#some bl actors should take notes from him

[theside-b]

You know what, mad respect for Kevin Chang, because he got himself a storyline in this het-show but if it was up to him you would never know about it — there is zero mention of it in his socials, on the other hand he is 120% dedicated to Eternal Butler and is constantly promoting and posting stuff about the show and hanging out with Eden.

[absolutebl]

hello! i recently attended a panel on live action BL, and they recommended your blog for all things BL. i'd love to get into more queer shows to watch. this is oddly specific, but do you have any shows with a strong plot where one or more of the love interests is famous? anything else goes. (bonus points if they knew each other before they/either of them became famous, it's a favorite trope). thank you, and have a good day!!!

Top 10 Celebrity BLs!

I love oddly specific questions. I'm the human BL recommendation algo, and I'm ready! Although like most algos I sometimes get it way wrong. I will do my bestest.

Hello, WELCOME!

BLs with a strong plot where one of the love interests is famous, bonus for the "known since childhood" trope

I fixed your request, since in BL we just can't expect strong plot and "strong" plot is super objective anyway. I put these in order of my personal preference and noted if it breaks your criteria.

Ready? Here we go!

To My Star

(Korea 2021 Viki)

Hwang Da Seul directing this show about a neurotic actor (actual puppy) who takes refuge with a grumpy chef resulting in sparks, cooking lessons, and LOVE! It’s is a touch quirky to get into, but utterly charming once it hits its stride. This is the ultimate grumpy/sunshine pairing plus the most appealing light-filled kitchen of our dreams. I adore this show so much. Limited use of BL tropes makes this feel more of a sweet contemporary gay romance between an actor plagued by scandal and the chef who accidentally adopts him, but the gentleness will appeal to fans of the BL genre.

Doesn't have much plot and they did not know each other before, but my only 10/10 on this list.

Cosmetic Playlover

(Japan 2024 Gaga)

It's a classic office BL about the older workaholic who loves his job and the younger upstart who unexpectedly loves his boss. It’s a hyung romance where everybody is extremely earnest and sweet and pretty about everything. Except our seme, who is slightly unhinged and a little obsessed in all the ways one likes best from Japan. Utterly charming unexpected gem of a show. What fun!

The seme was once a famous model but left the business for harassment reasons. Again, light on plot and they didn't know each other before.

Lovely Writer

(Thai 2021 YouTube)

Thailand criticizes itself and the BL industry while simultaneously giving us classic seme/uke with great chemistry in a one-two punch of “we love it, but are we supposed to? and must we think this hard, yet enjoy it SO MUCH?” This show won’t appeal or make sense to those who don’t already have at least some Thai BL watching experience.

What Lovely Writer does, at heart, is re-exame what Thai BL has done to queerness, but in a very gentle way that has more to do with Thai BL growing up than any actual queer authenticity. It’s not parody or pastiche, but it is self reflective and trying to correct for some chronic mistakes. Whether it is ultimately successful in this matter is going to depend on the watcher’s relationship to BL and queer identity. But that’s what makes this show beautiful, interesting, and thought provoking. And I, for one, applaud the effort even if I didn’t personally connect to the characters.

This one satisfies all your criteria, but if you are new to Thai BL you should watch others first.

My Beautiful Man AKA Utsukushii Kare

(Japan 2021 Gaga)

One of the most Japanese BLs to release in the last decade, as weird and as messed up as any 2000′s yaoi: emo af and hella warped, entirely true to itself with no attempt made to modify its POV for modern sensibilities or current BL fandom. It used seriously old school problematic and kinky tropes, like whipping boy, for a truly uncompromising piece that also manages to hit up themes of communication, consent, and self acceptance. It’s a wonderful BL but uniquely dirty and harsh, in the best possible way - Japanese cinema, uncompromising. I lost my mind over the ending.

For actual celebrity status you will need to watch all 3 installments (this is the first season). But it has the tone I think you're after. They kind of are kids when the story starts so this is following them pre-fame into adulthood.

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho

(Japan 2023 Gaga)

This style of live action yaoi really only works from Japan. Basically: boys who fell in love in college end up living together but are so repressed they don't realize they're in love. It's higher heat than we usually get from Japan's HEA stuff, and that aspect is also very well done, but it leaned into the "why don't they just talk for fuck's sake?" trope which is only exacerbated into undiluted frustration by the fact that they're already fucking.

It's great, but watching requires more patience than usual, even for Japan. That said it's also bruisingly romantic. Emphasis on bruise.

This one where they have known each other since college, and the plot is... odd and maybe absent, ya know, Japanese BL.

* ThamePo

(Thai 2025 YouTube) Watch this first! Also if no longer on YT check Viki, iQIYI, or Gaga

The boyband idol romance I've been waiting for from Korea, only Thailand did it instead. Quintessentially Thai and very GMMTV with good production values, great chemistry, and a solid support cast. It also was a hung romance mostly driven by external conflict and a found family reunion trope so I didn’t mind (too much) when that romance thread felt secondary. I loved it (except, of course, the singing).

This is it. This is the one you're probably looking for. They didn't know each other before, tho.

Unintentional Love Story

(Korea 2023 iQIYI)

OMG the plot! Uke forced into a totally understandable betrayal, falling in love despite himself, put into a corner he can't get out of, the AGONY, the PAIN in those gorgeous eyes. Gah. Okay, so: A boy loses his job due to trumped-up 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).

Everything but the childhood. The best plot on this list, but the celebrity recluse bit might not be the kind of fame you want. Still... I loved it.

Wish You: Your Melody in My Heart

(Korea 2020 Viki)

Set in the music industry featuring a talented singer and the pianist who falls in love with him (and his music), subtle and achingly adorable. High production, low heat, short run, very tame, and Korea, so all the pretty. Slow burn and lots of pining.

He isn't quite a celebrity... yet. And they didn't know each other before.

* Love Stage!!

(Thai adaptation of Japanese original 2022 YouTube?)

This BL surprised me with its charm. The acting was good, the leads were appealing, support cast on point, and the production values high. It followed the original manga story arc relatively closely: boy (now famous actor) falls in love with girl as a child, grows up to discover girl is actually a very pretty boy. Although there are some quintessentially Thai changes that mellowed, softened, and extended the romance arc.

One of the things I’ve always appreciated about this story is that the climax is about coming out as a celebrity couple as well as gay. I like the examination of the nature of celebrity versus privacy, and the contrasting kinds of closets.

And I love that they depicted two couples with two different versions of this choice. A solid and enjoyable show.

Winner winner chicken dinner. This one satisfies ALL your criteria.

Also, if you like it there is a Japanese version, an anime, and the original yaoi.

My Stand-In

(Thai 2024 iQIYI)

Stuntman Joe dies on the job and wakes up in the body of another Joe with an entirely different life. But Joe just starts repeating the mistakes of his previous self - love, work, play. Including falling back in love with rich kid (now famous) actor Ming who used and abused him as nothing more than a toy bf in the past.

I enjoyed the experience of watching this show, I looked forward to it every week. I thought everybody did a great job with it and in it, and I liked that is was something substantially different for Thai BL. But it was divisive and left me feeling more sanguine than happy. It's not really a revenge narrative (what I wanted) nor was it a romance (what BLandia expected). I spent most of this show just very very sorry for poor Joe. But if you like your celebrity gays messy, it doens't get much messier than this.

The plot is... different, and they knew each other before just not in childhood.

BONUS

Deep Night

(Thai 2024 iQiyi)

It's about a host club and all the gay boys in it and some stuff that's not important because… PEOPLE OF EARTH WE HAVE A HONEST REP OF POLY IN A BL. Stand up and raise your hands in prayer to the Thai BL gods because sure as shit no one else was ever going to give this to us. For that alone this show gets 8/10 from me. Bonus Lesbian moms and great kisses.

Okay so the celebrities are the top performers at the club and there is no plot, but I have decided it ranks, so there.

Sirs Not Appearing In the Top 10

FC Soldout - almost made it, washed up actor + up-and-coming football player

First Note Of Love - washed up musician and talented young composer

Happy Ending Romance - it's just, not really a BL, celebrity author and betrayal!

Happy Merry Ending - dito

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto - the famous person is a professor/author, reunion romance that is about lost childhood love

Behind Cut

Ocean Likes Me

Vice Versa - in one reality one of them is a famous actor but that's not the point

At 25:00, in Alaska AKA 25 Ji, Akasaka de - you might like this one

City of Stars - this might be a good one for you if you're willing to try a Thai pulp, satisfies most of your criteria

First Love Again - he's a famous novelist but that's not really relevant

I Became the Main Role of a BL AKA BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank In Hen - it's in the title

Kabe Koji AKA Kabesaa Doujin Sakka no Neko Yashiki-kun wa Shounin Yokkyuu wo Kojirasete iru - this is an idol romance, but also no real kisses

My Esports Genius Brother - very very odd, no plot, and it's China censored so... oddly I have a soft spot for it anyway

Oh My Assistant - famous writer again

Pit Babe - famous sports star and a wild plot

You Are Ma Boy, EM LÀ CHÀNG TRAI CỦA ANH - idol romance with a cafe boy, it's adorable but very Vietnamese poor quality, stil an old favorite of mine

Kiss X Kiss X Kiss - the "idol series," these are shorts from Japan, 3 of them feature idols in a band together having a secret affaire

Codicils

Shows that feature a celebrity but I rated 6/10 or lower are not on this list. But add more in comments if you like.

I left celebrity chefs off this list, because I think that's not quite what you are looking for.

This is up to date so far as I and my spreadsheet of doom can determine as of March 2025. Only included completed BLs as of that month.

(source)

[kerrikins]

The casting for 4 Minutes, the trailer and the subsequent discourse in the fandom has really reminded me of how far the BL sphere has to go in terms of working past stereotypes and bias. (I'll note here that I actually don't know how much of this has gone on here on Tumblr, I'm mostly talking about what I've seen on Twitter and Tiktok).

From the start it weirded me out to see people say stuff like 'obviously it's JesBible' as soon as the casting was announced. Because like - based on WHAT? Regardless of what turns out to be the case (or what we've seen from the trailer, now), at that point the ONLY thing to go on was stereotypes. Jes is taller and a bit bigger so therefore 'obviously' he's the top, right?

Gross. (And oh, I really need the BL world to give me a show with a big masculine bottom and a shorter top just to see some of these small minds struggle to wrap around the concept, lol.)

Then there's been the absolute obsession with the topic of 'omg is it JesBible or BibleJes' ever since the announcement. I expected it from the fandom, but the extent that it's gone on and then also hearing it from the media as well this week was so off-putting. It's reminded me that people really don't like it when they aren't given immediate confirmation of their biases and pre-defined boxes, and they don't like not being given answers, either.

I'll pause here to say that oh, I so appreciate how both Bible and Jes have handled this. They've both made it clear that it doesn't matter, that it's not relevant. Bible even said at one point that 'BibleJes or JesBible doesn't matter, you should think more about whether it's GreatTyme or TymeGreat', haha. (Also, I just want to say that I agree with what one of my friends on Twitter said - maybe, just maybe, 4 Minutes will be the show where we start rejecting this rigid defining of pairs based on who's supposed to be 'the top' or 'the bottom'? Because personally I think BibleJes and GreatTyme sound a lot better than the other way around, lol.)

Another thing I've seen come up is 'oh it's weird to see Bible being a bottom', 'it's weird to see Bible being submissive'.

Girl, what?

He's an actor. Why would he not play a variety of roles! I never see people say 'oh, it's weird to see ____ play a villain', or at least it isn't something that's been said very often, so why is this coming up here? Again: stereotypes (and a bit of fetishization, probably).

As for submissive - one day people will realize that where body parts are going has nothing to do with submission and the world will be a happier place 😭

This is why I would really like to see BLs incorporate something that I haven't seen much of: switching. Both in terms of changing up what role the actors are playing, but also just straight up acknowledging that not all queer couples stick to rigid top/bottom roles! Of course some do, but some don't, and representation of that might help dispel some of this nonsense.

There's also always a faint whiff of bottom shaming that goes on in these conversations, a view that being a bottom is 'lesser' or 'weaker' and it really bothers me. It's insulting to the actors giving their all to the roles but it's also really insulting to all the queer men out there who are being viewed that way according to sexual preferences. (And that's without even touching on the heavy, heavy whiff of sexism and misogyny attached to all of this, because I'm sure we've all seen people refer to the bottom as 'the wife', etc).

Honestly, it just deepens my admiration for Jes and Bible in taking this on. Jes has already gotten a question about how his lakorn viewers will see him now and I think he fielded that admirably, talking about how he's an actor and he hopes/thinks they'll realize that. There's also a bit of an assumption that lakorn is a 'step up' from BL so I love to see him defying that. He's been very firm on handling the media, too - he had an interview yesterday and TWICE had to shoot them down on the 'BibleJes or JesBible' nonsense.

