#bl superlatives | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wen-kexing-apologist · 4 months

Text

Random BL Superlatives: 2023

Well @lurkingshan did it, so I must do it. So here are some random, WKA themed superlatives for the 2023 BL selection.

Best Hands: Mhok and Day, Last Twilight

gif by @singularities

Listen. I know. I KNOW. There are so many incredible options, and I have written at length about a number of them. I mean come on, La Pluie is right there, I Feel You Linger in the Air is right there, Sing My Crush, Moonlight Chicken etc. etc. etc. But

But, Last Twilight came in with the steel chair right at the end of the year here with that FUCKING HANDSING SCENE. Can you blame me? The handsing scene is shrimply too powerful.

Best Lighting: Playboyy

You know, it's funny cause I don't usually end up writing about lighting in shows, despite the fact that lighting design is absolutely one of my favorite things in film, stage, and television. Chains of Heart has really interesting lighting too, but Playboyy is an objectively better show, and it is doing some absolutely gorgeous lighting design.

Best Sex Scene: Olive Oil, I Feel You Linger in the Air

gif by @pharawee

THE OLIVE OIL SCENE, WHY ARE THERE NO GIFSETS OF THE OLIVE OIL SCENE? WHY IS TUMBLR SUCH A FUCKING HATER???? They didn't even fuck in that scene, but holy mother of GOD it was the best thing I've seen all year. I Feel You Linger in the Air has some of the most inventive and beautiful intimate moments, and spreading the olive oil as a stand in for arousal and masturbation was absolutely goddamn brilliant.

Best Faen (Non)Fatale: Porjai, Last Twilight

gif from @khaopybara

I know Last Twilight hasn't finished yet and will take us in to 2024, but Porjai and Mohk's relationship is absolutely my favorite lovers to friends dynamic I have seen this year. I was showering praise upon them all for this in the tags of a reblog today, so I have to give it to them. Massive shout out and extremely close call to Nara from La Pluie.

Best Emotional Roller Coaster: What Did You Eat Yesterday? Season 2

Ok there were quite a lot of shows that I think would have applied here, but man oh man this entire season has just run me through the wringer with how much Shiro has grown over the course of the last two seasons. Episode 11 had me laughing my ass off, and then absolutely sobbing by the end. So it's going to Kinou Nani Tabeta?

The Shirt I Want to Steal Most from Wardrobe: Blue and White Button Up, The Sign

gif from @ohshinytrinketsmine

I know this will be contentious when the Fart Proudly shirt is right there, but I really loved the blue and white button up shirt that Phaya wore I do not know what is in the water at IdolFactory, but they have hands down some of the best shirts I have ever seen. When I watched Secret Crush on You I wanted the entirety of Sky's wardrobe, now I am having shirt envy for this sexy little blue-with-white-lines-that-are-vaguely-rabbit-shaped (wka do not write a post about rabbits, do not write a post about rabbits-) button up.

The Character Who Most Changed my Opinion of Them: Phupa, OS2 x BBS x ATOTS

gif by @alexshenry (double PhupaPat whammy for @waitmyturtles)

Okay, so to tell you the truth, I made new superlatives cause if I took the superlatives from @lurkingshan's post it would have been at least half the same if not more (because as always, Shan is right about everything). But, I will put an overlap here because I absolutely could not let this year go by without applauding Aof, Earth, and Phupa for really putting in the work to help me understand this man better.

The Show That Most Surprised Me: Wedding Plan by MAME

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

Okay not only was this show that I absolutely was not planning to watch or initially interested in actually one of the best of the year, but it was also a MAME show. And a lot of us have our critiques of MAME's writing, but this was so outside of her typical MO that I am shocked it came from the same writer. Love Sailom, love a Lavender Wedding, love Nuea, love it all.

The Trope This Year That Most Accounted for the Fact These Are Gay MEN: Boxing! Sing My Crush, Wedding Plan, The Sign

Sing My Crush did this the absolute best, but I really genuinely loved that multiple shows this year let men fight in controlled settings to get out some of their frustration and to process their feelings. Han Ba Ram crying in the gym? One of my favorite scenes of the entire year.

And yeah sure, Phaya and Tharn are fighting for the intricate rituals that allow men to touch the skin of men, we get the horny vibes, but fundamentally this fight does occur because Tharn is angsty and ignoring Phaya and that cannot stand. I like seeing Phaya sparring with the punching bag at the end of the most recent episode as well because he's fucking furious about Tharn telling the doctor about his dreams. I love it, I love it so much.

#bl superlatives #last twilight the series #playboyy the series #i feel you linger in the air #what did you eat yesterday?#kinou nani tabeta?#the sign the series #our skyy 2 x bbs x atots #a tale of a thousand stars #sing my crush the series

154 notes · View notes

dribs-and-drabbles · 4 months

Text

Most memorable items of clothing in bl series in 2023

In order of their airing/me watching them:

I'm thankful I've gotten into the habit of noting which shows I watch and when otherwise I wouldn’t be able to remember. As it is, first on my list is Bed Friend, which kind of sets the tone for this post since it features the best and the worst outfit choices for Uea. The waffle robes and cat ears vs the fake sleeves shirt.

Next is a quick shout out to Por in My School President, since the show started in 2022 but did finish in 2023, and basically all of his outfits. The man is a style icon. But this stripy polo shirt takes the biscuit for me. I need to have it.

On to Moonlight Chicken and this one is a combined effort between Heart and Li Ming. @telomeke prompted me to write a little about it, but essentially the two shirts together are saying 'you're my other half'. Urthe / Tomato sauce.

The Gloves! Need I say more? (Alright, for those of you who don't know - how could you not?! - they're from Chains of Heart).

And now not strictly an item of clothing but an accessory, the most straight ankle bracelet you'll ever see in a thai series. Totally platonic, not gay AT ALL. In Midnight Museum.

In July the different Thai production companies took stock of three versions of the same stripy linin shirt – the cream long-sleeved, the brown short-sleeved, and the charcoal short-sleeved - and proceeded to clad every actor they could in one of them within a three and a half month period (six shows*, eight different characters). We had couple-shirts with both Kawi and Pisaeng and Mew and Top wearing them, and Namneua in Wedding Plan wore all three. (*Step by Step, Be My Favourite, Hidden Agenda, Wedding Plan, Love in Translation, and Only Friends).

Staying in July for a while, and speaking of weddings, Kawi rocked on up to Pearmai and Not's wedding in Be My Favourite in this brown houndstooth shirt and black pants outfit - an almost exact replica of Ray's outfit in the original pilot trailer for Only Friends. I waited with baited breath to see if Ray would still wear the outfit in the actual series...and he did! Not only that, I then realised Uea had already worn it in Bed Friend earlier in the year.

In a surprising turn of events, Be My Favourite – and Krist – turned out to actually be Quite Good. Perhaps distracted by Krist's puppy eyes, we weren't entirely ready for the first appearance of the Dudes shirt – itself a wonderful comment on the narrative since Kawi was figuring out his feelings for Pisaeng – but it was a delight to see it again on Nick in Only Friends, and offering a different narrative comment.

