QUERENCIA, Chapter 3

QUERENCIA, chapter 3

(n.) where one feels home ; the place where you are your most authentic self

pairing - hybrid! ot7 x bunny hybrid! male! reader

genre - 18+, college au, hybrid au, fluff, eventual angst, eventual smut, humour

summary - you, a rabbit hybrid away from home to study, run into a group of surprisingly friendly and calm (also very attractive) predators who are a pack and live together suddenly run into your life like a bulldozer. the dull days of your life may turn into days of joy and laughter, or will the days turn into gloom and a sad everafter?

warnings (this chapter) - use of curseword, someone blacking out

word count - 2.9k

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You and Jihoon were staying at your apartment. Having a fun little sleepover since her major was kicking her ass at the moment. It was around mid-morning, 9 am. To your absolute shock, The ocelot hybrid has woken up at a normal-ish time. Only bad part was that she suddenly wanted to bake something at your house, together. You didn't have any baking supplies or appliances, mostly finding yourself to be the type to cook instead of bake.

"C'mon! let's go to the mall and shop!"-

"And you're going to pay..?"

"Hell yeah! I got my allowance from my girlfriend!"

"God I feel bad for her...."

"I'm being a good girlfriend ya know!!"

That was how you found yourself at a mall, with an ecstatic Jihoon, excited to spend every dime and dollar she had on creating baked goods. You were sure you’d be the one doing half, if not all the work though. You and Jihoon arrive at the department store of the mall, her already dragging you to the appliances section to buy the needed equipment. You looked at all the mixers, pots, pans, all the baking galore. They all looked as you expect, pretty much perfect and shiny. One of the mixing stands had caught your eye, it looked like any other mixer but it had an adorable rose-gold color. You just felt the need to have it so you approached it, not minding the wild Jihoon behind you that was close to breaking just about everything in the store. You held your breath as you were about to flip the price tag to show you how much it was, quickly releasing it when you realized it was a good price. As you were about to turn around and tell Youngji about it, your words stuck in your throat as you saw a familiar wolf hybrid

“Hey Y/N! Meet my friends, Namjoon and Hoseok!” Jihoon waved you down from the tool section of the store. You gulped down your nerves and walked to them.

“Hey there bun, we met on the metro right?” Namjoon greeted you with a dimpled smile and hand stretched out. “I’m Namjoon, The wolf you met.”

You took his hand with a shy smile and red cheeks. This certainly wasn’t how you were expecting to see the two of them again. “Y/N, if it isn’t obvious enough I’m a bunny” You laughed nervously.

You then looked at his friend next to him, He was near Namjoon’s height. A fox hybrid. He had sharp features, a perfect nose, high cheekbones, and a heart grin on his lips. He was just as handsome as the rest of the guys you’ve met these days. Seeing as you were looking at him, he introduced himself

“I’m Hoseok, but you can call me Hobi!” He greeted with an excited grin plastered on his face. The moment he had your hand, he shook it aggressively with his tail wagging behind him. Honestly, if he wasn’t a fox, he’d be a dog hybrid with how energetic he is. You loved his energy though! He was like the best friend you never knew you needed. He was honestly adorable, another potential for a mate.

“Anyway, what brings you two here!” Jihoon exclaimed, puffing up her chest and pushing out more of her alcohol-smelling scent. You almost forgot Jihoon was an alpha, and that you forgot to stuff your nose and scent glands with scent blockers.

“Well Jihoon, we were out doing errands for a pack member.” Namjoon answered while Hobi was side-eyeing Jihoon, looking her up and down with distaste on his face and his tail swishing behind his back. It was honestly hilarious

“No wonder! I was about to ask why the great Namjoon was in the baking section when he’d burn a damn house down!”

“Oh fuck off Jihoon, you’d set a neighborhood on fire with your skills.” Namjoon retorted with a roll of his eyes, right before bursting out laughing with Hobi. You couldn’t help but chuckle at the antics of the three.

“Since Hobi and Y/N have the most skill out of us, you two can lead the group while me and Namjoon will just be behind the two of you” Jihoon suggested with a grin, quick to push the two of you to the front with a glint in her eye that you couldn’t understand. I mean, this was Jihoon, she was probably just gonna be weird with Namjoon.

You started walking with Hobi, keeping your eyes straight ahead and trying not to embarrass yourself in front of him. You did take a few quick glances at him and he looked so calm, with a lazy smile on his face to reflect his attitude at the moment. You didn’t notice that with your actions at the moment, you were unconsciously pushing out your scent without knowing.

