Use the apartment with the pool directly across from Deutsche Bank to show the character is rich rich
Use this house with this room to show the character isn't rich, but his parents are
Use these dorms to show that although the two leads hate each other, they will love each other eventually
Use this high school and these steps to show high school sucks
Use these stairs (of death) - REQUIRED
Note: I'm 83% sure @colourme-feral knows the exact location of all these places and any other location in a Thai BL, so if you really are interested in starting that BL, go follow.
This post IS for you, @gillianthecat! Compile that list!
Starting with Korn and Knock calling each other 'husband' and 'husband' in Together with me instead of the now commonly used terms 'wife' and 'husband' in BLs.
Manner of death being the pioneer for a different genre in BLs in a time when only student themed BLs were in the spotlight.
Tul using his platform as a BL actor to advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights which should be normal but guess what there are not a lot of BL actors speaking about these issues.
Not playing into the stereotype of the typical uke and seme characteristics (which I know exists in real life too but representation of the other side of the spectrum matters equally). Not everyone fits in the same box. Also their pride photos are 😍❤️ (This is also something that somehow I have not seen a lot of BL actors doing inspite of playing characters of a genre that talks about queer love stories.)
Tul supporting Max through his relationship reveal and standing by his side through everything and Max refusing to say that what he and Tul shared was fan service or fake. Even at the risk of losing fans these two remained honest to each other and their fans.
youtube
Honestly this whole interview was eye opening on many levels. This proves another one of my points that two BL actors may share a good equation and comfort level and it is not necessarily fan service. Being of the same gender and sharing the experience of acting together definitely helps in forming an organic relationship.
People just need to stop overanalyzing and over interpreting certain actions to make it seem like a relationship.
In conclusion according to me, Max and Tul paved the way.
Pondphuwin really be the princes in Maxtul kingdom because goddam goddam goddam. These men are really eye fucking and tongue-kissing on GMMtv like its 2017 on the set on Together with me. That wet hair back tattoo kiss ?! Palm’s reaction ??!!!! Never let me go did not stick its landing but chemistry wise THEY GOT ME BY THE THROAT.
This one came out of left field, needed to grab something off an old hard drive and was like...haven't revisited this is a little while, so here we are. Will I continue this right now? maybe after Oxygen not sure.
One thing I find fun with these BLs is that when they put two actors together repeatedly as lovers in different roles, it can still yield different results. That's not necessarily true for Hollywood. You put Hanks/Ryan, Spencer/Tracy, or Gere/Roberts together, and you pretty much know what kind of dynamic you get. Even if the couples have different names and circumstances, they still feel more or less the same.
But PhuTian aren't JimWen. AlanGaipa aren't AkkAye. TanBun definitely aren't KornKnock. And even though I haven't seen MSP, I don't have to recognize the scene to know when a gifset is HeartLiming or TinnGun. The characters are different enough that the entire romantic vibe changes.
This took me a minute to get to because I had to work and then I had to go and find screenshots because I have something to say about umbrellas in BL.
I'll get to my top 5 in a moment, but first I need to talk about how my top 5 are ALL in 1000 Years Old because that show is the only show with any vision.
Because 90% of BLs have decided that clear umbrellas are the only umbrellas (pardon my horrendous screenshots):
Don't get me wrong, I have no problems with clear umbrellas. I own a couple myself. HOWEVER. Clear? Really? That's all they can manage? In these queer shows, they can't even give their umbrellas any flair? Listen, I have a clear umbrella but it is kind of chrome. It's got style. It's got flair. It's got flavor. I need these shows to give me something. I digress.
There are a few that have a basic umbrella that is a dark, solid color:
Shoutout to Blueming though, that umbrella does look like the most practical and useful umbrella out of all of these.
BUT other than 1000 Years Old, the umbrella winner is Love in the Air with this yellow beauty that fits the characters and the lighting in the scene:
But for my top 5 umbrellas in BL?
5. This beauty:
4/3. Look at the COLOR
2. Absolutely obsessed with this one and need it immediately:
And the number 1 umbrella in BL? It can be none other than this beauty. Not only is it gay, but it looks like a phenomenal umbrella to use. That's an umbrella that will keep you dry.
It is strangely satisfying to watch MaxTul kissing scenes. They always look like they're trying to eat each other. Like if praying mantises were lesbians.
I saw this image recently, and instead of hijacking that perfectly good post, I thought it best to write my own.
Because this a very real issue, even when watching a show or movie.
Mostly when it comes to watching queer media that already incorporates a coded language due to the topic.
Many people watching Portrait of a Lady on Fire in another language didn't realize the significance of the final scene between these two because they didn't understand French.
The entire movie, they used the formal form of you basically referring to each other as madam, but at the end, they use informal you, and it shows the intimacy that has developed between them. If you didn't understand French or romance languages, you probably missed it!
It happens often in Asian dramas as well because they use honorifics that don't get translated with the same significance.
These two in Ghost Host, Ghost House skipped over the traditional honorifics and instead opted for you and I. It was important because even when they were fighting, they still saw each other as equals.
This was a big moment in Semantic Error, but if you watched it with just the translation on one streaming platform
You would have missed the urgency of the scene because he finally showed respect for this person and the relationship they had developed.
And often, the translations of colloquialisms (slang or informal language) are literal so context is omitted.
I would pay $$$ for annotated subtitles (like from Viki, depending on the team, Idol Factory does a good job, and Lazy Subber, please come back!) because they explain the context we would miss in the literal translations.
In Thailand black bean is (derogatory) slang for gay sex, so asking if someone wants black beans is coded language.
When Knock asks his girlfriend if she is itchy in Together With Me, if the audience doesn't speak Thai, they understand the flow of the conversation as being logical since Knock's girlfriend just mentioned getting bit by mosquitoes and wanting to go inside. However, the show does a strange sequence that indicates this moment meant something...more.
Because asking if someone is itchy in Thai is asking if they are horny. Knock is asking his girlfriend if she is horny and if that's why she wants to go inside. That's missed in the translation.
This happened in Love Mechanics as well. Vee asks Mark if he wants him to come inside to watch a series. It seems innocent enough, but Mark's reaction is aggressively upset.
It's because this is equivalent to America's Netflix and Chill or Korea's Wanna Eat Ramen?. Vee is asking Mark if he would like to YouTube and Lube. Vee is asking Mark if he wants to have sex! That is missed in the translation.
Big Dragon had this issue with different translations on different streaming platforms in regards to this scene:
Some platforms translated Yai as saying "You're a pain in the ass, really" while others used "You're a pain in the ass, literally." It's a small change, but Mangkorn smiles afterwards because he gets what Yai is saying and is a literal pain in the ass. Yai had to visit a doctor after their first sexual encounter because Mangkorn was so rough it caused Yai pain...in his ass, and they just had sex again.
Language is a cultural tool, so although it incorporates a lot of implied knowledge, it's subtle. If the audience is missing the cultural context, an entire narrative can be easily missed.
This is also the case with intonation aka the rise in pitch when speaking or emphasis on a particular word - Why is this here? vs. Why is this here? - One is asking why this specific item is outside instead of another item, while the second asks why that specific item is outside instead of another location. If we don't know the language, it's hard to decipher when the intonation causes a change in meaning.
So the next time you are watching a series in another language and think the dialogue is lacking, understand it's probably because you don't speak the language. Sometimes the substance is lost in translation.
It's okay, but ask questions, do some research, and try to learn, so the next time someone asks if you want ramen, you can smile and say enthusiastically "YES!"
EDIT - Adding more links from others that show examples:
Extraordinary Attorney Woo - The cat's butler scene