#semantic error meta

[carmenlire]

aaa happy new year!! 💖 and i was thinking about jangchu for the new year too the brainrot is just too real sdkfj but i totally agree with your point. what i loved about se was that it was more of a rivalry than a typical bullying relationship that most shows do. jaeyoung was like 'im going to annoy you with my presence' rather than aim to humiliate sangwoo (except for the marker scene and even jaeyoung thought he went a bit too far). he was thrilled that sangwoo was going against him (1/2)

+ and became more curious on how sangwoo functions. if sangwoo was the type of person to apologize when jaeyoung confronted him, i think jaeyoung wouldve lost interest because like you said there isn't a challenge!! he would've let it go and went on with his life but sangwoo stood up to him and sparked jaeyoung's interest :') i think a huge part of their relationship is getting to learn more about each other.. and they learn a lot even when theyve grown old together it's so sweet 🥺 -se anon (2/2)

hello dear!! Happy New Year! I hope you had a lovely weekend and that the start of 2023 has been good to you!

and yes!! you get it!! It was a rivalry but what i love is that this is such a low stakes/angst show and i would argue even the rivalry is half-assed. i mean it's literally just 8 episodes of jaeyoung annoying sangwoo and sangwoo realizing he likes it and wants more of it lmao. their rivalry is rather short lived-- once they start the game and start getting to know each other, it very quickly just becomes these two guys who admire and respect each other (professionally for now, at first) and grows from there.

(I think this might've gotten a bit long for mobile so here's a read more lol)

i love the enemies to lovers here especially because it is so light! and you're so right pointing out that the one time jaeyoung does reach a bit beyond what he should, he acknowledges, or at least the viewer sees, that he knows that was a bit too much and from there on out it's very mild and we know confidently that jaeyoung is into sangwoo-- in a healthy way, not a manipulative jerk way.

and yes!! even jaeyoung says at first that he just wants an apology. and he probably would have gotten one from literally anyone else but sangwoo. so the fact that sangwoo is 100% convinced that he was in the right and is so obvious about sparked!!! jaeyoung's interest!! and from there it becomes "oh wow this dude is different.... tell me more" and we see that while jaeyoung's love language is lowkey just annoying the object of his affections, he's very smart (!!!) and so he engages sangwoo to 1) yeah see that spark in his eye and get a reaction and have sangwoo's attention but also 2) to learn what makes sangwoo tick.

Both Sangwoo and Jaeyoung are people who need a challenge and they find that in each other. they both have to learn to work around and with each other but it's a labor of love because they want to-- so yes, i totally KNOW that their entire lives are spent always learning about each other and even after years, that spark and curiosity is still there because 1) people are constantly evolving and 2) there's always something new to learn 3) their attraction to each other is a live thing that they both feed into.

it's seriously so sweet and i'm so happy that you saw my little new year's ramble about these two and agreed/added your own thoughts!! i really do love the show but half the fun of semantic error is just the sheer possibilities of these characters. i just find them endlessly fascinating and have a grand time thinking about them. because on the surface they fit their archetypes! but the actors? the content? just gives them so much meaning and complexity and i can't get enough!

[emotionallychargedtowel]

Why hello! I don’t see why we can’t keep the Top 5 trend alive in the new year so…

From one chronic rewatcher to another, what are your top 5 most rewatched scenes?

Sorry this took so long, @wen-kexing-apologist! I'm just now getting back to posting a bit more regularly after the holidays got me totally off track, and this question brought up a lot of Thoughts so I've been chipping away at it for weeks.

So, um, this is the best question ever. Except it’s the meanest question ever, because I'm terrible at choosing between things like this.

I am a massive rewatcher, whether you’re talking about whole series, episodes, or scenes. Scenes especially. Why watch an entire thing when you can go right for the best part/s and watch them over and over? This is also one of the reasons I have way too many gifs saved on my phone.

I thought about coming up with a list that was based more on what would make a good post, and/or what would make me look less uncool, than what I actually rewatch the most. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. I wanted to be honest instead. So at the risk of seeming even more like an Utsukare obsessive and overall one-trick pony, I'm going to talk about the five scenes I think I've actually rewatched the most, even though four of them are from my perennial obsession.

The four Utsukushii Kare scenes are in the order they occur in the series, not from most rewatched to least. Then I'll talk about a fifth scene from another series that I've been pretty vocal about appreciating, and I'll mention some runners-up.

“who do you like, him or me?”

If gif posts are any indication—gifs are the smallest increment of rewatching, after all—some of my favorite scenes to rewatch aren’t that popular with other rewatchers. This one gets gif’ed, sure, as you can see. But it's not as popular a choice for this kind of treatment as a lot of other Utsukare scenes.

There are a few reasons this one is a favorite of mine. One is that I tend to like some jealousy in my romance. I have my theories about why it’s so appealing to me specifically, but I’m not entirely sure how to explain it. I also love a good aggressive shirt-grab. (Utsukare certainly delivers these regularly.) But the main reason I keep coming back to this moment is that in just a few sentences, a bunch of character development happens. Well, I guess it would be more correct to call it character revelation. This is the first time we really see this side of Kiyoi, and in that respect, it foreshadows the big perspective shift that’s just around the corner. The viewer picks up a lot of hints that Kiyoi has feelings for Hira prior to this point (even if Hira remains stubbornly oblivious to them). We’ve even seen Kiyoi kiss Hira already (even if he did push him to the ground a split second later). But this is the first time we see such direct evidence of the strength of his feelings for Hira. Kiyoi is so unguarded for this brief moment. The mask slips and what’s underneath is total desperation.

Hira, of course, misses the real meaning of what Kiyoi is saying despite how obvious it is. Which means it's also the viewers’ first indication of how intensely Hira clings to his favored view of reality in the face of evidence to the contrary.

"sorry I like you"

This is another scene where so much is happening in a short span, all because Kiyoi got desperate enough to talk about all of the unspoken bullshit between him and Hira. As usual, Hira doesn’t get it. But he might be starting to. 

This scene is pretty rough watching in some ways. When this episode first aired and it ended with this scene followed by each of them on their own and feeling terrible, I was a bit of a mess. It was silly of me to worry. There were plenty of favorable signs in the preview for the finale. I knew the novels had a happy ending. But it was just so sad and so real that it got to me anyway. But I also enjoyed it, because for an obsessive analyzer like myself, seeing these important relationship dynamics finally come to the surface in such concentrated form was fascinating. It was also a relief to see things out in the open.

Both leads turn in such great performances here. Yagi Yusei really steps up. It’s even more impressive given his relative lack of acting experience. His performance is so raw and affecting. If he had been less vulnerable, Kiyoi’s point about how contradictory Hira’s actions and statements are could seem like a kind of “gotcha” moment designed to win an argument--like he was pointing out that Hira was hypocritical in a bid to score points. Instead, Yagi shows viewers how deeply being caught in this double bind with Hira has hurt Kiyoi. 

