#t-ohm

[an-ev-ent-full-time]

started with it would be really cool and fun to give t-ohm a mace

[booasaur]

From (2022) - 2x05

[singto-prachaya]

Proo Thunwa's new single starring Mark and Ohm in the MV

[ohmybitna]

what kind of disgusting men does gmmtv hire????? i feel sick lately listening to some of them talk and since everyone is friends with each other i doubt most of them have different views by the way they laugh at those sick comments their coworkers/friends make. makes it REALLY difficult to enjoy the shows gmm puts out

[aaa-wyvern-called-zesty]

made my first from-scratch custom VRC avatar for @architect-lumicent​, of their character Al-Ant! i had a lotta fun making them and learned a ton, can’t wait to get onto some more advanced projects next year :) the man Tall...

[lost-my-sanity1]

Watch "แค่คิดก็ผิดแล้ว (Unlovable) Ost.หนังรักเรื่องที่แล้ว 10 Years Ticket - Ohm Pawat" on YouTube

OH MY GOD IM GONNA CRY THIS IS LITERALLY A PATPRAN SONG. LIKE IT'S.... SEEMS LIKE ITS PRAN'S SONG FROM HIGHSCHOOL-

[herbertlangethings]

absolut killing............that's T-Pop as it's best, cute, funny, colorful...........all in..............huhhhhhhhh

อัสคารามุด (Ohm, YaYa!) - Wizzle [Official MV]

[sleep-0-deprived]

dimitriii i have an ideia !!

could u write a dom!toji x bunny! younger reader smut? where the bunny boy its just so cute and toji wants to fuck him silly and breed him all the time

Cuffing season~

A/n I like the way you think! Cause some bunny boy breeding is exactly what Toji needs so I hope I did your fantasy justice and enjoy ;]

Female aligned and mdni this is an 18+ blog with nsfw below the cut

Mating season, the bunny version of cuffing season was here for you and here you were needy desperate with your bunny ears laying flat as you hump toji’s pillow all hard leaking pre cum all over it while he’s gone.

“Someone’s in a mood isn’t he?” Toji asks as he stands in the doorway raising a brow watching you try to please your self with his pillow as your purr with your bunny tail wiggling above your ass cheeks “y-out back early!” You quickly stop rutting into his pillow pulling away flushed “no no, don’t stop cause I’m here baby?”

Shutting the bedroom door he walks closer pulling his shirt off showing his muscular chest as he grips your hips pulling you closer as he places one hand on your bunny tail rubbing at it as he lifts you up with ease pushing you up on the bed further gripping your bunny ears shoving your face into the pillows flipping you on your stomach “Toji please~”

“Does bunny boy need a cock in em that bad?” Toji grunts out pulling his sweat pants off then pulling off his boxers as you lay face down ass up wiggling your ass back and forth trying to get him to fuck you but instead only reviving a harsh slap to your right ass cheek “o ow hurts!”

You yelp out “cmon stop actin like a slut or ill treat ya like one bunny~” he groans smacking your other cheek as he massages them pulling your cheeks apart and spiting on your ass hole.

“Mhm Toji~” you moan reaching your hand back when he pulls his boxers down as you grab his cock while laying face down ass up, your hand guiding his tip to your rim pressing him to it rubbing around his spit as he holds your hips up “fuck, boy” he moans as he snaps his hips forward without warning filling you up “o-Oh hah~!”

Your eyes going wide pulling at the bed sheets your jaw slack as you feel his whole girth stretching you out just like your body craves as you lay in heat turning dumb off his cock with your fluffy bunny ears flicking letting your head droop down “see that all ya needed bunny? A cock to stuff ya wide open”

Toji speaks lewdly one hand gripping your hip tightly as your rim stretches out wide around his cock and your gummy walls clenching sucking his cock back in as you picked around him.

“Fwuah! To—ah” you arch you back as your body heats up feeling his tip rutting right against your prostate making your breaths rigid feeling his pressure inside you “such a sloppy bunny look at ya!”

Grinning as he fucks you with you as dripping and creating your own slick from being in heat, your juices coating his shaft while he slaps your ass cheek hard then pulls on your cotton tail “nhg~ so full~”

“Just like that boy” leaning down into your ear as he pulls you back on his cock further taking a mounting position with him on your back shoving your face into his pillow as he harshly pulls on your bunny ears “m mhm!”

Screaming into your pillow and crying out gripping the sheets feeling his muscle mass on top of you pinning you into the bed fucking you harshly making your ass hole start to burn for being stretched so long but your too cock drunk to care.

“Always so tight aren’t cha?” Grunting in your ear being condescending as his tongue licks over his scar while snapping his hips forward making his groin slap your ass cheeks hard enough for them to turn red while you lay in a daze blabbering incoherently lost in the feeling of getting your heat handled by him “ofhm ohm T-o-Ji~”

drooling and pressing your face in the pillow all fucked out and fisting your sheets as the bed rocks back and forth with toji’s force and weight on top of you.

“Aww already close? And here I thought my bunny could last longer, tsk” Toji says with disdain as he keeps fucking you making your cock jump all hard and neglected as your tip drips needs of pre cum into the sheets before your stomach tightens up shooting cum all over yourself as you gasp loudly drooling into the pillows arching your back like a cat crying out as your hole convulses around him milking him.

“O-ahh Toji~!” Crying out as his cock twitches one last time slamming into you hitting up agaisnt your prostate making your bunny ears droop down on your head lewdly and your bunny tail stop twitching as his cock throbs.

Toji keeps shooting his load deep inside you shooting white ropes painting your insides in a thick coating making your heat feel satisfied as you start relaxing your fists no longer gripping harshly,

“Good bunny, just needed to be bred didn’t cha?” Toji hums in your ears as he gives them a few rough pets kissing on your neck slowly pumping his hips back and forth making sure his load goes deep putting pressure on your prostate as your heat starts to rise back up again

But oh well you were a bunny and bunny’s have high stamina right! Looks like you and Toji are in for a long night of breeding.

[absolutebl]

Genuine Question: Given how much people hate problematic topics in BL eg: kp, mame, love syndrome, etc. why is everyone so damn excited about Only Friends? Like we know nothing about the show. It's GMMTV so how sexy is it going to get? you know, like it's GMMTV. I like the cast as much as anyone and particularly FirstKhao but I don't see this 'sexiness' everyone is going so crazy over? Is it some bts thing like I know the director is jojo and he's gay. Is that why everyone so excited? Is it because we just haven't gotten anything really brilliant this year that gets the whole BL fandom together and that's why people are hoping this will, is that what's going on? I like everyone involved well enough but 'sexy', 'crazy', 'problematic', 'high heat'... I don't get it.

Only Friends & Jojo

Genuine answer.

Okay so this question got me invested enough to get off the phone, over to the laptop, and onto hotel wifi, which means typos rather than dictation homophones, but there it is.

I guess what I am saying it...

mistakes will be made

From the tenor of your question methinks you have not watched Friend Zone? It's a 2 part series. Mostly messy hets but...

Also a TON of broad spectrum queer rep (lesbian, bi, ace, demi). Real queers, not sanitized for straight consumption.

Because yeah, GMMTV will get messy and go into higher heat levels in a late night way (not in a KP way).

But actually what has most people excited about Only Friends is it being sourced in this man:

Jojo Tichakorn Phukhaotong

Jojo is a screenwriter (originals) and director, openly gay, multifaceted and a little experimental, naturally talented (on the job trained - he's an archaeologist originally), and he is behind:

The Warp Effect, Friend Zone and MOST importantly (IMHO)...