And of course, Bible, my baby - oh, I admire him in doing this. So many BL acting pairs stick to rigid roles and here he is, in only his second role, being willing to defy those and challenge how the fandom perceives him and take on all the weirdness and hate that he's inevitably going to get through at him. I've already seen some people expressing dismay and saying they can't/don't want to see him in this sort of role, and I'm sure he had to be aware that he was opening himself up to that. I'm so proud that he did it anyway and I hope those people reconsider their notions around top/bottom and their expectation that actors stay in neat little boxes.

And all the above is without even touching on all the delays and the history with 4 Minutes, which already made it a bit messy in the first place.

ANYWAY. I don't really know how to wrap this up, since I'm partly just venting here to get this off my chest. But I really hope that this opens up some conversations in the BL space and creates some change for the better.

[emotionallychargedtowel]

nominating a runner for 25 ji

So, @my-rose-tinted-glasses and @lurkingshan have been talking about which lead character in 25 ji Akasaka de should, or is more likely to, do the traditional climactic run toward the beloved that we expect from a lot of Japanese BLs. Of course, even if there isn't a literal running scene, it seems certain that someone will have to take decisive action in an equivalent way in order for the story to reach a resolution. Well, given how obsessed I am with this show, it's not surprising that I have thoughts.

The answer might be a bit different depending on which we're talking about--who should, or who's the most likely. But I'll set that aside for the moment.

I don't think this necessarily tells us who ought to be the runner, but it's worth noting that the person who has initiated the vast majority of any closeness or intimacy in this relationship has been Hayama.

He starts right away, initiating a conversation with Shirasaki at the table read, touching his hair, and saying he's looking forward to playing his lover. At the bar, he puts himself forward as a potential sex partner, grabs Shirasaki's arm to stop him from leaving, kisses him, and basically makes a sex appointment with him for the following afternoon. Did he ever intend to act on that plan? It's hard to say. But either because he sees how petrified Shirasaki is when he meets him at his place, or for other reasons, he says or pretends that he only made the offer at the bar in order to keep Shirasaki from hooking up with a stranger. Then he suggests that they “date” each other instead and comes up with the idea of making a list of things their characters do in the drama and treating it like a to-do list.

And he keeps on initiating. He plans their aquarium date along with all of its couple-y activities; shows up at Shirasaki's apartment unannounced to watch the first episode of their show when it airs, invites himself to spend the night, and spoons Shirasaki in bed; invites Shirasaki to his place to make gnocchi and gives him a dough-kneading lesson that leads to suggestive hand doings, and so on, culminating in initiating their kiss scene rehearsal, which is at least as much an excuse for them to make out as it is actual scene preparation.

But how is all of this framed for Shirasaki, and what does it mean to Hayama?

Of course, the fact that they both portray their relationship as acting preparation and nothing more changes the meaning of all these actions and the wherewithal it takes to initiate them.

I do think it matters that Shirasaki was the one who brought up the idea that he needed to have firsthand experience with love and sexuality in order to relate to his character and took decisive--one might say, impulsive--action to make it happen. Hayama took his cues from that.

But it's hard to pin any blame on either of them for the miscommunication they got entangled in. Shirasaki didn't propose a pretend relationship to Hayama. His plan was to pick up a random dude at the bar. Hayama did propose the pretend relationship, but it was in response to Shirasaki's insistence that he needed to have this type of experience to prepare for his role. At first, he just took the place of some stranger as Shirasaki's hookup; when he changed the plan to the pretend dating thing, it was a step back from something that seemed to scare Shirasaki and toward a set of activities that would actually prepare him for the part in a way that picking up some rando wouldn't have done. Of course, it didn't hurt that Hayama also really wanted to do those things with Shirasaki.

We know why Shirasaki thinks it's plausible that Hayama is only doing the fake dating thing to help him with his performance.

For one thing, that's how it all started. He said he needed this experience and Hayama said he'd take on the boyfriend role. But it's also because of Shirasaki's insecurities about his overall self-worth, his legitimacy as an actor, and the difference in status between him and Hayama. In the first episode, Shirasaki thinks about costarring in a drama with Hayama and says to himself, “that person above the clouds is now next to me." That's how huge the distance between them seems to him.

Shirasaki has idealized Hayama ever since college. And then there’s this narrative he has in his mind about the difference between being scouted and having to petition to be allowed into the acting profession. It’s almost funny, actually. When Hayama was scouted as a model, Shirasaki spouted off about how it was a shame because he should continue acting. This affected Hayama deeply. But Shirasaki not only forgot about that comment, now that Hayama has managed to transition into acting, he has since rewritten history so that Hayama being scouted was an honor.

The narrative that Hayama was scouted and that means he’s special while Shirasaki had to beg to be allowed in because he’s less worthy is a really tempting one. Insecurities can be very persuasive under the best of circumstances, and Shirasaki’s circumstances aren’t the best. He has tried for years to break into the business with little success. So he had lots of time to ruminate on this narrative of the chosen and the not-chosen.

So for Shirasaki, it’s fairly simple. He always looked up to Hayama and thought he was special in a way he didn’t see in himself. Then he spent years watching his success from afar and idealizing him even further. Of course it’s hard for him to believe that he could really be with Hayama.

That part of the story uses one of the most common tropes in BL: the "someone as great as this person could never like me back" thing. It's a tried-and-true story element for a reason. It's something that happens a lot in real life (well, it has happened to me quite a few times, at least), so it's very relatable. And in my experience, it's particularly prone to happening to queer folks for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it gets stretched to ridiculous extremes in BL, and it gets annoying. But it's developed with care in this series and feels realistic and earned.

The portrayal of this dynamic also has some nuance and balance because despite all this, Shirasaki actually does come close to realizing Hayama likes him back.

He shows real insight when he notices signs of this, and he shows tenacity when he persists in having hope even after he hears the rumor about Hayama having an old flame he was still hung up on. It's only after overhearing Hayama himself say explicitly that he still has feelings for that person that he gives up hope, not realizing the person Hayama is talking about is himself. This misunderstanding isn't a cheap ploy, as @ginnymoonbeam has pointed out. Enough care has been taken with the story to make it really make sense.

This is where it’s also worth noting that while episode 7 was focused on showing us another side of Hayama, it also gave us some new insights into Shirasaki’s character. It didn’t tell us anything completely novel, but it made a point of explicitly mentioning and more thoroughly illustrating Shirasaki’s uncompromising, frank side. We’d already seen it in action. For example, take his rather abrupt (but salient) comment to Sakama back in the first episode about how “creating is always difficult" for actors, no matter what the details are of a given production or role. Or his stubborn insistence on repetitively calling Yamase “Yamase-kun” and not “Kazuma” (his given name) as he requested. But personally, this aspect of him only partially registered for me until episode 7 highlighted it from Hayama’s perspective. And I think it’s a part of his personality that matters here.

Shirasaki is very insecure, and he gets down on himself easily. But in some ways, he’s also very confident. There’s a kind of confidence in being opinionated, a belief that you’re competent enough to trust your own perceptions and judgment and stand by them. It's similar to the tenacity he shows when he continues to believe Hayama may return his feelings (at least, at first).

Basically, Shirasaki’s insecurities are hampering him, but he seems to have more of the kind of mental resources that would help someone speak up and take action in a situation like this.

What about Hayama? What’s been holding him back?

At first glance, it seems like he simply doesn’t think Shirasaki likes him back, thinks this is all just about acting for Shirasaki, and assumes it has to be temporary. And that’s not wrong. He thinks all these things. But there’s an additional layer here that was revealed in episode 7, Hayama's big flashback episode.

Hayama learned from his mother as a child that he would only be valued by the people he loves 1) for his appearance and 2) if he doesn’t inconvenience them with his emotions, which are by definition unwanted. According to the schemas he formed during his childhood, even expressions of love and happiness are unwelcome, as illustrated by his destroying the box of little gifts for his mom and her reminder not to show his teeth when he smiles.

It’s no wonder that the idea that Shirasaki only wants to be close to him for the purpose of acting makes sense to Hayama. To put it simply, he expects people to be interested in his outsides, but not his insides. He expects his love to be rejected but his calm, cool, seemingly self-possessed prettiness to be valued. He learned from his mother that letting on that he wants things from another person not only won’t get his needs met, but will inevitably lead to rejection. Even wanting to express his love for another person is unthinkable. In the system of thinking his mother taught him, his love may be a gift, but it's a very burdensome one. Like the box of paper trinkets he made for his mother as a child, it’s better to take that love, scrunch it down, and hide it away.

Because of his family-of-origin baggage, acting is a double-edged sword for Hayama. As I talked about in my last post about 25 ji, acting provides him a with the opportunity to express emotions that he was forbidden to express in his family growing up, emotions he has largely lost the ability to express at all. (Often, he can’t even consciously feel those feelings anymore). Acting not only provides an outlet for emotional expression, it even provides him with a script to follow so that he isn't hampered by his inability to get in touch with his own feelings. In this way, acting is a precious opportunity to get in touch with parts of himself that had almost been completely lost to him. It’s a way of making up for what his mother took away from him.

But there’s another side to Hayama's acting career and the validation he's received for it: it actually reinforces a lot of that family-of-origin stuff. When he receives praise for his acting, he’s being praised for something external. No matter how well he does his job, no matter how expressive he is or how authentic his emotions appear in a performance, at the end of the day he’s pretending, because that’s the nature of acting. He’s being validated for his surface again. For his shell, not what’s under it.

For Hayama, the idea that Shirasaki only wants him for a pretend relationship makes perfect sense. People he loves don’t want him to express that to them. They’ll find it burdensome, repulsive, or at best, irrelevant. They want him to perform and be pretty. They want the pretend version of him at all times.

I think it’s also notable that Hayama tells the story of their fake relationship and his growing feelings as if he was barely in control of his actions. “The next thing I knew, I was running. The next thing I knew, I was kissing you.” He’s too spun around by everything to be calculating or even rational. He is taking action, sometimes before he’s even really aware of it. His impassive exterior makes it seem as if he must have some kind of purpose behind his actions, but that's just the mask he wears because of his family-of-origin stuff. There's no master plan, just someone so out of touch with their emotions that they can't predict their own impulses.

So who should run?

This could be a question of who deserves to run--who hasn't, in a sense, pulled their weight so far in this quasi-relationship, or who has done the most damage (that would arguably be Shirasaki, who ended their fake relationship, but of course, he had no idea this would hurt Hayama and actually thought he was sparing him a lot of inconvenience).

My philosophy when it comes to this is pretty well summed up by that famous Karl Marx quote: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." If one or both of these characters has the ability to close the gap between them, wholly or partially, it would behoove them to do it whether or not the other one has done enough by whatever standard we might apply. In other words, the "who should run" question is (in my view) best framed as a question of who is best equipped to do something to fix things.

Each of the lead characters has something potentially useful that has come more naturally to them so far. Hayama is better at making things happen. This is largely due to the impulsiveness I was just describing. So far, he has only acted in this way when he has some kind of cover story he can hide behind to explain what he's doing. But I wonder if that will continue to be the case for long. Shirasaki, on the other hand, is better at believing in himself and the possibility that the person he fell for might feel the same way. This hasn’t translated to actually taking action much so far. But again, it’s about time for that to change. If they can only get activated somehow, his determination and conviction could be exactly what they need to bridge the gap between them. I’m hopeful they'll both manage to make use of these advantages before it's too late.

I’ll tell you one thing I know for sure. It’s not a coincidence that there’s a shot in the preview that echoes the episode 6 breakup scene, in which a glass door closed between Shirasaki and Hayama.

Of course, that scene was shown again from a different angle in episode 7 and that time, viewers could see Hayama’s devastated expression for the first time. This shot in the preview is from a similar angle, showing both Shirasaki’s and Hayama’s faces. But this time, Hayama is right behind Shirasaki and he grabs the handle of the door to stop him from leaving. (Sorry for all the type and stuff on the image here, it's a screenshot from the show's IG.)

I ended up having a lot of thoughts that came up around this question, but I don't really have an answer. It'll depend on the circumstances, I think. It would be best if they both made an effort to meet in the middle. And really, isn't that what usually happens when there's a classic JBL run? In the cases I've seen, there was always a confession by one character that went wrong in some way, then after some time, the other person reciprocated by running to them. Neither one of these characters has directly said that they have feelings for the other person beyond their acting roles. So maybe what we're in for, what's needed to resolve this story, is a two-step process. Whoever manages to make the first step, the other will need to make the second. If the glass door image is what it looks like, maybe Hayama will make the first step in the next episode.

