#but thay would be losing all the fun

[absolutebl]

Okay, FINE, the shows you should watch for BL's QUEER AF roots

You ready to go hunting?

Many of these are difficult to find. Also many of the images of them and their posters have been block/banned by tumblr, so, no screen grabs for you! (Good times.)

I don't necessarily *like* any of these, but if you are queer and in this fandom and need to dialogue around BL's queerness - these are going to provide a foundation for you. They are important for various industry, reputation, directorial, and cultural reasons. As seeds often are.

Trigger warnings throughout.

The true beginnings:

Boys Love, Japan's 2006 movie is a REALLY rough start featuring a journalist + hot model = murder gay, mild necrophilia, cheating, abuse, rape, and suicide for love. Start as you mean to go on, why don't you, Japan? Is it queer... maybe? Is it BL... honey, I am very sorry to inform you, this started BL.

Note: Yoshikazu Kotani is famous in og BL circles since he acted in 3 early BLs, both Boys Loves and then Same Difference. Also he v tall and hawt.

Eternal Summer, Taiwan 2006 - unlike Japan, Taiwan did NOT start how it would, eventually, go on. But what a messy way to start. A high school story of 3 besties in a love triangle, self discovery, and sexual awakening that fucks it all up.

No Regret, Korea 2006, is a very unhinged queer catastrophe piece about a lost gay man who ends up a host and then almost a murderer because of both his job and his identity.

Note: This is the directorial feature film debut of Lee-Song Hee-il Korea's (so far as I know) first openly gay director who specialized (to this day) in queer content.

The Love of Siam, Thailand 2007, this was Thailand's queer awakening, sure they would backpedal for YEARS after, but in 2022 they began to remember what this movie was (and did) and overtly referenced this quiet little masterpiece. This movie is sad but stunning in that way that the best queer works from Thailand can be (like Present Perfect or ITSAY.) It has Thailand's quintessential softness around theme and character, which you'll understand perfectly when highlighted against the backdrop of the early 2000s works from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Thailand will never lose this soft style and it's one of the most attractive qualities of Thai BL: it's never very harsh with us or its characters. This movie very easily COULD have been quite harsh indeed.

I thought long and hard about including Rice Rhapsody AKA Hainan Chicken Rice (Hainan ji fan) on this list and finally decided it doesn't really qualify. Still let me mention Hong Kong's 2005 movie. It is amazing, fascinating, and very rough going for an ostensible comedy. It wasn't the actual beginning because few saw it and Hong Kong never really picked up or ran with BL let alone QL, but it was hella queer. It's also hella homophobic.

Just Friends? (2009 Korea) - this is Korea's first (kinda) upbeat version of a BL featuring already established boyfriends, one of whom is on military leave, trying to decide on coming out, family life, and the future. All of these are themes Korea will pretty much never tackle again, retreating as they would to their bubble. But what a fun little offering this little show was and is to this day. You should watch it.

Like Love 1 AKA I Love You As A Man: Part 1 - China's 2014 offering is actually pretty classic early form live action yaoi with things like whipping boy, a university setting, rich/poor jock/nerd pairing, hard grumpy/sunshine and a very odd title. It's pre-censorship with an HEA, also explicit, yeah China once did that. This is a lot less queer that it is classic BL and classic Chinese romance, neither of which have any kind of connection to reality. But hey, that's what I'm here for. But it's important to note the drifting away from queerness beginning to occur.

Love Sick - Thailand's 2014 "boys in blues shorts" high school set soapy (in all ways) offering is widely considered the true beginning of Thai BL and by default, eventually, BL as we know it today. (As the biggest producer they somewhat dictate taste and trends in the genre.) This is one of those BLs that owes almost nothing to yaoi, although it started a number of tropes that are now endemic to Thai BL. What it is, instead, is a well scripted story of bisexual self-discovery and the inherent chaos of loving someone of the same gender for the first time, all wrapped up in hormones, existing relationships, and communication issues. It is high school queer angst at its messiest. Nothing is going to be easy for these boys because queer isn’t easy but also because life isn’t easy… welcome to adulthood sweethearts. Is is overtly queer? For 2014 Thailand? Sure is.

Love Next Door 2 a movie from 2014 and one of Thailand’s early very high heat pieces, it’s odd, but sexy I guess? Some unexpectedly decent queer rep including femme characters getting screen time + HEAs. (Part one from 2013 has the same high heat content and features the same lead character (and actor) discovering he is gay with the sex worker next door, but isn't as good nor is it relevant to this installment.)

A few other unknowns, for the queer babies

Wait For Me at Udagawachou AKA Udagawachou de Matteteyo - from Japan in 2015, this is a story about two boys in high school one of whom is a repressed outsider and the other who has a terrible secret (body dysmorphia & cross dressing). When the first boy discovers what's up with the second one, his reaction is very much fetishization. "Oh Japan must you?" kinda started for me with this show. But in this case, Japan, weirdly MUST. This is the ONLY show laboring under (and testing) a pointedly straight lens (or is it?) and identity examination (yes but which boys' identity? that's the question) that I've EVER seen even edge into the BL genre. It is crazy queer, even as it mostly focuses on the fetishization of identity from an outsider's perspective. I WISH more people in fandom would watch it so I could at least talk to someone about it.

The Lover (BL Cut) Korea's 2015 series had multiple couples in an apartment complex, one pair of whom is a BL romance between a Korean man and a visiting Japanese tourist (played by a Kpop idol). It's comedic, slapstick sexy only (no kissing), but basically starts up Korea's bubble and use of idols in BL. It's kinda fascinating to watch them dodge around and still represent gayness in what (is sadly destined to become) a very Chinese way, but which Korea in pursuit of Hallyu and market share would morph into the bubble.

Mr. X and I from China in 2015 is a compilation piece and, I think, the first of this kind of multiple narrative shorter grab bags AKA "Sampler Pack BL." Two of the stories are very queerly sad, but the third is CLASSIC BL of the kind that would become China's best (and last) true BL, Addicted.

Sweet Boy, (Thai 2016) Chimon's first gay role and it is quite sad, oddly sexy, and similar to Dew the movie or My Bromance (just so you know what you are in for) but the acting is on point. When Thailand goes dark, this is how they do it, but this is rough going for baby queers because that's the darkness it is exploring. Our old thematic friends: the pain of self discovery and coming out into a homophobic environment and unfriendly reality, and the cost of being the one able (and willing) to stay in the closet.

Method (Korea 2017) this movie is a May/December actor/idol pairing, that should have been everything I wanted in life but is more about the older character cheating on his wife and their weird “artsy” relationship and frankly, I hated it. And I don’t say that lightly. Is it queer? Who tf knows, but is sure has some interesting things to say about the nature of PERFORMATIVE queerness.

Red Balloon is Taiwan's 2017 precursor BL to their biggest and most famous prestige piece Your Name Engraved Herein. If you're making a choice, choose that instead, but this series certainly paved the way for it to come into existence. Both shows tackle the pressures of culture and social structures on self acceptance and identity and the loneliness inevitably caused by conflict between the two.

(As indeed does Life Love On The Line, Present Perfect, Grey Rainbow, Tropical Night, My Sky, and many other queer meets early BL pieces that revolved around coming out and family acceptance.)

China's 3 2017 "they tried to censor the gay... and it went HORRIBLY wrong":

Beloved Enemy,

The Fairy Fox,

Mr. CEO is Falling in Love with Him.

Honestly these 3 are basically the uncanny valley of BLs.

The Novelist AKA The Pornographer series (2018-2020). Messy psychological machinations, gaslighting, fetishization, sexual corruption, and more good times from "well, what did you expect?" Japan, but also no holds barred queer, just well and truly fucked in the head (and arse) about it.

The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese AKA Kyuso wa Chizu no Yume wo Miru (Japan 2020) - Drama llama queers so queer and so dramatic it's like Japan is trying to PROVE something: obsession, cheating, break-up, reunion, then break up again, all of it explicit. This show is just SO JAPANESE. I can't even, but you should watch it and you'll know exactly what I mean. Something like My Personal Weatherman owes it's lineage to this kind of BL. If you like Japan naked, boney, emo, and smoking (hot & ciggy) you will love this, and should watch it. It's objectively amazing, I can't stand it, but I NEED people to talk about it more.

More Queer Stuff about BL from moi

BL Linguistics & Queer Identity - I Am Gay versus I Like Men 

Will BL Get More Honestly Queer? 

Actually gay, not BL gay - the idea of “by queers, for queers, about queers,” the BL bubble, sanitized gay, and a queer lens

Queer lens (from the director) and chemistry (from the actors) in BL (A Tale of Thousand Stars)

Touch & Daisy in Secret Crush On You - Queer Coded Language and 3rd Gender Identity

BL in Taiwan & Gay Marriage

Debating Queerbaiting in BL ( + Devil Judge… is it queerbaiting?) 

BL Actors and the Assumption of Queerness - outing actors, coming out, being out, more:  Is that BL actor actually queer?

So is it really fetishization? straight women loving bl 

Some BL fans are sasaengs, and it’s a problem in this fandom 

BLs That Highlight How Society Treats Queers

10 BLs That Are Honest to a Queer Experience 

If you like these kinds of shows try the "Moody Arthouse Smackdoodle" section of this post too.

Happy watching!

(source)

#bls you don't know about #some of the really obscure ones #QL thoughts #BL and QL and queerness #ABL recommends shows they dislike #it happens a lot you know #thai bl #korean bl #herritage bl #japanese bl #live action yaoi #taiwanese bl #eternal summer #no regret #The Love of Siam #Just Friends? #Like Love #Love Sick #Wait For Me at Udagawachou #Udagawachou de Matteteyo #The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese #Kyuso wa Chizu no Yume wo Miru

[lurkingshan]

Hi! I love reading your opinions and I have just started The Sign. What are your opinions on the show and what route are you hoping it would take for the second half of the show? Take care and happy new year!

Hello anon! You picked such an interesting moment to send this ask. We’re halfway through the show and I think its strengths and weaknesses have become fairly clear. Let's talk about it!

Strength: The Chemistry

I think this is the thing that had all the girlies losing it right out of the gate: Phaya and Tharn are hot and their interactions are hotter. The pull and chemistry between them is palpable and the set up for their romance is compelling. Kudos to whoever found Babe and decided to pair him with Billy: you, sir or madam, are incredible at your job and deserve a fruit basket. We are all dying for these two to finally fuck.

Weakness: The Pacing

Which is why it's kind of frustrating that the show is dragging its feet on letting their relationship advance. The first four eps were delicious tension-building, but as the show starts to stall and use dream sequence fakeouts to provide smut without actual relationship development, the audience is clearly getting antsy. The show's pacing is all over the place in general, with wildly varied episode lengths and inconsistent action and plot advancement from week to week. And the desire to drag out the romance without a compelling alternative plot to fill the show in its absence is causing some damage to the characters, most notably Tharn, who is just starting to seem unreasonably antagonistic to a person we know he likes, not to mention unperceptive in his continued inability to notice what is going on around him.

Strength: Production Values

This show is absolutely gorgeous; you can tell most of the money went into making every frame of it beautiful. The strength of the production values and hard work of the crew to create the look and feel of the world was evident from the first episode with all those beautiful training sequences on the beach. And this is used to particularly strong effect whenever we visit Phaya and Tharn's past lives and see the magical world that exists around them come to life.

Strength: The Supporting Cast

The show also has a great ensemble, with Yai especially a standout character who brings a lot of fun to the show, along with his girlfriend Sand and the police squad bros. This is not surprising, as big, messy, chaotic, endearing queer friend groups are an IdolFactory staple. As of last week, we officially have a lesbian side pairing! Tharn and Phaya also have interesting family histories with sweet grandmas and loved ones who lend depth to their characterization.

Weakness: The Copaganda

It was perhaps too much to expect that this bl about cops would have a more sophisticated perspective on law enforcement, institutional corruption, and the so-called "justice" system, but that does not stop me from groaning out loud every time they pause the story to let these characters wax poetic about the nobility of their jobs.

Strength: Thai Folklore

This show is teaching all of us some things about real Thai folklore about the garuda and nara, including local customs associated with celebrating these tales, and the depiction of these stories in the show is just beautiful. Despite it basically being a tourism advert (complete with couple shirts for no reason??), I really enjoyed the episode that took us to Nong Khai and the Mekong River to see how modern Thai folks interpret and celebrate the myths at the center of this show’s story and ground us in something real.

Weakness: An Underdeveloped Take on Toxic Masculinity

This show uses violence quite a lot in its story, including violence in interpersonal dynamics, and it sometimes seems to want us to be alarmed by uncontrolled male anger, and sometimes impressed by it. At this point, Tharn and Phaya have both struck each other in anger during personal disagreements, and there hasn't been any real reckoning with the fallout of that. On top of that, the show has given us some crime cases that highlight the harm of toxic masculinity while also seeming to glorify and revel in it, most notably in the framing of a man who kidnapped and retraumatized sexual assault victims as a hunky folk hero. It's a confused take, to say the least, and I'm not sure the show has the depth and precision necessary in the writing to take on some of what it's throwing at the wall.

