#phupha and tian: what did we miss | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

telomeke-bbs · 10 months

Text

OUR SKYY 2 x BAD BUDDY x A TALE OF THOUSAND STARS – A REVIEW AND PARTIAL ANALYSIS

Yes, I'm well aware that it's been more than two weeks since the Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars 4-ep closer for OS2 aired, and I'm far behind the bandwagon in posting this.

Thing is, I've had to take some time to gather my garbled thoughts on how I feel about the mini-series, and I have many. Also, the longer I dawdle, the more others have posted similar musings, and I then have to edit down my own write-up to avoid repeating stuff that others more knowledgeable and eloquent than I have already made public.

This is like my fourth or fifth re-write, and I've already chucked so much aside. But now the ideas jangling in my head seem a bit more coherent, and maybe it's time to solidify them in the written word.

I think part of the block I was facing had to do with the fact that I was expecting the Bad Buddy portions of OS2 x BBS x ATOTS to be doing more than they did, and when they didn't I was left a little directionless. This is not to say I didn't enjoy the episodes though; I most certainly did. How great was it to see Pat and Pran back in action again? 😍 Even though their dynamic and storyline weren't as deeply resonating as what we saw in the original Bad Buddy, they still managed to charm me no end.

While I certainly wanted more information regarding Pat and Pran's relationship (and we did get to see a tiny bit), what I'd really been hoping for was more of the intellectual gamery that had been so carefully interwoven into the original BBS, that was densely layered with metaphor, allegory and messaging. It was also rich with linguistic wordplay and cultural content, and I was on the lookout for more of the same in OS2 the moment Pat and Pran appeared. But these were mostly missing, even though they delivered callbacks and charisma in spades.

It was only upon re-watching that a number of realizations crystallized for me, chief of which was the fact that I'd been looking for things in the wrong place. The subtextual (and even metatextual) cleverness I was expecting actually was there, but it had been woven more into the ATOTS portions instead. And while I like the original ATOTS, it didn't inspire in me the same kind of obsessive love that Bad Buddy had done, so I have never gone in for a re-watch or examined it in greater detail, and thus wasn't paying as much attention to the ATOTS portions of OS2.

More fool me. No wonder my first watch of OS2 x BBS x ATOTS missed what it did, because I kind of sped through Phupha and Tian's story, when the mini-series was leaning more on ATOTS than BBS to telegraph its messaging.

I really shouldn't have been surprised. We know that the creators of Bad Buddy (Director Aof mostly, but Ohm and Nanon were in on it too) viewed BBS as having told all that needed to be told of PatPran’s story, and this was signified by the apartment door closing on the happy couple’s continued rough-housing at the end of Ep.12.

(above) BBS Ep.12 [4/4] 18.22 and 18.23 – the door closes on Pat and Pran's story (dunno who was swinging it shut though – Nong Nao maybe? 😂)

And this is why OS2 x BBS didn’t show us events post-Ep.12, but chose instead to position the mini-series during the timeskip between Episodes 11 and 12.

So when BBS became the success it did, pressure must have mounted on all sides but especially from the higher-ups to squeeze out a sequel somehow, because it would undoubtedly be a money-spinner. But what more is there to spin out when you, the maker, are convinced that not only is the whole yarn already spun and done, the tapestry you wove from it is pretty much complete as well?

I will go so far as to say I think OS2 x BBS x ATOTS was Director Aof’s escape hatch – instead of trying to spin out more from nothing, he shone a spotlight on a previously unseen section of his opus (letting management and fans know we would be getting Pat and Pran back, but then showing us their timeskip rather than events beyond Ep.12). And a short while later he segued artfully into a related piece, wrangling PatPran into a crossover with ATOTS that would have its message revolve a lot more around PhuTian’s story instead. I'm sure we find out more about Phupha and Tian's relationship too, but I'm not going to go into it in any detail because I'm not as au fait with their backstory as I feel I am with Pat and Pran's; I'm pretty sure though that their story in OS2 was the primary vessel for deeper messaging.

And I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one to pick up on Director Aof making ATOTS do the heavier lifting – see @wen-kexing-apologist’s write-ups linked here and here.

To my mind, Director Aof's bait-and-switch (kind of a hallmark with him) was also signaled at the end of OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.1 [4/4], when Pran had to hike up to Pha Pun Dao just as Tian had done in the original ATOTS.

(above) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.1 [4/4] 10.28

Pran found it as much of a physical ordeal as Tian did, and the parallel with Tian's trajectory is unmistakable (while also being oddly illogical, since Pran should still be pretty fit as an ex-rugby player while Tian is a heart transplant recipient 🤷‍♂️).

But in service of the narrative, when an exhausted Pran finally reaches his destination – it’s the waiting Phupha who faints, not Pran-as-Tian. (In the original ATOTS, it was Tian who fainted at the end of the long hike up to PPD and Phupha was the one who caught him.)

(above) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.1 [4/4] 11.28

For me, this signals that a switch-up has happened, and Phupha's story has somehow taken up continuity from Pran's (and we do see him learning from their similar experiences when they talk in the forest in Ep.3). More than just a callback to ATOTS, it also represents the moment when the red thread of the narrative, the coursing of the prana or qi, symbolically transfers from PatPran's storyline to PhuTian's.

So, summarizing the structure of this four-ep mini-series:

Ep.1 was basically a set-up to get PatPran up to the mountains, padded out with lots of gleeful fanservice moments for BBS fans (not that I'm complaining! 💖);

Ep.2 was devoted to setting out the main subject matter at hand and establishing the framework within which it would be discussed (PhuTian’s relationship, juxtaposed against PatPran’s);

Ep.3 – the jungle jaunt – introduced external conflict as the tool by which the subject could be dissected under scrutiny; and

Ep.4 was of course the resolution, drawing matters to their natural conclusion.

And with regard to Bad Buddy, what we see in OS2’s BBS portions is really a kind of compromise. It’s not a sequel to BBS by a longshot, but mostly a flourish of fanservice instead (hence the generous gifting of callbacks and re-creations of iconic moments from BBS, especially in Ep.1 of the four-parter – some scenes, like the one starting at Ep.1 [1I4] 8.31, consisted almost entirely of callbacks).

(above) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.1 [1I4] 8.47

This is not to say we don't see anything at all with regard to growth though. By situating PatPran's storyline during the timeskip between the original BBS Episodes 11 and 12, we were effectively allowed a glimpse into the state and development of their relationship sometime after the heady hormonal rush of their honeymoon period in Ep.11, and before its relative maturity in Ep.12, and there were some choice moments on display.

OS2 called this out at Ep.2 [2/4] 10.29, when Pat asked "Since we’re here in the North, should we make it our honeymoon trip?", which Pran then dismisses with a reminder of their task at hand (getting PhuTian's permission for his play).

(above) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.2 [2/4] 10.51

The honeymoon reference was a callback to BBS Ep.11, in which Pat was wanting to live indefinitely in a sort-of forever honeymoon by the sea (that even he knew was only illusory). Pran's dismissal of Pat's suggestion in OS2 was a reminder that their honeymoon period was over, and it was time for them to be dealing with the growing pains that every couple faces on their journey to a stable pairing.

What wasn't addressed in the original BBS is that PatPran's natural propensity to draw each other into conflict could not have been healthy for their longer-term relationship post-honeymoon, unless they found a way to corral the constant infighting and invent a set of gentlemen's rules that would prevent damage to their bond.

(above) BBS Ep.5 [1I4] 3.19

And I think this is part of what OS2 was trying to show us (however briefly): Pat and Pran moving toward finding a balance between loving each other and punching each other up (emotionally), despite conflict and rivalry paradoxically being the age-old rockbed of their relationship.

The following are some of the relationship dynamics that they explored in OS2:

Transitioning from an individual mindset to a couple-based one (which was highlighted by Pran's solo expedition to the mountains, before Pat managed to catch up);

Adapting to each other's personal styles (Pran's is spikier, and Pat's more embracing);

Learning about give and take, and looking for win-win outcomes rather than keeping score (in OS2, this was illustrated by how their earlier duels – like who gets the auditorium, who gets the HighTem sponsorship – were framed as zero-sum win-lose situations, where a win for one would mean a loss for the other; it was also given a nod in Pran's talk with Phupha at Ep.3 [4/4] 1.19 regarding his insecurities about who gives more in a relationship).

There are possibly others, but these are just the ones I could suss out with my one haphazard re-watch, and I'm not ready to go looking for them. 🤷‍♂️

Now I was originally going to go into these in detail, but I realize it's not what interests me the most about OS2 x BBS x ATOTS, nor do I think OS2 adequately dealt with these (and/or other) relationship issues between PatPran during the mini-series itself (as in, we aren't shown enough of Pat and Pran working together on detangling the knots in their bond for any suggested resolution at the end of the fourth episode to feel logical and satisfying).

It seems almost as though OS2 x BBS x ATOTS was expecting us to believe that PatPran's Ep.3 trial by forest (which they also went through mostly apart from each other) was enough to be some magically purifying crucible, imparting wisdom via its sufferance.

(above left) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.3 [1I4] 15.16 – Tian, Pran and Kampung lost in the forest; (above right) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.3 [1I4] 17.46 – Pat and Phupha on their wilderness search

We do know that PatPran's journey to arrive at a steady-state couplehood will continue unseen beyond OS2 and that they eventually end up on rock-solid footing, with a set of mutually-agreed ground rules for engagement that is acknowledged and respected, because it's obviously what they have in place by the time we see them in BBS Ep.12 (so much so that their relationship could withstand the difficulties of a long-distance commitment after Pran moves to Singapore).

(above) BBS Ep.12 [3I4] 8.15

I'm willing to accept this because I think OS2 x BBS x ATOTS was not meant to be a PatPran vehicle in the main, and so I will take whatever crumbs are on offer and view their forest ordeal as more metaphor than real-time depiction of their actual process to ground their relationship in greater maturity. (If you'd like to look at PatPran's learning track more in detail however, I can point you to the ever-incisive @miscellar's breakdowns linked here, here and here. 🤩👍)

But what I find really interesting about OS2 x BBS x ATOTS is when PhuTian's storyline gets drawn into the mix – and it happens much earlier than you would think on first watch.

One part of OS2 x BBS x ATOTS that stood out for me was all the discourse around the Engineering play, because quite frankly it felt incongruously spotlighted. First of all, why Snow White? And why an entire scene of Pran demonstrating the art of theater to Pat backstage? I now believe Director Aof was doing this to call attention to some underlying significance.

(above) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.1 [2/4] 9.15

Tumblr user @ranchthoughts has very astutely pointed out that the story of Snow White has many parallels with the original ATOTS (e.g., the gallant woodsman; the fragile, privileged damsel who falls in a swoon; the journey through the forest; the misappropriated heart that doubles as proof of good faith – see these links here, here and here for more 🤩👍).

(above) An illustration of the seven dwarfs finding Snow White by Franz Jüttner, from Sneewittchen (1905)

So by bringing up Snow White, Director Aof was already slyly alluding to PhuTian in OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.1 [2/4].