“I like your scent, Y/N” Hobi softly smiled at you, looking back at him with red cheeks. “It makes me feel calm honestly”

“I’m guessing you like the smell of baked goods?” You giggled softly, taking a deep breath before offering him your wrist. He in return, was quite surprised at your action but welcomed it. Hobi didn’t grab your wrist, but instead just softly smelled your scent gland and smiled. He really is a gentleman. You were grateful that he was an alpha that was one of a kind, an alpha that was kind and treated omegas with respect. He pulled away and offered you a thankful heart grin.

“You can take my wrist if you’d like..”

“Oh no it’s alright, just your scent from here is enough. You were kind of pushing it out a bit..” He teased you and laughed, not a mocking laugh but an amused laugh. His laugh was contagious, it was like something that triggered a domino effect to anyone who heard it, you just happened to be one of those people.

“I mean, I’m not the one that likes my scent.” You laughed with him and smacked his arm lightly with a grin that mirrored his. You saw how his tail was wagging around excitedly and shaked with each one of his laughs.

As the two of you laughed, you didn’t notice how Jihoon and Namjoon were somewhat conversing seriously. Their tails still, their gazes were neutral and close to cold. Jihoon’s arms were behind her back while Namjoon’s were crossed.

“You’re interested in courting Y/N to be packmate?” Jihoon said cooly and glared at Namjoon, close to baring her teeth at him. Namjoon simply nodded at her, keeping his stance and showing he isn’t scared of her.

“I’ll have you know, Y/N is my packmember in the pack of my girlfriend and I. You’ll need to get our approval first before you’ll be able to court him. You and your pack better be ready to work for it.”

“We are. My pack and I have already talked about it and we are ready to prove that we are more than capable of taking care of whatever Y/N needs.” 

“Then, we’ll be talking more about this later. When your pack is present and when my girlfriend is present. I’ll talk to Y/N if he’s interested.. And if he’s not..”

Jihoon was quick to move, grabbing Namjoon by his collar even if she was a few inches shorter, the two of them so close together. She made sure to push out more of her scent and to bare her teeth at him. Jihoon was going to show him who had the authority over you between the two of them. Jihoon was also smart enough to make sure the two of you were far enough away so they couldn’t smell the bitterness of her scent currently.

“You better fucking stay away, Namjoon.” Jihoon growled, before dropping his collar and walking away, back to their spot previously behind the two of you. “Good luck, dear pack alpha.” Jihoon mouthed at Namjoon before turning back to you guys and smiling at your interaction with Hobi. Jihoon could see the way you looked at Hobi, the same sparkle in your eye like when you had a boyfriend. Jihoon swore on her life that she will protect you no matter what and no matter what it takes.

“Well, I didn’t know it was already 7 in the afternoon.” You said while glaring at Jihoon, her chuckling nervously in return. “How the hell did we even stay here for 9 hours?!”

Hobi laughed while Namjoon just sighed. “Hobi and I can take you guys home with all the stuff you brought” He offered.

“Are you sure? I live kind of far from the mall.” You said dejectedly, truly you were grateful for the offer, but you were scared to burden the two alphas when you were sure you and Jihoon could find another way home. The alphas were quick to comfort you and pat you on the head, saying that it was more than alright for them to take the both of you home. Little did you know, they had started to smell the rain on your scent which in turn made them worried so they were quick to comfort you.

You watched as the two alphas haul all the stuff into the truck on Hobi’s car, which was a black Porsche Panamera GTS that has Jihoon absolutely awestruck while you were just making silly faces on your reflection that was on the car. The two alphas have succeeded in hauling all the stuff into the trunk, Namjoon’s strength helping well. 

“I’m calling shotgun!” Jihoon said with a grin, before looking at Namjoon with an unreadable expression. It was as if Jihoon was testing him, but you didn’t read too much into the situation. Opting to just get into the car and wait for the rest to also go in.

The car ride was fairly quiet, Jihoon and Hobi occasionally making jokes and talking about how each of them have been, and Jihoon telling Hobi what your address is. You occasionally heard a mention of a ‘Jungkook’ or a ‘Yoongi’ but you were sure it was probably just a coincidence. A lot of people possibly had that name anyway. You decided to just admire the outside, seeing either dozens of trees or dozens of buildings. 