3 Will Be Free

There are others too, but for the purposes of this post, those are the 3 that count. I think of him a little as the GMMTV director version of Ohm's acting.

Jojo specializes in:

ensemble pieces,

good chemistry (NOT necessarily high heat, so by this I mean actor chemistry with each other all around - couples, cast, team, production)

working with and finding actors within GMMTV's stable who work well together (even if that means busting up a pair),

a queer lens,

queer rep,

and often very messy story (as in he is not invested in the traditional beats of a romance, let alone a BL).

AND he can shoot action (this is a specific skill set for directors and it's NOT easy),

thus he will shoot his sex/intimacy & COMEDY scenes as if they WERE action sequences.

This makes his stuff particularly exciting to watch. It's dynamic, there's a lot of movement, the eye is caught and dragged places. He doesn't use dirty/peekaboo framing or central aperture or manga style (not with INTENT the way trained directors do). In fact he does none of those things I harp on about because I like the romance stuff.

He's not being clever with us. He's being honest, but still applying skill. His stuff not quite raw, but also not really directed. You can tell he gives his actors a script, throws them together and then instructs them to just BE THOSE CHARACTERS. He has a light touch, he trusts them. He's not fussy or nit-picky. He's not doing a million takes to get that sene exactly how he envisions it. His ensemble pieces are just that, group projects.

His eye is wide, even for intimacy, by which I mean: he controls and watches for multiple actors at once when there are a lot of them on screen together, without them feeling stiff.

His style is quite organic but not too gritty.

Struggling to understand what I mean?

For example, watch a Jojo "group of friends chatting" scene where everyone is just standing around then watch the same thing in, say, SCOY. You'll see what I mean. SCOY is also a very queer ensemble piece, but it will feel quite stiff, unnatural, and "planned" (staged) by comparison.

For the giffers out there you might notice that Jojo's stuff is particularly difficult to gif cleanly? This is why.

I find him an exciting director. I didn't cover him in my directors overview because at the time he hadn't done much BL (and frankly, he still hasn't). It's not his focus.

I think Only Friends is actually not likely to be very BL. Queer = yes, BL = NO. He won't hit the tropes and there is no reason to assume it will end happily for all couples (if any). That's not Jojo's point of view.

He doesn't play our game. As a result, some of those excited by the idea of this show (or excited the general enthusiasm & anticipation around it), may be doomed to disappointment.

It's one of the reasons you don't see me getting excited about it.

I'm a fan of specifically the fluffy side of BL, this will NOT be that. And I can appreciate a director without necessarily liking the stories he tells.

I am industry enough to acknowledge Jojo's skill (and I LOVE 3 Will Be Free - just not as a BL), but I don't always like his narratives. No matter how good he is, his stuff is not why I personally watch Thai BL.

It's GMMTV, so how sexy is it going to get?

Again, see Friend Zone. GMMTV has a late night pantheon, mostly for het, but they will get salacious. Lots of cheating and terrible decisions. There will be no archetypes. Characters will exist in grey areas, even the "good" characters. There will be no paladins in this show. No seme/uke.

To answer this frankly?

Only Friends will get soap opera or telenovella sexy but no more. So we will be in Midnight Chicken territory, not Bed Friends.

I think the words being bandied about:

'sexy', 'crazy', 'problematic', 'high heat'

are used here on tumblr (and in fandom) as an attempt to articulate expectations set up by Jojo's style.

Most viewers only react emotionally to the tenor of a director with this set of skills. That's fine, that's what the production company wants: A visceral emotional reaction.

But I hope I've managed to clarify from a film-critic perspective what's bringing this sensation about?

But ALSO seeing a bunch of, essentially, lower heat pure BL pairs, have to push themselves into messy queer spaces? (Notice GMMTV only let the more established actors into this one? No JoongDunk, no GeminiFourth)

This is probably really what everyone is excited about.

They are gonna see their favorites cheat, sleep around, be gay (not BL gay, but actual gay). Some are legitimately excited about this, some are shipper excited, and the BL-stans who don't know Jojo are doomed to disappointment.

I'm mostly excited by how messy this is gonna make the fandom.

Su su na.

(source)

[an-ev-ent-full-time]

[mousydentist]

February 9th T-5 Days

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize anyone else came here.” Chay looks up from his phone to the door of the music room where a boy is peeking his head in. Kim, Chay thinks his name is. They sat together on the first day of classes, and Kim asked to borrow a pen. 

“No worries, you can come in, if you want. It’s just me.”

Kim hesitates for a second before grinning. “Thanks. You’re Chay, right? We have calculus together.”

Chay groans. “Please don’t remind me of that torture disguised as education.”

Kim laughs, sitting next to him and pulling a lunch box out of his bag. “So I’m not the only one who thinks that?”

“Nope,” Chay confirms. “And I bet you’re also thinking about how it’s taught by an old geezer with a stick up his ass, which I have to agree with.”

Kim almost chokes on his food, looking at Chay with a mixture of confusion and amusement. “I’m not sure I would’ve put it that way, but you’re not wrong.”

Chay laughs. “Do you come here a lot, by the way? I come here almost every day, but we’ve never crossed paths.”

Kim nods, swallowing a bite of food before speaking. “I do too, but I usually have student council meetings during this block.”

"Student council?"

"I'm the president."

Chay whistles, impressed. He probably should've known that, but he doesn't care much about class events.

"Cool," he says, then tilts his head. “Do you play?” he asks, gesturing at the decorative little guitar pick dangling from Kim’s necklace.

“Yeah, I do, actually. You too?” Chay nods. 

“Do you have one of your own?” Chay asks, and he sees Kim’s eyes light up.

“I do. I don’t mean to brag, but,” he says, leaning in as he pulls out his phone to show Chay a picture.

After that, the flood gates open. They talk for hours. Not hours. They talk for the whole lunch break, but it feels like hours. Chay’s never had a better first impression of someone. Whenever he meets new people, even when he first met Ohm, he tends to be very polite, smiling kindly and being slightly reserved. But today? He feels like he can’t stop talking, and Kim returns his enthusiasm in kind. It’s like they’ve been good friends for years, rather than strangers until thirty minutes ago. He's surprised how nice it is to hang out with Kim, but maybe that's his own biases about The Popular Kids creeping in.

Their interests seem perfectly aligned, and they don’t run out of things to talk about the whole time. Chay wants to invite Kim over so he can show him the guitar Porsche got him for Christmas, and they can play together. It’s very weird, since Chay’s never wanted to bring anyone over, let alone someone he just met. It’s not even that he thinks Kim would decline, Kim seems just as thrilled as he is to be sharing these kinds of conversations.

To be honest, he feels a little special to see a side of the boy he doesn’t show to just anyone. Well, at least, he’s never shown it to Chay before... He feels a little less special after that thought. This is probably how Kim is with all his friends, and since Chay’s never had a proper conversation with him before, it would make sense that he’s never seen it.

They talk all the way up until the bell rings, letting them know they have five minutes to get to their next class, which, conveniently, is one they share. Chay stands and cracks his back, stiff from how he was leaning back on his arms. Kim waits for him to grab his bag before they start walking together.

“Valentine’s Day is coming up,” Kim says, holding the door open for Chay. “Have anyone special you’re gonna buy chocolates for?”

Chay chuckles a little. “Not me. I’m too busy trying to graduate.”

Kim nods his head, looking forward as they walk through the halls.

Chay bites his cheek. It’s the first awkward silence since they started talking, and he doesn’t like it at all.

“What about you?” Chay asks to get the conversation flowing again.

Kim just shrugs.