Although it is not a strict retelling of the fairytale, I think that OS2 x BBS x ATOTS also contains elements of Snow White:

Another character (Phupha) swoons into unconsciousness (like Snow White did after biting the poisoned apple);

There is also a journey through the wilderness (mirroring Snow White's abandonment in the woods and finding her way to the dwarf house);

A cast of supporting characters parallels the seven dwarfs (Kampung is one, and this is perhaps why they dressed him in oversized windbreakers, playing with his proportions to make him seem more dwarf-like; this is also possibly why Pat jokingly mentions Korn playing one of the dwarfs in the Engineering play at Ep.1 [1I4] 13.26 – Drake may have been originally envisioned as part of the cast, in character as Rang, up in the mountains);

The magic mirror, that always tells the truth, is actually PatPran, in whom PhuTian see their own relationship problems reflected, and whose truths help them to better their own dynamic (see Phupha's comments at Ep.4 [3I4] 0.53 and 1.05 – "It has to be you two who play the parts" and "No one gets us better than these two" as well as PhuTian's more light-hearted callbacks to PatPran's cheekier moments, e.g., at Ep.4 [2/4] 1.25 and 1.59).

But it's really Pat and Pran's interaction backstage at Ep.1 [2/4] 8.54 that both illuminates and foreshadows some bigger themes to come in OS2 x BBS x ATOTS (when Pran demonstrates how a simple bench can transform onstage, depending on how you frame it for the audience via the narrative).

(above left) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.1 [2/4] 10.12 – Pran shows Pat how a bench can be a dining table; (above right) BBS Ep.3 [3I4] 9.01 – Pat shows Pran how roleplay can spark a creative bus stop design

On the surface level it's a parallel and callback to PatPran's roleplay at BBS Ep.3 [3I4] 8.38 (although flipping the roles with Pran turning educator doesn't quite gel, given that Pat was fully aware of how to use the power of imagination at the bus-stop).

It's also a tip of the hat to theater legend Peter Brook who famously said "I can take any empty space and call it a bare stage. A man walks across this empty space whilst someone else is watching him, and this is all that is needed for an act of theatre to be engaged", which invokes the same kind of metamorphic magic that turns Pran's bench into a mirror, a dwarf dining table and a glass coffin. (Peter Brook also passed away just a few months before the Our Skyy 2 trailer aired, which lends a poignancy and weight to this moment.)

(above left) Theater legend Peter Brook; (above right) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.1 [2/4] 11.03 – PatPran roleplay Snow White and the glass coffin

The bench as glass coffin is also a metaphor for the constraints that PatPran must face living their relationship in a glass closet – open to view yet limited on all sides by expectations (remembering that they've officially broken up but still have to interact in public on school matters).

And of course it's unmissable that both Snow White's glass coffin and PatPran's relationship are a metaphor for queer lives in the closet. (PatPran leaning in for a kiss on that bench only to be interrupted by a uniformed security guard, is also a tongue-in-cheek reminder about how higher authorities can and do impinge on the freedom of queer people to love freely.)

However, in the context of BL and of Our Skyy 2 as a BL anthology, OS2 x BBS x ATOTS is also a metatextual comment on the telling of queer love stories in the media. The entire four-parter can be seen as a metaphor (or more correctly, an allegory) regarding the commodification of LGBTQ+ love by the BL industry itself, if you will, as well as some of the issues this stirs up.

In OS2 we have:

PatPran turning PhuTian's love story into a drama for public consumption;

(above) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.4 [3I4] 7.00

The emphasis placed on consent for that story to be used (in the words of Ajahn Pichai at Ep.1 [2/4] 12.15, 12.31 and 12.38, and PhuTian's exchange at Ep.2 [1I4] 16.30) and the comment that partial consent is not enough (from Pran at Ep.2 [1I4] 10.18 and 20.22);

(top) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.1 [2/4] 12.38; (middle) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.2 [1I4] 16.32; (bottom) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.2 [1I4] 20.22

Phupha's objection to being portrayed as a one-dimensional love interest, reduced to only his romanticized and/or sexualized self (Ep.2 [1I4] 18.35), instead of being seen as a fully-realized human being in his own right (Ep.2 [1I4] 18.25);

(top) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.2 [1I4] 18.35; (bottom) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.2 [1I4] 18.25

Pran detecting Phupha's self-doubt and commenting at Ep.3 [4/4] 0.58: "Why do I feel like you’re just insecure and not sure if you’re good enough to tell anyone that story?";

(above) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.3 [4/4] 0.58

Phupha finally giving permission for PatPran to dramatize his and Tian's story, with the proviso that Tian and he be played by PatPran themselves (Ep.4 [3I4] 0.48).

(above) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.4 [3I4] 0.48

The parallels with the BL industry are striking. (I'm sticking with BL as the established industry here, but you could perhaps apply the same points to the nascent GL as well.) No disrespect to allies, but Director Aof is pointedly saying the following:

Queer love stories are constantly being dramatized in Thai media (by cishet-dominated parties and largely for cishet consumption) – but this is often done without the LGBTQ+ community having much say, let alone any consent, in the matter;

The commodification of queer love (especially in the BL industry) has resulted in most productions forefronting the romantic and/or sexual aspects of the narrative (understandable, because these are romance-driven), but this also has the unfortunate result of reducing the queer characters to pretty vessels for love stories, deified and/or fetishized, and with limited room for more to be said about other aspects of their queer lives;

Perhaps because of discrimination, people might still be carrying the idea in their heads that queer stories are somehow less valid than the cishet ones that dominate media (remembering how SOTUS had to break the mold for BL, and InkPa for GL) – and the call sometimes even comes from inside the house, when queer people feel that their stories may somehow be unsuitable for mainstream channels (as echoed by Phupha's insecurity, called out by Pran at Ep.3 [4/4] 0.58).

Not only are queer stories that exist beyond the romantic/sexual dimension worthy of being told in a more expansive arena (Pran's Architecture play, and its reception), the LGBTQ+ community should be mindful when control of how these stories are told and who gets to tell them is not in its hands (echoed by "neutral" Ajahn Pichai's reminder about consent, and Phupha's insistence on having a trusted couple incarnate his and Tian's story).

But remembering Director Aof's leanings toward LGBTQ+ activism in his work, it's also possible to read the drama in OS2 x BBS x ATOTS as an allegory itself for real-life situations, beyond this BL anthology's metatextual comment on the BL industry. I think that this is the ultimate message with PhuTian's story being the finale for Our Skyy 2 (landing not coincidentally during Pride Month and all).

With the metaphors in Pran's theater class backstage and the BL allegory as a launchpad, OS2 x BBS x ATOTS (and Ep.4 especially) is also allegory for queer life in a broader context:

In wider society, the narrative for queer lives has for so long been dominated by the cishet majority and dictated by it (just as the queer romances in BL have had to respond to cishet impulses).

So many queer people have to live their lives with varying degrees of (in)visibility, subject to unseen but still suffocating constraints (Snow White's glass coffin, standing in for the proverbial closet).

Queer lives often take on a performative public face and people have to pretend to be less than their whole truth (Pran's bench, actually so much more than meets the eye).

Queer individuals' self-worth and self-acceptance are influenced by the views of those outside the community, whether coming from family or larger society (Phupha's insecurity, called out by Pran at Ep.3 [4/4] 0.58).

Remembering how Heart in Director Aof's recent (and also mega-important) work Moonlight Chicken was sequestered away by his parents because he was different (i.e., he was a Heart who did not fit what they perceived as "normal"), there is also a parallel in OS2 with Tian whose heart is one step removed from what is considered the norm by wider society (being a transplant from Torfun in ATOTS).

(above) Moonlight Chicken Ep.5 [4/4] 12.23 – Heart weeps in silence at his isolation

Tian's heart often causes him pain, and he is often enfeebled or constrained by it, but even so he loves with his heart just as hard as the next guy (maybe even more, seen not just in his relationship with Phupha but also in his compassion for his students and especially the lost Kampung).

(above) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.3 [3I4] 2.57

We are shown that Tian is not willing to be held back by his difference, and expects to live his life to the fullest. It's just that he needs to live his life a little differently, and indeed he thrives when he is given the right circumstances (controlled exertion, and the right sustenance/medication) and freedom to do so. And all this is of course a metaphor for queer people, whose hearts also love differently from the cishet majority's, and who are simply asking for the freedom and space to live their best lives.

So in a sense – just as PatPran were a magic mirror to PhuTian – OS2 x BBS x ATOTS is also Snow White's magic mirror held up to its audience, reflecting truths about queer life back to all who are watching.

But as is typical of Director Aof's work, Our Skyy 2 also suffuses its message with hope, so it's not all hard truths, raw and unvarnished. The series draws to a close on an uplifting note, and as an allegory it hails on behalf of the queer community the hope of a positive future that is presented as not only attainable, but also deserved.

Homophobia is not shown to exist in this universe (as was the case with BBS and also ATOTS). So when Phupha meets up with Tian in Bangkok, they're surrounded by a supportive network of family, friends and allies who were working together to make Phupha's attendance at Tian's birthday celebration a reality.

(top) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.4 [4/4] 3.06 – Tian's birthday celebration with his parents, best friend Tul and surprise guest Phupha; (bottom) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.4 [4/4] 4.32 – Tian's parents give Phupha their blessing to marry Tian

Tian's parents also giving joyful, proud and formal blessing to their union, as well as Tul and Yod's cheerful assistance, all signal the aspirational message that a better, more accepting world is possible for the LGBTQ+ community.

And of course that super-romantic wedding proposal caps it all off:

(top) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.4 [4/4] 8.46 – Phupha kisses Tian's hand after placing the engagement ring on his finger; (bottom) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.4 [4/4] 12.16 – Phupha and Tian's post-engagement kiss by the pool

But it's not just trumpeting support for marriage equality, the cause célèbre that BL series have been championing over the past few years. Noting that Thailand is expected to legalize LGBTQ+ marriage in the coming weeks or months, queer people in the country are now daring to look to the future with much more hope in their hearts. 💖

With this as the context, Phupha and Tian's engagement in the present, with matrimonial union set for the future, can also be seen as symbolizing the hope of even better days to come – when members of the queer community will finally be afforded equal rights in all respects. And I think this has given Our Skyy 2's last episode a rainbow flourish truly worthy of Pride Month 2023. 😍

‌ P.S. Not to take away from the importance of Director Aof's vision, but this is a Bad Buddy blog after all, so I will close this write-up with a bit of a rewind back to PatPran. We didn't get to see a whole lot of information regarding their relationship growth in the four episodes of OS2 x BBS x ATOTS, but there is an Easter Egg hiding within the layers near the end. One of the issues that Pat and Pran had to deal with as a new-ish couple was how to move away from scorekeeping in their constant, competitive jostling. Their first few contests that we saw in OS2 x BBS x ATOTS were win-lose ones ("if you get it, it means that I won't", e.g., the use of the auditorium and the HighTem sponsorship), and that kind of dynamic would only have been corrosive for their couplehood in the longer term. What we see in OS2 x BBS x ATOTS is that in the end they somehow arrive at a win-win instead (just as their Ep.6 Beachside Bet in Bad Buddy sidestepped a black-and-white win-lose outcome and gave them both the winner's prize of being in love). I don't have proof that it's intentional, but Director Aof and his team are certainly clever enough to have planned it to be so. For if ATOTS really is a version of Snow White, both of them got to stage their plays (and share in the sponsorship) since Pran's play (ATOTS) is also Pat's play (Snow White). OS2 x BBS x ATOTS winks at this with Pat – an Engine boy – playing Snow White/Tian, and by showing Wai and Korn in cahoots backstage (why should Engineering student Korn be helping with the Archi play anyway?). 😍

(above) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.4 [3I4] 6.55 And then PatPran are of course forced to kiss onstage (celebrating their union in more ways than one).