The 4 of you had finally arrived at your apartment. The werewolf and fox quick to get out and bring all the stuff into the lobby and get ready to get on the elevator, you and Jihoon trying to help but the other two were adamant about letting the ladies do minimal work. Now you were in your apartment, organizing all the stuff while Jihoon kept Hobi and Namjoon entertained. You couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but with Jihoon’s chatty nature, you were sure she kept the two of them busy. Just as you finished putting the last piece of equipment into one of your cabinets, you rushed into the living room.

“I apologize if my apartment is a bit small and messy, I didn’t have time to clean it” You smiled apologetically at Hobi and Namjoon. “Jihoon also made a big mess.” Which was followed by a chorus of complaints from the ocelot and laughs from the fox and wolf. 

“Don’t worry about it bun, Hobi and I are about to leave anyway.” Namjoon said dejectedly, wanting to stay a bit more in your apartment. Hobi looked just the same as his pack member. “Namjoon needs to continue doing his nerdy things and I need to rehearse for a dance competition.” 

Your ears had perked up when you heard the word dance from Hobi’s mouth. He did look lean but flexible like a dancer. “Since the both of you are leaving, I’ll give you two my number so we can talk more and maybe hangout next time?” You smiled, hoping they’d accept and that the three of you would grow closer. Namjoon looked at Jihoon with a questioning glance, Jihoon responding with a nod. The two of them jumped up from the couch to copy your number and save it, after that they bid goodbye and left your apartment.

“They were really nice..” You whispered with a big grin, quick to drop onto the couch and giggle like a highschool girl with a crush.

“You like them?” Jihoon asked, looking up at her with a thinking face. You nodded. 

“I don’t know if they like me though, or even if their pack would want me in.” 

“Oh trust me ‘mega, they do like you.” She smiled while patting your head, careful not to brush your ears on accident. “They’re a 7 member pack, with only alphas.” 

You looked at Jihoon, shocked, and confused on why it sounded somewhat familiar.

“Their pack is interested in courting you ‘mega… I trust Namjoon and Hobi enough to let them court you, but Yuna and I need to talk to their pack first. Is that alright?” Jihoon said softly, you looked up at her with the happiest grin and eyes that held a big sparkle.

You jumped up from your position and tackled Jihoon from her spot on the couch, hugging her and squealing about how thankful you were. Then you started getting emotional, tears prickling and about to burst while your lips were shaking.

“Do you think.. Do you think they’ll be better than him? Do you think I’ll finally try love again?” You whispered while hugging Jihoon tight. You could feel her rubbing your back and comforting you to the best of her abilities.

“I know they’ll be better than him ‘mega, he never deserved you.. He was nothing but garbage and you were just too deep in it.” Jihoon comforted you, one hand rubbing your back and the other scratching behind your ear.

“Would you like me to get Yuna to come here and we’ll have a big cuddling sesh while watching netflix?”

“Yes please..”

Right now, you were walking home in the rain from your classes. There were only three classes that lasted around an hour and 10 minutes. You had your headset on, playing some piano instrumentals. Your left hand was holding the umbrella while the right was hugging your shoulder tote close. The rain wasn’t too hard but it was safer to not drive in the weather. The path you were taking was a path that not a lot of people took, not that it was those sketchy alleys, but it was more because it was a residential area that was mostly full of old people. 

As you walked, you noticed a man crouched and hunched over a box, he had an umbrella covering him and the box and he was seemingly trying to grab what was inside. That was until you heard it, you heard the whimpers of a bunny. The moment you heard it, you immediately sped-walk to the same box the man was huddled over, in fear and worry of what was wrong with the bunny.

The man saw you and was worried about what you were about to do, but when he got a glimpse of your rabbit ears, he knew it was better to let you do what you wanted. 

“Oh god, is the bunny alright?”

“I’m not sure, I just saw it out here while walking to the convenience store.”

You started to feel the worry bubble up inside you and you didn’t notice you started lightly thumping your foot. The man looked at you and you looked back. He had plushy lips and slightly chubby cheeks. You could see his leopard ears and his tail curled up underneath him, seemingly trying to avoid the rain. His dark brown and curly hair were a pretty contrast to his brightly colored ears. You then got hit by his scent, it was a smell of toasty wood, indicating he is an alpha.

“I feel like it’d be better if you were the one to take the poor thing home, I don’t think it would like being surrounded by me and my pack. Plus, you are also a rabbit.”

