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absolutebl · 9 months

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This week in BL - Gay Boy Turf Wars Galore!

Also, ALL the guest couples: TutorYim & MacNat showed up in Korea. Korea also reused the Love Class pair. And Wayne Song & Huang Chun Chih (H3:MODC) popped up AGAIN. (To be fair, when does Wayne not show up in a Taiwanese BL?)

Entirely subjective yadda yadda. Organized by favs in each category. No numbered lists anymore, tumblr be buggn'.

Aug 2023 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Laws of Attraction (Sat iQIYI) 7 of 8 - Plot reveals galore + all the penultimate tension we could want. (How many different kinds of smiles does Film have in his arsenal?) OMG I LOVE the unhinged idiot bloody tattooed ex bf - intro music and all. He is my precious psycho-bunny-snookums. Also Tinn, baby-boy, communicating about your honest feelings in a BL? What madness is this? I sense doom incoming. Smart Chan, always tell him he’s better in bed than your ex. The sides getting caught! Noooooo. I mean we knew it would happen but still noooooooo!

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Sat YT) ep 2 of 12 - I like the surreal slip-stream dream-sequence openings. Is it a cerebral examination of temporal paradox or just designed to creep us out? The pace has picked up a bit and I'm delighted that external threat, stressors, and conflict are driving this plot. Refreshing. I love historicals - every touch and action can have such lingering significance, it’s very elegant. Thai BLs can often feel clumsy but not this one. I’m really enjoying it.

Dangerous Romance (Fri YT) ep 2 of 12 - Sailom is great. I love a smartass who’s actually really smart, reminds me of Bai Luo Yin in Addicted. (The real Addicted.) Never a bad thing. Kang is nasty bit of business, I look forward to his redemption arc. I love his grandma. (BL is giving good grandma right now.) Nicely executed narrative twist into sympathy too: rich kid sees how rough life really is. The complexity of character depth needed for this script makes me so happy it's Perth & Chimon, they both have such expressive nuanced faces.

I do keep wanting to rewatch LBC tho.

Only Friends (Sat YT) ep 3 of 10 - It remains a blast. Boston is king of red flags, cutting down Ray because he is the easiest punching bag? Going after his friend's bf just to prove he can? No thank you. I know Ray is lovely when he’s soft but danger zone, Sand. Be careful upon entering a minefield, every little step forward may cause an explosion. I don’t think being master of snark is gonna help you avoid getting blown up.

Sand is the one I feel the worst for - bi guy strays into cesspit of gay toxicity. He ain’t gonna make it out alive.

Hidden Agenda (Sun GMMTV YouTube) ep 7 of 10 - The boyfriends date ep! Zo’s past explains a lot about his behavior. Flirty Zo is v dangerous to all our hearts. Nice kiss. Poor Joke. Meanwhile, the side couple gave good kiss too! However, why is Title playing the bad guy again? Did GMMTV bring him in just to be resident jerk face in all their BL? Makes me sad.

Be Mine Super Star (Mon Viki) ep 8 of 12 - This should be a 8 or 10 ep show, 12 is too many. I think I just don’t like the lead couple's character dynamic and personalities. (No shade on JaFirst.) Side couple went startlingly high heat allasudden. And while their sex scene was good, I wish Daddy and the Hot Doc were being given a lot more script, screen time, and character dev. Sigh. I guess I just wish they were the mains and the others were the sides.

Can't have everything, I suppose.

Wedding Plan (Wed YT & iQIYI) ep 6 of 7 - Nuea is a saint and next week everything comes to a head (that didn’t already get head this episode). Trash watch here!

Love in Translation (Sat iQIYI) ep 2 of 10 - The side couple is everything. They are so cute and my favorite trope. Plus hugs with neck kisses! I love big brother using his adorable boyfriend to try and help his annoying little brother’s business. It’s just perfect. Unfortunately, that annoying little brother, is too fucking annoying. I remain largely unable to watch the main story arc.

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) 1 of 24 eps - Sampler pack BL, 12 pairs, each pair gets 2 eps, so this show will run all the way into 2024.

First installment is Casanova Begins. Dead boy wakes up in his enemy’s body, 2 years after his own death. Has to make things right with the boyfriend who thinks he was abandoned. Everyone has secrets. No one can be trusted. And the dead kid can never tell anyone who he really is. It’s … different? Unique take on the My Ghost Boyfriend trope.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Jun & Jun (Korea Thur Viki) ep 6 of 8 - Random moment of TutorYim. Hi cuties. Simon is my favorite, I love him and his flirty irreverent ways.

