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waitmyturtles · 7 months

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THE MORNING AFTER: ONLY FRIENDS, EPISODE 10 EDITION -- WHEN THE HOES CAN'T CATCH A BREAK

I wrote about the hoes yesterday in response to my reaction to the Atom/Boston scandal. But really, my thoughts on hoes not being able to catch breaks in Only Friends, I think, extends to.... maybe to this entire show itself.

I thought yesterday's episode was fantastic. The acting was SPARKLING. I finally felt like I appreciated having both First and Khaotung acting together. Good LORD, Khaotung. The scene in Sand's apartment, the wailing meditation in the rehab triage. Khaotung out-Gaipa'ed himself. Utterly amazing, and First rose to the occasion as well. I also thought Book carried himself more strongly than I had seen in previous episodes -- him and Force carried their tension well in this episode.

But I wrote to @lurkingshan yesterday -- maybe typifying myself as an international fan -- that I feel a little unsettled about the direction of where this show is either going, and/or where I thought this show was going to go.

In my ask to Shan, I indicated that through ALL of the preliminary material we had available to us about OF, from the initial promos, to Jojo and team interacting on social media, the actors and the entire artistic team dropping hints -- that I had a relatively strong sense of where this show was going.

I will be honest and selfish! I was particularly excited about a potential vision from Jojo et al that having lots of sex on the part of an individual would be a decision that would possibly NOT be judged by others. I was damn excited about potentially seeing a meditation on that. It was certainly a vibe that had been easily reached in Jojo's early work in Gay OK Bangkok.

Shan wrote in her answer to me (thank you, dear friend!) that so much has shaped and likely changed the trajectory of Only Friends from its original gestation to the current editing process. This includes observations made by Jojo et al about how the fandoms have spoken about the show on social media.

Our amazing mutual, @bengiyo Sensei, went even further in separate conversation with Shan, noting even more of the various factors that have likely impacted the original vision of this show as had been proposed to us in the fandom last fall. Ben notes that the process of a show changing trajectory within its airing time is common practice. Both Shan and Ben did not hesitate to note that the presence of the shipped pairs of FirstKhao and ForceBook -- and the influence of the large fandoms surrounding these two pairs -- has very likely impacted the Only Friends storylines, to the extent of possibly demanding that the show have more linear, monogamous, and romantic stories and conclusions than were originally expected (at least, as expected from fans like myself, who were already familiar with the boundaries that Jojo usually likes to push).

While MewTop and SandRay continue to flirt with, to toe the line of more traditionally romantic conclusions (okay, maybe not MewTop as much, I'll get there in a bit) -- I feel like I've been caught by a bit of surprise that BostonNick have also been bitten by this current romance bug.

While I really did love this episode (and I'll explain why down below in a bit, besides Khao's stellar acting), I'm just feeling.... a little saddened and bogged down that Boston's ass was handed to him like that. So, Atom lies. Cheum stands up for Atom. I cannot expect Cheum to do less in that moment as a big sis, although I have very much questioned her judgment in the past (like inviting Mew's ex to their hostel Halloween party, what the fuck).

I'm sighing with a bit of regret, because in this episode, the framing of a resolution for Boston is that Nick comes back to Boston. Boston admits to Nick he's acted like an asshole, as I screenshot above, and we know that -- filming RayMew, sleeping with Top.

But I don't know, in the summation of his saying that he's done "awful things," if he's also lumping his life of engaging in casual sex, as he unwinds to Nick. I just -- I don't want Boston judging himself for having casual sex. (To @respectthepetty's point! Let the sluts slut. Why judge?)

Don't do shitty things to your friends, for sure, but if I were your mom, Boston? Have the sex. If someone's gonna judge you, it ain't me.

Are we getting an indirect judgement against Boston’s casual sex with a resolution that Nick will come back to Boston’s life? Is the show telling us that, vis à vis Nick's return, that Boston will be redeemed by.... monogamy? Is that what Cheum's and Mew's presence at the confrontation telling us? Is Boston’s ultimate resolution that he’ll have either a relationship or an LDR with Nick?

If that’s what works for the narrative device of Boston, then — okay. I will have to trust Jojo and team with that. I do NOT want to question Boston’s reaching a point of queer joy by finding love in a relationship with Nick. If Jojo and team are telling us a story that people-judged-as-sluts can find love in a relationship, then... I wasn't expecting Only Friends to go in that somewhat puritanical direction, but I'll go with it, because I trust Jojo.

But I think I am feeling a little bummed about how we may have gotten there. Because, goddamn: for once, give me a world in which casual sex is NOT judged. For heavens' sake, Cheum and Mew. Khai and I’ll sit in the corner with tears in our eyes.

My ho heart is pining for what could have been (chaos leading to a summation judgement AGAINST monogamous purity). But, anyway. None of this is ACTUALLY resolved, I need to tell my damn self; we still have two episodes left, and I’ll stop being so mewdy about it.

The other question I have floating about this episode is: what’s Mew’s motivation to get revenge against Top NOW? If he wanted to team up with Boeing to get back at Top — narratively, that may have made more sense two or three episodes ago, no? During the last episode, we saw Mew very much teetering on the edge of what he should do. His moms LOVED Top, and they missed all of Mew’s confused signals. We ended episode 9 with Mew stating to Cheum that he thought he was still in love with Top.

