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blue-grama · 2 months

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The Sign finale probably should have disappointed me, but... didn't?

It's been a heck of a run lately with Thai BLs that haven't quite stuck the landing, and it's got me pondering why The Sign worked for me despite sometimes feeling like a storyboard for a longer, better show.

I don't think they pulled off the emotional payoff they needed, despite that last reunion scene being so pretty and well-acted, simply because too much happened offscreen, from Khem's recovery from a gunshot wound to the entire multlifetime Tharn/Chalothon dynamic getting resolved without us seeing any of it. But somehow I wasn't that mad about it? And ultimately I think it's because this show did so many things well and so many things I'd love to see more of that I'm just like, yep, I enjoyed that ride sirs, please show me something this gorgeous again. In that sense it's joining something like Manner of Death or Kinnporsche where it's like, plot holes? Yes. Bizarre tonal shifts? Absolutely. Occasionally insane writing choices? Uh-huh. Love it anyway? You betcha. So here's what really, really worked for me:

Premise

I am always going to be onboard with QL that isn't solely coming-of-age or coming out. I'm not against those stories, of course, but give me gay romance with adult characters who know themselves and are doing adult things. I'm also a partisan for romances with high external stakes, so the mixture of crime and reincarnation was catnip to me.

Do I care that none of this training makes any sense? No.

2. Setting

Listen. Is The Sign the reason I have a document on my laptop titled "Imaginary trip to Thailand without ever seeing a beach?" Not exactly. But it's also not not the reason.

I am being willingly manipulated by the Thai Tourism Authority.

Kidding, kidding, but I do love when my Thai shows feel Thai or my Korean shows feel Korean, etc etc. I want to be driven to Wikipedia to learn more! Half the fun of watching stuff from not your own country.

3. Chemistry

I think @biochemjess covered what was underwritten about the romance in The Sign. Billy and Babe carried it on their backs and it was hard to dislike their romance, even when the series skipped over key beats.

Any time the pink lighting came out, you were gonna be in for a good time.

4. The camerawork

I don't know enough about film to speak intelligently about this, but the camerawork and aesthetics of this show were just so lovely to watch. It was really doing a lot. @chaos0pikachu wrote about it better than I ever could.

LOVED THIS. LOVED IT. So good.

We had some really lovely storytelling and visual parallels, too, like the first episode and finale both having a big action warehouse scene, or the multiple times that Phaya and Tharn ended up overlooking the Mekong river.

5. It was always kinda off the rails

I know some people felt this show started out with a strong premise and didn't live up to it, but I gotta say, I didn't have that experience. It was always kinda a bonkers watch for me. There were long training montages, random bodies in the shallows, missing genitals, extended performance art, that comedy flashback to Khem and Thongthai's college years... I never knew what I was going to get each Saturday. And I kind of loved that? I'm into unhinged. I was comparing this in my head to Last Twilight, which did disappoint me in the end, and I think it's because Last Twilight was NOT always bonkers and DID set itself up to tell a straighforward story, then dropped the ideas it had been juggling in the last episode. The Sign always felt chaotic to me, so a chaotic ending was par for the course. This is where I'd compare it to KinnPorsche, which had the weirdest fucking ending, but like, okay??? Why not!

End result? I see the flaws, but I'm giving this show tender forehead kisses anyway. Here's hoping for more like it.

#the sign the series #the sign #the sign meta #the sign bl #phayatharn

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dribs-and-drabbles · 18 days

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Get to Know Me Tag :)

I was tagged by @telomeke and @hughungrybear. Thanks for tagging me!

do you make your bed?

It depends... I live in the part of the world where it's usual to have a duvet in a duvet cover and a sheet covering the mattress, and I have a duvet twice the width of my bed so it usually doesn't get rucked up during the night, so when I get up I fold over the top third of the duvet to air out the mattress/sheet. If it's a work day, it will stay like this until I get home, then I will usually pull the duvet back over the bed. If it's a weekend, I might make the bed again midday. I like it when my bed looks made.

what's your favourite number?

I'm not sure why but I like the number 7, and then also the numbers 4 and 3 because they make up 7. I've never really considered numbers beyond single digits to be 'favourites'. But if I did it would be my birthday day. Oh and I don't really use favourite numbers as important passwords or pins or the such...jsyk.

what is your job?

The work I do is quite niche, so I never really want to say too much because I'm pretty discoverable online with a few key words...but then sometimes I really want y'all to know what I do because it's unusual (and, I think, quite cool!)...but without revealing too much I work in the arts sector - specifically dance.

if you could go back to school, would you?

School, as in aged 11-16? Absolutely the hell no. But school as in higher education, degrees, masters, or smaller qualifications for my general interests? Well, I sort of did a few years ago (*she looks at the calendar and realises it's more than 'a few'*). I did a Creative Writing Masters over 2019-2020, which was GREAT to do but sort of killed my spirit and drive to be a writer...but whatever, I can always pick it back up again in the future if it returns. I also went to classes to learn Swedish when I lived in Sweden and I'm going to a different language class now one evening a week. I enjoy studying...but I get too focused on getting good grades.

can you parallel park?