Strength: Villains

All I can say is Heng was born to play an evil snake god. The show has done a good job at making him feel like a real threat and building the antagonism between him and Phaya to the point where Phaya has been isolated from support and made to look crazy in front of Tharn. Dr. Slow Motion is very good at this.

So, what's the TL; DR? This show is a lot of fun, but has some obvious weaknesses in the writing, so do your best not to take it too seriously if you can. I am ready to see Phaya and Tharn get together and finally start working as a team, for the full backstory and epic battle they are waging to come out, and for the motivations of the rest of the cast of characters to become clear (I just know there are some additional past life reincarnations waiting to be revealed). It's a great time if you don't think about it too hard, and I really hope the back half will pick up the pace so that we can all just enjoy the ride.

#the sign the series #thai bl #shan answers

[sashaisready]

Chapter Twenty - Of course I did

Bucky Barnes Mob AU x Femme Reader

You're hard at work in Pepper's Bakery when notorious mob boss James 'Bucky' Barnes darkens your doorway one typical afternoon, and life is never the same again.

Warnings: Dark content, mention of guns/shooting, descriptions of dead bodies and blood, threats/suggestions of sexual assault, minor character fatally wounded/dying, reader is frightened/in danger

18+ - see Masterlist for full list of warnings

Chapter 21

Series Masterlist

You’re not sure how much time has passed when you’re awoken by shouting. You must’ve fallen asleep, which makes sense as it’s so late, although you aren’t sure what time it is exactly. You instinctively go to check for your phone but then remember they have it. Your body is exhausted from the stress of all that has happened. You have a headache, the wine from your date has already transitioned into the beginnings of a hangover and you haven’t had any water in hours. The Thai dinner you so enjoyed earlier now feels heavy in your stomach. The gash on your cheek stings sharply, the bleeding has mostly stopped but not entirely. You feel dizzy, losing blood from your wound most likely not helping that.

The sound of yelling again jerks you to attention, the adrenaline coursing through you as your fear unfurls once more. You can’t make out what they’re saying until the door crashes open and bodies rush into the room. You try to count the number of feet you can hear on the floorboards but can’t figure it out. Two of them, you think? Three? They’re shouting out your name, their voices thick with anger. You can’t see them but you know they must have guns raised, searching every square inch for you.

One of them tries the light switch but grunts in frustration when nothing happens. You can hear the snap of plastic as he forces it up and down. Seconds later the room is partially illuminated by flashlights, the circles of light flitting around the room.

You swallow, clasping your hand over your mouth to mask any sounds you might make involuntarily. You stood a good chance in the dark where they couldn’t see you, but once that light hits you…then you’re done for.

“Come on sugar, come out come out wherever you are…” one of them sneers mockingly into the darkness.

You can’t see him but you just know it’s Rumlow.

“I’m gonna ring Jones’ neck for this” snarls another voice.

“Don’t worry, Pierce will take care of him” replies Rumlow darkly.

They chuckle for a moment as they scour the room.

“I’m gonna make this bitch pay when we find her” says the other voice again.

“Let’s just hope she’s not been too used up by Barnes for us to have some fun with her” laughs Rumlow. “I wanna rearrange her guts”.

Your stomach drops and you choke back a wave of nausea as they edge closer to your hiding spot. You’re seconds away from discovery now. Should you leap out? Use the element of surprise against them?

Don’t be stupid. They have guns. They’re infinitely stronger and faster than you. They most likely have combat training based on how they’re dressed. Maybe it would be better to go quickly, though. To be shot in the head and be snuffed out in an instant after you jump out - rather than be slowly tortured and sexually assaulted and God only knows what else.

You think of your family. Your friends. Wanda. Everything you didn’t get a chance to say to them all. All of the love you have for them. You think of the bakery. You think of your contentment as you bake, happily frosting cupcakes and humming to yourself as you sing along to the radio. You’d give anything to be there now. Hell, even baking in your tiny apartment kitchen would be a luxury. You’d never take it for granted again if you made it out alive.

You hold onto that image in your head to help calm you and give you hope, grounding yourself with the memory and keeping yourself sane. One of the flashlights reaches your corner of the room and moves closer to you. Everything goes into slow motion. You hold your breath as the light reaches the edge of your dress...

But then.

A scream cuts through the air. A clear scream. From somewhere beneath you. Rumlow and the other man or maybe men spin round, their flashlights ripping away from where you are and instead turn to face the door.

“What the…” Rumlow starts.

And then there’s another scream which cuts him off, and then the crystal clear roar of gunfire. You tense up. It seems to be coming from the corridors beneath you.

“Jesus Christ” spits out the other man.

In seconds you hear their heavy feet as they stomp out of the door and rush back down the stairs.

You freeze, panting. You can hear more now. There are more bullets, it must be a machine gun the way the sounds are rattling through the air like that. There’s muffled shouting and crying out from below.

It goes on like this for some time, your eyes are wide like saucers as you press your ear to the floorboards. You try to make out something they’re saying. Anything. Any hint as to what’s going on or who is shooting. But it’s all lost in a sea of bullets and yelling.

And then…silence.

Your stomach drops again. You know what that means. There’s nobody left.

Could it be…?

No. Surely not. He said he wasn’t coming. Why would he come? The last thing you said to him was that you were going to give him to the feds.

And if it’s not him, it’s only a matter of time before they find you too. You’re a sitting duck up here. You were lucky enough to get out of it once, but it wouldn’t happen twice.

Against all of your instincts you emerge from your corner and tiptoe across the attic. You’re barely thinking, just on autopilot. You open the door gently, careful not to make any noise. You squint as you leave the darkness and take each stair warily as you descend, listening out for any tell-tale sounds of what’s going on. But there’s only silence.

Your face stings and now you’re back in the light you can see your chest and dress is covered in old blood. You can feel the hardened stain on your cheek too, mixed with the remains of your tears. You’re shrouded in a thick layer dust from your hiding place in the attic, your ripped dress hanging pitifully off you. You can only imagine how you must look.

As you step out into the hallway you gasp. The wall in front of you is decorated with bloodstains. A few feet away a man is slumped onto his front, laying facedown in a pool of his own blood. From the way the blood has hit the wall his insides must be swiss cheese. You deduce that it’s one of the men from the attic. He didn’t get very far.

You’ve never seen a dead body before. It’s frightening. Not like in the movies. He looks almost inhuman with his impossible stillness. Stiller than a person should ever be. You can smell copper in the air from his blood, the stench of sweat and gunpowder lingers in your nose and makes your stomach churn.

You creep around him and swallow back your nausea. Around the next corner you see Rumlow flat on his back. He made it a bit further. His eyes are closed and circles of deep red splatter his torso. You inhale sharply, stepping around him carefully. You notice that his weapon is gone, whoever finished him off must’ve taken it with them.

You nearly scream when you feel a pressure on your ankle as you stalk by. You look down and to your horror Rumlow has his cold fingers gripped around you. He is still alive, but barely. His hand feels like ice. Staring up at you through squinted eyelids, you can see the fear on his face as his lifeforce is gently ebbing away from him. He tries to speak but can only groan, making a nauseating gurgling sound and you realise his internal injuries are taking hold as the light fades from his eyes.

It’s too much. You begin to break into a sprint. All of your fear from the evening comes tumbling out and you can’t stop. You know you should be quiet, carefully inspect what’s around each corner before you come barrelling around them, but all of that dies as the adrenaline courses through you.

As you fling yourself through the hallways you find them littered with more bodies and bloodstains. Puddles of blood are everywhere, stains of grisly footsteps of the retreating victors brazenly weaved around the fallen. There must’ve been even more of them than you saw in the warehouse. You don’t see Pierce amongst them, but then you aren’t really looking too carefully.

There are angry red blemishes splattered across the walls and your bare feet hurt when you step on bullet casings but you can’t stop now. You shimmy around each fallen figure as you aimlessly continue to run, unsure of where you’re going or if you’re turning back on yourself but just knowing that you need to keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Don’t stop.

You don’t know when you started crying but your tears don’t slow you down. You whip around another corner only to find yourself bouncing off something, the force of your speed means the impact is hard and it knocks you onto your back.

You begin to scream as you sit up and realise you’ve hit a person. An alive person, not a body. A man. A man with a gun. And your fear takes over. You can’t even look at him properly as you know this is it now, this is where your luck runs out. End of the line.

There are arms on your shoulders and someone is talking at you but you can’t hear any words, can’t see their face through the haze of your tears. It’s only when they begin to shake you gently when you realise…

Sea blue eyes.

Sea blue eyes looking into yours. You know those eyes.

Bucky.

You gasp as his features finally become clear in your vision. You can see his lips moving but can’t hear what he’s saying as you stare up at him. You reach out and clutch at his chest as if checking it’s really him and he’s really there. His face is contorted in concern and there’s a worrying amount of blood on his shirt. Not his, though. You can guess that. Suddenly it’s like your ears are switched back on and you can hear him again.

“Doll? Doll? Are you alright? Say something, baby?” His voice is panicked, strained with fear as he places his assault rifle onto the ground. You eye it anxiously.

“Bucky?” you ask weakly. 

Maybe you’re hallucinating, maybe you were shot seconds ago and this is your brain’s confused final flourish as you succumb to the darkness.

“Is it really you?”

His concern morphs into a relieved smile and you melt inside.

“Yeah it’s me, Doll. I’ve got you, don’t worry” he soothes.

You hurl yourself at him, clutching at his torso and throwing your arms around his back as you move your head into the crook of his neck. Squeezing him tightly with relief, pawing at him to check he’s really there. He picks up your legs and you wrap them around his waist, clinging onto him for dear life.

“You came” you whisper into his ear.

“Of course I did” he says matter of factly. “Where have you been Doll? We’ve been looking everywhere for you. Have to say I laughed when they told me you’d got loose and they’d lost you somewhere. Those assholes didn’t know who they were dealing with, huh?”

You ignore his question, gazing back at him with confusion.

“But…you said you weren’t coming? In the text?”

Bucky chuckles, his tone soft as he searches your face.

“I knew immediately those messages weren’t you. You know how mushy those fucks made you sound? I knew it was HYDRA and sent a bunch of my guys here with me to get you out. I just wanted to throw Pierce off the scent to buy us time.”

You gawped at him stupidly.

“You really think I’d leave you here, Doll?” He furrowed his brow, studying you.

“Well…yeah. We had that fight. You said…” you muttered.

Bucky narrows his eyes. “I would never leave you to die, Doll. No matter what happened between us”.

He looks at you with a flash of anger and hurt amongst the relief, clearly wounded that you’d think so little of him.

He lowers you off of him and carefully places you on the ground. “Can you stand?”

You nod, steadying yourself on the wall as your feet hit the floor. Bucky keeps a hand firmly on your waist as he inspects your face. You flinch as his finger brushes against your cheek wound. He huffs with rage.

“Those fuckers. Those stupid assholes” he mumbles furiously.

“It was…” you go to tell him about the nail in the attic but he cuts you off.

“They’re never going to hurt you again, alright? I’m so sorry Doll. I’m so sorry this happened, it’s all my fault” his voice sounds small, broken. He cups your chin tenderly. “I’m sorry that I didn’t protect you…”

Your eyes widen as you realise the gravity of his words when they hit you and a rush of emotion surges within.

He was right.

Before you know what’s happening, you reach out and slap his face. He glares back at you in confusion, touching his cheek where you struck him. You can’t stop yourself, pummelling his chests with your fists as you unravel, all of the stress, fear and anger pouring out of you like an unstoppable tidal wave.

He catches your wrists and holds them tightly in place, you howl with frustration at how powerless you feel.

“This IS your fault James” you bark at him. “How the fuck am I caught up in your turf wars?? We aren’t even DATING. I get wrestled into the back of a van and hauled off to some warehouse in the middle of nowhere with some psychopathic gang…tied up and hunted down…and then there’s a fuckin’ massacre…”

You trail off when you notice he’s smiling wistfully at you.

“What?” you scoff in disbelief. “How can you possibly be smiling right now?”

“I’m just happy you’re okay” he says softly. “You can yell at me all you want, hit me all you like, because for a while there I wasn’t sure you’d ever be able to yell at me again”.

You’re caught off guard by that. You hadn’t even thought about how he might’ve felt through this. You feel a twinge in your heart. He was scared. He thought you were dead. You stare into his big blue eyes and your mouth falls open slightly at the intensity of his scrutiny.

Before you know it you’re on him, kissing him for the second time that evening (maybe morning now?) The kiss is desperate and passionate, eager and hungry. He presses you up against the wall and you can feel him panting, his hands are all over you as if doing an audit of your body. It’s as if he’s affirming that all of you is still here. He kisses your neck, your shoulders, your arms. You momentarily forget that you’re covered in your own blood, or that he’s covered in the blood of men he gunned down.

He pulls away and begins to whisper in your ear. He tells you he’s sorry, for this, for all of it. He tells you he’ll never let anything like this happen to you again. He tells you how brave you are, how smart you were to get away. You allow yourself to get swept away by his words, soothing you and comforting you, your eyes closed as your arms are draped around his neck.

“Buck, you here?” comes a voice from around the corner.