This next one may only be notable for me, but when I was doing my dedicated scan through of oh so many shows to collect items for the communal wardrobe, I noticed this sand and grey sweater amongst the many other items of shared clothing which appeared in The Warp Effect and then very briefly on Pisaeng in Be My Favourite. Not long after, the trailer for Last Twilight dropped and I spotted it again immediately. I've also since noticed it in a speed scan of The Shipper. Not only do I think it's a pretty neat sweater, but I loved the effect it gave in Last Twilight, which I wrote about at the end of this post.

This is getting long but I'm going to keep going (this might be the only 2023 wrap up I do so I'ma make it count).

If you've been following me for a while (or since the BBS days), you’ll know how rabid I go when I see a pair of the yellow-soled Mustard brand shoes in a show. The most recent being in Hidden Agenda worn by Zo…but they're not the ones on this list. Oh no, it's Joke's blue-soled shoes which made me sit up and scream this time...meaning even their shoes were colour-coded in this show. Oh how I wish I could buy a pair of each.

There were many fabulous outfits in Laws of Attraction (especially Charn's) but Tanthai's green rope shirt wins out for me. Green seemed to be used in the show to represent the lies and secrets Tanthai was forced to keep because of his father, and he was metaphorically bound and trapped in these lies and his life. Ah perfection!

I've mentioned a lot of brilliant items but there have also been many awful ones, and the one I can't seem to stop thinking about (or horrifying over) is the Droopy Tits shirt (or Nipple Protector, whichever way you want to call it) which first appeared in Dangerous Romance and then The Jungle just three days later. I'm surprised we haven't seen it again to be honest, but I imagine if we get more spoiled rich kids we probably will.

These next two aren't specific items but more of a shout out to the whole wardrobe design of the shows.

First, Only Friends, with Mew and Ray's transformation to Ray and Sand's (respective) wardrobe choices, as well as the inversion of colours to highlight differences in relationships, and the use of colour-groupings to separate characters (<- a post i have yet to write). I wish I could write more about it…but life is just too busy to give it the time it needs.

The second is, of course, Ai Di and Chen Yi in Kiseki: Dear to Me with how they always share a colour in their different outfits. @respectthepetty details this perfectly here, so I don't need to. I am however still feral about these two and can't wait to do a full re-watch of the show.

And lastly, much like Baseball Mom in Bad Buddy two years ago (and to be honest many of Pat's other shirts), Aof recently gifted us another absolutely ridiculous but brilliantly poignant t-shirt slogan in Mhok's Fart Proudly shirt in Last Twilight, which I went into detail about here. Just A+

Thanks for sticking with me through all that! Any others that stood out for you or that I missed?

109 notes · View notes

ranchthoughts · 4 months

Text

BL WRAPPED 2023

thanks for the tag @distant-screaming (here)! I decided to get a little creative with it, and also customized it a bit to myself (I'm not a big soundtrack or fanfiction person).

This also functions more or less as my "First Year in BL" post - I watched my first BL in mid January 2023, made this sideblog in mid March 2023, and I haven't looked back since.

I'm going to tag @airenyah, @chickenstrangers, @colourme-feral, @sollucets, @twig-tea, @waitmyturtles, and @williamrikers to do any version of a wrap up they please (or none at all!). I'm also curious to see other people's years summed up, so if you're reading this feel free to tag me - I haven't been on Tumblr much lately so I know I've missed things.

#bl wrapped #bl superlatives #tag game #😅 if you give me the chance to make a powerpoint I WILL take it #technically my most listened to soundtrack is Start Over (시작) by Gaho (but I haven't seen Itaewon Class... nor is it a BL)#[though I've been hearing 'What Zabb' from Cooking Crush a lot lately thanks to a certain someone (you know who you are)]#and I did read a couple fics for Bad Buddy and Only Friends? if you're really curious #if I was really trying to tell on myself the categories would be: shows started and unfinished/shows on to-watch list/tag games unplayed...

75 notes · View notes

chickenstrangers · 4 months

Text

Favorite Drama of 2023: Moonlight Chicken

repetitions // ep. 3 // ep. 7 // ep. 8

beginnings & endings & endings & beginnings

617 notes · View notes

lurkingshan · 4 months

Text

Random BL Superlatives: 2023 Edition

It's the end of the year and I'm feeling the need to give out some awards! We talk a lot about best show, best actors, best writing, best directing, blah blah but I gotta be honest, these are the categories that really spoke to me this year. In no particular order:

Best supporting garment: Porsche’s sweater, A Boss and A Babe

Did I create this entire list just to have an excuse to post about this sweater one more time? Maybe so.

Best performance despite a terrible wig: Daou, Love in Translation

This man managed to perform one of the hottest scenes of the year with that bowl cut monstrosity on his head. Respect must be paid.

Best new terminology: BGP, Bump Up Business

BUB gave us so many gifts, but I will always be most thankful for the business gay performance concept (BGP), a term that is highly relevant in discussions of the bl industry.

Best advice: "Unfuck it," Tien in La Pluie

It's not only the succinct phrasing, but also the delivery method.

Best ex who deserved better: Alan, Moonlight Chicken

Yes, I will be staying on the Alan apologist beat in 2024, thank you for asking.

Best unexpected needle drop: Wetter, The Eighth Sense

youtube

The moment this show captured my full attention.

Best WTF ending: The End of the World With You

You can probably still hear my scream of "WHAT" echoing in the hills. (Actual ending not pictured in case y'all decide to watch).

Best gut punch line: "Have you been well? Without me?", Our Dating Sim

Sure Shin Gi Tae, Lee Wan deserved it, but did I??

Best adorable child: Tane, Our Dining Table

Need I say more??

Best weapon: sparkle murder dust, Khun Chai

Truly the MVP of this show. I can't find an actual gif of the dust in action (too violent to be depicted) so enjoy these pretty men instead.

Best great character trapped in a bad show: Boston, Only Friends

My beloved, I will seek vengeance in your name.

Best use of music to fuck me up: Plumeria, I Feel You Linger in the Air

youtube

Cocktail and Tee Bundit, you know what you did!

Best meal: Chicken curry and cheese naan, What Did You Eat Yesterday?

Yes, this category is kind of a cheat so I can mention WDYEY on this list. And what about it!

Best unhinged energy: Nawin, Laws of Attraction

He may not have succeeded at stealing back his man but he certainly stole the show.

Best bl horror: Grand Guignol

I just need to make sure all you jbl fans know that this movie exists and that Issei fucked Mr Unlucky!!! IYKYK.

Best character comeback: Phupha, Our Skyy 2

From boring stoic love interest to actually compelling and kinda funny leading man! See what a little flirting with Pat Jindapat can do for you?!

