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evertomorrowart · 4 months

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Best of YouTube 2023

Yes, I did spend the first week and change of January on this. I wish I could have had it done for New Years, but too many people came out with incredible work in December, so waiting turned out for the best.

What these creators do are a huge influence on my life, I would honestly have difficulty doing what I do without them. That isn't to say that my favorites of the year are *only* on this image--It was almost impossible to narrow down my favorites. Many creators I wanted to include couldn't fit on a single page, and too many of them made more than one video I wished I could draw too!

But, to all of you, thank you for what you do. You're an inspiration.

For those who don't know, further is an explanation.

At the bottom center is an artistic masterpiece by Defunctland: "Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History." Over the last several years, Defunctland has risen from delightfully-entertaining commentary on decommissioned theme park attractions to occasionally dropping profound statements on the creation of art itself. "Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History" is worth treating like the cinematic experience it is: No second screen, you sit your ass down in front of a TV, set down the phone, and then you *watch it.* Any Disney, theme park, or independent film fan needs to pay attention to this one.

Bottom left is Caelan Conrad with their piece "Drop the T - The Deadly Consequences of Gay Respectability Politics." While I do think they've done more visually or artistically-daring pieces before, "Drop the T" is one of the most important videos released on YouTube in today's current climate of hate. We as queer folk (and our allies) need to understand how integral every identity of the queer experience has been since the start of the Civil Rights movement (and before!). While we are not identical, we *are* inseparable, and we deserve having our real history easily accessible.

TERFs and other conservative mouthpieces need not reply. Your opinions are trash. 😘

I cannot stop watching and rewatching this video by @patricia-taxxon, "On the Ethics of Boinking Animal People." It's not just a defense of furry fandom and its eccentricities, it's a thoughtful and passionate analysis of what the artform achieves that purely human representation can't. Patricia goes outside of her usual essay format to directly speak to the viewer about the elements that define furry media (the most succinct definition I've ever heard) and just how *human* an act loving animal cartoons really is.

As an artist who can draw furry characters, but never really got into erotic furry art, this video is a treasure. Why did I choose to have her drawn as a Ghibli character, hanging out with one of the tanukis from "Pom Poko?" Guess you'll have to watch, bruh.

Philosophy Tube continuously puts out videos that I would put on this list--I'm not even sure that "A Man Plagiarised my Work: Women, Money, and the Nation" is the best work she released in 2023. However, this video got many conversations going between myself and my partner, and the twist on the tail end of the video shocked us both to such a degree that I had no choice.

At the very tail end of the year, Big Joel released "Fear of Death." On his Little Joel channel, he described it as the singularly best video he's ever done, and I'm inclined to agree. However, for this illustration, I ended up repeatedly going back to a mini-series he did earlier in the year: "Three Stories at the End of the World." All three videos are deeply moving and haunting, and I was brought to tears by "We Must Destroy What the Bomb Cannot." While it may be relatively-common knowledge that the original Gojira (Godzilla) film is horror grappling with the devastation America's rush to atomic dominance inflicted on Japan, Big Joel still manages to bring new words to the discussion. Please watch all three of the videos, but if, for some reason, you must have only one, let it be "We Must Destroy What the Bomb Cannot."

Y'all. Let me confess something. I hate football. I hate watching it, I associate seeing it from the stadiums with some of my worst childhood experiences, I despise collegiate and professional football (as institutions that destroy bodies and offer up children at the feet of its alter as a pillar of American culture)--

I. L o a t h e. Football.

But.

F.D. Signifier could get me to watch an entire hour-plus essay on why I should at least give a passing care. AND HE DID IT. I might think "F*ck the Police," the two-parter on Black conservatism, or his essay on Black men's connection to anime might be "better" videos, but this writer did the impossible and held my limited attention span towards football long enough to make a sincere case for NFL players--and reminds us that millionaires can *in fact* be workers. That alone is testament to his skill.

Sit down and watch "The REAL Reason NFL Running Backs Aren't Getting Paid." Any good anti-capitalist owes it to themselves.

CJ the X continuously puts out stunning, emotional videos, and can do it with the most seemingly-inconsequential starting points. A 30 second song? An incestuous commercial? Five minutes of Tangled? Sure, why not. Go destroy yourself emotionally by watching them. I'm serious. Do it.

Their video Stranger Things and the Meaning of Life manages to to remind us all why the way we react to media does, in fact, matter. Yes, even nostalgia-driven, mass-media schlock. Yes, how we interact with media matters, what it says about us matters, and we all deserve to seek out the whys.

Folding Ideas has spent the last few years articulating exactly why so much of our modern world feels broken, and because of that his voice continuously lives rent-free in my brain. While the tricks that scam artists and grifters use to try to swindle us are never new, the advancement of technology changes the aesthetics of their performances. Portions of Folding Ideas' explanations might seem dry when going into detail of how stocks work in This is Financial Advice, but every bit of it is necessary to peel back the layers of techno-babble and jargon and make sense of the results of "Meme Stocks."

Jessie Gender puts out nothing but bangers, her absolute unit of a video about Star Wars might be my new favorite thing ever, but none of her work hit so profoundly in 2023 than the two-parter "The Myth of 'Male Socialization'" and "The Trauma of Masculinity." There's so much about modern life that isolates and traumatizes us, and so much of it is just shrugged off as "normal." We owe it to ourselves to see the world in more vivid a color palette than we're initially given.

Panels drawn after Kate Beaton and "Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands."

"This is Not a Video Essay" is one of the most intense and beautiful pieces of art I've ever put into my eyeballs. Why do we create? What drives us to connect?

I don't even know what else to say about the Leftist Cooks' work, it repeatedly transcends the medium and platform. Watch every single one of their videos, but especially this one.

The likelihood you are terminally online and yet haven't heard of Hbomberguy's yearly forrays into destroying the careers of awful people is pretty slim. Just because it has millions of views doesn't mean that Hbomberguy's "Plagiarism and You(Tube)" isn't worth the hype. Too long? Shut up, it has chapters and YouTube holds your place, anyway. You think a deep dive into a handful of creators is only meaningless drama? Well, you're wrong, you wrong-opinion-haver. Plagiarism is an *everyone* problem because of the actual harm it creates--the history it erases, the labor it devalues, the art it marginalizes--which you would know if you watched "Plagiarism and You(Tube)".

Watch. The damn. Video.

In fact, watch all of them!

Thanks for reading this if you did.

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twig-tea · 2 months

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With 23.5 finally coming out, the people are rejoicing at finally getting a high profile gl from GMMTV. But there have already been several gls airing this year, including my fav TsukuTabe, that have been flying under the radar with fandom, and in general there are more gls already out there than folks seem to think. I just know you have a list of all the gls we should be watching, please share with the class!

Thank you for the ask! How did you know I had a draft of GL recs to make at some point? [Trick question, I mentioned it to you.]

It may seem like I'm out here hating on GL because i've made a couple of negative reviews of recently airing series recently (Love Senior and Chaser Game W in case you're curious) but I actually have lots of GL that I love and that I wish were better known! Thanks for sending this ask so I am inspired to actually finish it! I've limited myself to series so that I could keep the list and this post to a reasonable length. Where possible I've listed where you can find each of these and included a link. And I've included an 'elevator pitch' summary but I am NOT in marketing for a reason, so please don't roast me too hard for my terrible comparisons. Alright, enough waffling!

Twig's GL Rec List

She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat S1 & 2 (Japan, 2022 & 2024, both seasons fansubbed by @furritsubs; if you need help accessing this show feel free to DM me!)

Elevator pitch: Our Dining Table with lesbians and an even slower burn. Watch for beautiful food, acespec rep, mental health and therapy rep

What might turn some off: Extremely low heat, and quite slow-moving; warning for a disordered eating and family trauma plot (v gently handled)

Let's start with the one you've already mentioned. This is a heartwarming slice-of-life slow burn in which an autismspec-coded woman who likes to eat is invited by her neighbour, a femme acespec woman who loves to cook, to come and eat her food. It starts from a very practical place (when you love making food you need someone to help eat it), but their relationship grows as they spend more time together. The story follows them as they both move towards self-actualization in several ways: as a lesbian, as asexual, at work, with their families, with their friends, with each other. This show is so careful to say the important words aloud. And there is so much delicious cooking! Each episode highlights a particular recipe, and the food porn is real. Do not watch while hungry, but definitely watch. The found famiy vibes in this one one are also immaculate.

She Makes My Heart Flutter (Korea, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Younger lesbian friend group tries to help out (slightly) older lesbian bar owner with mixed success. I can't think of a good BL equivalent, The Moment Since feels the closest with its similar bartender/patron romance

What might turn some off: Comedic tone; short runtime; struggles with being closeted

This is a gem of a miniseries about a bar owner and an interior designer who smoulder at one another while an intrepid group of younger bar regulars (including the bar owner's neice) meddle. This series is really cute, solid, and full of sapphics! Once again found family vibes are immaculate (you may sense a theme in my faves). Run don't walk.

Fragrance of the First Flower (Taiwan, 2021, GagaOOLala)

Elevator pitch: Right-person-wrong-time/second chance romance; tonally is a little like We Best Love 2: Fighting Mr. 2nd but with an ambiguous ending.

What might turn you off: Medium heat, second chance romance means they break up once, internalized homophobia, adultery/cheating, at one point there's a creepy dude, child with autism (depicted well), ambiguous ending

At its core this is a story of a woman who can't stop getting in the way of her own happiness. This series is a little more sad than the rest of this rec list but I couldn't not include it because this relationship is so poignant. Plus there's a s2 that supposedly is to come out in 2024 so maybe we'll get our happy ending after all?