Your body tenses as your survival instincts are still heightened but Bucky kisses your cheek after feeling your posture shift. “Don’t worry, it’s just Steve” he whispers soothingly.

“We’re here” he calls back.

Steve emerges from around the corner. He’s sweaty and blood spattered like Bucky, clutching a rifle. His face lightens when he sees you.

“Hey - there you are” he says sunnily.

You smile back at him. A genuine smile, possibly the first one you’d ever given him.

“Here I am”.

He looks you up and down, struck by the contrast to how you looked when he saw you earlier. Then…pretty in your date outfit and heels, hair and make-up slightly askew after a few glasses of wine but still intact. Your eyes fiery and passionate as you gave Bucky a dressing down. And now…your face was bloodied, some sort of injury across your cheek. Your dress ripped and blood soaked, a layer of dust dirtying your arms. You were barefoot. Your mascara had run down your face in thick black streaks and your hair was knotted and tangled. Mainly he was struck by your eyes, now dulled and frightened. No sign of the heat he had seen earlier. You just clung on to Bucky’s side meekly.

But you were alright, that was the main thing, and he was relieved. You may be Bucky’s girl but he had grown fond of you too. He thought you were good for his best friend, challenging him and keeping him on his toes. Buck needed that in his life. A partner to be his equal, not merely a sex toy.

He was also relieved for Bucky’s sake. He had gone wild when he got the messages, throwing his whiskey glass across the room and yelling. They were just leaving for the night, he’d run to him and didn’t understand what had happened. Bucky was apoplectic, shouting and throwing furniture. He knew you’d been taken, he knew it was Pierce. He ordered them to round up as many men as they could, emptying out the weapons storage as they followed the location pin. They’d even called in a favour with Stark who was more than happy to lend a hand after learning that Pepper’s star baker was in danger - sending over reinforcements and a few extra top of the line rifles.

The car ride was quick as they sped, but Bucky was silent throughout, his eyes focused out on the road. The only sign he was tense were his hands, clenched into tight fists at his sides.

“She’ll be alright. We’ll get her out, Buck” Steve had told him.

Bucky just smiled thinly and nodded, the worry etched over his face. He had turned back to look out at the road again…

“Perimeter is clear, Buck” Steve explained.

Bucky nodded “Thanks Steve”. He stepped forward to leave and you gripped him harder. He turned back and took your hand.

“C’mon Doll, let’s go home” he beckoned, guiding you through the halls.

#mob bucky barnes #mob bucky x reader #bucky barnes #mob bucky au #mob bucky x you #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #james bucky barnes #sweet and sour fic

[gabby294]

You Look So Pretty, Pretty Like The Sun - Chapter 2

Buck wiped away the sweat from his forehead on a small towel between his sets. Despite the AC blasting at full power, the gym still felt stiflingly hot. The weights beside him were slightly heavier than what he typically lifted. With the wedding right around the corner, Buck had been making the most of any free time by hitting the gym . And if he harbored a secret desire to look extra good for his date, who could blame him?

Buck knew they were pretty similar in height but he was nearly certain Tommy was actually stronger than him. He attributed it on the Muay Thai. Speaking of Muay Thai, he really should stop imagining Tommy in the ring, his skin glistering, only in a pair of shorts and boxing gloves. His Google search history became much more interesting since they started to hang out.

Buck lifted his phone off the floor again, checking if he missed any messages while he was lifting. Throwing the towel over his shoulder he leaned back against the seat. The pretense that he wasn’t checking the phone every moment he could was long forgotten. Both he and Tommy had a day off and had been texting since Buck crawled out of bed for a cup of coffee.

Things between him and Tommy were good. Almost too good. His past relationships were never this peaceful or easy. Since their reconciliation couple of days ago, they fell into a rhythm. In his previous relationships, Buck always felt like his partners took offence if he didn’t talk to them constantly at work or if he would lose time hanging out with the team after work. With Tommy it was different. Sharing a similar job, he knew how hectic the days were. More importantly, he understood the team dynamic. They texted when they could without expectation of an immediate reply. Their conversations never had a beginning or an end, and often with different amount of hours in between, especially when Tommy was piloting. However when they were off, Buck was glued to his phone.

Buck grinned as he looked at the chat. He was getting bolder, adding more winky emojis to his texts and teasing Tommy more often. Despite still blushing like a teenage girl in front of the man, he considered this progress. And judging by Tommy's reactions, it seemed like he was enjoying it too. The last message Buck sent was a selfie of himself in front of the mirror, making sure to pose in a way that showed off his muscles. He really needed to thank Eddie for telling him about lighting all the way back when he first joined the 118. Tommy had responded with a series of fire emojis, and asked which gym he used. Buck placed his phone back down, eager for the man to reply.

He was in the middle of bench pressing as someone approached him from the side.

“Need a spotter?” A familiar voice called out, causing Buck to do a double take, his arms faltering for a second. He quickly recovered and clinked the barbell back into place. Tommy stood beside him, wearing a pair of blue shorts and a black, very fitting vest top. Shamelessly, Buck ogled at the man, his eyes glancing up and down a few times.

“Tommy!” He grinned widened. “What are you doing here? I thought you had errands to run.”

“Well, a cute guy changed my mind.” ommy replied, winking playfully and eyeing the equipment. “Mind if we share?”

“Be my guest," Buck said, stepping away from the bench and giving it a quick wipe. He couldn't help but emit a half-groan as he watched Tommy bend down to grab another set of plates, offering him an excellent view. The sly smirk on Tommy’s face suggested he knew exactly what he was doing.

“Ready to actually do some work?” Tommy teased, adding the weights to the barbell. Buck chuckled shaking his head.

“You’re on, old man.”

An hour and a cold shower later, Buck sighed happily as his muscles tingled, the cool water washing away the fatigue of their intense workout. He was pleased to learn that Tommy was just as competitive as him, the workout turning into a fun competition. They ended their workout on a treadmill where Tommy had utterly beat his ass in endurance.

As he dried his hair with a towel, Buck caught sight of Tommy openly staring at him in the mirror. His heart quickened at the intensity of Tommy's gaze, a flush creeping up his cheeks as he met the other man's eyes.

“What?” Buck asked, shifting under his gaze. The semi-public space added to the nerves and excitement.

“Nothing, just you're quite the sight.” Tommy replied with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Buck’s brain short-circuited for a moment.

“Lets grab some lunch.” Tommy added casually, as if he didn’t just openly flirt in a men’s locker room. He thew the duffel bag over his soldier, and Buck quickly grabbed his stuff, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he fell into step beside Tommy, feeling like a lovesick puppy in the best possible way.

———

After coming out to his sister and best friend, it became easier to talk about this newly discovered part of himself. There were only a select number of people he did want to tell, and he was determined to do it before the wedding. In part, he didn't want to make Maddie and Chimney's big day about him, a distant echo of his parents' voices ringing in his mind. Mostly, he just wanted to have a nice night with Tommy among their closest friends, unspoiled by awkward corrections that Tommy isn't just his friend but his date. He knew that Tommy wouldn't correct it if someone did make that assumption, wouldn't out him; he was too considerate for that.

Buck told Chimney when he announced he needed a plus one to the wedding. He rolled his eyes, remembering the smug grin on Chimney's face, all too pleased that he was a matchmaker. After teasing him for a while, Chimney clasped Buck’s shoulder and declared that there was no way Tommy would be going to his bachelor’s party. He added something about 'under my dead body' would there be lovebirds pining in his face on his last night as a single man.

On one of the quieter shifts, Buck was helping Hen load up an ambulance. It was pretty quiet in the station when the words came to him. He didn’t explain in much detail, just a simple ‘I kissed a boy’ was enough. She gave him a knowing smile and pulled him into a hug. Then, she proceeded to roast him about Tommy for the next fifteen minutes.

He hesitated to tell Bobby and Athena . Not because he expected a negative reaction; after all, they had come together because Michael was brave enough to share that hidden part of himself. Buck knew they accepted him fully and had no doubt they’d do the same to him. It was a different kind of anxiety. The kind he imagined people felt when introducing someone they’re seeing to their parents. That was an experience he never had. When he was younger and girls started showing interest, he was too caught up in hormones to commit to just one long enough to bring home. Besides, his parents wouldn't have cared even if he did.

Sure, Bobby and Athena met and interacted with his past girlfriends before. Buck never asked what they thought of them, never asked for their approval. He was younger back then, did what he wanted, saw who he wanted. He didn’t need anyone’s approval. They didn't question him when those relationships inevitably crashed and burned; they were simply there. Whether it was celebrating his proudest achievements, scolding him for his reckless behavior, or keeping vigil by his bedside after a close call with death, they were always nearby.

He knew he wasn’t their kid. He was in his thirties for crying out loud. Yet during countless family dinners, moments at work, and various celebrations, he would catch glimpses of domesticity and could briefly imagine that he was their kid. He could envision that this was how it felt to be loved by parents.

He wanted them to like Tommy. It was a strange feeling, wanting to bring someone home and introduce them. Deep down, he desired to do it properly, but it was way too soon for that. They were still getting to know each other, without labels or exclusivity. Well, they were exclusive on Buck’s side, but they hadn't had the conversation yet, so he didn't want to presume.

For now, he would settle for introducing him as his date for the wedding.

“Buck!” Athena exclaimed as she answered the door, surprise evident on her face as she opened it wider to let him in. “What did you do?”

“Can't I come over without being accused of doing something?” Buck asked with mock hurt, flashing a playful smile.

“You’re always up to something.” Athena chuckled.

“I’m not intruding am I?” He asked, wanting to make sure. He could totally come over another time.

“Of course not, come. Coffee is on the counter.” With that she glanced at Bobby, communicating something Buck couldn’t decipher and walked off.

Bobby was in the living room and greeted him warmly. With a coffee in his hand, Buck sat down on the couch. They talked for a bit, catching up on one of the calls they had the other day. Buck tried to pay attention to the conversation, but his mind was elsewhere. He wondered what the best way to bring it up was, feeling his mouth go dry as he glanced down at his mug. Eventually, Bobby, sensing Buck's distraction, asked what was on his mind.

“I, uh,” Buck began, biting his lip nervously. “I have a date. For the wedding.”

“Really? Is she someone we know?” Bobby asked curiously, perhaps sensing there was more to the conversation.

The silence stretched out. Buck finally raised his eyes to Bobby, trying to find the words. Bobby tilted his head.

“Is he someone we know?” Bobby asked, his tone softening.

“Yeah, it’s Tommy.” Buck finally managed to say.

“Wow.”

“Wow?” Buck frowned, his stomach dropping.

“No! Not like that!” Bobby was quick to correct it. “More like I should have realised you two would hit it off.”

“Yeah, we hit it off alright. Is… is that weird?”Buck asked tentatively.

“Why would it be weird?” Bobby responded, genuine confusion in his voice.

“I uh, I don’t know.” Buck sighed, rubbed his face and rose up. He pointed towards the kitchen. Eager to change the subject. “Forget I said anything. Want to grab something to eat? I’m starving.”

“Buck,” Bobby stopped him, rising and clasping a hand on his shoulder. “I’ve know you since you were wet behind your ears. I’ve watched you go from a reckless kid to a great man. And while I’d appreciate if you would stop giving me heart attacks with the stunts you pull on the job, your heart has always been in the right place. So if you’re happy, that’s all that matters to me.”

A lump formed in Buck's throat, and he blinked back sudden tears. Before he could react, Bobby pulled him into a hug After a moment of surprise, Buck hugged him back.

“I’m proud of you kid.” Bobby added softly, loud enough only for him to hear.

“Thanks, Bobby.” Buck managed to choke out, his voice thick with emotion.

They pulled away, with Bobby giving his shoulder a final squeeze. Buck cleared his throat, a smile breaking out.

Athena's voice interrupted their moment, teasing and light-hearted.

“Ain’t you two looking cozy. Anything interesting to share?”

Buck glanced at Bobby, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. “I, uh, was telling Bobby about bringing Tommy to the wedding. As my date. Uh, the pilot that helped us find you.”

“I’m impressed Buck,” Athena grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “What’s his name?”

“Tommy Kinard.” Buck replied and watched her pull out her phone and type it in phone. “Wait, are you doing a background search on him?!”

——-

Kissing Tommy was quickly becoming Buck’s favourite thing to do. They were at his loft, hanging out in the kitchen as Buck was still without a couch. His parents had gotten one for him, but it was more aesthetically pleasing than comfortable and after a 24-hour shift it pissed Buck off and he sold it the next morning. He had yet to buy a new couch.

As they waited for their Italian takeaway to arrive, conversation flowed easily between them but his attention was drifting, unable to resist stealing glances at Tommy's lips. Sensing Buck's gaze, Tommy flashed a knowing smile before taking hold of Buck's chin, and guided their lips together in for a kiss Buck's breath hitched in his throat as their lips met, his hands instinctively finding their way to Tommy's waist, pulling him closer. As the seconds passed, Buck’s confidence grew and he licked at the bottom of Tommy’s lip. Tommy hummed in encouragement, parting his lips, his hands roaming over Buck’s back.

Their kiss grew more passionate, more urgent and before he knew it, Tommy grabbed at his legs and hoisted Buck on top of the counter. A surprised gasp escaped Buck as he instinctively grabbed at Tommy for support. Tommy took the opportunity and slotted himself against Buck’s legs, wrapping them around himself.