#best of bl 2023 #moonlight chicken #the eighth sense #a boss and a babe #la pluie #bump up business #our dating sim #laws of attraction #khun chai #i feel you linger in the air #only friends the series #the end of the world with you #love in translation #our dining table #what did you eat yesterday?#grand guignol #our skyy 2 #bl superlatives 2023 #shan shouts into the void

341 notes · View notes

waitmyturtles · 4 months

Text

SOME GOOD SHOWS THAT I LIKED IN 2023! (AND SOME THAT I DIDN'T)

I watched A LOT of stuff that did not originally air in 2023 by dint of my Old GMMTV Challenge. This list is inclusive of this recognition!

THE BEST SHOW I WATCHED THIS YEAR: HE'S COMING TO ME

I have no other words: this is my favorite Thai BL of all time. Perfect length, perfect plot, perfect celebration of Thai culture, perfect acting, the greatest coming out scene of all time, the BEST of the best BL moms. Perfection.

THE OTHER BEST SHOW I WATCHED THIS YEAR: BAD BUDDY

I don't even want to think about how many words I've written on Bad Buddy this year, but they're well deserved for this REMARKABLE show. I've got a thing for shows by Aof Noppharnach that feature Ohm Pawat, what can I say!

THE MOST INFLUENTIAL SHOW(S) I WATCHED THIS YEAR: LOVE SICK AND SOTUS

The influence of Love Sick and SOTUS can be seen in SO MANY Thai BLs, even through today. Without having watched these two shows to start my OGMMTVC project, I wouldn't have the context for what later shows like Bad Buddy and Theory of Love were commenting on by way of their content and structures. Love Sick in particular was a HELL of a lift -- but I am damn glad I watched it, and I certainly feel nostalgia for it today.

Honorable mentions of influential pieces that had impacts on Thai BLs: Love of Siam and Dew the Movie

MY OTHER FAVORITE OLD SHOWS I WATCHED: UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN AND THEORY OF LOVE

BANGERS!!!

If New Siwaj ever tops Until We Meet Again, I'll fly to Bangkok and give him a gold medal. That long-ass show, 17 EPISODES, I WANTED MORE! OhmFluke's chemistry was great, the story delved SO deeply into historical homophobia and how culture and acceptance changes over time -- scrumptious. Theory of Love, man, the way this show ate up implicit compassion bias and gave it right back to us. I loved it. KHAI FOREVER!

THE BEST SHOW I WATCHED THAT ACTUALLY AIRED IN 2023: MOONLIGHT CHICKEN

Not only was Moonlight Chicken my first real live fandom experience on Tumblr, it was a hell of an amazing show, incorporating so much of what I love particularly about Thai BLs, and how many Thai BLs do not shy away from celebrating Asian cultural touchpoints. From exploring Jim's internalized homophobia by way of his rural upbringing, to juxtaposing Pattaya's spiritual symbols with growing development that upends older strains of local culture, Moonlight Chicken offered a lovely commentary on what it means to be queer in an ever-changing Thailand.

THE OTHER BEST SHOW I WATCHED THAT ACTUALLY AIRED IN 2023: WHAT DID YOU EAT YESTERDAY?/KINOU NANI TABETA? SEASON 2

BRILLIANTLY ACTED by literally the best actors in the Asian BL game: we are blessed that Nishijima Hidetoshi and Uchino Seiyou have given so much to this franchise. It's hard to write about this show because it's so perfect -- it needs no extraneous words. Plot, pacing, acting, character development, gratuitous food shots. It has it all.

THE OTHER OTHER BEST SHOW I WATCHED THAT ACTUALLY AIRED IN 2023: I CANNOT REACH YOU

Just like Bad Buddy looked at Thai BL tropes in the eye and said, "over my Nong Nao," I Cannot Reach You asked Japanese BLs about the efficacy of almost every trope we've gotten used to, and questioned them with efficiency. The biggest shocker for me? REAL COMMUNICATION, encouraged by the CIPHER, Hosaka, that allowed the two lead protagonists to confirm their love and understand each other. It was straightforward and FUCKING GOOD.

A SHOW THAT AIRED IN 2023 THAT I HAVEN'T WRITTEN ABOUT YET, THAT I NEED TO REWATCH IN CHRONOLOGY, THAT ALSO DID SOME TROPE/GENRE ASS-KICKING THAT I'M STILL THINKING ABOUT: LA PLUIE

La Pluie was FEARLESS. The show had a LOT to say about romance and soulmates not being as much of a realistic thing as content-makers... and, frankly, majority society would like us to think. La Pluie made its characters WORK for love and understanding, and had us viewers face our implicit biases about how romantic content should and could work. I watched this show out of order of the OGMMTVC watchlist to see it it was one of the best of the year, and it certainly is. I'm planning a deep rewatch for early 2024 to pen my words on it.

A SHOW THAT ALMOST TOPPED MY 2023 LIST BUT GOT DOCKED BECAUSE I ENDED UP LIKING THE NOVEL A LOT BETTER: I FEEL YOU LINGER IN THE AIR

@neuroticbookworm and @lurkingshan know that I flipped THA FUCK out over this show -- FABULOUSLY acted by Nonkul Chanon and Bright Rapheephong, FABULOUS cinematography, great story up until the end of the series. My fangirling led me to read the original novel by Violet Rain, and -- I found out that Jom was a lot more damn sassy than we got in the show! Tee Bundit's penchant for sadness won. This is not to dock the show, but the novel had more than enough material to carry the series through without repeating themes in the end. So it fell on my 2023 list, womp womp. BUT I STILL LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SHOW, DON'T GET ME WRONG.

TWO SHOWS THAT I'M SUPER GLAD I CAUGHT UP WITH WHILE THEY WERE AIRING: THE EIGHTH SENSE AND BE MY FAVORITE

Be My Favorite looked at Krist Perawat's checkered past as a BL idol and said: we are going to examine this and make an honest BL out of inspiration from it. It wasn't a perfect show, the time travel shit didn't end up adding up in the end, BUT -- excellent acting from two GMMTV VETS made up for those tangles, and I loved the contextual philosophical references throughout the series. The Eighth Sense looked at the tug-of-war that Korean BLs have with K-dramas and their tropes and said, actually? We will have these dudes full-frontal kiss, and placed that energy against commentaries on mental health, both topics that Korea hasn't quite embraced as quickly as other countries.

HONORABLE MENTIONS OF OTHER AWESOME SHOWS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE AIRED IN 2023

Make It Right, Our Dating Sim, Dark Blue Kiss, Gay OK Bangkok, Dirty Laundry, 10 Years Ticket, I Told Sunset About You, I Promised You the Moon, 3 Will Be Free, Lovely Writer (underrated?!), Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars (UNDERRATED!), and Manner of Death.

And the shows that are airing that I know will stay with me well into 2024: Last Twilight and Cherry Magic Thailand.

I had fun!

WHAT ELSE, WHAT ELSE: THE "NO" SHOWS: THE PROMISE AND STEP BY STEP

I'm not even hyperlinking my thoughts on these shows, nor gifting them with gifs. Insert Bugs Bunny NOOOOOO gif here! We got Man Trisanu, though.