Yes but I only do it when the space is big enough for me to confidently do it (especially with all these sensors beeping nowadays) and usually only on the side of the road opposite to the steering wheel (I can drive on both sides of the road).

a job you had that would surprise people?

I think my whole career is probably surprising to people but in the sense that I think people are mostly confused because they don't really understand what I really do on a day to day basis.

do you think aliens are real?

I think it would be incredible if in this whole universe we are the only planet who has developed 'life'. Aliens don't necessarily have to be intelligent life like us (and that's debatable sometimes!), so yes, I think somewhere in this universe there is another planet which has the conditions for some form of life, whether we could survive there or not.

can you drive a manual car?

Yes, I learnt on one and have managed to adapt to both right-hand and left-hand gear sticks, although I'm still a little 'fumbly' with the right-hand gear stick. I prefer automatics when in a traffic jam but otherwise I'm happy to drive whichever. Sometimes it's good to have something to focus on when driving, so a manual is good. The problem happens if I've used different hire cars in a short period of time (which I need to do sometimes with work) and when I forget I'm in a manual and brake coming up to to a junction and just...stall because I forget to change down gears 😂

what's your guilty pleasure?

If a guilty pleasure is something I'd feel shy or embarrassed admitting or talking to others about...then it would probably be watching ql or reading fanfic 😂 Other than that I'm not sure I have anything...I enjoy what I enjoy and don't feel guilt over it.

tattoos?

No but I've always thought about getting one but I think the thought of the work I'd have to do to find someone I would really trust to permanently mark my skin means I've just never done it. But I would like some kind of minimalist abstract colour art that starts on my shoulder and trails down my arm. Maybe. I've never been able to find exactly what I'm imagining, which is also why I've never pursued it.

favorite color?

I think I'm in my blue stage in my life, looking at the majority of colours surrounding me, but I also like pops of red.

favorite type of music?

The music playlists I listen to most are 1) OSTs and similar style songs from all the qls I've watched over the past 3 years 2) the instrumental background music from all the qls I've watched and 3) Swedish pop (to keep the language fresh in my brain). I do like all kinds of music - just NOT drum and bass - anything can work for me in the right mood.

do you like puzzles?

Yes, although I don't often do them. I enjoy the 'escape room' type Exit games as well as sudoku, and for a few months several years ago I really got into hanjie puzzles.

any phobias?

I'm not sure if this is a phobia or not but I absolutely CANNOT deal with cotton wool. Just thinking about pulling it apart makes me want to crawl out of my skin and lay down in a bath of acid just to get away from it let alone actually TOUCHING it and pulling it apart 🤢🤮 The cotton wool pads are ok because they have smooth sides and I don't...pull 🤮 them 🤮 apart 🤮. Ok, I gotta stop talking about this now, I'm squirming in my seat.

favorite childhood sport?

I did gymnastics as a child, from about aged 8 to 13, but I don't know if that counts as a 'sport', although I did compete. I didn't really enjoy most ball sports as a kid.

do you talk to yourself?

ALL. THE. DAMN. TIME. I talk to myself in my head. I talk to myself out loud. Sometimes, if I'm talking to myself aloud about something important and then do something that means I can't continue (cleaning my teeth, drinking/eating etc) then for some reason I can't continue in my head. I have to wait until I'm finished to then talk out loud again. But I also talk to myself aloud when I'm out 😬 but I do it quietly and without moving my mouth too much so people don't notice. I was in a shop recently and a gentleman was talking to himself out loud (commenting on the offering of tea towels ikea had and wondering whether to buy any) - loud enough that I thought that he was actually talking to someone else but he wasn't - and I felt like I had a glimpse of my future if I wasn't careful 😂

what movies do you adore?

I don't watch a lot of movies nowadays - the last I saw was Barbie. But the one that has stayed with me as a favourite since I first saw it is Some Kind of Wonderful. And I love The Holiday as a Christmas movie (although I haven't watched it for ages). Oh and it's not a movie, so maybe doesn't count, but the BBC's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice has my whole heart.

coffee or tea?

I'm definitely a tea drinker (approx 3 cups of black Earl Grey plus one or two herbal teas every day) but sometimes I'll crave a coffee...but then I'll have decaf. I'll crave it because I think the milkiness of it (oat milk though) makes it feel like a comfort drink, and I like a small shot of gingerbread syrup in it too.

first thing you wanted to be growing up?

I remember things like 'lawyer', 'journalist', and 'doctor' were common aspirations when I was a kid which I also contemplated but when I decided I wanted to be a dancer at aged 13 that was it for me. My 'back-up' career plan was some kind of palaeontology or archaeology ("you get an -ology you're a scientist!" 😂) but I never needed to pursue that.

Onward tagging: I'm not sure by now who has done this or not, so I'll tag some people and if you have done it then tag me in your post so I can read it! @grapejuicegay @dimplesandfierceeyes @casualavocados @ranchthoughts @jourquet @lollygirlpops @airenyah @incandescentflower and @linosaur

Like @telomeke, I also get tagged now and then by others in various tag games but then get too busy with work to be able to do them. So if you've tagged me and I've not responded, please know that I really wanted to but I just didn't have the time and then probably forgot.