Hagiwara Riku, in contrast, portrays Hira as so confused that he’s basically dissociated. Hira has a really strong tendency to see the world in whatever way suits him, regardless of the truth. Kiyoi’s words force Hira to set his usual narrative aside and see how much clinging to it is hurting the person he claims to love, and it throws him off to such an extent that he seems to be experiencing a form of psychomotor slowing. He looks like he’s moving through molasses. He can’t form sentences, or at times, even words. His normally expressive eyes seem like they’ve shrunk to half their normal size. He’s really come unmoored, and it shows. The more I think about Hagiwara’s work in this scene the more impressed I am by the insight and physical control he had to bring to bear in order for it to work. 

Of course, if I watched this scene on its own habitually, this level of blorbo distress might take a toll on my mental health. Which is why I usually follow it up with…

"I'm not going to kiss you for a while"

I’m busting out the bullet points for this one because otherwise it might take me all day.

This scene works on so many levels!

Well, the main ones are:

Relationship progress! Character growth! 

The whole kiss fakeout thing is hot

Hira gets some payback and frankly, he deserves it

The other highlights for me are: 

Even after repeated viewings and knowing very well what happened in the story, I still feel kind of relieved to see that Kiyoi came back, especially right after rewatching the scene prior to this one. 

When Kiyoi asks Hira why he thinks he came home and he says, “to punch me?" he does it in the most weirdly cute way.

Kiyoi’s absolutely lethal snotty face/voice when he responds to the possibility of punching Hira with “maybe” is so perfect that it's hard not to think that Hira might have a point about this whole King deal. 

Hira apologizes and it’s actually sincere and not just some knee-jerk bullshit. 

The way Hira closes his eyes and waits for Kiyoi to smack him is a rare case of him actually letting go and putting himself in Kiyoi’s hands instead of his usual topping-from-the-bottom thing.

More about the kiss fakeout:

Hagiwara does a great job of telegraphing Hira’s expectant response. In scenes where two characters are going to kiss but get interrupted, it's not uncommon to see a kind of hesitation or other subtle signal that the actor knows the kiss isn't going to happen. But there's none of that here. Hagiwara even does this sort of gulp/swallow thing like he thinks the kiss is going to start any moment. When the kiss doesn't materialize, he nails an absolutely pitifiul sad puppy expression.

Kiyoi’s vulnerable voice and facial expression when he explains about the kissing boundary thing is so sincere and cute. Could he be any more different from season 1 episode 1 Kiyoi?

I’ve written about how the no-kissing-until-Hira-takes-Kiyoi-seriously policy might seem like a controlling move or an inappropriate ultimatum to some viewers but it actually better resembles what Harriet Lerner calls a “bottom line,” resulting in a boundary that is not only justifiable but downright healthy…or almost healthy, at least. It's a bit on the extreme side, and the fakeout part remains a little mean. But they're understandable given what Hira has put Kiyoi through. 

Here's my s2e4 writeup that includes that discussion:

“sorry, Kiyoi”

So, I’ve already written quite a bit about this scene. In one instance, I wrote a propaganda blurb when it was in bl brackets’s kiss bracket.

Here's the original blurb I wrote for @bl-bracket when I nominated the scene, as used in the post where people voted:

Hira and Kiyoi Final Kiss: "It’s an important plot point (because Kiyoi has said he won’t kiss Hira until he stops putting him on a pedestal and now Hira is making progress on that front, and because Hira hasn’t initiated physical stuff in the past, and initiating is itself a way of treating Kiyoi more like an equal). It’s also just a really well-acted and effectively shot kiss, and as a result it communicates so much about the characters and shows a side of their relationship not portrayed elsewhere in the show. And of course, it’s super hot. That includes the kind of weird but suggestive details that are typical of the show, like Hira passing candy/candy spit to Kiyoi through the kiss and then switching into this really distinct sexy voice that makes it sound almost as if he’s changing personalities."

And here's an additional, longer propaganda post I wrote to lobby for votes:

One of the points I tried to make in that post about why this scene is special was that it really does represent a leap forward in how both leads portrayed intimacy in this series. Prior to this scene, viewers had seen a dead fish kiss on graduation day, a more intense makeout situation in the season 1 finale that was shot so impressionistically that it was often hard to tell exactly what the actors were doing, and some interrupted kisses earlier in season 2. And then this happened. Here's a quote from what I wrote previously:

Personally, despite being a fan of both actors and thinking they did amazing work on the series, until I saw this scene I really didn't know if they had it in them, if they could actually pull off something that felt real. But they brought it. They're not holding back. As opposed to more stylized kisses you see in BLs and other romance dramas sometimes, I found it very naturalistic, like the way a couple of real kids in their early 20s would kiss.

So, yeah. I thought it showed real growth on the part of the actors as individuals and as a pairing/team.

This scene also caused me to dig deeper, with the help of some very knowledgeable mutuals, into what “persistent” and “cute” mean in a sexual context in Japan. My main post about that is below.

Noticing Hagiwara's use of Hira's "persistent voice" also helped me to notice something else when I checked out his other work, and that is that he often uses his voice in very different ways in different roles. I recently watched a drama he did before Utsukare and I was struck by this all over again. Again, it shows a really impressive degree of control.

And now, for our one non-Utsukare scene in the top 5:

"I'm trying to seduce you"

I also wrote a nomination blurb about this scene for the kiss bracket. (If you're seeing a pattern here, well, yeah, it's a pattern.) The original voting post here but I'll go ahead and quote it in its entirety since it's pretty short.

This kiss is ridiculously hot and is a culmination of so much that’s been simmering beneath the surface for the entire show up to that point. Togawa has been pining so hard for Nozue for so long that when Nozue gives him a glimmer of hope and then tries to leave, everything he’s been bottling up comes surging out. Kimura Tatsunari exudes a level of desperate lustfulness in this scene that’s as intense as anything I’ve seen in any genre. We’re all familiar with the idea that people look at a person’s mouth when they want to kiss them, but Togawa looks at Nozue’s mouth like he dreams about it every night and sees it every time he closes his eyes. No wonder he feels a need to stick his thumb in there. Takeda Kouhei also communicates so much in this scene. Nozue is shocked and confused but he can’t help but respond to Togawa’s kisses. You can see the gears turning—and refusing to turn—as he tries to make sense of what’s happening—and keeps kissing Togawa back even though he still can’t process it. Togawa’s declaration, “I’ve been trying to seduce you, with everything I have,” is the cherry on top.

There's another bit of subtle physical communication here that I find interesting, and I think you might too, @wen-kexing-apologist. Just recently I've been thinking about the meaning, in kissing scenes, of what for lack of a better term I'll call the head-bonk. By this I mean the thing where one person puts their forehead against the other person's, often with at least a tiny bit of an impact that renders it a bonk rather than, like, just touching them together. Togawa kisses Nozue once, then a second time, and then goes in for a third that Nozue avoids by sinking toward the floor. The third kiss doesn't happen, but when Togawa starts to initiate it he does an absolutely sublime head-bonk. I'm still figuring out what I think about the head-bonk thing. All I know is that, from my vantage point, that little move on Kimura's part practically screams "I've been holding this back for five goddamn years and I can't wait one more second to kiss this person."

Runners-up and honorable mentions:

Semantic Error:

Their first kiss in the restaurant after Jae Young calls Sang Woo "hyung" - I have watched this so much that if I had been asked for my top 6 this would have been #6.