You nodded in response, putting your umbrella in between your armpit and grabbing the box and hugging it to your chest. It had a singular bunny, it was a black bunny that reminded you of your nieces and nephews. The leopard introduced himself as Jin and asked for your number, so he could ask for updates on the bunny and help take care of it. 

“It was nice meeting you Jin and I hope you make it home safely.”

You dictated your number before giving him a thankful smile and walking away, making sure to be cautious with the rabbit. 

After 10 minutes of walking home with the bunny, you arrived home and rushed to get inside your house. Texting Jihoon about the situation and deciding it’d be better if the bunny stayed at theirs instead of your home. Your home was too much of a mess from the wild baking you and Jihoon had been doing from last night while Yuna was watching. Jihoon was quick to arrive at your house, pick up the bunny and give you a nod of good luck. You knew she had a soft spot for bunnies and rabbits alike because her mate and her best friend were both one.

As you sighed and leaned back into the couch, you could feel yourself growing more weak and weak, and it felt like you couldn’t function properly. You tried to get up to get a glass of water, until your vision started to develop black spots and you just dropped.

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TAGLIST - @blehhhidk, @instantnarwhal, @singukieee, @weepyalex, @kaceypdf (just comment or dm to be added in masterlist !!, crossed out are people I couldn't tag)

notes - sorry this took too long! but what do you think will happen to y/n now that he blacked out in his home? with no one to help?!

copyright © 2023 | frieschan

✨ Various Tropes: Back Hug (4/?) ✨

TITLES IN ORDER: 1. Addicted (2016) 2. Sodom's Cat (2016) 3. Mood Indigo (2019) 4. History 3: Trapped (2019) 5. Secret Roommate (2020) 6. His (2020) 7. The Tasty Florida (2021) 8. Y Destiny (2021) 9. House of Stars (2023) 10. My Personal Weatherman (2023) 11. Jack o'Frost (2023) 12. For Him (2023)

Jujutsu Kaisen:

Satoru Gojo AKA The Pale Man 🔵👄🔵

Detective Ieiri (Requested)

The Two Strongest (High Frequency Burst Universe)

Boyfriend!Gojo Texts (Requested)

We've got you (SatoSugu) (High Frequency Burst Universe) (Req)

Face It Together (SatoSugu) (High Frequency Burst Universe)

You're Stuck With Us (SatoSugu) (High Frequency Burst Universe) (Req)

Never So Severe (SatoSugu) (High Frequency Burst Universe) (Req)

Suguru Geto AKA Ball Swallower 🤪

Break Up With Your Boyfriend (Requested)

We've got you (SatoSugu) (High Frequency Burst Universe) (Req)

Face It Together (SatoSugu) (High Frequency Burst Universe)

You're Stuck With Us (SatoSugu) (High Frequency Burst Universe) (Req)

Never So Severe (SatoSugu) (High Frequency Burst Universe) (Req)

Kento Nanami AKA Suited and Booted 😩

Just Stay With Them (ft Ino) (High Frequency Burst Universe)

Many More Happy Days

Toji Fushiguro AKA Owes Me Money 😩😩

I'll Be Right Here (High Frequency Burst Universe)

I'll Take Care of Everything (High Frequency Burst Universe)

Ryomen Sukuna AKA DNI 🚩🚩🚩

Older Brother Sukuna AU Masterlist (High Frequency Burst Universe)

Boyfriend!Sukuna Texts (Requested)

Postictal Care (High Frequency Burst Universe)

Every King Needs His Queen (Requested)

Restless Mind (Requested)

Pretty Poison ❀ Sukuna adores his wife who sells pretty poisons disguised as perfume

Little Oracle ❀ Sukuna's wife foresees all, except for her own clumsiness

Fire, Ice & Herbs (+Uraume) (High Frequency Burst Universe)

I Can't Follow You To Where You Go (High Frequency Burst Universe)

Cherry Eras AU

Choso Kamo AKA Eye Bags 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↔️

Beauty In Simplicity

Megumi Fushiguro AKA Emotionally Constipated 🤟

Wouldn't Want To Be Anywhere Else (High Frequency Burst Universe)

Boyfriend!Megumi Texts (Requested)

Bambi On Ice

Now And Always (Requested)

Yuji Itadori AKA Marluxia Wannabe 🎀

Learning Curve (High Frequency Burst Universe)