I appreciate a good state of confusion. Mew might still love Top. Mew might still be damn angry at Top, too. As I’ve written before, the wise Daniel Tiger has taught my kids, and so many more, that having two or more feelings is okay.

But I’m wondering about the timing of this arc. Mew plans something out with Boeing seemingly AFTER he's chosen to resolve his issues with Top. What was it about Boeing’s presence that triggered another revenge reaction in Mew? Mew’s….already been there with revenge. With Ray. And that’s done now. I don’t think I’m clear on Mew’s motivation on revenge AGAIN. Unless? Unless... I'm rubbing my hands together....

.....unless it’s to actually just SLEEP with Boeing, because come AWN, let me get to what I actually, really LOVED about this episode.

Shan indicated in her answer to me yesterday that OF was originally supposed to be constructed with GMMTV’s stable of supporting actors — your Neos, your Marks, your Papangs, your Monds.

For me? Man, Papang’s and Mond’s ENERGY was fresh to watch. I totally squealed at the possibility of BookMond. Mond is just so…..THERE, in a “why yes, look at my manly muscular shoulders, why yes, my gym membership comes with towels and high-end shower products” kinda way.

I liked Mond’s THERE-ness. I like that plants are the new Netflix.

I liked the spice of newness and curiosity in this episode. I liked seeing supporting faces, people that we know and love in Papang and Mond, doing something bold and totally different, and I love the ideas that they bring with their characters -- that Daddy Dan is very obviously in "like" with Nick; and that Boeing is truly around to fuck some damn shit up with Top, and maybe Mew.

Am I demanding this show BE ABOUT curiosity and newness? Unfortunately, that's what turned me on in this episode, and I admittedly would loooove to see more of it as this series winds down.

No, I do not have the right to DEMAND where this show goes. Westerners demanding things of queer Asian artists is an absolute NO for me.

But I think, as I look back at the trajectory of the last few episodes, that I had hoped the show would be less about the branded pairs. I honestly didn't think Only Friends was gonna be about the shipping. I thought loose lips were gonna sink the ships, and I was standing on the beach, cheering my ass off. To see SandRay approaching change and commitment in a romantic and positive way -- the acting was PHENOMENAL, but the outcome was a little to-be-expected-for-a-BL-in-a-non-BL-show kind of way.

And as for MewTop -- while I'm confused about the timeline of Mew's vengeful waffling, should I just go ahead and expect them to get together AGAIN? I'd like to ask for contextual clarification. But, at this point, that's how I know Mew to be, so I think my answer is yes -- I will be expecting Mew and Top to get together after all of this.

As I wonder how the ships kinda took over this whole joint, I think the answer is obviously in front of my face. FirstKhao and ForceBook are the first two GMMTV ships to travel out of the continent for fan meets, with FK going to Brazil, and FB going to Italy. If storylines in a fictional drama upset the fantasies of ship fandoms that these couples may not get together in their drama commodities, GMMTV's wallets, and the fanbases, may not like that very much. If FB’s and FK’s characters don’t get together — and that has a demonstrable economic impact? Jojo and team may have no choice but to hand over some happy endings to some shipped dudes for Jojo's future at GMMTV. Jojo's had to toe lines before. We KNEW what he was indicating by putting Joss, Mild, and Tay together in certain ways in 3 Will Be Free. But he couldn't go so far as to actually show a throuple in intimacy. That would have been too much for GMMTV in 2019.

To Shan’s very apt and accurate point at the end of her answer to my ask — my hope for purely uncommodified art from the Only Friends team, art that doesn’t leverage a judgement against sex in its potentially romantic conclusions, may very well be a pipe dream. If Jojo and his team were pushed to keep the ships together -- and to create happy-ish endings for as many characters in this show as possible, AND to be forced to leverage monogamy IN those storylines -- then how can I judge the artists for needing to toe an economic line? I can't. We are damn lucky enough that Jojo makes art as progressive as Only Friends, as 3 Will Be Free, as Gay OK Bangkok. Only Friends is still a great show.

But.... there was a moment where I think more than a few of us thought that we'd see something truly experimental with the ships sinking. There may still be time to see something nuts happen. But in the end, if Jojo and team have to keep the ships sailing, I won't begrudge the artists. But I will hope that GMMTV can keep allowing for more progressively progressive art over time, maybe even for the sake of letting a ship sink every once in a while.

(Ephemerality…my hope that we’d see intrigue beyond the ships was perhaps ephemeral. But we still have two episodes left! Let’s see! @ranchthoughts @twig-tea @chickenstrangers @lurkingshan @neuroticbookworm @distant-screaming @clara-maybe-ontheroad @thatgirl4815 @slayerkitty)

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bengiyo · 7 months

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I am curious for your perspective on the way the OF creators are interacting with fans and have even admitted to editing the show based on fan reactions. It strikes me as an unusual level of interaction and capitulation, though of course TV is a live medium that is nearly always responsive to reactions to some extent. My preference is for a lot less of this kind of thing, but I know you have experience with direct interaction with media creators and have found it enhances your experience sometimes. What do you make of how these dynamics are showing up in OF and the effect it’s having on the show?