Love Greater Than or Equal to 70 Degrees C (Korea, 2019, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Ingredients but with lesbians staring at one another over beautiful tea pairings! What more could you ask for?

What might turn you off: Low heat; short runtime; ambiguous ending; like Ingredients this is essentially a long ad for the café it's filmed at.

This is a Korean miniseries about passionate tea sommeliers making really fancy tea while staring at one another a LOT. Perfect sapphic representation, 10/10 no notes. This one packs a lot of the drama tropes into its short runtime, so even though it's short it's full of butterfly-inspiring moments.

Sleep With Me (Philippines, 2022, GagaOOLala/iWantTFC/Netflix w/VPN set to Philippines)

Elevator pitch: The Truth About Cats and Dogs but the self esteem issues are handled without catfishing. BL equivalent: Hmmm. Closest I can think of is Gaya Sa Pelikula.

What might turn you off: There's some ableism (treated as such) in this show; Open ending.

Stellar GL between a late night radio DJ and an insomniac who listens to her show. One of the main couple is a wheelchair user and the show tackles ablelism and navigating disability in relationship as well as feelings of inadequacy in a relationship and how that manifests as interpersonal conflict.

Our Relationship Ended Before it Began (Korea, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Along the lines of I Cannot Reach You; the show gives both perspectives and they are held back by queer angst.

What might turn you off: No kiss (but they make it very clear both want to kiss), internalized homophobia

Really sweet miniseries about having a crush and being afraid of being hurt so you don't actually make a move. I really like the way the girl who has not dated a girl before defaults to gender roles and it throws the more experienced lesbian lol I also really like the way this show makes clear that both of them are waiting for a kiss, and that if you get in your head about things, it can get in the way of your own happiness!

Pearl Next Door (Philippines, 2020, Youtube)

Elevator Pitch: Gameboys but with lesbian vloggers.

What might turn you off: Love triangle, lots of teasing but low heat in the end, a lot of (good) conversations about mental health issues, ambiguous ending

This is the GL spinoff to Gameboys, starring Pearl from Gameboys. Pearl ends up being fought over by the two gorgeous women in the gif, an old love and a new. I love the queer friendships in this story as much as the relationships. I will say it's an open ending (that felt a bit like the showrunners didn't want to decide between ships) and definitely the love triangle features prominently but even in the face of these aspects that would normally turn me off a series I had a good time. The characters and interpersonal conflicts feel very real, and are allowed to be complex even when the show tone is comedic.

Dear Uranus (Taiwan, 2021, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Schoolgirl ensemble GL; a little like My School President but without the singing.

What might turn you off: Short runtime; ambiguous ending; a little bit of bullying; very standard romance trope execution

The first Taiwanese GL miniseries, this series was produced by a Taiwanese lesbian couple (Rabbit & Wolf)! Lots of excellent drama tropes, and incredibly gorgeous women (I think the entire watching audience fell in love with Erol.

Lily Fever (Korea, 2015, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Complete crack; YYY but with more kissing and frankly an even less coherent story.

What might turn you off: The lack of coherent plot; less a romance and more a very thirsty lesbian kissing everyone she can

This miniseries is utter chaos. Nothing really makes sense, it's all just random excuses to cause very suggestive moments (and kissing) to happen. I love so much how this series depicts women being so absolutely thirsty for one another (and yes that date isn't a typo, this series is ~9 years old). Not an "happy ever after" ending but it really isn't that kind of story.

Chasing Sunsets (Philippines, 2020, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Ocean Likes Me with lesbians. Resort romance with a mental health twist.

What might turn you off: Some of the mental health stuff gets intense, this was filmed in 2020 so the pandemic features heavily; hopeful but slightly ambiguous ending.

A complex story from the Philippines covering mental health and finding yourself. A woman shows up to a resort and befriends one of the women running the resort. They get closer as they spend time together, and the resort owner realizes something is off. There's also a BL side couple in this series.

Show Me Love (Thai, 2023, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: A little like My Day the series with lesbians, in that they work together and fall in love and it's full of tropes

What might turn you off: The advertising for the Miss Grand competition, there is some bullying and cheating (though way less than I was expecting tbh), not a lot actually happens, the editing gets a bit wonky at the end

This is essentially a massive ad for the Miss Grand Thailand competition; this GL was produced by the same company that produces that competition, and the stars are mostly Miss Grand competitors. The main pairing were shipped in the actual competition, and the company decided to make a GL about them. It's very slow paced and low-stakes, and there are better kisses than I expected considering everything I just said about where this show came from. There are a lot of cute moments!

Girlfriend Project (Korea, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Love Class with lesbians

What might turn you off: One of the leads is kind of mean in that pgitail-pulling way? It ends abruptly (but happily)

This is a short miniseries about two girls paired in a class that are assigned to "date". The chemistry is chemistrying. And there is a kiss (a good kiss, and a tiptoes kiss at that!). This show also has one of my favourite tropes, in which someone who seems like a pushover stands up for themselves and their partner finds it very attractive. For the record, in this show they are watching another GL by the same company, Love Tech.

Lulu (Philippines, 2022, Vivamax/grey)

Elevator Pitch: Present Perfect with lesbians (but with a better ending).

What might turn you off: Depictions of panic attacks, brief depiction of drowning, pandemic lockdowns, illness, exes, waffling, happy but open ending (which I actually liked for this story)

Two women trying to move on from the garbage in their lives meet at the beach of a B&B (where one saves the other from drowning) and become one another's company during their escape and then something more. They both have baggage that seems determined to keep them apart even as they continue to be drawn together. In the end, they decide to stick it out and see where they end up, with no guarantee of happily ever after, which I found very sweet. Requires either a VivaMax account or searching the grey for it, but it's worth the effort (check MyDramaList comments for suggestions on where to find it). Plus one of the leads has a cactus as a pet.

Welcome to the Lesbian Bar (Korea, 2023, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: A little like Fudanshi Bartender but without the fudanshi bartender and all of the bar patrons are lesbians lol

What might turn you off: Short, can get a little bit preachy, abrupt ending

Cute short series with different very stories every episode as different patrons visit the bar. The stories range from women who have been together for awhile, to people meeting from an online app for the first time, to someone visiting a lesbian bar for the first time; and yet the story all weaves together in a way that's satisfying though ends abruptly. Includes some solid marriage equality propaganda.

GAP the Series (Thai, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Kind of the vibes of Together with Me but lesbians and in an office instead of school. Angry boss falls for charming new intern and

What might turn you off: This one is the highest heat of all these recs; homophobia especially amongst family, brief depictions of death by car, brief mentions of suicide, cheating, bullying, abuse of power in the office.

A list would not be complete without this one! Honestly the plot is a bit wobbly but the show is a lot of fun. The girls are very cute, the feelings and tension builds really well between them, the friend group is excellent, and in the special we get a wedding.

---

The rest of these have caveats of one kind or another, but i couldn't leave them off a rec list, so here are the side couples and censored stories that are still worth your time anyway (I might do a separate more detailed post for these, as well as for films, one day if there's interest):

Nevertheless (GL side; Korean, 2021, Netflix) Not sure it's worth watching a whole kdrama for side lesbians? Search soljiwan on youtube. They are great. Even the Netflix account stans them. I watched this (ngl, I watched the SolJiwan cut) as it aired and was constantly braced for it to let us down but it did not! A really good friends-to-lovers story.

Friend Zone 2: Dangerous Area (GL side; Thailand, 2019, YouTube): These sapphics are messy and I love them. Decent conversation about dating someone with mental health issues in this series, and they're one of the only couples in this ensemble to get a happy ending. If you're just watching the lesbian couple (which you can, their story is pretty self-contained) you don't need to have seen s1.

Six Survivors (GL side; Japan, 2022, Viki) This show is a horror comedy and it is SO MUCH FUN. Warning for zombies and blood, but way less than you might think. One of the eponymous 6 survivors is a lesbian who keeps trying to convert them to veganism lol. If you watched Chaser Game W you'll recognize one of the actresses in this, the lead actress is from Kamisama no Ekohiiki, and one of the guys is from the prequel series His as well as I Want to See Only You! And yes there is a kiss. Also a surprising number of Mallrats references. Not for people who can't handle gore or relationships being complicated/not a "true love" story/ambiguous ending.

Kamisama no Ekohiiki (complicated question of is it GL in parts, Japan, 2021, furritsubs once again coming through to save the day) This one is a bit complex because there's bodyswap, but the girl who falls for the bodyswapped boy-in-a-girl's-body is clear that she is only interested in the girl. One of the better bodyswap stories because the bodyswap is not a secret for very long, so instead there's a lot of introspection about what gender means and who/what they are attracted to. Feels wrong to call this GL, necessarily, but it's very queer.

Couple of Mirrors (Censored GL, China, 2021, Viki) Story of a rich girl and her assassin girlfriend. This production did an amazing job getting away with what they could, just don't watch the last five minutes and we've got essentially a happy lesbian family.

Legend of Yunze (Censored GL, China, 2021, @douqi7s) Very cute very low budget xianxia miniseries with two seasons and a special. The special is set in modern times in a future lifetime so if you want a cute censored-but-clearly-a-soulmate-love-story this is the one for you. Don't be thrown off by the weird cuts/abrupt episode endings, that's in line with cdramas in general.

Led Astray by Love (Censored GL, China, 2021, @douqi7s) A very fun and adorable isekai story in which a modern day girl is transported to a wuxia novel setting and has to figure out how to get home, and gets romanced by the princess along the way.

