#khun chai

[lurkingshan]

Random BL Superlatives: 2023 Edition

It's the end of the year and I'm feeling the need to give out some awards! We talk a lot about best show, best actors, best writing, best directing, blah blah but I gotta be honest, these are the categories that really spoke to me this year. In no particular order:

Best supporting garment: Porsche’s sweater, A Boss and A Babe

Did I create this entire list just to have an excuse to post about this sweater one more time? Maybe so.

Best performance despite a terrible wig: Daou, Love in Translation

This man managed to perform one of the hottest scenes of the year with that bowl cut monstrosity on his head. Respect must be paid.

Best new terminology: BGP, Bump Up Business

BUB gave us so many gifts, but I will always be most thankful for the business gay performance concept (BGP), a term that is highly relevant in discussions of the bl industry.

Best advice: "Unfuck it," Tien in La Pluie

It's not only the succinct phrasing, but also the delivery method.

Best ex who deserved better: Alan, Moonlight Chicken

Yes, I will be staying on the Alan apologist beat in 2024, thank you for asking.

Best unexpected needle drop: Wetter, The Eighth Sense

The moment this show captured my full attention.

Best WTF ending: The End of the World With You

You can probably still hear my scream of "WHAT" echoing in the hills. (Actual ending not pictured in case y'all decide to watch).

Best gut punch line: "Have you been well? Without me?", Our Dating Sim

Sure Shin Gi Tae, Lee Wan deserved it, but did I??

Best adorable child: Tane, Our Dining Table

Need I say more??

Best weapon: sparkle murder dust, Khun Chai

Truly the MVP of this show. I can't find an actual gif of the dust in action (too violent to be depicted) so enjoy these pretty men instead.

Best great character trapped in a bad show: Boston, Only Friends

My beloved, I will seek vengeance in your name.

Best use of music to fuck me up: Plumeria, I Feel You Linger in the Air

Cocktail and Tee Bundit, you know what you did!

Best meal: Chicken curry and cheese naan, What Did You Eat Yesterday?

Yes, this category is kind of a cheat so I can mention WDYEY on this list. And what about it!

Best unhinged energy: Nawin, Laws of Attraction

He may not have succeeded at stealing back his man but he certainly stole the show.

Best bl horror: Grand Guignol

I just need to make sure all you jbl fans know that this movie exists and that Issei fucked Mr Unlucky!!! IYKYK.

Best character comeback: Phupha, Our Skyy 2

From boring stoic love interest to actually compelling and kinda funny leading man! See what a little flirting with Pat Jindapat can do for you?!

#best of bl 2023 #moonlight chicken #the eighth sense #a boss and a babe #la pluie #bump up business #our dating sim #laws of attraction #khun chai #i feel you linger in the air #only friends the series #the end of the world with you #love in translation #our dining table #what did you eat yesterday? #grand guignol #our skyy 2 #bl superlatives 2023 #shan shouts into the void

[absolutebl]

BLs with Strong Historical Elements

Costume dramas, historical BLs, and BLs with time travel or flashbacks to historical locations & times.

These are in order of my personal preference, best at the top.

I Feel You Linger in the Air

2023 Thailand

IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework (much like Until We Meet Again). It's about a gay man from our time who falls into the past, becomes a servant to a noble house, and falls in love with the heir. It turns out this has all happened several times before. Steeped in history and family drama it edges into lakorn (but not as much as To Sir With Love and with way less scenery chewing). This is an elegant and classy soulmates BL... from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. The main couple (both as a pair and as individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine. Pity about the ending. Oh it wasn’t that sad but it wasn’t good either. This show could easily have earned a 10/10 from me except that it fumbled the… erm… balls in the final quarter. Argh. Whatever.