Who does he actually like?

Or is he just flirting with everyone?

Can he have a crush on anyone but himself?

He’s a house cat among the pigeons. Clearly wouldn't know what to do with the bird if he managed to catch it. Or would he?

The 4 boys dodging around each other and re-shuffling is so funny. I can’t tell you how delighted this show makes me. I do feel sorry for Lee Jun, he’s just the toy everyone wants to play with. I understand his frustration, do any of them really want him or is it all because the others are interested? Kiss! Yay! Good kiss! Even more yay!

Stay By My Side (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 9 of 10 - Poor baby doesn’t think he’s good enough and is holding JC back. They are THE CUTEST BOYFRIENDS. It hurts. The sappy.

Kisseki: Dear to Me (Taiwan Tues Viki & iQIYI) eps 1-2 of 13(?) - From screenwriter Lin Pei Yu (We Best Love, H3: Trapped) formerly known as Miracle, features a student doctor forced to take care of a gangster. I love the premise and like the writer. This one could be sad. Never forget Taiwan will go there.

Shall we get tucked in?

Gay boy turf wars! Main couple is cute. Sunshine gangster (turns out to be a sweetie who cooks) meets broken brilliant tsundere student who wants to be a doctor. Side couple is the leader of the gang and his rabid Pet. Also, all praise the guest couple de jour (baddies). Nice to see you 2... again. All actors are clearly having a blast with this script.

Triggers for knife play, child abuse, lingering trauma.

Love Class Season 2 (Korea Fri Viki) eps 5-6 of 10 - Aw guest couple from Love Class original, that is very sweet. The tutor and returning student, aka couple 3, are the best. So funny. But the whole thing remains engaging in a messy way.

Why R U? (Korea Wed iQIYI) eps 1-2 of 8 - Oh, it’s very odd. Certainly a lot more comprehensible if you've already watched the Thai version. As with that version, I still dislike the SaifahZon couple and love the FighterTutor couple. And once again I hate the weird IRL shipping sister. HATE HER. I’m not mad at the "Man who Fell into the World of BL" overtones but I wish they went at it more intentionally. (They’re not using NPC the way I would, are they? Cause that’s hella cruel.) MaxNat are fun. I love that Fighter went to his girlfriend's birthday party, didn’t even say hi to her, picked up her drunk bestie, and took him home.

This show is WILD. It’s very Korea tries to do a Thai BL. And, I gotta say, I kind of like the absurdity of the whole scheme. Do I think it will ultimately "work" as a stand alone piece? No. But as a very odd kind of parody? Sure.

Minato's Laundromat Season 2 AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (Japan Thu Gaga) ep 7 of 12 - Truth always comes out in hot springs. It's a rule of life. Coming clean is coming clean, I suppose. Still, moving very slowly for me and I need sake to get through this season. It's certainly suffering from sophomore slump.

Stay Still (Hong Kong Tues YouTube) ep 4 of 5 - Sad episode is sad.

In case you missed it

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 3 of 8 - didn't air this week

Dinosaur Love (Sun iQIYI) ep 9 of 10 eps - Didn’t drop this week? MDL thinks it should have. Everyone is confused. But also… who cares?

Low Frequency (Thai iQIYI) Finished it's run - NO SINGING as flirty boyfriends they very cute actually, but this final ep was V E R Y slow.

All in all this was not a great show. Classic pulp with an interesting twist on “ghost boyfriend investigates his own not-murder” but ultimately not very good in any arena. 6/10 Only if you have nothing better to do.

Sing My Crush (Korea iQIYI) Finished it's rerun

This a cute coming of age drama around music and 2 kinds of self acceptance and actualization journeys. This was basically Korea’s version of About Youth, and was perhaps a bit too soft and ungrounded by comparison, like a marshmallow sculpture. Sweet but somewhat lacking in discernible flavor. Inoffensively unmemorable. 8/10 RECOMMENDED especially if you enjoy KBL's style

8/24 Man Suang (Thailand movie, domestic cinema release) - historical drama about Thai burlesque with KP’s MileApo. Do I know where to get it? Nope. Do I care? Nope.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Coming September

I have 4 on my radar:

9/2 Naughty Babe (Thailand Sat ????) - MaxNat back on our screens. We think iQIYI but aren't confident.

9/15 You Are Mine (Taiwan ????) - it's taking over from Stay By My Side so likely Gaga. Secretary has to deal with grumpy boss.