(above) OS2 x BBS x ATOTS Ep.4 [3I4] 7.13 Another sly little wink from OS2, they're lovers pretending to be enemies pretending to be lovers, which in a way is also emblematic of OS2 x BBS x ATOTS's deeper message, told matryoshka-style with layers of allegorical meaning. 💖

‌

#bad buddy #our skyy 2 #our skyy 2 x bad buddy #patpran #our skyy 2 x bad buddy x a tale of thousand stars #os2 x bbs x atots #phutian

100 notes · View notes

dribs-and-drabbles · 11 months

Text

Colours in Our Skyy 2 Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars ep 3

In which I get a little bit more meta than I usually do...

So as we know, this ep was spent mostly in the forest on a few days during which the characters couldn't change clothes, which means there are less colours/clothes to comment on. That being said, the red and blue pairings were provided in all possible places.

Tian's plaid shirt from the night before also has thin red stripes to accompany the blue, and kampung's jersey and Pran's tote bag offer another pairing. I think there's also blue, red and yellow in Kampung's t-shirt. I love that Pran brought his bag with him - despite being lost in the forest, Pat is still metaphorically with him. I think it's also interesting that Pran's shirt looks almost camouflage, and that he mostly wears it when he's taking the lead - looking after Tian on the way to Bull Camp and then accompanying Phupha when Kampung goes missing. Knowing that Pran ends up portraying Phupha in the play - and despite Pran playing Tian in his and Pat's role-playing of the other couple - it's a clever choice in this ep.

Pat, on the other hand, does get a change of clothes at the start of this ep, and with the brown, green, and cream he looks like he's trying to imitate the rangers' uniform to be included in the search party.

Plenty of people have commented on how Pran and Tian have been made to look very similar, especially with their hair, but in the below scene it's so clear how the show is trying to have the characters 'imitate' each other. Pran and Tian are in the same colours, only the white and yellow are reversed in their clothing. Pat and Phupha, as already mentioned, also sporting the same colours. But the mixed-pairings also have similar shoes - Pran and Tian in canvas lace-ups with cream toes/soles, and Pat and Phupha in leather boots. The show is really drilling into us, 'look how similar these people are!', but as we learn from their interactions it seems Pran and Phupha are more alike, as are Pat and Tian (hence why they end up playing those roles in the play).

Once Pat and Tian have made their way back to the village, Pat changes into his teal shorts and a brown shirt. I haven't offered much colour-interpretation yet in this post but in general brown and olive green feature quite heavily this ep, especially with all the camouflage. I think this partly comes more from the atots side of this crossover and the use of earth tones in the original series, but it's incheresting that there's been so. much. talk. about sacrificing arising from this ep. I won't go into it all but they're all dealing with something (or multiple things) they have to yield on or sacrifice.

But Pat here, below, has a moment - a mini-Oh! moment - where he realises he has to yield to himself. Having this 'nonsense' fight with Pran and going through their experiences in Pha Pun Dao has made Pat confront and admit to himself something which he either hasn't realised or has been repressing for a long time - that he can't live without Pran. Yes, Pat has always wanted to be around Pran, he always wants to help him, and he's been depressingly lonely without him...but being unable to live without Pran seems heavier. And this realisation goes beyond acquiescing on the fight with Pran, because it has consequences for the bigger picture of their lives and hiding from their families. And that's scary. So no wonder he's perhaps repressed this from himself, instead feeling easier to tease Pran about him always needing Pat, to bicker about who needs the other the most, and to sit in the nonsense fight rather than acknowledge what it really means.

Incidentally, I like that Pat pulled the watch out of his shorts pocket - the object that Pran links to Pat and the teal that seems to symbolise their union as a couple.

Someone (sorry I don't remember who) mentioned that Pat wears a lot more stripy shirts now than he ever did in BBS, which is potentially an influence from Pran, but I love that they're both wearing their love and happiness when they reunite back at the village. I also sat up at seeing Tian's brown t-shirt with the yellow rectangle over his heart - reminiscent of Pran's long-sleeved top in ep 8 of BBS. Tian is ready to sacrifice himself and his health again to go into the forest to look for Kampung and Phupha, with his love for them driving him to do it. (In ep 8, Pran's love for Pat took him away from drinking with Wai to comfort a sullen Pat).

And then on to that final scene with Pat and Pran and we get Pat in Pran's red and cream/yellow shorts, and Pran in Pat's dark blue (or their teal)...and an ominous dark green. They're finding a resolution to their little fight but it's bittersweet.

Coming back to what I was saying about Pat's Oh! moment above, I think him asking Pran to apply the bruise cream was a way for Pat to admit to himself and Pran, albeit subtly, that he does need Pran, and for Pran to understand that admission. (And I'll quickly say that I don't think Pran needed to be the one to say it first but I'll come back to that below). When Pat gives Pran's watch back, however, he reverts to the teasing "Like I said, you can't live without me", he's trying to keep things jovial. Tian has already told Pran about Pat's realisation though - not to aid any teasing or to bolster one side of the fight, he doesn't seem that type of character (he's not a gremlin like Pat and Pran). No, I think he sees that Pat and Pran need this knowledge open between them and facilitates a way for it to happen. In true PatPran fashion, Pran goads Pat into saying it and Pat's soft look to Pran shows his gratitude to have the opportunity (below). Pat needs to admit it out loud to himself and to Pran - the person to whom it means the most for him to hear it. His sigh before he says it is a relief, it's releasing the hold he's had on his fear about what it might mean for them, and Pran's reaction helps alleviate that.

Pran's "Neither can I" isn't as big and dramatic as Pat's statement, but that's because it's not revelatory, not for Pran (who's known it since he fell for Pat in high school and couldn't get over him even after being sent away and pushing Pat away once they had reunited at Uni), and not for Pat - there was always some truth in Pat's original words, "without me, he can't do anything" and they both know that. Pran wasn't the one who needed to admit to Pat that he needs Pat because it's been known all along. But Pran repeating now, in his own way, that he can't live without Pat helps to strengthen their bond.

This moment is bittersweet because of their situation - there is no option to not be together, they've known this already but now it's been explicitly said, so until their parents can be comfortable with them together they will always be hiding something, making sacrifices. This is their life. They're able to understand that on a deeper level.

With this understanding, Pran, unable to do or say anything else, takes his focus to something tangible: The watch, and what it represents - Pat, his time with Pat, their history and connection from childhood, the gaps when they were separated, and their reuniting in Uni. @btwinlines started off a great thread about how time stops for Pat and Pran when they're apart, but the watch also represents how time might make things easier in the future and that all they can do is hope. And, in the meantime, love each other the best they can through all these little fights they have. It's not a grand resolution for them, like Phupha and Tian get later in the show, because they're not in the same place as the other couple. This is just a snapshot of their journey towards where we see them at the end of ep 12 in BBS, so if it feels like they're in limbo when we leave them, they are, but with a renewed perspective of each other and the poignancy of it all.

I'm almost certain this will be a coincidence, but I love that when Pran puts the watch on again it's almost at the same time as when he reset it at the end of BBS ep 1. I love that it's ten minutes later though, because it symbolises how time has moved on for them - i.e how much has changed - since they got together, and therefore how much more will change as time keeps moving forward. And that's something they can trust in.

[ep 1] [ep 2] [ep 3] [ep 4] (<- I was right to be hopeful!)

74 notes · View notes

waitmyturtles · 11 months

Text

How was yesterday the day of the end of BAD BUDDY, AND A TALE OF THOUSAND STARS, AND OUR DINING TABLE?

HOW? HOW????

And how did we survive? I survived with dranks, lol. But as the ever-lovely @solitaryandwandering noted to me yesterday, it was an insane but blessed day in BL. Damn, are we lucky.

So, thoughts on Our Dining Table, episode 10 (finale), but we know we have an epilogue coming, one that at least is, in part, not canon. Not that that matters.

What this show has done with going beyond the manga canon is -- and I’m harkening back to the show’s initial previews -- something that I’ve only seen done as well in What Did You Eat Yesterday, particularly WDYEY’s New Year’s special, when Kenji gets a nicely focused turn with Wataru/Gilbert, and we see Kenji’s sassy and wise side up close. All of that was not canon.

The date. THE DATE! Clothes shopping! (We saw that yesterday in OS2/ATOTS, awww.) THE PULLING BACK OF YUTAKA’S HAND!

What a FANTASTICALLY PHYSICAL WAY to show Yutaka’s hesitation, one that was depicted in the manga as just mental worry about the pain -- the possible inevitability, for someone who lost their parents -- of losing the person you love the most in the world.

THIS SHOW EMBODIES THE SPIRIT OF THE MANGA, and sets it loose and free, and humanizes it for us. I honestly felt that this episode was BETTER than the manga, and this was the first time I felt that -- I had felt equally good about both beforehand. THIS SHOW LIFTED that POTENTIAL emptiness that Yutaka is FIGHTING AGAINST, that has kept him reticent from feeling and closeness with anyone around him for so long. It showed it and demonstrated it to us, in the silence of the room where he and Minoru and Tane slept; in the shining and sparkling tears on his face and his red eyes as Ueda-san spoke to him about pain making love real.

(I am, unfortunately for my sanity, going to do some sort of follow-up BBS/ATOTS/ODT meta on pain and love and just, why am I doing that to myself, good lord.)

But I clocked something during that conversation with Yutaka and Ueda-san -- I clocked something that made me realize, while Yutaka may not have begun to realize it, that Yutaka was ALREADY a part of the Ueda family BEFORE that conversation.

Something that I loved noticing about that conversation with Ueda-san is that somewhere down the road, Yutaka had begun calling Ueda-san otousan, or father (I’ve never heard this before, but I loved that Minoru called his dad “otou” for short). Yutaka was ALREADY familiar enough with the Uedas to feel comfortable to call Minoru’s dad, DAD.

But Ueda-san still needed to remind Yutaka that he was family already. He got family-ed when he got served the special kimchi hot pot. But he had been clocked as family from the moment Tane had accepted Yutaka, and from when Yutaka had crossed the Ueda threshold.