Nobleman Ryu's Wedding

2021 Korea - WeTV

A boy cross-dresses to take his runaway sister's place as a bride to a shy scholar, turns out they like being married. A historical setting allowed this BL to use some seriously old fashioned romance tropes (arranged marriage, evil step-sisters, Cinderfella) but also modern BL stylings like fake relationship & secret identity (drag) plus some cute gay panic. It reminded me of 12th Night more than anything else which just happens to be my favorite Shakespeare play. For all these reasons, I adored it.

(the ghat kiss!)

Tinted With You

2022 Korea - Viki

Fun stylish time travel meets portal fantasy with a likable cast, historical setting, and two actual kisses that mitigate the rough plot and issues around anachronisms.

Word of Honor

2021 China (censored) - Viki/YouTube?

I don’t rec Chinese stuff often, because I believe in censoring the censors, but this show is one of my favorites of the post 2016 censored bromances. It’s two murder-gay assassins (pining sunshine/tsundere), and they are so insanely gay for two boys who will never be allowed to kiss. Tropes include: wuxia, soulmates, paranormal, historical, and fantasy elements.

To Sir, With Love AKA Khun Chai

2022 Thailand - YouTube?

This is a true lakorn (basically Thai tellenovella or soap opera) with scenery chewing performances, especially from the mother characters. Gone With the Wind + Days of Our Lives but gay. That said? I loved it: A glorious central brother relationship (the best, made me cry), het romances, class divide + gay *gasp* main romance - oh my word, the campy drama of it all! Arranged marriage, rebellion, cut sleeves, over-the-top death with curses and regrets, beautiful if inaccurate costumes, secrets unraveling, cover ups, sparkle murder, sex herbs, coils within coils including snakes and murderous green metallic sequins (is anything gayer on this earth?). It’s a WILD ride but it does end happy for our gay boys. A man cries when he finds DEATH GLITTER. Come on! You haffa watch it. That said, like Manner of Death I struggle to rate something on a BL scale when it patently isn’t a BL. So I ended up giving this exactly what I gave that show, 7/10 I enjoyed it a whole lot, but not as a BL.

The Untamed (Special BL Edition)

2020 China (censored) - YouTube

Censored wuxia bromance, amorphous ending. Probubly the best known BL of its kind out of China and responsible for bring many fans to the BL side.

Our Skyy 2: Never Let Me Go

2023 Thailand - YouTube

I was nervous to watch this PondPhuwin vehicle but I liked it a lot! Doomed soulmates + paranormal time travel to fix the past. I’m happy for the outfits and the dancing (if not the singing). It’s not a bad premise and it’s nice to see GMMTV lean into its high production values for a change. I'd adore a full historical starring these two and this was definitely the best of the second series of Our Skyy. I don't think you have to have watched the original Never Let Me Go to enjoy this.

Legend of Long Yang: Rebirth

2017 China

Gaga

Whipping boy trope... literally, servant character takes the strap for the prince, who then makes him his bodyguard and lover when he becomes king. Low budget historical, comes off as kind of cosplay wuxia version of Irresistible Love, but we get (in the credits) an actual kiss, and they both live. So yay for small mercies.

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner

2023 Korea (historical flash backs)

iQIYI

A new employee at a film company encounters a director who claims to have lived 300 years and insists that they have to date (eat, hug & kiss) if baby doesn't want to die. It has a lot of Japanese elements, not the least of which are: an office setting, the fact that every character in this show is unhinged, and a killing of the gays. Featuring a gorgeous & stellar cast, TDWBMD should have utilized them less for melodrama and more for chemistry. This BL surprised me by going there with a lipstick mark AND an actually gay idol. But (you knew there was a but) while it's a unique twist on an office romance it is NOT a unique twist on the doomed red thread trope, resulting in it feeling less than the sum of its parts and ultimately unsatisfying. This might have also had to do with the fact that this was one of those KBLs where I felt how very short it was the whole time I was watching, like I was missing something constantly, in every episode. Worth watching for some but seriously flawed.