TV and Critic Background

So, I am actually the worst person to talk to if you think the creators should be quiet about their work, because I really enjoy talking to directors, producers, actors, cinematographers, and especially editors about their work. I often go to film festivals just to talk to the creators about their processes.

I've also been in the TV space a really long time, and I am used to this kind of behavior. I don't think a lot of folks who are in BL are used to being in the process of TV itself, and I think a lot of people have let the Netflix binge model inform the way they view TV. TV is not like movies. When you get a movie, you are seeing the end product of filming, editing, test screenings, re-edits, etc. TV is usually only an episode or two ahead of the viewers.

It's extremely normal for a show to respond to feedback when characters test well. The 100 did this with Jasper. He was supposed to die in the pilot when that spear entered his chest, but he tested well with audiences so they revived him.

Fun Fact: This is why Kiseki: Dear to Me didn't just move their release schedule up when episode 8 was leaked early. They probably weren't finished assembling episode 9.

I followed Sense8 through its entire development process all the way from rumors and then J. Michael Stracynski's posts about it, to the things Lana and Lily said about it, to the commentary from the cast.

I have a special hatred for Rick Behrman over Star Trek.

I absolutely hate Russel T. Davies because of Cucumber.

I bailed on Supernatural because of the way the writers condescended to us at comicon after killing Kevin.

I know some fans are upset about the idea that scenes they wanted to see got cut, but I was there for Noah Galvin opening his fucking mouth to talk shit about other actors at ABC who were playing beloved gay characters and that subsequently getting The Real O'Neals canceled. The show had a very short second season and I feel forever salty about that.

What does this mean for Jojo and Ninew and Den?

I actually think Jojo, Den, and Ninew are fine. I don't think they usually poopoo on valid reads from what I've seen, and mostly they're having fun with the fans, too. I just don't think people are used to the creators being so honest about how feedback affects the editing process.

I think this is the first time we've had a big show in a while where the creator was fairly active on socials about the show. Aof and Au are usually pretty quiet when their shows are airing, and only give small tidbits while they show is airing. Jojo is silly and likes to play with fans. Den is feisty and has a gay agenda to pursue.

Truly, I don't think Jojo and friends are that bad about anything with this show, because they're mostly just laughing and stating things that are obvious to people who pay attention to how the sausage is made.

Shipping

That being said, the biggest struggle OF is having is shipping. The FK girlies are so loud and their heavy breathing has likely influenced the way Jojo and friends decided to write Ray. The FB girlies are so into them that it's made Jojo and them dial back some of their Top content because the audience hates him so much. Only Boston and Nick feel like they've made it through the shipping gamut intact because Neo and Mark aren't bringing a bunch of preexisting shippers to the table.

Coming off of episode 10, you can see this plainly with the nasty4nasty dynamic with Boston and Nick. The emotional core of their dynamic feels true, even down to the way their moments in the store mirror their first interactions again. Boston came in for service about his phone and intentionally showed Nick something on it.

I don't think Jojo has ever had to work with multiple acting pairs that were big branded pairs prior to this, and this is only his second time really dealing with that. With Never Let Me Go, Pond and Phuwin weren't that big yet, and he wasn't threatening their ship with anything complicated. OF is challenging for people who just watch BL as fap material and have to deal with their faves not being easy people to parse.

As usual, we go back to that post that goes around all the time, thought I think the OP deleted it:

"Never ever be normal about fictional characters but please GOD be normal about the people who play them, I am begging you" -tumblr user mantorokk-writes

#answered #only friends the series #only friends meta #jojo tichakorn #ninew pinya #den panuwat #best kittisak

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wen-kexing-apologist · 1 year

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Mommy Dearest

Moonlight Chicken, Ep. 7 is all about parent/child relationships. And I for one could not be more grateful to P'Aof and the other writers, cast, and crew involved in highlighting that. As I've gotten older my appreciation for slice of life style stories has continued to grow, and I think that stems from finding comfort and catharsis in seeing other people portray my reality. Especially when it is treated with empathy and understanding.

Which is why I was so happy to see Li Ming's interactions with his mother this episode. Cause the second they meet face to face, I knew I would be relating hard to Li Ming's feelings towards his mother.

It is vitally, vitally important to me that Jam is introduced in this way. That she is always being shown throughout this entire episode to be kind. She is nice, she is expressing interest in her son, she is cooking for him, she is asking him to come home. Even when she is expressing her thoughts on Li Ming being gay to Jim, ones that are harmful, she is not doing so maliciously. She is allowed to be seen as not inherently evil, and Li Ming is still allowed to feel no love for her.

And this is very important to me specifically because it the way she engages with Li Ming is nearly identical to the way my father is currently trying to engage with me. He's started calling me more, started asking me more questions about my life, started inviting me over for dinner when I'm in town. And the reason why I'm so invested in this scene is because, I recognize the deadness in Li Ming's eyes, we know from later on in the episode that Li Ming isn't sure that he loves his mother, and as a result we have a colder, more stand-offish, and unusually quiet Li Ming. He is not capable of engaging with his mother in a loving way, and it radiates out of him. Before we've had more than ten seconds of a conversation between them, we can already tell that Li Ming is incapable of buying in to her pleasantries.