And a few additional links for people who even more content:

My Indian sapphic webseries rec list

My suggestions for content with toms (Thai category that's similar to but not exactly the same as butch lesbians) in response to this post.

This really good GL MyDramaList list (not made by me!) lists what seems to be everything I've mentioned and about 200 more. Even I haven't seen a few of these!

My YouTube playlist of sapphic content: This includes anything I stumble across or find in my searches, a lot of music videos and random shorts as well as some microseries and miniseries that I don't consider GL but are WLW/sapphic in addition to true "GL" content. For serialized content, I add just the first ep. A complete mess, but you can trawl through to find stuff to watch, like Hetero!

SOONOTSUE: The same producers of She Makes My Heart Flutter have other short series on their channel worth checking out; if you liked that one, try Out of Breath!

Shakeshoulder: Thai YouTube producers of very pulpy (read: low budget and dramatic plots) shorts

FuFuKnows: This YouTube channel is owned by a gay Taiwanese couple that produces shorts every week, including some with GL mains and sides. These are very low budget but cover a whole swath of queer themes.

@douqi7s is a godsend providing subtitles for all kinds of content, including sapphic shorts and more series than I've listed here. Check their tumblr for links to all of their content; A Practical Guide to Being a Superstar's Assistant has one of the best setups to giving us great moments in the guise of something else so that they get past censorship I've ever seen; I also recommend The Vampires if you're into genre fiction, as well as Legend of Yunqian if you enjoyed the xianxia parts of Legend of Yunze. @wlwcatalogue did an excellent summary of many of the non-wuxia options here.

Quick pitch for the streaming platform GagaOOLala; it's affordable, has a ton of content, including a whack of GLs (originals, license series, and a ton of shorts), and is run by queer people out of Taiwan who care about good quality queer content being made and having an audience, and using the soft power from those successful series to support social change. And if you can't afford a subscription it's worth checking out what they have for free, they open up temporary free access to some things for various events throughout the year.

In searching for gifs for this post I found fellow tumblr user @drowningparty 's WLW compendium list; they've listed more series and films so check it out if you still need more content!

*wipes sweat off brow* that should be enough to be getting on with, but it's really just the tip of the iceberg! If there's something specific you want to see with sapphics let me know and I can tell you if I know it exists. Anyway, I hope this gives you and everyone else a taste of what all is out there! I of course always want more, I am serious about being a sapphic dragon hoarding every crumb i can get my lizardy hands on, but I do think what we have should also be appreciated more. If I missed one of your faves, please tell me!

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aziraphales-library · 4 months

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Lost Fic #164

1. Hello everyone :) for a terrible long time I've been searching for a fic I remember. Maybe you lovely peoole can help me. In it, Aziraphale and Crowley were visiting Anathema and Newt. Crowley spiked his drink with a lil hellfire and of course, our favorite Angel took the wring cup by accident. Does anyone know it? Thanks in advance and have a lovely day :) - @belowperfect

2. this is probably a long shot, but, there was this one fic that I read when the show first came out. in it, Aziraphale moved into Crowley's apartment after doomsday because in it Adam didn't fix the bookshop (I think) I can't remember much, but I know that it was a multi chapter fic with sexual themes later on and I wonder if it sounds familiar to anyone, I wanna find it again because it was the first fic of the fandom I read lol. I feel like I read it here on Tumblr but it might have been AO3 too I'm not sure honestly. - anon

3. Hello I hope you are doing well. I have had this fic stuck in my head and I’m not sure if it was deleted or what but it was this fic about like Aziraphale and Crowley’s sexual tension throughout time and like for Crowley it was initially more lustful and eventually they sleep together during the French Revolution only for Crowley to treat it like a one night stand and it breaks aziraphales heart. The fic continues with the end of season one and like over time Crowley realized he messed up and loves Aziraphale and they are about to sleep together before the swap and Aziraphale initially is hesitant because of last time. Does this sounds familiar at all? - anon

4. Hi folks, Thanks for all the recommendations, and the tagging, you’ve led me to so many wonderful fanfics! I’m looking for a fanfic where Crowley sees Aziraphale beheaded, I believe in China. There’s also a story about Crowley and Aziraphale meeting in Japan I think, the plot involving a childless couple who find a child, collect and cage too many birds, and a bathhouse. It may be epistolary, or a diary. It’s long, and it’s wonderful! I just read the bloody thing (twice) maybe a month ago, and now I can’t find it. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks, L - @shoemakerobstetrician

5. I’m looking for a fic where either the book or radio versions of Aziracrow somehow end up in the bookshop and won’t stop having sex and it’s driving TV!Azi absolutely bonkers. I read it like two years ago and can’t find it! - anon

If you know any of these fics please include the number in your reply! Thank you :)

- Mod D

#good omens #lost fic #ineffable husbands #mod d

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olderthannetfic · 2 months

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I don’t know if it's appropriate on this blog but I'm just going for it. How do people make friends in fandom? How do you all manage it? I've been bouncing from fandom to fandom for more than 15 years and have been mostly lurking for the better part of those years. It has been very hard to find friends just in general because of my shyness and all this antiship/proship discourse is making it even harder to even consider putting myself out there. Everyone just seems insufferable. Even the ship and let ship crowd.

A thing I've noticed is that while the proship spaces have better attitudes towards fiction/fandom/fanfic in general there exists this weird hate boner about people with canon ships (in my personal experience, just last week I stumbled on a tweet from a self identified proship account telling people that they shouldn't read fanfic of their blorbos because they are canonically together which made me go huh) and there exists this strange superiority complex, a "you're not enlightened like me" attitude (it's very strange and especially prominent among people who identify as proship and ship the big m/m ship in fandoms of material catered towards male audiences, ik this because I was guilty of this superiority too at one point). Honestly, this "enlightenment", the hypocrisy of preaching ship and let ship but only the way I deem correct (last week I saw a big a proship account shade shippers of a specific rival ship right under their thread about how we shouldn't generalize and I think I lost brain cells) and condescending attitude of "I am not boring like you" and "You're doing fandom wrong" is one of the reasons that has turned me off those spaces more and more. I've noticed it once and can't unsee it because it all gives off this mean girl (gender neutral) energy and puts me off interacting.

On the other hand a lot of the ship and let ship spaces that prefer the canon ships tend to be very anti adjacent even if they actually practice ship and let ship (screaming and crying about sexualization of minors, throwing out phrases like porn addict around). I've seen some very strange sentiments about Europeans there (like thanks for informing me that all of us are monstrous bloodthirsty cannibals I guess) and Japan (which is ironic because it's mostly anime fandoms doing it). It doesn't make me wanna associate with them either.

*dying*

Nonnie, do you know how staggeringly often I get this question?

A big part of the answer is to not be a lurker. There are reasonable people out there, but they're much less visible than loud assholes, so the best way to find them is for them to find you.

Many of my closest fandom friends are people I met offline, either because they live near me or because we went to cons together. Others are people who turned up in replies on tumblr regularly. You need repeated contact that's memorable enough to recall the person as a distinct individual. I sometimes find that hard online. It really depends on frequency and them having something to say plus a good writing voice.

I know lots of people are shy or prefer to be lurkers. I get why. But you'll rarely meet anyone that way.

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stirringwinds · 6 months

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i'm curious if you have more yao headcanons?

I notice i've found it hard to pin down his character. there's either the hetalia canon version which is offensive to say the least, or there's like the fanon versions where he's sort of an accessory to the plot of other popular characters (most/all of whom are white characters, which imo is offensive for a whole other reason.)

i've been writing more induchu/indchu (whatever the indiaxchina pairing is called) lately and while hws india is almost an oc to me because of how little there is of him in canon, yao is a lot harder for me to write. also partly because i dont know as much as i should of chinese history (what i know is basically from an indian history context) and i havent yet had the opportunity to do some serious research. so i'm curious to hear your thoughts on him! thank you and have a great day <3

sorry for taking a while to get to your ask—but thank you for the great question! i'll cover some elements of both ancient/imperial and modern chinese history and certain themes/relationships with other nations that i think are really central to his character:

creator and destroyer: to me, Yao is akin to the Yellow River itself—a life-giving source whose waters and fertile silt birthed Chinese civilisation, but whose devastating floods have also drowned millions and destroyed dynasties. that’s exactly what he is to many of his neighbours—a cultural wellspring from whom they have learned much, but at other times, ruthless and terrible in his power—a conquering empire who has drowned other nations in his pitiless ambition. here, i’m integrating the long history of ancient and imperial China as an expansionist empire. it’s a crucial element of his character for me, because the Sinicisation of what were once independent, non-Chinese polities has moulded modern China and Asia. Yao’s cultural influence, technology, aesthetics and philosophies spread out across the world—but trade routes and diplomats walked hand-in-hand with power amassed through imperial conquest.

passions of the cut sleeve: so, this refers to a tale where a han dynasty emperor, who, rather than waking his male lover who had fallen asleep on the long sleeve of his hanfu, just cut through all that expensive silk so he wouldn’t be disturbed lol. sexuality-wise, it’s pretty much ironclad for me that Yao has had many romantic and physical relationships with other men too; there’s a long history of m/m relationships in pre-modern china. generally, i don’t see him being shy or flustered about sex—some fandom depictions of him as such feel uncomfortably orientalist. he’s very experienced after all those years.

old—and proud: Yao’s pride is both a strength and one of his biggest flaws. in the Confucian hierarchy, seniority confers prestige and demands respect. it’s a strength because he ferociously clings to that sense of “I have lasted for millennia and seen more than many other nations have” during the most trying moments of Chinese history. that long history is fuel for him to spitefully and doggedly endure—such as during the Opium Wars, or World War II. it’s a belief in his dignity that roots him in place when the world turns upside down.

but it's also a major flaw, because Yao can be arrogant and disdainful towards other nations, especially from the sinocentric worldview of regarding China as the center of civilisation, with Korea and Japan at times being referred to as some variant of 'barbarian', much less other non-Han polities seen as an obstacle to Chinese expansionism. Lien (Vietnam) is someone he acknowledges somewhat as a peer in age, but boy, is it a fraught relationship, because of the huge number of wars they've had against each other. to Lien, Yao can be arrogant at times, but he's someone whose scheming and sharpness of mind aren't to be underestimated either.