First Love Again

2022 Korea (historical flash backs) - Viki

A popular novelist who remembers his past lives meets his soulmate for the third time, only to find she has been reincarnated into the body of a man. This one started out a touch mean-spirited, but we eventually got a good kiss. The confession/rejection scene was justified and the reconciliation and ending was... fine. All in all, the pacing felt rushed and the romantic arc was underdeveloped. They go from like to love to boyfriends in a red hot minute. But that’s par for the course with Korea’s short form. If you don’t mind a heavy does of melodrama in your BL this one has a solid story with a strong concept that’s well acted and produced, making it a classic KBL with better than average chemistry but ultimately a touch forgettable.

Love in Spring AKA Spring of Crush

2022 Korea

This show was all over the place with uneven acting, narrative, and focus (sometimes it wanted to be a slapstick comedy, sometimes a depressing melodrama) which meant no one, actors or viewers, took anyone or anything seriously.... AND it’s a bromance. I was left wondering if SalHyung is now code for “they were roommates” in Kdrama historicals but otherwise largely apathetic and unimpressed. Korea, I now know you can do better. Do better.

Mermaid's Jade

2019 China (censored-esk) - Gaga

Kills the gay.

The Male Queen: Han Zi Gao

2016 China - Gaga

Kills the gay. Schrodinger's BL, both a BL and entirely not one at the same time.

Diary of Heong Yeong Dang

2014 Korea

Kills the Gay

I was gonna do a top 10 list, but there aren't enough by my metrics, so many end sadly.

This post at the behest of @verymuchof thank you for the idea!

Dated April 2023, includes only BLs that had finished their run by that date. Not responsible for cool costume flix that come after that. But you should check the comments to see if any have been added by others!

I might have missed a few that only have time historical elements since I don't always track those.

Also I would like to point out a decided lack of Japan on this list. My ninja yaoi consuming tiny past self is VERY upset about this void.

WHERE ARE MY GAY NINJAS??!!!

(source)

#historical bls #time travel bls #bls with historical elements #korean bl #chinese bl #thai bl #I Feel You Linger in the Air #Nobleman Ryu's Wedding #Scholar Ryu's Wedding #Tinted With You #Word of Honor #Khun Chai #to sir with love #The Untamed #Never let me go #Legend of Long Yang #The Director Who Buys Me Dinner #First Love Again #Love in Spring #Spring of Crush

[blue-grama]

15 Day BL Challenge Day 15: 5 Bestest Besties

I'm all queued up to do @negrowhat's 15 Day BL Challenge! Full challenge info here.

Jang Jaeyoung and Choi Yuna, Semantic Error

She is very important.

2. Arm & Tankhun, Kinnporsche

I ship it, but that's beside the point.

3. Tian & Pin, Khun Chai

The only gif I can find of my girl is with her love interest, but Pin and Tian were the best pair of people who genuinely liked each other, absolutely did not want to get married, and worked together to make sure it didn't happen.

4. Charn & Maya, Laws of Attraction

Everybody needs a gorgeous bestie who will call you on your bullshit and get nosy about your love life.

5. Yai and Tharn, The Sign

See above re: gorgeous & nosy about your love life.

#blchallenge2k24 #blchallenge 2k24 day 15 #the sign the series #laws of attraction #kinnporsche #semantic error #khun chai

[fineboymeme]

FILM THANAPAT and JAM RACHATA UNIQUE MAG (June 2023)

#jam rachata #film thanapat #jamfilm #to sir with love #khun chai #laws of attraction #*

[gillianthecat]

In chemistry class today we used Jia and Li's ✨magic death mushroom beetle glitter✨ from To Sir With Love.