[tellywoodtrash]

my golden blood ep 1 lb

crashed car, dead dude, neck bleeeeding.... soliddddd start, lol

lady running with a baby

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN, she's approached by a figure in black who chomped her neck and left her for dead

rip sis, we hardly knew ye

baby lying in the field crying

is picked up by figure in black

hero uth gaya gasping panting from this dream

meet tong

he is 6 feet tall and the actor usually plays a top in everything else

but here he will be our baby girl 🎀

hes in some kinda orphanage or foster home, lots of small boys around

goes and wakes up only other grown looking dude saying tongklaaaaa, aaj tumhari baari hai (to do what?????)

ayoooooooooooooo it's our boy neoooooo aka one of my favt gmmtv goblins

lmao tongkla just put on some dhinchak dhinchak music which made all the chutkus dance around (one of them immediately started doing the floss lmao, ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL) and he himself just fell back into bed asleep

big boy baby girl is like tongkla you're the oldest one here, and i just have to ask........ how? gawin def looks muchhhhh older like, are you kidding? neo can still play high school roles. you look like you've got 8-10 years of work exp and should be in middle management by now

anyway he sets all the chote bachche onto tongkla saying jo isko uthayega usko aaj 2 ande milenge breakfast mein

bachche toot pade and tongkla wakes up in panic says oh shitttttt i left the gas on last night

tong runs to kitchen, checks all the gas and stoves but pffffft, prank tha

birthday surpriseeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!! cake and song and everyone does lot of laad pyaar on tong

ek aunty bhi hai jo ghar ki in-charge hai

oh, last bday here as tong and tongkla are going to sheher to study in college..... once again i ask how the fuck am i supposed to imagine gawin as a goddamn FRESHER, the dude looks to be in his late twenties (which he is)

tong goes to cut the cake and aunty is like NEECHE RAKHOOOOOO, you might cut yourselfffffffff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

well damn aunty, he's like 19 now, surely he should be able to use a knife without killing himself????

lots of warnings on how he's never supp to bleed; he's hemophiliac i suppose

aunty is v worried ki yeh kaise sambhalega sheher mein, and tongkla is like don't worry i'll take care of him always

tong feels a presence outside house, goes to check

finds a guitar with a note wishing him (it's not a thai bl unless someone brings out a guitar)

takes guitar in and thanks aunt for expensive gift

she says uhhhhhhhhhh i didn't?!?!?!?

she thinks and sees the note and she's like 👀👀👀

meanwhile tongkla is teasing ki badi partial ho aap

aunty is like nooooooo, someone donated it, so i gave it to tong

some more stricttttttttt NO BLEEDING!!!!!!!! instructions

arre samajh gaye na aunty, he will keep all of his blood inside his body

tong:

bade sheherrrrrrrr mein tong and tongkla move into a dorm, set up room, do laundry

tong wants to explore city but tongkla is like no can do, kaam hai (he's doing lots of lil side gigs and hustles)

tong reminds him ki aunty ne bola tha ki sirf padhai pe dhyaan do

tongkla is like those rules are for youuuuu not me

bohut hi zyaada baby girl

tongkla has two overlapping jobs he cribs about and tong offers to take on that second job, but tongkla sakht mana karta hai and goes off, telling him tum kapde sukhao

tong chhath pe kapde sukhaoing

god so many sharp rusty poles around him.... hemophilia toh hai hi, tetanus alag se hoga. either way maut toh nishchitttt hai.

he finds the business card of the second job in tongkla's pocket

has a memory of his childhood where he's never allowed to play or roughhouse with other kids coz aunty was always paranoid about him hurting himself

once left unsupervised, he climbed onto top of the monkey bars

flashback is interspersed with present where a whole rack of clothes is about to fall on him

and in fb he's toppling off the monkey bars

but the rack of clothes falls in opp direction and he sees a shadow moving away

goes to see and there's nothing

but a presence is watching him from afar DUNN DUNNN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

tong goes to the job tongkla couldn't make it to

it's some event and he has to be waitstaff

some stem cell skin serum ki launch

there's 2 variants - red and golden. coincidence? i think not

gold waala iske special blood se banega dekhna

he goes to take pics of the fancy setup

and boss comes and snatches phone and says you new here? photo video not allowed

naam puchta hai and this one says tongkla

and boss is like oh you're the infamous one; iss baar events mein raita mat phailana like getting drunk and asking girls for their numbers

face of an overly protected boy who realises ki tongkla ke chori-chhipe bade mazze chal rahein hain

event starts, someone hunky walks in with a supermodel on his arm

its mondddddd, another one of my favt gmmtv goblins!!!!!!!

y'know i wasn't planning to watch this show.... and then i saw a gifset of this mf

and i was like WELP I GUESS IM WATCHING IT NOW

anyway i guess he heads the skincare company

reporters are like we heard you sold 10 million units in one day and he's like no i sold out 10 million units in 4 hours

i like this cocky bastarddddddddd

they ask him if he's making it official with the supermodel who's with him

coy smiles and shy yes and that she's gonna be the face of the product

one reporter got pushed and fell against his watch, which got scratched

he looks pisssssssssssed but passive aggressively smiles and says its ok

he looks at his body guard and gestures at the reporter

sab event mein busy busy toh reporter gets kidnapped and "taken care of"...... welp she just got turned into the next batch of the red bottle serum, didn't she????????

he's informed by the guard and he smiles evilly and says noone's gonna miss one lousy reporter anyway

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS, I LOVE WHEN THIS MF PLAYS A MESSYASS VILLAIN!!!!!!!!!!!! KHOOB MAZZA AAYEGA

big boy baby girl is serving when another waiter is like yeh mera area hai tum jaake pool area sambhalo

pool area mein he's awestruck at all the shaan o shaukat of the city's skyline and elite and all

hears splashing behind him and turns to see THE MOST MAGNIFICENT DISPLAY OF MASCULINITY in the pool....

btw the director of this show is an erotic photographer and..................... you can tell

those swimming briefs are either padded af or....... tong is in BIG trouble

anyway tong is having his gay awakening 🫵🏽🫵🏽🫵🏽🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈‼️‼️‼️‼️

he literally has to turn and walk awayyyy as he tries to regulate his dhak dhak-ing heart and breathing

LMAO AN AUDIBLE GULPPPPPPPP OF THIRST, in super close up

understandable, tong...... but you're at work. get your shit together man

ok so he does and goes and serves him his drink

dude turns around and is alarmed to see him

starts walking towards him with intent, as tong backs away in panic and ofc stumbles

dude catches him AND tray in super speed

violinssssssss baj raheeeeeee in tong's headddddd, main hoon na waale

dude tells him to be careful, asks him to get him a bloody mary, bring it to his room, gives keycard

tong just looks down at the card for a second and by the time he looks up, dude's disappeared

goes to the bar and asks for a "buddy something" lol

boss corrects him and tong's like idk who he is or what room he's in

mark amarittakul, that's our guy's name

tong realizes he shares surname with mr evil smile who's hosting the event

they're cousins apparently

WELCOME BACK KINNPORSCHE (2022)

boss warns him ki just deliver the drink, no funny business

tong is like hein?

boss raises eyebrow

tong is like hawwwwwwwwwww nahi main aisa ladka nahi hoon, mummy promise

boss is like you're hot, you have what it takes..... BUT DON'T

tong goes to deliver to room

no answer

so uses the keycard and lets himself in

puts drink on table and turns

GRATUITOUS CHADDI SHOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

some more gay panic for tong

mark's talking but tong can't hear over the 🚨🚨🚨 OH NO HOT OH NO HOT OH NO HOT 🚨🚨🚨 ringing in his head

mark's kinda sternly asking tum yahan kaise aaye

tong like you told bring drink to room????

mark like abbe woh nahi, why are you HERE, working at this event

tong like i'm a part-timer

mark gave him a motiiiiiiiiiii gaddi of cash and says never do a job like this again

tong is alarmed and he's like heyyyyyy im just a waiter AISA WAISA KUCH NAHI. idk man, i'd say okie dokie handsome, whatever you sayyyyyyyyy and pocket it. mehengai dekhi hai????

mark is like pft i know that...... but you shouldn't be HERE, esp at THIS event

tong like did i offend you in some way

mark is agitated and is like YOU SHOULDN'T BEEEEE HEREEEEE TONGGGG IT'S TOO DANGEROUS

oh shit, naam kaise jaanta hai

he tries lying ki noooo im tongkla

tries to make escape

ofc glass gira aur toota

ofc uthaaya toh cut hua

khoon ka EK KATRA

and neeche ke event mein agarbatti ki tarah khushboo phailiiii

aur saare event attendees IMMEDIATELY ALERT

esp mr evil smile

supermodel is like huh, what's up with everyone

evil smile is rushing off and she's like ??????

his name's nakan btw

his eyes turn golden and he's like babe for once in your life could you mind your own business,

vamp ho ya insaan, same issues with the ball and chain huh, ohhhhhh these nosy pesky women

she's in a trance and agrees

he announces that he's gonna go ON HIS OWN, no one follow him

poora ka poora event riled up by the smell

manwhile mark:

bwahahahahaha kitna tuchcha ganda cgi hai

he bade erotically sucks the blood away

and um........

he stumbled back onto the bed, and there's golden lightning all over his torso

but aap log hi yeh pics dekh ke batao ki kya hi horha hoga usko...........

yeah........... YEAH.

tong:

ghade ka brain finally comes online and he tries to run out

but ofc vampire hottie is too fast

pakad liya and pushes him against wall

some longing and yearning and sniffingggggggggg

he's somehow holding himself back and just nips at tong's ear (with non vamp teeth, so no drawing blood)

tong pushes him away but to no avail, mark is way stronger

but mark stops himself seeing a necklace tong wears, with a rose pendant and backs away

eyes and teeth back to normal

nakan reaches outside the room, inhaling the agarbatti dhuaan of tong's special blood

they hear his footsteps outside and tong starts screaming for help

mark shuts tong up and blindfolds him

woh patti moonh mein hi ghusa dete???? you wouldn't have to hold his mouth like this then

he holds him, moves quickly and

oh noooooooo hahahahahaha kya hi gande sfx hain lol it's giving nazar and ib ka tiger hahahahaha i love ittttttt i missed this kinda absolute garbage

they land straight in mark's car hahahahahaha

tong is freaking out and like mujhe hospital le jao main hemophiliac hoon

mark is calm and like seat belt daalo

tong yelling more ki main bimaar hoon main marr jaonga

and mark yells back ki TUM BIMAAR NAHI HO TONG

tong's like I AMMMMM, BACHPAN SE, TF DO YOU KNOW?!?!?!? AND HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW MY NAME

bulb abhi jala hai ghade ka

mark: what you are is much worse than that

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WHAT KINDA WAY IS THAT TO TELL HIM, JUST CALL HIM A SLUR ATP LOOOOOL

lol anyway he takes tong's hand, kisses the wound and it heals completely

tong is like ??!?!?!?!?!??!

mark is just like SEAT BELT PEHNO BC

nakun stands in hotel room, contemplating the broken window

surely he knows............

tong is giving mark silent treatment in the car lmao

mark drives them to some shady ass night market

tong's like im not in going there?!!?!?

mark says you wanna know the truth or not?????? follow me

they pass through creeeeeepy market and pehle mauke pe tong runs away into a random galli

and mark is just like *deeeep sigh* lmao

tong takraos into a kid

he apologizes to him (kid is turned around)

when someone appears and yells at the kid ki i'm sick of y'all menaces, i told you don't go through the trash

kid just launched himself at that dude and chomps on his neck

tong:

lmao what a no good horrible terrible very bad day tong is having

tong realizes he has another bleeding cut on his elbow

kid turns around and is menacingly approaching him

tong runs as kid chases

mark appears and catches kid and shows him his big bad vamp form and warns him to stay away

oh NOWWWWWWWWW tong is like wtf creature is that?!?!?1 bro you've been staring at the concept of vampires straight in the face for about half an hour now......... like MULTIPLE examples. abhi tak toh bade hi calm the tum

mark is like enough bakbak

some more very ganda vfx as he catches tong and speed-moves through market

lmao its so badly done, i love it so much

anyway pohunch gaye outside a house

mark pulling him in and tong's like NOPEEEEEEE

ek aunty comes out and is like kahann the mark baba itni deri kar di

and mark's like all fondly exasperated ki i had to "take care" of something

aunty looks at tong and is like come innnn

tong is still all hakka bakka at wtf is going on

she's like aww le shock mein hoga, come in, ill give you snacks, koi darrne ki baat nahi

mark snorts and is like you're being even more sus if you try to lure him in with snacks

she's like pft, i don't like doing zor zabardasti unlike a certain someone and mark's like sheepish as he says zaroori tha

to tong he's like tumhari marzi, at this point, they're probably everywhere out there

lmaooooooooooooooooo he's truly so baby girl

jaise taise they get him into the house

ghar be looking like those fancy flower shops that are also boutiques..... you know those super super mehenge waale

mark touches a display of a butterfly thing and it comes alive and flaps around

tong looking around confused

asking who tf are you wtf is happening how do you all know my name

mark is like dimaag lagao, what do you think i am

tong is confused and like "mark amaritakkul?????"