“mandate of heaven” and political pragmatism: i see Yao being one of the most ruthlessly pragmatic nations when it comes to political ideology and economics—it’s a very Deng Xiaopeng “what does it matter if the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice?” today, he is not particularly emotionally attached to a specific form of governance. in ancient Chinese politics, there is a concept called “mandate of heaven” which was used to legitimise a king or emperor’s rule—but this isn’t the same as the european notion of the divine right of kings. because a Chinese ruler could “lose” that heavenly mandate and thus be justly overthrown—and wars, natural disasters and other crises were treated as indications of that. 'mandate of heaven' could of course retrospectively be manipulated by a usurper to legitimise his rule when (re)writing the history of the old regime by exaggerating its misdeeds, but nonetheless I think it’s a good reminder of many rebellions and revolts there've been in Chinese history. Yao is jaded to some degree—he does give a shit about his people, but he isn’t as idealistic as someone like Alfred might be (in the good and bad ways). he looks at things very pragmatically, rather than always through principle. if this is a system he has to live with, he will—for now. that’s the attitude I think he has towards many of his politicians: “to me, you emperors come and go, like the cycle of the seasons.”

the old master and his protégé(s)—pre-modern china, korea and japan: imo, yong-soo and kiku are amongst his oldest and most important relationships, from antiquity to present. as intertwined as their history is, it always tended towards an unequal dynamic because Yao never quite regards them as equals. on one hand, they somewhat respect him for what he's contributed to their culture—but on the other, they were never completely free of being reminded of the imperial hierarchy and hard edge of yao's power. here, I’m thinking of examples like how the Korean peninsula was turned into a Chinese protectorate by Tang China, and how China crushed Yamato Japan during the Battle of Baekgang.

the silk road—india, persia/iran and rome: for all his cultural exceptionalism, i do think Yao respects these nations as peers. Rome, for example, was called ‘da qin’ (great qin), which mirrored how China was called ‘qin’ (from the qin dynasty)—despite the distance, Roman glassware made its way to China, whilst Chinese silk made its way to Rome. compared to Rome, Persia/Iran and India had an even bigger influence on Chinese culture—Iran, such as during the Tang dynasty: polo and Persian styles/aesthetics reached China, aided by Tang expansion westwards bringing it closer to the Persian sphere of influence. another interesting element is astronomy: Chinese astronomers worked alongside Persian at the 13th century Maragheh observatory where many discoveries about astronomy and mathematics were made.

as to pre-modern India-China: Buddhism is one really big cultural import absorbed by China; and I personally think that’s a large part of why Yao regards India more as an equal—in contrast to how he sees Kiku, Yong-soo and Lien (Vietnam). I think there’s a very scholarly dynamic in their pre-modern rship: India, in Yao’s eyes, is a sophisticated philosopher and mathematician lol—i base this off the enormous cultural exchange from Indian monks and scholars travelling to China, as well as how Indian astronomical texts, such as Aryabhatta’s works, were translated into Chinese.

the empire is dead, long live the republic: inasmuch as Yao's deeply steeped in tradition—he won’t die on the sword of it either. the 1840s—1910s is him going from crisis to crisis—but it was also full of Chinese political debates. about monarchies vs. republics, labour movements, revolutions and counter-revolutions, as Chinese people reacted to Western and Japanese imperialism. some Chinese revolutionaries, like the Boxers, rejected everything Western. others sought to borrow from British, American and Soviet models of governance. yet others, Sun Yat Sen included—looked to Meiji Japan. significantly, 1900s Japan became a hub for Chinese reformers linking up with sympathetic Japanese intellectuals/politicians, but also other Asian thinkers/revolutionaries, from as far as India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. so if you’re interested in Ind/Chu, you can explore how they exist in the transnational dynamic of Pan-Asianism too. there’s the paradox of Kiku becoming an empire at Yao’s expense, whilst that very prestige he wins is exactly why many other Asians (including Indians and Chinese reformers) saw Japan as an aspirational model for a modernised Asian society that was free of Western domination.

the old and the new: to end off, i think yao is someone whose facets are always fluid and shifting. how do i characterise someone who has lived for so long, and has encompassed so much sweeping history? to bring it back to the yellow river; rivers change their courses throughout history, sometimes very drastically, but we’d say it’s the same river. just as we aren’t the exact same person we were as children—but there is a thread of continuity, so it is for nations—just on a much longer time-scale. and i think that even though old nations like him bear the weight of millennia in a way that can be a jarring contrast to his deceptively youthful face—they’re also composed of the souls of their young people. he can be traditional, but he’s always moving with the times. he'll do traditional calligraphy, but he's reading manga and watching the latest chinese and k-dramas (even if he won't always admit it).

nowadays, he’s that older man in an expensive, well-tailored suit, probably smoking way too many zhonghuas despite the disapproving glances from younger chinese people, wearing an expensive watch or sunglasses. he can be kind of flashy at times and does he enjoy his luxuries. he's discerning and opinionated about the kind of food he likes, but he's adventurous and will try new things. in the 90s, he was confused by the internet, but now he’s extremely net-savvy, always using VPNs to get around the Great Firewall—and also spends way too much time on his phone on WeChat or Weibo. he can sound very cynical sometimes—but there's also a calm reflectiveness where he'd smile slightly and say, 'who knows what tomorrow brings?'

#hws china #hetalia #wang yao #long post #hetalia headcanons #hws japan #hws south korea #hws india #hws vietnam

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isaksbestpillow · 3 months

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Hello Siiri! First off: I just yelled in delight that you're offering subs on Ossan's Love Returns -- thank you! I have not watched the previous series or OL movie, but I come to you after learning that EarthMix will cameo in this week's episode. I'm watching older Thai BLs to learn more about that nation's genre of BL, and I'm learning about the Thai genre's Japanese BL roots -- which makes the cameo extra sweet for me in my history project. In any case, I am wondering if you could offer a kind of overview of the importance of the Ossan's Love franchise in Japan. My very favorite BL of all time is Kinou Nani Tabeta? -- and I've been so thrilled over the years to get TWO seasons, a movie, and the New Year's special. Ossan's Love has even more content. Would you say it's a bigger BL than KNT? Is the audience for OL growing actively in Japan? I'd love to learn more about the context of its importance in the Japanese media landscape. I feel like I generally have a grip on these things in part due to the fame of the various actors that end up in BLs (like in Cherry Magic), but Ossan's Love has been around for so long, that I'm not sure how to quite contextualize its popularity against other JBLs. Thank you for considering my question!

Hello!

I don't want to make any claims on who's more popular without gathering actual data, but I can talk about the general context of the show.

OL actually precedes Nanitabe's live action, so they weren't in competition during their original airing. OL differs from most other bl live action outputs by being an original script. It's not based on a manga unlike pretty much all other Japanese bls out there, and as such, it pretty much single-handedly brought gay relationships to the mainstream when they had so far been mostly confined to the bookshop bl section: if you wanted to read a bl, you'd go to the bl section, but otherwise you wouldn't be exposed to it.

The first season of OL aired in 2018. There are all kinds of live action bls airing these days, at least one per season, but it wasn't like that back in 2018. Live action bl until recently was either typical age-gap uke/seme anime (Gravitation, Sekai ichi hatsukoi, Junjou romantica) or made-for-dvd movies with mostly unknown actors. My first bl movie was Ai no kotodama. I don't know who those actors were or where they are now. By comparison, the cast of OL is full of popular mainstream actors. Pretty sure at least one person fainted when Tanaka Kei was on the cover of An an's love & sex (was it me, you'll never know!).

Even now, at lot of the bl you'll find on Gaga or Viki actual airs in a specific bl slot or on a paid subscription service. You had to buy each episode of Old fashion cupcake on Rakuten to watch - meaning you need to already know what you're looking for. Nanitabe and Cherry Magic both aired in TV Tokyo's Friday midnight slot , but TV Tokyo is a local network. I had to watch both online because we don't get TV Tokyo in the prefectures. What we do get though is TV Asahi, the network producing OL. It's one of the major national networks and the second most viewed channel after Nippon TV (it's also the channel buying GMMTV shows for Japanese distribution).

What made OL such a phenomenon was the internet and social media. It was the most tweeted show in 2018 and Japanese people tweet a lot. It received the Popular Word of the Year Award. You read it right, Ossan's Love was the Popular Word of the Year 2018 with #MeToo and e-sports (for comparison: in 2022 one of the words was state funeral because of Abe's assassination, and one of last year's winners was boiling of the planet).

As for how OL Returns is doing - it's super successful! Last Friday even omutsu paatonaa/diaper partner was trending on the internet. Last time there was an update about viewership, the first two episodes had been viewed 4.5 million times. The Japanese fandom is super active, and people of all ages are watching. They're doing quite a bit of promo, too. Tanaka Kei & Hayashi Kento were on Geinoujin kakuzuke check, a popular new year's quiz show.