Even worse for Li Ming, this is a surprise. He did not know she was coming, and now she is here, giving him no time to emotionally or mentally prepare to interact with her.

And this statement speaks volumes to me, probably does to Li Ming too. She didn't come here to see Li Ming, she didn't come here because she missed Li Ming, she came here because her boyfriend was coming here, she just happened to be in town. It's understandable if the expense to travel is a burden, but we know pretty soon after she says this line that she is currently living comfortably.

Crucially, Jam doesn't say this to be cruel, she is not trying to hurt Li Ming. She's just telling him information, but if my father said this to me after an extended time apart, I know I certainly would be thinking of course. of course you only come when it's convenient for you.

Love this line. Because it establishes a fact. Li Ming and Jam do not talk to each other. Li Ming has no idea who Uncle Tong is in relation to his mother.

Li Ming's entire character centers around connection and disconnection. And if his body language wasn't a neon sign in and of itself to the disconnect he has between himself and his mother, everything she has said and continues to say puts further distance between them. "That uncle who took you fishing when you were small," when you were small. She hasn't seen Li Ming in years, she has no idea who he is as a person now, no idea what memories he's made since living in Pattaya. Li Ming is her child, so he will always be a child, and his current likes and interests and memories must surely still be tied to his childhood. Because she only knows Li Ming has he was, before she lost left him

Ok, I know I say this every time, but Fourth is such a good actor, there is so much more darkness and anger in Li Ming than in Gun and I always have to remind myself he's playing both characters. And right here, I want to ask Fourth what Li Ming is feeling. Is he lying or is he telling the truth? Is he scared of what is coming next? He knows what will happen, he knows what is coming. Does he lie about not remembering P'Tong to try to drive the knife in a little? Or does he genuinely not remember and it's a good indication that Jam will have to work very very hard to brighten up the relationship between her and her son?

We love the incredibly human characters that are in this show. Li Ming's mother does actually care about her son's opinion here. She wants him to know that she is thinking of marrying P'Tong. I do genuinely believe that, that she is seeking permission here from Li Ming, regardless of whether P'Tong was the one who suggested it or not.

Zero tolerance for bullshit.

I know Li Ming as a character is very willing and able to call out the injustices he sees, anywhere, anytime, with anyone in any position of power. But God, (sorry this is getting too personal) it feels so satisfying some times to deliver a cut like this to a parent.

Li Ming is still not buying in to it, so Jam is being more intentional about what she is feeling. Jam wants Li Ming's opinion, or...she wants Li Ming to absolve her of some of her guilt and her hesitations and her worries.

ZERO! TOLERANCE! FOR! BULLSHIT!

God. His face in this whole scene is great, so detached from everything, he is giving her as few emotions as possible. It's cold, it's distant, his physicality bears the emotional distance between them. It is so so different from his confrontations with Jim. Someone he is also very clearly willing and able to talk back to. To get punchy with.

When Li Ming is mad at Jim he gets close, as close to him as possible, right up in to his face.

When Jim gives him a command "don't raise your voice at me," "I said stop." it does take a few attempts but Li Ming does listen. Does calm down. Does apologize. And even after his uncle has constantly, sometimes unintentionally, and sometimes for safety, over-stepped Li Ming's boundaries and autonomy, Li Ming still often checks in with Jim. In the confrontation with Heart's parents when Heart runs upstairs, Li Ming looks to Jim (in my mind seeking permission) before he runs up after him.

But crucially, Li Ming trusts Jim, Li Ming loves Jim, Li Ming knows Jim cares about him and as a result, he gives Jim his whole self. He calms himself down when Jim tells him he's crossed the line, he goes to Jim's birthday party, he apologizes to Jim. He tells Jim what is bothering him, and while that often ends in an argument, Li Ming is fully willing to be honest with him.

"If you want me to say it's okay, just say it,"

Jam does not get the same honesty. Whatever he can do to just finish this conversation sooner, he will do. Whatever Jam wants him to say so she can feel better and he can get more distance between them, he will say.

Oh. I can see how easy it would be for Li Ming to fully believe it was P'Tong who actually decided to consider Li Ming's feelings. Not hers.

Straight to the point. Just say what you mean, just tell me what you want, stop dragging this conversation out.

He looks...absolutely the same. No emotion. Closed off. There is no excitement, no hope, no joy. This is not good news to him. This does not change anything between them. This does not make him love his mother more, or make him feel more loved by his mother in return.

"My life is more comfortable now, you know? You're about to graduate from high school. Maybe we can be together again." Now, we all know that Li Ming is not interested in going to college, he wants to leave, to do work and travel. But his mother doesn't know that, we'll get to the sentence immediately following this one in a second but I just...I can't help thinking about whether or not Li Ming would even live at home if he did go to college. How much parenting would she really have to do. How much of a time commitment would she really be putting in?

We know Li Ming has desperately been seeking freedom and understanding. He has found understanding by way of Heart. But the freedom from poverty? He now has that if he goes to live with his Mom. She's living a comfortable life. But he doesn't want it. Because fundamentally, more than anything else, Li Ming wants freedom to make his own choices.