“That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.” Buck groaned out, his voice thick and eyes half-lidded with desire.

“You haven’t seen anything yet, pretty boy.” Tommy grinned, planting another kiss on his lips. He didn’t let Buck deepen the kiss, instead trailed light kisses down his cheek and neck. Buck gasped in pleasure at the nibbles along his neck, causing his body to jolt into Tommy’s when he sucked a particularly sensitive spot. Tommy's hand on his leg tightened, grounding him.

Buck flinched, startled, as a series of loud knocks on the door interrupted them. Tommy let out a frustrated sigh, briefly nibbling on Buck's neck once more before reluctantly pulling away.

“I’ll get it.” Tommy muttered, his eyes still dark with desire. He glanced at Buck’s lips and quickly kissed him again before moving away to get the door. As Tommy's back turned to him, Buck took a moment to catch his breath and ensure his legs hadn't turned to jelly. With a sheepish smile, Buck adjusted his jeans, feeling the warmth creeping into his cheeks.

Tommy managed to get rid of the delivery guy in a record speed and brought the pizza box to the table that was already set. Buck pulled out two beers from the fridge and joined him.

“I tried to get you in but Chimney was adamant that it’s not a bachelor party if we are making in a corner instead of partying.” Buck said as he brought the beer to his lips.

“Wise man, I can barely keep my hands off you.” Tommy sent him a flirty smile. Buck was getting a suspicion that this smooth fucker said things on purpose to make him blush.

“Also, Athena ran a background search on you.” Buck blurted out before his mind caught up with him. Probably not the best thing to say. “I mean, I told Bobby about us and she asked so you know. Told her as well.”

“Really?” Tommy raised his eyebrow in amusement. “Should I be worried?”

“Not unless you have something to hide.” Buck quipped playfully, his gaze locking with Tommy’s.

“Not to my knowledge. But do let me know if I have to flee the country. I’ll need time to prepare my chopper.” Tommy chuckled, his demeanor relaxed as he grabbed another slice of pizza.

“Speaking of telling people about us.” He continued. “Evan, are you absolutely sure about bringing me? It’s a big step, even if I wasn’t a man.”

“Yeah, of course.” Buck replied with a soft smile. “Besides, everyone who are important to me already know you’re my date. The rest can deal with it.”

Tommy's gaze turned thoughtful as he considered Buck's response “What about your parents? I assume they will be there.”

“I mean,” Buck shrugged. “I mean, something tells me that won't be the most disappointing thing I've done in their eyes even if they don't like it."

“Complicated history?” He guessed. They hadn’t really discussed their parents or their relationships with them.

“Something like that.” Buck alluded. He didn’t really want to get into it. His own feelings towards parents were complex, and definitely not a conversation for a date night.

Tommy seemed to understand and didn’t pry further.

“Well for what it’s worth,” Tommy's hand found Buck's on the table. “I can’t wait to be shown off by you.”

—-

Link to ao3:

#911 abc #911 show #911 spoilers #evan buckley #buck x tommy #bucktommy #tommy kinard #ao3 #fanfic #kinkley #tuck #tevan

[gyeomsweetgyeom]

[11:56 pm] 

(cw: mentions of alcohol and throwing up)

This was not how you had imagined your night going at all, holding back the hair of your best friend while she threw up into the bushes outside a frat house. She had convinced you to join her at the party, to let loose with a few drinks, and dance until your feet were sore. What you would have preferred to do was curl up on the couch with her brother, but well... you couldn't really tell her that.

You met Renjun through Rena during your university orientation, she was bubbly and charismatic with a big smile on her face while she gushed about how excited she was to be your roommate and become best friends. It was impossible not to love her immediately. Renjun, on the other hand, was the opposite. He was quiet and reserved, he had taken a while to warm up to you, but he had become one of your best friends in your three years at university together.

Nights when Rena went out or was busy led to you and Renjun hanging out alone, sharing your secrets, finding common interests, and joking around with one another. It was really inevitable that it would evolve into something more, but things were still somewhat new and you both had no idea how Rena would react. She was your best friend, but she was his sister. You both didn't want to ruin anything until you both felt like she would be ready, but school kept throwing things your way and telling Rena just got pushed aside more and more.

You wished more than anything that you were wearing something warmer too, Rena had pulled a sleeveless shirt over your head and told you that the dancing would be enough to keep you warm. Clearly she hadn't planned on spending so much time outside.

"I'm calling Renjun, we need to get you home," you sighed, pulling your phone from your pocket.

"No! You can't, you know he hates it when I drink like this," she whined, until she gagged again.

You rolled your eyes, "We can't walk home right now, it would be safer if Renjun came to get us. I'll protect you from his anger."

She sighed before she agreed, finally slumping down against the fence before you heard her mumble something about wanting to squeeze you with a hug, but you were busy dialing Renjun's number.

He definitely wasn't happy to get this specific kind of call, but he knew the drill and he knew his sister. So even though he grumbled and complained, he still showed up 10 minutes later to pick you both up.

You both hauled Rena into the backseat, and began the journey home listening to Renjun's threats to not throw up all over his seats and how unbelievably disappointed he was to have to pick Rena up drunk and sick yet again.

"Whatever Junnie, you need to bone someone and get that stick out of your ass. Now, shut up and let me sleep," Rena groaned. Within seconds she was snoring against the window. Little did she know...

"Are you seeing who you chose over me tonight? Did you have fun seeing her puke up jello shots and lose at beer pong three times in a row?"

"She's my best friend, I have to make time for her. Couldn't tell her I was ditching her for her brother, and you know she had a rough week," you explained, pulling Renjun's hand into your grasp to intertwine your fingers.

He sighed, he knew you were right, "Still missed you tonight. I started craving that Thai place you like, but I knew you'd kill me if I ate it without you. Want to grab lunch there tomorrow we can try that ice cream you've been wanting after."

You had to suppress your absolute adoration. Renjun was so kind and considerate, he was the best guy ever. You were positive that if your eyes could become hearts, then they would surely be hearts right now. You pressed a kiss to the back of his hand, "Sounds perfect, baby."

You played with Renjun’s fingers as his playlist played softly over the speakers. It only took a few songs for you to recognize that it was one of the many playlists he had made for you. This one was soft songs that were perfect for midnight drives or slow dancing in the kitchen. If you could lean over and kiss him right now, you would. He was just so perfect. It was impossible to imagine anyone better fit for you than Renjun.

“Baby?” You asked, receiving a hum in response, “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

The car swerved slightly, you had caught him off guard. He felt his face flush and his heart race, but he knew. He knew it from the moment he first spoke to you. “I’m falling-”

Rena groaned from the back seat, her eyes snapped open, "You gotta pull over Jun, I'm gonna puke."

-

a/n: i’m baaaaaack! I got busy with homework one week and then I got covid, but I’m here now and admiring how pretty Renjun is in the header

#kpop imagines #kpop au #kpop scenarios #kpop reactions #nct #nct imagines #nct fluff #nct timestamps #nct x reader #nct dream #nct dream imagines #nct dream fluff #renjun fluff #renjun x reader #renjun imagines #renjun blurbs #renjun timestamps

[bengiyo]

So I’ve got some thoughts wracking around my brain and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Apologies ahead of time because this is long.

Some background: I’ve been watching BL for about 2 years, consuming content from BL fandom on Tumblr for about a year, and listened to you & Nini’s pod since it came out. So I know a big trend and exciting push is workplace BL and more adult BL characters and relationships. I think it’s really interesting that so many in the fandom favor this trend because I struggle with the presence of the typical BL tropes in stories with queer adults because I see many of the tropes as inherently childish I guess? I mean I think as we all watch BL we have to hold a suspension of disbelief watching two adolescent or fully grown men live out these silly tropes (e.g white towel bath, tripping and falling, etc. (we all know’em by now)). I think that’s why I typically lean toward high school and even college settings because it’s easier to imagine characters in that age range engaging with these types of tropes.

I think the same goes for certain genres too. For example: I had a hard time enjoying KinnPorsche because tonally it was hard to reconcile one scene of rampant violence/death and the next scene Kinn & Porsche walking in the park engaging in all the silly tropes. The romance orientation of BL (to me) does not mix well with Mafia or horror genres because the presence of these tropes create such a weird tonal shift throughout the narrative.

I think I primarily have this trouble with Thai BLs (maybe also Taiwan they just don’t produce nearly as many shows so less to compare) because 1) the specific campy thai style of acting and 2) the fact that Thai BLs pack so many of the same tropes in their shows.

Now all that being said: I’m loving Law of Attraction and I’ve been thinking a lot about why it works for me. So far I don’t think there have been nearly as many tropes as some shows but I also think the melodrama of it all helps too. I mean both Charn and Tinn are very archetypal and Charn is almost a caricature of the archetype. It’s ridiculous and highly entertaining and still works as a BL for me.

Ok all that being said (I’m sorry this is so long) specifically with workplace/adult Thai BL: I see it going one of two main ways to continue to work (for me at least) while they also try to explore different settings, genres, and stories. Either 1) LoA route where it’s very dramatic and the characters are more caricatures and it’s not to be taken too seriously (but it’s still fun and entertaining and has some good themes) or 2) they phase out a lot of the tropes and depict more realistic queer characters in adult relationships. If they go route #2 wouldn’t that just lead to inherently more queer shows? From what I understand many define BL by the inclusion of these tropes and centering the romance in the narrative but I just can’t see how these aspects can continue to exist in more adult oriented stories? Do you think new tropes will emerge in these “office BLs” that will make it continue to “feel” BL without it feeling queer? Don’t get me wrong I’m queer and I love that it seems to be going in that direction but I’m also interested in the history/origins of the Thai BL industry and how they will likely try to continue to please their original base (cis het women) with more mature stories and settings without losing the essence of BL and moving more toward queer shows. Would love to hear any and all your thoughts. I’m thinking so much more about these topics hearing you and Nini on the pod so thank you for fostering these conversations!!

There's a lot going on here, so I'm going to try to pull out some specific things to interrogate.

I know a big trend and exciting push is workplace BL and more adult BL characters and relationships. I think it’s really interesting that so many in the fandom favor this trend because I struggle with the presence of the typical BL tropes in stories with queer adults because I see many of the tropes as inherently childish I guess? I mean I think as we all watch BL we have to hold a suspension of disbelief watching two adolescent or fully grown men live out these silly tropes (e.g white towel bath, tripping and falling, etc. (we all know’em by now)). I think that’s why I typically lean toward high school and even college settings because it’s easier to imagine characters in that age range engaging with these types of tropes.

I'm entering my mid-30s. I'm a bit burnt out on the high school and college stuff. I also work in an office tower as part of a large bureacracy. You'd be surprised how much petty office drama looks like the same shit you dealt with in schools. I also like the notion that even adults can enjoy some of the silly first moments. I dont' like the idea that either we settle down with the first boy we met in high school or college or we just don't exist.

Also, there are lots of tropes entering BL from the genre-blending that I think some viewers just don't recognize. Part of why Korean BL is so important is because quite a few viewers are versed in the narrative structures and story beats of a typical kdrama, and their commentary has been interesting as we get more Korean offerings. I often find that people miss out on the cues in Japanese shows because they didn't grow up on Japanese media like I did.

For example, I was commenting to NiNi last night when we were recording for Tokyo in April is... that one of the things I like so much about second chance romance in BL is the different built-in presumptions compared to straight people. When straight people have a second chance, it's usually because one of them broke up with the other. The relationship ended because of their internal problems. In gay second chance, the relationship was often taken from them by homophobia. In Our Dating Sim, internalized homophobia made Wan run away. Same in Individual Circumstances or The Promise. In Tokyo in April is... the boys are separated by their parents. Their relationship ended against their own wills, so the reunion and second chance is different because of their queer context.

Re: KinnPorsche: The romance orientation of BL (to me) does not mix well with Mafia or horror genres because the presence of these tropes create such a weird tonal shift throughout the narrative.

I don't know. History3: Trapped exists. Tropes are storytelling tools built upon familiar beats that audiences recognize. The pinky touch doesn't belong to BL. It grew out of queer media as a way for boys to privately have a moment of intimacy. Tropes are not inherently good or bad. What matters is how they're used. Do they support the narrative and themes, or do they get in the way?

A lot of folks do not like the Blushing Maiden trope. I am variable. It matters how it's used. I think it makes sense for Pharm in Until We Meet Again. I think it makes some sense for Minato in Minato's Laundromat. I don't really like it in Heartstopper 2. Elle gets a Heel Pop in Heartstopper 2, and it's what she deserves!

As for a mafia story, putting a romance story in a crime drama often is used to ramp up the sense of tragedy because the romance can't succeed inside the rules of the crime world.

specifically with workplace/adult Thai BL: I see it going one of two main ways to continue to work (for me at least) while they also try to explore different settings, genres, and stories. Either 1) LoA route where it’s very dramatic and the characters are more caricatures and it’s not to be taken too seriously (but it’s still fun and entertaining and has some good themes) or 2) they phase out a lot of the tropes and depict more realistic queer characters in adult relationships.

