) vs See Eiw (My Only 12%)

Chen Nhai (Ai Long Nhai) vs Pran (Bad Buddy)

Shinwoo (Light on Me) vs Sound (My School President)

Kang Seojoon (To My Star) vs Talay (Vice Versa)

Li Ming (Moonlight Chicken) vs Win (Cupid's Last Wish)

Intouch (Until We Meet Again) vs Porsche (Kinnporsche: The Series)

Thi (I Will Knock You) vs Kit (2 Moons 2)

Nuengdiao (Never Let Me Go) vs Aii (You're My Sky)

Black (Not Me: The Series) vs Daon (Light on Me)

Jaewon (The Eighth Sense) vs Akk (The Eclipse)

Arthit (SOTUS: The Series) vs Team (Between Us)

Jiang Cheng (The Untamed) vs Pa (Bad Buddy)

Wen Ke Xing (Word of Honor) vs Kiyoi Sou (Utsukushii Kare)

Tol (Triage) vs Mork (My Ride)

Wei Wuxian (The Untamed) vs Yutaka (Our Dining Table)

Type (Tharntype: The Series) vs Tine (2gether: The Series)

Cao Weining (Word of Honor) vs Prapai (Love in the Air)

Taekyung (Light on Me) vs Jin Guangyao (The Untamed)

Manow (Until We Meet Again/Between Us) vs Vegas (Kinnporsche: The Series)

Palm (Never Let Me Go) vs Jang Jaeyoung (Semantic Error)

Meen (Fish Upon The Sky) vs Yok (Not Me: The Series)

Pat (Bad Buddy) vs Tul (Between Us)

Sean (Not Me: The Series) vs Pete (Kinnporsche: The Series)

Kim (Kinnporsche: The Series) vs Jihyun (The Eighth Sense)

Heart (Moonlight Chicken) vs Yi (Cutie Pie: The Series)

Seunghyun (The New Employee) vs Wen (Moonlight Chicken)

Rain (Love in the Air) vs Amagi (Takara-kun to Amagi-kun)

Todd (Not Me: The Series) vs Haoting (HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count)

Adachi (Cherry Magic) vs Jack (A Boss and a Babe)

Por (My School President) vs Khai (Theory of Love)

Tinn (My School President) vs Natee (Enchante)

[absolutebl]

Top 10 Best BLs on iQIYI

Love For Love's Sake

Korea 2024

This isekai KBL is about a man who must win a game by convincing a reserved teen outcast to fall in love with him. Of course, that teen represents himself and his own unhappiness. Like many queer narratives, this show is actually about self worth, trust, and found family, and it is VERY on the nose. But I don’t expect subtlety from my BL and I enjoyed it's truly lovely redemption arc and earnest performances. While I found the narrative a touch disjointed with overworked filming angles and poorer than average captions, this is certainly much better than early KBL in terms of consistency of tone, script, and immersion. Highly rewatchable and charming, which counts for a lot.

Blueming

Korea 2022

It’s a tiny bit dark and a tiny bit bittersweet, almost too honest to a university experience and first love for BL, but if you want your mind ever-so-slightly messed with and your intimacy hellishly sweet, this BL will do it for you in a coldly distant manner, while bitch slapping you with self worth issues. I wasn’t into it at first, but the leads are solid and by ep 5 it got really good, becoming a narrative about self discovery meets understanding and accepting others people’s flaws without hurting them. Ultimately we witnessed two characters maturing because of each other and their mutual affection, without that affection becoming the conflict point. Instead, tension was built around other aspects of identity, popularity, and self-worth. While production values were a touch lower than usual for Korea, Blueming included decent kisses and other forms of intimacy and a satisfying ending plus there’s judicious and very elegant use of tropes, this is a great BL.

Laws of Attraction

Thai 2023

This is a great gay suspense thriller with several solid couples, fun plot, killer characters, queer rep, and a happy ending. Charn may be my favorite lead character in all BL. However, this show is not entirely BL, more on the fringe, like Manner of Death. There are several "singing incidents" and this pair is a little weak in the chemistry arena, but it's tons of fun. All the triggers tho.