Having no idea what to do with that, Chay keeps his mouth shut. 

When they enter the classroom, Chay walks slowly, not sure if he’s supposed to sit in his usual seat or follow Kim. When Kim sits down and doesn’t acknowledge Chay, he takes it as a sign and almost starts to walk past Kim to his seat down the aisle, but he pauses, bites his lip, working up the nerve. 

Finally, he turns back to Kim and holds out his phone.

“Can I get your number?” Chay says, which immediately sounds more forward than he was hoping for. But Kim just blinks at him, then chuckles and hands over his own phone. Chay quickly types his number in, and when he gets his phone back there’s a new contact: kim :)

[nocturnalrat]

UuGH IVE BEEN HYPERFIXATING ON MILES MORALES LATELY S O

ITS SMUT B U T

Miles with a reader who wears his clothes often, wearing his shirt with nothing but panties underneath- sitting on his lap and messing with his fingers. And Miles just so desperately struggling to keep a conversation going when he can so clearly feel their warm against him

Hi anon, thanks for the prompt!

I used our OG Miles for this. Also: It’s their first time together, so he’s extra shy and awkward.

Warnings: Explicit content, y’all know the drill  

---

Miles had left a while ago to complete his evening patrol, and you were eagerly awaiting his return. You had started dating recently, and you were head over heels in love with him.

Having just stepped out of the bathroom, you felt refreshed and rejuvenated. The hot shower had relaxed your muscles and lightened your mood.

"Hey! I'm back -" a voice rang out, followed by a crash and a thump. You looked up to see Miles in his Spider-Man suit; he had tripped and fallen through the window.

"For a superhero, you're quite clumsy," you remarked.

He removed his mask, and you noticed his cheeks reddening. It wasn’t from exertion. "You're wearing my hoodie."

"Astute observation," you replied, sitting down on the bed. The oversized hoodie you were wearing reached your thighs. You loved wearing his clothes, even though they were too big for you.

You could feel him staring at your legs.

"You're not as discreet as you think," you said with a grin, and he jumped.

"What?"

"My eyes are up here, Miles." 

He looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Sorry," he muttered. Then he scrambled to the bed and dropped his head onto your lap. Parts of his suit were ripped.

"Did you get hurt?" you asked, your voice filled with concern as you ran your hands over the damaged areas to inspect them.

"Nah. I'm fine."

You cupped his face in your hands and gently pressed your lips against his. "Missed you," you whispered, "How was patrol?"

"Nothing special. Caught a pickpocket and stopped a robbery. The usual." He shrugged. "And how was your evening?"

Your hand roamed over his chest. "I’ve been thinking about you."

He shivered, despite the fact that you weren't even touching him directly due to the fabric of his clothing. He was always so sensitive to your every touch, which is why you loved running your hands over his body.

"I think about you all the time, too,” he said.

"Oh?” You smiled. “Thinking about what, exactly?"

He blushed. "You know - how you're doing, what you're up to... if there's something you need..."

"Mhm. What else?" 

He swallowed. "Um..." It was obvious he was thinking of something he didn't want to vocalize. “That’s it, I think.”

He must have been too embarrassed to say. It was fun to make him a red-faced blushing mess, so you deliberately turned away from him to lie down on the bed.  

As expected, he crawled next to you and rested his head on your chest, listening to your heartbeat.

"That's really all you think about?" you asked casually, intertwining your hands.

You could feel his body tense slightly. "Yup."

A boy his age, without ulterior motives? That wasn't very likely. "Tell me more about your day then.” You wanted to get him out of his shell.

You climbed on top of him so that you were practically straddling his lap. He looked up at you, cheeks flushed, lips slightly parted, uncertain and tentative. "Um..." He searched for the right words. You leaned over him, and his gaze shyly wandered sideways. "What was the question again?"

You gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "What else did you do today besides capture a pickpocket, stop a robbery, and think of me?"

“I… Um… Physics. “

You couldn’t help but laugh. “Physics?”

“Yeah, uh. Homework.” He frowned, looking like he was struggling to think straight. “Electric current, resistivity, and Ohm’s law.”

“Sounds exciting. Tell me more.” You subtly tried to press your body against his. Since you were only wearing a pair of underpants and his hoodie, and since his suit was relatively thin, you hoped to mess him up enough that any rational thought would leave him.

You gave him another kiss on the cheek, and your lips moved to his neck.

"Um. Ohm's law states that the voltage across a resistor is directly proportional to..." His voice trembled, "to... to the current flowing through resistance..." He fell silent. You had taken his hands and placed them on your waist; you knew he would have been too shy to do it himself.

“Yeah? Is that all you know?” you teased with a grin.

Instead of continuing to talk, he stared at your lips.

"Miles?"

"Hah?"

"I asked you a question."

He blinked. "What question?"

Almost there, you thought.

“When do you use Ohm's law?"  

“You… uh.” He looked like his head was empty. His eyes were glassy, his pupils dilated. “Y-You use it to… to maintain the desired voltage drop across… across the electrical components in a…” The rest of the sentence was lost in a moan because you had started sucking on his neck.

You could feel the warmth that emanated from him. He had to force himself to hold back, you could tell by the desperate look on his face and the way he whimpered under your touch.  

"Take off your suit." He obeyed instantly. His slender torso revealed faint traces of muscles, a testament to the numerous fights he had participated in during the past few months.

Then he looked at you, his gaze lust-veiled, patiently waiting.

It dawned on you that he was waiting for permission, for instructions. 

Even now, in a state of lust and desire, he showed restraint and caution, as if afraid to do something you didn't want.

"What do you want, Miles?"

The question seemed to catch him off guard. "What do you mean?"

"What do you want to do?”

He looked at you questioningly. "Um... Whatever it is you want to do?”

You shook your head. "No." He finally had to learn to express his needs. "I want you to tell me what you want, regardless of what I think."

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "You. I want you."

"And how do you want me?"

Instead of answering, he suddenly grabbed you so fiercely that you landed on your back and he ended up on top of you. His hands wandered under your hoodie, and when you tried to take it off, he said, "No, leave it on. It suits you.” With one hand he squeezed your breast, with the other he grabbed your wrist and pinned it to the mattress.

Fucking finally, you thought. He’s finally doing what he’s been wanting to do for ages.

He was breathing heavily, and you could feel his growing hardness. Would he still be this reserved and self-controlled once you took things further?

"Have you ever imagined it?" you asked between his kisses.

"Fucking you?" He dropped his forehead against yours. "Yes, damn it. It’s the only thing I can think about when I touch myself. I almost lose my mind every time you wear my clothes."

Holy shit. You had never heard him talk so freely, so bluntly before. His excitement and arousal seemed to cloud his thoughts, because you knew he would never confess to these things in a sober state.

"Then why don't you?"

Your words made him groan softly. "You sure?"

"Miles." You tried to sound reproachful. "Do you have any idea how turned on I am right now?”  You took his hand and guided it downwards.

"Oh, wow." He sounded so genuinely surprised that you had to stifle a laugh. "You're wet."

"Duh."

“That’s –“ He blinked. “Wow. I had no idea.”

“Are you going to do something about it or what?”

He carefully fumbled his way forward with one finger, gently, trying not to hurt you. "Is that okay?"

"Miles." Your voice sounded almost like a whine. "More. Please."

He inserted a second finger, and began to move them slowly. But he was still so measured, so tentative, that it was driving you out of your mind.

So you took his hand and started rubbing your clit while simultaneously fucking yourself with his fingers. He watched you with his mouth open, full of awe and lechery.