THE SHOW I WAS THE MOST OBVIOUSLY DISAPPOINTED BY: ONLY FRIENDS

Despite my passionate disappointment for this show and how it ended: in the context of the OGMMTVC, Only Friends is still an incredibly important inclusion to the list. Some amazing Tumblr bloggers offered commentary that the bias against sex that OF contained within the show was actually importantly and culturally contextual to the still-conservative state of acceptance that Thailand is currently in (here and here for more reading).

Only Friends reminded us that despite any kind of marketing that we here on Tumblr, as a majority non-Thai audience, may receive about a Thai show -- that we are still not fully plugged into the non-verbal expectations of what a show like OF could promise to do, and to be okay when it doesn't reach those heights. In light of the seemingly pro-sex marketing blasts that previewed the series before its airing, OF ultimately seemed to want to take casual sex, chew it up, and spit it out. There might be reasons why that happened that we just don't know about as outsiders to Thailand. But as an Asian-American viewer that was hoping for neutral -- and maybe even supportive -- commentary on single folks having casual sex without judgement, OF did not deliver for me.

I'm ending the year reading Dr. Thomas Baudinette's book, Boys Love Media in Thailand, the first book-length ethnographic study on the impact of BL on queerness, media, and more in Thailand and across Asia. Baudinette comes from the world of Japanese queer media studies -- as someone who came to Thai BLs this year from Japanese BLs, I appreciate his trajectory. It's clearly a necessity for me to read this book in the context of the OGMMTVC, to understand how Thai BLs have changed over time, and to understand the incredibly larger impact of heterosexual/heteronormative media and themes on Thai media as a whole, as larger and larger swaths of Thai, Asian, and international societies welcome and watch BLs with open arms.

All of this feeds into my ever-growing body of knowledge about the impact of Thai BLs, both in Thailand and across Asia, as Baudinette writes about, and how these shows have and are developed/developing over time. It's been an AMAZING YEAR of watching old and new dramas for me, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the genre grows even more in 2024.

I also made AMAZING FRIENDS on Tumblr -- y'all know who you are! What a year of growth and discovery for me: this has been a fabulous experience, and I'm looking forward to even more growth in the new year!

121 notes · View notes

visualtaehyun · 4 months

Text

2023 in review 🏳‍🌈

Tagged by the lovely @btwinlines (here) and @chickenstrangers (here) ✨ Thank you 🙏

>> Post your most popular and/or favorite edit/gifset/analysis for each month (it’s okay to skip months!)

This took a while to assemble because I first needed to track down all my original posts which are strewn across several personal tags because I didn't know at the time I established them that I'd be shitposting, getting back into giffing?? etc.

January-June

Still lurking but I took to commenting on Thai BLs on YT a lot. The thoughts needed to go somewhere but I wasn't back on tumblr yet cause I'd been mostly using it for Kpop for several years at that point. My first Thai QL related reblogs are from January 2023 though.

Fun fact: I watched Theory of Love in 2019 after stumbling across OffGun and promptly watching their entire back catalogue lol I even watched a good portion of 3 Will Be Free as it aired but fell off of Thai series entirely and I don't recall why! My only guess is that I was too into Kpop and learning Korean, nerdy proof from vocational training below lol I got back into BL in late summer 2022 via Semantic Error and from there I fell quickly!

July

popular: I only posted twice that month! Be My Favorite was one of the reasons I un-lurked and this breakdown of the pronoun talk in ep. 10 was me deciding to start sharing my vibrating-in-my-seat-about-Thai-language energy lol

honorable mentions: Wedding Plan's YiwaMarine were the original reason I stopped lurking because I wanted to make some noise for Thai GL and for this show - hence this ramble of a post was created!

August

popular: this Only Friends meme? shitpost? about Cheum being a textbook U-Haul lesbian

honorable mention: this Wedding Plan parallel edit of YiwaMarine / LomNuea / Yiwa&Lom <3 and this post about the food, tongue twister, language in Hidden Agenda ep. 5 because it exemplifies how/what I learn from Thai series and because it's the third show I ever posted about

September

popular: an analysis of how the two main couples or two sets of best friends in Naughty Babe (and Cutie Pie) talk to each other

honorable mention: this rant about how the Korean remake of Why R U?, specifically their Fighter, Tutor and Hwa adaptation, frustrated me because it makes no sense if you don't already know the Thai original and this Naughty Babe post about pronouns and names between the two families

October

popular: unsurprisingly it's this Only Friends SandRay post aka Phi Bug and Nong Rabbit

honorable mention: this was the month I finally watched La Pluie so there's a few posts where I'm basically talking to myself lol about some subbing choices, among other things. This was also when GMMTV's press con for the upcoming year happened and I got too interested in all the wordplay in the Only Boo! trailer.

November

popular: I still haven't started watching Cooking Crush (too bitter about the uncut situation tbh) but I did write up an explanation of a pun in ep. 1. And because this is the month that I almost exclusively posted about Thai GL - this Love Senior ep. 1 post with various language observations.

honorable mention: This was also the month I suddenly got back into gifmaking, something I had dabbled in throughout several past fandoms (don't- just- don't go looking lmao). Basically no one's watching Wednesday Club? -> a gifset of May as played by Piploy. There's barely a ZeeNuNew fandom to speak of on tumblr? -> a badly thought out ZNN gifset lmao. The video in question doesn't have English subs? -> Love Senior cast and director shenanigans giffed! I haven't made a single gif since btw djsjdhsj

December

popular: Pronoun changes, my beloved! Because of course the switch to พี่/น้อง /phi, nong/ in ep. 5 would get me to start rambling posting about Last Twilight lol

honorable mention: I expanded on that when I went back through ep. 1-6 to examine the entire evolution of how MorkDay speak to each other. Also wanna mention this very random post about a meme and Thai song (that I've played endlessly) and that time I hijacked @zimmbzon's doc Jim post to reply to their tags :D

A very busy year with lots of shows watched, lots of new acquaintances made on here, and a steadily growing understanding of Thai! If the utter devastation I seem to already have caused with that Rung/rainbow Last Twilight post from the other day is any indication of the year ahead, then it sure is gonna be a fun one lmao

I'm honestly not sure who has been tagged yet and who even wants to do this but some no-pressure tags: @ueasking @thegalwhorants @pharawee and, of course, if you read this and wanna play the tag too, feel free to tag me! If any mutuals have already done this, please point me towards your posts too~

#bl wrapped 2023 #bl superlatives 2023 #tag game #bella and the blorbos

13 notes · View notes

negrowhat · 4 months

Text

BL Superlatives of 2023

Instead of doing a roundup (which I still might do) I just decided to do my own Best of 2023 for the handful of BLs I watched this year.