(Actually it was trans-dichlorobis-(ethylenediamine)-cobalt (III) ion. Or [Co(en)2Cl2]+ as it's called for short. No, I don't know what most of that means either.)

screenshot of Tian's hands from @absolutebl's post

Also the experiment involved comparing colors in test tubes, so this meme was literally me in lab today:

#to sir with love #khun chai #these are the scheming women #glitter #gillianthecat goes back to school #chemistry #cobalt #this post was brought to you by the color green #photos of objects irl #from my lab bench

[wen-kexing-apologist]

10 BL Boys I Would Throw Hands For

Okay so everyone is doing retrospectives and what not and I should just kinda quit while I'm ahead, but I just rewatched My Ride and decided that I needed to highlight some of the boys that I would 100% throw hands for should they be wronged by any man. So without further ado here are the people who would inspire me to seek justice and retribution against those that have hurt them with the same feral energy of cocaine bear.

Tawan- My Ride

First if all, Por better watch his fucking back cause if he does anything to fuck with Tawan again you better believe I'm jumping on the back of Mork's pillon and we're turning a man into a pin cushion. Tawan has literally done nothing wrong ever in his life. He cares for everyone so deeply. He is so soft and kind and gentle in the most beautiful way and there is not a malicious bone in his body. Tawan is just a genuinely, naturally, and fundamentally good person and I am so glad that he is a sunshine for sunshine kinda guy because Tawan deserves a man like Mork in his life (and Mork- who would also be on my list but he throws hands just fine on his own -deserves a man like Tawan).

Uea- Bed Friend

Uea is so incredibly lucky to have King in his life, because if it were me, and Uea told me what his parents did to him, the next thing anyone knew I'd be at Uea's parents' house ripping his step-father's throat out with my bare fucking teeth and locking his mother in the bathroom with like a pack of hungry wolves or some shit. Uea's family got off far far too fucking easy because King is capable of some level of self-restraint. I, however...if there is one person on this list who I would turn the most feral/attack dog for, it is this beautiful angel right here. Sleep with one eye open Uea's Mother, I'm coming for you.

Tian- Khun Chai (aka To Sir, With Love)

He's beauty, he's grace, his mother will murder you in an instant if she thinks you know he's gay. I honestly probably don't need to do anything to the people who have wronged him cause between his mother, his brother, and his boyfriend he's got that shit covered, but...I love him so much. He just wants to be himself. But himself is a gay man in occupied Thailand, in a family that disowned their last outed queer member and drove him to suicide so, he's having the time of his motherfucking life. I am not saying I condone the swift delivery of a death to anyone his mother thought might threaten him, but...I get it.

Sakuko- Koisenu Futari

Hello to one of my new-found greatest loves. Sakuko is yet another human embodiment of sunshine who has had too many people do her wrong in her life. She has built herself a little family, and she's found a life she loves, and if anyone ever threatened that you better believe I would be there swinging a baseball bat in an instant. Sakuko, my aroace queen, just know that I care about your happiness above all other things. Enjoy your bike ride!

Patts- La Pluie

gif from @ueasking

Now listen, I know Patts is capable of holding his own against those who have wronged him, but he should not have to do everything himself. Patts, save your energy for your veterinary practice, I'll return Tai to you after he has been smacked around a little bit. Patts is one of the rare characters here that I would throw hands for both in fiction and on this website. You have a problem with Patts, you can kindly meet me in the Waffle House parking lot at 3am.

Mrs. L- Laws of Attraction

If there is anyone on this list that I would have to bet has killed someone before, it's Mrs. L. I have no doubt that even now if someone tried to fuck with her in any way she'd have them on their ass in an instant, but bad bitches gotta stick together ya know? Call up Maya, Rose, and Nawin and I will meet them out front to take care of that problem for you. You've got your hands full with those boys of yours.

Daisy- Secret Crush on You

Oh Daisy, oh my darling, darling girl I got your back from now until the end of the earth. Daisy is just the absolute sweetest, and I want all the best for her, and if anyone was to ever fuck with her in any way, they are getting Cask of Amontillado'd by me, personally. Look at that smile, keep your brightness, babes.