#get to know me tag #that tag game

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colourme-feral · 5 months

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Parallels in Never Let Me Go (2022) and Last Twilight (2023)

#never let me go #never let me go the series #last twilight #last twilight the series #parallels in qls #i said what i said. i saw what i saw 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♀️🤷

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curapicas · 5 months

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I find it curious Link Click uses the twins flashback to shove on our faces right away the parallels between Cheng Xiaoshi and Li Tianchen. Both combative boys, protective of their family, somewhat naive in different ways and quite enamoured with looking cool. So yeah, there's parallels, but to be fair the writing is good enough that you can find parallels with the main duo regarding any of the new s2 characters. And I think Link Click cleverly does that so we only realize closer to the finale what is, in my opinion, the strongest parallel: Cheng Xiaoshi and Li Tianxi.

They are both "the babies" of the group. Whereas Cheng Xiaoshi has two endlessly nagging friends who often scold him and push him to do better, Li Tianxi lost both her mother and a brother capable of caring for her, thus her needs go ignored as she grows up with Qian Jin. Qiao Ling and Lu Guang work together with CXS to earn a living/pay off his debt, LTX is used by her family to carry out the shady stuff they don't really need to do (both CXS and LTX get in extremely emotional and vulnerable situations because of it).

Cheng Xiaoshi eventually grows and understands his powers as a duty, and even though LG and QL still try to shield him from the worst*, they look proud whenever he shows what he's capable of (QL even calls him cool!). LTX's one "act of rebellion" is framed as a betrayal and she's straight up murdered. In the confrontation, she even prefers hiding behind CXS, whom she met hours beforehand, exactly bc she knows what her family is capable of.

Both are sensitive people, burdened by well-meaning actions with over-the-top consequences (it hurts to try and explain this one). In (this specific trauma for) CXS case, he was already an adult and in s2 spends the entire time reevaluating and adapting; in LTX's, she was a child and hardly knew how to deal with this guilt and /waves hands/ everything after

I really like this parallel of their running and emotional actions setting off this part of the plot. They cross paths, but the people they help do not have their fate changed significantly by this. But those moments where they FEEL Emma (+Lu Guang in this specific parallel) and Chen Bin were enough to carry LTX and CXS both into their roles in the story.

LTX finally "goes back" to the home she idealized, CXS is waiting at home for his parents. They cross paths, both get shot in that tunnel, but just as quickly go down opposite directions. LTX out of care for her (criminal) brother, parts with him; while CXS waits, he also built a new home for himself with new people he can call family. There's hope for him yet.

*tbh they're a biiiit controlling, but I can see that habit developing through the years, not because they don't mean well

#link click spoilers #link click #shiguang daili ren #cheng xiaoshi #li tianxi #I'm pretty sure I'm missing things but anyway who did cxs possess when he went to the past? exactly #oh look it's the dead ones of the trios (lovingly)#does it count as something in common to have QL basically adopt them both? lmao #huh. I just realized that in the all-white shot only cxs has a shadow. probably bc of the point LTX's walking cycle is but heey #also. I'm trying to put it in order in my mind but LTC and LG also relate in some interesting ways #btw people are welcome to chime in

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heretherebedork · 1 year

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I think I was clear when I said I'd never forgive you // If hurting me makes you happy, I'll take it. // Do you think people be okay if they knew I'm gay? // I may sleep around a little bit but I never forgot my first kiss // Stop apologizing. // I'll keep apologizing until you forgive me. // I forgive you

I love how much Army cares about Joe and how he keeps apologizing and the way the forgiveness had obviously already come but now it's out in the open and how they rediscovered themselves and how now they're going to have to navigate the treacherous waters of being in the closet versus being out and what it means and how it works and what kind of relationship this is going to be.

Bonus: The sweetest kiss

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emotionallychargedtowel · 3 months

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Desert Hearts rewatch notes

Desert Hearts (1985) is one of my favorite movies, but as with most of my favorites, I've gone quite a while without seeing it at times. I put it on the other day for the first time in years and took some screenshots in the hope that I might get some folks on here to give it a try that haven't, or at least bring back some memories for those who’ve seen it before. Then, when I sat down to post the images, I found I had more to say than I realized.

This was my first time watching this movie since I got into the whole BL/QL genre and I was curious to see if it would seem any different to me after a period of being more immersed in queer stories than usual. Mostly it swept me up into its own world, something this film is really good at. But I did find myself thinking at times about how aspects of it mapped onto QL tropes and more general romance tropes. I also couldn't help but see some parallels to the actual lived experiences of myself and people I know.

Queer romance tropes in Desert Hearts

Three tropes stood out at me that I've run into in the QL world, some of which I've seen in hetero romance settings as well.

Fish out of water - Vivian goes from her life as an academic in New York City to staying at a ranch outside Reno in pursuit of a "quick" divorce. (Having to spend six weeks in a strange place in order to get a divorce was "quick" by 1959 standards.) Helen Shaver, who played Vivian, points out in a featurette included with the Criterion version of the movie that Vivian has been living a very cerebral life, living inside her own head while cutting herself off from her body from the neck down. This radical change of scenery is exactly what she needs to be able to open up to something different.