Toge Inumaki AKA Gagged By DNA 🫶

Sweetly Imperfect ❀ Baking with Toge has a low chance of success

Taking Back Control (High Frequency Burst Universe)

Boyfriend!Inumaki Texts (Requested)

Standing Guard Against The Storm (High Frequency Burst Universe) (Requested)

Yuta Okkotsu AKA Do Not Bully 🫶

Jealous Rika (Requested)

Reunited & Dearly Departed ❀ You reunite with Yuta in Shibuya

Other Characters:

Uraume:

Truly Extraordinary ❀ Uraume has a slight crush on Sukuna's apothecary

Fire, Ice & Herbs (+Sukuna) (High Frequency Burst Universe)

Hidden Affection Betrayed Affection ❀ You're Sukuna's sister and you're in love with your brother's most loyal aide, Uraume

Ino:

Attention ❀ Trying to get Ino's attention requires out of the box thinking

MASTERLIST FOR SMAUS, HEADCANNONS AND DRABBLES

REQUESTS ARE OPEN Submit them in reply to this post or at the top of my page RULES: Anything sexual in nature will be adult characters only If you want to see characters outside the ones on my masterlist, please specify in your ask I WILL NOT WRITE FOR MEI MEI NO INCEST OR PSEUDO INCEST

Please, reblog! IIt’s called self defense. Apart from having here, in the US, one of the highest cases of homicide and rape in the world and high rate of GBV, think about how this could help your mother or sister

Golden (son) Part 1

Prema SMAU

Part 2

In which the male!reader is Prema Racing‘s golden boy and (kind of) Oscar Piastri‘s grid kid. This is my first time doing smth like this so let me know if you‘re interested🫡

(Pls ignore the bianca pic, I embedded it before the twitter shit happened)

User1

Found this on Twitter, they‘ve literally been family since y/n joined Prema😭

>user2: good to know logan hasn‘t changed all that much

prema_team

We are happy to announce that y/n l/n will join us for his first F2 season! After winning the F3 championship with us last year, the team and y/n hope to continue that streak in 2024.

>frederikvestiofficial: Happy to have you mate🤝

>oscarpiastri: Let‘s go! Always told you you could do it!

>User1: Ariana what are you doing here

>User2: he and y/n were at the same boarding school&were close when Oscar was still at Prema

>McLaren: Our developement driver, everyone!

>ynofficial: Love you admin ❤️

ynofficial

@/ prema_team @/ frederikvestiofficial @/ kimi.antonelli @/ olliebearman Glad to call all of you losers my family for the next year

>kimi.antonelli: why do fred and olli get the flattering pic

>ynofficial: bcs they‘re older than me and I have at least some respect for them

>olliebearman: awww you do like us

>ynofficial: shut up loser

>user1: not the picture of kimi😭

>user4: might have to start watching f2, I‘m hyped for y/n ngl

>prema_team: The best team💪

McLaren

Oscar is staying on the sidelines today as @/ ynofficial does his first testing in our car! Y/n told @/SkySportsF1 that he deeply values Oscar guiding him through his first time driving F1 machinery and praised him for always looking out for y/n.

>ynofficial: a professional racing driver being so excited that he forgets his helmet and has to borrow @/ oscarpiastri‘s helmet? More likely than you think

>oscarpiastri: Anytime mate

>ynofficial: thanks pastry boy

>olliebearman: Had so much fun doing the sim work with you! Make us proud❤️

>ynofficial: this is why you‘re my favorite

>frederikvestiofficial: :(

>kimiantonelli: :(

>oscarpiastri: :(

>arthurleclerc: :(

Japanese BL Starter Pack

It’s been awhile since I dropped a rec list, so I am here today to share one that is very near and dear to my heart—a Japanese bl primer for those who are new to the jbl game. I created this for @neuroticbookworm to help her on her journey when she decided she wanted to start getting into Japanese works. The fandom (on Tumblr and generally) tends to focus primarily on Thai shows because they are the easiest to access for international fans, since Thailand is working its way toward world domination via ql media and wants us all to be able to watch. But there is a lot of great stuff to watch beyond the easy access Thai channels, and Japan is the country where this genre originated, so its shows are important for anyone who considers themselves a bl fan. Japan doesn’t cater nearly as much to the international audience so tracking down the shows sometimes takes some ingenuity and can-do spirit, but that’s part of the fun!