“That’s how you do it,” you sighed, willing yourself to stop right before your climax because there was something else you wanted to do.

You fumbled around in your nightstand to pull out a condom. Before Miles could react with embarrassment, you ripped open the pack with your teeth and put it on in a quick and guided motion.

"Wha -" He gasped, startled. "You have condoms?"

"Of course. I've been waiting ages for this to happen."

"You serious?" He sounded stunned. "I had no idea!"

“Because you’re a dense idiot.”

He pouted. "Don't call me that."

"Make me.”

He didn't need to be told twice. The kiss that followed was hungry, desperate, lust-filled. He had wanted this for as long as you had.

You couldn't hold back a moan as he entered you.

“You okay?"

"Yes. But I'd feel better if you were a little rougher."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"You're not hurting me," you assured. "Come on, Miles, please. I'll go crazy if you don't."

He began to move faster; his hands found yours and he intertwined them.

"I love you," he said softly, "more than anything in this world." He gasped your name, followed by caresses, kisses, and a look so fond that your heart melted.

You both came at the same time.

His body fell to the side, exhausted.

"That was way better than I had imagined,” he mumbled with half-closed eyes.

"You should really learn to express your needs," you said.

"I don't want to pressure you into anything, though."

You gave him a kiss. "Communicating your needs to someone doesn't mean you're pushing the person to do something they don’t want to.”

He thought about it for a moment. "Okay," he said. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

[wildelydawn]

“I’m telling you, Chay! You gotta download this dating sim! It’s so fucking cute!” Ohm scrolls a bit and shoves his phone in Chay’s face. “Look at him!” An angry, but very hot man in a full suit and pony tail is on Ohm’s screen.

Chay bats Ohm’s phone away. “Why do you even play those games?”

“Oh, please. You would eat this shit up. Between that nasty stuff you’re writing instead of taking notes and the spank bank you have on your wall- OW!”

Chay nudges Ohm again. “Keep your voice down!” Chay leans in, whispering furiously. “Writing about WIK is private. This is a stupid social media game.”

“You used to play dating sims all the time!”

“Yeah! And then I realized real dating is nothing like a video game!”

Ohm sends him a referral code. “Come on, give it a shot. It’s fun. And it’s not like you’ve got any dates lined up.”

“Ugh, Ooohhhhm.”

“Just click on the link and make an account! So I can get the coins! Then you can delete it.”

“Fine, but not now. I’m busy.”

-

Later that same night, Chay receives a text from Ohm, reminding him yet again to make an account for A Ravishing Romance!, the newest and hottest dating sim on the market. 

According to the lore, the player is the protagonist who is visited by Nya, a “cat tamer” who whisks the player away to a secret island, The Meowland Marshes, where cat boys are running rampant. The protagonist has to romance each catboy, cat girl, or cat-person (depending on the settings the player chooses) and prepare them for the Adoption Party that’s happening in a week. If the protagonist fails to romance all the catboys in time, the Adoption Party doesn’t happen, and the Meowland Marshes are lost to the antagonists, the Kittjinn, evil spirits trying to take the catboys and make them their personal minions. If the player successfully dates all the catboys, brings them to the Adoption Party, gets all of them “adopted,” then the player successfully wins the game, and they get to choose the catboy they want to adopt.

The game sounds so bad that it could be good. 

There’s a free version and a very adult version for some money.

Chay is not going to spend 400 baht on a dating sim. But the coins are important to Ohm, so he downloads the free version, starts up the app, makes his gender neutral character named WIK, and begins the prologue to the game.

The game…. Is really something.

Nya, the catboy who’s going to narrate the game, is a blue-haired, pale skinned, lean looking man with a black crop top, choker, tight leather pants, and blue jewelry and accents. Anndddd he’s sporting the whole cat ears and tail and teeth thing. After explaining the prologue (Nya picked you, the protagonist, out of the other 8 billion people on earth because you wrote the most Kudos!’d catboy fanfic on Database of Our Own), Nya whisks you away to Meowland Marshes.

There, Nya basically traps Chay’s character in an apartment and tells him he has a week to romance all five catboys on the Marsh. Nya gives you a weird looking whistle that attaches to your phone; blow on it, and you can call Nya for help, access the catboys you’ve already romanced, or take yourself to the Pawwwn Shoppe, where you can buy treats, outfits, catnip, leashes, and other weird cat (and kinky) stuff to lure the boys. 

Chay clicks on one of the grasslands first because allegedly, one of the catboys is there.

Whisked away to the grassland, Chay encounters his first cat boy. He’s dark haired, wearing a white button up that is definitely not anywhere close to being buttoned up, with some maroon pants. He has his maroon blazer hanging on his shoulder, and his tail is up and ears relaxed.

“Hey there. Did you happen to find a watch here?” the cat boy asks. 

The game gives Chay two options:

“Uh, no. Sorry dude.”

“No, but I can definitely help you look for it!”

Chay sighs. He needs to find at least three catboys to reveal the rest of the map and to get Ohm his bonus coins. He clicks on the second option.

“Oh, thank you! I was being chased by some rabid dogs, but I think I dropped it somewhere. I can’t leave it behind. It’s like a collar.”

*You and the catboy look around the tall grass. He captures three mice, scratches behind his ear, meows in a pained voice before you find the watch.*

The catboy goes from sad to elated. Now Chay can see his thick forearms as he punches the air. Pink hearts erupt on the screen. “Thank you! You’re a really nice person! This watch means a lot to me. But since you were so kind, I’ll let you have it.” 

The game gives Chay two options:

“No thank you! I have a phone that tells time already. I’d love your number though! ;) ”

“Aw, that’s so sweet of you. I’ll cherish it forever, Mr…?”

Chay rolls his eyes and clicks the first option.

The catboy goes from elated to coy, his thick eyebrows raised. “Wow, you work fast. My name is Kinn, but I’m not that easy. Come back tomorrow and I’ll think about answering when you call.”

The screen lights up and Chay’s character’s phone rings. Chay clicks it, and now Kinn’s number is there. There are three options: CALL, TEXT, ASK ON DATE, and all three of them won’t be available until tomorrow.

Chay sighs. He opens the map and finds another location: a spa. Why would cats go to a spa? No idea, but this game makes so little sense to Chay, that he just clicks on it anyways. The sooner he finishes these first quests, the sooner he can delete the game.

A high pitched musical note signals that Chay’s character has landed in the spa. There, he finds another cat, but this one has a mischievous grin on his face. His ears are twisted back, like he’s ready to pounce on Chay’s little character. The only weird thing is that his legs are in the water… his fully clothed legs.

“Aren’t cats supposed to be afraid of water?” Chay muses. He clicks on the catboy.

“Ah, did you bring me my red wine?”

The game gives Chay two options:

“No, but I have these extra large condoms and some harnesses if you really wanna relax.”

“No, but you shouldn’t drink. It’s only 1PM.”

Chay clicks the second option. The catboy goes from passive to annoyed, a little vein popping out. 

“Who cares what time it is? I’m at the spa! Go find me a glass of wine and put it under my tab: Vegas.”

A sad face pops up on the screen. Apparently, Chay has met Vegas the Catboy, but hasn’t secured his number. So Chay must try again tomorrow.

“That’s irritating,” Chay sighs.

The final place that’s open to explore on the Meowland Marshes is the park. Chay clicks there and the same high pitched sound transports him there.

On a bench, surrounded by flowers and bushes, another catboy sits, with a guitar.

Chay’s jaw drops.