Han Ba Ram- Sing My Crush

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

Okay so. Honestly I understand why Im Han Tae was immediately cute, cuddly, and flirtatious with this boy. He is an extremely huggable lad. I can also understand how that need to hold this Sad Gay(tm) could have impacted the length of time it took you to realize you had feelings for him. This sad boy right here doesn't know it but he has accidentally summoned a small gang of people who are ready and willing to go all Ides of March on his music teacher's ass. So heads up to Sangin, @bengiyo, @ginnymoonbeam, @lurkingshan, @kyr-kun-chan, @shortpplfedup, and I are outside your front door and we just want to talk.

Boston- Only Friends

Now, I will not deny my boy is a bit of an asshole, a shit-stirrer if you will, and there are times and places where I will let Boston deal with the consequences of his own actions and get smacked around. HOWEVER, you slut shame my boy? Death. You pull an Atom on my boy? Death. You abandon my boy? Death. According to the end of Only Friends Boston's is absolutely lacking in people in his corner, so I will be there with bells on. Boston, cruise as much as you want baby, and if any of those boys give you trouble, give me a call.

Amane- If It's With You

gif by @dramascene

In case you haven't picked up on it, sad!happy boys are my kryptonite and Amane is just the saddest boy with the best bundle of joy mask I have ever seen. He deserves the world, this boy, and if anyone ever tried to steal his joy again, I would steal their soul right out of their bodies.

Wasn't gonna make this a tag game or anything but if anyone wants to answer it, go right ahead!

I will, however, tag @negrowhat, @respectthepetty, and @sorry-bonebag since they are the ones that supported my vision so they see the post

#only friends the series #if it's with you the series #khun chai #sing my crush the series #secret crush on you #scoy #laws of attraction #koisenu futari #la pluie the series #my ride the series #bed friend the series

[littleragondin]

15 Day BL Challenge

The full challenge can be found here!

☆*:.｡. Day 6: Fave line from your fave series .｡.:*☆

Oooh okay, okay, getting a little more challenging! I went for lines that I still think about regularly - both for the words used and the way they were delivered. And I will shamelessly cheat and pick one per country.

Thailand with To Sir, With Love. This show has a lot of really good lines and monologues imo, but my pick is in ep.11. Jiu and Tian has confessed to each other and Tian explains some truths about his family to Jiu, who asks if being homosexual really is a problem.

“Yes, my father would definitely not accept it. In the past, there was a member of the association that was like me. Then he was oppressed until he had to commit suicide . So my mother had to keep the secret that I like men. If everyone knows, the Song family will be ruined because of me. I don’t want to be the head of the association. I never wanted to. I just want to be me.”

Japan with Utsukushii Kare. It's ep.6 and Kiyoi's broken "I am not a god, okay?" It was such a perfect culmination of everything going wrong with their relationship, a necessary break down of his facade and a much needed wake up call for Hira. I love it.

Taiwan with We Best Love. First of all, I was obsessed with the way Yu speaks. There is something in the cadence of his speech that completely fascinates me (the way he says "Yīnwèi wǒ xǐhuān nǐ" ?? like drug to me). But I especially love this little exchange, post first kiss.

“- Was that your first kiss?” [Gao Shide shakes his head no] - Who was it? - That day in the swimming pool. - ... That doesn’t count.”

His face before he says that always gets me.

and Korea with Semantic Error. This one doesn't have an episode number because it is every. single. time. Sangwoo calls Jaeyoung "hyung". I love the impact the first one has, especially, but frankly? The way Jaeyoung reacts to it every time is just delightful.

#BLChallenge2k24 #Khun Chai #Utsukushii Kare #We Best Love #Semantic Error #I thought at first it would be hard to remember lines but like #I had such a hard time deciding lol

[gifetc]

When I was a kid, I secretly saw Madam Li hit you. Forbidding you from doing anything. I didn’t understand. I didn’t get it when I was young. Why did she forbid you? Even now that I’m older, I still don’t understand.  What do you not understand?

