BLChallenge2k24 - Tumblr Posts

15 Day BL Challenge - Part 2

Day 25 - Which BL actor do you want to see more of?

This is hard, because there are so many good actors!

I'm not going to be able to stick to just one. I could probably list 20, but I'll try to limit it to three.

Definitely Poom. He was such a standout in Bake Me Please in a side role, and then nailed My Stand In. And it looks like he and Up will be working together again, which is delightful.

And our precious Big! He's finally gotten a lead with Monster Next Door, so please please please let us get more from this giant adorable man.

I also would love to see Max Nattapol in something again. I know he and Tul are not officially acting together anymore, but we had teases of him coming back in shows like Red Peafowl (rip), and I would love to see him in a BL again.

Doing the 15 Day BL challenge! The link for the OG is here if ya wanna join. And yes I appear to have discovered this while everyone else appears to be on day 29 lol.

Day 1 - Fave OG actor pairing

BounPrem

I have the biggest soft spot for BounPrem. Until We Meet Again was one of the first BLs I ever watched and the reason I did was because I watched a compilation of all the WinTeam scenes and I thought they were super cute. Then when Between Us came out, it instantly became a favourite. It is one of my comfort shows because I watched it during a particularly dark depressive episode and it was a source of warmth and escape for me.

When they popped up in Cutie Pie I was like

BounPrem have a really lovely natural chemistry that make them a joy to watch. They are like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day. Cheers boys for making my bad days a little better 🩷

15 day BL challenge let’s go baby!!!

OG here 🩷

Day 2 - Fave Rookie Actor Pairing

Sailub & Pon

The entirety of Pit Babe took my by surprise. I did not expect to love it as much as I did. And one of the biggest surprises was watching these two. Ahh yes, AlanJeff. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art hot as fuck.

Jokes aside they are so good together. Second lead couples can sometimes fade into the background but Sailub and Pon made their presence known in every scene and their story was just as strong as Charlie and Babe’s.

Is it any surprise they got their own show?

15 Day BL challenge day 3 let’s do it!!!

OG here 🩵

Say 3 - Side dish that should’ve been the main course

AiNi - Tonhon Chonlatee

I gotta be honest my loves I thought Tonhon Chonlatee was a mess and a half (Chon baby you deserve so much better!!!) but my one ray of light was Ai and Ni. They were so wholesome. Just give me a compilation of their scenes and we can forget everything else. Soz Pod and Khaotung. Mike and Toptap kinda stole the show.

15 Day BL challenge and it’s day fouuuurrrrrr

OG here

Day 4 - Fave Ship Dynamic

Oh there’s so many ship dynamics that I love. Enemies to lovers? Inject it right into my veins. Sunshine x sunshine protector? Give me a million please and thank you. Dumbass + dumbass interpreter? Give me all the airheads and their smitten boyfriends.

But I really love the Black Cat x Golden Retriever dynamic. I feel like BC x GR is an offshoot of Sunshine x Sunshine Protector but slightly reversed, with the sunshiney golden retriever character bringing the hesitant black cat out of their shell, gradually prying their heart open. Often the black cat will be wounded and the golden retriever character helps them find healing. The black cat character finds a safe space in their golden retriever and they allow themselves to be vulnerable and open to their own emotions.

I feel like this dynamic exists on a spectrum. Like PrapaiSky (Love In The Air) is a very clear example of BC x GR, but it can be softer, similar to how Semantic Error and History 3: Trapped are both examples of enemies to lovers but Jaeyoung and Sangwoo didn’t have guns.

Examples -

Prapai x Sky (Love In The Air)

Huaien x Xiaobao (Meet You At The Blossom)

If you look very carefully you can spot another black cat and golden retriever duo in the background.

Pat x Pran (Bad Buddy)

Man x Type (2gether & Still 2gether)

In this house we believe in MikeToptap supremacy.

Tang Yi x Shao Fei (History 3: Trapped)

Jaeyoung x Sangwoo (Semantic Error)

Side note: I did hesitate to use this term because of the way it’s been tiktokified. BC x GR is the perfect way to describe a certain type of fictional relationship dynamic but when it became a trend on TikTok it did the thing that TikTok trends do and went overboard and the original meaning was lost amidst a sea of “omg me and my boyfriend are sooooo black cat golden retriever coded!!!” (Babes I’m so sorry but if you have to call yourself a black cat then you’re not one).

15 Day BL Challenge let's do this!

OG here 💚

Day 5 - Biggest Flop

Just gonna put a warning up top if you're a fan of Only Friends maybe don't read this because my answer to this prompt is...