Jae Young demonstrating the features of the "free trial"

Minato’s Laundromat (season 1, of course):

Shin freaking out about Minato being alone with Hanabusa

The washing machine kabedon

The “smelling the sheets” scene

Kiseki (I just watched this for the first time a week or so ago and I have already done so much scene-rewatching it's ridiculous):

That incredibly angsty sex scene with Ai Di and a drunk Chen Yi, you know the one

Chen Yi's confession to a physically restrained Ai Di

The scene at Ai Di's bar where Chen Yi puts him in a double kabedon

Ai Di and Chen Yi's conversation after Ai Di gets out of prison, where he says he fucked Chen Yi "just for fun" and offers to let him do stuff to him as "revenge"

Ai Di trying to scare Chen Yi by stroking his chest and asking him if he wants to "play" and then getting weirded out when Chen Yi asks, "What if I say yes?"

Jheruei and Zongyi's first real kiss and subsequent A+ lap-sitting moment

And as a bonus, here's my most-rewatched non-QL moment:

There's a scene I'm obsessed with in Something in the Rain where Jun Hui comes to Jin A's home and sees her ex-boyfriend there with her and her parents, lobbying to get back together and manhandling her, and he reacts exactly the way you'd expect as someone to who's in love with Jin A. It is tattooed on my brain. If I ever learn to make gifs I am gif'ing the fuck out of that scene.

[jemmo]

Don't ask he why but I feel like Choi Yuna from Semantic Error and and Yoon Won from T8S would probably be best friends

oh anon you are so smart, they would absolutely be besties. i mean… they’re both used to having messy, emotionally confused bisexuals in their lives and having to watch them pine after their respective cuties. plus I think they could do a great good cop bad cop, bc yoonwon is so sweet and comforting and like the mom friend we all want and need, and yuna is just that bitch that will tell it to you straight in the most sarcastic and blunt way possible. I think together, they could get jaewon and jaeyoung through a lot

[somewhatavidreader]

How Semantic Error uses fashion for storytelling K-drama Research Institute

Could be of interest to design/colour nerds on here

[jojotichakorn]

info about me 🫶

archer (или юра) - 22 - he/they - gay trans masc - autistic - slavic

follow & like from @ronaan. previous urls: khabkhluen, gawincaskeyy, ohmpatwat, bl-archer.

pond naravit stan. jojo tichakorn appreciator. certified hater of shitty parents from qls.

[my meta] [my memes] [my quizzes] [my icons] [my gifs]

more fandom-related info under the cut:

started watching bls in august of 2018 [list of dramas i've seen]

currently live blogging : kidnap, affair, jack & joker

favourite dramas : never let me go - the eighth sense - my school president - we are - only friends - semantic error - enchante

favourite characters : phum (we are) - khluen (simm) - palm (nlmg) - peem (we are) - boston (ofts) - jae won (the eighth sense) - kenta (pit babe) - kongthap (mlmu) - mork (dbk) - akk (enchante) - pat (bbs) - tinn (msp)

favourite actors : pond naravit - joong archen aydin - perth tanapon - fluke gawin caskey - force jiratchapong - ohm pawat - fourth nattawat - book kasidet - mark pakin - phuwin tangsakyuen - neo trai

favourite acting pairs : pondphuwin and forcebook

[twig-tea]

2023 BL/GL/QL Round-Up Post

I thought for posterity I'd post a reflection on everything I watched that completed in 2023. For me, that means anything that started in 2022 but the last episode was in 2023 is on this list, but anything that will still be airing after 31 December 2023 11:59 my time (EST) is not on this list, even if the bulk of the show did air in 2023.

A few stats:

110 discrete pieces of content (series/films)

clocking in at est. 600 hours of NEW BL/GL content only

from 9 different countries (Cambodia [1], Philippines [3], Hong Kong [1], Japan [18], Korea [19], Myanmar [1], Taiwan [6], Thailand [56], Vietnam [7])

~50% of the content I watched on this list is from Thailand

~85% of my content was on YouTube [40%], GaGaOoLaLa [23%] and iQIYI [21%].

[Note that this year a lot of older GMMTV shows moved off of YouTube and onto Viki so if you're looking at these stats to decide what to pay for, this won't account for that.]

This doesn't include re-watches or catching up on old shows [e.g. I re-watched Love Sick, My Ride the Series, Semantic Error, ITSAY/IPYTM, Our Dating Sim at least 3 times lol, and anything with a s2 I re-watched s1 to prep, among others, watched Fujoshi Ukkari Gei no Kokuru (2019) for the first time] or non-QL [e.g. Heartstopper s2, Our Flag Means Death s2, Taskmaster s. 15 & 16, Uncanny Counter s2, One Piece s1, etc.] but does include films as well as shows, though I don't count special episodes separately (so Wedding Plan counts once, though I watched both the show and the special).

I hope you all appreciate that with this much content, and with my general brand of being unable to make decisions, I really struggled to narrow down a top 10 list. What follows is the best I could do lol

Top 20 Shows I'd Recommend From This Year:

Moonlight Chicken

Our Dating Sim

Bed Friend

The Eighth Sense

La Pluie

Sing My Crush

Tokyo in April Is...

Wedding Plan

Laws of Attraction

I Cannot Reach You

I Feel You Linger in the Air

What Did You Eat Yesterday S2

I Became the Lead in a BL Drama

If It's With You

Love in Translation

Our Dining Table

My Personal Weatherman

My Beautiful Man: Eternal

My School President

Be My Favorite

+10 I liked but I would only recommend with caveats:

Love Class 2

The New Employee [for the Rainbow Rice Cakes]

Let's Eat Together Aki and Haru

Never Let Me Go

Kiseki: Dear to Me

Unintentional Love Story

The Day I Loved You

End of the World with You

A Breeze of Love

Jack O'Frost

Bonus: Not a BL but worth calling out:

One Room Angel

Midnight Museum

Grand Guignol

The Warp Effect

Sadly, of the GLs that aired this year, I wouldn't recommend any of them. The best one was Show Me Love, which was not actually good but had very gorgeous women and a LOT of flirting.

The other huge thing that happened this year was that I stopped lurking! Thanks specifically to @lurkingshan and @bengiyo demanding everyone start talking about La Pluie, because they got me to post my first meta post. And because I started actually talking to people, I started making actual friends, and participated in organizing things like the Be My Favorite clown checkpoint for ep 11. I also disappeared a month because of life, and am still catching up on everything I intended to write this year. But it's been really rewarding finding this corner of tumblr with likeminded people who like good shows, like to think about these shows, and who are interested in talking about them in a way that's insightful and respectful.

It's been a long time since I felt comfortable enough participating actively in a fandom, and I just want to say to everyone I've interacted with this year: Thank you!

Full list under the cut for anyone curious! [Mostly in order it aired but may be slightly off].