And so, the list! Bookworm is about halfway through it and having a ball, so I figured it was time to stop hoarding it and share it with anyone else who would like to dip their toes into jbl and isn’t quite sure where to start. A few notes: 

I am not here to teach you about the deep roots of the jbl genre or give you a primer on yaoi manga. I am by no means an expert and there are other places to find that information. Start here with this great post by @nieves-de-sugui and then maybe wander over to @absolutebl to read up more on the evolution of the genre.

This list is by no means an exhaustive accounting of every important Japanese bl ever made; it is simply a nice sampler platter of the cream of the crop among various styles you will find in jbl. Watching through this whole list will not only expose you to some fantastic shows, but also give you a sense of what makes jbl unique and how the country’s style differs from others, and point you toward the types of jbl you’ll like most (they tend to put shows in pretty specific style and tone lanes and once you find the ones you like there are lots more where that came from). 

If you’re coming to this post as a jbl lover and you don’t see your favorite here, I promise it’s not because I don’t love it very much; I simply had to make some choices to get this down to a reasonable shortlist. Feel free to leave extra recs for others to find! 

I’m putting these in a loose suggested watch order that will take you through the various jbl lanes in a kind of popcorn style, because I always think it’s good to change it up so you don’t get too stuck in one mode, and it works its way up to most of the extremely Japanese stuff (you will know what that means by the time you finish). But do what’s in your heart and change up the order if you want, friends, I am not the boss of you! 

Cherry Magic (Crunchyroll or grey)

gif by @liyazaki

I believe everyone on Tumblr is pretty familiar with this one, which is not a coincidence—this is one of the most accessible jbls. Not in terms of actual access to watch it, mind you (we’ve all jumped through shady internet hoops to watch it) but in terms of its content and style. Cherry Magic is a classic workplace romcom with a magical twist, and it is charming af. It’s a great exemplar of Japan’s light and zippy comedy lane for bl—a lane in which, importantly, the romances stay chaste even when the actual plot is about sex, or lack thereof. My friend @waitmyturtles would kill me if I didn’t make sure you know that Cherry Magic also has a lovely follow up film. And bonus: there is now a Thai remake airing so if you watch the original you can get in on the discussion about the different adaptations between countries. This is pretty easy to find these days in all the usual places, but I strongly recommend watching it here.

Old Fashion Cupcake (Viki)

gif by @liyazaki

Moving on to a slightly more mature workplace romcom. Old Fashion Cupcake, another Tumblr favorite, is an age gap boss-subordinate romance, and it’s both very adult and somehow wholesome af at the same time. Sure, there is a lot of carnal desire going on here, but there is also a lot of wooing via fluffy pancakes. It’s a tight five episodes and a fantastic example of what Japan, with its extreme technical precision in writing, directing, editing, pacing, and acting firing on all cylinders, can do in two hours. There’s not an ounce of flab on this thing and you’ll want to watch it over and over again.

Utsukushii Kare (Viki)

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

Time to get a little weird! Weird is a key feature of Japanese media, and lots of jbls explore unusual relationship dynamics rooted in complex psychology. This is the first show on the list that will likely feel very Japanese if you’re new around here—my advice is to lean into it and finish the show, even if you get uncomfortable along the way. In Japanese media, discomfort always serves a purpose. This is a high school story with a twisted relationship at its center, and I’m not saying any more than that. Don’t spoil yourself and go watch it! This one also comes with two sequels—one short second season and one movie—that continue from the original story. They are less essential but still excellent.

I Cannot Reach You (Netflix)

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

Next up, another high school tale, but with a totally different vibe. This show is kind of a revelation in its willingness to tell a story about overwhelming desire—including sexual desire—with young protagonists. It’s rooted in a classic but often misunderstood trope, friends to lovers, and takes the angst of it seriously, giving us a low stakes story that feels extremely high stakes to our leads. It’s also gorgeous and uses a classic Japanese visual style (bokeh) that you’ll be dying to learn more about. 

His (Viki)

gif by @gabrielokun

Time for a break from high school, and we’ll sprinkle in a movie for some added flavor. His is a jbl film featuring a second chance romance between a stoic, introverted man who moves to a remote town to start over, and his ex-boyfriend who follows him there unexpectedly, adorable child in tow. Importantly, this movie does not take place in what we often refer to as the “bl bubble” where homophobia doesn’t exist; the leads’ experiences of being gay men in a homophobic society are hugely important to the plot and themes of the story. It’s a beautiful film and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched it. @bengiyo would surely also like me to tell you that this film follows a brief prequel show called His: I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love about the characters originally meeting in high school; I do not think it’s really necessary to watch it but completists can start there.