This catboy looks suspiciously like WIK. As in, real life singer WIK who’s currently promoting his second album on a sold out tour. The catboy is wearing a gray t-shirt and light-washed jeans, and lots of silver jewelry. His hair is longer towards the back, and his ears and tail are slightly droopy. He has a notebook next to him on the bench. 

Clearly, the game developer is keeping up with the times.

Chay clicks on the catboy.

“Oh. Hello. Am I making too much noise?”

The game gives Chay two options:

“No, you sound great!”

“No, but you sound stuck. Want some help?”

Imagine helping WIK with writing a song? Chay thinks. Only in his dreams. He clicks on the second option.

The cat boy’s tail perks up immediately. “You write music too? That’s great. Can you tell me how this sounds?”

Suddenly, a really slow guitar starts to play. The tune is melancholy and sweet at the same time.

Sort of like WIK’s music.

When the tune plays, the catboy says: “What do you think?”

The game gives Chay two options:

“It’s perfect! Don’t change anything!”

“It’s really good, but maybe change…” *give basic music advice.*

Chay laughs. He clicks the second option.

The catboy’s face changes to a soft smile. Pink hearts fill up the screen, which didn’t happen for the other two catboys.  “Wow, that’s good advice. I should get lessons from you. Do you come to the park often?”

The game gives Chay two options:

“Yeah, I love smelling the flowers. How about you?”

“Yeah, I love birdwatching. How about you?”

Chay clicks the first option.

More pink hearts fill the screen. The catboy’s smile gets even bigger and the guitar goes from his lap onto the bench. “Me too. I hate being at home, so I stroll through the park a lot. And flowers feel good when I touch the petals. I wish I could rub my face in them.” The cat boy goes from smiling to shy. “My name is Kim, by the way. What’s your favorite kind of flower?”

The game gives Chay two options:

“Uh, I don’t know the names, but the pink ones?”

*take a pink flower from the bush and put it in Kim’s hair.* “You.”

For shits and giggles, Chay hits the second option.

Red hearts appear on the screen while Kim the Cat boy blushes and touches the pink flower in his hair. “That…” There’s nothing else on the screen before the game gives Chay another two options:

“You look pretty like this.”

“I want to spend my life with you.”

Chay clicks the second option.

Suddenly, Chay’s phone becomes warm. Then hot. The app goes black and his phone shuts down, but now it’s burning in his hands. With a yelp, Chay drops his phone, and a silvery white beam erupts from it, blinding him. A strange breeze sweeps up the papers off his desk, and it picks up speed as Chay covers his eyes and feels his shirt billow against the gusts of wind. 

There’s a loud thud, a soft groan.

Chay uncovers his eyes as the light dims.

A man in a gray shirt and light wash jeans is heaped onto the floor. With a flower in his hair.

Not a man.

A cat boy.

Chay feels faint as the man-cat-boy hybrid stands up and dusts off his pants. “Your life… with me?” as if Kim is continuing the same conversation from the game. 

Chay can hardly breathe. “What the fuck is going on?” he whispers.

Still looking shy, Kim the man-cat-boy hybrid repositions the flower carefully. “I think it’s too soon to move in with each other. Maybe we can…” He looks up towards Chay. “I’m hungry. Do you… do you want to go get some noodles?”

[walkingbomb]

oh my god oh my god. oh. my god.

ohm y go d o h mygo

t he fuckign

varric an d harding adn sOLAS

[telomeke-bbs]

BAD BUDDY'S BASEBALL MOM – ROOFTOP RUGBY WITH LUCY IN THE SKY… OR ON A BASEBALL DIAMOND?

One of the most mystifying aspects of Bad Buddy was the decision to have Pat wear the now-iconic Baseball Mom tee for the Epic Rooftop Kiss at the end of Episode 5.

It's so utterly incongruous with the drama onscreen. The scene was a pivotal moment for the narrative, with Pat's big coming out to Pran followed by the very steamy demonstration of mutual emotions, after episodes of unending turbulence around where they stood with each other. And The Kiss they delivered was so stupendous, it rocked the Internet to its very foundations.

And for that hugely important moment, Director Aof decided Pat should wear – a big woman's t-shirt more associated with loud, overzealous American moms cheering on their kids at Little League baseball? 👀

At first I thought production simply wanted something open and sporty for Pat, to contrast with Pran being all covered up (mirroring their states of mind – Pat actively seeking to confess his feelings on the rooftop, Pran all closed-off and repressed). That line of thinking was definitely behind a lot of Pat and Pran's outfits, and I assumed they just used a random tee and cut off its sleeves for this.

But in retrospect this seems altogether too blasé an approach, especially since we can see how purposeful the wardrobe decisions were throughout the rest of the series. (The Soon Vijarn Recap video for BBS Ep.5 also makes it very clear Director Aof was closely involved in wardrobe selection, choosing all the outfits for their appropriateness to the narrative – see this link here, at timestamp 23.24.)

(above) The Soon Vijarn Recap video for BBS Ep.5 timestamp 23.49

The examples of the wardrobe reflecting the characters' inner states are copious. Pran's emotional journey in the first half of BBS – learning to open up, getting his feelings returned, and falling into a relationship – was mirrored by his sartorial journey, and he went from all colorless and buttoned-up to a wardrobe filled with more relaxed, expressive and colorful outfits when out in public:

(above) Pran all buttoned-up in his early whites (Ep.2 [1I4] 1.56, Ep.3 [1I4] 12.40 and Ep.5 [1I4] 6.03)

(above) A selection of Pran's more relaxed and colorful sweaters that he wore outside later in the series (Ep.7 [3I4] 2.52, Ep.10 [3I4] 0.26, Ep.12 [3I4] 6.36 and Ep.12 [4/4] 10.14)

Loud extrovert Pat on the other hand was decked out almost from the beginning in bright prints and wacky t-shirts (with some rivaling Baseball Mom in wackiness), all the better to broadcast his outgoing character and personality:

(above) A selection of Pat's bright and wacky tops (Ep.2 [2/4] 5.03, Ep.6 [3I4] 4.37, Ep.8 [2/4] 8.30 and Ep.10 [1I4] 4.52)

The mystery deepened further when the fandom tracked down the maker of Baseball Mom – it looks like a small, possibly home-based business in the US, and the t-shirt is part of a line, one of several related tops (see this link here). It simply wasn't a random tee from some small Bangkok shop (unless the vendor had gotten it secondhand off some American tourist, and was re-selling it locally). This looks like a t-shirt that was specifically procured for the show (possibly even sourced from overseas), rendered sleeveless with low-cut armholes to echo the openness of Pat's personality, and then put on Ohm with absolute intent.

But why?

I'm convinced that there is an element of subversion about this (not the least because the t-shirt undercuts the heavy drama of the scene so drastically). @ranchthoughts has already pointed out in this write-up linked here that the feminine Mom is an allusion to the subversion of gender roles embodied by Pat's character, and I very much agree. It's also possible that this particular tee was chosen because the baseball standing in for (and thus somewhat obscuring) the letter 'O' in the word Mom kind of makes the word call out to M🤍M or MLM. (And here's an afterthought that occured to me watching Only Friends and the promo trailer for My Golden Blood – the baseball bat is also visual shorthand for the emotional violence that Pat and Pran wreak upon their relationship when each figuratively beats up on the other – and on himself too – while acting out their strange, rambunctious relationship as enemies who are secret friends and later lovers.)

But I also do think that there's still more to Baseball Mom than the above, and this particular train of thought was triggered by an Ask from @pandasmagorica about Ep.5's rooftop scene (linked here).

