Yang Yan Feng: Certified Freak ✅

oh. my. god. yang

Lmao literally exactly what I was thinking

อากะบีอ่ากอ 🤕

I love them so much. How dare they be this cute. Just... how dare?

27.12.23

YangPhumjai + physical touch (part 2)

this set exists thanks to @nothingsbetterthancoffee 😘

15 Day BL Challenge 2K24

FULL CHALLENGE HERE!

Day 14: Top 5 Sad Boys

Tae Myungha from Love for Love's Sake. Literally the most sad boy. So sad that he was sent to a videogame realm to try life again. So sad that it became an actual mission to make him happy. Myungha took care of everyone but wouldn't allow anyone to take care of him because he didn't feel like he was worth it. It took him almost literally being RIPPED from his new world to realize he wanted to be loved and saved and happy. He goes straight to the front of the "You Need a Hug" line.

Jung Woo from Choco Milk Shake. The most miserable boy. He was so sad and lonely that some unknown pet god decided to send him back his dead pets as humans because they were around when he was at his peak happiness. There was literally no one else around to make him happy, his young uncle was trying though. But to have some higher power send you back your pets must mean that you are the saddest of sad because no one loves a person quite like a pet does.

Uea from Bed Friend. Isolated sad boy, done dirty by damn near every single person in his entire life. He had every right to be as defensive and standoffish as he was, no one was protecting Uea so he had to protect himself. That poor man had trauma on top of trauma and IDK how he was functioning at such a high rate. He didn't deserve any of the turmoil he had been put through literally since childhood. I hope his birthgiver, her husband, his ex, and his boss are all rotting in jail cells with pretty matching ankle shackles and chains. Chain gang bitches.

Seo Jaewon from The Eighth Sense. A sad boy with the same type of sad I am. I know the pain and trauma of losing a brother. Especially one you felt responsible for. He had basically turned off his own feelings and allowed the people around him to mistreat him because he didn't even feel like it was worth fighting or dismissing. I don't know if he just didn't care or if he felt like he deserved all the bad people in his life for not protecting his brother. Happy One Year Anniversary to this series btw.

Yang Yan Feng from Love in Translation. A sad boy just out there looking for love and to have a successful business. Carrying the weight of a debt inherited by his parents while they hid out in China somewhere. He even pushed his crush off on another woman because he didn't want to get him involved. He yelled in that poor sunshine boy's face and lied because he didn't want him to get hurt. The boy just needed a hug and a helping hand.

Honorable mentions to Sky from Love in the Air, Choi Yeonwoo from Color Rush, and Sailom from Wedding Plan.

Cheer & Bowgie being the entire BL fandom whenever we get a real good kiss:

My fav moment of Love in Translation this week

(other than these:

)

was the moment when Phumjai comes to help with the cans in the store in the middle of the ep

because at this point he's acting normal, and his normal self is such a sunshine

even though it's fake and he's hurting and we get to experience that in a little bit. This moment right here

where he calls "P'Yang P'Yang" just like normal, with his hand on the shoulder, like it doesn't ache to pretend,

tearing out Yang's broken heart yet again

Every moment of Phumjai pretending to be okay in the store tore Yang into little pieces and I LOVED IT.

Because sometimes happiness hurts more than sadness ever could

It was wonderfully executed

(Bonus points for Phumjah fricken NOTICING that Yang seems unwell)

You should all go watch this show.

(And yes obvs Yang's fault but this isn't about blame it's about pain)

We'll make it, don't worry. I'll always be with you. Understand?

BEHIND THE SCENES OF LOVE IN TRANSLATION WITH DAOU X OFFROAD

it was posted on twitter with this caption: [translation] Xiao-Tai-Yang is very fierce 🔥 As for this way, please allow me to save the button 😭

" I won't be your secret love, 'cause it's a waste of my love." - Your Secret Love, Luther Vandross

- I think we can make it public. Is that okay? - Sure. But let me think about it first.

Yang Yan Feng Love in Translation EP 1-4

Love in Translation--Everyone Is Right This Show Is Great

Ok so I was convinced by these great posts by @bengiyo here and @lurkingshan here to catch up and prioritize this series.

But then I watched Minato's Laundromat s2 instead (which was a disappointment, bad decision).

And then I lied again and watched Only Friends ep6 as cough you may have noticed based on my posting this past 24hrs.

But now I'm finally actually keeping my word and prioritizing Love in Translation lol

And of course, they were totally right, this show is so good!

I'd already seen episode 1; it was chaotic but cute, and already established the older/younger brother dynamic as well as the chemistry between the two leads and the full cast of supporting characters--who bengiyo rightfully points out are delightful.