The Pornographer series (Gaga)

By now you should be ready to get into some classic Japanese fucked up psychosexual material, right? Right! The Pornographer series is told in five installments in this order:

The Novelist, a six episode miniseries

Mood Indigo, a six episode prequel series

Spring Life, a 15 minute short

Pornographer: Playback, a two hour film

Spring Life Continued, a 15 minute short

Confused by that distribution model? So say we all; sometimes Japan likes to make us work for it to make sure we really appreciate its many gifts to us. The story across these installments is about a very difficult to love protagonist, what makes him the way he is, and the also-unhinged-but-in-a-different-way man who finally gets through to him. It’s an extremely satisfying love story and one of the best character arcs I have ever seen, full stop. For this one, you’ll want to just pull the word problematic out of your pocket and store it in a drawer; nearly everything that happens in this story is problematic and that’s the point. Lean in! All of these installments except for the film are on Gaga, if you get that far hmu and I will supply you with the final puzzle piece.

Our Dining Table (Gaga)

You could probably use a break after those last two, so it’s time to shift over to a heart-tugging twofer: family trauma mixed with the cutest shit you’ve ever seen. ODT is an example of another classic type of Japanese show: the food drama (you will see the GOAT in this category at the end of this list). In Japanese culture, food is love, and the act of preparing food for your loved ones is a common path to romance. You’ll love this story about an isolated office worker who meets a pair of brothers, learns to cook as a way of connecting with them, and begins to heal from his own trauma as a result. The image above is a scan from the manga, which @troubled-mind curates to make extremely cool comparison sets like this one. Many jbls are faithful adaptations of yaoi manga source material, so it’s good to have a bit of familiarity with them.

Minato’s Laundromat (Gaga)

gif by @liyazaki

Japanese media loves to explore taboo, and often manages to do it in a way that is surprisingly light and chaste. This is an age gap romance between a teenager and his adult neighbor that explores internalized homophobia, emotional repression, and falling in love across seemingly impossible social chasms. It’s also a great example of old school yaoi seme-uke dynamics that still show up across the bl genre. Also, take my advice: end your journey with this one with the first season and just pretend season 2 doesn’t exist.

Eternal Yesterday (Viki)

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

Remember what I said about weird? Time to do that again, but with a heaping dose of grief and pain on top. It’s not a spoiler to tell you this show involves a major character death; a major character death is, in fact, the root of the entire story. This is a magic realist tale of first love turned tragic, and it will hurt and heal you. It is one of my favorite dramas of all time.

Restart After Come Back Home (Gaga)

And now for a break for your poor exhausted brain. This film is basically the jbl version of a Hallmark original movie, about a city boy who goes back home to the country and falls in love with a total sweetheart while working together on a farm. Enjoy it, bestie, you’ve earned it! 

Tokyo in April Is… (Gaga)

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

You’ve probably noticed by now that emotional repression and failed communication are big themes in Japanese works. This second chance romance has plenty of both, and it’s a great example of a kind of muted emotional style that Japan does so well, where the surface of the story seems almost placid and calm even as deep emotion roils underneath. This one (and Eternal Yesterday above) are part of a special line up of jbls on Japanese channel MBS called Tonku (Drama) Shower. The shows air one after another in the same time slot on Fridays (in Japan, perhaps Thursdays for you depending on where you live) and you truly never know what you’re gonna get, but they’re all interesting. Warnings on this one for sexual assault and trauma. 

The End of the World With You (Viki)

Time for sexy and weird again, but even more so! This has to be one of the most unique bls ever made; it goes to some truly divine and strange places, and it feels incredibly queer while doing it. Made by the same screenwriter/director of the Pornographer series with a lot of the same sensibilities, but in a more heightened apocalyptic setting. This one has existential angst, a road trip, a redemption tale, and a variety of interesting side characters in the mix.

What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Gaga)

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

Congratulations, you’ve reached the end of the list and your reward is watching one of the best bls of all time, and a perfect slice of life food drama to boot. WDYEY now has two seasons (along with a couple specials and a movie that fall in between) because the universe clearly loves us. You can now get it on Gaga for easy access but I’m partial to the versions over at @kinounaniresource for better subs. Wherever you watch, settle in to get cozy with Shiro and Kenji and make sure to always eat before you hit play.