9/26 I Cannot Reach You AKA I Can't Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai (Japan ????) - Adapted from the manga, childhood best friends: The cool, smart one who’s good at everything, and his average, dorky friend who struggles. Always by the other’s side, but not together in the way they truly want to be. No matter how hard they try, their hearts cannot reach each other.

9/27 Absolute Zero (Thai iQIYI) - from 2021, Studio Wabi Sabi and New Siwaj finally bring us this “time loop to prevent tragedy” romance. We don’t always get HEAs from them, so I'm on my guard.

9/?? Venus in the Sky (Thai iQIYI) 10 eps - ????

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

No you aren't, Lom. You don't even know what that means. (Wedding Plan)

Minato comes out to the best person.

Trope spotlight! (Low Frequency)

I Fell You Linger in the Air

So true. (Only Friends)

I love them so much, as @heretherebedork would put it, Tiny Idiots!

(Last week)

Gotta say I am hating this new UI so much I'm not bothering to tag with shows. We shall see what that does for ROI.

#this week in BL #bl news #BL reviews #korean bl #japanese bl #taiwanese bl #thai bl #Rakutan Viki #gagaoolala #GMMTV

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shortpplfedup · 1 year

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My School President Episode 5: Ah, youth...

This show gets better every episode. So full disclosure: I love love LOVE musicals, and I did not expect this to actually be a musical, so when it was essentially cemented this episode with the final number that this isn't musical-adjacent, this isn't musical-esque, this is TOTALLY an actual musical...besties I ascended. I am 150% in the tank for this show. This week, Chinzhilla (and everybody else) get a dose of reality and retreat to their individual corners to think long and hard about the future, and our secondary couples reveal themselves.

Verse: What dreams may come

Where there is desire, there is gonna be a flame Where there is a flame, someone's bound to get burned But just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die You've gotta get up and try, try, try

P!nk | Try (2012)

I said it last ep, but this show is really so much about the importance of working toward your dreams and having somebody in your corner while you do that. This week Chinzhilla's setback isn't caused by any external factor, but by reality invading their little bubble. Attending guidance counseling sessions serves as a harsh reminder that there is an 'after': after Hot Wave, after high school. Adulthood is lurking right around the corner, and with it the realities of earning a living. And while playing in a band with your friends is fun, the reality is for most of these kids it will never pay the rent, as much as they dream of it.

Gun as our protagonist carries the lion's share of the angst here, because he doesn't have a backup plan, this is his only dream, and if it doesn't work out the stakes are much higher for him than for any of the others. His mother insists it's not his job to take care of her, but he sees how hard she works, and how exhausted she is, and how despite all of that she supports his dream, and his guilt is palpable. He can't imagine taking so much from her and not being able, in the end, to give anything back.

Tinn is having his own moments of doubt, questioning whether his dream of being a doctor is really his own or if it's his mother's. In episode 3, when he told Gun he became school president to help people, that wasn't all bullshit. Tinn's love language is clearly acts of service, that shows in everything he does for Gun this ep, including dragging him out of bed and whipping his ass into shape. Helping Gun helps Tinn, it makes him surer that he can give people what they need. And when Gun stumbles, when he breaks down, Tinn knows exactly what he needs then too.

Chorus: I only have eyes for you

Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel Like you're less than fuckin' perfect Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing You're fuckin' perfect to me

P!nk | Fuckin' Perfect (2010)

Tinn is falling deeper in love by the day, and as he and Gun get closer, he gets more and more confident. He was outright flirting this ep, teasing Gun, complimenting him, being his cheerleader and almost his agent in a way. Tinn sees Gun so clearly, he sees his potential, he sees his flaws, he sees his talent, and he sees his weaknesses, he sees when he needs to be praised and when he needs a swift kick in the pants. As long as he's had this crush on Gun, now things are different; he actually KNOWS him now, he knows what drives him, what hurts him, what keeps him up at night. This isn't just a crush anymore, Tinn's falling in love.

Bridge: I'll be there

Right from the start You were a thief, you stole my heart And I, your willing victim I let you see the parts of me, that weren't all that pretty And with every touch you fixed them

P!nk ft. Nate Ruess | Just Give Me A Reason (2012)

And Gun is starting to fall just as hard for Tinn. His breakdown in Tinn's arms and Tinn both comforting him and alerting his mother that he isn't okay touched the soft squishy parts of him. He feels good about Tinn, and Tinn essentially declaring his intention to be with him and checking that he's ok with that allows him to acknowledge and accept that he feels good about Tinn in a romantic way. I love the conversation/interview in the band room and then the follow-on conversation they have lying next to the pool, because Gun is (surprisingly!) shy about liking Tinn, and it allows Tinn to now take the lead in this back-and-forth between them. His gentle teasing and Gun's shy smiles and blushes are a cute reversal of their dynamic, and I can't wait to see how it continues to unfold.