mark: the question you should be asking isn't who i am, but WHAT i am

butterfly got stuck in a spider's jaal

he goes to it and frees it, breathes on it, and it comes back to life???? yeh kaisa naya power hai vampire wale

he's like i am immortal and have super strength and diff abilities, you can never run from me, "think carefully, you already know what the answer is"

tong like are you gonna drink my blood

mark is like you have special golden blood, most rare and powerful

to keep you safe, you've been taught the lie tht you have hemophilia

it was to keep something like tonight from happening

tong is like meri ab tak ki zindagi jhoooooot haiiiiii

beech beech mein such bad acting btw lmao

if you drink my blood do i turn into a vampire like you

mark snorts and chuckles and is like nope. your blood is such ki we cannot stop drinking it. so what you'll be is DEAD

tong: why meeeeeeeeeee

mark is now sehlaoing his neck and breathing all close in his ear and says you saw what one drop of your blood did to me right

yes my man, that was A LOT for him to take in on your very first meeting, that his blood makes you.....

anyway mark's like i wont do that. i will protect you. like i have been doing all along.

tong flashes back to the time he fell from the monkey bars as a kid

it was (fully grown) mark had caught him..... yikes.... renesmee waala situation chal rha hai yahan.... but who gives a fuck, poora ka poora show hi trashy af hain, ab ISSPE aitraaz uthaaoon main???

it's mark's rose waala necklace that tong's been wearing all these years

the clothes rack too, it was gonna fall on tong, but mark caught and flung it in the opposite direction

he's the presence that's been watching him all along

mark takes tong's arm, kisses his elbow, heals the cut there

longingggggggggggggg and heart eyessssss

mark: it's my duty to take care of you. and i'll never let any harm come to you.

heart eyes all around, THE ENDDDDDDDDDD

kekekeke achcha zero stakes waala sasta nasha mila hai, khooooob mazza aayega hahahahaha

[whomst-art-thou-whomst-whomst]

Whomst’s Drama-Watching Year in Review*

*please note this is about dramas I watched in 2024, not necessarily dramas released in 2024

Favorite “confusing and convoluted but also an unserious gay old time” drama: The Sign Special Episode

One of my fave shows last year, and then they spoiled us with a special episode??? This show has everything: Thai mythology worked into a BL plot, the most badass training for police in the world (seriously wtf they’re like the Navy SEALs here in the US), and the absolutely adorable “star-crossed but then we said fuck fate” romance between Tharn, who exemplifies my gender goals, and Phaya, a himbo simp. Not to mention that this baby *slaps the show’s roof* can fit soooo many under-explained and unlikely side stories and plot holes.

I cackled so many times watching this drama, and the special episode does not disappoint. Absolutely insane. Love it.

Favorite Performance in a Single Scene: Tan Jianci in Under the Skin 2, Episode 20

Tan Jianci. This…this fuckin guy. Our special little guy. Forlorn-looking twink extraordinaire. His off-the-rails ranting monologue while confronting a serial killer about his motives, empathizing while manipulating and trying to stay sane all at once, is genuinely up there with my favorite performances of all time.

Now, usually my ADHD ass struggles to stay focused in a scene, but dear reader—I just sat there as Tan Jianci gave us a new side of Shen Yi, spellbound like his audience (please stop skipping off to confront serial killers alone, Shen Yi sweetie) in the scene. He needs an award for this role that matches the skill he showed here (and throughout the show); I don’t think I’ve been so hypnotized and fascinated by an actor’s work in a single scene since Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men. All the awards for Tan Jianci.

Favorite Sapphic Sweethearts: Tul and Ran in Petrichor the Series

Listen. I am not made of stone and Thailand knows what they’re fucking doing giving us these two. I’m fine. Totally fine. No, you spent an hour rewatching that one scene.

I haven’t posted much on this show because I’m still watching it and savoring it slowly, like a Milano cookie. But once I get some free time (laughs hysterically) I plan to start doing meta on this Englot dream. It’s giving us what Rizzoli and Isles should have done in the first place (no disrespect to Sasha Alexander, my queen).

Favorite “The Subtext Is Rapidly Becoming Text” Couple: Ao Li and Yan Jingjing in Under the Skin 2, Episode 15

Okay so I’ve already talked about this show in the list—so what? So what???

Captain Holt voice: and you’ll hear it again!

This series is no stranger to the sapphic under-overtones, but the two ladies who reunite at the culmination of a case that is not what it seems (I refuse to spoil) acted their fucking hearts out and DO NOT TELL ME THAT THE TWO OF THEM EMBRACING IN A WEDDING VENUE, ONE IN A FULL-ON WHITE WEDDING DRESS AND THE OTHER IN A RED (popular wedding dress color for Chinese brides) DRESS, IS ANYTHING LESS THAN GAY GAY GAY GAY GAY GAYGAYGAY—

You get the picture. Anyway. They’re amazing and their sapphic coded “former friends” storyline is realistic and beautifully told. Ao Li broke my heart. Even though we only had them for a few episodes, I would seriously watch a whole spin off series about these two characters.

Favorite Returning Actor: Wu Dohwan in Mad Dog

I was first introduced to Wu “Doe Eyes” Dohwan in My Country: The New Age, which is a super fun romp full of kittens and milkshakes—just kidding, it’s a soul-rending mindfuck of a historical drama that I’m still brooding over. Oh, and he was also the golden retriever boxer in Bloodhounds opposite Lee Sangyi (who absolutely killed it too, that show rocked). Now suddenly I’m watching him play a cunning chameleon taking on the world’s longest revenge scheme and making so many friends and enemies in the process (good for him). His range is insane—from a high-strung, ambitious emo with unrequited love to an innocent himbo jock to a scheming traumatized con artist. His Home Alone episode is great, too, and you get to see that the golden retriever thing is probably the closest to his real self.

Surprise Favorite: Where Your Eyes Linger: Director’s Cut

People. I clicked out of curiosity because hey, I liked that BL the first time around, I wonder what’s diff—holy shit.

This director’s cut is a gift. It focuses more on Kang Gook’s internal experience, the closeups and cutaways are jarring but somehow work really well. Honestly, it felt like I was watching a companion to the original.

[miss0atae]

About Wandee Goodday episode 1:

There are already so many good reviews on Wandee Goodday, so here is my small participation. I read the book, so my take will be on the difference between the Book and the Series.

First of all, you must know, I don't think there is a superior medium to convey a story. It depends on the story itself and each medium has their strengths. Usually, books are considered a good medium to go deep on the description of the characters and the world where they interact. You get to know what the inner monologue of the characters and you can visualize the story through your imagination. TV series or films, are more visual. I believe they also depend a lot on the director and the actors because you can have a brilliant screenplay and terrible results. That being said, I really like to see how a story in a book can become a series screenplay. If you already read Thai BL books, you'll notice smut takes a large part in it. I don't mind smut. I believe we need to have a large range of book types for every taste. Wandee Goodday, the book, is filled with smut and if it's easy to write it on a book, it doesn't really transpose well on a series where smut isn't the primarily plot. It's why, I think, it's interesting to see what the series adds to the storytelling of the book.

Note, there are going to have some spoilers from the book in this post. So, if you want to avoid this because you want to read it later, you should not continue reading this.

The first episode is perfect to set the tone of the series and to present the characters. The series start with the end of the episode so you'll know what you get and then we get the flashback that will allow us to know how did Dee ended up in this situation.

"No more Mr. Good Guy!" -- Chap 1.

▪️ In the book, Wandee or Dee is a doctor who did his best to be the perfect boyfriend, a “good person” for his crush Ter because he heard him said once his ideal type is a “good person”. So Dee made conscious effort to be the ideal type of Ter: he doesn’t drink, doesn’t flirt, doesn’t smoke, works a lot and he was the one who tried to be at the same job as Ter. In this version of the story, Dee is really doing all the work and Ter isn’t really an active participant. You must know the book is told in the first person through Wandee’s eyes. However, Wandee isn’t totally an unreliable storyteller. He just has a lot of imagination.

In the series things are a bit different. I like it more because it gave more deep to why Dee could think Ter has a special relationship with him and they may get together. It implies Ter had a more active role as he was the one who helped Dee gets where he is. He found him a condo at the same place as him, for example. I think it works well because it reinforces the love Wandee has for him because Ter is doing so much, it could easily be mistaken for romantic attention. Here, Wandee seems less deluded and you can understand why he thought he would get the guy.

"By the way, what's your name?" "Yak" -- Chap. 2

▪️ Now, about Yak. In the book, Yak's personality is slightly different from his series counterpart. He is more or less a playboy who is used to having multiple one-night stand, but he is trying to stop because he is in love with Taemrak who doesn't like this. As Wandee, he has been waiting for a lot of years to be with this person who still refuses him. Also, he is younger than Dee. I felt Yak was more reserved in the book version.

In the series, Yok seems more like a confident man who knows his worth and he seems more talkative. We have no idea yet, if he has a playboy past. One thing I notice, is how it is implied Yok is bisexual. On the book, we never know if he is bisexual because the only two people we know he had feelings for were men. Since they changed Taemrak and made him a girl, we can only assume he is. However, in the book Wandee complains he never flirted with boy so I assumed he was the bisexual one in the relationship. In fact, he doesn't change anything to the story.

"Do me hard, Good Boy" -- Chap. 1

▪️ I believe their first time was better in the series. In the book, Dee is really drunk and since he is always having fantasies, he imagines himself as a heroine in a Thai period drama. In his fantasy, he is going to be ravished by the leader of gang. So when, he kisses Yak he is high in his fantasies. Of course, Dee doesn't tell him he is a virgin and Yak discover it, too late. He still tries to help him feel better and give him the lead. Then, they have a wild night with multiple intercourse. I think the writer wanted to show how Yak was very patient towards Dee, who was discovering his sexuality and preferences in bed.

"Are you going for more?" "Yeah, more now" -- Chap. 1

▪️ In the series, I liked how they took their time. Dee had a moment when he was unsure about if he really wanted it and Yak asked for his consent and when he didn't get it, he truly believed it’s a “no” from Dee. This series put lights on the importance of consent. The message is clear: if you want to do it with someone, this person must consent. When, Dee gets a cramp, they stopped and just got back to it when they both felt it’s the right time again. It’s a very healthy way that is absent in the book. Brownie points for the series!

"I turned you down. I was afraid that you'd be too distressed to sleep." Chap. 2

▪️ Ter in the book is a blank page. He is not bad, but he is not good either. He felt mostly flat. You have to ask yourself what Dee found in him. In the series, I feel like Ter isn't a nice person because he may have noticed than Dee was caring a lot and he wanted to use this in his own advantage. What makes me think this… it's when he asked Dee to give him the scholarship. I don't remember if they had to compete for a scholarship in the book, but I believe it's something that was added purposely in the series. We'll see which impact it's going to have in the series. I fear Ter may want to use Dee's crush to him to try to snatch the scholarship from him.

"We can't come back late. I need to be back early. I still have work to do." -- Chap 4.

▪️ Taemrak is also different from the book. In the book, it’s a man who is still studying in university. It’s nerd who spends his time in the library with books. He wears glasses and is scared of riding on Yak’s bike. Yak met him because he went to his faculty to do a physical fitness test. In the series, Taemrak is a woman who is tutoring students and seems to work a lot to get herself out of poverty. I wonder if it’s going to play a more important part in the story.

"They cannot seem to be separated for more than three days. Love is so good." -- Chap 2.

▪️ O-ye and Cher (called Cherry in the book) are more or less the same in both the book and the series. We didn't see them a lot, so things may be different. I like how they are still bickering, but very much in love. Cher is also considering Yak as his son in the book and they joke a lot on this nickname. I’m glad they kept this part.

"Dee, are you feeling worse?" Chap. 1

▪️ Plakao is my biggest surprised in the series! In the book, he has a minor role. He is just a friend of Dee who doesn’t work in the same job as him. In fact, he is more the provider of costumes for Dee and Yak, as they both have a clothing kink (not sure it is how you could describe it, in English). I’m so happy they changed his role in the series. I hope it will bring him more depth. He is asexual and I want to see what representation they will give us. I can’t remember if I ever watched a Thai BL, before, where one of the character said he was asexual, so I felt it was huge.