I know OL doesn't get a lot of love in western bl fandom. On one hand, I'm like huh okay fair enough. But on the other, much bigger, you could even say enormous, hand, I'm like you don't have all the facts! You don't even speak Japanese! Take a seat! But if you wanna trash the airline remake (was it really necessary???), I'll bring the snacks.

#ossan's love #sorry about the numerous typos!!

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ultra-violet-heart · 11 days

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7th Time Loop Short Story Bonus: A Story About Christmas, On a Present Setting

This is a bonus short story written by Touko Amekawa with even a postcard for 7th Time Loop Volume 6! It's set on a modern alternate universe, with Rishe and Arnold as college students.

Disclaimer: This translation is made by me for fandom purposes only. This unofficial translation is not affiliated with the official 7th Time Loop franchise. All rights reserved for 7th Time Loop to its respective committees, committee members, staff, author and rights holders.

Thanking shiro.wolf from Discord for the raws!

I'm posting my Ko-Fi here as currently, I've been having financial troubles, so if anyone can donate, I would be much grateful for the help, thank you very much.

*Author’s note: Both of them are college students in Japan who are working together in this present setting!

Rishe wanted to show Arnold the joy and beauty in this world. That was why she always gave her all with events and festivities. That afternoon, as she changed into the costume she prepared earlier and went to the living room, Arnold, who sat on the sofa, furrowed his brows slightly, then spoke.

“What’s… with that outfit…?”

“It’s Santa Claus, Arnold-senpai!” She was wearing a one-piece dress with a mini-skirt made from red velour fabric and lined with cute white pompoms, the design showing off her décolletage. “This looks a bit embarrassing, but it seems to be the most popular design from the store. I need to keep up on researching current trends to help with choosing my future career path!”

As Arnold fell silent, Rishe became a little bit uneasy.

“Senpai, perhaps, are you unfamiliar with Christmas…?”

“It’s the day for which you kept looking in advance at catalogues and have been making reservations for various foodstuffs, right? Also, it’s that day that you will declare you will refuse to accept any expensive gift I would give you.”

“Your perception of things is too biased!”

“I know you’re the type to take events very seriously, and I’m aware how you devote yourself into helping me. However…”

Arnold sighed and gently patted the space next to him on the sofa. She realized he was beckoning her to seat there so she did, and she was then wrapped with a fluffy blanket.

“!”

“But it’s more important to me you don’t freeze while doing so.”

That voice close to her ears was very gentle, yet it tickled. Rishe gripped the edge of the blanket tightly, trying to hide her face.

(…Even though it’s already so hot here…)

Unable to speak in that manner, for the time being Rishe went quiet, not knowing what she should do about that heat.

#7th time loop #7th time loop: the villainess enjoys a carefree life married to her worst enemy!#ループ7回目の悪役令嬢は、元敵国で自由気ままな花嫁生活を満喫する #7thTimeLoop #ルプなな #rishe irmgard weitzner #arnold hein #rishe x arnold #arnold x rishe #arrishe

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zarvasace · 1 year

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Another Point in Favor of Vidow

By this point, many of us in the Four Swords manga fandom are aware of the relationship that is (or maybe isn't) implied between Vio and Shadow. I agree that it is up for some debate, but also my opinion is that the relationship is as clear as it can get, operating within the bounds of its context—that is, early-2000s Japan, kids' manga, the bias against gay couples.

This is just another pin on the conspiracy board of red lines!

The moon is present in three main places during the Vio/Shadow arc—very first (and most damning) when the two meet one-on-one, once in a panel showing the Fire Temple that the two are hanging out in, and once behind the two as they ride on the dragon to cause chaos. (Many thanks to @hauntinghyrule for helping me find those!)

There is a common belief in Japan that the author Natsume Souseki once told a student that their translation was wrong. They'd translated "I love you" as "kimi o aisu," and he thought it was far too blunt. He was a product of the Meiji era, and preferred the idea that the Japanese language should be more poetic and subtle. He then proposed the idea that instead of "ware kimi wo aisu," one should say "tsuki ga kirei desu ne" instead, which translates to English more as "the moon is beautiful, isn't it?" (You can read more about that, and why the guy might not have actually said it, here!)

You can see where I'm going with this.

Whether or not Souseki actually said it, the phrase is widely understood to be a sideways way of saying "I love you." The moon has a lot of meanings in Japanese culture and language, and I won't say that this is the interpretation, or if our lovely authors meant this at all, but they might have. They seem fond of hinting at it. ("We feel blessed that the characters' feelings came across so clearly.")

If we can read into the presence of the moon as presence of romantic possibility, what happens then? Well. A lot.

When Shadow first approaches Vio, he's seen hanging out on top of a pine tree with the moon bright and full behind him.

This isn't the actual manga panel, I don't have that right now, but this art was based on that specific scene, and you may recognize it. There are a few other panels this scene that Vidow shippers like to call out—Vio's apparent blush when Shadow casually moves his sword away (a power move regardless of intent that made me fall in love with him), or the way Shadow hangs on Vio when persuading him to turn to the dark side. If we can read the moon's presence as a hint towards romance, then it's pretty clear what's being implied here—there's an element of seduction.

The second place we see the moon is just after Vio and Shadow's heart-to-heart on the balcony, one of the only canon interactions between them during this period without a lot of plot happening. Here's the panel I mean:

Like hauntinghyrule pointed out, if the moon is visible here, it was likely present during that conversation. That feels like reaching, but I think it's pretty significant that we can see the moon in this panel, too. It's here for that bonding moment. It's part of establishing the tone and setting. If the moon is inherently romantic, then so is this scene.

And then the third panel that the moon is seen in is this one, Vio and Shadow flying on a dragon to bring chaos and fire:

If the moon means romance, then this is a date. They've had their moment, they're in love, all is going well.

It might not mean that much. I could be veering into atla-levels of overanalyzation, for sure! However, this feels like something that could definitely be intentional. "月が綺麗ですね" is understood to sort-of kind-of mean "I love you," turning the moon into a symbol of implied love.

And...it's very thematic, even if it isn't intended. Come on. The moon, hinting toward unspoken romance in some of the scenes where Vio and Shadow's dynamic is at its most stable? Dramatic. Amazing.

...You could read even more into it, and say that Vio is Shadow's moon—reflected light of the Hero or the Princess, guiding him to see the good, a desirable light in the darkness that Shadow insists he has to stay in. There's something lovely about that interpretation, too. :)

#four swords #vidow #um. anyway #my friend likes the ship and got a degree in asian studies #which is where i became aware of this #i think its fun #i speak from the coffin #discourse #???#metatextual wankery #i guess

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rainbowsky · 9 months

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hi rainbowsky, love your blog and your very articulate and sane view of things. It’s been very calming and comforting when there’s so much noise (and hate) in the world. So, thank you!

Curious your take on wyb wearing a bandana hanging from his left belt hook, at the Shu Uemura event today. And not a designer bandana, like the Chanel one he had on his backpack on recent trip to Japan.

I immediately thought of 1970s San Francisco gay culture, men would signal their orientation by hanging them from left side, right side, back pocket (L/R). Not thinking too much about color significance since red is Shu Uemura’s brand color. I don’t know anything about the new ad campaign he’s doing with them, but 1970 and 1971 were on 2 posters behind where he was seated.

It just flashed on me so I’d thought I’d ask. 🧐 🤡

Hi Hellopedey! Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying my blog! 😊

Inquiring minds want to know: is DD trying to signal to the world that he wants to stick his fist up their ass for Shu Uemura?

You aren't the only person to take note of this. I've seen people mentioning hanky code in the tags of reblogs of my post of the photos from that event, and I've seen people talking about it on Twitter, too. It's become quite a topic since the event.

This is a question that has come up a few times in the past, but alas - it's often impossible to find old posts on Tumblr, so rather than being able to point to my previous post about it I will just re-answer.

Fake, fan fiction, CPN.

Long story short: I don't believe for one hot second that DD is using hanky code. There are a lot of reasons I feel this way, and I'll get to that in a minute, but the number one thing I want to bring home for people is that:

Everyone is allowed to wear hankies without assumptions being made about their sexual activity/preferences.

Including you, Hellopedey, and every other reader. Maybe that's not as much of a relief to some readers as it would be to those who happen to be queer and heavily sexualized by others, but it should take a load off some minds. 😅

You know that old saying, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar*?" Well, sometimes a hanky is just a hanky. I'd go so far as to say that a hanky is almost always just a hanky. Even if worn by a gay man.

*Incorrectly attributed to Freud, the origin of that quote is actually unknown.

Here are just a few reasons it's obvious to me DD isn't signalling (and I can't believe I have to say this, because it seems obvious to me):

Location, location, location. Please remember that hanky code is used when people are looking for sex. DD is at a brand event. He's not looking for sex.

His outfit is likely put together by a stylist, and that stylist is unlikely to be trying to hook him up with people for sex.

Hanky code isn't much of a Thing with young people these days. There's no need for it, since now all anyone needs to do to hook up with someone based on preferences is tick off a few boxes on Grindr or other apps (even in China).

Hanky code is pretty Western-centric. It's unclear whether it's even used in China.

As was discussed in the notes, bandanas are popular in hip hop fashion and in other fashion styles DD often wears.

Hankies are a very widely/wildly popular fashion accessory worn by people from all walks of life. Both GG and DD have worn hankies a lot, including for their fabulous Happy Camp dance, and in this context, it really is just a fashion accessory.

I'm going to say this as gently as possible, because I get it that people are just being clueless and oblivious, and that they don't intend to offend, but it really tweaks something in me as a gay person that so many fans are casually willing to make the assumption that DD is sexually signalling at work.