Ad Libs

I was surprisingly touched by Win and Sound, I didn't expect that to be so serious. It makes sense that somebody as diligent as Sound would get under slacker Win's skin and force him to face the fears that keep him from trying as hard as he can to make his dreams happen. The surprising part was how gentle and supportive Sound was with Win and how Win saw and appreciated that. Give me more of these two.

Tiw and Por is an interesting one and a bit left field, but again it's that...not opposites thing, but complementary thing? We've seen that Tiw is the wind beneath Tinn's dating wings; he's confident, he's bold, he's matter of fact, he doesn't mince words or mix matters, and a dose of that was exactly what Por needed.

I loved loved LOVED the closing number, when Ms. Gim starts singing and then the band members join in one by one, leading to them actually performing the song in the band room...fantastic. It's so hard to put a musical on screen in the modern age and make it feel fresh and of the moment instead of some retro holdover, and this show is doing such a good job of it. And next week it looks like there's a big dance number, which is my crack, so bring it on!

Gun's little jealous moment with the girls flirting with Tinn at the cafe was fun.

Tinn bringing back NobiTinn for the little faux interview...adorable. And Gun thought so too...

The way Gun held on to Tinn so tight as he sobbed into his shoulder...I have Feelings.

Ms. Gim is very astute, I think she sees what's happening between Tinn and Gun.

Tinn lying to his mother about his whereabouts is noted. Trouble is brewing over there.

The auntie in me is worried about Gun's back the way he keeps falling on it.

#my school president #chinzhilla rocks!#Spotify #bl meta series

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dribs-and-drabbles · 9 months

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Laws of Attraction ep 8

I watched the ep on Sat as it aired but then forgot to post these notes. With it being the last ep, I didn't have so much to say...beyond screaming over the brilliance of everything, but here it is anyway.

(Oh god it's all over after this 😭 I miss them already).

That fight was actually great...even though I don't like boxing/fighting. I don't know why Navin isn't worried for Charn's safety though...

Those bruises on Tinn... 😂

I adore Rose and Maya as spies!! Spin-off series now with them as leads running an underground pi business with the bar/singing as a front! Thank you please.

What a fucking location. Out-fuckin-standing.

I LOVE THE DRAMA OF THIS!! LIVE-STREAMING THATTHEP'S CONFESSION?! CHARN YOU FUCKING GENIUS!

Please Charn, please turn off your ringtone 😭🙏🏽

Oh no...Tinn's going to rush in there, get caught by Thatthep's men, and they'll use him to lure Charn out. No no no...

Oh thank god...but wait...

YESSSSSSS CHARN. YOU EVIL GENIUS. FOR ONCE SOMEONE GOING INTO DANGER WEARS A BULLETPROOF VEST. THANK YOU!

Oh oh oh, there's half the ep left. Please let it just be Charn and Tinn being stupidly adorably in love.

Well I was right that the evidence from the doll would be too weak for a prosecution 🤷🏽‍♀️

I can't believe Tanthai still wants to see his father. Smh. I guess despite everything Thatthep did to him, he still seeks recognition and...love?

Charn is such a little shit. I love him.

Not the post-it notes 😭

The marriage equality advocacy speech!!! 👏🏼😍

Glad to see as a collective fandom we are all ignoring the Chan and Tin spellings of their names the show is using. Also, the lettering is in blue! (And it's already been pointed out that it's the same date as the airing day).

Galaxia!

Charn telling his mother that he's happy, with Tinn by his side, surrounded by All. That. Yellow.

Navin! That's it. He's amazing. 10/10. No notes. The best ex-boyfriend we could have gotten for Charn.

I love how Thatthep looks out of focus and obscured (even more than Charn is) behind the metal fence, as though he's not a prominent presence in Charn's life anymore (these are completely unedited screenshots apart from a little crop).

Oh my god the couple sweater vests 😂

Tanthai (and Thee) are finally freeeeeee!

We're all Granny! Yelling at them to kiss 😂

Ugh people in love stink (affectionate)

Not the dolls! 😭

Maya and Rose and their rings!