I don't like binaries like this. If you had asked me at 15 when I started watching Degrassi and then sneaking around to watch other gay shit if we'd have what we call BL now, I would not have believed you.

As for Laws of Attraction, I don't know that calling the characters caricatures is accurate either. They're behaving under the surreal rules of a lakorn, a telenovela, or a soap opera. There are exaggerations in the characters, but they all make sense and are obeying the rules of their world.

As for the question about BL getting more gay, @absolutebl has covered this already. Audiences do not care about gay people. Some of the conventions of surreal BL or the bubble are why they signed up. People did not watch POSE, they do not watch stuff like For the Boys, I haven't seen anyone on Tumblr talk about Sort Of, we didn't get an explosion of new gay shit after Moonlight or Call Me By Your Name. All I wanna say is that they don't really care about us.

I think there is room for BL to genre blend and play with broader romance or dramatic themes, à la La Pluie or Moonlight Chicken. However, I'll remind you that folks don't always like that (see I Promised You The Moon).

I think the biggest thing to recognize is that, while BL does have some of its own tropes from origin yaoi or modern Thai BL, BL shares a lot of DNA with romance as a whole. Don't get lost in the sauce of the classification war. Watching BL to check off boxes about what's recognized or not as the primary goal feels like a distraction.

Besides, if you're enjoying Laws of Attraction, that show has done nothing new. It's literally just using familiar lakorn and romance beats. Humans have been telling stories for at least 20,000 years. It doesn't have to be new to be good. It just needs to be done well.

#Ben writes #answered #bl series #thai bl #japanese bl #korean bl #taiwanese bl #Filipino bl

[daydream-cement]

Heavenly Aether Ch. 4

Miranda Hilmarson x Reader

You and Miranda bond, but corruption seeks to keep you off the case.

Author’s Note: Thank you to @bri-sonat for being my beta! This story has just been so much fun to write!

TW: cults, suicide, death, corruption, brief descriptions of violence

After receiving Miranda’s call, you swiftly stood from your office chair, saving the story you had been working on, and shutting down your computer. Miranda wanted to meet you at her favorite Thai restaurant that just so happened to be a few blocks away from your office. 

You couldn’t help the little smile that marked your face as you strolled through the streets of Sydney to reach the restaurant. The constable had seemed so invested in the case which had you ready to share more of the evidence you had collected over the years. During your late-night meeting yesterday, you had only given her summaries of the church documents and interviews with members. As Miranda continued gaining your trust, you felt sure you could be more open with the nitty gritty portions of the evidence.

When you arrived at the restaurant, you immediately felt awkward as Miranda had yet to arrive, you were slightly worried she couldn’t attend due to a last-minute police duty she couldn’t shirk. You were seated by a hostess in a back booth and you attempted to wait patiently, fidgeting with the flash drive around your neck as you glanced about the restaurant. The establishment seemed to be fairly popular as most of the tables had been filled by patrons who looked to be satisfied by their meals. 

The tall blonde entered with a wide grin, her eyes finding you the second she entered the restaurant. She gave a small wave and wove her way over to the table. Miranda dove into the chair across from you and spoke with extreme fervor, “I have good news and bad news - which would you like first?” 

With a deep sigh, you looked to the constable with a look of skepticism, crinkling your nose at the prospect of bad news. Your mind was racing as you pondered all the ways pursuing this case could be blocked by the police force. 

Miranda must have noticed the change in your demeanor, quickly delving into her news before you could choose which you wanted first. Her voice was low as she leaned over the tabletop, creeping closer as if she was sharing a secret, “The bad news is that the superintendent wants us to drop the case, but I can promise you right now that I and Robin won’t be letting that happen. The good news is that Robin is meeting with the coroner right now to see what he might know about the case as well. He has been around a while so he might know more than the files show.”

Relief immediately filled your body when the bad news wasn’t as bad as you had anticipated. “Good lord, Constable! I thought that news was going to be much worse!”

The serious look on the constable’s face soon faded, replacing itself with something more lighthearted, “Apologies. I just thought you would want to know it all… Good, bad, and the ugly.” 

It was undeniable that Miranda was looking to be as honest as possible about her progress on the case. The constable knew how important the case was to you and she wasn’t interested in losing your experience anytime soon. 

“Thank you, constable-” 

She quickly reached across the table and grasped at your hand, squeezing your fingers as a way of cutting you off. Your eyes widened as you glanced down at her hand on yours. There was a growing warmth in your cheeks at the way her hand enveloped your own. 

“You can just call me Miranda. Now what are you getting to eat? I’m thinking of Tom Yum Goong and Pad Thai, but I always like trying something new…” You were almost disappointed at the way her hand slipped away from yours to grip her menu. There was something about the way she wore a perpetual smile that you couldn’t take your eyes off of her.

The constable drove the topic of conversation away from the case, chatting brightly about her hobbies and love of work. Quickly she spun the conversation onto you, delving into the specifics of your investigative work outside of The Church of Mithras. You found yourself giggling at Miranda’s jokes as you enjoyed your meal with one another - the original purpose of the meeting being lost along the way. 

You couldn’t get over how incredibly expressive she was; whether she was listening to one of your anecdotes or sharing her own personal stories, her face said absolutely everything about what she was thinking or feeling. When she found something particularly funny, Miranda seemed to have this adorable way of covering her face as she giggled. You truly couldn’t remember the last time you had enjoyed a meal this much. 

“And then Robin said to me-” Miranda cut herself off quickly when her eyes drifted to the front door as the little bell rang above the door. You watched her sink lower into her side of the booth (her legs being so long in the little booth that her knees pressed against your own). Holding a finger up to her lips, Miranda silently told you to be quiet while her eyes flickered to the left where two men were being seated diagonally. 

When you looked at the two men, you instantly recognized Adrian Butler and, the aged, Don Marshall. Superintendent Butler and Commissioner Marshall were in a heated discussion, but you couldn’t make out the subject. All you could see was the back of Marshall’s head and Butler shaking his head with a look of obvious frustration. 

From Miranda’s earlier news about Adrian denying her and Robin permission to continue in pursuing the case, and your previous interactions with Don Marshall, you were making assumptions that the two were discussing the church. 

The constable and you sat in silence for the whole duration the men were in the restaurant - the two of you sharing glances and small smirks, like two high schoolers about to be caught breaking school rules. Miranda ended up taking your knee between her own as she played footsie with you under the table. The waitress gave both of you fairly strange looks each time she passed by the table, not understanding the reason for your strange behavior. 

The question of if Miranda was flirting with you crossed your mind briefly, but you pushed it away, assuming her charming nature was something she offered to most people. You were slightly disappointed with the idea she wasn’t flirting with you… you certainly wouldn’t be opposed if she was. 

When the two policemen finished their meal and got up to leave, you know Don and Adrian both saw you, but only Adrian recognized you as his brow furrowed when he made eye contact. You maintained your unwavering gaze, wanting Superintendent Butler to know you weren’t backing down anytime soon. 

The constable knocked her knees against yours as the men exited, wanting to get your attention. Glancing back down at her, you watched her eyes widen and roll towards the door, her own silent way of asking if they were gone. You couldn’t stop yourself from smiling, nodding swiftly which caused the constable to sit upright once more, reminding you of just how tall she really was. 

“What do you think they were talking about?” Miranda leaned over the table towards you, resting her head in one of her hands. 

Your smile soon faded, knowing the two policemen cared nothing for you. “Nothing good… They seemed to be arguing, and they both saw me when they left, but only Adrian seemed to recognize me.” 

“I can look into it. I’m not sure Commissioner Marshall knows who you are.” The constable shook her head as she attempted to reassure you. 

“Commissioner Marshall was the person who ignored the killings before Adrian… I was sent from his office many times, and even thrown out of the police station by none other than Superintendent Butler.” You were frank with the constable, needing her to know the fullest extent of your experience with the police force. “I’ve been told I will be arrested if I continue pursuing this case… So you should now understand my early hesitation of working with you…”

Miranda mulled over your words in her head, and you could physically see her finding the words to put any further hesitation on your behalf to rest. “…I see. I will say it’s challenging to deter Robin and me when we are focused on a case. Regardless of what Adrian said, Rob and I are dedicated to seeing this through - that I can promise.” 

Your heart was warmed by her words, fully trusting she would be willing to fulfill that promise. 

——

Don Marshall furrowed his brow, glaring at the superintendent through the open window of his sedan. The anger within the graying man was enough to make him spit as he spoke, “I want those… women off that damn case, Butler. Tell them they will both be sent down to probationary constable if they don’t drop it. And I want that little reporter arrested for misleading an investigation once again.”

Adrian shoved his hands in his pants pockets, not wanting to create too much of a fuss, but gently argued back regardless, “Commissioner Marshall, I can assure you my officers are-”

“Get it done or it’s your ass on the line.” Don Marshall wasn’t hearing any of it. He rolled up his car window before Adrian could respond, and drove off without another word. 

——

“Hilmarson. Griffin.” Adrian Butler stepped from his office and gestured for the two women who sat in the desk pod before him to come into his office. When they both glanced up from their computers and acknowledged his request, he moved back into his office to sit behind his desk once more.

Miranda followed Robin into the office wordlessly, still preferring not to speak to her ex without it being completely necessary. Robin took a seat before the superintendent while the constable leaned on the walk near the door. 

The brunette was quick to speak up, requesting to know why they had been called in, “What is this about, Adrian?”

“I know you are still pursuing the Mithras case. Drop it now or I’ll be forced to demote the both of you.” The superintendent wouldn’t even make eye contact with the two officers. He pretended to be busy flipping through the pages of a file as he spoke, deflecting the nerves he felt ordering the two headstrong women about.

“You’re fucking joking, Butler.” Robin folded her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair as her eyes narrowed in on her superior. 

“I’m not fucking joking, Griffin. Drop that goddamn case or you can be dropped back to probationary constables like you just got out of the academy.” 

Both the women were taken aback by his aggressiveness, glancing at one another with looks of shock and disbelief. It was rare for Adrian to get too worked up over anything, and even when the two officers did break the rules, their punishments were accompanied by an eye roll and a shake of the head. The two knew it must be serious if he was willing to yell at the both of them over the matter.

“Why do we have to drop the case?” The constable asked bluntly, a look of pure annoyance and defiance marring her typically sweet features.

“Because I fucking said so! I don’t need to give the both of you a goddamn reason for everything I do! Now get out of my office. I’m sending both of you to arrest that reporter that has been fucking with this case since it began all those years ago. I want her in a cell in the next hour or you can expect to be sent down to a constable ranking,” Adrian paused and pointed to Robin, threatening her detective ranking before moving on to Miranda so he could threaten her constable ranking, “…and you will never make senior constable.”

The women were only able to hesitate a moment longer before Adrian shouted once more, “Go!” 

——

A knock on your front door came as a shock - people never came to visit you this late. You stopped and glanced out the peephole, observing Constable Hilmarson on the other side with Detective Griffin close by. With no note in advance from Miranda, you suspected this impromptu visit could only be bad news.

You opened the door slowly, eyes finding Miranda’s face as you peered around the corner of the door. The blonde only seemed to be pained by the words that slipped from her mouth, “I’m sorry to do this… but you are under arrest for misleading and impeding an investigation.”

As the constable read you your rights, your mind wandered off elsewhere. You weren’t able to hear the guilt and sorrow in her words as the utter betrayal of her presence was too overpowering to hear anything else.

#miranda hilmarson #miranda hilmarson x reader #top of the lake #gwendoline christie #fanfic #gwen christie #heavenly aether

[waitmyturtles]

Thank you Turtles for yet another great piece on IFYLITA. I'm so excited that you picked up the novel. So having known the context, how would you have fixed the IFYLITA finale, if you were the director and didn't know if it was possible to have a S2 or not? Would you still have included all 3 Yais or do you think you would have tried to extend IFYLITA into a 16-18 episode series in order to adapt everything from start to finish? Is there anything from Part 1 of the novel that you are glad/happy that it wasn't adapted into the series or things you like that the series have done differently/taken different approach from the novel?

You must be so tired after your work trip and I'm really sorry for bothering you about IFYLITA even though you just wrote such a long post about it 😭

@clairedaring, I will take ANY EXCUSE to keep talking about I Feel You Linger In The Air -- I LOVE this extended conversation, thank you for engaging me in it! <3

Here's my thinking on how this first season shaped up, and a lot of this comes from conversation that I had with @lurkingshan and @neuroticbookworm before I read the novel last week into this week.

The material for the 1928 Chiang Mai era clearly fit a style and a tone that director Tee Bundit knew he could do a lot with. (@clairedaring, my recent history with Tee Bundit has been in watching many of his shows -- TharnType and Lovely Writer in particular -- for my Old GMMTV Challenge project, where I'm watching older Thai BLs to learn more about the genre. I also watched Step By Step -- TT and SBS are two of my most passionately hated shows, and I utterly LOVED Lovely Writer, so I have a real love-hate relationship with Tee Bundit, lmao.)