Love Bill

Director Who Buys Me Dinner, The

Star Always Follow You, The

Cutie Pie 2 You

Between Us the Series (Hemp Rope)

Reason Why He Fell in Love with Me Special & S2 [international release]

New Employee, The

I Will Hit You/I Will Knock You

Individual Circumstances

609 Bedtime Story

GAPYuri / GAP the series

My School President

HitBiteLove the Series

Never Let Me Go

Moonlight Chicken

History 5: Love in the Future

Oh My God (ToDo) the Series

Warp Effect, The

End of the World, With You

My Blessing the Series

Our Winter (miniseries)

All the Liquors

Once in Memory: Let Me Be Yours

Shoulder to Cry On, A

Jack O'Frost

Our Dating Sim

Midnight Museum

Me, My Husband, and My Husband's Boyfriend

My Colleague at BL Shop might be My Meant-to-Be

Unintentional Love Story

Chains of Heart

Bed Friend the series

Bad Brother the Series

Stormy Honeymoon

Eighth Sense, the

Bad Brother the Series

Future Series

Tin Tam Jai the series

Crush on You

House of Stars the Series

Happy Merry Ending

Boss and a Babe, A

Pastsenger the Series

Love Mate

Love Syndrome the Series

Promise the Series, The

Day I Loved You, The

Our Dining Table (Bokura no Shokutaku)

Our Skyy 2

My Story the Series

Starstruck

Love Tractor

Naked Dining

Luminous Solution, The

Omai Series / Is My Roommate A Foreigner

Stupid Genius

Step By Step

La Pluie the series

Tie the Not

Sing My Crush / Follow the Wind

Tokyo in April Is .../ Shigatsu no Tokyo wa

Senior Love Me?

Be My Favorite

Show Me Love

Dinosaur Love

Low Frequency

Stay Still

Stay By My Side

Jun & Jun

Wedding Plan the Series

Laws of Attraction, the

Love Class s2

Minato's Laundromat S2

Hidden Agenda

Bon Appetit

Why RU the Series [Korean adaptation]

Be Mine Superstar

Star, The Season 2

Love In Translation

My Beautiful Man: Eternal

My Personal Weatherman

Bump Up Business

Naughty Babe Series

Only Friends

Grand Guignol

Dangerous Romance

If It's With You / Kimi to Nara Koi wo Shite Mite Mo

Y Journey: Stay Like a Local

I Feel You Linger in the Air

Venus in the Sky

Kiseki: Dear to Me

I Cannot Reach You

You Are Mine

Breeze of Love / Weather Forecast of Love

Mr. Cinderella 2

Let's Eat Together Aki and Haru

One Room Angel

Marry My Dead Body

Lucky My Love the Series

Pure Vanilla: Recipe for Romance

Absolute Zero

Memories, The

My Dear Gangster Oppa

Shadow

What Did You Eat Yesterday? S2

Middleman Love

Beyond the Star

Bake Me Please

You and My Stars

I Became the Lead in a BL Drama

[hongtiddiez]

🌸 gifs | meta | writing | ao3 | carrd 🌸

tag me 🌸 useroat

atiny ⌛ hongjoong ult bias | wooyoung wrecker

monbebe ⋈ changkyun bias | joohoney wrecker

kpop gifs 🌸 ateez | i.m

album wishlist 🌸 treasure ep.fin: all to action | treasure ep.extra: shift the map | treasure epilogue: action to answer | treasure ep. map to answer | into the A to Z | dreamers | season songs | taste of korea | beyond: zero | the world ep.paradigm | limitless | not okay | overdrive | off the beat | the dreaming deluxe (v2) | flow | dice

(you can ease my burden via my throne)

bl gifs 🌸 bake me please | fluke gawin | great sapol | kiseki: dear to me | manner of death | moonlight chicken | my stand in | not me | papang phromphiriya | pit babe | playboyy | poom phuripan | the sign

bls watched 🌸 4 minutes | a boss and a babe | bad buddy | bake me please | bed friend | be my favorite | between us | cherry magic 30 | cutie pie | the eclipse | enchanté | history 3: trapped | kinnporsche | kiseki: dear to me | la pluie | last twilight | laws of attraction | love in the air | love is better the second time around | manner of death | moonlight chicken | my engineer | my stand in | not me | pit babe | playboyy | semantic error | the sign | triage | until we meet again

[dropthedemiurge]

2023 Year Results

I have lost my ranking of favorite Thai BL/QLs that I made during half of the year, so I'm just going to write it anew^^

My Top BLs by the end of 2023:

1. Be My Favorite

2. Moonlight Chicken

3. Not Me

4. The Eclipse

5. Semantic Error (or if we talk only Thai series, then Bad Buddy!)

Honorable mentions: Only Friends, SOTUS, Laws of Attraction, Kieta Hatsukoi, My Ride...

I keep changing the places and Moonlight Chicken held such a strong place in my heart but now I'm also taking into account whether I liked all pairings and characters, so BMF finally took over. But I still can't decide whether The Eclipse is higher than Not Me, I might rewatch it endlessly but Not Me was a cultural reset :D As well as Semantic Error who's done so good and finally broke through the typical Korean BL setting and public's favor.

Bad Buddy has done amazingly as well but there are only 5 places in Top 5 ranking 🥲 I guess, the Our Skyy just dimmed my good memories about it a little bit x)

I love how this year we got shows that have expanded beyond the borders of usual BLs, they added mystery and mystic, action, time travelling, sitcom etc, mixed gentes, kept speaking out about many important things - from marriage legalisation to equal rights - that definitely had its own impact on real life, actors went on many fanmeetings overseas, from West to East, and overall... This was a good year, story and fandom wise.

My Fanfic Statistics

I stopped writing metas and somewhat distanced myself from the fandom when I felt that my views often didn't align with majority (and also got shadowbanned by tumblr?), but I wrote ~ 80k words on AO3 and drew >10-15 arts that I really enjoyed. I still have many wips so look forward to them!

I wrote way too many Only Friends fics whole I watched the show xD This was definitely a show that gave out ideas (and sometimes outrage) and lots of angst.

But Not Me fics are still my number one (though mostly because of all the crossovers with other series I keep writing about)

Also somehow Bad Buddy OT4 fic is now the longest fanfic I've ever written (both in Neglish and my native language). And it's still not finished but tbh even I don't know exactly how it will end, that's how self-indulgent this is but I'm so happy rhat many people were excited about this idea with me!

My Fandom

I also had a blast having various discussions in my own small community and people who wanted to share opinions and watch series together. You guys keep inspiring and supporting me in exploring many ideas, drawing art and writing many fics, I truly admire and adore you all, especially my fam @springkitten @xagan and also @thepancakelady @wereflamingo (I'm surprised how often we agreed with each other on somethjng but that's what makes discussions interesting xD).

Also I want to hug bad buddy server was a joyful discover this year too that inspired me to start learning Thai, our not me server that keeps being my safe comfort space and many hugs to some tumblr folks who I talk in replies and reblogs (I am truly bad at remembering usernames but if I ever chatted with you here, I am definitely thinking about you and your profile picture <3)

Here's to 2024 and more projects

I also started my FirstKhao AU visual novel, and though I thought I would be able to make it in a month or two and then got struck by Health Doing Bad for a long time, I'm definitely determined to finish it next year.