That’s it for this first episode. You must know the first episode is more or less the first chapter of the book. So we’ll see if the second episode is like the second chapter of the book. I believe the series, as for now (we’ll see if it continues to be this way), is bringing another layer to the book. It could bring a nice synergy.

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

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

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

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

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

History 3: Trapped

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

History 4: Close to You

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

History 1: Obsessed

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

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

DNA Says Love You

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

See You After Quarantine?

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

Kiseki: Dear to Me

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

Unknown

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

First Note of Love

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

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

[geekyhistoriansunite]

Man Suang is a pretty good and solid movie!

Ok, putting out there. I got involved in Thai drama due to Kinnporsche the Series, no I have no shame about it. It was fun, it had good looking dudes, and even though it initially seemed over the top in acting effort, the actors started to flow into their characters better and it was a fun show. Kinnporsche had amazing behind the sceens stuff that actually got me interested in the actors, especially Apo and Mile, who are freaking cute together. But all good things must end and so did the series.

But then there was a ray of hope! A glorious teaser was released.

Please note: Absolutely none of this teaser was in the movie, which I find both exasperating because I love every bit of it and the music, but also hilarious, because they caught your attention.

Please note pt. : All the BL lovers from Kinnporsche were salivating hard and if they said they weren't they're lying liars who lie.

So attention was given. And it took a long while, but then they released on official trailer at the Cannes Film Festival! Oh shnap, we got some extreme legitimacy here. This was not going to be cheap film, this was going to be quality. And all the BL lovers are still crying in anticipation at seeing their boys back together again.

Please note pt. 3: We still have NO idea what this movie is about. Just have the visual, which are gorgeous and a couple written lines teasing, but still no actual plotline. That's ok, the interest is still strong.

And one thing Be On Cloud does VERY well, is know how to advertise and keep people's interests. And it finally releases almost a year later. And lots of people cry. Not because it's a bad movie, but because there's no blatant BL storyline. There are hints, teases, looks, but that is not the main storyline. People are crying online, they've been deceived, there's no BL!

Please note pt. 4 (I'm having way to many please notes): Be On Cloud NEVER said it was BL. It was inferred since both Apo and Mile were pared in a movie together and the fact that Bo On Cloud only had the one series with mega BL plotlines.

The only reviews I could read (In English, which is all I read. I know, I should try other languages but I legit have tried 4 languages and I just can't) mostly complained about the lack of BL storyline and that it was slow at times. No synopsis, no breakdowns. Full stop. I was sad. I kept checking on my tried and true Tumblr, which normally doesn't disappoint, but nada, bupkis. I was sad. Again. There was no release date I could find with English subtitles. Again, sadness ensued.

But finally, glory be, it was announced that Man Suang release on Netflix. Today. Yay! And after work I sat and watch it all, and here is my review...finally.

Man Suang is actually a pretty good movie. Most of my knowledge of Thai culture comes from BL shows, which helped a little but I did have to pause occasionally to look something up (the betal nuts for example) and I'm sure I missed a lot of things, but I got a pretty good understanding of everything. The pacing was a bit different from movies in the US, and that could be jarring, but I got used to it. Overall it was a good movie. I'd watch it again (which is a big deal for me, I watch once and then remind myself with fanfiction).

Thoughts (spoilers below):

Everyone was in a fucked up position. Except, Tiang, fuck him.

Khem: Sweetheart, just trying to take care of his friend. The finale probably fucked him up a bit. I like to consider Chatra comes back and gives him some comfort.

Please note (Please don't ask me what number this is): There's now going to be a BL series called Shine which is going to follow their relationship. See? Just had to be patient.

Chatra: Yeah, I'd be concerned if my father was a traitor and my whole family was going to pay for it. (On a side note: What is the Thai repercussions for that? Ancient China had death of the whole family for so many generations, but I'm not sure what they are in Siam.)

Wan: Baby...honey...that was fucked up. I get where you were coming from with your severe PTSD but trying to blow everyone up is not the answer. But I do hate that he felt betrayed by Khem.

Hong: Look at my sheltered little man turn into a Bossman! I see good things in his future.

All the aunties and women in the show: Couldn't have done it without you and I love seeing all of you. Especially auntie who put the mean boss in his place while trying to feed the two newcomers. (Boss: Don't flirt with my woman! Auntie: I flirt with who I want to, go sit in the corner until you're repentant! Boss: Yes, ma'am).

And finally: Absolutely gorgeous set design and costumes. Like, super wow. Loved it all! It was interesting to see the crossover of Thai and western design, like Chatra's suit and cravat top/traditional pants combo at the end. Jarring, but I imagine that time period was jarring with all the different influences happening as well. Much like the differences in hairstyles which helped you identify Chinese descent from Thai descent (using the Queue hairstyle instead of fully or partially grown out hair).

Overall, solid job on Man Suang, I recommend it to anyone who is interested in new cultures, pretty people, and just an interesting storyline.

[ecargmura]

Cherry Magic Episode 7 Review - Their First Date

Adachi and Kurosawa go on a date! Though, it ends a bit disastrously as Kurosawa went a bit overboard, but Adachi decides to take him out on a second, calmer date to make up for it. This whole episode was them getting used to dating, which I’m glad that Adachi is finally taking some initiative. Now there’s a bigger issue at hand: what will Adachi do about his magic? Will he tell Kurosawa?

The first date portion was cute, but in a cringe way. Like, I was gushing, but I was also cringing so hard. Kurosawa’s date song was the most HILARIOUS THING ever and it gave me secondhand embarrassment as well. How many times did Ryota Suzuki attempt to do this without laughing? I’d be laughing at the very first note if I was recording this. Also, am I the only one who thinks that getting a helicopter is going a bit overboard? While it’s nice to see how smitten and devoted Kurosawa is, he did do too much. I’m glad that he learned his lesson in a way and that he doesn’t have to go overboard next time. Speaking of his voice actor, I wonder how many takes it took for him to speak that fast at the part where Adachi held his hand.

I was a bit sad that the first date ended up with Adachi being a bit too self-conscious about people’s opinions about him dating Kurosawa. Please understand that this is Adachi’s first ever date and that Kurosawa is the first person he ever dated. It’s understandable that the first date would be awkward. In fact, I feel like Adachi’s behavior is a bit realistic in a sense. Fortunately, Adachi makes up for the messy end by taking Kurosawa out on a second date where they talk about their favorite manga, looking at merch and then eating at the bar Adachi regularly goes to. As an introvert, I think that chiller dates suit them a lot better than helicopter dates. Like, I also like the fact that Adachi took the initiative and asked him out on another date and even held his hand. I do like that he’s putting in effort for dates and that he does want to make this work out too.

I do like the transition from having a successful date to now wondering about if he should tell Kurosawa about the magic and what not. When one wall is climbed, another one shows up. I feel like Kurosawa’s not going to resent Adachi for having the magic; he’s too much of a simp to hate him. I mean, look at Kurosawa at the office after the first date ended in failure; he looked like he was going to erase himself from existence. I’m sure things will work out because they’re both surprisingly good when it comes to voicing out their thoughts.

Speaking of which, Asahina, Kurosawa’s superior who showed up last episode appears again. He’s voiced by Hiroki Yasumoto (Chad from Bleach, Germany from Axis Powers Hetalia). He’s been in BL before, so he’s no stranger to the genre. I was surprised when his name showed up in the credits like “Wait…”

Anyways, what do you think will transpire next episode? Will Adachi tell him or will it drag out? Will their next dates after today’s episode be good ones? What are your thoughts on this episode and about Kurosawa’s date song?

[thebroccolination]

People Think Krist Is Homophobic (but He Isn’t)

[TW: discussions of homophobia, death threats, "the rape filter joke", etc.]

Last September, I made a thread about The Whole Krist Thing, and I'd like to make a version here on Tumblr as well.

NOTE: My being a queer fan of Krist doesn’t override the feelings or opinions of other queer people. I fully understand that time on this planet is limited and you don't need to exert precious energy into researching an actor. The reason I'm making this is to provide context for people who are new to the fandom or just wondering why Krist is known as homophobic.

- Why I Made the Twitter Thread -

As a queer international fan living abroad, my understanding of Thailand, Thai culture, and Thai language is extremely limited. Like most of us, I rely entirely on translations, both official and fan-made.

After watching SOTUS for the first time in 2020, I saw English-speaking fans claiming that Krist Perawat, the actor who played Arthit, was homophobic. And it wasn't just one or two people saying it. It was dozens. Hundreds. That called for some research. I loved Arthit, and Krist's empathetic portrayal of him didn't mesh with the angry guy in the Instagram photo I was seeing passed around.

I'd made a number of queer Peraya fans on Twitter, so I went to them individually and asked, "What's this about Krist being homophobic?" As queer fans who were knowledgable and openly fond of Krist, I wanted to hear their side of things.

They sent me links and photos and videos and translations that thoroughly explained how Krist's reputation for being homophobic had gotten so out of control. The problem: those things weren't compiled in one place, and they were all on Twitter where the Asian Peraya fandom is most active. Interfans, meanwhile, took the worst of everything they could find and compiled it into contextless videos for Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc. Since the vast majority of Krist's fanbase is spread across Asia and many of them don't engage with the international fandom, it's no wonder to me that the homophobia thing has become so ubiquitous over the years.

It's a paradox where, in order to see the evidence of Krist's allyship, you kind of have to be a fan already. Or you have to know which keywords to use to navigate Twitter's nightmare of a search function (I know, Tumblr is worse). While I made that thread, I was regularly texting Peraya I knew things like, "Do you know where that one interview from 2019 is?" or, "Did you take a screenshot of the marriage equality post he made last month?"

The thread was difficult to make, and I'm a fan! What I know of Krist, I know because I've been a fan for three years and I have access to information that fans who have been here much longer can find.

I also procrastinated on making it for ages. I knew the amount of vitriol people hold against him, and I just wanted to enjoy my time in fandom quietly without calling waves of anger and hate to my carefully curated little corner of sunshine.

Then Krist was in a car accident.

And even though he was reportedly driving safely and slowly, Thailand is notorious for its poorly maintained roads and a high number of traffic accidents. Only months after receiving his first driver's license, Krist's car flipped upside down, and he had to reassure fans from the hospital that he was physically all right, just shaken.

Meanwhile, some international fans thought it was funny.

And that's when I started making the thread.

So, with all that said, let's start with Krist's allyship, because I know most of us agree that that's the bare minimum for an actor working in the BL industry and profiting off the queer community.

- Acts of Allyship -

In the early days of their SOTUS fame, Krist and Singto were interviewed about the LGBTQ+ community.

Acceptance and equality is something that the LGBTQ community still struggles to achieve up to this day. But both Singto and Krist believe that this should not be the case. “They are just humans. They are like me, and they are like everyone,” Krist claims. Furthermore, he mentions that we should all be given the freedom to love anyone we want to love. “It’s just natural,” he says.

“They don’t have to understand now,” Singto says, referring to those who can’t grasp same-sex relationships. “One day, when they find their true love, they will realize that love is the same no matter the gender.” Krist adds, “Gender is not relevant when it comes to love. But in case some people still don’t understand this in time, what’s important is that we all give due respect to each other at the end of the day.”

He's also educated himself in colors representative of the LGBTQ+ community.

When Krist and Singto attended an award ceremony for their photoshoot in the gay magazine Attitude, Krist shared a sentiment that he gave to a queer friend of his. "If no one accepts you, you can stay with me, because I accept you for who you are." [Paraphrased]

Despite Thailand's current government leaning on BL series as a new soft power, it's still very conservative, and its people are to this day fighting to see equal marriage recognized.

Krist often adds his voice to this fight on Instagram, specifically as someone who works in the BL industry. These were in 2021 and 2022:

And, like many young people in Thailand, Krist also seems to support the Move Forward party. Earlier this week, he used an orange heart in a tweet to encourage people to go out and vote in the most recent election. One of the many things the Move Forward party is pushing for is the legalization of same-sex marriage "with the same rights and responsibilities as their heterosexual peers", which the current military government actively does not.

- His Circle -

When I was making my Twitter thread, I hesitated before including mention of his queer friends and coworkers. I knew how that would sound, but in the same way I felt it was important to mention my own queerness, I also think it's important to highlight not just the presence of queer people in his life, but how comfortable they are with him.

As I said in my Twitter thread, having queer friends isn’t indicative of anything substantial, but I do think it’s important to look at how those queer friends interact with him. If you’re queer, you know firsthand which friends you’d be physically affectionate with. The entertainment industry is its own world, of course, and the weight and meaning of relationships and connections can be different, but for all Krist's fame and popularity, he's not so famous or remotely powerful that faking a friendship with him is going to get them very far.