#to sir with love #khun chai #asianlgbtqdrama #asiandramasource #film thanapat #tongtong kitsakorn #thai drama

[colourme-feral]

Parallels in Laws of Attraction (2023) and To Sir, With Love (2022) Part 2 [PART 1]

#laws of attraction #to sir with love #to sir with love the series #khun chai #parallels in qls

[juneviews]

“I promise to protect you with my life.”

#to sir with love #khun chai #jiuthian #jiu x thian #film thanapat #jam rachata #lakorn #thai drama #my gifs #bypiningbisexuals #IT'S THE WAY I CRIED!!! #them holding hands through the planks of wood & thian kissing jiu's hand STOPPPPPPPP ;_;

[nonkul]

“The two of us are lucky to meet but not enough to be together.”

#always drops the most painful break up lines 😍 oh tian and chan u will pay for my therapy bills #jam rachata #film thanapat #to sir with love #khun chai #laws of attraction #thdrama #one31 #mine #mine:gif #tagnads

[lurkingshan]

The Asian Drama Generational Trauma Challenge List 

gif by @youdontloveme-yet

As @waitmyturtles has been making her way through her OGMMTVC I have been continuing to watch way too many dramas and thinking about the ones I want her to watch when she’s done with that project. And because I know Turtles, it’s always the dramas that feature themes around intergenerational trauma, filial piety, and lots of emotionally fraught interactions between parents and children that ping my “Turtles needs to watch this” radar. As I was mentioning the shows I wanted her to watch, Turtles joked that maybe I should make her a new challenge list that is focused on intergenerational trauma.

And if y’all haven’t learned this about me yet, you should know that I have no chill and absolutely will embark on a whole project because you make a stray comment in my direction. So here we are!

gif by @piningbisexuals

I wanted this list to be inclusive of a broad range of Asian dramas, exploring how it shows up in different Asian countries and through both het and queer lenses, so I consulted quite a few friends. Shoutout to @wen-kexing-apologist, @so-much-yet-to-learn, @bengiyo, @shortpplfedup, @ginnymoonbeam, and @emotionallychargedtowel for helping me refine this list. We landed on the following criteria:

Modern dramas only—not necessarily current but set in a time period recent enough that we don’t have a whole additional set of social mores to layer on top

The drama explores intergenerational trauma, not just intergenerational dynamics (so shows like Reply 1988 that are very much about family but not necessarily trauma are not on the list)

Intergenerational trauma is a primary focus and a major theme of the drama, not a background theme, a surprise reveal, or just part of a character’s backstory to engender sympathy (waves goodbye to most chaebol romcoms)

We are using the word trauma in a broad sense here–a lot of the complex trauma featured in these shows would not meet the formal DSM diagnostic criteria as a Traumatic Event

We did apply a quality filter–the execution of the story needs to be good enough that the intergenerational trauma themes stay intact, even if the drama overall is not a total slam dunk

gif by @gifetc

Note also that this list is not chronological and there is no suggested watch order. I also do not recommend binging all of these dramas one after the other. Some of these shows are heavy and you’ll want to space them out. This is a challenge to complete over time!

I decided to share this on tumblr in case others are similarly weird and wanted to undertake this challenge with us. If any of you see this and decide to watch some of these, please tag me with your progress and thoughts! I have also linked each show’s MDL page so you can see the synopsis and general warning tags, but if you want specific content warnings for any of these shows, feel free to comment or message me.

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

So after a lot of preamble…

Generational Trauma Challenge List

10 Years Ticket (Thailand, YouTube)

180 Degrees Longitude Passes Through Us (Thailand, Gagaoolala)

About Youth (Taiwan, Gagaoolala)

Bad Buddy (Thailand, YouTube)

Come and Hug Me (S Korea, Viki)

Flower of Evil (S Korea, Netflix or Viki)

GAP (Thailand, YouTube)

Go Ahead (China, Viki)

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (S Korea, Netflix)

Khun Chai (Thailand, YouTube)

My Mister (S Korea, Netflix)

Our Dining Table (Japan, Gagaoolala)

SKY Castle (S Korea, Netflix or Viki)

Something in the Rain (S Korea, Netflix or Viki)

Until We Meet Again (Thailand, Viki or YouTube)

gif by @gabrielokun

Good luck, happy crying, stay hydrated, and please pace yourselves!