And we keep talking about making Poetry Zines with @springkitten inspired by lakorns/bls we watched and I'd like to try and make it happen 👀

I also want to return to commissions in a better way, because of political situation I haven't been able to continue drawing for my foreign friends but thanks to my other friends who are generous to help me with handling finances for me, I might be able to start drawing requests again! I also spent like 5 months fixing my health that kept me from creating I want to finish old ones and I'm really itching to return to drawings and other projects :D

And I have in my mind mastering pixel and 3d art as a part of my Changing Profession and Career Path in 2024 so let's hope I can lighten up everyone's mood with cooler art and animations 👀

Happy New Year and Happy holidays, everyone!

[celestial-sapphicss]

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE 💖🥳🌹I hope this year is full of kindness, warmth, strength, hope and positivity for you ✨

i can't believe it's been only a little more than an year for me on this hellsite. i already love all of the people here 🥺

i grateful that that we had @badbuddyweek @badbuddyrewatch this year!!! most definitely the highlights for me 🫣

i loved everyone's edits/gifsets/creations (y'all are so talented), and the meta posts and the fics (the brains!!!!!), and they truly made my year!

i discovered ton of different shows this year, and watching them along with everyone here talking about it definitely made me like those shows more!

some of my favourite shows/movies that i saw this year were: the gifted series, cherry magic movie, fathers movie, semantic error, vice versa, enchante, the eclipse, 55:15 never too late, baker boys, kieta hatsukoi, light on me, the player, not me, everything I'm currently watching and definitely bad buddy!

tagging some blogs/people who made my year 10x better! @justafriend-ql @gooseras @dramavibes @naravits @telomeke-bbs @singharit @prans-pat @piningintrovert @ardentlytess @tutontawan @deshimango @dimpledpran @talays-portkey @i-got-the-feels @billlkin @actually-yikes @7nessasaryevils @phukaoapologist @grapejuicegay @cankersoregirl @lovelyghostv @surajmukhis @pranpats @tipsyjaehyun @pranparakul @freensrcha @icouldhyperfixatehim @ghostvalleymasters @laowen @lanzhans @machikeita @tachineko @seeking-moonscapes @dribs-and-drabbles @absolutebl @airenyah @maggiecheungs @wahgifs @baifengxis @smittenskitten @dangermagnetstrand @ahxu-laowen @oldfashioncupcakes @casualavocados @cubedmango @spicyvampire @heretherebedork @kaonoppakao and literally everyone else (the tag limit 😡)

i can't wait for this new year to bring a lot of great shows to us so all of us can collectively lose our minds over them yet again (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤

something below the cut for people who didn't have the best of 2022 and some dose of hope & strength.

so, i did not have a particularly great 2022. i could only get through it safe and sane because of the loveliest person that my mother is.

she wrote something for me for the new year's, and I'd love to share it with everyone who had a difficult 2022. (consider it a bearhug from my mom & i).

मैं प्रार्थना करती हूँ, अपने बच्चे के लिए, वो आने वाले साल को, जी भर जियें।

जो रोष मिलें हैं जिंदगी से, उसे स्वीकार कर आगे बढ़े।

दुखद स्मृतियों को भुला पाएं, सुखद समृतियों को हँस कर याद करें।

कठोर ना बने, पर कोमल भी ना रहें।

चलना ही है सर उठा कर, ये बस याद रहे।

दुख उन्हें तोड़े ना।

जिंदगी का एक पहलू लगे, कोई ना हो, उनकी माँ है साथ, ये भी हमेशा याद रहे।

अपने जीवन को धिक्कारें ना, उस से जी भर प्यार करें।

रास्ते खोजें उस पर बढ़ें, और जीवन को स्वीकार करें।

translation: i pray for my child to live the coming year to the fullest. accept whatever hardships & pain this life has given you and have the strength to move on. have the strength to forget the painful memories, and remember the happy memories with laughter. do not become cruel, but do not remain tender either (so that people walk over you). remember, that you should walk with your head held high! hope that the pain doesn't break you. if it ever feels like there's no one for you, always remember that you have your mother (parent/guardian) with you. i hope you don't curse your life, love it to the fullest. find & explore your way/path, move forward on it, and accept your life.

skksksk the translated version seems a lot like toxic positivity bs but i swear its not, it full of love and strength and hope and respect.

[blmpff]

CURRENT ASK GAME

thanks @colourme-feral ^^

Current time: 11am

Current activity: scrolling socials at work lol

Currently thinking about: my replacement at work I'll be teaching starting tomorrow, we're finally quitting babes

Current favorite song: a bunch by Disturbed, I've been listening to all their albums on a loop for a few days now. Honorable mention to Khao's song from OFTS, it's the first ost since LOM that I liked enough to add on Spotify, guess I should redo that "5 songs from qls you listen to" tag now lol

Currently reading: do bl metas on here count?

Currently watching:

- actually watching: Kiseki: Dear To Me, Minato's Laundromat 2, Why R U Korea, My Personal Weatherman, Love Class 2, I Feel You Linger In The Air, Only Friends, Love In Translation, Earth and Bank's bit in My Universe

- fastforwarding through: Be Mine Superstar, Jun&Jun, Dangerous Romance, Hidden Agenda, Venus in the Sky (I feel like I'm missing something, mdl is glitching on me and I think it doesn't show everything)

- rewatching: lowkey Semantic Error and Under The Skin (yes still, no comment). Non-bl: Inspector Koo for the very side gay situationship cannonship - corrected by @colourme-feral <3

Current favorite character: Cha(r)n from LoA, Boston and Nick from OFTS - they are just so deliciously messy 🤌

Current WIP: some parallels and favorite shots posts

No pressure tags xoxo: @troubled-mind @neuroticbookworm @danthebookworm @solaarflaree @lelephantsnail @firstkanaphans @thedaughtersoflilith

[darrylhudson86]

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[emotionallychargedtowel]

BL meta master post

I've had an Utsukushii Kare master post as my pinned post for a while now, since I've posted so much about it. But I think it's time I do a general BL meta post instead. All of the links and information from the Utsukare post are here, too, but so are links to my other BL meta posts.

It's going to take a while to get everything in here so I'm going to go ahead and publish it even though it isn't entirely complete. I'll continue updating it until it is complete, and I'll add newer posts as they come.

Posts covering multiple BLs

The pursuer-distancer dyad & how it applies to the world of BL - a primer on this psychological concept and how it applies to BL generally, touching on how it applies to Utsukushii Kare, Semantic Error, and To My Star 2

BL ask game: Long-term pining and grumpy/sunshine

My top 5 rewatched BL scenes, responding to an ask by @wen-kexing-apologist (Spoiler: it's still mostly Utsukare)

Zettai BL season 3

What's different about Hatano, part 1 - In short, Hatano isn't fucking around.

What's different about Hatano, part 2 - Hatano's awareness of Mob's fourth wall-breaking and other ways he sometimes senses Mob's reality in a way no one else has

25 ji Akasaka de

Prying off the shell - In episode 7, Hayama's friend Mihara makes a an interesting observation. He says that Shirasaki doesn't seem to have a "shell"--his way of talking about a social self, a persona that a person experiences as separate from their core self. Then he points out that Hayama not only has a "shell," he has multiple layers of shell, so many that it's essentially impenetrable, like a neverending set of matryoshka dolls. I wrote here about what these shell metaphors really mean psychologicaly, how Hayama's family of origin played into his multilayered shell, and the implications of both their personalities on how they relate to each other.