Tinn still has the ring necklace, and Charn's using his evil babygirl lawyering for good now!

All in all, a fantastic last ep. I think they could have had the wedding date a few years in the future and left it ambiguous as to whether it was a legal wedding or not. But I'm SO glad that from the beginning they set up Charn as being a bit smug about how great a lawyer he was...then made us wonder if he was going to do something stupid and impulsive...but then followed through with Charn's brilliant plan to 'catch' and deal with Thatthep. Yes, he is brilliant and he was right all along about it.

I guess I should add a final note on the colours...which stayed pretty consistent through the series (maybe I'll write another post about just this later) but in short I felt like green represented Tonkhao; Tinn was definitely a loyal blue boy; both Thatthep and Charn also used blue but as a front/a mask to their true selves; Tanthai was generally black and white but was forced to conform to his father's (blue) wishes and tied to the accident of (green) Tonkhao; and Charn...was a bit of an enigma because as well as his blue, he was accompanied by the red of revenge...but under it all I think he was a soft pastel, earthy tones guy, much like his mother...and which is why the shot of the dolls at the end made me gasp so much. Because not only were they there to represent Tonkhao but they both also have Charn and Tinn's colours.

[ep 1] [ep 2] [ep 3] [ep 4] [ep 5] [ep 6] [ep 7]

#laws of attraction #laws of attraction the series #laws of attraction ep 8 #my heart is full #I loved the over-the-top drama #the softness between them #the way the relationship developed #the way my mind changed on tanthai and thee as the series went on #and how although we knew thatthep was Bad™️#we still didn't quite predict the full story of the 'accident'#and his callousness over tonkhao's death #it was all brilliant

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show-addict · 1 year

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So let’s talk about episode 4. With this series every episode get’s better and better. Honestly I cannot even begin to explain how this is one of my favorite series up to date!

It’s soft, fluffy romance is just trying to be the death of me.

And in episode 4, we get to see the feeling of love be reflected in Tinn in how he tries to help Gun with the whole band leader situation. First he swallows hiw pride and goes to the guitar dude to ask him for his help. Which worked in a weird but but it worked so all is good.

And then how he gave him a place to help him get over the lost feeling of not being in the band anymore. He gave him a safe space to express himslef with his music and also show him that people do wanna listen to him sing.

And lastly how he wasn’t selfish in the end and told him to go get his band back. Of course he want him to be with him at the student council, but he knows how much Gun loves the band and wants to play in it with his friends. He sees the passion he has for music. So he tells him to return to his rightfull place.

Which is so amazing, since you don’t really see that a lot in any other series or even real life.

But in this ep we also get a glipmse of Gun’s feeling realization, that yes he does like Tinn. He has feeling for this boy whom he was frennemies with.

An lastly the last scene with the pinky holding was one of my favorites. It was so inncocent and so pure. I could bearly watch it felt like a really cute and intimate moment for them.

Honestly can’t wait for next week’s episode. I am prepeared to shed some tears.

#my school president #my school president the series #tinn #gun #tinngun #tinn x gun #the cutest episode i have seen

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solitaryandwandering · 1 year

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Tag 9 people you want to get to know better.

Thank you so much for tagging me again in one of these @waitmyturtles, they're so fun to do!!

Three Ships

Suffering from some recency bias and don't really think in terms of "ships" anymore so I turned to my CHEMISTRY list on MDL to help... agonized over my choices and finally picked:

TinnGun/GunTinn (My School President) - they're just too wonderful. So sweet, and it's great to see a show embrace embarrassing teen crush behavior in a gay kid without making it weird. Tinn's BL-trope filled daydreams had me in stitches. Almost chose PatPran but that's too easy, I have to honor their successors!

Seo Joon x Ji Woo (To My Star) - love them so much. Relate way too much to Ji Woo and them together? So heartwarming. Despite some of the contrivance of their typical Kdrama split in season 2 I still love the way they reconcile and work their shit out.

Hira x Kiyoi (Utsukushii Kare/My Beautiful Man) - talk about recency bias, I'm currently watching season 2 and couldn't resist putting them here. They're just SO well-written. Accurate portrayal of the long-term effects of C-PTSD and the messiness of miscommunication sans lazy writing? Sign me up!!