(Tagging friends @neuroticbookworm, @kyr-kun-chan, and @chickenstrangers who I have already discussed this with.)

#bad buddy #flower of evil #180 degree longitude passes through us #come and hug me #our dining table #until we meet again #gap the series #go ahead #it's okay not to be okay #khun chai #about youth #my mister #10 years ticket #sky castle #something in the rain #intergenerational trauma challenge #shan recommends

[tinnchan]

To Sir, With Love (2022) + Shots living in my mind rent free Part 2

Part 1

#to sir with love #khun chai #film thanapat #jamfilm #jiutian #jam rachata #nads gifs #gif heavy #user111 #mjtag #it's been 84 years since part 1 #anyways that drama had bangers of scenes #that floorboard scene invented poetry in motion etc etc

[blue-grama]

A little Film/Jam requeim

Upon the news that these two are not planning any projects together in the future, I was pondering Thai actor pairings and why I liked this particular one. First let me say I'm very in favor of actors not getting joined at the hip forever -- I doubt that's why anyone gets into acting, and while I get the financial reasons this happens in Thai entertainment, I'm generally in agreement that it tends to limit creativity, since the brand often has to come before the story. My only gripe is that now they're off doing lakorns that will never get subbed in English and it's not fair and look, I need to see The Empress of Ayodhaya ok?? I don't think it's a bad thing to have actors with great chemistry appear together in multiple shows, however, and I wanna say that I think these two used that opportunity right. Look, we have Tian:

Utter cinammon roll, too pure for this world, total sweetheart. He's a little scared and a lot beaten down, but he still has a burning spark of respect for himself that he doesn't let extinguish. He spends 73% of this show in the throes of a mental breakdown but still manages to take control of his narrative in the end. It's actively insane that the murder glitter show has such fantastic characters.

And then you have Charn, who is...

... also beaten down by this world, but evil about it. It's all manipulation, manwhoring, and complicated smiles belaying his real feelings with this guy. Refreshingly, he only has to reform himself a little bit to get his happy ending.

Meanwhile, Jiu. Assassin, kind of a tsundere. Marshmallow center, obviously. I'll never be over how after he and Tian first had sex (under the influence of a beetle fungus, OBVIOUSLY), he got deeply hurt that Tian said it was a mistake and accused Tian of doing this to all the boys. Possibly my favorite Jiu moment. ANYWAY.

There isn't as much distance between Jiu and Tinn as there is between Tian and Charn (from what I've seen, Jam maybe doesn't have quite as much range as Film, or at least hasn't been asked to demonstrate it). But Tinn is a more open and straightforward character, the moral center of Laws of Attraction versus a guy who assassinates several people with scissors without remorse in Khun Chai.

Point is, we don't always get this with repeated actor pairings. A lot of the time, you have an underlying dynamic that comes through in all the pair's shows, and it can't wander too far from its origins - I was thinking about this specifically with regards to Only Friends after listening to this excellent debut of the Part 5 (of 4) podcast, which talks about the way Force's Top turned into a completely flat character, possibly because "interesting" would conflict with the whole True Love ForceBook dynamic that GMMTV needs to sell. An appealing dynamic can be great -- hey, I read fanfic, I get the joy of putting the same guy in situations -- but I really liked how Film and Jam went with/were given quite different characters in their two projects together. This could be a lakorn vs. BL thing, but it'd be cool to see more paired actors take on more disparate roles together!

My disappointment over no more shows from these two comes down to wishing I could see what else they might pull off. Jam as the rich jerk instead of Film? Both of them playing morally grey? It could have been fun.