There’s a similar dynamic at play in hetero fish-out-of-water romances. But I find this trope a lot more interesting in a queer context. Queer identities have a more complex relationship to difference. Among other things, characters who seem to be at home in the environment of the story often turn out to be alienated from it due to others’ perceptions of their sexuality.

Age gap (with the younger person pursuing) - Cay, who is ten years Vivian's junior, is definitely the pursuer here. This isn't a specifically queer trope per se, but it can manifest in some specific ways in queer love stories.

LGBTQ+ identity can put people on unusual timelines in their lives. (This is an idea I first ran into in a book by Jack Halberstam in undergrad.) Sometimes this means being in a more "youthful" mode later in life than cishet people. Other times it means being a particular kind of late bloomer. And so on. So with life stages not conforming to typical expectations, what does it mean to love someone you have a significant age difference with?

In the case of Vivian and Cay, Vivian may be older, but Cay is poised to initiate her into practices and feelings that are pretty familiar for Cay and totally, mind-blowingly new to Vivian. This creates a kind of role reversal. At the same time, Cay has never felt this way about a partner before, so in many ways, their relationship is causing her to have some new and intense experiences as well.

The thing where a character figures out their sexuality for the first time because their feelings toward a love interest act as a catalyst - This is certainly a trope that comes up in stories about queer romance, but it's more debatable whether it's a queer trope in the sense of a trope that is used by and resonates with queer people. I guess I'd say the theme comes up in different ways when a story is very geared toward the "straight gaze" and when it's more authentically queer. With the "straight gaze" version you get things like "gay for you." With more authentic versions, well, I don't think I've noticed many commonalities there. But I will always defend the use of this trope when it's done well in a way that centers queer experience, if only because falling for a specific person is exactly what forced me to come to terms with my own sexuality.

Side note: Speaking of coming to terms with my sexuality, it really is an indication of how deeply in denial I was about my bisexuality in college that seeing this movie for a class didn't help me figure it out. I was deeply affected by it and fixated on it for weeks after seeing it, but it didn't get through the thick shell of obliviousness I had built up around myself.

A connection to personal experience

There are quite a few ways that Desert Hearts resonates with my own experience but one really stood out to me this time around. [Spoilers ahead.] When Cay goes to see Vivian at the hotel where she’s staying after she leaves the ranch, she goes for a last-ditch, Hail Mary move—she takes off her clothes and climbs into Vivian’s bed. At first Vivian tells her to leave, but then she softens a bit, clearly interested but conflicted. Then this moment happens.

I related to this so much. When I fell in love with a someone who was (at that time) presenting as a woman and it started to look like I might actually have a chance, I had so much anxiety about whether and how I could be intimate with my crush and whether I’d be able to “perform” decently. It turns out, as we learned when we compared notes sometime later, we had each had the same worry and we’d both bought an instructional book about lesbian sex (I think it may even have been the exact same book!).

I think part of my anxiety back then stemmed from the prospect of starting from scratch with a new set of practices and skills after being acclimated to sex with men. It made me feel like I was off balance. But when I actually did get close to my crush, another, much more pleasant side to my inexperience came up. It turned out that not having a familiar script for what to do made me much more present and gave me a sense of freedom. I remember thinking that it was like going from traveling down the same old route to exploring a new place that we had to write our own maps for. And that was pretty exhilarating.

Soon after that relationship happened, I read Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde. There was a passage where Lorde described something very similar from her own life. In this passage, she’s reflecting after her first sexual encounter with a woman after having a similar set of anxieties.

So this was what I had been so afraid of not doing properly. How ridiculous and far away those fears seemed now, as if loving were some task outside of myself, rather than simply reaching out and letting my own desire guide me. It was all so simple.

She’s so amazing at evoking these feelings, isn’t she?

I can’t think of any other places I’ve seen this type of experience discussed besides these two. (I’m pretty sure others exist, but the fact that I haven’t come across them suggests there aren’t very many.) There are plenty of stories out there about hetero sex performance anxiety and its eventual resolution, but I think the queer version of this kind of learning has some big inherent differences that go way beyond the genders of partners being different. So it’s really nice to see it come up here, and be handled in such a sweet way.

In case you’re wondering, once Vivian is able to “let her own desire guide her,” in Lorde’s words, she also finds that her fears were misplaced. The resulting love scene is beautifully executed even by current standards. It’s even more remarkable to see it in a film that was released in 1985. It’s equally remarkable that this sex scene was shown in rather explicit detail.

about, by, and/or for?

I'm also thinking about this movie in terms of the for/by/about queers typology that @wen-kexing-apologist came up with a while back. In my estimation, Desert Hearts belongs right in the center of WKA's Venn diagram. It's about queers, of course. I'd also place it in the "by queers" category. The director, Donna Deitch, who also co-wrote the screenplay, is an out lesbian. It's not clear whether the other co-screenwriter was queer. Her personal life was mysterious enough that it seems like a definite possibility. And the movie is based (somewhat loosely) on a novel by Jane Rule, who was also an out lesbian and whose work as a writer was very focused on lesbian characters.