Nominating a runner for 25 ji - If someone has to do the traditional JBL thing of running through the streets to get to the other person, who should run? That's a question @my-rose-tinted-glasses and @lurkingshan discussed, and it got me thinking.

Hayama's mask finally slips - Looking closely at Hayama's affect in the opening scene of episode 9--and trying to process the level of blorbo distress that entails

Over-analyzing the finale trailer in a vain attempt to try to manage my pre-finale angst

The Eighth Sense

The Eighth Sense e5 & e6: Portraying trauma with nuance

On The Eighth Sense episodes 7 & 8

The Eighth Sense episodes 9 and 10: All we can do is try

Bokura no Shokutaku/Our Dining Table

Thoughts on the "spinoff" (bonus episode) and how it's a logical extension of the leads' character arcs

Old Fashion Cupcake

I had a realization about Nozue's constant, somewhat inappropriate complimenting of Togawa while looking at a gifset and reblogged it with my thoughts

To My Star

Notes on a gifset by @jimmysea - Nerding out big time on that one season 2 kiss

Only Friends

Sand, compulsive caregiver - On Sand's documented history of parentification and how it relates to his relationship with Ray

Minato's Laundromat

About that Minato's Laundromat season 2 storyline... - Commenting on a certain character's traumatic brain injury and its effects from a psychology perspective

Kiseki: Dear to Me

Chu chu chu; or, intimate scene tips from the Kiseki cast

Brief commentary on a reblog of some behind-the-scenes footage

HIStory 3: Trapped

A reblog of the "chu chu chu" post about Kiseki that adds similar information about how intimacy was handled on the set of HIStory 3: Trapped - featuring a helpful linguistic note from @nibupei

and, last but not least...

Utsukushii Kare meta

The psychological paradoxes of Utsukushii Kare

This is a series of posts (the current plan is to write three installments) about what it says on the tin: paradoxical psychological dynamics in Utsukushii Kare. These are things about the characters that may seem contradictory at first but can be accounted for by digging deeper into some psychological concepts. These posts are focused on the series (both seasons) but will draw from the movie and from the novel and related stories when they illustrate points about the series.

Part 1: Covert grandiosity and finding status through idealization - A pretty deep dive into 1) the subtle ways Hira shows that while his self-image can be highly negative in some ways, in other respects he feels superior to others and 2) how by elevating Kiyoi’s status and humbling himself in comparison, Hira attains a different kind of status.

An addendum of sorts to part 1: Hira's parents and his self-defeating tendencies - Some guesswork about how Hira's parents could have contributed to his self-defeating personality, with some further discussion of specific self-defeating strategies he uses in his relationship with Kiyoi and elsewhere.

Utsukushii Kare through the lens of pursuer-distancer dynamics and related psychological concepts:

The pursuer-distancer dyad & how it applies to the world of BL - a primer on this psychological concept and how it applies to BL generally, with a brief reference to how this concept applies to Utsukare (also touches on Semantic Error and talks in detail about an example from To My Star 2). This one isn't super focused on Utsukushii Kare but is pretty de rigeur for understanding my UK posts on this topic.

Paradoxical roles; or, I think I finally figured out the pursuer-distancer dynamic in Utsukushii Kare - This post comes after some of the posts listed below but I recommend reading it first as this is really where (I think) I cracked the code on this aspect of the story.

Pursuer-distancer roles & attachment style in Utsukushii Kare, Part 1: Hira - In-depth discussion of Hira's role in the pursuer-distancer dyad, his attachment style, and his personality

Pursuer-distancer roles and attachment style in Utsukushii Kare Part 2: Kiyoi - In-depth discussion of Kiyoi's role in the pursuer-distancer dyad, his attachment style, and his personality

Re-evaluating pursuing & distancing in Utsukushii Kare season 1 - super detailed post working out my thoughts about pursuing and distancing in season 1

On the way Sakai Mai (the series' director) uses seme left, uke right framing and its significance in BL and other Japanese media:

Using an example from the s2e1 with the girl who hits on Hira at a party (via a reblog of a gifset from @nanons)

On the way Sakai flips Hira's and Kiyoi's position in the frame in two versions of the same scene and what it tells us about its significance

How the persistent/cute trope plays out in Utsukushii Kare season 2, plus related overanalyses of the big season 2 finale kiss:

The persistent and the cute (how "persistent" and "cute" are code words with specific meanings in BL/yaoi/other drama and manga genres/Japanese culture more broadly)

Analyzing the season 2 finale kiss in light of seme left/uke right framing and the persistent/cute trope (in a reblog of a gif post by @nanons)

Reblogging @bl-bracket to lobby for the season 2 finale kiss, with more overanalysis

Fragrance nerd discussion:

This bittersweet fragrance - on the significance of osmanthus/tea olive in Utsukushii Kare season 2, with additional information on the possible significance of the fragrance of osmanthus and perfumes that are either osmanthus soliflores or feature prominent osmanthus notes

Posts on specific season 2 episodes:

initial thoughts about S2e1

Additional (informal) thoughts on s2e1

S2e1 rundown

Hira's incongruous/misaligned affect at the end of s2e1

S2e2 rundown

on S2e2, including pursuer-distancer dynamics and seme left, uke right

Utsukushii Kare S2E4: “face me straight on” (mostly discussing relationship dynamics pointed out in topic-specific metas)

on Utsukushii Kare: Eternal:

Kiyoi and Anna: on Kiyoi’s friendship with Anna and its significance for his personal growth

[blorbingqls]

Introduction

name: jace/jacynth/entity pronouns: they/them (any neo pronouns also welcome) identity: neuroqueer genderfluid - desi

talk about: queer media (especially BLs, GLs and others) and its aspects - mostly watch thai (very selective with korean, japanese and taiwanese) featured tags: #jace reacts and reblogs , #jace's stray thoughts into the tumblr void (nothing else as of now)

follows and likes from: @where-are-not-honeydews

shows i have not yet gotten over(?!): kinnporsche, only friends, between us, 180 degree longitude passes through us, never let me go, the eclipse, dark blue kiss, enchante, kieta hatsukoi, cherry magic, semantic error, to my star, moonlight chicken

posts/metas written so far: we accept the love we think we deserve (only friends), thai bls and challenging filial piety, thoughts on control (only friends), thoughts on repetition (between us) , win appreciation (between us), addition to "who is mew anyways?", sand being the sassiest character, gmmtv 2024 pt 1 stray thoughts (and more to write) people from BL that makes me want them carmally blorbos from BL that will make me protect them at EVERY FUCKING COST karan and achi beyond the mask (cherry magic th)

wallpapers made: the eclipse the series only friends the series kpts, buts and ofts

any else you want to know, just message me! okay, bye!!!!!