Episode 2 hits the ground running and the next few episodes flew by on my catch-up binge; as lurkingshan said, the pacing on this show is FAST and really enjoyable. With the absurd premise established they jumped right into character development and pining! I love a grumpy on the outside because he has too many feelings on the inside character, and Yang is perfect. He fell so hard so fast for Phumjai's sunshine charisma (which bengiyo is so right, is a rare breed of happy and energetic but not annoying). And I love that they've established pretty clearly that Phumjai needs someone to believe in him (hello, Dangerous Romance's Khaotung, I see you), and that Yang warming up and trusting him is going to be the thing to sway his heart. Yang clearly being aware of his feelings and helping Phumjai talk to Tammy anyway is giving me so much of the good kind of pain! I love a pining while helping my love interest with their romance because I am secretly a simp even though I seem cold character. Yang's tiny smiles give me life. And I also really love a smile through my pain because I desperately want to protect everyone around me at cost to myself character, so this show is really giving me everything I could want and then some.

Love in Translation is so good at earning every emotional response the characters give... lurkingshan talked about this in her pitch and I'm going to double down because this show keeps surprising me in the best way. Yang is not just jealous, he knows something. Phumjai is not just inexperienced, he's never been trusted to stand on his own or make any decisions for himself. There's a reason why Phumjai hesitates and why Yang pulls back. Every time there's a character decision that moves forward the plot that in any other show would be handwaved away, it's explained and given context and I am LIVING. I can't wait to find out why his brother is so overprotective, for example, because I now trust this show to give us that.

I can't talk about this show as much as I want to without spoilers so cutting the below for those who have been convinced but don't want to be spoiled. But for those who have not yet been convinced: Below the cut I talk about how this show queues up annoying narrative tropes to undermine them. I also just want to say while I'm still above the line, the chemistry between the two leads is excellent:

this show is very pretty (some really interesting shots and use of the store aisles for framing, as well as lovely colour grading):

the interpersonal drama is so far quite good at staying interwoven with actual work (I know absolutely nothing about running a mini mart but at least they do seem to do work in a workplace show, and at least some of the episodic challenges are about work/sales), and the comedy is not too slapstick. At least one side couple (involving Ngern! My beloved) has an arc clearly forming and I am hopeful the other will too.

And for you colour girlies, @respectthepetty has written brilliantly about the colours in this show meaning things (and already been proven right).

TL;DR Love in Translation is so far a really, really enjoyable viewing experience!

Oh hi! For the record, I will be potentially spoiling through episode 5. This is just me gushing about stuff that might be spoilery, don't expect any brilliance here lol

God I love how this show tees up tropes to undermine them. Tammy is an influencer, but Phumjai fell for her because they met in person and she made him feel competent and listened to. Tammy is a player, but Phumjai is aware and makes no demands. Phumjai made Tammy feel like someone really cared about her and so she decided to be serious about him (rather than Tammy playing into the evil woman stereotype). Yang is clearly already aware of his feelings, but decides to help and Phumjai go on a practice date, and doesn't hold back, AND gives the older brother a baller speech about letting people make their own choices. Phumjai isn't totally thoughtless about Yang during the practice date, he doesn't just focus on Tammy and chooses things Yang would like. And then when he goes on the date he doesn't sublimate, Phumjai realizes something is going on and goes to talk to Yang, who kisses him!!! Phumjai reacts badly and avoids Yang, but it's because he realizes he has a crush and thinks he needs to make it go away rather than because of gay panic. Yang starts pushing Phumjai away, but it's because he's literally under threat rather than because he's scared of having emotions, and he doesn't want to risk Phumjai's safety. And this also puts Yang's intensity, anger, and seriousness about the business and how its doing in context because (I think) he owes folks money and is very worried about being found before he can pay them back.

And because the show gives good reasons for why these characters have these reactions or make these decisions, the show is also able to explain when these reactions or decisions change! Yang doesn't just forget about his crush or his history with Tammy, she proves to him she's serious this time with her actions. Yang thought he was safe and he finds out he isn't, so he stops pursuing Phumjai.

What I'm really, really hoping for in the next ep: we know from the trailer that Phumjai bolts, I'm assuming because Yang says something unclear to push him away again, and Tammy finds him. I'm really hoping this gives Phumjai and Tammy a chance to air things out, and for Yang to realize he needs to be honest with Phumjai about what's going on so that they can ~please for once, BL gods~ face their troubles together!

Also can I just go off on a rant and say how much I love Phumjai? At first I was afraid he would be annoying either because he's so sunshine or because he's incompetent or both, but besides his obsession with Tammy (which I will admit at least is motivating for him lol) he is actually really dedicated to his job and works really hard. Love that Phumjai's recruits are already on his side and defend him to Yang, even moreso than Tag, Phumjai's so-called best friend (I am side eyeing you sir) does to Phojai.

Really holding onto hope that this show keeps surprising me because I'm really enjoying every time it does it!