Since I've read the novel -- I'm glad he stuck with one era for the first season, and I really liked how he expanded it. We know that Eaung Peang and Robert have much more minor roles in the novel, and Tee Bundit greatly expanded EP's role to include a lesbian main couple, as well as a dialogue about women's reproductive health and freedom. There was Yai's arranged marriage in the drama that got extended, as well as the criminal downfall of Uncle Dech, Robert, and Yai's father by proxy. Yai's mother gaining power to run the family after that, etc., etc. -- these are all themes that Tee clearly glommed onto in expanding that era, and @clairedaring, to the point you made in the reblog tags of my previous piece from yesterday, I am SUPER glad we spent most of our time in this era. Tee also just made it GORGEOUS for us to watch, which was a treat.

I think if Tee had tried to include all three Yais, we would have felt short shrifted. The Seehasingkorn/Ayutthaya era of the novel is so lengthy. And there are HUGE behavioral change moments for both Jom and Commander Yai in that era. Especially for a Thai audience that's familiar with the novel, if that had gotten shortened, then there definitely would be public criticisms and outcries. (Plus? That era was so much FUN in the novel. Jom was SO SASSY and bold to start courting Commander Yai first!)

I think, if Tee Bundit gave a huge bunch of energy and attention to 1928 Chiang Mai, he'd want to do the same for an even older, more nomadic era. I cannot imagine how beautiful it would be to see that depicted.

And then Tee could fix the order of some scenes from the first season, and we could see more reveals in context, as well as the present day? A season 2 would just be ridiculously awesome for all of that.

The one thing I would have liked fixed was the redundancy from episode 11 to episode 12. I also would have liked more specific clarity about pieces of Jom being lost every time a drawing was made -- we saw that he froze and transcended himself, but that was illuminated pretty early on in the novel, and I think the same could have been done in the series without losing dramatic effect.

But these are minor quibbles. We got to center ourselves in the development of the incredible relationship between Khun Yai and Jom to start the dramatic introduction to this series, and the way Tee Bundit did it defied nearly all of my expectations about this work. He didn't miss any of the big themes of the novel, which I so appreciate, and I think he enriched our experience of the novel by expanding greatly the plight of women in that era. I'm glad we had mostly one Yai to deal with, because more of them would have been a lot!

#thanks for the ask! #i feel you linger in the air #i feel you linger in the air meta #ifylita #ifylita meta #tee bundit #lovely writer #step by step

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Doctor Who, but Chronologically: 32

Second half of the two-parter! The Doctor gets them out of it by making a radio go all loud and gross. I too get sensory overload. I feel sorry for these Daleks.

Anyway, this is actually a very fun and intriguing bit of plotting – the Daleks, now led by the human-dalek hybrid that is Dalek Sec with a beard of penises, have been stockpiling humans. Dalek Sec wants to make lots of hybrids, using a lightning strike to the Empire State Building – now with those Dalek bumps on – to power it. So far so normal, except Dalek Sec has caught human feelings, and now thinks they need to Embrace Emotion. He wants the Doctor to help, so that they might have lots of little humany Daleks running about, and also so they can be taken to a new planet and allowed to start a new race.

This goes down with the other Daleks of the Cult of Skaro approximately as well as a priceless porcelain vase being fired down a fifty foot well out of a cannon. Inevitably, mutiny occurs. They tamper with the gene solution so that the hybrids created will be, like, super Daleky, no emotions. They also make Dalek Sec wear a collar and leash and crawl around on a stage, because even Daleks have kinks I guess.

Fortunately, Martha, Frank, Tallulah and Lazlo manage to hold off the pig slaves (actually, Martha has the genius idea to rig up a set of metal poles so that the lightning that strikes the Empire Stake Building will fry the pig slaves in the lift, because Martha is brilliant and hyper-competent) long enough for the Doctor to get up to the main mast and remove the Dalek bumps. Except he doesn’t do it in time, so he just wraps himself about the mast like a koala and screams as the lightning hits him too. This means the hybrids have Time Lord DNA, and so turn on the Daleks; Daleks Thay, Jast and Sec are all killed, but Dalek Caan survives.

“The only Dalek left in the universe,” the Doctor says sorrowfully. “Like I’m the only Time Lord left.”

We have literally seen Daleks with both Smith and Capaldi, and more than one at that, so lol no. What a silly continuity error! It’s almost like this watch order is completely broken.

HOWEVER is that the first mention that the Doctor is the only Time Lord left? I think it is! Gosh, I wonder what happened to the others?

Other notes – Martha is great again. Something that gets clearer and clearer when you watch this way is that RTD really knows what the point of a companion is and how to use them – neither Moffatt nor Chibnell do. Well; Moffatt has an idea, actually, it’s just a very bad idea because he thinks they’re props for the Doctor’s Man Pain rather than characters in their own right. Chibnell straight up does not know. Ironic, given that he gave himself three at a time, and there’s not enough for even one of them to do.

But RTD companions are co-protagonists; Martha in this episode actually has a fairly small showing, comparatively, but still gets to use her medical skills, break into the Empire State Building, find out exactly where the all-important Dalek bumps that need removing are, and rig up the pipework to electrocute the pig slaves. If you wrote her out, you would need to change the plot to get it all to work still, AND would lose important humanising story elements. It would, quite literally, be a worse story without her. In the last two Yaz episodes, if she was removed there would be no difference or impact whatsoever.

And, in a final moment of glory for the comparisons, as they stand in a theatre before the final showdown, waiting for the Daleks to arrive, the Doctor turns to Martha and tells her to run.

“No,” she says. “I told you I’m staying.”

“And I told you it’s not safe!” the Doctor snarls. “Leave! I’m giving you an order!”

And Martha squares the fuck up to him and says “So who are you, then, some sort of Dalek?”

Lol

(Compare: Amy, the “spunky no-nonsense one”, scurrying immediately back to the TARDIS without a word as the Doctor yells at her to leave.)

ANYWAY, fun episode! Weird accents! Very bizarre that Spider-Man was in it! Let’s update the plot threads.

Oh, on the subject of which, I realised yesterday I’ve forgotten to tick one off: now that we’ve met Dead!Bill and heard she was cyber-converted, we know the answer to “Who did the Doctor lose to Cyber conversion?” Sorry about this shameful lack of consistency at my end.

“She” (an unknown person) is returning (perhaps River returned as Missy. Maybe Me? Maybe Clara???!)

There is something on Donna’s back

An entire planet, Pyrovilia, just… disappeared, somehow. (Maybe because the TARDIS is exploding??? Saturnine was also lost, and that WAS because of the TARDIS exploding. The lion man’s planet was also lost but he was a bit of a knob about it if I’m honest.)

Amy is maybe dead (she’s not)

The Doctor has been cubed (he’s out, but how?)

River is possibly blown up  (unless she’s Missy)

The TARDIS has blown up  (It’s fine now. Except it’s sort of melting now because it’s corrupted, but it’s fine again)

The universe appears to have ended  (the universe is back again)

The Doctor has employed(?) Nardole

(And Nardole was “reassembled???” Nardole had glass nipples and invisible hair?? WHAT THE FUCK IS HE)

There’s a vault in the TARDIS and it contains Missy but we don’t know why (sometimes she knocks for the bants)

What has happened to all these companions and where are the new ones coming from?

There’s an immortal Viking girl now. Her name is Me and she’s now looking after the people the Doctor abandons

What’s With The Silence?

Why was Rory entirely unconcerned by the entire world suddenly going silent when that is Not Normal and should have been, at the very least, extremely disconcerting?

What did the Doctor do to Queen Lizzie One?

Who is Captain Jack Harkness? (Is he the one who gave the companions a warning about the lone cyberman?)

Why is Amy seeing a one-eyed woman in a vanishing window?

What’s with the Doctor’s future involving getting shot by an astronaut?

Is Amy pregnant and why is it inconclusive?

Who is Sarah-Jane Smith?

How is the Doctor Bill’s teacher and why/where does he have an office?

What is going on with the Cyber War and the Cyberium???

What happened with the Other Cyber War?

What happened with the Third War that deleted the void?

Why does Rose seem particularly important?

What’s with the Weeping Angel statues, and why can’t you blink at them?

What order do these Doctors go in? (Eccleston, Tennant, uncertain, Smith, Capaldi, Whittaker)

Which companion just… forgot the Doctor, and how?

Yaz and Vinder are about to die as Mori/Mwri/Muuri

There is a Lupari shield around Earth.

What’s a Time War?

What’s the Rift?

What’s Bad Wolf?

What happened with Amy’s pregnancy?

In which war did the Doctor become a war criminal, and how?

Who is the Master?

Why has Amy forgotten Rory?

Is Rory plastic or not?

Why is the Doctor sulking on a cloud?

How exactly does the Doctor have a cloud?

What exactly happened with Strax to, uh, tame him?

Which friend killed Strax?

Which friend brought Strax back?

Where did this lesbian lizard and human couple come from?

What happened with Clara as Souffle Girl and the Daleks?

How does Clara actually join?

Why so many Claras?

Why is Missy apparently in robo-heaven?

Why is probably!Missy pushing Clara and the Doctor together?

What is Trensilor and what happened there?

Who is Handles?

The Doctor is about to be dissolved by a beautiful geode man

The universe is being crushed by the Flux

Will the Doctor open the fobwatch?

Sontarans are invading Earth again

Who is Kate?

Who is Osgood? Another name of Clara’s again?

The fuck is the deal with the Grand Serpent

Does Martha get to go to an ice cream planet with 12-fingered massage aliens?

How did the Doctor forget Clara?

Who is Bill’s puddle girlfriend Heather?

How did Nardole die?

When does Bill get Cyberman-ed and die?

When does the Doctor shrink and enter a Dalek called Rusty?

Whittaker is falling to her death rn

Was that ring relevant?

Does anyone know the Doctor’s name?

When did Yaz talk to Dan about fancying the Doctor?

When did Dan talk to the Doctor about fancying Yaz?

Who was the Doctor’s wife?

What’s happening with the bees?

What happened with Donna’s ex and a giant spider?

What war wiped out the Daleks, and is it one of the ones already mentioned?

What did the Doctor mean when he said “The (Daleks) always live, while I lose everything?”

If Dalek Caan is the last Dalek left why are there more now?

How did the rest of the Time Lords die?

#doctor whom #and yet we are continuing

[oh-surprise-its-me]

Okay... a thought.

Jamie is a young lad and he's having a hard time because the boys on the team are shits and make fun of him because of something (maybe his socks have a hole or like his face is dirty)

I can picture Georgie being out and Jamie seeking comfort when he finds Simon in the kitchen humming to soft music as he bakes.

Jamie just stares because he never noticed before, not really, but now he's seeing how much he smiles and stuff.

Simon sees and he asks him to sit and they just spend a bunch of time like that.

Jamie sitting and losing all the anger and sadness because Simon won't allow the feelings to stay.

Simon smiles at him when he slides the cookies or whatever out of the over and Jamie is off like a shot and hugs him so hard.

There is a slight sniffles and a "Thanks dad" which Simon swears he imagines but when he hugs Jamie back, he tries really hard not to cry.

Georgie would totally have just walked in or was being sneaky and saw the entire moment.

Her boys together. Perfect 😭😭😭

I’m honestly not sure I can add anything to this I think you made it too perfect. But here’s Georgie watching them from the doorway.

-

Her baby came home crying. She sent him to the kitchen to get some food she could hear their voices so at least Jamie is talking now.

She leans in the doorway to check in on them, she watches as Simon slides a cookie over to Jamie. Jamie who leaps up and slams into Simon. “Thanks dad.”

Georgie can’t believe it. She wants to jump for joy but knows not to interrupt. Simon sees her in the door and smiles at her. He’s crying a little bit that’s to be expected.

She coughs and comes in the room. Jamie pulls back to grab her into a hug. He might only be 13 but he’s close to being taller then her already. She kisses his head and snaps a cookie. “Thai food tonight?”

Jamie and Simon blink at her and then each other. “What are we celebrating?” Georgie can only shrug, “whatever we want to!”

Simon kisses her head and nods, “sounds fun dear.” Jamie nods and bounces in pace, “can you throw balls at me until it’s time to get food?”

Georgie smiles at her son.

Their son.

“Course baby, let me get my shoes.”

#ted lasso #jamie tartt #georgie tartt #Simon ?? #what’s his name ??? #mac writes ted lasso

[liightsnow]

I bet Steve really likes rootbeer floats, he use to ask Nancy to share them on their dates, him and Robin make them late at night, but then he finds out Eddie hates rootbeer and it loses all its magic. Eddie says something about how it’s “gross and childish” for Steve to order them so he stops. He misses his comfort drink but he likes Eddie and besides, it’s just one thing right?

Pj Jesus fuck just go ahead and shoot me next time and finish the job if you're gonna stab me kn the heart-Because if you don't ill just make everything you send me even worse :>

He's absolutely devastated when Eddie says it. They're not dating yet, but Steve knows that he has a crush at this point. He's fine though. Really he is, it's just a single thing that he loves and Eddie makes fun of.

Then the list keeps getting bigger.

Eddie hates Abba, he hates sports, he hates almost everything thay Steve loves, and he hates it all so loudly. Steves clothes become something that everyone picks on just because Eddie said a single word. Sometimes he wonders if Eddie just hates him. He was hoping that with another adult in the group, maybe he wouldn't be the target of every joke, maybe the kids would see the 3 time senior and joke about HIS intelligence... but sometimes it just seemed like Eddie thrived off of making Steve feel like shit, and like the rest of his friends laughed along because they enjoyed it too.