I now think we can piece together a reason for Baseball Mom on the rooftop, but it's only fair to signal that this wackiest of wardrobe choices is getting possibly the wackiest of explanations (and it's a doozy).

Now what @pandasmagorica's Ask triggered for me was the realization that Pat's directness on the rooftop was actually almost the complete opposite of something that he'd been doing very often, right up until Episode 5 – and that was his propensity to torment Pran with the bait-and-switch.

Time and again, Pat would reach out with the offer of something precious to Pran – a smile, a kind word, a tender moment, a suggestion of intimacy – but then quite suddenly he would subvert the situation and switch out the proffered affection with something wholly discomfiting, crushing hopeful Pran's expectations.

There are several examples:

During their childhood, Pat returned Pran's watch after Pran saved Pa from drowning (Ep.1 [4/4] 9.46), signaling the start of his friendship with the lonely little boy next door – only to impose the caveat "But…don’t talk to me in front of people. They might think we're buddies."

That (almost shirtless) bedside conversation at the end of Ep.4 (beginning at Ep.4 [4/4] 10.43), when Pat kept bombarding poor Pran with personal, leading questions, half-begged to be allowed to share his bed and cuddle, before shattering his neighbor's heart by declaring that it was Ink whom he liked romantically.

Tending to Pran’s injured shoulder at Ep.4 [3I4] 7.07, before suggesting he only wanted Pran to recover so that they could compete in rugby again;

Returning Pran’s long-lost guitar to him, then ruining the tenderness of the moment with “I just like to see your face… when you lose” (Ep.3 [4/4] 10.30).

And with Pran deep in his feelings for Pat, the constant intimations of closeness and deeper feelings, shell-gamed away at the last minute, must have been soul-crushing for our poor yearning boy. (This is also what the lyrics of Pran's theme – Just Friend? – are all about, e.g., "I can’t make sense of what you’ve done"/"Are we just friends or are we more?"/"If you don’t mean it, don’t act that way".)

No wonder Pran was trying so hard to keep a distance from the cheerful boy next door, who was always invading his personal space (after having taken over his heart). So much so that Pran on the rooftop was expecting more of the same, which explains his blunt statement "Pat, you've got to stop doing this to me. We are not a thing" in response to Pat telling him that it hurt to see the song they co-wrote in high school played with someone else.

Pran saw this as more of Pat's teasing games, but irony of ironies Pat was being totally serious this time. And yet, even on the rooftop in Ep.5, Pat did a version of the bait-and-switch one more time, but with the polarity reversed for once – he listed all the ways Pran's exile should have brought him joy, only to end with "It was so depressingly lonely for me." 😢

I think Pat learnt early on that this is what you do to your loved ones – because there's actually an example of Ming doing something similar to his son at Ep.8 [2/4] 16.12. Helping to wash Pat's car, he quietly allowed his son to natter on about his day with fibs about rugby practice, before landing a sledgehammer blow saying "When did I teach you to lie?" at Ep.8 [2/4] 16.41. This was an ambush, intended to take Pat by surprise and inflict the maximum amount of damage – and judging by Pat's despondent moping after, Ming certainly succeeded.

But it's not only Pat doing this to Pran, or Ming doing this to Pat, that we see in BBS. Director Aof and his writers actually littered the narrative with other examples of the set-up and switch-out as well, doing it to us the viewers:

Pat may have started out Ep.1 a ruffian, but then we saw that he was really a cheery big kid who needed his popsicles and cuddles from Nong Nao for comfort (Ep.1 [4/4] 8.37 and Ep.2 [1I4] 1.36).

Ink was introduced as a demure girl from the north (remembering that northern Thailand is seen as close to the birthplace of Thai culture) in Ep.4 [1I4] 7.41; then she tripped and let out a curse word at Ep.4 [1I4] 8.01.

Pa's glow-up at Ep.7 [1I4] 2.39 and subsequent story arc subverted her initial (albeit not very successful) portrayal as the frumpy kid sister with no life and no agency as a character.

BBS placed the emotional burden of Episodes 1 to 4 solely on Pran's pining shoulders, and then suddenly whipped it away in Ep.5 and dumped it squarely on Pat (kudos to Ohm, who gamely played Pat as a shining object of affection for the first third of BBS, before showing us that Junior Jindapat was so much more than a lovable, empty vessel himbo, and was instead someone who actually did possess an inner life that he could access).

And perhaps the biggest BBS bait-and-switch of all – Pran's unrequited love for inaccessible Pat turns out to be requited after all, but then without warning it's Pran who spins out of reach on the rooftop.

Looking at BL as a genre, the bait-and-switch is sometimes employed as a storytelling device to provide an unexpected dramatic twist (though whether or not it satisfies is debatable). For example there is the trap set for Lhong in TharnType, the aloof ice prince Sarawat turning out to have been carrying a torch for Tine in 2gether, and Nubsib's reveal in Lovely Writer as someone who also shared a past with Gene.

And if you think about it, all of Bad Buddy itself was kind of one big bait-and-switch as well. They set it up so that – at the start – it looked like the series would be shaping up into a run-of-the-mill, formulaic romance. The roadmap was laid out quite clearly – enemies to lovers, Romeo and Juliet or Kwan and Riam but the BL version thank you very much, star-crossed and kept apart by their warring families.

So we were expecting BBS to follow the usual romcom beats and rhythms, delivering the standard tropes, with the main storyline about how the enemies would fall in love against the odds, then find a way to beat the odds and stay together, or fall victim to it and be forever driven apart.

Except that Director Aof and his team pulled the rug out from under us time and time again, after setting this all up. The idea that Pat and Pran were enemies got turned on its head (they'd been secret friends since childhood). The process of falling in love didn't follow conventional beats at all – Pran was already in love, while Pat was… possibly already beset by emotions, just getting them all mixed up and projecting them onto Ink.

Instead of showing us the main couple falling for each other over the course of 12 episodes, this was firmly established by the end of Episode 5. Instead of their families being the primary conflict driving them apart, it was Pran's overthinking and emotional walls that drove a wedge between them in Episode 6. When family conflict finally did rear its head to threaten their relationship, well Pat and Pran just sidestepped it and carried on.

And the tropes? One by one they fell by the wayside as well. Ink turned up in Ep.4, looking like a formidable love rival for Pran (and he believed it too). Except that she wasn't the stereotype of the evil girlfriend at all – she turned out to be Pat's supportive bestie, while her eye (and camera) were focused on Pa instead. Any stereotypes overhanging macho Pat and pernickety Pran got subverted too, with Pat ditching sports practice for musical theater and Pran a credible street fighter and also a star player on his rugby team – so much for the seme and uke in this BL. The "gay for you" trope got put down (Ep.9 [2/4] 1.41), as was the "wifey" one (Ep.9 [4/4] 8.48). There are so many examples.

Even the end of Ep.11 was a bait-and-switch as well, when a large portion of the fandom was hoodwinked by Director Aof's Ep.12 preview into thinking that we were headed for a break-up. (Fortunately they switched it out for the happy ending that we got instead, thank goodness.)

There's so much of this going on, it seems as though BBS was actually celebrating the bait-and-switch (and in that way kind of subverting its use in BL as well). The thing is, nothing was ever what it seemed in Bad Buddy, and it was all intended to be so, from Day One, because it's solidly a thematic preoccupation underlying the series.

I now think Baseball Mom really plays into all of this glorification of the bait-and-switch as a storytelling device, and its subversion as well. But in a really wacky way, as perhaps is only fitting for the wackiest of Pat's t‑shirts.