First Ship

Romione (Harry Potter series) - I know, I know, don't @ me but I still have a soft spot for them despite everything

Last Song

Woof Woof (Live Version) - SHINee

Last Movie

Shake! Otis at Monterey (1987; dir. D.A. Pennebaker)

Currently Reading

Nothing much, honestly. Beginning of the year was HECTIC but hopefully March will give me some time to read. The fanfiction I have open in a tab on my phone is "honey, let me show you where your heart is" by sarahyyy. Cute Guardian one-shot!

Currently Watching

Guardian

Utsukushii Kare (Season 2)

I Promised You the Moon (finally on Viki so I'll be starting this soon!)

Moonlight Chicken - I decided to wait until this was over to watch to preserve my mental health. Despite my love/respect for Aof's work I am very very wary when any show or film either exclusively or in part centers around a story which heavily involves disability. In some ways this apprehension is similar to my aversion to sad endings in LGBTQ+ stories (unless it's earned!). Been burned WAY too much fictionally and IRL. 2023 seemingly is the year Aof decided to make shows about my two most central disabilities, deafness and blindness (Last Twilight even tackles someone LOSING their sight, seriously, Aof? What do you have against me?). Heart's story looks like it's being done responsibly/well (or well enough, considering this is the first of its kind in the genre, maybe Thailand as a whole?) so I am excited to jump into it soon!!

On that note, I plan on writing along with each episode my thoughts on Heart's storyline vis-à-vis Deaf representation. Commentary on his arc has been surprisingly decent especially amongst the people I follow (I knew I chose well) but the tendency to overly pity or infantilize him along with a general misunderstanding of Deafness made me realize I don't think I'll be able to keep my mouth shut when I watch, so. Keep an eye out for that if you're interested. Thai Sign Language was developed in part from ASL (ergo, part of the same language family) so I'm also planning to dive into what I've learned about the language and its similarities! :)

Currently Consuming

Leftover Thai food my best friend foisted on me, I forget what it's called but it's some kind of thick rice noodle dish. Very good!!

Currently Craving

Motivation, sleep, an end to the anxiety which has been plaguing me since the beginning of the year, better glasses. Ice cream sounds good too.

TAGS! No pressure!

I have no idea who to tag, so just flying by the seat of my pants here: @squeakygeeky, @absolutebl, @shesarealphony, @lesbianlovestay, @cinematicnomad, @i-just-wanted-hyphens, @bulkhummus, @anonyma13, @stillqueerstillhere

#it's me #moonlight chicken #tag game

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nathaliefolkerts · 7 years

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On attempting to find moments of genius

As people who know me well know, I love Maria Popova’s site BrainPickings, where she reveals insights and perspectives gained from her prolific reading adventures. In a recent article looking at the interaction between creativity and difficulty, she shares perspectives from poet Jane Hirschfield. One reflection in particular stuck with me: “Difficulty then, whether of life or craft, is not a hindrance to an artist. Sartre called genius 'not a gift, but the way a person invents in desperate circumstances.’” I appreciate this straightforward, modest and yet profound definition of genius. It has been a useful perspective to embrace, as, for me, it has encouraged me to keep pushing through challenges and bounding from one failed or partial solution to another in creating an ever evolving mix of my own personal outlook and self-care regime. In addition, it shapes genius into a verb rather than a noun. By pushing ourselves and attempting to embrace difficulty, we can hopefully experience moments, periods, or pockets of genius.

My own journey to embrace difficulty has been put to some especially large tests this year as I’ve gone through some intense bouts of culture shock, loneliness, and depression, but I’m proud to say that, even if not always the most graceful, I have been able to slowly invent my own solutions and techniques that work for me for the moment. I certainly have not done it alone - even beyond my amazing partner, family, and friends that have continuously helped and supported me, exploring and reflecting on the perspectives and wise words offered on Krista Tippett’s podcast On Being, Maria Popova’s articles on BrainPickings, and through many collections of poetry, including Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet and Pádraig Ó Tuama’s readings from the book of exile have been critical parts of my process. I thought I would just take a few minutes to share some of my favorite episodess, in case you also find yourself in a moment where they can provide some sort of comfort or use in finding your own mix of genius.

On Being - https://onbeing.org/programs/

Kevin Kling

"By telling a story, things don’t control me anymore. It’s in my vernacular; it’s the way I see the world. And I think that’s why our stories ask our questions, our big questions, like, where do we come from — before life, after life? What’s funny in this world, or sacred? And even more importantly, by the asking in front of people and with people, even if we don’t find the answer, by the asking, we know we’re not alone. And I have found that often that’s even more important than the answer. So it’s that idea of belonging, and we are social beings. That idea of a comfort in the mystery, and that’s where stories — I’ve got a buddy up in La Couderay, and he says that — he’s a medicine man. He said, “You can survive anything with sense of humor and sense of self.” And our stories give us both of those. Laughter is the same thing. When you’re laughing at something, it can’t control you."