Then Eddie asks Steve out. Steve's ecstatic, he thinks this could be a good thing. That going out with Eddie will solve both his crushing problem, and the problem of him being made fun of but...

"You're lucky you're so pretty Harrington"

"Look at you, not a single thought behind those beautiful eyes, huh?"

"Oh don't worry your pretty little head about this Stevie, you've got someone with brains to help you out now"

He feels stupid. No. He just knows he's stupid. All Steve Harrington is good for is being nice to look at, and sometimes he even doubts that.

#stranger things #steve harrington #steddie #eddie munson #asshole Eddie munson #toxic steddie

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Korea drops my favorite cameo ever & gives KISSES

Entirely subjective yadda yadda. Organized sorta by favs in each category.

Sept 2023 Wk 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Fri grey) ep 4 of 12 - Well that’s one way to find out if he’s gay, see how he reacts to reading a het sex scene out loud. Yai is flirting so hard it’s like he knows everything. 

Dangerous Romance (Fri YT) ep 4 of 12 - Oh no! I love them. Also cohabitation trope! Also ALL the other ones: hair dry, meet in childhood... GMMTV going no frills with this one.

Hidden Agenda (Sun YT) ep 9 of 12 - Zo’s drama over Pat helping Joke flirt seems awfully manufactured. I’m losing faith in this show. Could GMMTV PLEASE hand JoongDunk a decent script? 

Only Friends (Sat YT) ep 5 of 10 - Sand & Ray are the only interesting couple, and I’m pretty much only watching for them. They gonna go south fast, tho, and they're already ruined by persistent singing. Ooo. When Sand said Top "stole his ex" did he mean Boston? How gay. 

Naughty Babe (Sat YT) ep 2 of 8 - The pronoun conversation had a bonkers translation but I enjoyed the actuality of it. The reasons for Yi's trickery are very convoluted soap opera. But I suppose that is the amnesia trope for you. 

Be Mine Super Star (Mon Viki) ep 10 of 12 - Boys. We discussed this already. No sex in onsens! I found this one dull, until the end when LLS showed up. Happy to just have him in everything. Thank you Thailand. Looks like it is a classic ep 11 DOOM next week. Who cares? 

Venus in the Sky (Tues iQIYI) 1-2 of 10 eps - The usual Thai pulp claptrap this time a reunion romances in and around a convenience store between a boy who recently quit his job and his former bestie who is now a doctor. Mostly not great acting, plot, or production but the sound is okay and no bad effects or singing (so far), so that’s something. The gay brothers have a fun relationship. It’s vampy and campy but fun. I like it but not sure anyone else would.

Love in Translation (Sat iQIYI) ep 4 of 10 - The date was cute but I still don’t like the lead or the premise (we moved into Cyrano de Bergerac territory). It’s moving slowly but it seems like we might be over the crush/stalker part of the narrative, so that’s a relief. 

Crazy Handsome Rich (Sun Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - I just can’t. The sound is too weird. With punch down humor and other issues incoming I may DNF this. You’ve been warned. This ep we got to see LLS with his shirt off. Did anything else happen? 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Jun & Jun (Korea Thur Viki) ep 8fin - No wonder he is everyone’s favorite hyung, boy can read the room like no one else. I love that we got to see exactly how clingy and demanding Choi Jun was always going to be. Only Lee Jun is easy-going enough to put up with him. Also I’ve never watched a KBL with more innuendo. For Korea this was… raunchy. I gotta say had Laws of Attraction not come along, Simon might have been my favorite character of 2023.

Final thoughts on Jun and Jun:

A delightful office romance about an ex-idol who joins cubical life only to find his new boss is his first love. Others boys are sniffing around too. Operative word being "sniffing" as much of this romance involves smell. With a snappy script, enjoyable sides, a pretty as peaches cast, and descent chemistry this show made up for in style what it lacked in substance. I like fluff. I loved this. I smiled every moment I was watching. With tons of rewatch potential (especially the last few eps), my only caution is this is for fans of the BL genre only, I don’t think it’ll work for anyone else. A solid 9/10 from me. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I like that Korea is trying high heat, but Taiwan and Thailand are leaps and bounds better at it.

Love Class Season 2 (Korea Fri Viki) eps 9-10fin -

Omg they so cute as flirty bf. Eeeeeeee! CAMEO!!!!! My fav guest couple ever! So exciting!!!! I love that they intersected with MY Strongberry couple (Private Lessons). I’m not used to this but Holy innuendo Korea, what with Jun & Jun and now this show? It’s a bit much for my gay little heart. The final episode was entirely unnecessary, but it was fun to see them being all domestic and stuff. Maru with his dumb lettuce leaves was hilarious. I feel like I need to rewatch this one to really understand it properly, so I will likely do that soon.

Summary of Love Class 2:

3 couples form within a semester of university: 1. a hyung romance reunion of exes, one of whom has a dangerous past, 2. a friends to lovers romance, and 3. a mature student and TA one night stand + complexities (many aspects of which had me laughing). I enjoyed the characters and dialogue of this show immensely. It was a little bit more breezy and friendly than I was expecting after the first installment, Love Class. I’m not entirely sure Korea can handle multiple couples like this because it definitely felt disjointed, especially the 3rd more mature couple (also my favorite) who probably should’ve had their own series. But it was definitely fun and something different from Korea. 8/10 RECOMMENDED

Also, Korea tried to give us higher heat... that was... interesting. I mean, you tried hon...?

Kisseki: Dear to Me (Taiwan Tues Viki & iQIYI) ep 4 of 13(?) - Everyone is a sad sack this ep. Ooooo. Teach/student my favorite. We never get this one. It’s messy. I’m not sure if there is a plot. I’m not sure they’re sure if there is a plot. But I am still enjoying it.

Why R U? (Korea Wed iQIYI) eps 5-6 of 8 - Why is the Fighter character always so frustrating regardless of name or country? Ji Oh stalking his crush via IG is so relatable. He’s very first crush awkward, unsure, and sweet. They also gave a nice kiss - I love the backpack drop (kiss version of a mic drop?) I still hold that if you haven’t seen the original this might not make much sense. But I am enjoying it. 

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 4 of 8 - Oh goody, another JBL where we have to pay attention solely to what they do and not what they say. 

Minato's Laundromat Season 2 AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (Japan Thu Gaga) ep 9 of 12 - Big fat sigh. 

It's Airing But...

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) ep 3 of 24 eps - I couldn't get hold of it and I'm not mad. I'm putting it on hold until distribution gets sorted, or icky get their shizz in order (like that'll happen).

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting

9/15 You Are Mine (Taiwan Gaga) Secretary has to deal with grumpy boss.

9/15 Bump Up Business AKA Bump Up Project (Korea movie) suspected cinema release? I don't know much about what's going on. Last status update. Love story between a trainee who is about to debut and a celebrity from the same agency. Kpop boy group OnlyOneOf has signed up to star in this idol-based BL (based on a webtoon). They’ve been auditioning for this since Libido IMHO. You can watch me chronicle their BL MV series in this post. It’s from Idol Romance who will do sad but can do good kisses (Wish You, Nobleman Ryu, Once Again, Kissable Lips, Poongduck 304, Tasty Florida, Tinted With You).

Still To Come In September

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.

9/27 Bon Appetit (Korea iQIYI) - from 2022, 8 eps from GoGo Studio, romance between an office worker who lives off junk food and the man next door who cooks well.

9/? Mr Cinderella 2 (Vietnam YouTube?)

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

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I love him. And I love his version of this character better than Jimmy's.

I also love it when a show gets meta. (Both Why R U? Korea) Why they didn't just go for YRU? the world may never know.)

(Last week) 

#this week in BL #bl news #BL reviews #korean bl #japanese BL #Taiwanese BL #Thai BL #Rakutan Viki #gagaoolala #GMMTV #Hidden Agenda #JoongDunk #Jun and Jun #Jun & Jun #Jun and Jun review #bl review #Love Class 2 review #Love Class 2 #Korean BL reviews #Why R U? Korea #Why R U?

[scintillyyy]

whelp. i did it. somehow. firefighter show is done.

margaret is a new favorite problematic redeemable mom. "wanna go shopping for flowers together? i'm not trying to overstep or imply you're doing bad, i just thought it'd be nice"

aw buck realized his worth. and subconscious mom and dad let him go. but not daniel! wait no it's buck. and buck's going back for himself. the whole i'm a firefighter thing was cheesy as hell tho!

you know who's op? albert's mom. love women who are too good for everyone around them.

frankly margaret is right to nag about the couch. but look at these parents!! trying so hard!! like. trying to finally be what buck hoped they would be? good for him.

ah eddie's couch. adorable. opening up to him, even better <3

eddie and buck on a poker date <3 looking sharp boys <3

okay clearly this sending chim back to academy is to have him recognize what a leader he is. but like. god cap would literally be one of the worst bosses in the world if he was real.

and then academy! clearly they're doing a burn tower. fun fact, there's no fire, just smoky barrels to mimic smoky conditions. it's apparently super miserable. anyways i don't know if la does academy all the time or something, but it's usually only done after the new hires come on. and it's only like. 6-12 weeks of job training?? idk. when they recommended my husband spend some days at academy to practice acting up after he did officer school he had to go on his off days from actual work because the city's not going to pay for him to mess around at academy when he's still got to do his current job. they're not paying someone overtime to fill in for him. the exception was when they had him do the week of officer school, but even then on days he had school and shift, he just returned to shift after he was done with class.

i have a review for you cap, you're an hr nightmare <3

ahahaha. maddie singing in the 911 call. christ, the cheese. and everyone clapped.

okay. how did cap get he an extension on her state licensing requirements c'mon. that has nothing to do with the lafd aside from the fact that they probably provide the cont ed required to maintain. when it's due for renewal and if it gets renewed is entirely up to the state (or should be. idk about california i guess).

you know this whole eddie needs to not be set in his ways and get out of his comfort zone? (he needs to confess to buck. wait what who said that.)

ah, the taxes thing. i mean i like the story thay they're gonna get married (chim and maddie) but the taxes thing is just a little silly. like jee is two? and since taxes are done for the previous years 1) they may have already had to do taxes with consideration of jee and living together and 2) we're talking about potentially doing taxes for the year that maddie was gone. so there should be no way that she would he like "i'm gonna claim jee on mine". that whole being gone for majority of it would be a big long conversation. i feel like maddie and chim would probably have had these discussions already.

i do like hen bringing up the whole maddie leaving thing tho. while i want her and chim to be happy, hen does make excellent points about that and their relationship and his indecision in general.

but she is being unfair about maddie having ppd and not trusting chim. because those aren't necessarily connected. women with ppd. listen there's so much shame involved, especially with the ones you love the most. how do you admit to your husband some of the things that ppd might make you feel about your child? depression itself is irrational, but with ppd there's also a real fear that if you admit to some of those things, you will lose your child. but overall it was a good discussion between them.

of course the ring was with jee lol.

and hen and maddie had a good talk. and maddie's proposing aw.

listen i haven't said much about these buck and eddie lovelines, but all in all its generally inoffensive to me but i'm not super feeling it. definitely rushed tho. and buck's new love interest is very underwritten and such a non-presence that i don't even remember her name.

and listen. i like the sperm donor storyline but i also hate when shows lean in on "haha pregnant lady so she comes in and starts eating spaghetti cause she's hungry and makes buck go out just to buy her pickles". cravings and hunger are there, but they're generally pretty reasonable.

buck taking charge in the bridge collapse. how much he's grown.

once again the world's fastest premature baby with the world's biggest premature baby. good for buck giving the baby to the mom. that's growth.

look at everyone settling down. you can tell this was meant to be a maybe we're not getting renewed thing lol

anyways good for them. the show is just as ridiculous as i remembered and then some, but i didn't hate it. just needs more union. :)

#some firefighter bullshit

[jeffbiblesupremacy]

GQ Thailand Interview (x)

Translation ->

Jeff Satur is a 28 years old Thai-English-Chinese artist, who's enjoying his non-boundaries work with Wayfer Records, under Warner Music Thailand. He released the song "Dum Dum" at the beginning of the year.

This time while talking with GQ Thailand he said he's going to release a new single called "ก่อนเธอจะลืมฝัน (Lucid)" and he shared his feelings towards his first solo album. In addition, we talked about his music and acting works, including his fashion opinions and the importance of the accessories to complement the look.

GQ: Give us an update about your work. What are you working on lately?

Jeff: I'm filming Wuju Bakery. It's been filmed in Korea and I'm having the opportunity to work with Korean and Philippines artists. The series should be aired at the end of the year or the beginning of next year. And for music, I'm working on my solo album and going to release a new single "ก่อนเธอจะลืมฝัน (Lucid) ". I already filmed the music video and will be released on June 22.

GQ: Your music speaks about dreams, forgetting, and remembering moments quite a lot. Was it your intention?

Jeff: (smiles) I don't know. It's according to the feeling of the moment. Like when I have an idea or concept, I would write a song about it. Otherwise I might regret not using those raw resources.