This goes back to the whole oversexualization in the fandom thing that I often lament.

I think fans - especially turtles - get so used to scrutinizing everything for signs and signals of GG and DD's sexual and romantic proclivities that common sense and GGDD's basic humanity are often overlooked. Fans could also stand to do a bit more to reflect on how their behavior and attitudes might (unintentionally) come across as offensive and homophobic* to queer people.

*Not saying this is where you were coming from, Hellopedey, but I hope all fans will reflect on it.

Please read this post for more info on that, because it's important.

PS] For those looking for something salacious about GG and DD, how about checking out the lyrics for the song they danced together to on Happy Camp? That's a pretty racy song for a couple of 'straight' guys to be dancing together to. 😅

#bjyx #yizhan #lgbtpride #ggdd in the public eye #some guys are not straight guys #ask

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babeeangel · 10 months

Text

sitting on itzy's lap out of habit.

Chaeryeong - fluff - 609 words

Other verions: Yeji - Lia - Ryujin - Chaer - Yuna

Chaeryeong: would instinctively push you off, then regret and talk you into coming back, swearing she won't let herself be surprised again. She would be super nervous the whole time tho, so it's not that comfortable.

why is it my itzy content is flopping ? where are MIDZY ? hahaha, i find this writing very cute, had the idea while i was reminiscing a mini apple flavored kit-kat i bought in Japan... (btw i try not to care when sumtin flops. It's hard bcos social media made me used to look forward to big numbers but hey, i write for myself and the niche fandoms that could enjoy it-)

Through the screeching sound of chairs being dragged on the floor, people starting to chat again and the door getting opened by the teacher, you search for your phone in your school bag. On the tip of your fingers, you feel it and grab it as you’re lifting your head up. There you saw her, sitting on her chair, hair all over her notebooks. ChaerYeong was still writing something and didn’t even bother to look at you. You got up and started pushing your chair back under your desk, when you remembered you had something for her. Well the both of you. You reach again to your bag, taking out two mini kit-kats, one strawberry flavored, the other peach. You got up again and started walking to your friend. She still hadn;t turned her head, but she knew you were coming anyway.

“Sup Y\N ?” She greeted, without even looking at you, still finishing up prettifying her notes. “3rd period is still as boring as ever, but great. Chaer, we have a 10 minute break, better make the most out of it, stop thinking about class for 10 lovely minutes”, you answered. “Hm right’. She suddenly started tidying up her desk and putting her books away. When she was done, she pushed her chair back, to be further away from her desk. She finally turned diagonally to see you better. “I don’t wanna get up tho. It’s not like there’s anything interesting to do anyways”. “True”, you agreed, looking at your kit-kats. You handed the strawberry one to her, which she accepted, thanking you softly. You knew she’d prefer it anyway.

As you started opening its wrapper, you mindlessly started sitting on her lap. I mean, it’s not like there was another free seat. But you could only start bending your knees that Chaeryeong had already pushed you off. “W-what are you doing ?!” Embarrassed that she reacted too loudly, she looked around her to see if anyone was staring at her, but thankfully no one cared. The classroom was so busy, everyone was focused on their own thing. Unimpressed, you looked at her face. She seemed flustered more than mad, so it was okay, it’s not like you broke any boundaries, just caught her by surprise.

“Uhm well nothing, just sitting sorry”. No hard feelings nor embarrassment in your tone, you just dead-pan started eating your kit-kat. Realizing she might have overrated, Chaer started talking you out into coming back: “Sorry, I, uh was startled. But come, it’d be unfair for you to stay standing while I'm comfy here.” After a few back and forths, you finally accepted and placed yourself on her lap.

You were both facing the table, but you turned your head back to her when you were talking. “You have a peach one right ? I wanna try it please, can I ?” You nodded as you stretched your arm behind you. She stuck her head up and took a bite out of the chocolate. As she expressed her delightment (“Mhmm that’s what im talking about !”), you whispered under your breath that she was so cute. She heard it, of course, and you felt her whole body tense up. I mean tense up even more than it already was.

To be completely honest, sitting with her was not the most comfortable thing ever, because she was so nervous. But spending time close to her like this, made you overlook that.

A\N: did you like it ? My fav itzy song recently is snowy. Comeback was announced this mornin !

#itzy #itzy headcanons #itzy fluff #itzy x reader #itzy imagine #itzy chaeryoung moodboard #itzy chaeryeong #chaeryeong x reader #chaeryeong #lee chaeryeong #lee chaeryeong x reader #chaeryeong imagine #chaeryeong fluff

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theraggedygirl11 · 3 months

Text

New analysis on the way. As soon as I saw the new Bojan's photo, I immediately searched for the flowers and their meanings, as the self-proclaimed flowers expert of this part of the fandom.

I'm pretty sure the flowers are hydrangeas/hortensias (like @anxious-witch already said in his analysis).

Hydrangeas symbolize so many things based on their colours, and the meanings may change even based on the country or the historic era!

So prepare yourself for a dive into hydrangeas meanings (everything is from the internet, I will link everything I've found)

It's a long analysis, I'm sorry

Also, this is my opinion on this specific photo, feel free to add anything you want

Brief history facts here and here. In these links you'll find also other facts about this flower, and its meanings too, which I'll summarize down here.

White Hydrangea

They symbolize purity, innocence and honour, but also arrogance, vanity and boasting (maybe from the Victoria era, when this flower carried a negative meaning since it was gifted from men to women who rejected them and it was a way to indicate women's frigidity). Besides, these flowers are well known to have a huge inflorescence but produce very few seeds.

Blue Hydrangea

In ancient Japan this flower is linked to apology and remorse (there's a legend about and emperor who neglected the woman he loved, so he gifted her these flowers as an apology), nowadays it also means serenity and gratitude.

Pink Hydrangea

It symbolizes thoughtfulness, grace and love. It's the perfect gift to express affection and admiration for someone special.

Purple Hydrangea

It represents the desire for deep understanding. The colour purple is usually associated with royalty, pride and gratefulness across many cultures.

Brief summary from this website:

Unfortunately the photo is in black and white, so we can't really know the colour(s) of the flowers in it, but we don't care.

Let's go through every colour and connect it to Bojan.

White has pretty conflicting meanings, for sure. This colour is linked to purity, but, as I said above, it may also mean boasting and vanity. Let's focus on this last meaning. Bojan never showed himself to be openly vain, except for one thing: his hair. He complained about his gray/white streak more than once (cue to Plastika "koža ni več sveža in sivijo mi lasje,/ pa triindvajset jih imam šele"-"my skin is no longer fresh and my hair is going grey/ and I'm only twenty-three", then corrected to twenty-five in Groningen), and I'm pretty sure he's used to dye his hair because the white streak sometimes magically disappears. Now, white/grey hairs are a sign of old age and it's not unsual for younger people to get them (I'm turning 27 this year and I too have some random white hairs). Bojan's complaints, even in a jokingly way, show though that he's in some way affected by this. Beauty is linked to vanity, both in art and in literature.

Blue hydrangeas carry/carried a specific meaning in Japan, as already stated, which is linked to apology and remorse. Is he sorry for not reaching some of his goals, like winning Eurovision? Is he apologizing to us, his fans? To Slovenia, the country he so proudly represented at Eurovision and failed to make it proud of his work with their lower position in the final chart? To someone else we don't know about? We also know that they became a phenomenon despite the fact that Eurovision was a "disaster". Slovenia became famous, now people want to visit this country or even moving there to live. People are learning a language that only about 2 million people speak (it's still a pretty big group of people, but compared to other European countries, like Germany, France or Italy, it's a small amount of speakers). Is he grateful for the huge opportunity that Eurovision gave them to let the world know that Slovenia exists and that it's a nice country that deserves to be known? Is he saying "thank you" for other things?

Pink is often linked to nice feelings and emotions. In this case the flower symbolizes true feelings and sincere emotions. Bojan is a lyricist, he pours what he experiences and feels into his lyrics, and thanks to this we have Padam, Novi Val, Vse Kar Vem, and so on. Is this a wish for him to be even more open and truer on what he writes? A wish for him to be more free to write what he wants and feels and not what the public wants him to write? Being true and honest with yourself has always been a focal point in so many artists and has affected their work thoughtout the centuries. They have to live thanks to their art, so what do you do? Do you listen to your heart or do you please the people who give you the money to live?

Purple is the last colour but not the least important. It's a royal colour, also linked to pride. Being proud can be a double edged sword: one can be proud of what he's doing and achieving, but the line between pride and arrogance is narrow and one can easily slip into arrogance. Personally, I've never seen Bojan as arrogant, but this colour might remind him to be proud of his work, also the future one he'll do, and to not let arrogance conquer his spirit, to stay humble like he is now.

#is this an obsession? maybe #but i find interesting that even the flowers damon choses have a meaning behind them #are these purple hydrageas because bojan's showing his pride?#or are these white hydrageas and mean vanity?#we'll never know #i wrote this analysis while listening to padam lmao #joker out #bojan cvjetićanin #damon baker #annies rambles

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stingandsnoutbindery · 1 year

Text

Advent Anthology by @pacific-rimbaud

A Compilation of PR's one-shot entries for DHr Advent, years 2020-2022.

Fandom: Harry Potter

Relationship: Draco Malfoy x Hermione Granger

Art by the wonderful @chestercompany

My binderary baby and second fanbinding project.

read below the cut for the process and other binding deets.