Pádraig Ó Tuama

"Agreement has rarely been the mandate for people who love each other. Maybe on some things, but actually, when you look at some people who are lovers and friends, you go actually they might disagree really deeply on things, but they’re somehow — I like the phrase “the argument of being alive.” Or in Irish, when you talk about trust, there’s a beautiful phrase from West Kerry where you say, “Mo sheasamh ort lá na choise tinne,” “You are the place where I stand on the day when my feet are sore.” And that is soft and kind language, but it is so robust. That is what we can have with each other."

John Lewis

"The movement created what I like to call a nonviolent revolution. It was love at its best. It’s one of the highest forms of love. That you beat me, you arrest me, you take me to jail, you almost kill me, but in spite of that, I’m gonna still love you.”

"Well, I think in our culture, I think sometimes people are afraid to say “I love you.” But we’re afraid to say, especially in public life, many elected officials or worldly elected officials, are afraid to talk about love. Maybe people tend to think something is so emotional about it. Maybe it’s a sign of weakness. And we’re not supposed to cry. We’re supposed to be strong. But love is strong. Love is powerful.”David Steindl-Rast

David Steindl-Rast

"I don’t speak of the gift, because not for everything that’s given to you can you really be grateful. You can’t be grateful for war in a given situation, or violence, or sickness, things like that. So the key when people ask, can you be grateful for everything? No, not for everything, but in every moment.” "That uniqueness of every given moment of every day, to open your eyes and know another day. We can’t take it for granted. We can’t take it for granted. In my youth, we couldn’t take it for granted because every night the bombs fell. But if you maintained this attitude, it’s just as realistic. All sorts of reasons why you couldn’t see another day. And you do. And that’s a wonderful thing. It’s a wonderful thing.”

Brené Brown

"I think we lose sight of the beauty, the most beautiful things I look back on in my life are coming out from underneath things I didn’t know I could get out from underneath. You know, the moments I look back in my life, and think, those were the moments that made me — were moments of struggle."

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absolutebl · 1 year

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This Week in BL - When good chemistry goes bad

May 2023 Wk 3

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

La Pluie (Sat iQIYI) ep 4 of 10 - yes it jumped to the top of the standings, the kiss was THAT good, best of the year so far. So soft and yet so sweet and yearning and with a proper chemistry - body, breath, everything. Also... there was plot happening this ep, but who cares about that? Some additional thoughts, now my brain has rebooted from that kiss. I do suspect Pat of still being a player: he is awful smooth, and he may want revenge for being jacked along for 2 years (I would). Ep 4 is early for a kiss like that, which means pacing-wise we may be in for a separation/break up around ep 8.

Step By Step (Thai Tues WeTV & Gaga) ep 5 of 10 (MDL still says 12, but Gaga still says 10) - Pat, dear, your gay is squirting all over our screens. Meanwhile… That is the smallest presidential suite bed I’ve ever seen. Lucky for us of course. And lucky for Jeng. Me with the side dishes = UH OH.

Our Skyy 2 (My School President) eps 9-10 - Alt reality where Tinn is in charge of the music club and Gun is the school president with the crush. Basically, it’s an excuse for them to play each others’ parts (which just highlighted how well they were cast, originally). Ultimately, Gemini is a better piner, and Fourth is a better tsundere. Although the reversed “holding it over his head” was v funny & Fourth IS a decent seme. (I also realized what I like so much about Fourth, like Saint he’s one of those rare full body actors.) Sound was a great uke and I loved how they changed his makeup for the role (did you notice?). TiwPor were as adorably ridiculous as ever. I liked the minor baby pairing for Aun, too. Still my NO SIGNING holds (although there was lots of dancing to counterbalance). In the end, all this really did was make me wanna rewatch the original. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. FYI The MV was a parody of HCTM, BB, 1k*. 8/10

A Boss and a Babe (Fri YouTube) ep 12fin - It was a cute sappy ending for a cute-ish sappy-ish show. I cannot abide that the mom who condoned the rape of her daughter got forgiven. No. Stop it GMMTV. Review below.