Yutaka had SUCH a defensive and messed-up vision of what family meant. At least in the show, he had MISSED his older brother trying to make amends, because Yutaka had ALREADY experienced so much loss. In this case, it was family -- it was Yutaka’s NEW ADOPTED FAMILY in the Uedas -- who could FINALLY coax Yutaka OUT of that defensiveness, as Yutaka’s first adoptive family wasn’t able to do.

And through the Uedas, Yutaka is able to find himself. To join his friends, his co-workers, and his first adoptive family back into the movement of everyday life, no longer hiding himself and shielding himself.

Yutaka is risking pain. (Annnnnnd so are Pat/Pran and Tian/Phupha sorry let me leave that alone, dammit). Ueda-san tells him -- without pain, there isn’t love. Pain is what makes you realize that you have and had love.

With the support and the LOVE of the Uedas -- of Ueda-otousan, of KING TANE-KUN, of Minoru -- Yutaka can accept the pain of love, and find love in the world around him. It was always there.

I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE EPILOGUE. And, geezus. Inukai and Iijima BODIED THEIR ROLES. FUCK. THE ACTING, THE ACTING!

WE ARE SO BLESSED IN BL-LAND. SUMMER EPILOGUE VACAY, COMING UP!

#our dining table #bokura no shokutaku #our dining table meta #inukai atsuhiro #iijima hiroki #yutaka x minoru #minoru x yutaka

21 notes · View notes

inventedfangirling · 11 months

Text

okay so now the specials are over and the cuteness from today have been layered over yesterday's mess (which did deserve better execution), i actually don't feel as disappointed as i did yesterday. like sure yesterday's issues still stand, but its nothing conversation can't address and while im disappointed we didn't get to see that im also so happy we got what we did this episode.

patpran at the beginning with the breakfast and their cute notes and their "love sprout" and all their smiles, were so cute, my heart felt so full watching that, and then when tian and pran hugged like that it swelled to such heights ( always love it when gay people get to meet senior gay people like yes i see you, you've been me ahh my heart), and then pat and phupha have their moment and then flash forward to the inkpa-phuphatian-patpran scene, a queer little family of their own in some ways i friggin DIED it was so cute and so meaningful and special!! the scene set in their home actually felt like typical patpran altho it really sucked that they got interrupted again, we still got the finger licking and the kissing and the pran giving the cheek kiss so all in all i am NOT complaining about this episode at all.

a little word on phuphatian eventho theyre not the reason i watched the special, their arc which could have been fleshed out a bit better was still so cute, i broke into smiles and giggles so many times they were on screen together, and the infinite parallels with bad buddy that they were trying to draw, especially the final scene i SCREAMED, it was SO good. the proposal was a great way to end the show and my word Earth can act, i almost teared up when i saw that tear drop run down his cheek as he kissed Mix.

And also we got Pran's mom being okay with him and Pat in a play together and that actually is a HUGE deal considering her past reaction to them partaking in an extra curricular together and makes total sense with regards to her (sorta) coming around in ep12 so yaay for that touch.

Also while few things could top seeing inkpa giggle watching patpran on the stage, while sitting behind phuphatian, my fav moment from the special HAD to be Wai and Korn doing THAT. I legit howled. Really good stuff good stuff.

All in all i actually do have only good feelings about this episode so yaay im so glad i got to say bye in a (mostly) happy way courtesy this one. Now time to get back to my daily rewatch og bad buddy, cos the og never misses.

#yes thats an ep 12 reference #pran x pat #our skyy 2 x bad buddy x a tale of thousand stars #pranpat #bad buddy

9 notes · View notes

wanderlust-in-my-soul · 1 year

Text

The Tag Game

Thank you so much for the tag @pose4photoml and @talays-portkey 🤍💙

Three Ships 🚢

Okay, my alltime favorite ship will be VeeMark – I live for their chemistry. The story, well it was not that outstanding, but as someone who is crushing hard on War, I guess the ship is understandable. PhuTian. Does this need any explanation? EarthMix are the kings of longingly chemistry for me and I love the story of Phupha and Tian so much. They touch my heart and I love them. And of course, TinnGun. They live in my head rent free at the moment. I love everything about them and their relationship. It is so wholesome to watch. So yeah, I like chemistry. If there is no such thing for me, I won’t like the ship and most of the times the series. And chemistry is not only the tension or sexual attraction, it is just how the characters work together, how they communicate, what feeling they can manage to put into my poor cold heart.

First Ship 🚢

If we speak about bl, than I have to say PatPran. Bad Buddy was my downfall. After that, there was no going back to my usual media. But my first ship ever…The one I can think of right now is Brian x Justin from Queer as Folk. I still love them and guess I will for the rest of my life.

Last Song 🎧

I am listening to music at this moment. The last song was Candy by NCT Dream and right now plays Aurora by ONEWE. I love both to an unhealthy amount. Candy is just feel good music and Aurora awakens the deep urge in me to sing out loud from the bottom of my lungs.

Last Movie 🍿

I have watched a movie yesterday, which only my best friend knows about. It is one of the most plotless shits I have ever seen. So no, I will go with Tinted With You the movie version and try to forget the other one exists. But this was a really sweet history drama. Liked it.

Currently Reading 📖

I have like five books I started reading, but I can’t finish them. So I am going with I am reading nothing at the moment.

Currently Watching 👀

Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu (The End of the world with you) HIStory5: Love in the Future Lonely Connections Moonlight Chicken My School President Never Let Me Go Utsukushii Kare Season 2

And sometimes I do watch non-bl series, dramas or movies. Right now Physical: 100 and Sh**ting Stars.

Currently Consuming 👄

Coffee? Music? Perhaps some cereals later.

Currently Craving 🫦

Sleep. I always get too little because of my stupid brain that won’t go to sleep at night, because I could be missing out on something…So some stable mental health would be great too! But for now, I really could eat something sweet. Cereals here I come I guess 😊

Onward Tags 🏷️

I am late to the game, so I really don't know who already did this. Just ignore me, if you have already or if you don't want to 😊 @vera9 @lgbtally4ever @jyuubin @negrowhat @piningintrovert @gabrielokun

I wish you all a perfect start for the next week 😊

#tag game #bl tag game #thanks a lot for the tag!#this was fun 😊

12 notes · View notes

heretherebedork · 1 year

Note

Are there any of the Ourskyy2 episodes you are looking forward to? I feel like its a very interesting choice of shows seeing how most of them are very recently finished maybe it all depends on which actors/production agree to come back but I wish there could of been a couple more of the older shows Im glad at least tale of 1000 stars and Bad Buddy are in the mix

I am looking forward very much to The Eclipse's episode, no hesitation or denial! I loved those boys so much and I'm hopeful to get a little bit of KanThua in the epilogue and that would make me so happy. Please.

I mean, 1000 Stars is also gonna destroy me. I cannot wait. I love Tian and Phupha and I miss them very much and I suspect Earth and Mix have definitely improved as actors and I cannot wait to see them revive those characters.

I'm looking forward to Never Let Me Go on the basis that I did enjoy the show so... there's hope! Better than FUTS which was what I worried they might do.

My School President will just be a joy so I'm happy to take more and see more and hopefully just get something sweet as sugar and pie with them.

If we get Star In My Mind I'll be happy but every second that the Sky In Your Heart couple is on screen I will deeply regret.

And Bad Buddy is definitely going to be interesting. I'm really wondering what they'll do with that. Will it be one in the future? Will it be about a missing scene? What will it be?! No idea!

Anyway, I'm obviously looking forward to most of it, honestly. There's really only two and a half (SIYH is half a show) that I'm genuinely not excited about.

#asked and answered

10 notes · View notes

nongnaos · 2 years

Text

Liveblogging atots episode 7!

1/4

Skipping over the car crash part bc we all knew this was coming but I do find the recap starting with "Torfun is dead" with the super coffee branding all over the screen as though the coffee could have brought her back to life very funny and weird.

Is this two episodes in a row with Chief at Tian's bedside when he's ill? These guys can't catch a break.

Drama is brewing, is Tian's dad gonna be someone who took resources away from the village or was paid off by the poachers?

CHEEK TOUCHES

Longtae looks so disappointed in Tian wanting to leave.

Omg did Longtae go and wake Phupha up from his nap so he could get Tian to stay? Phupha/naps actual otp..

Chief saying "I'm not here to change your mind, if you want to leave I'll see you off" he's a braver soul than me bc I would be crying telling him not to go. Tian looks so upset though. "Come stay with me" he's really a man of action and I'm smiling so hard and Tian is so flustered. I have too many emotions to contain them...

2/4

Finally a map! Is Tian's house the one that's on its own, near the army camp? That's a fair walk from the village.

Look... not to be like boys are gross but Chief washed nary an armpit and also missed all of the centre of Tian's face when he washed it. I cannot talk about the rest of that scene because I blacked out.

They're being cute again and it has not escaped my notice that Tian is wearing Phupha's tshirt again.

3/4

I'm still laughing at this friend group taking the piss constantly but it must be so awkward for Phupha and Tian 😂 *

Dr. Nam is so suspicious, but I want Tian to have the chance to tell people himself.

Once again Chief is the moral compass for the group of drunk army brats.

The gay flute is back! Omg he's pied piper'd himself a boyfriend. *

Drunk Phupha is so sincere and sad 😔 pls give him a hug! This whole scene has been so sweet though. They're really keeping me on tenterhooks here.

(*19 minutes long and these are the only 2 notes I made bc I was immersed so I'm gonna add more)

4/4

They rebuilt the school! 😭😭😭 Also I'm so happy this show really has kids that seem like kids, they all seem so excited to tell Tian about what they've done. They did really well at making the relationship between Tian and the kids feel so sweet and real too.

Oh no Dr. Nam knows everything!!.. almost.. no, he knows everything.

Noooooo Tian's cryinggggg. And immediately cut to naked Chief ok. I've got nothing to say about that.

#why did i always think the word was 'tender' hooks??? like very gentle... 😐 you learn something new every day.#atots #atots spoilers #atotsrewatch2022 #watching this show without having seen or heard many spoilers has been so much fun!#apologies for any spelling mistakes i am very very sleepy... me and Phupha are napping soon #liomsa

9 notes · View notes

patandpran · 3 years

Text

I am honestly so relieved that part 4 saved the episode.

All of the tension and angst and missed connections was getting to be too much but then it was saved by the last 30 minutes.

We got:

- Supportive best friends and parents (mostly was delighted by how supportive Tian’s dad was!!!)

-Tian following his heart to education

- Phupha surprising him and one of the best hugs in BL history

- The students teasing Phu about Tian

- Closure for Torfun’s story with the burial of the journal

- Tian stating so plainly that he is following his heart by being with Phupha and making his future in the Village.

- A lovely and understated kiss that fit Tian and Phu so perfectly in front of the sunset

- Domestic and flirty Tian and Phupha to give us a taste of what their life together will be. A lovely and lighthearted way to end the ep.