[rhysiana]

For organizational purposes, links to all my writing of the past couple of years, short bits though they may be: (updated 7/3/2023)

Atom no Ko -This Would Be Enough: Tumblr | AO3 (post-canon getting together ft. ace Nayuta)

Old Fashion Cupcake -Meta: the half-generation divide between Togawa and Nozue and how they approach work-life balance -Meta: Old Fashion Cupcake and kawaii culture -Meta: gay characters and office matchmaking in Old Fashion Cupcake and Kinou nani tabeta? -Kawaii ne (Togawa, Nozue, and the power of kawaii): Tumblr | AO3 -Petit Fours - an AO3 collection of post-canon domestic moments (originally individually posted on Tumblr, currently at 6 moments) --“only fools rush in” - a song lyric prompt ficlet --Togawa stuck in a hotel away from home - a winter travel woes prompt fill Semantic Error -Embrace (Chu Sangwoo learns to appreciate hugs): Tumblr | AO3 -Missing a train in France - a winter travel woes prompt fill -5 Times Chu Sangwoo Made a Change and 1 Time He Didn’t Have To: Tumblr | AO3 - post-canon domesticity and learning to live together Under the Skin -Tiny character study: Du Cheng looking at Shen Yi -Tiny character study: Shen Yi being conflicted about his art -“there's a light in your room, and it burns like a shade of yellow” - a song lyric prompt ficlet Nirvana in Fire -Fragments of a Life Lived in Dreams: Tumblr | AO3 | Podfic - what if Lin Shu and Xiao Jingyan started sharing dreams after Lin Shu fell? Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty -New teacher Tang Fan gets rescued from typhoon flooding by neighbor Sui Zhou (modern AU inspired by stupid personal experience, sadly not extending to being rescued by Sui Zhou) -Modern AU where Tang Fan loses his perfect scarf and has to track down the knitter to get a new one -Bad Coffee and Good Company (an unacknowledged reincarnation AU, mostly vibes, fake-to-real dating speedrun): Tumblr | AO3 My Country: The New Age -“all we need is candlelight” - a modern AU Seonhwi song lyric prompt ficlet (now also on AO3) -a Seonhwi sci-fi AU in which Nam Seon-ho had an emotion-repressing implant and Seo Hwi rescues him from drifting in space (this one I did start rewriting in a more polished style, but who knows if it will actually get finished) -Weather the Storm: Tumblr | AO3 - snowed in at the secret shack, a Seonhwi winter travel woes prompt fill -“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love you.” - tiny Seonhwi angst prompt fill Cherry Magic -Off of the Podium, Into His Heart (a winter Olympics AU): Tumblr | AO3 The Untamed -A Shang Chi AU ft. Yunmeng Jiang -Test pilot WWX with a Wangxian romance novel rescue -Chengqing modern arranged marriage AU -The punk club AU: Wangxian 1&2, Wangxian 3, Songxiao -Modern Untamed chained romcom series ft. Sangcheng, Nielan, and Wangxian (whyyyy do I not have enough writing brain to turn this into the glorious fic series it deserves to be?) -In Love with Ghosts (post-canon LXC & Song Lan): Tumblr | AO3 -All the Lotuses in the World (post-canon Sangcheng): AO3 | Tumblr [art post for ch 2] -“not until you return” - a post-canon Wangxian song lyric prompt ficlet -“I'm gonna spouse you and make ya tat' ya ring” - a modern AU Wangxian song lyric prompt ficlet -“Hurts.” “I know. It’s going to hurt some more, okay? Deep breaths. I’m sorry— I’m so sorry—” - a tiny Jingyi/Sizhui angst prompt fill -art class nerdery - thoughts about NHS, WWX, and LWJ as students in art classes I took in high school -Warmth in Winter: Tumblr | AO3 - a Wangxian post-canon winter travel woes prompt fill -Already On It: Tumblr | AO3 - a Chengqing modern AU winter travel woes prompt fill ft. mutual competence appreciation -OYZZ disappears modern juniors quartet AU fic prompt idea free to a good home -Fics I Didn’t Write: Nighthunt Dispatcher NHS - premise for a modern cultivation AU that was going to be a set-up for a Sangcheng sex pollen emergency contact story, but also started b/c NHS being good at a job against his will made me laugh -Fics I Didn’t Write: Nieyao MMA AU - the opening of a niche medical massage therapist/MMA fighter AU I started as a vehicle for my issues with the MMA fetishization of jiu jitsu school pedigree -Two Pollens (Alike in Indignity): Tumblr | AO3 - a Nieyao truth pollen + sex pollen story, cowritten with ritualist (the longest thing I’ve completed in forever!) -3 People Wei Ying Talked to About Suddenly Getting Taller and 1 Person Who Definitely Noticed On His Own: Tumblr | AO3

Word of Honor -Antihistamine-fueled modern college AU ft. Wenzhou as disaffected seniors out to make Prof. Zhao's life hell -Modern AU ft. author ZZS and hairdresser WKX (started as a joke after I watched Hey Sensei, Don't You Know? and then took a swerve into actual plot, another one I really wanted to turn into something more formally written, but as it is it's already over 5k) --Update: Now on AO3 with a title! Persistence Pays Off Guardian -Urban fantasy AU with Shen Wei as a symphony conductor (I 100% forgot I wrote this) Devil Judge -“you can call me villain” - a Gahan Vicious AU song lyric prompt ficlet -Gaon finally makes it to Switzerland - a Gahan winter travel woes prompt fill Bonus throwback content: OMGCP -“this can't be love” - song lyric prompt speedrun version of a long Nurseydex I had in progress before Asian dramas took over -to be myself again - the bits of the longer version that actually got written (post-canon, Dex inherits a house back in Maine, invites Nursey to stay while he works through writer's block), also with notes

[legendaryrooftopscene]

on November 27, 2021, I started watching bad buddy out of idle curiosity, given a mutual's long meta post about the greatest first kiss in cinematic history. i watched all 5 available episodes and fell ass over teakettle for not only the show, but thai BL as well. it is now November 27, 2022. here's everything I've watched, ranked out of 10 (including BL from other countries and some non-BL as well). final count: 116. (92 finished. 18 started/in-progress but did not finish. 6 actively watching that are airing now). I kept copious notes about all the shows I watched so if you're curious why I ranked a certain show like I did, please feel free to send me an ask :) I love talking about my thoughts about things

10/10 (i had fun 100% of the time I was watching or it made my brain produce happy static to think about)

Kinnporsche

Manner of Death

Tale of 1000 Stars

Until We Meet Again

HIStory 3: Trapped

9/10 (great show, great characters, but there was 1 or 2 things I didn't like about the writing/acting/production)

Bad Buddy

Not Me

A Man Who Defied the World of BL

Lovely Writer

My Beautiful Man

A First Love Story

Semantic Error

Cherry Blossoms After Winter

The Sound of Magic

DNA Says Love You

Triage

Old Fashion Cupcake

Roommates of Poongduck 304

8/10 (same as above, with slightly more egregious errors)

He's Coming To Me

Cherry Magic

Keita Hatsukoi

Where Your Eyes Linger

Kei x Yaku

The Eclipse

You Make Me Dance

Long Time No See

Tinted with You

Please Tell Me So

You're My Sky

Love and Leashes

My Only 12%

TharnType Special Episode

HIStory: Obsessed

HIStory: Stay Away From Me

Secret Crush on You

Plus and Minus

Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss

Love Stage (Thailand)

We're Both Grooms

Hey Rival! I Love You

Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai

On Cloud Nine

We Best Love

7/10 (flawed but I enjoyed it. a pulp that is a 7/10 has a much higher score than a high-budget/polished show that has a 7/10)

Cutie Pie

BeLoved In House: I Do

SOTUS

Color Rush

Nobleman Ryu's Wedding

Light On Me

Wish You

To My Star

7 Days

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line

HIStory 2: Right or Wrong

Dear Doctor, I'm Coming for Soul

HIStory 4: Close To You

Because of You

You Are Ma Boy

Gameboys

Love from Outta Space

Blueming

Tonhon Chonlatee

Cupid's Last Wish

Close Friend 2

The Ring Goes Missing

About Youth

Mr. Heart

Zero Photography

Takara-Kun and Amagi-Kun

Love in the Air

6/10 (seriously flawed and/or disappointing. usually in the 'I can fix it' range)

Star in your Mind

Theory of Love

Golden Blood

Why R U?