And see, here is the thing. "IF YOU WANT to continue your studies," she's giving him a choice here...technically. But Jim and Li Ming have had this conversation already. Jim and Li Ming have already had this fight. Going back with his mother would not solve any of his problems, and in fact creates more because it separates him from the community he has here.

"Why do you all decide for me? Nobody bothers to ask me first."

Now, in the first place we know there is no way in Hell Li Ming is going back with his mother. There is not a second in this entire interaction that Li Ming even entertains the idea. He does not love his mother, he does not want to live with his mother, his mother has no clue who he even is as a person at this point.

And in the second place, he would be facing the same exact problem he has right now. People aren't asking him what he wants. They aren't treating him like an adult. And yes, as you get older, you realize that people were doing their best, and as you get older you realize that it's difficult to successfully balance when you need to protect or guide young adults and when you need to let them make their own decisions. In the conversation Li Ming has with Jim at the end of Episode 5 after they return home. Jim asks "What if something more serious occurs to [Heart]?" and Li Ming replies with "I never think it would happen," and that is what Jim is trying to shield Li Ming from. And all Li Ming is asking for is to be allowed to learn from those moments.

Okay, tangent over, back to Li Ming and Jam. Where we have seen Li Ming be cold, near dissociative, and definitely detached through most of the conversation with his mother. But this, the lack of autonomy he is constantly facing by his family, is Li Ming's biggest sore spot. And he has been bravely trudging along through a conversation he does not want to be in, where he is being met with just so much kindness that lacks so much understanding of him, that he is ready to be done.

But this is not the reaction his mother is expecting of Li Ming, again, because she hasn't been here for this. We have. Jim has. We know that this is a sore spot, and we know that Li Ming has already been in a very emotionally charged argument about this with his uncle before, and I doubt he really wants to do it again.

"Isn't it good to have options?" because she is confused. Because she doesn't know that Li Ming has chosen his option already. That his choice is to leave. And this question is double edged, though I don't think Jam realizes it. Isn't is good to have options? To have college as a back up if you decide you want to go. To have me as a backup if you are tired of living with Uncle Jim. If you are tired of living here in poverty, in a community that accepts you, in a place where you have friends and you have love and you have connection. You can come back with me to live in a comfortable home, with a man that I don't really want to marry but will anyway, away from all your friends, away from the man that raised you, away from your community.

No wonder Li Ming hits her back immediately with "What do you want me to be happy about first?"

The face of a man who is very much not happy about any of this. "About your breakup with Uncle Sith, about your new boyfriend, or about you being well-off and having a comfortable life, and wanting to take me back with you?"

If anyone can remind me of the timeline with Beam, I would really love to know, because I want to know if Li Ming knew Beam, if Li Ming met Beam. How many people has he lost? How often is his mother breaking up with people? How out of the loop does Li Ming feel?

Babes, you didn't come here for Li Ming at all. The list of reasons you gave for coming to Pattaya, in order:

"P'Tong was in town running errands"

"P'Tong wanted me to ask you if it was okay if he married me,"

"I want to be with you,"

The reason you actually came to Pattaya:

Jim called and asked for a title, and you want to use it to get him to try to help you get your son to move back with you.

The face of a man who is absolutely done compromising his own feelings for his mother's.

And God, okay it is time to talk about Li Ming and eye contact. Because we know he is so so capable of keeping eye contact. When he fights with Jim his eyes are always always right on him. When he's with Heart, he's making as much eye contact as possible.

When he is with Jam, it is completely reversed, he makes eye contact with his mother as little as possible. Physically turning himself away from her at the end here. And she tries to be physically affectionate with him, to show her love for him, but Li Ming does not love his mother, and so he just sits there unable to reciprocate.

Lmao, me when my Dad tries to hug me.

Okay, so I started this whole thing by saying that I was incredibly grateful to this show for making Li Ming's mother kind, and for allowing Li Ming to treat her this way anyway, and for that to be okay. Warning, personal story ahead...when I was sixteen, in a fit of anger, my father said he could live perfectly happily without me, and it did irreparable harm to our already extremely tenuous relationship. The thing that even made me tolerate him was going to college and getting thousands of miles between us. And by the end of college our relationship broke down further, and then even distance couldn't save it. But, my father is incredibly charming and charismatic to the outside world. I do not love my father. And that is something I have never said out loud. Because I feel guilty about it. But, I do not love my father, and unfortunately, that's clear to anyone that sees us interact. Because I am Li Ming in my own situation. I am detached, emotionless, giving the shortest possible replies with no extra information. When my father ends his phone calls with "I love you" I do not say it back, because I can't and because I don't believe him. When my father hugs me, I do not hug him back. When my father invites me to dinner, and his girlfriend is there, I can't shake the feeling that it was her who suggested we all get together in the first place. Or if it wasn't, that he's just trying to show himself off as a good father to impress her.