Oh well; I'll just be over here lighting candles for English subs from One31, because at least this hot murderous royalty nonsense looks exquisite.

And if you've read this far, please feel free to drop me recs in the tags or comments of other pairs that have played really different roles or dynamics with each other. I love seeing actors show their range!

#jamfilm #jam rachata #film thanapat #laws of attraction #khun chai #to sir with love #the empress of ayodhaya #thai actors

[thepancakelady]

taking your lover to meet your deceased parents

To Sir, With Love EP 12 // Laws of Attraction EP 8

#khun chai #to sir with love #jiutian #laws of attraction #laws of attraction the series #tinnchan #tinncharn #thai drama #jam rachata #film thanapat #asian lgbtq dramas #asianlgbtqdramas #edit tag #it really is their thing isn't it #tinn's parents are dead too lol #sadly i could not include the part where jiu talks about how tian might not be what they expected #the loa scene is just way longer and some sacrifices had to be made #the loa scene also has a horrible yellow hue that i tried to colour only barely cause i suck at colouring

[ginnymoonbeam]

11, and please feel free to list more than one :)))))))

SO. All but one of the asks I've gotten so far include 11, which is very funny. I suspect this has something to do with my loud and proud enjoyment of several taboo setups, such as stepsiblings/pseudoincest. And I wanted to take this opportunity to write about some of those, I really did. I thought I was finally going to write about my treasured mess, Ye Xingsi and Fu Yongjie. But here's the thing: taboo is different from forbidden, and the more I thought about it the less it fit. The forbiddenness in that relationship isn't the primary or even the secondary issue. And instead of writing a whole essay on why they and most other pseudoincest pairs aren't doing "forbidden love" as a primary trope, I sigh and turn my gaze to other pairs.

Forbidden Love, to me, has to involve at least one of two things as a primary obstacle: unyielding social/familial barriers, or deep internal guilt. It's one of several tropes on the list that plays a little different for gay ships, because in so many contexts just the fact of being a same-sex couple makes it a forbidden love. Most BLs let the social barriers soften pretty quickly, if they're present at all, and very few have the characters really wrangling with guilt (shame is slightly more common, but that's another essay I'm not going to write right now.) However, we do have a few stellar examples.

Pat and Pran, Bad Buddy

Obvious when you think about it. Pran's mother explicitly says that she'd accept Pran being with anyone except Pat (or Pat's sister.) From Pran's secret, agonized pining to them sneaking into each other's rooms years later, their whole relationship is conducted under the understanding that their parents cannot and will not accept it. A lot of Bad Buddy's power comes from the way it transmutes familial homophobia, letting queer viewers who live under that same degree of forbiddenness and secrecy see their experiences reflected without having to sit through on-screen homophobia.

In and Wang, 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us

Here's the other side of forbidden love, one that's primarily about internal guilt. The attraction between In and Wang is deeply triangulated on the ghost of Wang's father, but that doesn't mean it isn't genuine. Here's a love that In understands to be forbidden in every aspect: by age, by prior bonds, by his own enduring reluctance to accept his desire for men. Inthawut's guilt is a millstone in every moment between them, and in the end it sinks any possibility of a longer relationship. Now, is it better for both of them that it went that way? Almost certainly. But it's still a relationship saturated with guilt and the consciousness on In's side that this is and must be forbidden. And it constantly calls up the echo of In's past relationship to Siam which, without the same weight of guilt, might have taken beautiful flight.

And I don't want to end without a nod to a few historical ships, where the characters really are restrained by the simple fact of being gay in a hostile society:

Tian and Jiu, Khun Chai

Eeang Peung and Maey, I Feel You Linger in the Air

Jom and Yai, I Feel You Linger in the Air

(also tagging EVERYONE ELSE who asked me this one: @twig-tea @shortpplfedup @wen-kexing-apologist)

Ask me!

#ask game #bad buddy #180 degree longitude passes through us #khun chai #i feel you linger in the air