Quick Specs

20,015 words | 179 pages | Quarto (1/4 of Letter)

Technique: Flatback bradel Title & Body Font: Libre Baskerville (in various style emphasis)

Fics included:

Les Pelerins (10k; 2020 entry)

I'm Never Lonely When I'm With You (5k; 2021 entry)

On The Virtues of Inexhaustible Burning (5k; 2022 entry)

Pac is the type I could trust to write anything and I know I'll absolutely love. Her advent fics, in particular, I especially adore. The writing is very visceral and I will not admit how many times I've reread these.

On The Book

I had not intended to bind any book/s for @renegadepublishing's binderary because of my hectic schedule, however FOMO won over and this book was born. It was a relatively quick design and typeset (I really do better under pressure lol). I wish I could say the same for when I started the actual binding though. This is the 8th book I’ve bound and I had expected it to go relatively smoothly, but this book fought me every step of the way and I'll indulge in expressing my distress on this post.

First, the print place I go to messed up my typeset, thus me having to travel back home to use our old crappy inkjet (that took 3 hours to print). And because said printer is crappy, I had to use 100gsm short grain to minimize show-through, and well, you can imagine how stick straight the pages are. Second, I made the case too small (I worked on the book after a toxic 12 hour lab day and was not in the right state) and instead of redoing the covers, I re-trimmed and repainted the fore edge (at cost of my lovely margins ..wails). Third & last, the vinyl refused! to stick to the cover and I proper burnt the HTV as well as my finger on my iron. In the book's defense, it was my first time using leather paper and I forgot to test their chemistry.

On The Bind

Everything else went swimmingly, aforementioned shit aside. I tried not to make this book scream Christmas and leaned into a more subtle theme through color choices. I finally got to use this lovely red leather paper from Itoya, which my parents bought me during their trip in Japan. Many thanks to @celestial-sphere-press for helping me out with the shops to visit!

The design cover was made on Illustrator. The words are actually the fic prompts which I arranged in concentric circles, inspired by the arrangement of the advent candles in our local church from years back. I have no idea what paper my print place used, but it has some nice pulp to it.

As I said, I melted the HTV and certain parts refused to stick, so I peeled all of it off, except for the spine title (which miraculously stuck) and used my foil quill pen instead. I used an off-brand one and it's really good!

I also did this sort of strip across the edge which I learned is called a "river" as Nic @bindsbymunchkin called it. The side near the spine though, looked asymmetrically empty, so I added the foiling. And as this is an anthology, the punctuations was a design choice to convey the start and end and pauses in-between stories (and mostly because they just look fancy lol).

Like my last bind, the edges are gold which is comprised of an undercoat of diluted dark gray Sakura acrylic paint and many layers of Liquitex iridescent gold acrylic ink.

Endbands are made with alternating colors of cream, gray, and gold DMC cotton threads, however I'm learning I don't very much like how sewn endbands look on small flatbacks.

The endpapers are my fave. I had already tipped in plain cream cardstock but then I was like: this book needs MARBLED PAPER! so I ripped off the one I had stuck and replaced it. It's actually not real marbled paper HAHA. I sourced it from this site, printed it on some heavy paper, and oh my god I believe the universe really meant for me to find this pattern because it coincidentally matched the colors of the endbands!!

On The Typeset

I wanted to keep things cohesive but also give each story its own character. Libre Baskerville was a lovely typeface to do that on.

From left to right: Les Pelerins, I'm Never Lonely When I'm With You, On The Virtues of Inexhaustible Burning

For Les Pelerins, I wanted to mimic the silhouette of the establishments in Montmartre, hence the varying heights of the letters. If I wasn’t on a time crunch, I would’ve spent more time editing the headers but alas this is what we get. INLWIWY is more straightforward– a pinecone, which was a recurring theme in the story. And I think OTVOIB is my favorite. I drew tiny gold cracks onto the coal rock which is a significant element in the story. It still gives me that stomach flip whenever I reread it (iykyk).

#sting and snout bindery #buzzing books #z’s biblioteca #fanbinding #bookbinding #binderary2023 #dramione #pacificrimbaud #dhr advent 2022 #dhr fic #ficbinding #dhr advent

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androdetective · 6 months

Note

I love your human designs for 31 min so much .. saw your CR Juanín post and other cultural based headcanons and I would love love love to hear any heritage/cultural hcs you have for any characters :D they're always my favourite thing to hear from fandom because of how unique it is to everyone .. hope you're having a nice day :)

Thank you so much!!! I'm having a good day hope you are too :]

I try to add ethnic features to my designs and I'm glad you like them!

Okay so

Tulio is Chilean meztizo and unconnected indigenous roots (Mapuche)

Bodoque is Mapuche (but also I like the idea of him being mexican,, he's so mexican to me what else is more mexican than a stubborn asshole. Good rep for me right there 👆)

I just like the idea of Juanín being Cost Rican because of projection and also I don't see Costa Rican characters 😭 I don't think he'd be too connected since his family isn't around

Patana is mixed black latino (also unconnected indigenous roots)

Mario Hugo is wasian (white Latina mom and South Korean dad)

Policarpo is white (german bc of his middle name)

Huachimingo is indigenous African (im thinking southern African indigenous. Maybe Ndebele or Khoisan)

Maguito is Chilean-Argentine (since he was based off an Argentine magician)

Not exactly sure what I think of Guaripolo but Honduran comes to mind?

Mico is Afro Puerto Rican

Ccrm is Ecuadorian and Indian

Jackson Aceituno is Saudi Arabian and grew up in Spain (I've discussed with friends how he'd reconnect more with his culture + find peace in religion and i just really like the ideas dzksehbz)

Balón is Haitian

Guantecillo is Bangladeshi

Rosario is Argentine

Cindy is mixed latino and Filipino (has a filipino mom who was raised in japan)

Amapola is mixed white and black (idk what specific ethnicities rn 😭 I'm tired currently so sorry) (I hc her as that since I've seen someone say that in El libro gordo it said amapola and freddy were siblings. And while I couldn't find that myself while skimming through the book I've just ran with it)

Idk who else um

I think of corchetis as Mexican bc that is a very Mexican girl to me

Bombis Mexican too

That's all I can think rn, hope these are interesting!

#31 minutos #🌻 asks

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stormblessed95 · 9 months

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Hello Stormy~ ✨💜🌪️💜✨

Thank you for kindly answering my “ask” even though it was more like a monologue/message. I’m still working up my courage to DM you one of these days…

JK live was just so 💎pure💎 and had an effect to move even dark crumbling souls 🧹🪨 like mine. (😅Not to sound so dramatic, but I’ve been stuck in darkness yet again🧟‍♀️). His reaction to the FESTA 💌 project (and other fan songs), + the euphoric experience of listening to him sing 🌿✉️🌿…this fandom is so very spoiled. 💜😌💜

Anyhow, I am here again because I have two thoughts/items I wanted to share with you. ❤️

1. https://twitter.com/motokorich/status/1684337153403424769?s=46&t=H01H2IYxpN8-BH-REKQ-hA Unrelated to Bangtan, but I just learned about a J-pop idol who held a rather official event to announce his sexuality and wanted to share. The NYT article has been gifted via the reporting journalist’s tweet above. I’m not at all familiar with this artist or his group, and do not know anything about J-pop…but am somewhat familiar with the conservative social landscape of Japan. IMHO the fact that such a fuss needs to be made to apologetically disclose such a personal matter is wrong, alas that is where 🇯🇵 and many other societies stand. I applaud his courage, and hope the best outcome…truly, but I reckon it remains to be seen.

2. I was watching JK’s live and noticed there were numerous spamming from the TK shipper side of the fandom (as usual). But the curious thing today was, every time (at least a handful of times) I tried to hold it or swipe it to report the comments as I’ve done in the past, they disappeared before I even had the chance(!) Memorizing the usernames and scrolling back to find them was futile also, they were just *poof!* gone a moment after they appeared. I’m curious if you or anyone on your blog have noticed this… in all cases the ship name was a part of the comments—perhaps the term is now being screened(?).

Yet another stamp📓💮 collected!

1. I'll have to check this guy out! I hadn't heard of him before, thank you for sharing!

2. Interesting. I know weverse is monitoring their lives more now I believe for inappropriate comments. I *think* but it's possibly they are trying to cut down on the stupidly overwhelming number of shippy comments to get to actual more actual engagement types of comments. But who knows! It's Interesting regardless. I personally turn the comments OFF whenever I watch lives unless I'm rarely adding some of my own. Simply because it's too distracting for me and people saying stupid shit jn an attempt to get noticed detracts from my enjoyment at just seeing the members lol so I can't speak to seeing anything like this for myself 🤷🏻‍♀️

3. I love JK. He is so sweet and cute. Also stamp given! My DMs are still open to you friend!!

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unforth · 7 months

Text

At my brother's wedding last night and my cousin's son (first cousin once removed I think???) is there. And like, my dad's from California and only he moved east to New York so I virtually never see my uncles or cousins, and the last time I saw this kid he was, idk, 4? And now he's 18 or 19.

Anyway, he pulls me aside and goes, "your brother told me you speak Japanese...and translated some manga?" So I explain the reality of my rather mediocre language skills that my brother has apparently massively over represented, and I mention that I did translate 9 vols of One Piece back in the day, and he pulls out his phone and he's like "you're gonna think I'm crazy, but..." and shows me his Shonen Jump app where he's caught up on One Piece.

And I'm like. My dude. I don't think you're crazy, I'm jealous, I fucking WISH I was caught up on One Piece.

Him: oh thank God I'm not the only weeb in the family.

And look. I'm not a weeb, not really, not anymore, not since like 2007. Which coincidentally is the last time I saw him, a couple months before I went to Japan. But for my 19 year old cousin looking for some goddamn validation??