And from the outside looking in, to strangers who do not know the history that has come between us, the history that has gotten us to that point, I look like the asshole. And it is something that I am painfully aware of. So this scene means a lot to me, because I have not seen this type of relationship between a parent and a child in any media before. Either the parents are great, or the parents are abusive, or the parents have been cut off because they are asking too much of their kids. I haven't seen my relationship to my parent accurately represented, and humanely represented. I do not think that Li Ming is being unfair here, I do not think that he is being cruel. And that brings me such relief.

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forkaround · 9 months

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Everyone loves Jojo but people always forget that he doesn't work alone:

This guy has co-written Bad Buddy, The Player, Never Let Me Go, Moonlight Chicken and ONLY FRIENDS! He is also the original creator of Enchate, Dear Dopamine and My Gear and Gown.

Lets give him the credit he deserves.

#only friends #bad buddy #never let me go #moonlight chicken #dear dopamine #enchante #jojo tichakorn #best kittisak

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tomatoland · 8 months

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😭 they thrive on chaos it’s confirmed

#ofts #only friends the series #best kittisak #ninepinta #topmew #sandray #bostonnick

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bl-bracket · 9 months

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Build-a-BL: Screenwriter Round 2 Match 1

Confirmed Elements:

Country of Origin: Thailand

Genre: Heist

Secondary Genre: Detective

Primary Location: Night Market

Director: Aof Noppharnach (He's Coming to Me, Dark Blue Kiss, A Tale of Thousand Stars, Bad Buddy, Moonlight Chicken, Last Twilight)

#bl bracket #bl drama #bl shows #build a bl #Best Kittisak #Bee Pongsate #aof noppharnach #Jojo Tichakorn

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stormyoceans · 6 months

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Hello! I’m curious about something, did P’Aof also write Last Twilight apart from directing it? Or is it adapted from a novel?

(Also I love your little long ramblings, going insane-ness and the way you always write in caps when you’re talking about LT it’s so funny to me but it also simultaneously makes me even more excited for the show 😭<3)

FIRST OF ALL HI HELLO THAT’S SO SWEET OF YOU TO SAY 🥺 if my long little ramblings, incoherent wailings and general derangement about last twilight can make you smile even a little then im really happy!!!!

as for your question, last twilight is an original screenplay!!! it was written by p’aof along with bee pongsate and best kittisak. only in a second moment the screenplay was adapted into a novel, which came out a couple of weeks ago and is now being sold on the GMMTV shop, so it followed the opposite process that we usually get for movies and tv shows

right now the novel is only available in thai, but hopefully they're gonna eventually translate it in english too!!!

#thank you for your kind words they really mean a lot!!!!!#hope you're having a lovely day!!!! 💜#also hope this could be of help!!#last twilight the series #m: ask

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telomeke · 1 year

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MOONLIGHT CHICKEN – THE CHIN TICKLES

(top) Ep.3 [4/4] 1.03; (bottom) Ep.4 [2/4] 3.56

Yes I know that the Moonlight Chicken chin tickles (Moonlight Chickles?) between Heart and Liming that were then paralleled between Jim and Wen have been giffed and commented upon countless times since Ep.4 aired.

We all also know by now that it was something that Fourth and Gemini came up with as an ad lib, and it's since become a bit of a trademark move for them.

When I saw Jim doing it to Wen, part of me was quite amused and delighted at him reproducing this gently teasing, intimate and yet affectionate gesture that we saw Li Ming doing to Heart in Ep.3.

But then on reflection, it also moved me to tears.

I think Director Aof must have taken FourthGemini's little move and appropriated it for Earth's character, because – if this is a Jim thing – it shows that once upon a time, before Li Ming turned into the frustrated teen that we see in the series (so often brusque and mouthy with Jim), he was a sweet little boy with an uncle who loved him to bits, and who was quite happy to be held and tickled under the chin by that loving uncle in a demonstration of that love.

And that sweet little boy in turn learnt (and never forgot) the innocent happiness of those moments with his uncle Jim, that little tickles under the chin are a quiet, joyful and wordless way of saying "I love you unconditionally, my little bean 🥰" and went on to use it on someone else years later, also special to him.

That the relationship between Jim and Li Ming can be so fraught when we see them clash and pull in different directions, hits all the harder with the knowledge that it wasn't always so, and that Jim still loves his little bean so much and always has, but that bean has now grown up and is struggling in his too-tight embrace.

Kudos to Fourth and Earth for their portrayals, and also to Director Aof and screenwriter Best Kittisak for layering these little moments onscreen with such depth of meaning. 💖

#moonlight chicken #moonlight chicken chin tickle

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littleforeignaffairs · 1 year

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Welcome back to this week's episode of "GMM Cry"

Gonna Make Me Cry

Li Meng having to translate for Heart's parents because they couldn't be bothered to learn sign language.

#Moonlight Chicken #Moonlight Chicken ep 5 #heart x liming #HeartLiMing #Fourth Nattawat #Gemini Norawit #gmmtv #asian bl #thai bl #bl drama #thai drama #midnight series #Midnight Series: Moonlight Chicken

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yourstormthlaylirahh · 1 year

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Mmmm, I see people saying they are worried for Only Friends because of how FB are written/acting in ABAAB, or for Last Twilight because of Vice Versa and it's OS episode

Can I just say that having a better director is going to make a huge difference? I personally am not worried, because I think the director is more solid for both OF and LT, and because of that the writing is likely to be more competent and tight.