GQ: Is your method of creating each song always the same?

Jeff: Not quite. It depends of what I get first. For example, in the song "Dum Dum", I had the melody and the chords first. For "วันนี้คือพรุ่งนี้ของเมื่อวาน" (Loop Thai Version), I had the melody, chords and lyrics at the same time. Or for "Highway", I had the music style first and then I worked on the melody. The idea for each song suddenly appears no matter what time or place I am. It's like I already have the ingredients in my head and once they're settled down, they're ready to be served. I have a lot of ideas recorded on my phone (smiles)

GQ: What inspired "ก่อนเธอจะลืมฝัน (Lucid)?"

Jeff: I was in the toilet, and the melody hit me, so I had to pick up my phone and record the melody and the ideas that came to my mind before I forgot (laughs). It was a new and strange experience. When I got home, I started working on music keys and other parts of the song. The lyrics are about the question of how people always forget their night dreams. It's because the human brain has a mechanism to delete the unnecessary things. And then we'll have a new dream the next night, which could be a good or a bad dream. I would like to be a representative of the good dreams to help you to release all the burdens you're having, and to have good memories together in the dreams. And I want you to keep the feeling after waking up even if you don't remember the dream.

GQ: You wrote the lyrics, produced the song, and sang it. All by yourself. What's the most difficult/challenging part?

Jeff: For me is the lyrics, because of the characteristics of the Thai language. Sometimes I can't use some words because of their tone. So I spent most of the time working on the lyrics and telling the story without losing the meaning because of the limitation of words. Another challenge for me is that I want my songs to be different from the previous ones. So I try to write new stories, both in terms of lyrics and music. But sometimes I get used to write the same words often or there are moments when life experiences are no different, so I need to challenge myself on this aspect.

GQ: As you said, you express your feelings through your songs. Is there any feeling remain in your work that haven't been made into a song yet?

Jeff: I still miss love songs, but I've already made one (smiles). Also, there's still a lack of songs that talk about my experience and feelings throughout my 10-year journey in the music industry. And a releasing song, expressing happiness and fun. Another one is a song full of beats, like metal music (laughs). I'd love to do one but it would be more of a punk-ish style.

GQ: Definition of the artist called Jeff Satur.

Jeff: It's the same. In my first interview (with GQ), I mentioned it's "No boundaries", and I still think it's the best definition. Because when I'm going to do something, I rarely think if it fits me. I just think if it comes from myself, then it's ME.

GQ: What about as an actor? How do you see yourself as a person who has done acting roles?

Jeff: Acting is a really fun and interesting artwork and it's quite different from being a singer. I talked about this with Thanapob Leeratanakajon, and he said "being a singer is being yourself as much as possible, but being an actor is being someone else as much as possible". But, at the same time, there is a connection. You need to tell your story as best as you can without missing details. I enjoy being someone else because it helps me to expand my ideas for my songs. For example "Stranger" came from my experience playing a character in a musical play for six months. Even if the story of the song never happened to me in real life, I could use the experience and mindset of the character to tell the story.

GQ: Looking ahead, what are you most excited about?

Jeff: In the past 1-2 years, there were a lot of tours, both KinnPorsche and my own. I barely had time to rest but I wasn't exhausted (it was fun). I considered it as a compensation for having nothing for 8 years in the music industry (laughs). But If you ask what I'm most excited about, would be difficult to answer because I'm excited about everything. The upcoming series is a romantic comedy, and it includes my first CG part. It's a new experience for me. I'm also excited about traveling to work in different places. But the part I'm more excited and it means a lot to me is my first album. Besides the music, I'm working on one more thing which I can't spoil it now, but it would be included in my album (smiles).

GQ: I saw that you dad loved to tell you stories. Is there any story or lesson that you have listened and you didn't understand but you get them now?

Jeff: There is a thing he mentioned 2-3 years ago: "Everything that happens is always good. You just have to find out how is good". In the past, I used to wonder why this happened to me, but as time passed, I understood why it happened and what I got from that.

GQ: Tell us about your history blog.

Jeff: At first, I planned to create a website with my friends for an advertising agency. The problem was that we weren't into the business. I was into history and inspiration. I remember writing my first blog about the founder of a fashion brand and how he started it. That piece was shared by approximately 80 people. After that, I found my own writing style and kept publishing. The number of sharing increased to hundreds and thousands. There was one entry I made, it was a video telling my point of view about the inspiration I had from my history research. It was shared more than 60.000 times, and it had more than 3M views. I was very happy because some teachers used the video for their classes at the university. I even received a message from a person who had read my entry about suicide telling me that it saved their life.

GQ: Let's talk about your fashion since you were a new artist to the present. How has your style changed?

Jeff: It has changed a lot. In the past, I only wore t-shirts, polo shirts, or anything safe. I used to wear the same pair of shoes every day, but now I feel like I want to try things. It's fun to dress up because each designer has their own signature. So how can we play with it? (smile)

GQ: You said to GQ Thailand before that you've been inspired to write songs while playing ROV games, but what about your style? Who are the artist who inspire your style or fashion?

Jeff: I like Yoshiki Hayashi from X-Japan, Kurt Cobain from Nirvana, G-Dragon and Pharrell Williams because they look confident. Wear whatever you want to wear, but wear it well (laughs).

GQ: Before getting dressed and going out of the house, which step do you spend the longest time on, such as showering, choosing your outfit, setting your hair?

Jeff: Choose an outfit. Sometimes I go out and come back to change it. The housewives always look at me confused and say "so which one should I iron?" (laughs)

GQ: You've work with GQ Thailand a few times before, how do you feel?

Jeff: It's fun. Actually, I already followed GQ Thailand, both fashion and the opening columns. When it's time to work together I trust that the work will definitely come out well. And since I went to the GQ Man Search contest in 2021, there's always something new when we collaborate, so let's do it again.

GQ: How was today's fashion shooting with GQ Hype?

Jeff: It felt new because we filmed in a studio. But i can feel the innovations in the fashion set shootings. Also posing with the clock make me want to create new poses so I can show the clock.

GQ: Can you talk about the Frank Muller watch that you're wearing today? How do you feel?

Jeff: It's the Flash Grand Central Tourbillon watch. The first detail I noticed was that my hand looked sporty. But there is a classy middle part of the dial that it's very retro mixed with modern. And with Frank Muller's signature dial, I think it's a watch very easy to match. You can wear it to the gym, you don't have to wear a suit. Just wear a shirt and the watch fits.

#jeff satur #jeff interview #gq thailand

[aprilblossomgirl]

Thai BL Favorites List

Thank you @thatgirl4815 for tagging me! Sorry it took me too long. I guess I’ll be using this game to talk a bit about some of my favorite BL shows (Thai BL particularly), especially in the past 1,5 years. I might have not watched that many shows, honestly, so maybe I couldn’t really answer a question or two and obviously for the rest of the questions my answers would be very much biased and, ehm, extended (sorry in advance for being greedy, and that in no way this would be a brief list). 

Favorite Thai BL: My top three (can’t choose one) are A Tale of Thousand Stars, The Eclipse, and My School President.

Favorite Pairing: Not trying to be diplomatic, but this is hard as I usually ended up loving any pairing of any media I was watching at a time. But to go with the ones that permanently own my soul (in chronological order of the said media release); PhupaTian of A Tale of Thousand Stars, KimChay of KinnPorsche, AkkAyan of The Eclipse, SoundWin of My School President, and TienLomfon of La Pluie.

Most Underrated Actor: I would go with Fluke Pusit. I really wanted to see him playing a main character (again). The Shipper was already too long ago, and I don’t think it was even classified as BL (I could be wrong about this, though). 

Favorite Character: Another hard question *cry in my watched list*. Ok, I definitely can’t come up with only one, so here’s the array of characters that’s so dear to me for different reasons; Tian (A Tale of Thousand Stars), Akk Pipitphattana (The Eclipse), Akk Itsara (Enchante), Tinn (My School President), and Saengtien (La Pluie).

Favorite Side Character: Also, can’t have only one; Longtae (A Tale of Thousand Stars), Wasuwat (The Eclipse), Tiwson (My School President), and Arm (KinnPorsche).

Favorite Scene in a BL: Let these pictures speak for themselves. Basically almost all AkkAyan and SoundWin scenes live in my head rent free and all are my favorite. Yes, I'm very biased, I know. *cry* These are just a few on top of my list.

Honorable mentions: PhupaTian and TienLomfon scenes under the stars (unfortunately I don't have any gifs for these, just a still set post for each).

Favorite Line in a BL: For me, nothing can top that “I love you. And I want you to love yourself too.” from Aye to Akk.

Most Anticipated BL (& why): As much as I wanted to answer with Only Friends, I found myself leaning more and more towards Dangerous Romance and Last Twilight instead. I guess my main reason would be the casts (please I need more JimmySea and also Perth and Chimon). And personally, I think I deal emotionally better watching media with single pair centered story than one with multiple/ensemble pairs. 

Healthiest Relationship in a BL: At this point, it’s Tinn and Gun in My School President. If we’re talking solely about the green flags, there might be many others beside these two. But when it comes to the relationship, I don’t remember watching any other more impressive than them. 

Most Toxic Relationship in a BL: I can’t really come up with something for this one. When it comes to toxic relationship, I usually avoided watching anything with known one in it at all or I ended up watching them in fast-forward/skipping mode so I don't think it's my place to label them as toxic as I might lose some context on the way.

Guilty Pleasure Series: Currently I don’t have any, I guess. But it used to be TharnType (I resonated a lot with Type and his anger issue) and/or Together with Me (I just can’t say no to MaxTul in any kind of media, I think). 

I’m back to my ‘too shy to tag’ mode again. So, if anyone seeing this and would like to participate (this is fun!), please consider yourself tagged 🤍

Ps: adding an extra of my favorite scene.

(*): all gifs used are mine, previously posted in my *gifs posts.

#tag games #thai bl series #long post #my drama journal 📝 #and also this is my reminder to finish that long overdue the eclipse's final thoughts/review :')

[bengiyo]

Cooking Crush Ep 1 Stray Thoughts

I can’t believe they would put out different versions of an OffGun show, and on WeTV of all platforms. I’m so salty about it. I am watching the WeTV version.

I’m so glad I finished Theory of Love before this. I can comment on how Gun looks more toned.

Okay, hold on, this fried pork toast sounds like a solid concept, especially with this soup on the side.

I wanna talk to some Thai graduates about their schooling system. Prem went to school to become a chef and basically didn’t get to do that for two years?

I see you, cameraman going for a crotch shot on Gun.

RIP to these onions, but hello to this Meet Cute.

Dish 1 – Tom Kha Gai Brings You to Me. This feels in line with an OffGun show.

We just got started and already we have Gun doing the cold shower dance.

I’m very much looking forward to seeing Gun play with his actual sister as a sibling in this show.

DADDY ISSUES

Oh, lol, nevermind. Prem is just dramatic about not working in a kitchen. Ignore my earlier comment about the school system.

I’m so glad Dome gets to play a bestie with Gun.

Prem is feisty. I hope he decks someone in this show.

Off is legitimately so funny.

NEO!!!!!!

I’ve only had Aungpao as Dynamite for 10 minutes, but if anything were to happen to him I would destroy this show and then myself.

I hope Samsi and Ten’s friend interact a lot in this show.

Kind of excited to see Neo and Off work together beyond a brief cameo in Midnight Hotel.

Damn, did he have to pass the ball that hard?

BLs are always making me hungry. It’s also cold today. I want some soup!

I think the instructor is harsh, but I get it.

So he passed out and still feels dizzy? I’m going to need Prem to get himself checked out immediately.

I’m so proud of this show for showing him microwaving the soup. I would have been so bothered if we watched him knowingly eat cold soup.

What in the Food Wars is this reaction?

Neo is good. I like that they paired him with a new actor in a side ship in an OffGun vehicle. They’re setting Aungpao up for success. Neo has never not had chemistry with anyone at GMMTV.

Wound tending, my beloved.

No wonder Fire can’t approach his crush. He’s terrified of his mom.

I love Dynamite. Giving this boy his number instead of Jane’s was the obvious play and Fire totally missed it.

Is Prem’s cooking often not good, or is this part of the opposite/teasing thing?

Okay, they're just teasing.

I hope the reminder to pay her tuition fees is only meant as an offhand comment about the sister's behavior.

Welp, the problems continue to mount for Prem. Again, I don't think the professor is wrong to enforce a consequence here, but damn.

This "please" is taking me back to Jan in TonhonChonlatee...

I hope we return to this tub imagery for every dish.

I like that Prem owns his starting line. He has big aspirations, but he's not delusional about his current skills.

Oh this is a smart preview. Ten is here to cook for a girl he likes, and Prem will be here to cover for his sister losing the aforementioned tuition fees. This is solid.

This was a solid start. Off remains gifted at comedy, and it's fun to see him and Gun together again in a romcom. I'm already in love with Aungpao, happy about seeing Neo and Dome, and generally enjoying the cast of characters. I still hate this situation with WeTV, but I'm here.

#cooking crush #cooking crush the series #thai bl #bl series #Ben watches