- Earth’s tattoo

It was a great way to end the series and P’Aof, Mix, Earth and all of the cast and crew of this show really did this show justice. Honestly, it was worth the long wait.

#atots #a tale of thousand stars #phupha x tian #phutian #1000 stars #my writing #my top posts #analysis

134 notes · View notes

tinnchan · 3 years

Text

✨ God tier atots season 2/special possibilities ✨:

1. Missing bits of the story from Phupha's pov eg. what he was doing at the rich people's party and did he turn around in the corridor, his interactions with Tian's dads, how he decided to chase Tian at the airport.

2. Hours of domesticity and fluff as Phupha and Tian simply navigate their new life in Pha Pun Dao.

3. Sensible conflict with respect to Phupha's job or pressure from Tian's parents. 💀 What cursed second second/special plots we are more likely to get 💀: 1. Tian cheats on Phupha with a new forest ranger.

2. Forest ranger above causes a misunderstanding which could be resolved with 2 min of open dialogue and half a brain cell.

3. Tian's heart gives out (courtesy of @thebadmoonsrising! don't blame me!).

4. Dr. Nam was in love with Tian all along (allegedly) like in the novel.

5. They move to Bangkok forever like in the novel (wtf novel).

6. Sakda's daughter suddenly appears and she's out for (Tian's) blood.

#atots #1000 stars #shit post #pls send me some more cursed special ideas jfierjf

38 notes · View notes

telomeke-bbs · 11 months

Text

OUR SKYY 2 x BAD BUDDY x A TALE OF THOUSAND STARS – THE WOODS AREN'T LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP

Looking at the structure and the mechanics of the thing (yes, engineering reference here) – the OS2 x BBS x ATOTS forest search is a metaphor for Pat, Pran, Phupha and Tian's journey not just to "find" each other (i.e., to discover new truths about their partner) but also to discover new truths about themselves.

So they started off with Phupha and Pat looking for their other halves Tian and Pran, each paired with a somewhat-opposite of himself – stoic/guarded teaming up with open-hearted/outward-oriented, in order to understand perhaps the POV of their respective significant others.

And then they switched things up with Pran and Phupha alone in the forest looking for Kampung, and learning things about themselves at the same time, with Pat and Tian getting alone time to trade lessons too. (Did Pat really injure his leg that badly? Or was it just the leeches? 😂)

I haven't looked in detail at what those lessons are (because it was just a first watch and I was drinking at the same time, hah!) but I think we all know that they're for the betterment of each couple's relationships, and for resolution of their fundamentally conflicting dynamics.

Little Kampung was the catalyst for both expeditions into the unknown, and I wonder what significance we'll find if we dig a little deeper. I already find his name intriguing from a linguistic point of view. Does anyone know how it's spelt in Thai?

A brief note about the forest. It's not a merry walk in the woods, even though we saw large chunks of the journey taking place in bright, open clearings fringed with bamboo.

The tropical southeast Asian forest is dense and dangerous, hiding death in every corner if you fail to give it respect. It's not just the larger carnivores on land like leopards and tigers (though their numbers are on the decline), or crocodiles in the water, or the poisonous scorpions and snakes in the undergrowth (watch your step!). Large herbivores like the elephant and gaur can easily dispatch an unarmed human if they feel threatened. And wild boars will turn into vicious meat-eaters if given the opportunity.

Death also lurks from above. Sometimes it's pythons laying in wait (their favorite modus operandi is to throw themselves onto prey from branches above, and in the confusion coil and strangle their unfortunate victim). And even the trees themselves can kill – tree branches weighing the equivalent of a dining table can and do break off due to weakening from disease or rain weight, and any larger living creature caught below will be a goner.

Villagers who have to venture into the forest learn early on to respect it, and this respect for the risks of nature has translated into the forest acquiring a dark, supernatural dimension for many cultures (i.e., the idea that the forest is also home to different spirits, many malevolent, and who need to be appeased and/or whose permission needs to be sought for any act deemed too intrusive). A Thai movie example that somewhat illustrates this is Nang Nak (there's also a version starring a young Sine Inthira, for any fans of hers out there 💖).

Unlike the tribes who live with and within the forests themselves, settled peoples from outside may not always have the life skills to cope with all the jungle throws at you once you enter its realm. People can disappear without a trace – the two most well-known in Western media are Bruno Manser and Jim Thompson (because, you know, missing white person syndrome), but of course there must be legions more unnamed locals swallowed whole, never seen again and never named outside the country's media. 🤷‍♂️

So I think this awareness of how the forest can swiftly take away your life underlies our four (OK five, including Kampung) heroes' struggles in the wilderness – it's life and death in there, so in living out the metaphor PatPran and PhuTian were in more than one sense battling for the survival of their own pairings (because fundamental differences in each partner's approach to couplehood can also kill a relationship, no matter how strong the love).

It's unfortunate that the optics that were finally presented seemed much lighter than they should have been. This was not a walk in the warm embrace of bright country woods. And it gives weight to Pat saying "I can't live without you" to Pran at the end (Ep.3 [4/4] 9.18) – he wasn't actually saying he couldn't bear to be physically parted from his soulmate (with an eye on Singapore looming here). He was saying that Pran is life itself to him (also a reference to the meaning of Pran's name in Sanksrit here too, see this write-up here), and without Pran alive and well (which is what the risks of the forest journey represented) Pat's own existence would be devoid of life. And Pran has learnt his lesson well too, and returns the sentiment immediately.

This understanding that each lives for the other is what allows them to be parted when Pran goes to Singapore to further his architectural career, for they'd learnt that after their own life-and-death situation they can weather any storm. Physical separation isn't the important thing, because they know what they have will transcend that. My boys! 💖

#bad buddy #our skyy 2 #our skyy 2 x bad buddy #patpran #our skyy 2 x bad buddy x a tale of thousand stars #os2 x bbs x atots

18 notes · View notes

dribs-and-drabbles · 11 months

Text

Colours in Our Skyy 2 A Tale of Thousand Stars (with a little Bad Buddy) ep 4

It had never been certain but I had hoped all along that we would see Pat and Pran in ep 4...and how wonderful that we did...and hence this post exists!

I had thought this would be a quick, short post since the Bad Buddy elements weren't that long/the ep focused mainly on Phupha, Tian and the ATOTS side of the crossover. But, HA!, this is me after all and I've ended up with 23 screenshots 🤦🏽‍♀️ So let's dive in so this doesn't get longer than it needs to.

First, all the red and blue details so common around Pat and Pran: It's hard to see in the left pic but the red of the triangle cushion mat and the blue of Pat's clothes offer the first pairing. Then it's the pens, post-it notes, mosquito net, watering can, mailbox, and sign that offer some more (I'm including pink as red here). I love the "Pat and Pran's love sprout" sign, which feels like an upgrade of the "Pavilion of Peace" sign which Pat brought with him to the bus stop build in BBS ep 3. Yellow - love and happiness - also features, as it has done a lot in these four eps, as well as the olive greens (obstacles to their happiness), which might hint to the 'conditions' Phupha leaves for Pran in his permission for him to put on the play.

And then Pat and Pran leave Pha Pun Dao...but their colours stay with Phupha, Tian, Yod, and Kampung. Even the pouch the children made has these colours, along with yellow. Note that Yod is wearing blue when he drives Pat and Pran away, but then later he wears red when he leaves with Tian - however, an extra walks by in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in blue to add another pairing.

I loved @grapejuicegay's addition to my ep 3 post in which she talked about how both Tian and Phupha lying under the red and blue blanket could show the influence that Pat and Pran were having on them. And even once Pat and Pran leave we can see that their influence remains with Phupha and Tian: In the childrens' clothes, the registration plate and the sign in the car park, and even on their 'date' in the city in the sign of the photo booth. Of course it goes beyond just the colours, as Pat and Pran's influence has played a role in enabling Tian and Phupha to have these moments together.

I'll interrupt the colours for a moment to talk about Tian's elephant pj pants. At first, I loved that it reminded me of Pat's shirt in BBS ep 11, and of the shot of Ink and Pa's feet in BBS ep 9 that I love so much... But then I rewatched the scene before and was reminded of Phupha's line, "I want to know if you forgot how to set up a mosquito net". It's probably not meant to be read as deep as Pat's shirt but I love the connection between Phupha's words and the elephant pants - an elephant never forgets! - and I wonder if it might have been intentional.

Back to the colours, and I'm not surprised Pa and Ink are in red and blue again - but this time the opposite of how they were in ep 1. I do like the styling of putting Pa in similar shirts each time, with the colour trim on a white shirt with a logo print. I haven't talked about any browns above - the earthy colours - since they are used a lot in ATOTS and for different reasons to BBS...but the browns on Pa could relate to my BBS interpretation of the colour - yielding or sacrifice - because we see Pat and Pran yield and kiss each other after being encouraged by Pa (and Korn and Wai) at the end of the play. There's also more red and blue in the bouquets of flowers, and the lighting/curtain behind the group.

And so we come to the end of our time with Pat and Pran and I'll just highlight the obvious/more of what I've already said. Pran is in Pat's blue with his own red in the blanket to the side, with yellow - their love and happiness - in his lap. (Read into all that as you want). Pat is in yellow with teal shorts - mint green/teal being symbolic of their union as a couple (incidentally, I love that in BBS it seemed that Pat wore Pran's mint green shorts a few times...but as their relationship has gotten stronger the mint green has gotten deeper to this teal colour we've seen Pat wear a few times in these OS2 eps). Even the crisps packet Pat picks out is yellow with red. All of this, to me, is as delicious as Pat finds Pran's finger.

And lastly, I'll leave you with Tian and Phupha, since this was supposed to be their ep, and a more neutral palette...because I absolutely ADORED the complementary colours of these outfits, absolutely showing they are a perfect match for each other. Also, it's interesting the way their 'city clothes' are all quite monochrome whereas in Pha Pun Dao their life is full of all different colours.

[ep 1] [ep 2] [ep 3] [ep 4] (<- I was right to be hopeful!)

29 notes · View notes

agmapansa3008 · 3 years

Text

This is for @phupha because it's gonna be too long for an ask. It's Phupha love time. This is long, so it continues under the cut:

So that man is a mess. We love him, but he's a mess. He's been alone for a long time, yes he has friends and yes he thought of Torfun as his sister, but he's been alone a lot. All of the Rangers and Dr Nam have mentioned that he's never really had anyone special, even if Yod and Rang have suspected that Torfun was that special person to him. (It’s interesting that they don't know he's gay. It means that basically, only Dr Nam knows him completely, which is sad but not surprising.)

He's a man, who is dedicated to his cause: Protecting the village and the forests. He won't regret dying for it, but he will regret causing people, who care about him, pain if he does. So he's keeping people at a distance. Again, sad but understandable.