X Nuttapong's Theory of Love was also incredibly frustrating in terms of pacing and characterization, and most of VV's writing team had very high highs (ATOTS, Bad Buddy, MSP) and low lows (Kinnporsche absolutely fell apart second half, Theory of Love, 2Gether). This leads me to think that their writing was influenced by directing style.

Backaof is a far more consistent director, especially with stuff he is the first to helm (ATOTS, Bad Buddy, Moonlight Chicken, HCTM) and not characters he is taking from previous iterations (Still 2Gether, Dark Blue Kiss while still step ups from their prior series are not as good as the previously mentioned Backaof series). He is also listed as the screenwriter for LT on MDL.

New Siwaj is notoriously hit or miss. For every UWMA/My Only 12% he has, he has a handful of MGYG/Star and Sky/ABAAB projects whose potential is hindered by their directing/writing. Inthira Thanasarnsumrit's screenwriting is actually better imo in ABAAB/Between Us, flawed though it is, than in Double Savage or SIMM.

Jojo Tichakorn is a far more consistent director. While linear storylines like NLMG may have had some major wobbles, his ensemble stuff such as Warp Effect, Mama Gogo, 3WBF, is consistently excellent. OF is an ensemble show. Best Kittisak, the screenwriter, also wrote on Moonlight Chicken, Bad Buddy, and NLMG.

While obviously my personal taste in shows is on display here, based on aggregated ratings for the shows brought up I believe my biases are more or less in line with the overall reception to these shows. Ergo I am confident in stating that FB and JS will absolutely shine in their upcoming shows, and perceived awkwardness in their performances are more due to writing and directing.

#emilys fandom thoughts #last twilight #only friends

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chicademartinica · 9 months

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if this is at all interesting to you, one of the other screenwriters for only friends is best kittisak (ninepinta on twitter) who worked on, among other things, mlc, nlmg, and bad buddy!

Thank you, I followed him when NLMG was airing ! Yes who write the shows I’m watching is ALWAYS interesting to me !

#never let me go #bad buddy #moonlight chicken #only fruends #writers and screenwriters #a nice and queer writing room teehee

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waitmyturtles · 3 months

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I was under the impression that Twitter in Thailand was generally positive about the Last Twilight ending, but, d’oh —

#last twilight #last twilight the series #best kittisak #ninepinta

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scarefox · 2 years

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I know we prais P’Aof for Bad Buddy and it’s all deserved. But let’s not forget the screenwriters:

#you see a director is like the boss of the production but he's not the only one in the team #Backaof Noppharnach #Bee Pongset #Pratchaya Thavornthummarut #Best Kittisak #Bad Buddy

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save-the-data · 2 years

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TILL THE WORLD ENDS | Official Teaser

Same director as Call It Want You Want.

#Till the World Ends #LGBTQ+#Romance #Drama #Gay Character #Asian Drama #Thai #Art Pakpoom #Best Anavil #Michael Kittisak #Knight Pichayuth

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shortpplfedup · 2 years

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Anatomy of a Scene Fight night, or how laying the emotional groundwork pays off in spades

In which several different things are happening all at once and Wai understands exactly none of them.

Bad Buddy, Episode 5 Director: Backaof Noppharnach Chaiwimol Writers: Pratchaya Thavornthummarut, Bee Pongset Laksamipong, Best Kittisak Kongka Cast: Ohm Pawat Chittsawangdee (Pat), Nanon Korapat Kirdpan (Pran), Jimmy Jitaraphol Potiwihok (Wai)

Come here.No. I’ll talk to him. What the heck do you want? Why? Is it so hard to accept defeat?Defeated by that lousy song. Why would I feel anything?Just go. You’re drunk. Don’t act silly. Shit! What’s wrong with you? It’s not the right time to be silly, Pat.Why? Why can’t I be? Are you afraid he would find out? Why? Do you care about him that much? Are you going to stop messing with my friend? Don’t you butt in. It’s between me and him. What’s your problem with this guy? Tell him.Pat, what the hell is your problem? Pull yourself together.Do you want to know?Pat! Shut up!Why can’t I say it? Get your hands off him. Son of a bitch! It’s none of your fucking business!Pat, will you calm down? Pat, stop!! You too. Go home. I said go home. Are you sure there’s nothing going on here? Like I said. Nothing means nothing. Just go.

LISTEN. TEW. ME. The rooftop scene is gonna get the bulk of the attention, and richly deserved, but this edges it out as the scene of the episode for me because the LAYERS. And the only way this scene works on the multiple levels it works on is because Aof has laid all of the emotional groundwork it rests on over the past 4 episodes.

Let's talk about each character's experience of these events, shall we?

Wai is the Jon Snow of this situation; he knows nothing. He's just bringing his drunk friend (?) home, and runs into the King Koopa of the engineers waiting for him at the door, so of course he's ready to swing. All he sees is two people who as far as he knows don't like each other, both of them are drunk and one of them's got a reason (losing the music contest) to get mean. Plus, mans is always ready to box at all times, well established (no word on whether show!Wai is also packing heat like novel!Wai, but let's assume not 🤣). But wait! It feels like something else is also happening here? Wai leaves when told, but he's completely confused and not happy about it at all.