Among his queer friends, you've got Jennie who babies him, Godji who treats him like her son, and Oat who still adores him years after SOTUS. All of them queer, all of them visibly affectionate in a way that feels authentic, at least to me.

On the professional side of things, I think the best example of someone who wouldn't bother with him if he were homophobic is Golf Tanwarin Sukkhapisit. In 2022, Krist worked on The War of Flowers with Golf, a nonbinary queer activist, former MP, and director of The Eclipse. Since they're not just a queer person in the industry but a vocal queer activist who's made incredible progress for the community in their country, I value their judgment of his character.

Again, the reason I bring up these people isn't to say, "Look! Queer people! He knows some!"

It's to point out that he's close to them, and it disrespects their judgment to casually assume that they’d cosy up to a homophobe.

It's a small point, yes, but it was important to me when I first became a fan to see that queer people who know him personally had "vetted" him.

- Growth -

For this next section, I'll address three things I see brought up most often: the rape filter joke, the rumor that Krist said he doesn't like watching men kiss, and the claim that he's only doing BL because rent is due.

1) The Rape Filter Joke

In 2017, Krist and Singto were on a live with (I think) two other friends. They were testing out different filters, and when they got to a blur effect, one of them (one of the friends, I think) said it looked like the filter they put over victims of sexual assault on the news. They all laughed, including Krist and Singto.

I can't find a video of the original event, but we do have a translation of the apology he gave in 2018, and the public apology he made in 2020 when the video resurfaced again.

While this is unfortunate, and it would be nice if he hadn’t done it, I’m more interested in how he responds to criticism and his growth afterward. The incident was in 2017, but even speaking on it in 2020, he didn't make excuses for himself.

He apologized, accepted culpability, educated himself, and has never repeated it.

2) Krist "Doesn't Like to Watch Men Kiss"

There's also a claim that goes around that Krist said he doesn't like to watch men kiss. But that isn't what he said.

The subtitled interview that this claim was taken from has been split into two parts, and I think a lot of people have only seen the first half, if they've seen either.

(Also, my deepest apologies, but I'm linking you to Twitter for the video clips.)

In the first clip, the hosts tease Krist about Singto's sex scene with another actor in Close Friends. I can't speak to the nuances of what Krist is saying in Thai, but in the subtitles, he's basically saying that as a guy, he doesn't want to watch stuff like that and just skips past Singto and his partner to one of the other couples, like the male-female pairs. With just this clip, I agree that it doesn't sound great.

But in the second clip, the hosts tease Krist until he admits that the "stuff" he doesn't want to watch is Singto specifically kissing people who aren't him. Krist's jealousy, especially when it comes to Singto, is a well-trod fanservice joke.

3) He's Doing BL Only for the Money

I mean, I have no idea, but it'd be very weird if this was true, because he hasn't been in a BL since 2018 (if you count Our Skyy), and he's doing very well for himself financially.

Listen, this is probably the least serious people get when they criticize him, but I'm including it because why not, this is already a thesis.

From what I understand based on actors' comments, BL roles don't make a lot of money for the actors. (Boun even quoted a surprisingly low daily salary recently, and I'll share it here if I find it again.) Of course, I imagine Krist has enough fame and clout that he gets paid more than most actors, but to be frank, he absolutely makes more from all his other work.

Apart from the acting work he's done, he hosts two music shows, he starred in a musical recently, GMM just flew him to Japan for the first leg of his Asia concert tour, he runs a restaurant with Wave, and he has a bunch of sponsorships. And that's off the top of my head. The car from his accident in 2021 was a luxury model, and he replaced it with another pretty soon afterward. I'm not bragging for him or anything, but the "he's just doing BL for the money" is an odd thing to say when he probably already earns more than most without doing it.

It would have been a better argument back in 2016 when Krist's family was deep in debt. Krist's said that his main motivation to join the entertainment industry back then was to pay off that debt for his family, and he did so with the money he made from SOTUS.

Krist has spoken in the past about wanting to do more BL roles, but GMM preferred that he work with Singto. Now that Singto's left GMM (likely to start his own agency), Krist is in Be My Favorite, so I think his explanation tracks.

It's also worth mentioning that you can do something for the money and also love what you do. In the case of SOTUS, Arthit wasn't just a role that made him money, he's the character who changed Krist's life. He honors Arthit to this day by always wearing the bracelet he wore to his audition and by naming his music studio "SUN St." after Arthit.

(This is a very minor point, but I don't think a homophobe would cherish a queer role to quite that extent even if it was their kick-off point. If anything, they'd probably try to bury the role and pretend their real success started later.)

- Perception of Sexuality -

I think the reason the IG story hits people so hard is because Krist's reaction makes it seem like he's horrified that people could even think he's gay. My understanding is that he was tired of people interrogating him about his sexuality.

Krist is very openly affectionate with the people he loves, regardless of gender, which is clear in the photos with his friends above. Thus, he's always been like that with Singto. They hug before every show, they sleep on each other, cuddle, what have you. All the stuff of people who have developed a tight bond over the years.

When Krist was asked if he was afraid that that would put off potential partners in the future (which, good god, the questions they're asked) Krist said he doesn't care how people perceive his sexuality.

This was in 2018, the year Our Skyy aired, and he's said similar things in passing before and since.

- Conclusion -

All of what I've posted here is just a slice of what's out there. This is just the stuff I could find with reliable English translations because I'm making this for an English-speaking audience. Krist's fans already know all of this, which is why he has queer fans in the first place, and a lot of them are just too tired by hate fatigue to keep correcting misinformation.

I'm not trying to get every person in the world to like Krist, I promise. He's not perfect. He's a loud mess, and while he has four cats who love him, they're also exhausted by him. I just happen to like loud, obnoxious people, especially when they're as kind as he is.

There are plenty of Thai actors I don't vibe with for any number of reasons ranging from serious to petty. You have my written permission to dislike some people.

The Instagram story he posted was a bad move, we're all agreed. He agrees. He's apologized multiple times over the years. Whether one accepts his apologies is each person’s right, and I understand if this is enough to turn people away.

I just hope it's clear that he's been a staunch ally of the queer community and remains so to this day.

Personally, I'm more upset about the question.

This isn't a question you ask anyone.

And this wasn't the first fan to ask him.

According to people who have been fans from the SOTUS era, Krist and Singto were both relentlessly dogged by fans about 1) their sexualities and 2) details about their relationship with each other. We've all likely seen it happen to actors today, but back in 2016, there weren't hundreds of BL actors vying for the spotlight, so the spotlight hit Krist and Singto in a way that we can't imagine today. Most of us, myself included, arrived in this fandom long after SOTUS's meteoric rise to popularity that ended up saving GMMTV from bankruptcy, but given how many fans still behave like they're entitled to know an actor's sexuality, I think it's safe to trust that it was relentless. Fans accusing Kit Connor of "queerbaiting" as recently as 2022 is proof of that.

At the end of the day, there are plenty of reasons to dislike Krist, just like there are to dislike any person on this planet. He's hyperactive, he's whiny, etc. He's not flawless, but I think he's more than shown through his actions that he isn't homophobic, either.

He's not some actor playing queer roles for clout. He's vocally supportive of queer rights, and he backed that up this week in the polls by voting for the most progressive party in his country who are actively pushing for marriage equality.

But like I said, you don't have to like him, so I'll end this post with a quote from a friend who doesn't like Krist for the funniest reason I've ever heard:

"I don't think Krist is homophobic. I just don't like him because he reminds me of every kindergartener who demanded my attention at the exact moment when I was carrying something that could spill – and then it did spill, and they laughed about it for five minutes."

[discluded]

I'm so proud 🌈 of Apo for how brave he's always been.

In case you missed it since Apo never specifically said it in an interview, Tong spoke about having this conversation with Apo about how Apo viewed Porsche's character (I'm guessing Tong here means Porsche's gender preference... this is the official BOC subtitled version too, sigh.)

This is a companion to the Proud🌈 of Mile piece I wrote a while back. I've been wanting write one for Apo but it's very hard because it's obviously very hard for him to talk about too. Sometimes I when I get notes on the Mile one, I still feel shy about it (even though I don't think Mile is shy!) But someone needs to loudly celebrate both of their bravery! Especially Apo's!!

It takes a lot of courage to walk away from a career you love because you realize you're being not treated the way you're supposed to be. Especially when it's an art you love and you've gotten to a place that most people dream of. Let's not forget, Apo was quite famous as an actor in Thailand already before KinnPorsche. Not only is he a great actor, but he was building a reputation for himself and he chose to walk away from all of that, potentially permanently.

The kind of policing that Apo received of a young person's self-expression while working on the sets of Channel 3 has really detrimental effects on the psyche. I won't say too much about it because Apo is human and he's allowed off days and deserves the grace, but you can see glimpses of how being at an industry event full of industry people, some of whom may or may not have said shit to him in the past, inadvertently hit him at the Vogue Gala. Of course Apo had fun still and it was an amazing experience he got to share with Mile! But if that's how he felt like he had to police his own body language every day on set, I can see why he quit.

New York was so good for Apo because it allowed him to see that the problem was with the people around him, not with himself. When I was in my early 20s, I remember seeing a billboard in New York that said something along the lines of: "Here we judge you more for the shoes you wear than who you love." And ain't that the type of freedom Apo needed.

But when he got back from New York, he committed himself to making queer art.

How brave does he have to be in the first place to walk away from a career he loved because of the homophobic comments he got and knowing it wasn't right (and a reminder, he wasn't working on any BLs before KPTS), and then how much braver still to come back and say: you can't hurt me with what I own about myself. And, I want to make art that expresses it.

Make no mistake, I'm not commenting on Apo's sexuality here. He's asked us not to. But being queer, queerness isn't just about gender or sexuality. It's about identity, the struggles you go through; it's a political stance. Many queer musicians who've never been publicly linked to a same-sex partner have made art specifically to explore their queerness and grapple with violence they still are at the brunt of as a result of being part of society.

And Apo has let us know multiple times what his political stance is, the kinship he feels with expressed queerness. It's the way he came back home and owned the queer art he is a part of. It's the way he continuously expresses the humanity in the stories he's telling, and talks about in interviews how he sees that honesty in the story resonates with the audience.

Apo is a role model in not only how we should treat those around us, but a reminder that being kind to everyone includes being kind to yourself. Especially when society tries to tear you down.

[absolutebl]

Love in the Air & also the smell of burning trash

MAME’s adaptation of her novels “Love Storm” (พายุรักโถมใจ) and “Love Sky” (พระพายหมายฟ้า) this is a duology focusing on two different couples and their storylines.

Well, fuck me. 

This is your fault tumblr and I blame all y’all entirely. But yes, guess what this is?

Well, it’s me flouncing, but apart from that?

Another MAME dumpster fire marshmallow roasting trash watch. 

Some of you even begged for it. Or maybe if I’m a MAME character, you didn’t beg for it but I’m gonna gaslight you into thinking you did and then ruthlessly kiss your neck.

Look. I DON”T KNOW WHAT’S GONG ON EITHER.

Good start, ABL. 

Real good start.

You see what this show is doing to me already? 

Fortunately for the few of you who like unconsenting trash-watch neck kisses, and unfortunately for the rest of you, the opening of this bloody show made me realize that I had to do a trash watch. 

Take the neck kisses. 

Take ‘em and like ‘em. 

Without further ado, let’s get started. 

Episode 1 - WHHHHYYYYYY???????

The longest establishing shot in the history of establishing shots, Kubrik take notes. 

And what is it focused on? The gayest bridge in Thailand! (okay maybe not, but it looks a lot like it) 

Did the overdramatic music make me laugh? Yes it did. 

My brain on BL figuring out what is being trafficked inside those 3 big trucks. 

A bunch of acoustic guitars?

Vats of pink milk?

Stacks of white towels and plastic bowls?

MAME’s morals, value system, and taste? 

I’m a motorcycle rider and I’m still disappointed they were full of motorcycles. 

Speaking of which, is anyone reminded of the trailer for that one Thai BL called Motorcycles from years ago? It never got made. 

Cute meet cute in the rain with the umbrella. Styling trope drops, actually. 

Takes me back it does... 

Can’t knock MAME’s meet cutes. 

Just everything else. 

The Characters 

Rain = Random assholery disguised as tsundere + flirting + homophobia wee. Also kinda stupid, dramatic, and slightly cute.

Matched with P’Phayu = a bisexual predator-slut (TM) because MAME can’t leave THAT one to dry for one fucking show. Bonus seme points for eyebrows even more aggressive than he is. 