Love Tractor

Korea 2023

Most of this country-set BL had me feral for the beautiful broken city boy and his hot young farmer. Hyung romance, puppy/cat pairing, open frankness meets jaded reserve, language play, water hose frolicking, only one bed, just all my favorite tropes. This show was basically a light-weight Restart After Come Back Home and I’m not even slightly mad about that. But (and you knew there was a “but” coming) something about the cringe of the final 2 eps and the impermanence of the ending (both of which highlight the fact that ultimately these 2 are I’ll-suited: too different and too far apart) left me with the feeling that they probably won’t last as a couple. However, in this case, rare for me, I forgive it this finale for my love of the rest.

Unintentional Love Story

Korea 2023

A boy who just lost his job due to faked corruption charges accidentally discovers his ex-boss's favorite artist, now a recluse. Evil manager offers him his job back if he can convince the artist to rejoin society. Instead, they fall in love. I found the artist a bit stiff and reserved but Gongchan (maknae of B1A4) is a fucking GIFT - he carried this show (which I do not expect from the idol element). He was luminous with extraordinarily expressive eyes, just drown in the emoting abyss. The external conflict, social tension and pressure is complex and beautifully executed, plus Korea gave us legit side dishes (NOT a love triangle, hally-fucking-luya).

Bon Appetit

Korea 2023

Romance between an office worker the man from his past next door who cooks well. It was very sweet and cute tale of food as love in the All the Liquors family of KBL. I’m not wild about it, I did enjoy it, I was happy to have it show up on my dash, but ultimately it will simply become one of the KBL crowd.

My Only 12%

Thai 2022

Y-novel adaptation (author Afterday - Bad Buddy) and strong little BL romance (tailor made for SantaEarth) about holding onto first love and childhood, but it’s buried under waffling family drama and formless side characters so that it took a lot of digging to get to - still I recommend it for the killer softly domestic couple chemistry.

A Breeze of Love

Korea 2023

Tsundere insomniac grump reunited with his sunshine jock ex (human sleeping pill) who now hates him. Basketball is also involved. While the simplicity of a reunion plot makes this more cohesive than most KBLs, it is a tad stiff and slow, never managing to lift itself out of "pretty and pretty enjoyable" - I liked it but I don’t think I’m going to remember much about it.

Between Us

Thai 2023

Featuring the hugely popular side characters from 2019′s Until We Meet Again, WinTeam, adaptation of the y-novel Hemp Rope. It’s a serviceable series about hot swimmers flirting and dealing with family drama in a sweetly earnest manner, but ultimately it squanders the talent in play. I would’ve preferred a cleaner narrative arc, less angst and more plot, fewer couples, and a shorter series. That said, there’s nothing objectively wrong, sub-standard, or off-putting about this show. And it has lots of consent and other good qualities. It’s fine.

Dear Doctor I'm Coming for Your Soul

Thai 2022

This is a romance between a doctor trying to save his patients and a reaper who is both his enemy and (eventual) lover (basically the genius premise of a gay Doom at Your Service). High concept looks good on you, Thailand. It’s lovely to see KarnNat back on screen together and they are still great, and Karn is just as painfully beautiful as ever. I enjoyed this one more than it’s ending deserved, and the best I can say is that it’s not strictly HEA but if you’re okay with Life: Love on the Line, you’ll be okay with this BL.

(source)

This list updated Spring 2024, not responsible for cool stuff that aired on iQIYI (or was taken off the platform) after that date. Some stuff on iQIYI is also on other platforms and if I loved it, I listed it there not here.

This is part of a series continued here:

[krystaljungs]

@asiandramanet — december creator bingo — comfort @lgbtqcreators — creator bingo — comfort (insp)

[kayamark]

Whumptober: No. 20 - Blanket

My only 12% (2022)

Ep 3