Pran is in the middle of the spectrum between Wai (who knows nothing) and Pat (currently holding all 52 cards plus a couple jokers in his back pocket). All this stuff has been simmering between him and Pat for years. Pat's already started showing signs that he's gotten frustrated with the enemies facade, but he also JUST said he likes somebody else. Pran knew what he was doing when he sang that song, with that intro; he was rubbing Pat's nose in it a little. 'You don't care, neither do I. None of it meant anything. This song didn't mean anything, it's just a song.' Knowing full and well it was THEIR song. I don't think he wanted to hurt Pat exactly, more like show Pat that Pat couldn't hurt him. But he obviously didn't think Pat would react this strongly. And Pat normally wouldn't have if he wasn't already in the midst of a full-blown OH moment, complete with total irrational jealousy of the very person Pran's just showed up drunk with. But Pran doesn't know that yet, so he kind of understands what's happening here but also not.

Pat meanwhile is just full on raging. He's feeling every emotion in existence right now and he just needs to talk to Pran about it all immediately, but when Pran pulls up drunk on the back of Wai's bike the emotion that rushes to the fore is pure green-eyed jealousy. Not only does Wai get his song, Wai gets to openly be close to Pran like this, while Pat has to stay at a distance and pretend they hate each other. And just like that, he's over it, he's not interested in playing that stupid game anymore, and he doesn't care what happens if Wai or ANYBODY finds out what he and Pran are to each other. It's none of your fucking business. But if you want to make it your business, we can do that, you want to know? As shows of jealousy go (and I usually genuinely dislike open jealousy as a trope) it's masterfully done. If Pat and Pran were already in a relationship this wouldn't fly with me at all, but everything right now is precarious and fragile and brand new to Pat, and he hasn't even said it all to Pran yet, so his vulnerability feels almost like turnabout/fair play. He's on the back foot now, he's the one with all the scrambled feelings and Pran is the one who's scrambled them.

And none of this would work like this without every emotional brick painstakingly laid in the road leading to this moment. Without Pran's years of pining, without Pat's unease at their parting, without all the feelings churned up by their reunion, we simply would never have gotten this at this level.

Aof is a goddamn genius.

#anatomy of a scene series #bad buddy #bad buddy series #on art

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jojotichakorn · 2 years

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as i have seen quite a few people getting curious about our screenwriters, i think it's time to introduce y'all to them (and for me to speak my mind jdskfgjsdlkfj).

so, we have a trio working on bad buddy:

bee pongset laksamipong, who worked on 2gether & still2gether, a tale of thousand stars, theory of love, and oxygen;

pratchaya thavornthummarut, who worked on 2gether & still2gether, kiss me again (but not dark blue kiss), theory of love, and oxygen;

best kittisak kongka, who - as a screenwriter - has only worked on bad buddy so far, but has written actual novels, which my gear and your gown and the future series enchante are based on.

i have a lot of thoughts about this wonderful line-up.

bee has worked with p'aof the most (including directly in the writers' room on ATOTS, where p'aof was a screenwriter as well as a director). pratchaya has also worked a little bit with p'aof on still2gether. and as you can see bee and pratchaya seem to have worked together a lot in general. best is a total newbie. i like this mix, as it allows them to already work as a more or less well-set mechanism, while also having some fresh new perspectives. i also love that we have two experienced screenwriters and one experienced writer in the room - a good balance for a novel adaptation.

setting my personal opinions aside, bee and pratchaya did a really good job on all of their series (if we generously exclude the ending of 2gether), especially when they worked under p'aof's watchful eye. i haven't seen my gear and your gown personally, but i know the general gist, and it seems to be a nice enough show (that brought up some important topics as well), and i also automatically trust enchante on account of gawin caskey being in it. so best should be a very positive addition to what usually seems to be a duo.

we have started comparing some things from bad buddy to 2gether specifically, and i think it is now clear that it wasn't a coincidence. bee and pratchaya seem to have some tropes they inevitably fall to, and there is a very clear pattern with all the series that they've worked on. the pacing is quite steady (though gets a little slower closer to the end), generally, the series is jam-packed with events (we don't get much time to breathe, there are very few slow moments, where not much is happening, which is not always good), there is some angst here and there and always a huge angsty plot at the very end which gets resolved more or less last minute after going on for about two episodes. i know it sounds like i'm explaining what any narrative looks like, but there are genuinely other ways of presenting a story - it doesn't always have to be like this.

there is a big chance this is exactly what we will get out of bad buddy. that means that we are likely to not get a lot of the slower fluffy established relationship moments we so wish from it (or they will be at least in the shadow of some other plot point that will be in the center of the narrative), and i think the Big Breakup during the culmination is inevitable at this point. a happy ending is, of course, guaranteed, though - worry not about that. oh, and a lot of things have definitely been changed from the novel, so don't rely too much on the source material, when trying to connect the dots.

#anyway im more or less happy with these three #as long as they don't pull a 2gether last minute #but if they suddenly change their pattern #i wont mind at all <3 #bad buddy #archer speaks

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