Then Torfun dies, the person who “killed” her isn’t caught, and he’s tasked by his superior to protect his son, who is meant to take her place. He knows who Tian is, he might have heard stories about Tian, so he’s determined to keep his promise to his superior, but he has no illusion that he will like it. Both, the man Tian talked to, to become the volunteer teacher and several other villagers have mentioned that some students came to teach, only for the stories, the credit or the social media cloud. Torfun was probably one of very few, who actually stuck the term out, and who actually fell in love with the little village and its people. So no, Phupha doesn’t think this boy, who’s probably known for being fickle will be a good teacher. He’s prepared to satisfy his whims, send him back home safe and sound and wait for the next teacher.

And then he meets Tian and the boy literally faints into his arms.

Talk about a meet-cute, that Phupha was not expecting.

So he spends time with Tian, first to fulfil his duty and then slowly just because he’s starting to like this kid. He’s very different from the stories he might have heard or from what Phupha has expected. He’s bright, he’s caring and most importantly, he’s really trying. And not just with the kids, he’s actively trying to integrate himself into the village and to help its people.

So something happens, that Phupha has absolutely not expected. He falls in love. Probably for the first time in years (if ever). He panics. And while he’s honestly a pro at flirting (seriously, some of his lines are amazing), when it comes to actual feelings and genuine moments, he’s utterly useless and it’s quite adorable.

So we have Phupha, a man who’s constantly keeping people at a distance - too afraid to care for them in case they leave and too afraid to make them care for him, in case he dies - falling in love with the temporary volunteer teacher. Setting aside the fact that the kid is accident-prone, has a heart condition and can’t keep himself out of trouble, he’s still going to leave eventually as all the teachers do.

And Phupha doesn’t want him to be tied down. He wants him to thrive, to live the best life he can. What he, of course, doesn’t realise is that Tian is currently living the best life he can. He’s finally doing something he wants to do, he’s finally feeling like he’s achieving something and he’s finally happy. Phupha doesn’t know that. He might know that Tian is happy in the moment, but he doesn’t know that Tian was lacking happiness in the life he left behind.

So his initial thought is to send him packing. And Dr Nam manages to change his mind enough for him to actually ask Tian to stay longer.

They are happy.

And then the bombshell is dropped on that happiness, that Tian allegedly killed Torfun and has her heart. The bubble is burst and Phupha is overwhelmed. We’ve seen him struggle with emotions before. He keeps people at a distant, seems strict and silent and doesn’t really know how to express himself. So something in him snaps. It’s not rational to call Tian out in front of the whole village, it’s not planned or controlled. His feelings overwhelm him and he needs answers, so he snaps. Even Nam is surprised by his brash action. Phupha regrets it instantly, you can see the hurt in his eyes when he’s looking at a crying Tian - his own hurt and hurt for Tian because he still loves him, but his feelings are utter chaos.

So he reverts back to cold and distant.

Of course, we feel bad for Tian, but Phupha is absolutely within his right to pull away, to keep his distance and yes to be angry. Because this person, who managed to climb the walls he has built up, to find a place his heart and stay, lied: Not only that he knew of Torfun, but what happened to her. Again, the person who hit her was never found, the rangers never had the closure of knowing what exactly happened. And now, suddenly Phupha is confronted with the thought that the person he fell in love with was the culprit. It was a hit and run. In his mind, Tian hit Torfun and fled, causing her to die alone. That’s not something you can just get over. That’s betrayal and hurt and grief and renewed mourning. He’s human. He’s entitled to his feelings, he allowed to be irrational and to lash out. Of course, we feel for Tian. But why can’t we also feel for Phupha?

And then everything happens at once. He finds out that Tian didn’t kill Torfun after all, he finds him captured and he gets shot. They talk, they makeup and finally it seems that they have a chance at happiness. Their issues are talked about, their feelings are pretty open and it’s peaceful. And then Tian’s father and Phupha’s superior has to return and drop another bombshell on both of them.

And yes, Phupha is making a mistake here, but he’s genuinely feeling that it’s the right thing to do. He’s heartbroken but it’s for Tian. As mentioned before, he doesn’t know that Tian didn’t leave much behind in Bangkok. He hears about his parents missing him, hears about what Tian’s allegedly giving up and thinks that he has to keep Tian from making a mistake. Phupha doesn’t have his parents anymore, he himself didn’t really have any other plans than follow in his father’s footsteps. He’s used to his linear life, but he doesn’t think that Tian realises what he might be giving up if he chooses to stay. Stay in the village and also stay with Phupha. It doesn’t occur to him that Tian has a very different relationship with his parents than he himself probably had. That Tian didn’t find happiness in all the choices he had in Bangkok but did find happiness in the small bubble that is Pha Pun Dao.

So we get the frustrating montage of “I will make you hate me, so you leaving won’t hurt you as much”.

He should have talked to Tian about it, should have given him enough credit that he’s mature enough to know what he wants in life. He should have, yes, but he truly does want what’s best for Tian. And thanks to Dr Nam, Tian also realises Phupha’s actual intentions. He might not like them, but at least he knows them.

Tian asks him if he will forget about him. It’s telling that Phupha doesn’t ask him the same. Yes, he gives him the ring, but that’s more a sign of his love for Tian than something for Tian to remember him by. Phupha thinks Tian will return to Bangkok and forget about him. Maybe not immediately, but eventually. “It will hurt for a while but eventually it will fade.” He said to Nam. He didn’t mean himself, he meant Tian.

That idiot is absolutely sure that Tian will return to Bangkok and forget about him. I can’t wait for him to realise that he’s worth so much more in Tian’s eyes.

Again, he’s a mess and we love him.

He’s human. He’s allowed to be a mess.

#apparently i'm in the mood for character deep dives recently #i do love writing out their feelings #really digging deep into their angsty little heads #anyway this is all about phupha and why we should love this man #this self-sacrificing idiot #he's a mess and i love him #phupha #phutian #phupha viriyanon #atots #atots the series #a tale of thousand stars #a tale of thousand stars the series #1000 stars #1000 stars the series #1k*#1k* the series #earth pirapat

55 notes · View notes

nct-oli · 3 years

Note

I also miss atots! I wanna read your ramblings so may I ask what are some of your head canon for phutian whether it’s during the series or post-series.

HI!! You’re so sweet. I am so sorry that I haven’t responded to this sooner! Life got really hectic, and it honestly kind of stole my creativity, to the point where I read this back when you sent it, but I could not think of a single headcanon at all.

But I’m here and I’m going to finally talk about some because I rewatched ATOTS with a friend and it sparked some headcanons in the process!!

1) This is probably my biggest headcanon. Phupha and Tian wrote emails to each other during their two years apart. I’ve seen some people say letters, and of course letters are super cute and classically romantic. Plus they are fitting given that’s how Tian was communicating with Phupha when he returned to Bangkok. But the reasons I like emails for them are:

Getting letters domestically to a rural village is one thing, but getting them internationally without some of them getting lost feels a bit less likely. And I think Tian and Phupha would know that. So emails are a more consistent and reliable form of communication.

Obviously Phupha can’t access the internet from the village, but you know who does have internet? Dr. Nam. I very much love the idea of Phupha strolling into the clinic every so often trying to be all cool and not at all giddy to check for a new email from Tian, and Dr. Nam never, ever letting him use the computer without a lot of proud best friend teasing. Remember when Phupha went to Dr. Nam to ask what a scar on the chest would mean? Yes, just like that, except regularly. (And when Phupha doesn’t go to Dr. Nam’s clinic, he could go to town to check his email too.)

This part doesn’t really fit the canon storyline at all given Phupha was still gazing at the only photo he had taken of Tian two whole years after taking it and also Phupha never told the children where Tian was. BUT think of the photos they could send each other. Tian sending photos of himself in various places in the US, his hand with Phupha’s ring always visible so Phupha can be there with him for every adventure. Phupha sending photos of the kids as they grow, the tea sachet business (or whatever the villagers end up doing with Mr. Sakda gone), the very rare selfie by a rather self-conscious chief... sending physical letters limits the number of printed photos they could send each other. Plus printing photos may be a bit easier for Tian, given he can just print them at a nearby Walgreens or something, or even have them ordered online. But that would be tougher for Phupha, needing to leave the village and find somewhere. So emailing photos back and forth would be easier.

Imagine Tian printing every email sent back and forth and collecting them. Imagine him in the library with the biggest smile on his face, printing out emails to and from his mountain boyfriend back in Thailand and his university friends watching him with the most confused but intrigued eyes. I love it. I love that idea.

I remember there being discussion post-finale about whether Tian and Phupha communicated in that time at all. The discussion revolves especially around how at ease they seemed in their Pha Pun Dao cliff reunion and they didn’t quite act as though they had been fully apart for two whole years. And I fullheartedly believe they had contact, even if very infrequent. I think they found a way. And while I do think letters are incredibly romantic and fitting, I just have this fondness to emails. Maybe it’s a result of watching We Best Love recently. I’m not sure.

2) Tian chose to go to the US ultimately on his own. Now, we all know his mother is the one who picked the university for him and “sent him away.” But I do like the idea that, after coming to terms with the fact that maybe running away to Pha Pun Dao immediately wasn’t the best plan, especially if Phupha wanted to forget him, he grew to like the idea of going abroad. It would be his chance to have probably as much freedom as he could get. He wanted to go to the US before he died (episode 3 conversation with Tul). He could take time to himself, without the influence of anyone else, and figure out just what he wanted for his life. And when Phupha showed up at the airport and they got their true feelings out in the open, Tian didn’t feel like his family was pushing him away from the man he loved and the life he wanted; he felt that he had agency in choosing the US and asking Phupha to wait for him, to give him the chance to figure out this new chapter first. I find comfort believing Tian didn’t board that plane feeling resentful but instead feeling hopeful. And when he returned, he wasn’t filled with regrets. He was filled with excitement that he was returning home to Pha Pun Dao and Phupha right on time. (Plus Phupha had more confidence when Tian returned to him that he truly wanted to be there in the village with him, because despite literally traveling the world and seeing so many options available to him for places to build his future, Tian still chose Pha Pun Dao.)

3) The teacher’s house remains Tian’s home too. Hear me out: I don’t mean full time. I’m obviously a massive softie for domestic PhuTian, so I want him to still stay with Phupha. And Phupha probably can’t leave the base permanently, as he’s the chief and needs to be there regularly for his rangers, so the two of them can’t move into the teacher’s house fully either. But Phupha’s room is quite small. I love the idea that Tian still escapes sometimes out to the teacher’s house where it’s quiet and he can still have his own space. A space to lesson plan, to take the students when they need a new environment, to feel connected to his three original months in the village when he fell in love with the people and his person (Phupha). That house was his home, and while Phupha’s place is now also his home, I like the idea that Tian still keeps that house for himself too. At least so long as it isn’t needed by anyone else. (Also, if Phupha and Tian need space, well, there’s no Yod out there to start knocking.)