Series I Finished for the Couple- A Boss and A Babe. The plot had way too much going on and a lot of the pieces didn't flow well and a lot of things really pissed me off. Also the only side characters I liked were Porsche and Jack. But I LOVED Boss Daddy Gun and his Cher Bear. They filled me with joy and warm fuzzies and I loved how dependent they were on each other. Gun got was able to let his guard down and Cher found someone he could be vulnerable with.

Love Scene the Made Me HOLLER- Love in Translation. YangPhumjai fucking nasty across their freshly opened convenience store. They fucked in front of the security cameras and with the way they were slamming each other into the shelves I'm surprised more merchandise wasn't all over the floor. 10/10 love scene. Also I adore YangPhumjai.

Messiest Plot-Moonlight Chicken. Between the cheating, crying, screaming, and fighting I was thoroughly entertained. They had my emotions all over the place. I loved the series in it's entirety. (No I haven't watched OF or that would've won lol)

Dilf of the Year- Jeng from Step By Step. Everything about that man screamed 'Daddy'. He was sweet but stern. A very gentle Dom. He ran multiple businesses. He wore dad jeans on his off days. He had a beautiful smile and a BANGING body. And all he wanted to do was cook and take care of Pat...maybe teach him a few thangs. Sigh yeaaaa He was Pat's daddy idc.

Most Likely to Get Jumped- Saengtai from La Pluie. Don't you dare lie and say you didn't want to fight him at SOME point in this series. Tai was just very selfish and did not know how to apologize. He blamed everyone else for everything and he acted like a spoiled brat through most of the series. And I for one wanted to beat him up a couple of times. He's so cute tho.

Best Dressed-Chen Yi x Ai Di from Kiseki: Dear to Me. One favored collars, sweaters, and bright colors and the other had more of a biker-streetwear-combat style and somehow they ended up matching 79% of the time. They looked good together. The stylists popped off.

Most Goodest Boy- Woo Seung Hyun from the New Employee. Just a sweet 28 yr old man eager to work and be his very best. His bubbly personality is easy to love and I just want to squish his face, kiss his forehead, and hug him for hours. I see why Jong Chan fell in love immediately.

Most Sad Boy-Seo Jae Won from The Eighth Sense. He shut himself off to the people around him and allowed terrible people into his life because he didn't care enough to show them who he was in real life, he covered everything with a mask and acted the way people would expect so they wouldn't seem him crumbling inside. He blamed himself for his brother's passing and also for Ji Hyun's accident. He felt like he deserved every bad thing that happened to him and every bad person in his life. Ji Hyun brought light into his life after being shrouded in darkness for so long.

Hottest Couple-KingUea from Bed Friend. The love scenes always delivered. That kitty play scene?????? There was consent everywhere which was also sexy. King was such a green flag and they were hot together. Uea wasn't afraid to be sexy and King was a bonafide bisexual himbo who refused to be shy about sex and all it entails. They were grown and sexy type of hot.

Hottest Scene-The oil rubbing scene from I Feel You Linger in the Air. Not explicit, but extremely sensual. You can feel the desire and tension in that rub down Jom gave Yai. And then Jom going into his room to rub himself down and relive the moment that just passed??? HOT AF. Personally, I think IFYLITA was the most sensual series I watched all year. The series focused a lot on intimacy and physical touch.

Most Potential-Step By Step. This series had all the makings of a perfect plot but then everything just sort of got away from them. The office part of the office romance sort of stepped on the romance part. There was too much business involved and it made the conflict between the two mains unnecessary and annoying. Also they completely neglected the side couple and made their storyline almost non-existent. The eps were long af and yet the time wasn't placed in the right parts of the storylines and some scenes felt like a waste...even some eps. It was a bummer because I liked all the characters and first leg of the series. JengPat are top notch and I wanted more from JaabJane.

Fave Side Dish-YiwaMarine from Wedding Plan. Ooops slipped some girls in! Gawd I LOVED THEM! Yiwa was such a sweet talker! She was def a smooth operator. That line about her liking being short so she could kiss Marine better????? SWOON! I could totally see why Marine could never stay mad at her and was always blushing. They were just the perfect pair of girlfriends turned wives and I'm sad we didn't get invited to their wedding.

#bl best of 2023 #best of 2023 #sorry i didn't watch a lot of gmm series this year #a boss and a babe #i feel you linger in the air #step by step #step by step the series #la pluie #moonlight chicken #wedding plan #wedding plan the series #bed friend #bed friend the series #the eighth sense #the new employee #kiseki: dear to me

287 notes · View notes

my-rose-tinted-glasses · 4 months

Text

Rose Recaps 2023 - Japan

So, because I have a hard time making big lists and choosing favourites, this my version of a superlative post, by country.

The one that had me at the first frame

If It’s With You | Kimi to Nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo

As soon as Amane appeared on screen I was gone. This damaged but confident boy had my heart from the beginning. But it was Ryuji that ended up with a bigger piece by the end. The way he saw Amane’s mask from the beginning and just went – “you don’t need to do that with me”. And the way he considered Amane’s feelings even when he wasn’t sure what to do or how to respond, or how he was feeling about all of it, was just beautiful to witness and at certain points kinda reminded of Ida.

Favourite Moment: Amane confessing and running away. Because visually it's so striking. The way he's running from the light that is Ryuji.

The one that was perfect and I never saw coming.

I Cannot Reach You | Kimi ni wa Todokanai

I think that by now at least some people know how I feel about Japanese BL. I love it so much. And for me it’s always about the characters. Whether they are the embodiment of chaos, like Aoki or they are just incredible complex and empathic humans like Ida. - Yes, I’m using Kieta Hatsukoi every chance I get- I just love the way all these characters are written and portrait.

I loved these 2 boys in equal measure all throughout the show. I might have a soft spot for Yamato, but that’s only because pining boys are my weakness.

Yamato’s back and forth in his own head about what to do would be annoying to me in any other show, but it was so well done, and we were privy to his thought process throughout that it just made me feel for him deeply. And Kakeru learning about Yamato’s feelings right away in the first episode was a great choice, because he gave the show time to make the reciprocity more believable.

Favourite Moment - The exchange of gifts at the door. I love the nervousness that the two of them are feeling in this moment.

The one where I gave in.

My Beautiful Man S2 & Eternal

Confession time. This was not love at first season for me. I don’t argue quality overall and much less the acting of the show, but it just didn’t click for me.

There were some truly great moments in the first season but there was a disconnect between my heart and my brain. This happens to me sometimes. Like I watch something that is objectively good but it doesn’t reach me.

That all changed with the second season and the film. I finally connect with Hira. Don't ask me why, I don't fully understand myself, but it happened right at the beginning of the season. I think perhaps it was because I started seeing more from Kiyoi pov, because before I was absolutely clueless about what he saw in Hira in the first place. Sorry if that sounds harsh.

I don't blame the show for this, as I said, I think all the elements are there, it just didn't connect for me.

Also, the film was gorgeous to watch. Several moments (specially the sequence where the gif is from) were so well shot and edited that I'm happy I went in already with a positive mindset.

