If you are an Asian who lived in the early 90s, you probably grew up reading those cheesy, uber-cringey, fetish-filled romance novels - the kind that can put Mills and Boons or Harlequin Romance to shame. I should know because my mother and older sister used to collect those when I was kid. You can even rent popular titles from other collectors if you feel like it (no way our local library would house such 'vulgar' things). The novels' plots are usually made of all the toxic tropes (i.e., bad boy "fixed" by good girl through the sheer power of true love) that any person in their right mind would tag as fantasy.
Basically, episode 10 is like that. I don't know how young Mame is, but I have an inkling that her childhood was also bombarded with the same trashy books as mine were. It's one of the reasons why I'm less impressed with this episode, plot-wise. I read many iterations of this before. I don't think it's bad that Mame is going back to her roots per se, but it does show a bit of lack in imagination. 🥱
Does anyone know how I can become a member of The Sky Protection Squad? Do I need to be nominated? Can I put myself forward? Are there votes? A secret handshake? Please, I’ll do anything…
Love in the air just played with my fucking heart. i thought we survived the episode eleven curse and it's been 30 minutes since i ended ep12 and i can't seem to stop crying. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?? SKY MY LOVE IF I COULD I'D PROTECT YOU FOREVER I LOVE YOU SO SO SO MUCH
Recs for Uni or HS BLs where studying impacts plot
My ask box is bonkers, sometimes I get a message in email saying someone asked a question and then when I check on the hellsite itself, it's gone... (What does this MEAN?)
Anygay...
@sagi-kari asked a question:
Do you have any recs for Uni or HS BLs where the main focus is studying or study related (they have to actually do the thing). Like LITA with Rain's studies being a caveat to their relationship or Big Dragon with Mangkorn's New York internship/job idr.
Basically, the study needs to be an important thing to the narrative.
This is a doozie and I'm only gonna rec stuff I rated over 8/10
University & HS BL Revolving Around Study
Semantic Error - class conflict is the inciting event, and this is one of my favorite BLs of all time. So yeah, it tops the list. I am assuming you have watched it because EVERYONE must watch this little pice of perfect. Full review here.
Blueming - the school project is the source of the conflict, this is a complicated chewy very thoughtful BL, longer than normal for Korea. If you enjoy things like The 8th Sense you might like this. Full review here.
Love Class - the whole show is about a manufactured relationship as part of a social science class experiment. Full review here.
You Make Me Dance - I mean it's a dance major so no actual book study but yeah, it's there he has to win a dance scholarship as a main part of the plot. I've never done a full review of this, and frankly that's an oversite. Time for a rewatch?
HIStory 2: Right or Wrong - it's about a teacher student relationship so...
Addicted: Heroin - especially the first half, I know what you're thinking, but also, THINK about it. It's all within a class from environment for most of the first 6 eps. I believe it counts. This is, without question, the best BL China has ever produced. FIGHT ME.
Destiny Seeker - an under appreciated pulp that is basically predicated on the university sorting hat. I have great affection for this hot mess, including all the sides. Mostly takes place within and around the complexities of dorm life. Full review here.
Kiss Me Again series (BL cut) + Dark Blue Kiss (AKA the PeteKao series staring TayNew) - it's not necessarily a driver but engineering and study is actual integral in a setting as character kind of way. And there is a lot of "make-out while studying." Plus we in the TayNew renauances and I have great affection for their original series. Everyoen shoudl watch it. Here's the watch guide.
HS BL - not exactly study, but sorta & they really good
Light On Me - Another one of my absolute favorite BLs, but it's about the school government club, not actual study. Full review here.
Love Sick - if you count club activities. I just got a full load up of this series with new subs, so I was going to do a watch along in honor of 2024 (its 10th anniversary). I am still considering it.
My School President - also, if you count extra-curricular & club activities. Another BL that i absolutely adore. No full review but I did have a long discussion on how this plays into Thailand's new norm in BL here.
Takara & Amagi - ugh I love this show so much but it's more about popularity and social acceptance in HS than studing, full review here.
About Youth - if you count external parental pressure to over achieve, another underappreciated gem, this time for Taiwan. Full review here.
I dithered...
Bad Buddy - maybe, I mean departmental conflict is a large part of the story, plus high school back story club activities, but there is very little study. Full review here.
Please feel free to add more on a RP or in comments, but remember my codicil was I have to have personally rated it over 8/10 so your baby might not be on here because it wasn't to my personal taste.
One more thing I really love about this scene is how close Phayu and Rain are together. Their entire fronts are pressed together the whole time and even when Phayu pulls back to move downward it still looks like he's maximizing contact with Rain's legs. Rain also refuses to let go of Phayu's neck. And when they actually come together, their arms are completely around each other and you can see them coming undone. It's beautiful to watch.
Speaking of necks, Rain tosses his side-to-side at least 10 times throughout this sequence. If I was a writer I'd say the slope of his neck is elegant. We get it bff, you're having A Good Time (and we're happy for you!)
And then we come face-to-face with a condom. Rain does look a bit apprehensive here, but I think Phayu's body language goes a long way to reassure him that he'll be taken care of. Again with the skin contact - as soon as Phayu grabs the condom, he immediately drops down to blanket Rain with his body once more. We don't get to see it but I'm sure Phayu spent time making sure Rain was completely relaxed before he entered.
Everyone ready for lip-bite 2? I feel like Phayu's voice dropped even lower when he realized Rain's never had use for a condom before, and that he'd be the first. He somehow looks even more intense than before.
This is just so beautiful
I love that we can see Phayu coming apart as much as Rain - these are not controlled motions at all. It's hard to capture via screenshot but it looks to me like Phayu is desperate to hold onto every part of Rain he can reach. Rain understandably looks positively overwhelmed, but he's still pushing into Phayu's ministrations.
When they get close to the end, Phayu is also so overwhelmed by pleasure that he has to stop kissing Rain. He still looks down though, to make sure Rain is still enjoying himself. What a good hubby!
They are breathing so hard rn
But my favorite part has to be what comes after. Instead of pulling away, Phayu continues to hold Rain close and place little kisses along Rain's neck and chin. It's a good way to bring Rain back into himself after such an intense experience (it also looks like Rain is trembling just a little bit). Phayu then slides a hand under Rain's neck to ground him even more and encourage eye contact (another sweet gesture).
Phayu's face right here is so tender, so in love, and it has to be my favorite look on him. The way that Rain strokes his face and they make eye contact as Rain tells Phayu that he belongs to him now is precious. I feel lucky that I got to see a love like theirs come to fruition before me.
The only thing I wish is that they extended this scene a little further. It felt like they cut to the end credits too soon and it was a little jarring after we just witnessed a soft, calm-after-the-storm moment. It's a bit like how Phayu was breathing on Rain's neck in episode two and Rain got yanked out of that headspace all of a sudden. In fact, I'm pretty sure collapsed-by-the-bathroom-sink-Rain is live footage of all of us after that episode.
And of course here is our post credits scene! Just another bit of sweetness to tide us over until the next episode. I wonder if Rain comes over for sleepovers often?
Rain is apparently a king of unintentional seduction
And then we end the extra scene with the sweetest "Do your best, I'm waiting for you." P' Phayu I am SWOONING
I hope everyone made it to the end intact! See you for the next episode <3
Also, despite how pushy Prapai is, I appreciate that Sky is able to feel some comfort with him. Even if it's just holding his hand or Pai being there when he wakes up. That's very special to me.