4) This semi-connects to the last one. When Tian and Phupha finally get married, they have a ceremony in the village and Tian convinces Tul to stay a night in Pha Pun Dao. His parents come to the wedding too, but they stay in a hotel in the city, where Tul stays some nights except for the night Tian gets him to stay with him. Tian and Tul stay in the teacher’s house, and Tian tells him all about his many nights sleeping there. Tul is, well, not convinced of its appeal at first, but watching Tian share his stories with the brightest smile, he decides he can warm up to it a little bit. And after seeing Tian with Phupha, with the kids, and with the rest of the village, and finally understanding how perfectly Tian fits in Pha Pun Dao, it starts to make sense to him why some of the luxuries don’t matter to Tian anymore... will Tul himself ever move to a rural village like that? Absolutely not. He’s not convinced that much. But the joy that village life brings his best friend and the glow he exhibits is enough to leave Tul content for one night on a hard mattress inside a mosquito net in the middle of seemingly nowhere. (No but really, imagine the chaos of Tul trying to live in Pha Pun Dao for a night. I want to watch that so much.)

5) Okay, I hope the couple that got married have a child and that child goes to school under Tian’s teaching. Or someone else in the village has a child. Imagine Tian getting a new student and having to navigate a classroom with early teenagers and a tiny kid. (Headcanon within a headcanon: Tian did a LOT of research during his two years abroad specifically on multi-aged classrooms because he knew he wanted to return to Pha Pun Dao one day and would need the skills.)

6) Longtae and Tian most definitely go on that trip across the border that Longtae wanted (just a couple years late). And they have the best time. Longtae tells Tian about any new stories from university. Tian shares stories about his students and tries not to talk about Phupha too much but occasionally can’t help it, to which Longtae smiles brightly like the cute bestie he is. And the two of them get the CUTEST photos that Longtae prints for Tian immediately when he gets back to the city.

All of these headcanons are for those two years away or after he returns. I’m trying to think of some headcanons for the show prior to ep 10 part 4/4...

6) OH this doesn’t necessarily have to be before ep 10 part 4/4 in the timeline, but Phupha and the rangers apologize to Tian and the villagers for not telling them about Torfun’s death sooner and that burden being left for Tian to carry instead. I just want that settled.

7) HERE’S ONE FOR WITHIN THE SERIES TIMELINE. At the wedding in episode 4, Phupha didn’t deny it when Dr. Nam called Tian Phupha’s guy. So yes, of course Dr. Nam started calling Tian that all of the time, to which Phupha did eventually argue against but he secretly liked hearing it. His guy.

8) I’m back to going outside of the timeline again... all of my headcanons are for after the series it seems. Oops. But Tian most definitely brought the kite to Pha Pun Dao with him, and it hangs very proudly on the wall in their room. Tian tells Phupha about how he had it flying back at his family house in Bangkok, how seeing it blow in the wind brought him comfort when he felt homesick for the village and for Phupha. That knowledge had Phupha smiling for the rest of the week.

I’m running out of ideas. I kind of wanted to hit ten, but I just don’t have ten headcanons off the top of my head. BUT if I think of anymore, I’m sure I’ll post about them somewhere. Maybe I’ll even write a ficlet about some of these... I used to write those here and there, way back when... we’ll see.

Thank you again for your message, anon! You are a wonderful human. I’m sorry for taking so long to respond, but I didn’t forget about your message or ignore it. I just couldn’t get my brain to give me anything to respond with! I hope my rambling was sufficient for you. <3

(Also man, I miss writing about ATOTS so ridiculously much. This felt so familiar and also kind of sad. Phupha, Tian, villagers... come back to us. I miss you.)

#phutian #phupha x tian #a tale of thousand stars #atots #1000 stars #anon #I miss ATOTS so much every day #I just rewatch episodes and EarthMix interviews trying to pretend the show didn’t actually end

43 notes · View notes

theworldinclines · 3 years

Text

Title: tian and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad morning

Pairing: Phupha/Tian, Phupha & Tian

Prompt: “Is that my shirt?” (x)

AO3 link

Tian is jolted unpleasantly from sleep by a knocking at his door.

There are few things in life Tian really hates. Yams, for one, with their absolutely repulsive texture. He also despises being woken up from sleep and has always prided himself on never requiring morning alarms.

He’s a man of routine and after only a couple days his body sets into the pattern he chooses, and although he’d had to replace his usual eight a.m. with seven to make class on time, he’s never been late thanks to his inner clock.

Of course, it isn’t as though he’s never slept past that clock. It will be a half hour, at the most, and in the past it didn’t matter because he didn’t have anywhere to be. Because he’s been on time thus far, Tian’s passed the days unworried about being late in the certainty that he simply never would be, because this matters.

That so-called logic is total nonsense, as it turns out.

He’s prepared to give whoever may be at his door a real tongue-lashing because seeing as he needs every second of rest he can get before pouring his energy into class, this person has real audacity to interrupt said rest. Another knock has Tian rolling over with a groan and he throws off his blankets to stomp over to the door.

The sunlight hits his eyes as he does, so he angles his hand over them as a visor to help him see easier. He sort of wishes he hadn’t, because there’s the Chief, arms over his broad chest and looking none too amused.

“Tian, do you know what time — ” He pauses, gaze flickering to Tian’s chest. Tian’s nose wrinkles at the attention and he glances down as well at himself. Mortified, he realises what he’s wearing at the same instant Phu says, “Is that my shirt?”

It’s not like Tian can deny it, even though he wonders if somehow convincing Phu this is a dream would work to avoid the mocking he’s sure to endure.

“Uh, it’s Yod’s,” Tian says, which is in no way better than the truth and just as deeply regrettable. Phu tilts his head, unconvinced, and Tian rolls his eyes to the ceiling. “Yeah, it’s yours. I sleep in it sometimes.” God forbid he’s blushing right now; as if he needs to give Phu the satisfaction, not to mention ammunition. “I don’t have many clothes here, remember?”

“I didn’t say anything,” Phu says, clearing his throat and looking away.

“And it isn’t like I expected you to show up and see me in it; I’m supposed to be sleeping. What’re you even doing here? You haven’t walked me to the classroom since I got here, and class doesn't even start for — ”

“Tian, what time do you think it is?”

“I don’t know, half past six?”

Phupha shakes his head and flashes his wristwatch at Tian, whose eyes widen. It’s not half past six, it’s almost half past eight! He’d woken up over an hour later than he’s supposed to!

“How is that possible?” he blurts. “I wake up at the same time every day without a problem!”

“When I left after last night’s rounds, you’d been working on lesson outlines,” Phu says. “When did you get to sleep?”

Tian’s mouth closes. Another thing he hates is feeling like an idiot.

He mumbles in return, and Phu puts a hand to his ear, leaning forward. “Sorry?”

“I fell asleep at two!” Tian repeats, snappish. “I haven’t had any trouble before; I didn’t think it’d matter this time either.”

“Well, you’ve had trouble this time. The kids have been waiting for you and it took Yod all but bribing them with the promise of ice cream this afternoon for them to not call it quits.”

Tian sighs, rubbing his forehead. “I’ll be there in ten minutes. Okay? Just go tell them — ”

“I don’t think so.”

“Huh?”

“I’m going to wait here for you. How else will I know you won’t try to sneak some more beauty sleep?”

“It isn’t beauty sleep, Chief, and I wouldn’t — ” Tian takes a calming breath. “Fine, do whatever you like. I’ll just change and brush my teeth on the way over.”

“Change?”

“My clothes,” Tian says slowly, like Phu is dense.

“Just wear what you have on.”

Tian looks again at the forest ranger t-shirt and shorts he’d put to match. That with flip-flops, he’ll look like a total scrub. Plus he hasn’t worn Phu’s shirt in public since the day he’d literally been forced to, and he’s kept it that way on purpose.

“Tian, we don’t have all day,” Phu says, his voice taking on an impatient edge. Tian throws up his hands and he spins around to retrieve his toothbrush and paste. He conveniently misses the tiny smile Phu allows onto his face before the chief heads off down the steps for the path, letting Tian follow after.

“I suppose I’ll have to walk you to class from here on out,” he tells Tian. “To be sure you aren’t late again.”

“I won’t be late, Chief.”

“Heard that before.”

Tian rolls his eyes. “If you’re so concerned about it I’m surprised you don’t just sleep in my cabin to make sure I’m up.” At that, Tian does his best not to react outwardly at the mental cringe he’s staving off and he hurries ahead on the path to get away from whatever joke Phu is likely to crack.

“Good to see you with a sense of urgency, Khun,” he calls after Tian. “I’ll expect nothing less tomorrow.” Tian’s only response is a huff as he spits toothpaste into the grass, to Phu’s amusement.

The morning is further tainted by Meejoo opening their discussion with, “Where’d you get a forest ranger’s shirt? Can I get one too?” echoed by the other children chorusing the same. Phu’s eyes positively sparkle at Tian from the back of the classroom, which has Tian’s cheeks turning pink and Phu’s fellow rangers smirking.

Tian’s never waking up late again. For real this time.

#my writing #phutian #phupha x tian #atots #a tale of thousand stars #thai bl #fics #fic #archive of our own #ao3 #phuphatian #mlm #tian and the terrible horrible no good very bad morning

50 notes · View notes

heretherebedork · 3 years

Note

The Battle Royale is back!! This time: Uke edtion 2.0: the comeback!! (This time: the battle is randomized and shuffled!)

Now who among here excretes the most uke energy? A gaybie? A soft uke? A perfect Uke? And the contestants are:

Taekyung vs. Adachi

Sky (GB) vs. Tae Joo (Eyes Linger)

Pi vs. Gene

Tian vs. Pharm

ShuYi vs. Shi Lei

Zhao Zi vs. Si Qi

Meen vs. Tine

Jin vs. Arthit

Kit (Gen Y) vs. Wad (SOTUS S)

Karl vs. Gavreel

Tutor vs. Knock

Mico vs. Jaime

Reb vs. Jim

Tong vs. Folk

Paii vs. Wayo (2moons2)

Beam vs. Kit (Both 2moons2)

Mon vs. Shi Gu

Chon vs. Mes

Masuk vs. Nuea

King vs. Third

Puth vs. Boss (My Engineer)

Kao (DBK) vs. Kao (Oxygen)

Chol vs. Xingsi

Mu Ren vs. Yu Hao (Crossing the Line)

Pete (LBC) vs. Fiat

Yeon Woo (Color Rush) vs. Ki Wan (Ryu's Wedding)

Hin (Chance to Love) vs. Hin (Lovely Writer)

Aey vs. Yi Chen (Obsessed)

Pao vs. Ake

Phai (Gen Y) vs. Wayu (Gen Y)

Day (Sotus S) vs. Zon (WhyRU)

Typhoon vs. Mekhin (Close Friend)

Team vs. In

Guitar vs. Ray (Close Friend)

Type (2gether) vs. Sang Ha (Mr. Heart)

Sheng Zhe (Right or Wrong) vs. Shao Fei

Frong vs. Duen

King vs. Sky (My Day)

Ou Wen vs. Minh Hoang

Can vs. Techno

Yu Zhen vs. Bunn

Bonus: (Ga On vs. Da On)

This time, anyone can play! Feel free to play this game! It's open to all!