I like Sky = snarky bestie with solid moral compass and epic eye rolls. Maybe she’ll let him be cool? (Oh noes, I said something, he’s doomed.) 

Random bratty kid in the seat behind Sky = I have seen that actor before, damn it. WHERE? OMG it’s Dr. Sing from Triage! 

Look I’m beginning to get slightly weirded out over the age jumping Thai actors do. 

He’s in high school, 

he is an office, 

he’s in uni, 

he’s a doctor, 

he’s back in high school. 

Are MaxTul the only ones allowed to grow up? 

Okay, grow up = wrong term entirely. Whatever. Don’t distract me with MaxTul, where was I? 

Right, instead let’s talk MewGulf. Anyone else think MAME is gunning for that pairing style with this lead couple? PhayuRain giving me... vibes of the TharnType variety, shall we say? Not exactly, of course. So maybe not vibes, more sort of squint your eyes wiggles target practice?

Back to the... episode. 

I’m losing the plot already. Fortunately for me, said plot is pretty banal, but what do I expect? 

Also the pacing is odd. Things are moving physically faster than they should, but with no real establishing emotional connection. Again normal for MAME. It’s either emotional chemistry drawn out as unnecessary angst over the whole show, or physical chemistry shoved in your face like a wet waffle with an attitude problem. 

I don’t know enough Thai slang to know if the double asshole entendre was on purpose with this dialogue. 

But if it was, it might actually be the greatest line ever executed in a BL. 

And I am thoroughly ashamed of myself for thinking that.

Get it? Ass-shamed.  

To conclude: 

Screw all you all, I’m dragging you down with me into this hell (ass)hole. And since I highly doubt there will be lube, this is gonna burn like the dumpster fire it is. 

I refuse to take responsibility for anything I say or do around this dumb show, it’s @fandomwithjoy ‘s fault. 

Episode 2 - in which I do some actual analysis about VO work as victim blaming and then get distracted by spankings and scoop neck t-shirts 

Serious moment of film studies? 

Do I think we are getting Rain’s voiceover (narration track AKA VO) because otherwise it’s too dub-con and this is MAME trying to avoid complaints? YES I DO. Basically we get Rain’s thoughts during the “almost rape” stuff so MAME can say: 

“See? He actually wants it.”

Look, here’s the thing about having a character VO narrate anything, it’s clumsy. It smacks of not trusting the audience (to be clever enough to follow the story) or the actors (to be good enough to transmit the emotion) or the genre (to convey the world building in a show not tell manner). That’s why so many in the film industry are against it. (See the Bladerunner VO controversy.) 

Do many of my favorite BLs do it? (Cough cough.. JAPAN.) Yes. But then I’m not as against it as many because I like super complex world building and I don’t mind some lazy technique in the pursuit of audience comprehension. Also yaoi was all about head hopping. 

HOWEVER, I’ve never seen voiceover work used as an excuse for portraying dubious content before. Essentially this show is doing a victim blame version of VO.  

Ballsy of you, MAME. VERY ballsy. 

I don’t know if I should be impressed or appalled. 

Typical. 

The thing about MAME is, regardless of anything else you know you’re going to have a lot to talk about. I suppose that’s why she always summons a trash watch. 

Quick add from the future: 

I went off on Takara & Amagi because they manage to use VO to directly combat dubcon (or at least the issues with BL that lead to dubcon) in a GOOD way. So if you’re intersted in this technique working, you should 1. be watching that show and 2. read this post about it.

No booze tonight but that’s only because allowing BL to drive you to drink once a week is expected, but twice? That’s just schedule mismanagement. 

So next week I might delay Unforgotten Night for Thursdays and just decree: 

Thursdays = BOOZEY BADGAYDAY! 

Trashlush Thursdays? 

Eh, I’m more creative when I’m drunk. 

Moving on to the new ep. 

It’s a weird quirk of Thai that no matter what, they will not believe that work is not pluralized in English these days. 

Every time it’s translated plural I think of little Victorian maiden aunts doing good works for their community, knitting, or darning, or tatting. 

And now I’m picturing Payu draped fiber arts. 

Back to Daddy Payu... 

No. 

I can’t. 

He just doesn’t give daddy vibes. Bad boy vibe = yes, daddy = no. 

Back to P’Payu disciplining his bad boy in the bathroom. 

With... erm, neck breathing, I guess?

Still, oddly sexy.

Also... RESULT. Rain used polite (submissive) language. 

Am I taken with the idea of Domming for linguistics? YES I AM. 

Shall we try? 

Nong Thailand, NO MORE “works” FOR YOU! 

I will now breathe heavily on your neck until you stop sticking that “s” on the end. 

Nope, that didn’t work. Works. Ha! 

Question: Who the hell is directing this? It feels like Tee’s work but he’s not listed on MDL. *** 

Look the thing about bratty militant tsunderes without reason like Rain (or Type for that matter) is I fail to see why anyone likes him or wants to be friends with him, let alone fuck him. Fuck with him, sure. But he’s not hot enough to get over a bad personality. 

Sky deserves better friends! 

The seme’s race track consult. Nods in the general direction of Cutie Pie, like anyone could out-seme Zee and Max, are they cray cray? Body language alone. 

But could we talk about the sound in this not-Cutie Pie seme-conspiracy scene? It is so SO BAD. They just what? Hooked up some cheap-ass wireless mics during a wind storm and thought, why bother looping? Flipping heck. MAME’s got money, this is insulting, 

Moving on swiftly please. 

Poor Sky, abandoned by his so-called friend to be (presumably) seduced by greasy motorcycle dude with bad sound tech. (Yes I think that’s where they meet but we won’t see it until their section, which I’m guessing will be in the second half of the series. I believe we got a Star & Sky approach happening here.)

And now... 

Slap that baby, make him scream!

(10 points to the first elder goth who gets the reference.)

But also... 

A spanking! 

A spanking!

I had to, okay.

To my knowledge this is the first spanking scene in BL (Japan doesn’t go in for spankings as a rule, everything else of course). Thus Monty Python is required on such an august occasion. 

This is a serious, hallmarked event in the history of the genre.

Heh he. Hall...marked. Get it? 

Okay, I did find it cute that Payu chose a scoop-neck T for his boy, clearly we got a neck fetish going on. 

That’s it. 

That’s all I got. It was what it was, I’m not mad about it, just a little... okaaaayyyy. It’s MAME, no whiff of consent shall there be. I’m not excusing it but dub-con has just GOT to be her kink. 

Gotta go, works are waiting. 

*** Spies reported in:

Apparently the director is Neti Suwanjinda. He's new to BL who previously seems only to have done short films and music videos. Prior to that, he was bassist in the 2000s rock band Am Fine. Good times. 

NO SINGING

Episode 3 - Linguistic Domination is a Go!  

am one and a half glasses of wine in and ready to do this thing! 

Sky is the best boy and also kinda a little shit. Good combo. Like red wine and dark chocolate. 

Sky, are you trying to remind us that there is meant to be a plot?

Please don’t. 

I love how they called out English 3rd person gendered pronouns in one tricky little scene. 

THAI LINGUISTICS DOMINATION CORNER!

Okay so when he is being polite Rain uses Phi/pom + krap (with he full roll).

When he not being polite he still uses phi but he’s slipping in wa (instead of na, which makes it rude and informal) and not using krap at all (which makes it curt and impolite).  

So the little training session was about particle use. 

Cute. 

Then we got a date, I was very distracted by interesting food choices ordered off that menu, and am mad we did not get a good shot of the table after they were served the dishes. 

I’m starting to get tsundere Can vibes from Rain, and tsundere Tharn vibes from Payu. Not sure what that means except MAME only has about 6 character personalities she rotates though. We kinda knew that already. 

Well, this is BL. 

OH WAIT, is Sky gonna be like a snarky Pete character? Wouldn’t that be grand?  

And Dr Sing is playing the Techno of this drama. As always: never enough Techno. 

I’m not gonna explain that statement, it’s like 5 BLs deep.

All in all not a bad episode (not a good one, either).

Shoulda had more spanking, tho. And more wine. 

Ooo, wine! 

Meanwhile:

I just realized the actor playing Payu kinda reminds me of Seonghwa from Ateez and now I can’t stop imagining him in a cropped shirt and vinyl, and it’s BAD people. 

Episode 4 - I just... ARGH

Payu is just such a manipulative hot/cold arse. I don’t even like Rain and I think it’s cruel the way Payu jerks him around. You don’t train someone up and then abandon them for any reason. Payu is really pissing me off.

 Their chemistry is good though. That age old agony with MAME. 

I am going to state for the record that no one deserves Sky. Sky is too good for this show let alone his friends or boyfriends. MAME should leave my precious Sky ALONE. Sky is best cinnamon roll ever frosted. 

Meanwhile, cruel or not, I guess Payu’s training technique is working. I just wish it had been negotiated. I think I’d really like this show if they’d had a five sentence kink convo verbal contract in ep 1. 

It’s a dangerous game that we play

when we seek to rewrite MAME

for the characters stick

to just one pony trick

only chemistry will save the day 

Although I’m not sure ‘bout that sex scene. 

no opening condoms with teeth, I don’t care how sexy

no one can one-hand a glove that fast, not even a pro

no lube and no prep?

Look I’m just gonna pretend Payu was riding, makes me feel better about everything. Then I can pretend he took care of the necessities ahead of time. Or maybe it was just frotting? 

Episode 5 - In which MAME as officially ruined my favorite thing 

I’m not drunk but I am jet lagged and that’s almost the same thing. 

I see why they don’t have the seme actor with his hair down often, he looks way too young. 

Oh dear, baby was caught in the rain. Baby got sick. This is BL. Bound to happen. 

The horsing around flirty boyfriends is VERY cute. 

I didn’t get any more from the meeha bits than was translated. My stuff on wifey language in Thai BL is here.

These two are good kissers but it’s getting to be a lot of kissing. 

Sky puts up with epic amounts of shit. 

I guess MAME is preparing him for his own story line?

Get it?

Moving swiftly on from my crassness.  

Also Sky, baby, your friend was silly long before he got a faen. 

Oh yay!!!! A counter lift! That’s almsot as good as a spanking!

Hooray! 

WAIT.

What is this? 

NO SINGING. 

I now know the only time I don’t love a counter lift is WHEN IT IS COMBINED WITH SINGING.

MAME has ruined my favorite thing!

(To be fair she’s been ruining perfectly good BL for ages now, so I guess she already was ruining my favorite thing... gah, where was i?) 

A perfectly lovely counter lift mutilated by acapella. 

I feel like I should write an ode, or a dirge. But I wouldn’t ruin your day by singing it. 

OMG I’M SO UPSET RIGHT NOW. 

Don’t laugh, I can see you laughing.

I’m spiraling into a deep depression as a result of counter lifting Thai soloists. 

There will be nightmares. I tell you. Nightmares. 

I should have been drinking. 

Stupid MAME. It was actually a perfectly serviceable episode. 

Until the singing.  

I’m going to bed now.

Episode 6 - We Are Now Calling this show “The Taming of the Screw”

And by “we” I mean me. And you can’t stop me. Can never stop the bad puns, for they MUST live! 

 (source)

[waitmyturtles]

Well. Okay. The Promise, episode 10 (finale), gave us… stuff to think about. Lots of mismatched, incongruous, random, unconnected, any other synonym — stuff.

I’m in mourning, not for the show ending (I’m so glad it’s over), but for the damn potential of the show. It could have been SO. MUCH. BETTER. Would it have been better if it weren’t a commercial? Likely. Would it have been better if the show cared for its characters? VERY LIKELY.

I was hooked originally for the nostalgia aspect of the show, the reflections on Nan and Phu’s childhood, how Phu stayed in Chiang Mai during those 10 years away, the connection to village life, how that reminded me of my childhood while visiting SE Asia. I was hooked to learn about a slice of Thai food culture in coffee cultivation and how beautifully it was depicted.

The show was filmed gorgeously! Khom Kongkiat, my otherwise dear Uncle Tong, clearly has respect and awe for this slice of Thai rural life.

But, fuck, man. The characters and their stories were clearly secondary to the priority of selling the damn skincare, but ALSO — I’d argue that any sensible journey of emotional growth was rendered secondary to this seeming NEED for these UNNECESSARY spikes of INCONGRUENT DRAMA that, I don’t know, maybe Uncle Tong thought he needed to juice up the show, to mix it up from the commercial aspect?

SO MUCH of the finale was unnecessary. Khunkhao in a knife fight?! Nan’s plane inexplicably disappearing?! And then, PHU (should we be surprised?) having the SHEER. AUDACITY. to scold Nan for trying to surprise Phu on his birthday, and like, LITERALLY getting himself ACCIDENTALLY (not on purpose, PHU) in a disappearing plane situation? Phu — are you my mother? Even in times of utter relief and joy, you’re still gonna be a titchy, whiny B? Get TFOH, PLEASE, MAN.