I'd also consider this movie to be "for queers." It was marketed to a wider audience, of course. But as I watched some of the bonus material and looked at writing about the movie, I saw a lot of evidence that Deitch made the film for her community and they embraced it.

Shaver had a really lovely story in the featurette I watched about this. I forget the exact nature of it, but she described how she attended some kind of event with Deitch and Charbonneau where the audience was full of queer women who gave them an incredibly long standing ovation that she found very moving and helped her see how impactful the film had been.

I’m also sure Deitch had queer viewers in mind (at least in part) when she set out to fill a glaring gap in Sapphic representation. In an interview with AfterEllen, Deitch said, “My goal was to make a lesbian love story that did not end in a bisexual love triangle or a suicide. Because that’s all that had been made at the time I set out to make Desert Hearts.” (Note: I’m not linking due to transphobia concerns regarding that site but folks should be able to find it easily if they look.)

In summary…

If you haven’t seen Desert Hearts yet I really can’t recommend it highly enough.

(And yes, that’s Denise Crosby from Star Trek: The Next Generation sitting beside Jeffrey Tambor.)

#desert hearts #queer cinema #donna deitch #helen shaver #patricia charbonneau

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respectthepetty · 1 year

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Let Me Introduce Myself

I’m Respect the Petty, and I love colors. I’m on my own little mission to annoy all of y’all about how colors, lighting, barriers, clothing, and other visuals enhance QLs and add depth to the story.

For those of you who keep asking me for a “Master List” (bleh!) since apparently it takes too much time to scroll through my insane amount of posts because I don't know how to stfu, here it is! Plenty of posts didn't make the cut simply because there is a limit, so I included the ones that delivered the most features from above, and if you search my tags by the series' titles, other posts regarding the show's colors should be able to be found.

The goods are below the cut 👇🏿

A quick overview of what I do and what the colors mean

Key:

Color Coding shows the main colors associated with the characters <- most of you are here for these

Barriers examine the physical barriers that separate characters in a scene and what they represent (emotions, miscommunication, etc.)

The Clothing Tells the Plot looks at a specific clothing item in a scene

Background Noise includes various elements like barriers, clothing telling the plot, lighting showing feelings, and general details for the show

Episode Reviews cover all of the above for each episode plus my unhinged ramblings

Series (alphabetical order)

*If you don't know where to start, I suggest Big Dragon, Semantic Error, or Between Us

180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us

Background Noise

Background Noise (chopsticks)

Background Noise (puzzle pieces)

609 Bedtime Story

Color Coding

Barriers

Episode 4

All the Liquors

Color Coding

Bed Friend

Color Coding

Color Coding (Jade)

Background Noise (lighting and reflections)

Between Us

Color Coding

Color Coding (Negative Blue)

Color Coding (Cups)

Big Dragon

Color Coding and Episode 1

Background Noise [Where the Sun and Moon Meet]

Episode 8 (Finale)

A Boss & A Babe

Color Coding

Candy Color Paradox/Ameiro Paradox

Color Coding

Catch Me Baby

Color Coding

Chains of Heart

Background Noise

Cherry Magic

Color Coding

Cutie Pie

Color Coding

Dark Blue Kiss

Color Coding

Background Noise

Destiny Seeker

Color Coding

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner

Background Noise (lighting)

Barriers (lighting)

The Eclipse

Color Coding

Color Coding (Teacher Sani and Teacher Waree)

Background Noise (sun & moon symbolism)

Background Noise (wealth and class)

The Eighth Sense

Color Coding

GAP

Color Coding

Color Coding (finale)

Ghost Host, Ghost House

Barriers (brief)

God's Own Country

Color Coding (brief)

Happy Ending Romance

Barriers

I Will Knock You

Background Noise (lotus)

Individual Circumstances

Color Coding

KinnPorsche

Color Coding

Background Noise (parallels)

Background Noise (VegasPete parallels)

Light on Me

Color Coding

Color Coding (Color Exchange)

Love Mechanics

Color Coding

Made on the Rooftop

Color Coding

Manner of Death

Color Coding & Barriers

Moonlight Chicken

Color Coding

Color Coding (exchange)

Background Noise

Background Noise (Alan)

My Beautiful Man/Utsukushii Kare

Color Coding (Pending)

Background Noise & Barriers

Background Noise & Barriers (ep. 2, 3)

Background Noise & Barriers (ep. 4)

My Love Mix-Up/Kieta Hatsukoi

Color Coding

My School President

Color Coding

Color Coding (Parents)

Barriers

The Clothing Tells the Plot

Naughty Babe

Color Coding

The New Employee

Barriers

Never Let Me Go

Color Coding

Color Coding (Nueng x Palm)

Color Coding (Chopper)

Background Noise (Positions)

Background Noise

Barriers (Nueng)

Oh! My Assistant

Color Coding (brief)

Old Fashion Cupcake

Background Noise (brief)

Our Dating Sim

Color Coding

Color Coding (Orange)

Background Noise

Episode 3 & 4

Episode 5 & 6

Episode 7 & 8

La Pluie

Color Coding

The Promise

Color Coding

Color Coding (Pink)

Secret Crush on You

Color Coding

Background Noise

Semantic Error

Color Coding

Background Noise

Smiley

Color Coding

A Tale of Thousand Stars

Color Coding

We Best Love

Color Coding

What Did You Eat Yesterday?