Favourite Moment: The one from the gif. I'm a sucker for a drastic visual change when the moment calls for it.

The one that had me question if watching it was good for my mental health.

Tokyo in April is | Shigatsu no Tokyo wa

Ok. I love this show. I love Ren. But this was a hard watch for me. Every week I had a struggle between two sides of me.

- Don’t watch it. It will be sad and you will be sad because of it. - But the last one was sad so I need to watch it to see if there’s happy. - Why not just wait? - Because I started already, so now I can’t wait. - But in this case binging is best. Cause for sure the ending is happy so you won’t be sad for long. - Yeah, but I need to see more now. And there’s a new episode waiting for me. - Fine. Just press play. After the episode. - I really shouldn’t watch this one live. (all this repeats the following week)

It was beautifully acted, there were some outstanding moments, the past was as tastefully done as it could be given the subject matter, and in the end my heart of full, but slightly damaged with the process.

Favourite Moment: Ren finding out Kazuma had been looking for him.

The one with all the magic.

What Did You Eat Yesterday? | Kinou Nani Tabeta? S2

I already wrote how this show made me feel in another post. So I’ll just say this.

EVERYONE NEEDS TO WATCH THIS SHOW. NOW. If you haven’t, stop reading this and go. GO. NOW. Start.

There is magic here and you don’t even know.

Favourite Moment: ALL OF THEM. But really this one.

Shiro. Just Shiro.

Well, I'll try to write the next one in these next couple of days. Wish me luck.

Thanks for reading💜

#Rose Recaps 2023 #kimi ni wa todokanai #kimi to nara koi wo shite mite mo #i cannot reach you #if it's with you #kinou nani tabeta #tokyo in april is...#shigatsu no tokyo wa #utsukushii kare #my beautiful man eternal #rose rambles

94 notes · View notes

absolutebl · 5 months

Note

hi there 🖐🏼 what are your recs for bl movies with great acting?

BL Movies with GREAT Acting

Specifically Movies? Do KBLs that were cut into movies count? Hum, I'm gonna make a judgement call given how few actual movies I have to work with and say if it holds as a "movie going experience" I can count it. I should say in order to really push this into the superlative acting space the BL aspect on many of these is... light.

His

Japan 2020 Viki

His is about being a grown adult and still struggling with coming out as gay. It addresses the consequences of life choices disingenuous to identity. Nagisa turns up on Shun’s doorstep with his precocious daughter in tow. This is a touch confusing to Shun since they were each others first love and ended badly. Shun has retreated from society, rejecting the world before it can reject him, already brokenhearted because without Nagisa he never had a reason to fight. Nagisa went the opposite way, tried to pretend to be something he was not and ended up with a daughter he adores and a wife who hates him. The acting is killer, Miyazawa Hio is sulky in the best possible way, the filming is beautiful and the setting unique and interesting...

I'm not wild about the ending. Moody arthouse smackdoodle is going to pretend that "ambiguous" is somehow unique and special rather than bog standard commonplace for narratives of this type. But endings are my hangup, not yours?

This is not really BL (the prequel was), so few of the tropes are used. You do not need to have watched the prequel.

Your Name Engraved Herein

Taiwan 2020 Netflix

This movie is fantastic but it is also seriously depressing. It’s a self acceptance journey that goes emotionally array on the alter of history, but if you wanna wallow in high quality acting and serious gay drama, this’ll do it. I would say it's not really BL, no real trope drops at all.

Okay those two I chose more on the strength of the acting than BL. These others are not going to be at the same standard/style.

If you want moee of the above level of drama, things get very sad in the BL world, so Love of Siam, Dew, Eternal Yesterday, Goodbye Mother, etc...

Restart After Come Back Home (Risutato wa tadaima no ato de)

Japan 2020 Gaga?

Atmospheric study in rural Japan meets complex family dynamics built on a romance framework of city boy meets country boy, grumpy/sunshine. It’s beautiful and icy sweet. Slow moving in places but ultimately worth the patience, low heat, low angst, and stunning. The acting is a touch stiff, in that Japanese reserved way.

This is the only BL movie, as a movie, that I could pull. There are others, I jsut don't think the acting is good enough.

So here are some highly rated short bingable series that are movie length (1.5-2.5 hours) but not really movies - BUT with killer acting. So they still might satisfy the itch. I places them in order of acting and filming quality, not my own personal preference.

From Japan

Old Fashion Cupcake

Tokyo in April is...

Life: Love on the Line (director's cut)

My Beautiful Man

I Cannot Reach You

Seven Days

From Taiwan

Red Balloon

We Best Love (esp part 2)

About Youth

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line

From Korea

To My Star

Long Time No See

The New Employee

Where Your Eyes Linger

More like this?

I want to shout out The Eighth Sense here too. It's longer than movie length but so well acted.

(source)

#asked and answered #BLs with great acting #movie bls #best bls #best of list #His the movie #Your Name Engraved Herein #Restart After Come Back Home #Old Fashion Cupcake

76 notes · View notes

shortpplfedup · 7 months

Note

NiNi! You have waxed poetic in the past on the superlative writing of Bad Buddy, which I’m rewatching for the first time and marveling at. What are your top three best-written Asian dramas besides BBS, and why?

Now Turts, why would you do this to me? 🤣 You KNOW how I feel about writing, and you didn't specify BL or Asian drama in general, so you get both...lol. I'm also glad you said 'besides BBS' so I can take that one as a given.

NINI'S BEST-WRITTEN ASIAN TV DRAMAS (OF THE LAST 10 YEARS)

NON-BL VARIANT

My Country: The New Age (Korea)

An epic tragedy THAT SHOULDA BEEN MORE GAY. Set at the birth of the Joseon era, it tells the story of lifelong friends Seo Hwi and Nam Seon Ho who find themselves on opposite sides of a revolutionary war. I am always emo about the stories, but this one had me weeping buckets because of how the friendship was written. The writing wasn't complex but it was incredibly powerful.

3 Star Bar in Nishi Ogikubo (Japan)

I love when Japan does anthology-style stories like this. The basic premise of this is Amamiya, a master bartender, Nakauchi, a chef who has lost his sense of taste and Kobayashi, a writer in a years-long slump, were high school classmates 10 years ago. Kobayashi's grandfather left him the titular bar, and a shit-ton of canned food. He has to run the bar until all the canned food runs out, so Nakauchi becomes the bar's canned-food chef. Various customers come to the bar, have a meal made by Nakauchi, a cocktail from Amamiya and tell Kobayashi about their lives and woes. When the canned food eventually runs out, after some drama, they all agree to keep running the bar. I've made it sound very dry, but it is SUCH a clever and emotionally provocative show!

The Gifted/The Gifted: Graduation (Thailand)

It's hard to write a fresh take on teenagers with powers fighting a corrupt and coercive establishment, but this show managed it, along with some incredibly sharp and pointed political commentary that I'm sometimes still surprised got aired on GMMTV.