I'd also like to dare @absolutebl and @raiko101 to try this one! Hehehe

and also: thank you @absolutebl for your posts! I also learned a lot from you! prolly half of these characters came from you so, yay thanks!

Goodluck!

Ahaha, wow, my anons are pulling in my mutuals? Again? My life is wild here, y'all. Yay Battle Royale Anon! How did you know I have time to kill before Golden Blood?

Also, this one is fascinating because how does one define uke? Because some of these characters might be bottoms but I wouldn't define them as ukes because ukes are typically the ones being pursued. So I've sort of been trying to figure that out and so some of these get some odd answers depending on the character. Is an uke defined as what most straight girls think of a bottom? Is an uke the character being pursued or who needs to be taken care of?

... Look, uke is an ever-evolving word, especially from when I first joined fandom. So it's very interesting!

Taekyung vs. Adachi

Adachi has to win this. I love Taekyung to death and he's my tiny gaybie but Adachi just... he's darling and small and he needs to be protected and pursued and he just... fits more of what I think of as an uke. Now, this is probably because this is a Japan (creator of the uke/seme dynamic as we know it) versus Korea (who really don't do strong seme/uke dynamics) thing rather than a character thing. Since uke really is in the relationship and not just the character...

Sky (GB) vs. Tae Joo (Eyes Linger)

It's Sky. Sky is a baby. Sky is absolutely baby. He's in need of so much love and care and protection. Although Tae Joo is close and he definitely needs it, it's in a different way. Plus, Sun is gonna take a bullet for Sky and I am an absolute sucker for that. But they're such good characters to contrast.

Pi vs. Gene

I gotta admit that I'm giving this to Gene. Now, this is because of the show. I want Gene to be taken care of by his love. I want Nubsib to love and care for Gene. I don't want Pi to be take care of. I want Pi to go be independent and pissy somewhere else without ever thinking about Mork again.

Tian vs. Pharm

Pharm had to win this. I love Tian, don't get me wrong. But Tian and Phupha have a different dynamics than Dean and Pharm. Dean and Pharm definitely lean more towards what I would consider a seme/uke relationship and, thus, Pharm wins. Also, tiny gaybie Pharm almost always wins.

ShuYi vs. Shi Lei

This is so interesting because it's Taiwan vs Taiwan and they don't do the really strong seme/uke... but yeah, it's Shu Yi. Shu Yi 100%. Shi Lei is an uke but he's not as much of one as Shu Yi. Shu Yi is such a darling who just needs so much love.

Zhao Zi vs. Si Qi

It's Zhao Zi. Look, I adore Si Qi. He's a darling. But Zhao Zi is just gaybie energy x100 alongside abandonment issues and that sunshine over sadness energy is just A+.

Meen vs. Tine

This one is hard. They're both such ukes, such little gaybies... But I like Meen more, so I'm going with him. He was the bright spot in the show where Tine was, ironically, one of my least favorite characters in his show.

Jin vs. Arthit

I had to give this to Jin. He just loved being pursued so much and all the attention and the little gifts from Bbomb just made him so happy. He couldn't help himself. Arthit just didn't quite have that with Kongpob, as much as I love them together. Different vibes.

Kit (Gen Y) vs. Wad (SOTUS S)

Kit is basically the perfect example of a tsundere uke. Like, he is the platonic (lol) ideal. And I love him for that so much. He's definitely one of my favorite characters just in general and such a little tsundere uke he has to win.

Karl vs. Gavreel

This one is a bit harder. Ugh. Like, you could claim it for either one and also argue that neither one is exactly an uke... but I'm gonna give it to Gavreel. Mostly for levels of realism. Karl is just so realistic it's hard to call him an uke.

Tutor vs. Knock

Yeah, it's Tutor. He was tough as nails but he melted so nicely under Fighter's hands and just falls apart and gets sick without him and that's just... such an uke thing, okay? SUCH an uke thing.

Mico vs. Jaime

I had to go with Mico. I love Mico. He's such a darling and absolutely radiates gaybie in need of love energy at all times and I still desperately wish that Hello Stranger the movie had given him more of a chance at the end rather than a rush.

Reb vs. Jim

... It's Reb because Jim just annoyed me mostly. Also, Reb is tiny and adorable and has that super innocent gaybie energy that makes him a bit more real but also a bit more uke. I dunno, this is what I mean about the definition of uke. It's hard to pin down for me!

Tong vs. Folk

Look, I get it, I'm the only person who preferred IttPai to PureFolk. I GET IT. But that just means I'm gonna pick Tong because PokTong was the best pairing beside MarkKit and also holy shit sex and holy shit the love they share that they damaged and hurt so much together... ugh, uke energy be damned, I'm choosing my favorite.

Paii vs. Wayo (2moons2)

Yo is ultimate uke. He's such an uke is almost hurts. Like, he always wins this. Every time. No question or hesitation.

Beam vs. Kit (Both 2moons2)

Kit wins again. Because Kit is a tsundere uke and, frankly, 2moons2 Kit is even MORE of the perfect tsundere uke because he also melts. He melts so hard and so fast and it's adorable beyond belief.

Mon vs. Shi Gu

Sorry, Shi Gu, but Mon is such an uke. Like holy sheesh this boy. This most darling boy. He's tiny and gaybie and adorable and PORTABLE and yeah, he's super uke.

Chon vs. Mes

I'm gonna give it to Chon because he's just... a bit more? To me. He's more of an uke and I love him for it. Tough as nails uke boy with a lot of of darlingness. Yeah, just gotta go with my heart.

Masuk vs. Nuea

I might like Nuea more but I think Masuk has more uke vibes. They're still weak but they're there and I just gotta give it to my darling Masuk. He's so soft and needs so much love and a lot of care.

King vs. Third

Third is ultimate uke. Crying in a shower? Weeping over everything? Very protective friends? Yeah. YEAH. He wins this.

Puth vs. Boss (My Engineer)

Puth just isn't an uke to me. He's got different vibes. But Boss? Boss is an uke and adorable and he just wants to finally love Mek openly and honestly and just be held and goofy and ride on his back. And seriously, love the boy.

Kao (DBK) vs. Kao (Oxygen)

Ugh, this is hard because I'm not 100% on how much an uke Kao (Oxygen) is and I don't really think about DBK ever... I'll give it to Oxygen. I love Oxygen and I miss Kao.

Chol vs. Xingsi

Xingsi wings this by being the most take over uke ever, the one who definitely wants to be spoiled but also knows exactly how he wants to be spoiled and isn't afraid to show it. Gotta love him.

Mu Ren vs. Yu Hao (Crossing the Line)

I gotta give this to MuRen. CTL had almost no seme/uke energy but they definitely went harder in CTY. So... MuRen wins by virtue

Pete (LBC) vs. Fiat

Screw you, they're both ultimate ukes. Everybody wins!

Yeon Woo (Color Rush) vs. Ki Wan (Ryu's Wedding)

I had to go with Yeon Woo. Like, I had to. What a darling little uke who needed to be chased and needed to be convinced and needed to be saved from himself and the other people who love him.

Hin (Chance to Love) vs. Hin (Lovely Writer)

Lol, I had to go with Chance to Love because, like, look at that boy. He gave up everything in the hopes that his seme would be happy and just... what a tiny darling. Sadly, Hin didn't get any romance. So... outta luck, child.

Aey vs. Yi Chen (Obsessed)

Obsessed is just all about the seme/uke dynamic. I had to give it to Yi Chen. Like, had to. Absolutely had to.

Pao vs. Ake

Neither are my favorites but I have to give the uke energy to Pao. Ake is adorable and all but Pao just radiates that 'I'm a baby take care of me' energy, especially as a ghost.

Phai (Gen Y) vs. Wayu (Gen Y)

Yu is the most uke uke to ever uke. Seriously. What a baby. And he's such an uke he has two semes fighting over him! You can't get much more uke than that, let's be honest.

Day (Sotus S) vs. Zon (WhyRU)

Look, I gotta be honest, I mostly just watch the Kongpob and Arthit scenes of SOTUS S. But also... Zon. Zon is puppy uke. He is tiny, tiny puppy uke and I cannot deny him that title. He deserves it.

Typhoon vs. Mekhin (Close Friend)

I gotta give it to Typhoon. I still don't like that part very much and I just want to protect him from his boyfriend ignoring him and I think part of that is what makes him such an uke. I just want to protect him so badly.

Team vs. In

In's not an uke to me. But Team? I'm good with that. I can handle it. And he needs that care and that love. Also, as I say every time... Between Us must exist!

Guitar vs. Ray (Close Friend)

Gui beats Ray by a hair. BARELY at all. But I just love Gui and his darling softness and just his everything... Ugh, Gui definitely has uke energy.

Type (2gether) vs. Sang Ha (Mr. Heart)

I gotta go with SangHa. What a darling boy. Type is great and all but their relationship is much more equal than anything else. And SangHa is just... this boy who needs to be loved and cared for and then to run alongside his boyfriend.

Sheng Zhe (Right or Wrong) vs. Shao Fei

I gotta give it to Sheng Zhe. I love Shao Fei deeply but Sheng Zhe wins in terms of uke. Like, he's darling and family and sweet and full of love and I love him so much I cannot even.

Frong vs. Duen

Duen gets it, even if I view him as entire asexual and, frankly, more than a bit aromantic. I genuinely think he dislikes being in a committed relationship. But... uke energy? Yeah, he gives out more than Frong.

King vs. Sky (My Day)

King is way more uke than Sky because Sky isn't uke at all. My Day was amazing for having such no seme/uke dynamic, yo. But King? Yeah, he's got that energy with Ram.

Ou Wen vs. Minh Hoang

I'm gonna give this to Minh Hoang. Because Ou Wen isn't uke energy for me. But Minh Hoang has some. Neither of these shows really does the seme/uke energy, honestly. But I can lean a bit more towards Minh Hoang.

Can vs. Techno

I'm giving it to Can despite the unconventional nature of his relationship with Tin and the maturity they show through the show. But I love Can and the want to care for him and I want to protect him. And the more I want to protect a character, the more I go with uke. (Not that I'm a seme, I'm just a sunshine puppy disguised as a person.)

Yu Zhen vs. Bunn

I feel weird but I'm definitely giving it to Yu Zhen. I gotta. I can't help myself. He's such a darling young man who just needs to be taken care of by Shi Lei on every possible level. I mean, boy still doesn't know not to eat gummies. Seriously.

Bonus: (Ga On vs. Da On)

I have to give this to DaOn. I can't help myself. I get the same energy from Ga On but DaOn just sends me away with the need to protect him, seriously.

Holy shit that took me the entire length of The Boy Foretold by the Stars, fyi. BUT I DID IT.

#battle royale anon #bl battle royale #thai bl #taiwan bl #korean bl #china bl #vietnam bl #bl drama #bl series #i could list them all #but holy shit i almost don't want to #love you anon #anon asks #anon answers

45 notes · View notes