Color Coding

Young Royals

Color Coding

General Posts

Cinematographers

Joy Maneerat Srinakarin (The Warp Effect, I Told Sunset About You, KinnPorsche, Great Men Academy)

Ratchanon Kaeosaart (I Promised You The Moon, Big Dragon)

Rath Roongrueangtantisook (Never Let Me Go, Mama Gogo, He's Coming To Me, A Tale of Thousand Stars, 3 Will Be Free)

Suthipong Teerasakul (Chains of Heart, The Eclipse, 609 Bedtime Story)

Language

Lost in Translation

Language as a Weapon

Hostage Posts

Japan’s Use of Space

Why QLs?

Notes:

If a link doesn't work or goes to the wrong post, let me know

If you have an ask or a request, feel free to send me a message, but be warned that I really don't shut the fuck up about colors, so you could get a ten-page report back in response

If you write a post about colors, lighting, barriers, clothing, or other visuals, feel free to tag me

I'll update this post at the end of each month depending on what discoveries I've made during that month (Updated: 4/15)

Now that you know who I am, remember that a world without colors is a world devoid of emotions and feelings, so embrace the magic and follow me down this chaotic path of visual rhetoric.

#The colors mean things #color coded boys #the cinematography #the clothes speak to me #the clothes telling the story #background noise #crossing the line #master post

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nemoys · 7 months

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shiguang and their endless parallels when it comes to eachother

I'm still not over the finale (and trust me many essays are due from my end), and one of the things that I cant seem to get over are how expertly shiguang prove to be excellent mirrors of one another, with multiple references cross the 2 seasons showcasing this,

argument #1 : core personalities (status quo)

lu guang is rational. he is ever placid. he thinks five times before he speaks, and even so, is a man of few words. from the very start lu guang has been shown to be the ever mature, serious and aware between him and his best friend, despite being 'younger' lol mentally that's not the case rn I guess.

he is well aware of what exactly to do at which situation, and has been shown to get anxious when things tend to get unpredictable. he withholds information if he believes it would affect xiaoshi's state of mind, he has always been more aware of his ability in comparison to xiaoshi, and is seemingly hyper aware of the moral responsibility and karmic debt he must repay should he act against it.

he isn't adept at fighting, and is clearly the sort to wield a pen over a sword. he rarely even loses his cool, and when he does. well.

cheng xiaoshi ís imprudent, rash. he places heart over mind and acts on impulse. he needs to consistently be reminded to avoid giving into his urges during a situation at hand. he is clingy, he is an open book. he values his partner and sister more than the world, and his loyalty is evident. he's very loud and overt when it comes to his opinons, and can be interpreted as a more childish, naive type.

while xioashi has an idea of the greater moral responsibility he must hold, he is often shown to restrain himself only when lu guang requests it. even if he questions it, he listens to him, regardless of whatever alter motive lu guang may have (in cxs' eyes, there is none)

he is very martially adept, and can often take advantage of a situation if it comes to physical confrontation. very obviously a sword over pen sorta lad. to be immensely martially adept however, requires strategical thinking does it not?

argument #2 : cheng xiaoshi being a dark angel narrative

the highest stakes to shiguang have always been their own wellbeing. referenced multiple times throughout season 1 and 2, their partnership means a lot more than just a friendship to the two of them.

episode 3 showcases the sheer trust they have in each other when paralleling basketball scenes.

but how does their personality play out when times get the most dire?

back in episode 11. of the first season, shit hits the fan, and xiaoshi hatches a plan. this becomes a recurring theme when stakes reach their peak in the show btw, and showcases just how strategical cxs can really be. he plans for nearly every scenario, with almost no input from lu guang's end whatsoever.

he even (temporarily) wins the battle. he accounts for nearly everything including his own, and lu guang's safety. xiaoshi's reliability is shown very clearly here.

oh boy does cxs pull through. the shit is flying and cxs somehow narrowly dodges the blow. despite ql being possessed, with his partner quite literally stabbed through he maintains a clear stance when fighting, he thinks about the situation they are in and acts accordingly when the police show up, painting himself as the temporary perpetrator.

when lu guang's 'death' is announced, cxs laments for him silently, through their everyday, and begins to seriously consider shifting the timeline. however, he knows he shouldn't, that he cant. not necessarily because of the karmic retribution, but because lu guang would never agree to that. he considers his thoughts, and actions.

when it comes to lu guang, he thinks. he considers the best possible scenario. he strategises and he doesn't rush into things immediately.

argument #3: lu guang being a light devil narrative

to lu guang, he rarely shifts from his placid stance. but when it comes to cxs' danger, his wellbeing is the ONLY thought running through his head. (I plan on covering this in immense detail in it's own blog because holy SHIT the references I've found that date all the way back to season 1 and the damn chibi shorts)

instances of such can be dated all back to season 1, where lu guang rushes out of a police station and through an unknowing ql to yell at cxs over the potential consequences of fucking up their timeline. you would know a lot about that, wouldn't you lu guang?