Me: I've been a weeaboo since before you were *born*.

Anyway. It was nice. And his reaction to the BL aspect of my fandom life was great (very no judgement but full nope-topus).

My brother had a nice wedding, too. Him and my new sis in law!

(While I was typing this someone drove by playing Africa so loud I could hear every word. We're on the NINTH FLOOR. It is 7 in the morning. Oh, New York, never change. This is up there with the guy on the subway last night who was chugging corn straight from the can.)

#unforth rambles #like so rambly #i did not get anywhere near enough sleep last night

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absolutebl · 2 years

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Hi hi :D back again after asking for the free recs (thank you again!), to ask about you're recs on gagaoolala, or did you already do a break down per platform? (and yes I'm procrastinating again...xD)

Of course, I'd be delighted, since source is one of those things I track I can go straight to the spreadsheet for this. I should say I am based out of the USA so what they offer will depend on where you are based as well.

GaGaOOLaLa BL Rec List

In some kind of order, my favorites at the top.

Rate 9/10 - absolutely recommended, faithful to tropes, happy ending, good chemistry, only few flaws or pacing issues, some parts have rewatch potential

Utsukushii Kare (Japan)

AKA My Beautiful Man

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

My Ride (Thai)

Thai BL grew up with this pulp - a truly lovely and special little show featuring the extremely rare pairing of sunshine/sunshine AKA a cinnamon roll couple. Mature explorations of relationships using one of the softest, sweetest and most innocent friends to lovers vehicles. Kindly, overworked doctor meets broken-hearted motorcycle taxi driver in an “other side of the tracks” slow burn romance. The support cast is excellent, making for great friendship groups and family dynamics. With honest queer rep that adds to, but doesn’t impede the story, and genuine conversation about the nature of class, wealth, and classism, not to mention communication, honesty, and respect for boundaries, you can’t go wrong with this show. In other news, I am a sucker for a single dimple.

Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku (Japan)

Lonely salaryman and talented cook gets accidentally adopted by a college kid and his little brother. It’s a quiet & cozy little parable of found family alleviating loneliness. Possibly too slow for some but definitely high up there for me with the best of what Japan can do, it’s only flaw (if I dare say such a thing) is that it is not really “romantic.” Lovely & sweet but the romance beats are being used to build a family relationship, not just couple intimacy, it’s OK with me, but not traditional BL.

Step By Step (Thai)

This was Thailand’s answer to The New Employee, and everything I loaved about that show I loved about this one. This was an office romance between stern boss and sweet subordinate that felt more authentic to an office environment than previous Thai BLs of this ilk. And that authenticity added tension to the narrative and character development (how novel).

Takara & Amagi AKA Takara-kun and Amagi-kun (Japan)

I gnawed on my knuckles and squealed a lot with this show. Reserved cool kid who must learn to communicate to keep the tiny disaster nugget he’s madly in love with. It is beyond charming: soft and gentle, packed with cuteness and high school angst, thirst, & yearning. Was there plot? Not really. Was it emotionally tense and paced well enough for me not to notice? Absolutely. Did I enjoy the hell out of it? Oh yes. Full review.

Minato's Laundromat AKA Minato Coin Laundry AKA Minato Shouji Koin Randorii AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry (Japan)

A classic age gap romance where a high school student pursues the man of his dreams (who runs a laundromat). This BL is so steeped in yaoi tropes and archetypes, not to mention a typical romance arc, that it will overload some, but those of who love this genre for its DNA will adore it. It made me very happy because it did everything I want a BL to do - there’s not much more I could ask of a BL than this. It’s the closest Japan has come to perfect live action yaoi since Seven Days (and I never make that comparison lightly). Squee watch-along here.

Rated 8/10

recommended, some concerns around tropes (like dub con) or story structure but still satisfies as solid BL

Some More - Strongberry short (Korea)

One of my most favorite of Strongberry’s shorts, about a city boy on a bike tour who gets injured and rescued by a taciturn, but (as it turns out) very gay, farmer. Age gap, country mouse/city mouse, SO CUTE. Just too short.

DNA Says Love You (Taiwan)

DNA deserves extra marks for an upbeat approach to a queer story arc that other shows have systemically mishandled with sadness (in the guise of realism). There is a twist, which I found predictable, but knowing what would happen didn't spoil this show. The leads are luminous and engaging, and it’s full of queer found family representation and an unexpected amount of domesticity, plus it’s Taiwan, so the kisses are great. The last few eps really are special and life/love affirming - and the ending is big-grin charming.

Love Class (Korea)

This was a fast-moving, bloated, complicated little show with stronger than usual story structure, well-acted if lacking in chemistry, that managed to be very appealing and engaging despite itself. What it lacked in content it more than made up for in pacing. Both bingable and rewatchable.

Rated 7/10:

recommended with reservations i.e. isn’t quite BL, convoluted, not strictly HEA, too short/long, or chemistry issues.

Red Balloon (Taiwan)

I should probubly do a rewatch, I’ve never done a elevator pitch for this one. It’s been a LONG while. I actually havent’ ever watched it on GaGa, I got is grey years ago.

Papa & Daddy (Taiwan)

Cliff hanger ending, season 2 coming soon, recast one of the leads. No review because I’m waiting for the full series.

My Esports Genius Brother (China)

A strangely cute, somewhat incomprehensible, censored magical realism BL micro series about fated mates who balance each other out and must find the courage to stay together.

Long Time No See - Strongberry (Korea)

One of Strongberry’s few longer pieces and the rating takes into account the fact that I don’t think this is strictly BL. It’s about assassins on either side of a terf war who fall in love not knowing they are on opposite sides. Or do they? Good fight sequences, mature characters, high heat, very suspenseful, AND an HEA. If you like KinnPorsche you will LOVE this one.

La Cuisine (Thai)

A sweet and kind of pure show, and like Thai desserts perhaps requires too much patience for a layperson. Because of the pacing and the focus on the bad girl character, I did dock it. But if you like stuff in the Oxygen vein, then this show is for you, and far better than most Thai BL pulps. That said, I suspect that I enjoyed it more than many would.

Step For You -Strongberry short (Korea)

Microfilm from Strongberry about a reporter from the student newspaper who has to interview an older dancer and falls in love with him.

Private Lessons - Strongberry (Korea)

Another one from Strongberry that I love and given it is age gap and teacher/student (catnip) it shoudl go higher. The chemistry is slightly off though, but stil I do love this one. Certainly world watching especially if this is your trope.

Naked Dinner AKA Zenra Meshi (Japan)

A civil servant and seemingly perfect man has a secret: he likes to eat completely naked. I have to be honest, I didn’t really like much about this show. The central premise was too odd and the main character too clumsy & slow on the uptake. I like the food, but there have been food-set BLs before that failed to meet expectations. Too many of them. This one joined that throng. Good ending tho.

Pure Vanilla (Singapore)

It’s very sweet. Bit awkward acting. I love seeing real tats. I wish Singapore would give us a full proper BL.

Rated 6/10: worth watching but seriously flawed probably around the ending or in narrative structure/cohesion or censorship. I don’t always have notes on these because many I have only watched once and don’t usually recommend.

Being Me (Korea)

River Knows Fish Heart (China) - this BL managed to sneak by the censors probably because it’s not very well acted and low budget. It’s also in Addicted territory, only this time with the jock who falls madly for the nerd and then just moves into his house to takes over his life. The tsundere uke is VERY tsundere and the seme is hella pushy so it goes right into dubcon territory but also it’s very teen angst about it.

Legend of Long Yang Rebirth (China) - whipping boy trope... literally, servant character takes the strap for the prince, who then makes him his bodyguard and lover when he becomes king. Low budget historical, comes off as kind of cosplay wuxia version of Irresistible Love, but we get (in the credits) an actual kiss, and they both live. So yay for small mercies.

Paint With Love (Thai) - For me the mains were unlikeable and the actors had poor chemistry. So while this offered a lot of what I thought I wanted from a Thai BL - mature characters, office setting, adult themes - I’m wasn’t wild about the execution. I suspect Thai pulps are better when they stick to university/high school. This one felt like a better version of Loveless Society (not hard). The side dishes (Yoon & Yacht) gave us more chemistry and a better kiss but had little screen time. It was interesting to see them portray BL actors being shipped and then confessing to actually dating each others. I’m not sure how I feel about the handling of it but it was different from Lovely Writer. In the end, this show was nicely grown up but boring and became a matter of endurance for me. I can’t ever see myself rewatching it.

As if You Whisper - Strongberry (Korea)

My Pistachio - Strongberry (Korea)

Sonnet 18 (Korea)

Sweet Curse - Strongberry (Korea) - low-gore atmospheric horror but with very high heat BL.

The End Of The World, With You AKA Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu (Japan)

Rated 5/10: watch it if you have nothing better to do but don’t expect much, it’s a total hot mess. A lot of these are shorts.

Faded (Taiwan)

Meet Me Outside (Pinoy)

Suddenly Last Summer (Korea)

Fanatic Love (China)

Every Moment that I Think of You (China)

We Are Gamily (Taiwan)

Innocent (Taiwan)

Light (Taiwan)

Two Weddings and a Funeral (Korea)

Secret Roommate -Strongberry (Korea)

Love Stage!! AKA Rabu Suteiji (Japan) - the Thai version is heaps better

Top Secret Together (Thai)

My Personal Trainer - Strongberry (Korea)

One Last Order (Korea)

List current as of Oct 2023 only.

Some shows that ALSO air on Viki in the USA may not be present, since I prefer to watch on Viki's UX.

(source)

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