BL VARIANT

Gaya Sa Pelikula (Like in the Movies) (The Philippines)

Not content to merely tug at my heartstrings, this show ripped them out and stomped on them. I have not ever been the same.

I Promised You The Moon (Thailand)

You knew this one was coming. This show turned me inside out. It pantsed me, read my diary and took my lunch money. It spared no sacred cows and took no prisoners. It didn't care about the fans' feelings, only the characters' truths. Ugly, but real.

To My Star/To My Star 2 (Korea)

I curse you for limiting me to 3 Turts, but if I must choose a top 3 (sans BBS), this is my third thing. This is all…you also like me. That’s what it sounds like to me. Ji Woo, if it’s hard for you, I’ll go to you. Park Young, the screenwriter, wrote that line and expected me to just...live laugh love with that out in the world. Rude.

#play ask games win ask prizes #on art

36 notes · View notes

dribs-and-drabbles · 2 years

Text

~ reveal your watch & rewatch drama list ~

tagged by the wonderful @khunvegas, which was apt timing because yesterday I watched SO MANY SERIES! (It was a glorious day) and now I can gush about them here (sorry not sorry this gets long).

currently watching (in order of enjoyment):

Kinnporsche: I mean, yeah, I LOVE THIS SHOW. I love that it's a little all over the place. It has good dramatic tension (for me), great relationship dynamics (they're all different and not necessarily healthy but they're trying and working for them), and is SO AESTHETICALLY PLEASING.

To My Star 2: What can I say that y'all don't already know as FACT? This show is incredible and soul-destroying and all the other superlative words...it's going to break us but hopefully save us in the end. Oh god, please let them be happy in the end.

Plus and Minus: I've said it before but I just love Taiwanese bl. It's soft and intense and like being enveloped in a warm hug. Even the angst is coated in icing. I don't necessarily like Fu Li Gong's reasoning for the break-up but nothing can be perfect.

Senpai, This Can't Be Love: Oh my god this is ADORABLE...Japan seems to be bringing it at the moment with this and OFC. If you've followed me for a while, you'll know I'm a sucker for any dance rep in a show and the 'dance' with the mouse and keyboard was so good. Loved the twist that Kaneda actually worships Yanase rather than being cold and shut off, and this will lend itself to some wonderful pining dynamics between the two.

My Secret Love: I started this because @khunvegas mentioned it in their post and gosh I actually love it more than I should. It definitely has a 2Moons2 feel with the each friend in the two friend-groups pairing up and I love that one is already an established couple (although not liking the jealousy storyline at the moment - just TALK TO HIM). Anyway, I love the next-door neighbours enemies-to-lovers/fake-dating-to-lovers trope and I'm getting a PatPran vibe with it but without the childhood rivalry. As @khunvegas said - it's good to see Earth being allowed to show his abilities and the two mains play off each other well. And I really like Bew, a newbie it seems, but very watchable. The university chancellor is very inappropriate though - getting two students to fake a relationship and then being the person releasing videos of them secretly and blackmailing them to comply. But I actually love it! Even though I shouldn't.

Old Fashion Cupcake: I love the office setting and the older characters...although I'm a bit irked that they're making 39/40 out to be SO OLD when it really really isn't. Don't let it fool you, folks, you don't need to be worrying about anti-aging and dementia at that age (lol smh). Anyway, I do love the emotional journey that Nozue is going through, the obvious joy that Togawa brings him, and the slow realisation Nozue will have about his own feelings for Togawa. A+

Love Mechanics: I'm not sure I'll be able continue this one since ep 2 is vip only at the moment but I'm holding out hope... I liked the original, shorter version - and Yin and War - and I'm looking forward to seeing how they expand it into this series. I also like that I know the heartache that's coming for both characters and I know they will do it well.

Sky In Your Heart: Oh god this is SO BAD but I'm ignoring all the cringey things because I do love Prince and the way he looks at Fah. And the scenery. And the continued used of the two dialects. But most of it is actually quite terrible. Sadly.

Mama Gogo: I tried this because it's directed by Jojo...but I'm not sure it's my thing and I may drop it. I'm really tired of bad female representation and women dragging other women down and it seems both are pretty much the show's backbone. It's partly why I got into bl - if there are hardly any women in a show then I won't see how they're portrayed so badly (god, terrible reasoning but whatever). I will watch the next few eps to see how it goes but...yeah, it's disappointing.

rewatching:

I don't have time for rewatching at the moment...but if I did I would want to watch Semantic Error again, maybe some of the movie versions of some of the Korean bls (now that I have a viki subscription), Kinnporsche...and Bad Buddy of course.

looking forward to:

Vice Versa. The Eclipse. Triage (when I can't find it not-grey). Check Out (it's not on my iqiyi...so maybe country-locked?). Between Us. Even Sun. Moonlight Chicken. Dirty Laundry. 10 Years Ticket.

I’ll tag some peeps but no worries if it’s not your thing: @grapejuicegay @elnotwoods @isvisomewhere @ablazenqueen @porschesphoenix @nanons @tachineko @liyazaki @nongnao @athousandbyeol

103 notes · View notes

heretherebedork · 1 year

Note

Hi!

I was the one who asked about the heartbreaking bl’s! Thank you for your response. I just wanted to say, I do absolutely follow absolutebl and love their blog but I always ask you questions and never them because they don’t allow anons and while that’s completely understandable and 1000% their right, I am a total introvert with huge social anxiety. (Also you may turn off anon at times and they may turn them on? I have just never had it that way when I tried to ask a question.)

I know people can be terrible on anon and there is no way to weed out those like me who are just too afraid to ask questions when they can’t hide, from trolls who are rude for no reason so I am thankful for both of you and your friendship. The both of your blogs together and apart have been very helpful to me so thank you.

Also since I can’t anon @absolutebl on their page I will say here, I saw they reposted their list of sad bl’s after I asked this morning, so thank you to both of you! You are both very kind, thank you. 💕

I have never turned off anon, not yet, though I've come close a few times when people have gotten particularly annoying in terms of my taste in shows or willingness to share my opinion.

But I do get why people turn them off and respect those people a lot. I struggle to block people and, in fact, have only ever blocked like... 8 people? I don't do it. I really, really don't. My experience is curated by just... not following people.

No worries, though, anon. You are always welcome in my inbox and I don't expect to ever turn anon off, honestly. I love my anons, no matter when or why I get them.

I'm just not the most organized person so lists or categorical things like that just go to @absolutebl by default in my mind. They are the ruler of all things organizational, the wizard of the BL spreadsheet, the ultimate trope tracker and many other superlatives that I enjoy making up.

Me? Not so much. I might be able to solve riddles about character connections and might spend literal hours organizing entire lists of versus (old anons, lol) but my skills at lists and spreadsheets are... they are not. To say the least. Executive function is not in my skillset.

And they did do a great job reposting and creating a new list as well! So all is well with the world... outside of the endings of those BLs.