So looking back on decades of popular media, who's been crowned the Big Boss of the Bait-and-Switch, the Grand Poobah of Switcheroos, the Queen of the Short-Con, the House Mother of all Bamboozlers?

It’s this little lady right here: 😍

This is Lucy Van Pelt, from Charles Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. Lucy is many things in the Peanuts universe, but one thing she's iconic for is a bait-and-switch prank, where she holds a football and then goads Charlie Brown on to kick it. He usually takes a bit of convincing, but eventually he goes for it and at the last second, Lucy pulls the ball away and poor Chuck ends up kicking the air, sent flying in the process. It's a running gag in the comic strip, first appearing in 1952 and recurring every year after that:

So what's the link with Baseball Mom though?

Football aside, in Peanuts Lucy is also a member of Charlie Brown's baseball team – and significantly she's absolutely terrible at the game. She misses the easiest of pitches, and even when perfectly positioned she gets hit on the head by the ball instead of catching it in her mitt.

So while she may be totally, confidently in charge of the situation baiting Charlie Brown with the pigskin, when it comes to baseball instead of football – Lucy is completely out of her element.

The parallel with Bad Buddy is that master of the bait-and-switch Pat Napat Jindapat – the BBS manifestation of Lucy – was pulling different versions of the Charlie Brown football prank on hapless Pran over and over again, causing much anguish to the latter's battered heart.

But suddenly on the rooftop, the tables got turned and Pran pulled the big switcheroo on him instead – by confirming their mutual feelings with a kiss so dizzyingly sensational that Pat must have been delirious with happiness… only to send it all crashing down by abandoning him there without a word of explanation.

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [4/4] 12.58 – an abandoned Pat stares uncomprehendingly as Pran walks away from the wreckage of their broken hearts

In that moment Football Lucy morphed into Baseball Lucy, from self-assured manipulator to incompetent klutz, all alone in right field when the ball came zooming in from way out left. And what better way to mark this moment than with a t-shirt loudly proclaiming Pat's newly-minted Baseball Lucy status on its front?

(above) The Baseball Mom graphic – BBS's own version of The Scarlet Letter

Yes, I know this explanation is outlandish; that's how it sounded to me too when it first took shape in my head. So I decided to test it, by looking for supporting information elsewhere in the context of Bad Buddy. And the findings are truly surprising. 👀

No characters from Peanuts actually appear (in canon form) within any of BBS's visuals (not that they could, I suppose, for licensing reasons). But Charlie Brown and his cohort of characters aren't unknown in Thailand – there is a Charlie Brown Café (79/335 แขวงช่องนนทรี เขตยานนาวา, Bangkok, Thailand, 10120) that was previously at MBK Centre and a Charlie Brown's Restaurant (315/303 ซ.นราธิวาส24 แขวง ช่องนนทรี Yan Nawa, Bangkok 10120, Thailand) at Belle Park Plaza/Fortune Condo Town:

(above left) Charlie Brown Café; (above right) Charlie Brown's Restaurant

And even though we don't directly see Charlie Brown, Lucy or any other Peanuts characters in BBS, there are oblique references. One of the more obvious ones alludes to Lucy's younger brother, Linus Van Pelt:

When we see Pran out in the world with his PP hobo bag (written up here) or Pat snuggled in bed with his beloved Nong Nao (written up here), we know by now that the bag and the stuffed doll-pillow are our boys' favorite comfort objects, providing psychological security even as they face their personal fears.

(above left) Bad Buddy Ep.2 [1I4] 3.01 – Pran and his PP hobo bag, that he deploys like a shield when outside; (above right) Bad Buddy Ep.2 [1I4] 1.37 – Pat cuddling Nong Nao for comfort when he's all alone

But another name for these comfort objects actually has a connection to Peanuts – they can also be called Linus blankets, after the security blanket that Lucy's brother carries around with him all the time. Just a coincidence? I'm not so sure. (I think it's also significant that all three objects have blue as their predominant color.)

There's also a nod at Charlie Brown himself later, on the rooftop in Ep.7 [4/4] – Pat's tee is an unmistakeable visual reference to Charlie Brown's signature yellow top with its zigzag motif:

(above left) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [4/4] 1.48; (above right) Charlie Brown in his own iconic t-shirt

After their roles were reversed on the rooftop at the end of Ep.5 (with Pran pulling the ultimate bait-and-switch move back on Pat by walking away after The Kiss), the mantle of Charlie Brown the football prank victim was thrust onto Pat instead, and that is what we see here in Ep.7.

The brand name emblazoned on Pat's t-shirt also rings some bells – it's Patriots, which immediately calls to mind the NFL team from New England, and is another nod at Lucy's American football. (There is also a Minor League baseball team called the Somerset Patriots based in New Jersey; not as well-known as their counterparts – compatriots? – a few states away, but still… 👀).

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [4/4] 2.13

And looking a bit closer the Ep.7 scene on the rooftop (the last one to be filmed among all of Bad Buddy's queues) really starts to overflow with meaning because it's actually a parallel to Ep.5's rooftop bait-and-switch.

It's far too much to include here, so I've put it into its own separate post (see this write-up linked here) – the short of it is that Pat as Charlie Brown plays the bait-and-switch one last time on Pran in Ep.7, but for the very first time turns the last-second switch-out into a win for his beloved instead, rescuing Pran who was floundering with the musical. And this reversal of the bait-and-switch, a redemption of sorts, is what convinces Pran to end their courtship competition and enter into confirmed couplehood instead. 👍

‌

Now all that aside, there's still one more element in Bad Buddy that I think is a direct reference to Lucy's bait-and-switch in Peanuts – and that's all the rugby, doing its part as a stand-in for Lucy's American football.

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.4 [4/4] 2.04 – the boys face off on the rugby pitch

It would never have been possible to feature American (gridiron) football authentically in Bad Buddy (it's not a popular sport outside of North America, to be honest, and would have been totally alien in a Thai setting). So they shone the spotlight on rugby instead, most probably because the ball used for play there is ovoid and almost the same as the one used in American football – it seems like the rugby in BBS is pointing at Lucy and the American football she deviously deploys.

(top) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [2/4] 13.01; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [2/4] 13.02

This would explain why Director Aof and his team opted to feature rugby instead of soccer –the latter is far more popular in Thailand, and would have been a more obvious choice. In addition, soccer would have been far easier to stage – all the BBS rugby scenes had to be filmed at a completely different campus from the primary uni location (Bangkok University instead of Rangsit University) because the latter doesn't seem to have a rugby pitch, though it does have a soccer one. In case you were wondering as I was, the goalposts are starkly different so they couldn't just pretend to play rugby on the soccer pitch – it would have been a terribly obvious fake-out if they had.

They couldn't substitute another team sport even if it was easier to accommodate, because rugby (or rather the ball) was integral to this aspect of the storyline. It needed to be rugby if the intention was to evoke Lucy's favorite weapon of torment.

Further evidence in support of this can be found when you look at the original (rough-draft promo) Bad Buddy trailer that was released in 2020 (I think) to promote the 2021 lineup, before actual filming of the series itself in mid-2021:

The rugby was present even at that early stage (and Toto was on Pat's team! 😂). But what's mindblowing is that they're actually using an American football (the AF500), not a rugby ball (you can tell from the laces, which modern rugby balls do not have). 👀 So the gridiron football was very much part of Bad Buddy's primordial DNA, way back at its inception, even before actual filming began. Another nod at Lucy in Peanuts here.