when it comes to cxs, lu guang is selfish. lu guang is irrational. he does not think, no he does, but all he thinks about is cheng xiaoshi. a building is burning? where is cxs? I'm getting tortured? at least its not cxs. I'm getting STABBED TO THE SIDE? better than it happening to cxs. cxs got shot? time to use my lacking physical prowess to pummel the guy who did that.

the only time we have seen such raw RAGE from cxs happens to be the finale of season 2. the pure impulse he acts on beating the shit out of qj the second he shoots cxs. oh, the girl behind him is literally dying? when cxs got shot in the side so priorities. it's crazy just how irrational this man is when it comes to cheng xiaoshi, and we haven't even gotten into the fact that lu guang literally ripped apart the FABRIC OF HIS TIMELINE, THE SPACE TIME CONTINUUM, because cheng xiaoshi died in it, and to live in a world without him is more dire than whatever karmic debt may fall upon him.

lu guang, he is rational, he is methodical. but he is selfish, and he loves. he's perhaps committed one of the most selfish acts one possibly can, and has quite literally gone against a rule he held so dear, a rule that he quite possibly upholds just because he is terrified of making it worse. he didn't even sleep on his decision, bloody clothes and a null void expression on his face as he decided to hell with the world, he needs to get it right this time around, even at the cost of himself

but as this show has proven time and time again, death is inevitable, at most, it can only be delayed

old official art depicting the two which inspired this blog, thought it made for a good visual

#link click #link click spoilers #shiguang dailiren #lu guang #cheng xiaoshi #im going quite insane #blog on lg characterisation and an analysis on vortex/dive back in time is due as well hh #maybe even more my head is buzzing #fuck a levels shiguang are my priority #god god god do I love these two #me and mirrored pairings go hand in hand I just love them #*bangs table* THE GODDAMN DAMN SATAN MASQUERADE OF IT ALL

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visualtaehyun · 7 months

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Hi ✨ chances are you're here because of one of my posts about language in Thai shows (mostly BL tbh). And since I kind of keep writing more of those, I thought I should do some better housekeeping and neatly collect them in a pinned post. So here ya go!

- all posts about language in Thai series: #local woman harps on about linguistics Thai QL fandom 101 & 102

Be My Favorite ep. 10 - "We should stop using rude pronouns" ep. 11 - thoughts | the poem ep. 12 - thoughts and some translation notes

Hidden Agenda ep. 5 - food, tongue twister, misc. ep. 6 - the friendzone article, the meaning of sunflowers according to Zo, observations about boundary pushing misc. - ep. 6 cuddle and ep. 10 video call

Only Friends ep. 5 - SandRay and the word 'friend' OST MV "So What?" - on-screen subs translated ep. 12 - Big Bug and Little Rabbit

Naughty Babe ep. 2 - "What do I usually call you?" ep. 3 - How the main four speak with each other ep. 4 - "Ai...!" - "Hia." | names and pronouns between the two families | What's in a name? ep. 5 - Devotion ep. 8 - Yi's mom and sisters

Lucky My Love ep. 1 - Consulting the stars ep. 2 - care vs. care ep. 3 - subtitle addendum ep. 5 - misc.

Love Senior ep. 1 - Names, puns, and pronouns galore! ep. 2 - bits and bobs ep. 4 preview - Title drop! ...and SOTUS explained

Last Twilight ep. 5 - The phi-nong of it all | Of Partners and Pronouns ep. 1-6 - "You're good! - "I sure am~" parallel | Mork and August's changing language with each other | Evolution of MorkDay's language use ep. 7 - Bam bam in the ham ep. 8 - The Little Prince | The brothers, Day's anger, and Night & Mork ep. 9 - Rung the rainbow | Bam bam in the ham updated & in gif format | Different expressions for Sorry ep. 11 - Phi Night vs. Lung Night & Porjai vs. Poomjai ep. 12 - no explanations, just vibes (mostly Porjai and Night)

Dead Friend Forever ep. 1-8 - misc. translations and observations ep. 9 - more language notes ep. 11 - Tee's conscience vs. Non's fury, and more news headlines | Phee-New & Tee-White pronoun breakdown and New's disposition by the end of ep. 11

1000 Years Old ep. 1 - Title, pronouns, and WHOMST ep. 2 - Hashtags, ghost girl, and "allergic" ep. 3-5 - "You are mine", Pun does a pun, etc. ep. 6+9 - Puns, pronouns, and shenanigans

23.5 ep. 1 - Pronouns and puns ep. 2 - The Fixed Stars, haplessness, and more ep. 3 - Names, particles, aliens and ghosts, oh my! ep. 4 - Fortune favors the bold ep. 7 - Sass, banana ghost, and love advice

Only Boo! pilot | official trailer

La Pluie - #bella watches la pluie Cutie Pie - #bella rewatches ning hia

ONE-OFFS Wedding Plan ep. 2 - Wa & Rine Wednesday Club - Wednesday's child is full of woe | Naming conventions of Tam's yadom Cooking Crush ep. 1 - Onion-or-kiss pun Pit Babe ep. 13 - CharlieBabe NC Love Sea Intro trailer - pronouns & predictions We Are - cheat sheet for characters, relationships, pronouns etc.