#i like having anon asks #i don't even deny it #the only time i truly came close to turning it off with during kp #but even that was not enough #somehow #but also yeah i leave anon on and rarely block people

13 notes · View notes

mousieta · 1 year

Text

Review: 180 Degree Longitude Pass Through Us

Year: 2022 Country: Thailand Platform: GagaOOLala Every so often a drama comes along that feels truly transcendent; it so completely nails the essentials of writing, directing and acting that these elements come together to make something that is not only better than the sum of its parts but resonates so deeply that, if caught by the right viewer at the right time, emotionally marks them in some way. That was 180 Degree Longitude Pass Through Us, for me. It is the best drama I watched this year, hands down.

The discussion for this show has to begin with the writing. In one sense the story is a parable about Queer Authenticity. What renders it powerful, however, is that this parable never looses the trees to focus on the forest, instead it shows us the forest but looking deeply, intimately, intensely (almost claustrophobically) at four particular trees: Wang, a youth fresh off his first year of college, his mother Sasiwimol (Mol) an acclaimed Drama director, her deceased ex-husband and Wang’s father, Siam and Siam and Mol’s estranged college friend, Inthawut (In).

The show is entirely character driven, the plot revolving around the internal lives and choices of the three main characters: Wang, In and Mol. All three are complexly written and rendered, full of human emotion and flaws and beauty. The writer/director Punnasak Sukee has extensive work in theater which is evident in the show but it not a detriment. There is a visual simplicity to his direction that allows the focus to be on the characters and gives weight to the elements that are visible. The set pieces tell as much a story as the actors and dialogue.

As for sets, there are few. Almost the entirety of the story takes place in Inthawut’s rural home. This could risk the show feeling stale, flat but instead allows the focus to be completely on the characters and the actor’s performances. There are whole episodes that consist of nothing but people moving from room to room, conversation to conversation but the watcher tension is strung so tight as to nearly snap under the strain. There were long stretches where I could barely breathe.

All of this set up - the script, the directorial choices, the sparse and economical sets - provide the backdrop for absolutely breathtaking performances from the whole cast. Each has such a powerful understanding of their character. Their chemistry together pulled me to the very edge of my seat.

The story itself is complex in its simplicity. Wang longs to know his missing father and, finding Inthawut, pleads for what grief prevents his mother from providing: the truth of his father’s past including the nature of Siam’s relationship with Inthawut.

The writer is wise and skilled in ways that blew me away and left me astonished and envious at his understanding of and courage to tell the story as it had to be told. As a lesser writer, I would have made different choices, I longed for other choices from the characters, but those choices would have violated the story that needed to be told. (I’m being a bit coy here because I don’t want to spoil anything)

So while he never loses sight of this characters, he has the insight to never undermine them for the easy and comforting tale. A tale that does confront the homophobia of modern societies but in a way that reiterates why the topic needs to continue to be addressed but in the hands of a Queer perspective.

I literally cannot heap enough superlatives on the show. I’ve watched it twice, written reams of meta and wish I had the time to write more. I sometimes find it useful to draw a distinction between Queer Media and BL/Yaoi/Slash as I do think there are differences between them which don’t disparage either but are important to understand when looking at them, and this definitely sits in the overlap between them but feels further on the Queer side than BL. For that, I’m grateful.

2022 Drama Reviews Masterlist

#180 degree longitude pass through us #2022 drama reviews

3 notes · View notes

chickenstrangers · 4 months

Text

Wrapped: Year in Review

tagged by @khaotunq (here) @ranchthoughts (here) and @celestial-sapphicss (here) 🩵

this was my first year watching dramas and engaging so much in fandom and i had so much fun this year. i found so many new favorite shows and talked to so many lovely people. my wrapped is for all dramas because it is mostly ql but i didn't feel like trying to differentiate.

shoutout to @ranchthoughts for doing pretty much all the work on this just because they wanted to try out a new ppt template

original template by @loveable-sea-lemon (thank you for kickstarting this!!)

some no pressure tags (in whatever form you would like, if you would like (original template)) (not sure who has already done this): @sollucets @dudeyuri @hoppipolla @dribs-and-drabbles @icouldhyperfixatehim

#rambling rambles #bl superlatives 2023 #this feels like too many shows oops #tag game

27 notes · View notes

lurkingshan · 4 months

Text

Favorite BL Tumblr Shticks: 2023 Edition

Whenever I start thinking about end of year round ups, I get overwhelmed with how many awesome people are on here making my days so delightful, and how I could never capture them all in one solitary list. So I thought this year, instead of listing all my favorite blogs/people (which would be a ridiculously long list that would almost certainly break tumblr), I would instead share some of my favorite shticks that I came to rely on from fandom besties.

Some of us (me) just post kind of randomly and inconsistently about shows. Will you get a pithy one liner, a photo essay, or a thesis from me on any given week of a show’s discourse? Who can say (certainly not me). But some of y’all decided you were going to claim the mantle for a specific type of analysis or creativity on here and delivered consistently, and I just think that’s really fucking cool.

And so, the time has come to pay respect to some of my favorite bl fandom blogs who commit to the bit (with our patron saint of finding your niche, Tankhun, looking on approvingly). Note: if you are reading this and NOT following any of the fine folks listed below, you really should correct that. Onto the squad!

@bengiyo stray thoughts

@blmpff favorite shots

@colourme-feral location spotting

@dribs-and-drabbles Thai communal wardrobe

@gabrielokun throwback gifs

@my-rose-tinted-glasses mission posts

@ranchthoughts kissing multiverse

@respectthepetty color analysis

@sparklyeyedhimbo live blogs

@troubled-mind manga comparison sets

@waitmyturtles OGGMMTVC

@wanderlust-in-my-soul bl tropes collection

@wen-kexing-apologist long ass gay analysis

Special category shoutout also to the squad, in addition to a few folks above, keeping Bad Buddy meta alive and well nearly two years after the show aired: @chickenstrangers @dimplesandfierceeyes @dudeyuri @grapejuicegay @miscellar @starryalpacasstuff @telomeke-bbs. Watching Our Skyy 2 with y'all was some of the most fun I had on here this year. And to @chicademartinica and @negrowhat whose crack combination of comedy and lust make me laugh on this website just about every day.

And I must end with an extra special shoutout to my La Pluie meta squad. I created the meta round up for La Pluie specifically because its brilliance was being overlooked and/or misunderstood, and I really wanted to encourage the folks who got what the show was doing to write more about it in the hopes of bringing more of the bl audience along. A very successful Shan Scheme, if I do say so myself. I'm so glad @bengiyo and I decided to give ourselves brain rot over that show and got to know you all better as a result @ginnymoonbeam @neuroticbookworm @slayerkitty @solitaryandwandering @sunshinechay @syrena-del-mar @wen-kexing-apologist.

#a by no means exhaustive list of great blogs to follow #bl superlatives 2023 #bl tumblr shticks 2023 #shan shouts into the void

116 notes · View notes