(above) A screenshot from the original Bad Buddy promo trailer at timestamp 1.48

(above) A screenshot from the original Bad Buddy promo trailer at timestamp 2.15

Now all of this is dandy I suppose, but even with Linus blankets, Pat dressed like Charlie Brown, the oval ball and BBS's insistence on rugby (masquerading as American football) over soccer, for the longest time the hardboiled skeptic in me still wasn't fully convinced that Pat wearing Baseball Mom was actually Lucy in disguise getting her comeuppance, Bad Buddy style.

UNTIL I DECIDED TO LOOK MORE CLOSELY AT THE RUGBY MATCH IN EPISODE 4. And that was the clincher, that cemented the intentionality behind Baseball Mom in my mind, because there actually is a sequence where Pat executes Lucy's signature bait-and-switch move, with the rugby ball standing in for an American football, and with Pran as his fall guy.

The sequence in question starts at Ep.4 [4/4] 3.33, when we see Pat running with the ball, coveted by Pran (in more ways than one).

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.4 [4/4] 3.33

Pran tackles him, but in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, Pat flicks the ball away and before any of us (Pran included) can realize what's happened, Korn is off and running with it instead (and I think he scores the rugby version of a touchdown too).

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.4 [4/4] 3.38

Meanwhile, Pat and Pran are still locked in a full-body clinch – and if you look closely, it's Pat who's actually holding on to Pran, not letting him go (with obvious delight, even if he's unaware of exactly why he's relishing the contact so much).

Much of Bad Buddy is really chaste, but there's something about this moment here that makes it seem like a line has been crossed, and that things have turned inexplicably raunchy somehow. There's full-body grappling, legs spread wide, crotch jammed to butt, a whole lot of heaving and panting. Pat is clearly enjoying every second, almost as though it’s the successful climax of his great big plan to waylay Pran with this bait-and-switch. And of course it's the perfect cue for him to deliver that now infamous, golden line: "If you hug me this tight, you might as well take me as your boyfriend." 😂

Actually Pat had been teasing and taunting Pran with hints of romance even before the game (going so far as to acknowledge that his behavior was flirtatious, at Ep.4 [4/4] 0.48) so it's impossible not to see that body tackle on the pitch as anything but a close encounter suffused with sexual tension – and Pran would of course be the first to notice it. (It's possibly also a subversion of the accidental "falling on you" trope, since it's at once contrived yet consensual.)

If you break it down, Pat used the ball to get Pran to tackle him, only to switch it out at the last minute with something else (close, practically intimate body contact) that poor Pran (drowning in his crush) would have found absolutely devastating. This is practically a playbook version of Lucy doing the football bait-and-switch with Charlie Brown.

To be honest though, I'd always found this rugby clinch a little odd and confusing, and had wondered why they even had this scene. It was logistically complicated to set up (two whole teams of players!), and the bait-and-switch portion would have been extremely tricky to choreograph and film. The whole rigmarole was also a lot of work for just a few seconds of screen time. That the ball slips away unseen also makes it seem anti-climactic for the viewer – but not for master gameplayer Pat, who successfully got his planned payload nonetheless.

And because he did it using Lucy Van Pelt's signature move, I now think the reason for this scene is for it to be held up as the paragon of Pat's bait-and-switch traps in Bad Buddy, and a parallel for the Epic Rooftop Kiss when Pran slaps the old switcheroo back on Pat instead.

On the rugby pitch Pat baited Pran by pulling away (with the ball), and then crushed his heart with physical intimacy (hugging him like a lover, but making it seem like he was only play-acting at returning Pran's love). On the rooftop Pran baited Pat with physical intimacy (The Kiss, proof to Pat that his feelings were returned), and then crushed his heart by pulling away (and taking with him all promise of his love).

Atop Chana City Residence at the end of Ep.5, perpetual prankster Pat couldn't stop himself and went in for the bait (Pran offering himself up romantically), only to see it whisked away from him at the very last second.

Suddenly the rules changed and Football Lucy, the House Mother of all bait-and-switch bamboozles, became the victim of the biggest bait-and-switch of them all, and was thrust into a different game instead. Bereft of Pran and denied his moment of victory, Pat became Baseball Mom indeed. 😔

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [4/4] 13.06

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P.S. You can order Baseball Mom (the t-shirt, not Pat 😂) from Amazon at this link here. (If the link doesn't work, you may need to change your "Deliver To" location at the top left of the landing page on Amazon to another country – not useful if you want to buy it when they don't deliver to your location, but useful if you just want to view the page, or get them to deliver to a third party who can then forward it to you. If changing the location doesn't work, try following the other instructions in this post linked here.)

I suspect the fandom has been buying up Baseball Mom like crazy, because it went from limited stock and availability on Amazon (selected locations only), to becoming available for other global locations and on Walmart.com as well – so maybe demand from the BBS fandom has boosted sales so much they started marketing it on more channels? Thai BL soft power trickles down. 🥰👍

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P.P.S. OK, just a little aside – this Peanuts fan theory for Baseball Mom is really wacky, but I think the universe is telling me to put it out there anyway because just as I was finishing the write-up, this random post about the Peanuts football bait-and-switch appeared on my dashboard.

What are the odds of it crossing my dash at the same time I'm writing about it, when I've not seen it referenced before throughout my history on Tumblr, ever? (There were a few random Peanuts and Charlie Brown posts that appeared at the same time as well.) I'm not superstitious, but I do think the universe has spoken. 😂

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

GMMTV24 P2 - QLs - First Impressions

Ossan's Love Thailand

I love EarthMix so it has that going for it. And the trailer made me smile. With that said I'm not familiar with the actor who's going to play the boss, so I'm not completely sold on it yet. But I'll definitely be watching.

The Heart Killers (Don't even get me started on the names) Look, I like First and Khao but I wanted something different and this is just not that different. First's character is going to be simping on Khao's character and honestly I just wanted something else. Also I'm not a JoongDook girlie but I see no sunflowers so at least there's that. Also there is no trust so I'll be joining @lurkingshan in the bunker and watch this one very quietly.

Perfect 10 Liners (Why?) And we're back with the engineering students played by 27 year olds. I'm not gonna say ABAAB was great, but they already played adults. Can we please let them be grown man?? Anyway, I'm not even going to pretend that I'm not watching this one for Perth and Chimon. As one of the few people that had no problem with the wind metaphor that just wouldn't die, I'm here for it. I'm specially excited for Junior and Mark being together again.

Us (see how easy it is to have a nice simple title?)

2024 seems to be a good year for GLs. I really like the visuals of the trailer. It's tropey and angsty, they are gorgeous and Sing Harit is there so I'll be watching.

Thame - Po

First things first. Est is gorgeous. But singing and dancing are built in so I'm not super thrilled about it.

Revamp (get it? please save me)

I'm a sucker for vampires so I'll definitely be watching this one. BounPrem are a pretty good bet in terms of chemistry but I'm honestly not the biggest fan of New Siwaj so I'm not as excited as I could be. But at least Santa is there even if we lost Boss as a vamp.

Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist (seriously??? I can't with this)

And the crowd goes wild. Mark as lead and with Ohm T. I'm in bl heaven. If my information gathering is correct this will be directed by Pepzi Banchorn which is also bringing us My Stand In soon. It looks super cute and I'm seated. Give it.

The Ex-Morning (I'm just gonna shut up)

And the crowd goes wilder. Singto and Krist are back drinking pink milk like they never left us. I really liked Krist in the trailer, I like this side of him, I can see some similarities to his BMF character and I'm optimistic. Gmmtv is having fun with the reunion aspect and I'm enjoying it. They are being super subtle with it though.

I'm not even going to pretend I'm not watching all of them at least when they start. So I guess the waiting game starts now.

All the trailers and posters here.