Mayyyybe I can understand how things reconciled between Phu and Khunkhao, but even that played out inconsistently fast. I mean — they were fighting over the same guy. And then you’re huggin’ it out. Now, I get that finding your missing brother, and finding FAMILY, would be important. That could have been a key point that the show could have leveraged — that, if Nan were to decide to go to China, that Phu would not be alone, as Khunkhao himself said.

But then — the show sends Khunkhao away? And gets him into a knife fight? Only to meet another guy named Nan Fah? Good lord, OKAY.

And then? Nan is throwing ALL THE BONES to Phu for Phu to declare his committed love to Nan, awlll of them. How can Phu POSSIBLY MISS? TELL NAN YOU WANT NAN TO STAY! You two can have a reasonable conversation about careers and whatnot! But, Phu! Nan — FOR ONCE, OMG — wants to hear that YOU, PHU, DO NOT WANT TO BE SEPARATED FROM NAN. Just tell the homeboy, one time!

Phu can’t even pull that off. (As @respectthepetty rightly noted, all of this bullshit is not the actors’ fault — they did fantastically for the crap writing they got.)

And finally, FINALLY (IT TOOK YOU 10 EPISODES!!!), Phu can tell Nan that he promises to wait for Nan, to NOT LEAVE, that he will support Nan in Nan’s career. My gawd. Listen — if the writing was truly meant to indicate that Phu was a whiny, selfish B, at least THAT came off accurately and successfully. GAH.

And then Nan tries to do something sweet for Phu, coming back to surprise Phu — then gets himself lost in the air (???) (with no explanation as to how that all happened!), and Phu SCOLDS him — and then they bonk. OH. KAY.

Jeezus. It’s making me madder as I’m writing about it, ha. (And unfortunately, due to being in public places at the time of this writing, I haven’t even enjoyed the sessy parts — DOUBLE GAH!)

Listen, I LOVED the actors in this show. Take this show with Step By Step, and we’ve had some candy for those of us who really want to see more actors in their 30s and 40s in BLs. I really loved having a show with two fabulous-looking dudes working in work lives, and figuring out their shit in that context.

But The Promise undermined real emotional growth here. Unless Phu, this entire time, was MEANT to be, say, an Arthit-like character from SOTUS — all brick wall, not a single emotional point to give, totally self-absorbed — I mean. Now that I write that, I realize it’s true. He WAS intentionally written like that. I don’t want to believe it, but it has to be that way — for a character to scold his partner after the partner got into a near-death (we assume) plane situation. I’m shaking my damn head.

This show has so much potential. I am absolutely throwing my cup of kopi at the screen. I haven’t felt this negative about a show in a while — and I’m watching SOTUS S. I’m really bummed, because this show could have done so, so much more about internalized fear, maybe even internalized homophobia, and ran with it. It ran away from it.

[animechick2015]

The Untamed: Why this is the best book adaptation made in television history

In 2021 I made I did a verrry minor review on the Chinese animation The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation and within the review I gave it a solid 4/5. With this being my second Chinese animation I was still very confused with the names of the characters but the action, OSTs, intriguing plot and characters themselves made up for it. When I saw that the series was based on a book by the same author of Heaven’s Official Blessing I hopped on google to find the English translation. I started reading the book in late 2021 but quickly lost interest. It just didn’t have the appeal like the it’s predecessor. Then in January 2022, The Untamed came up as a recommendation on Netflix; another google search later and I realized that it was based on the novel I was currently struggling to read. So me being as curious as a cat I opened Netflix and told myself I’ll just watch one episode to compare it to the beginning of the book and the animation. One episode turned into two, then to four before I knew it I watched 8 episodes in one sitting. I was stunned. Never before had I gotten so caught up in a drama. When I saw that certain events were changed and plot lines were added I decided to pause my binge watching mode and actually complete the novel and I’m glad I did. I still firmly believe that HOB is top tier BL romance but this is definitely 2nd place. The plot, though slow to start was fun, emotional and gripping. But after completing the novel I began to understand that the writers of The Untamed began to flesh out the characters more, they went way more in-depth with the plot of story. After going back to complete the drama this is my take on it:

1. Perfect Casting

Look I didn’t know who these people were but they were perfect! Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo were brilliantly casted to bring these characters to life. Xiao Zhan brought Wei Ying’s playful energy and bright smile to life so effortlessly and portrayed his grief so well that you couldn’t help but break down with him. Wang Yibo, even though he didn’t have much lines as his cast mate he still had the difficult job of portraying Lan Zhan’s emotions through facial expressions and it was so beautifully done that every micro smile was enough to know just how much he loved his Wei Ying.

2. More in-depth look at the background characters

Wen Qing is a queen and I am her loyal follower. Seriously she needs to be praised. I loved that we got to know a more humble side to her. I also loved how we got to see more of Yangli’s relationship with her brothers. I could just feel the pure love.

3. Wen Ning is a rare species and he must be protected at all cost.

Seriously protect this little bean. He is too precious for this world. And also kudos to him for standing up to Jiang Cheng and revealing the truth. My baby forgot his stutter and everything when he was ripping in Jiang Cheng.

4. Jiang Cheng

I loved the way the drama portrayed this character. I hated him in the animation and felt so-so about him in the book but the drama and his actor made him portray his emotions so much better that I understood his frustrations. We could see his conflict and how much he wanted to protect his brother but he also has his sect to think about. When he discovered the truth about Wei Ying my heart shattered. When he returns Chenqing to Wei Ying it made more sense in the drama than the animation as to why he held on to it for so long.

5. The Theme Song

I really hope the composers for this masterpiece won some type of award because honestly they deserve it. Every time the tracked played you felt the love of Wei Ying and Lan Zhan

6. The Villian

I’m just gonna leave this here. I think it’s self explanatory why I love this villain so much

Overall this was an amazing series that has a permanent place in my heart. Honestly, Hollywood should take notes from the writers of this series on to how to properly made a book to tv adaptation. I have such high hopes for HOB live action series. If you haven’t watched this series please give it a chance. And if you already watched it, go watch it again 😋

[gelatomesomeironqrow]

My Honest review of Kinnporsche Ep 14 and of the series all together.

I highly enjoyed this series, would I say it lived up to the hype? No. It came close but it definitely got overhyped. Did I stop that from letting me enjoy the series? Also no. I'm the type of person who tries their best to let the work speak for itself and not be influenced by everyone else's reviews. So I hope you all can do the same. Enjoy the series for what it is. A gay mafia show. Literally, that is what Kinnporsche is. A mafia story about the heir to the main family and his bodyguard falling in love. The rest of it is either a bonus side story or a "why did they put this in here?" Side story. Not everyone is going to enjoy everything in a series. Will that stop me from watching the series again or recommending it to people who enjoy BL's? No. Because the side stories are there for people who would like that kind of thing. So please people. Just enjoy Kinnporsche and stop worrying about the series finale(?). The actors, film crew, set design, costume design did a phenomenal job and that alone should be applauded.

Moving on, my thoughts and opinions of episode 14.

Honestly, for a finale, it was pretty good. A couple of weird story decisions but hey, it is what it is.

So basically I've decided to take this episode with a grain of salt. I'm extremely happy that Kinn and Porsche get to live out their gay mafia dreams together (although neither of them wanted to be in the mafia at all (Kinn's dream was to be a singer, Porsche wanted to open a bar on the beach)) but they decided to change their dream so they could be together and I think that's beautiful.

Kinn saying that there is no more main family and minor family because they are going to become one. Like did the dude seriously propose in the mafiaest/corniest way possible using the mafia family rings?? Because I'm here for it. Porsche being all like "I'm on your side". They are married your honor. I rest my case.

The three brothers in one room at the same time and none of them know how to act brotherly towards one another. Seriously, Kim, I applaud your efforts to be compassionate. Kinn, you get a C- for trying. The awkward hand pat, I just can't. But everyone grieves in their own way.

Speaking of:

He wins the category of: he deserved better, Big being a close second (he lost points when he briefly tried to use homophobia to get Porsche away from Kinn).

More awards: the winner of most badass character:

Detective Kim who doubles as secret agent man by day, musician by night. God he is so pretty to look at and a force to be reckoned with when you come for Porchay.

Speaking of: Most oblivious character award goes to:

Seriously, Porchay, you didnt even know Kim was there? At all? Like the dude was sitting at the bar in the shadows like the secret agent he is but still. You need to gain some self awareness.

Also side note: I dont really ship these two characters together. They lead two very different lives. That being said, would I watch a series starring Porchay fumbling through life trying to be normal with secret agent man Kim trying and often times succeeding in keeping him safe without Porchay ever knowing he was there and just seeing the destruction and chaos Kim leaves behind? Yes. Yes I would.

Moving on: Kinn. Sweetheart. This is what I meant when I said, without Porsche, I fear for the people around Kinn.

The literal next thing this man does is shoot two of the main family's partners (with one bullet) for the suggestion of handing over his ring to his uncle. The man can become unhinged if Porsche is not in his life. So let's all hope to whatever higher being you all pray to, that nothing ever happens to Porsche. God, what was Kinn like before Porsche again? Oh yeah, he was just slightly unhinged but still holding himself together.

Going back to my little awards:

The couple I simultaneously didnt want together but also wanted together goes to: Vegas and Pete.

I love the characters on their own but together they are/were a hot mess.

Like Vegas is clearly a psychopath and while he was verbally and physically abused by his father. He still chose to make horrible decisions. However, the few times he made decisions for other people, ie, helping Porsche (for realsies this time), he was actually helpful and almost kind. The relationship between Vegas and Pete started off with torture and kidnapping. While the show tried to downplay that and turn their relationship into a consensual BDSM relationship. I still can't ignore the book. I havent read it but from what I've heard, it's clearly Stockholm syndrome. And even though they downplayed it. The signs are still there. So for that reason, I didn't want them to be together.

BUT.

Seeing this scene, they can really make this relationship work. They (being Pete and Vegas) can heal together and move past the events from before. Vegas can improve his mental state with Pete's help. Macau can help protect Pete if Vegas slips. I do however, also fear for anyone in Vegas' path if something were to happen to Pete. Because while Kinn might go unhinged, Vegas is already unhinged and will not hesitate to harm the people around him and that includes himself. So before VegasPete shippers jump down my throat. Please note. I do love these two characters and I have hope for their future therapy sessions. I just worry about how they started and how that will most likely effect them for a long time.

Now. For the grain of salt.

I love good story telling and I feel like the book will give me better insight to this particular story direction. But. And I mean this in a "love the series, you all did great sweeties" kind of way. But what the f*** was that?

This story line honestly lost me. I don't get why it was done the way it was done. I think it could have been explained a bit better and perhaps it's a lost in translation kind of thing but. First of all. Their mom is alive. I get that. What I dont get, is "oh she took a bunch of pills and now has amnesia because of it." Like. No. No that is not the reason. Taking pills can mess with you sure, but I've never heard of someone taking pills to off themselves, only having memory loss because of it. Anyways, that isn't my issue with the story. My issue is that throughout the entire series, we get no inclination that Uncle Gun here is obsessed with Porsche's mother. We get "oh by the way, I saw a picture of her on my dad's desk, lol" moment from Vegas, we get that he is abusive towards Vegas and possibly Macau. But never before the last episode do we get, obsessive sexual offender vibes from the man. Every time he is on the screen prior to episode 14, he is calm and composed (unless yelling at Vegas). In episode 14, they take his character and do a 180 degree flip and turn him into "nows my chance to get "revenge"/seize power from my brother"/"You're alive, sobs, I thought you were dead, sobs, come here, I'll protect you" character. So it's like they did a character rewrite/assassination on the guy. Speaking of, Kinn's dad. Seriously? You really think Porsche would have ran and told Gun where his mother was if you had just told him that his mother was alive and due to traumatic events I'm protecting her? No. The guy just wanted to know how his parents died. Why did you have to give him the run around? Why did you have to continue to give him the run around until he quite literally saw his mother alive. You didnt need to tell him that the man who hit his parents is alive and give him the address. You then didnt have to tell him she was dead when he confronted you. Seriously people. Communication is key. Also, for someone who wouldnt shoot his brother at the table, you certainly had no problem shooting him then.

Anyways, her memory loss is due to trauma and not wanting to remember, not the pills. I hope now that she has her children back, she can get her memory back.

So minus that confusing and pointless story direction, I do highly recommend this series to anyone who wants to see gay mafia members find love and ignore the bafflement of that story line. The series is available on IQIYI.

Gelato out.