MISC. re: a BossNoeul clip - sugar daddy/DILF meme and song (ฟ้ารักพ่อ by Badmixy) re: a Last Twilight post - A clownery of typos and homonyms in romanization DMD Friendship the Reality - A pun explained (ft. FirstOne and Latte) re: a Pavel tweet - an attempt to explain and contextualize ผัว /pua/ and เมีย /mia/ re: We Are ep. 2 - Stir-fried water spinach aka Flying Morning Glory

- all posts not about Thai language but still about Thai shows: #ql musings (meta, thoughts etc.) #bella and the blorbos (gifs, edits, memes)

- other language related posts: #thai | #linguistics Love For Love's Sake - Hyung

#local woman harps on about linguistics

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xenajen · 8 months

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Qiao Ling and thoughts with flower symbolism, spoilers for both seasons

(take a shot every time I say parallel and symbolism)

with so many visuals of Qiao Ling shown with red eyes, it really makes me think that she'll be taken advantage of in s2. Whether it’s being possessed again, or a death plot device, I hate to say it, but she is the boys' strongest and weakest link

-she knows them extremely well (that Red Eyes took advantage of as we already saw in s2ep1 with the lie)

-she knows the ins and outs of the case, being around capt. xiao from the start

-she could very well best Cheng Xiaoshi in a fight or at least evenly match. When they were first taught, she seemed to have a better grasp than CXS (in the special eps!)

-proximity, she's always close to them

-the visuals in the op are too much for me to NOT raise an eyebrow. the last frame looks as if she turns her back on cxs falling. In a sense for betrayal, it seems unlikely that there's a second layer to Qiao Ling at this point-- we know she’s trustworthy, but I think the plot has more to come for her. She’s playing more of a role this season and I always get suspicious when characters are suddenly given more spotlight. the visuals in question:

This also brings meee to another point! The moment I saw her flower was the Hyacinth I was like "oh, okay," but then the s1 finale hit and I was like "Oh... ohhh. Ohhhhh.... oh no..."

If you're not familiar with the legend of Hyacinth from Greek mythology.. the parallels will start paralelling. TLDR;

-apollo fell in love with a mortal, hyacinth, who dies tragically. there are two endings to the story:

-one where apollo kills hyacinth on accident, when they were passing a discus to eachother. hyacinth thinks he can catch it, but fails to estimate apollo's strength, and dies of a head injury

-and another where zephyrus, god of the west wind, is jealous of apollo because he fancied hyacinth, so he pushes the discus with the wind into hyacinth, killing him.

-apollo tries everything, anything he can do to bring hyacinth back to life. in the end, apollo turns hyacinth’s soul into flowers (or, hyacinths), refusing to give him to death.

-BOTH of these endings reminded me all too much of our current situation and what we know right now.

-the former: not saying lg/cxs represent one or the other of apollo/hyacinth specifically, but how their situation now is made from a series of missteps and overzealousness even, by cxs and possibly lg’s past actions if the timetravelling!lg theory is true; a series of accidents that lead to tragedy when hyacinth oversteps

-the latter; where the two are with eachother, but someone has to come and fuck it up. see: the li siblings; the red eyes is fascinated w/ cxs. i think it's important that Zephyrus kills hyacinth because he couldn't have him. Almost like red eyes going crazy for cxs, obsessed w his power and shit

-ugh here’s the kicker though, hyacinths also symbolize rebirth. Apollo refused to give Hyacinth’s soul to Hades, just like how LG has (possibly) refused to give up and see CXS die in an alternate timeline, deciding to restart(?).

Back to my part one including Qiao Ling: overall, hyacinths possess a wide array of meanings, and can be color dependent, ranging from “forgive me, i’m sorry”, to jealousy, to sincerity, joy, and rebirth

The question is; why is this QL’s flower? Maybe it’s symbolism of the situation as a whole, maybe an indicator of something more underneath.

Specifically, red hyacinths represent play, or a more playful kind of love. On a surface level for her character, it can represent her joyful demeanor and dedication, especially to her 2 closest friends. At the same time, mixed with the other meanings of the hyacinth, this can even parallel to the person who possessed her- enamored with CXS to no end, twistedly playful and possessive.

Perhaps it’s symbolism for forgiveness- for what has already happened, or maybe even for what is to come, if she falls into possession again. We have yet to see Qiao Ling’s inner thoughts on the matter, and how she feels about being used to nearly kill LG.

still yet, stay tuned link clickers! anyway's here's cxs doing the fortnite dance to lift your spirits.

end notes

-Apologies if this was dreadfully obvious or smth but I just wanted to put this out there

-how many of you were familiar with the story of hyacinth and apollo?

#link click #qiao ling #link click theory #shiguang dailiren #shiguang #lu guang #cheng xiaoshi

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