My Secret Love

My Tee

Mood Indigo

Senpai This Can't Be Love

Want to See You

5/10 (everything here I got through on 1.5x-2.0x speed)

Together with Me

Close Friend

Kissable Lips

Puppy Honey

Puppy Honey 2

Love's Coming

Meow Ears Up

The Promise

En of Love: Love Mechanics

Zero Supporter

4/10 (I finished it so i must have liked something about it)

Love By Chance

3/10 (hatewatch)

The Pornographer

TharnType

DFN (did not finish for various reasons. sometimes shows I enjoyed greatly are on this list. some I am still watching at my own pace)

3 Will Be Free

7 Project

Ingredients

Love is Science?

Enchante

War of Y

Ghost Host Ghost House

Lovesick

Big Dragon

Second Chance

The Gifted

Miracle of the Teddy Bear

I'm Tee, Me Too

Even Sun

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Love Between Fairy and Devil

Coffee Melody

Ocean Likes Me

Still airing

GAP

Choco Milkshake

Between Us

I Will Knock You

Remember Me

My Tooth Your Love

[blglplus]

My Top 10 BL’s of all time (and also 2022 because I’m new)

So I only discovered BL this year and what an incredible year of TV watching it has been. This year was difficult and I needed the escape. I first got obsessed with Heartstopper and then someone suggested I check out Thai BL and she was a goddamn genius. I had already been reading a lot of M/M romance novels and watching all the western queer shows I could like Heartstopper, Love, Simon, Young Royals etc. But the absolute joy and madness of BL knows no equal. 

So here is my personal top ten BL’s that I watched this year. Meaning many of these are from previous years it’s just that I only discovered them this year. So the title of this list could be very misleading

1. 2gether - this was the first one I watched and will always have a special place in y heart. It was like watching high production fanfiction and I’m INTO it. It loses some points for being homophobic/femmephobic towards Green of course. Also it had a LOT of “sing your feelings” but it was cute, funny and Bright was SO good. Not to mention insanely hot? I even watched Boys Over Flowers because he was in it and ENJOYED it. 

2. My Beautiful Man - this one hit me on a personal level and I just loved it. The complexity of the characters and their journeys. The actor who played Kiyoi was incredible! He deserved the award/awards he got. This one had depth in a way that I can’t quite articulate.

3. Seven Days - this was so freaking cute. I watched it because @absolutebl recced it and Phi was right - I have already re-watched bits of it multiple times. The chemistry was on point and again there was a complexity and depth to the characters that was explored really well. Love it. Also I love all the nods to the manga in the filming style, very cool. Phi was also right that you need to ignore the hair.

4. Cherry Magic - how is it possible for one show to be THIS adorable? This is the one I want to show all my friends and family. I was constantly giggling in that shy way you do when you’re texting someone you have a crush on. I loved it.

5. KinnPorsche - how much hotness can one show contain? And I’m not even into dudes very much! Was this show messy and at times illogical? Sure. Did I care? Not at all. I love every single inch of it. I loved the narrative behind it. It was a trip and it was amazing.

6. Semantic Error - this show is perfect. It’s cute, it’s funny, it’s beautifully shot, the leads have great chemistry. Perfect romcom. The uke is so hot!

7. Why R U - I honestly found this show hilarious. I love a neurotic meta thinker (Zon) and Tutor/Fighter had such good chemistry. It got messy towards the end sure. That scene where Zon was freaking out in Saifah’s bed and made a pillow fort was just so funny to me, I can’t explain it. I love them.

8. Love By Chance - the Ae/Pete only cut. Luckily I was warned by the internet about the rapiness of the side couples in this one so I skipped lots of them (though I still watched Pond’s story and Tin/Can). Ae and Pete are so freaking cute and Perth’s acting as Ae is incredible. I can’t believe he was only 16 at the time! When they look at each other I get all warm like drinking a hot chocolate. It’s so freaking cute. Also I love the read of Ae as demi.

9. We Best Love - No 1 for you. This was cute as was it’s sequel. Great chemistry, solid story, excellent.

10. The RamKing cut of My Engineer. If we were taking the whole show into account there are other shows I love more for sure, but I love this side couple SO MUCH. Even though I sort of enjoy the D/s elements of seme/uke I love it when there is less seme/uke or the lines are blurredand both characters take both roles and it feels more honestly queer. Also I’m a big fan of the silent, tough, loyal type that Ram is in this one. Plus the longing glances! And the flowers! Just so cute! I’ve already watched their cut at least 3 times through. I quickly started fast forwarding over the others when I was watching it.

Honourable Mentions:

Bad Buddy - this was great and solid plus I love that they are explicitly verse and some queer stuff is addressed. Not to mention side GL couple! We love! More of this please (though can we have some that aren’t femme please for the love of flannel?) It didn’t make the list because it just didn’t quite make me squee as hard as some of the ones above.

Love in the Air but only Payu/Rain. I feel like the dubcon with Payu/Rain is less dubious because of the non-verbal signals going on there. Consent doesn’t have to be just verbal - some people struggle with verbal. But maybe I’m just justifying this to myself haha, but hey, I won’t yuck your yum, don’t yuck mine. Plus Rain is hilarious, like honeslty hilarious. I mostly hated Prapai/Sky. The diary reading was especially terrible.

Secret Crush on You - yes it’s cringey. I love it anyway. I love the friends (especially Daisy of course - I wish Daisy’s story was more fleshed out!). I LOVE the chemistry and that there are seme/uke vibes but Toh, the uke, is hella into it! Love Jao/Sky. This show is happy and comforting and I can skip the extra painful bits!

I told the sunset about you - this one gave me too many feelings and it hurt. But it was beautiful and great also. The one I would show to my arty friends.

2moons2 but just the side couples. Especially Beam/Forth, so cute!

What I’m watching now:

I am participating in this strange antiquated tradition of watching TV shows AS THEY AIR with only one episode dropping per week! It’s madness! Absolute madness! I’m currently watching: Between Us (Win is so hot!), My School President (so cute!), Never Let Me Go (so exciting!), The New Employee, Ameiro Paradox and Gap: the series (I will watch all the GL dammit).

I’m also part way through:

The Eclipse

Be Loved in House (I do)

planning to start eternal yesterday because apparently I like pain?