The Promise (Thai Weds YT & WeTV) ep 9 of 10 - I'm in trouble when I'm rooting for everybody BUT the main couple. I guess Nan doesn’t have a NO SINGING policy. Also I guess Nan was waiting for Phu all along? This show. ALSO could we not have just ended it here?

Past-senger (Thai Weds Gaga) ep 11 of 12 eps - I don’t understand. What? Where did all these new characters come from? Do we care about the hets? Not even slightly. What is anyone doing? What’s going on? do I care abotu anyone anymore? No. Please make it stop.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 7 of 10 - OMG so adorable, so repressed, so reserved, so soft, so awkward, so special. Heart melting. Also. Hungry. The WAY Minoru looks at Yutaka when he’s eating (now that he knows the history). The way we got to see the exact moment that Minoru realizes he is in love. Perfection.

Star Struck (Korea iQIYI & Gaga) ep 1-2 of 8 - Zuho (Kpop SF9 - noted good egg) opposite rookie actor Kim In Sung (the one with the crush). icky is being weird about it but it looks like Gaga also picked it up? Depends on your territory I suppose. Anygay: Friends since childhood, jock/nerd, puppy/cat and I sense bi-himbo confusion and pining introvert gay. There’s family strife plus class issues and it has some interesting things to say already about the nature of friendship, romance, and jealousy. I like it, weirdly reminds me of something that might have come out of China. Not early CBL, but some of the later stuff that was censored but hearkened to Addicted. This has the feel of what China could have made now (were things politically different). Because of this feel, I’m not confident in this being an HEA or even a true BL but it is interesting enough for me to bump it way up the ranks.

Happy Merry Ending (Korea Thurs Gaga) eps 7-8fin - I get why SJ pushed JH away, but I kinda agree that SJ is too much work. Abused or not, I wouldn’t put in the damn effort - so I guess I’m glad SJ took a year off to figure his shizz out? Far be it from me to agree with a year break in a Kdrama, tho. I didn’t even mind that they were separated most of these 2 eps: it was nice to see a Seme told no, who actually backed off and did as he was told. Plus the running of the gays (how Japan of you SK). I’m assuming that this was the final episode and that Viki thinking that there are 2 more is bonkers? Because this felt like a finale. For me this one had a stronger finish than any other aspect of the show (odd when the couple spent the bulk of it apart). Oh! And someone give Shin Myung Sung (the surfer bestie) his own damn BL, m’kay? Review below.

Love Mate (Korea Thurs Viki) eps 5-6 of 8 - Longest elevator ride in the world. Honorifics discussion! My favorite! And, “there is only one bed but they slept together on the floor anyway” trope. A BL staple. Also the tie/lanyard grab. Another fav. Still pushy puppy stalker remains creepy manipulative obsessive warped hotness. Basically KBL version of trash and… I’m into it. We all got our kinks, I guess.

Vian the series (Vietnam YouTube ) - Such a cat. I’m reminded of Milk. It’s cute. They cute. I like it.

Naked Dinner AKA Zenra Meshi (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 6 of 12 - So is the nude dining meant to be some kind of weird allegory for repressed gayness?

It’s Airing But ...

My Story (Pinoy Sat YouTube) 10 eps - I bounced at ep 4. Someone will tell me if I should bother with the rest.

House of Stars (Thai Mon iQIYI) 12 eps - I bounced at ep 3. Will binge if told it is worth it at end.

The Day I Loved You (Pinoy YouTube) eps 6-7 of 10 - Terminal illness for the sunshine. I bounced at ep 6. DNF.

Ended this week

Love Syndrome finished its run on WeTV (I stopped at ep 2) - anyone wanna weight in with thoughts on the ending and whether I should binge or not? I do love Lee Long Shi.

Happy Merry Ending - Stars Lee Dong Won (KNK) as an ex-idol turned wedding singer with an abusive ex and a panic disorder + the sunshine pianist who falls in love with him. Timid tsundere & sweetheart gay is an interesting match. They’re gentle together, almost kindly and there is a calm ache to their pairing. However, it lost its way as a BL, being more about the main character’s struggle than the romance. It had a strong finish but ultimately the premise & characters meant this was never going to be one of my favorites. 8/10

A Boss and a Babe - With an inconsistent narrative and self-sabotaging characters this was not the Thai BL office romance I was hoping for. I spent most if it feeling manipulated without good reason and sorry for ForceBook. They did their best with a shoddy script (AGAIN!) and none of its flaws were their fault. This show was all over the place and so am I about it. It’s better than Enchanté but that’s not really saying much. 7/10 I guess