Hoo boy. Let me tell you, when GMMTV rolled out the teaser trailer for this I was SAT.

The cast of Only Friends is absolutely stacked. I adore First and Khaotung. I was so excited to see Mark and Neo in this type of role. And of course the rest of the cast is also amazingly talented. So what went wrong?

Put simply, I just felt like it didn't have any teeth. They marketed Only Friends as a story about a toxic queer friend group and yeah, they were toxic. But they weren't toxic in an interesting or compelling or fun way. They were just toxic for the sake of being toxic. The writers kept creating situations for these characters to be in without threading in any kind of emotional through line or doing something original with the material.

They brought Boeing in and gave him this huge, villanous introduction and then... he didn't do anything? Never in my life have I ever screamed, "JUST FUCK THE GUY!" at my screen until Mew kept teasing Top about fucking Boeing when in fact he... never did.

Even when Mew was entering his, "villain era" it was like... "my villain era is... to be mildly annoying! Take that!"

It's like the writers kept being like, "hey, we're gonna light a fire!!!!" And then they pull out a birthday candle.

It's so weird to me because I think one of GMMTV's biggest strengths is writing friendship groups, particularly in a university context, so it's confusing how miserably they failed with this. None of these characters had each other's backs, they were all just selfish and mean and this is the thing about writing toxic characters: they still need to be likable in some way.

I am all for toxic characters but they have to be entertaining in order for the story to work.

Toxic villain? Make sure everyone loves to hate them or there's something compelling about them that the audience can't tear their eyes away from.

Toxic couple? Make sure the dynamic that they have is magnetic in some way, the audience needs to root for them even if they know they're not good for each other.

Toxic protagonist? Have the audience constantly guessing their motives, good, bad, morally grey? Where does their heart truly lie? What is the reason for their toxic behaviour? Trauma? Heartbreak? Abandonment issues?

Toxic friendship group? How about they be that toxic kind of ride or die? Like they might be shitty and mean to each other but if one of their own gets fucked up you just know they'll unite to kick some teeth in.

And then... there was this guy.

Now GMMTV has a history of writing characters that do terrible things and never get held accountable for their actions but this time it just felt irresponsible. This little twerp tried to ruin Boston's life, accusing him of being a sexual predator, and he got... a two minute tepid talking to in the bathroom? And then a nice little scene with his sister who was like, "give me a hug" and meanwhile Boston gets... nothing?

BOOOOOOOOOOOO

*chanting at my screen at 2am* DO IT DO IT DO IT

@bengiyo put it perfectly here

When I look at Only Friends I see so much wasted potential. Like this scene with Neo and Mark was beautifully done.

Although I didn't like the character of Ray, I loved this scene and that is 100% due to the acting powerhouse that is Khaotung.

If they had been given a better script I truly believe Only Friends could've been amazing.

It’s that time again, 15 day BL challenge time!

OG here 💜

Day 6 - Fave line from your fave series

I have a few “favourite” BLs but the first one I thought of was this…

BL: Between Us

Now this line might seem simple, but it means so much to me.

The question of consent is so crucial and a common complaint from people on the internet is that consent isn’t “sexy”. Well to those that say that, please watch the two sex scenes in Between Us episodes 1-2, feel the tension, the electricity in the air, the way Win and Team both seem to be holding themselves back at the start but you can tell they are craving each other. They’re so unsteady but at the same time there’s a hunger, a longing, an anticipation that’s sharp and palpable.

And then Win breathes, “Can I kiss you?” And it’s so quiet but it’s like fireworks.

Consent is sexy. And when it’s written well into a scene, it’s goddamn poetry.

ART

Hello and welcome to the 15 day BL challenge!

OG here 💙

Day 7 - Fave villain

Now I love a good villain. My favourite genre of villain is, “love to hate them”. And the number one guy I love to hate is…

BL: Pit Babe

First of all, what is his haircare routine? You just know this man spends like an hour every morning on his hair. I can just see him carefully pulling out those front strands to frame his face before blowing a kiss to his reflection.

Let’s just list out the things this man has done:

- Kidnap/buy children and lock them up in a Professor X x-men style mansion from hell

- Train said children in their “alpha” powers and sometimes in the process of training them… accidentally kill them???!?!? Like it’s no big deal????

- Once the children are old enough he SELLS THEM??????

- Oh, he’s also involved in ORGAN HARVESTING?

- He wants to kidnap Babe and IMPREGNATE HIM and then SELL THE SUPER ALPHA BABY????!?!?!!

- He’s also just a shitty, abusive dad

- BUT he loves his bonsai trees. So… there’s that.

What a despicable human being. And what an amazing villain. God I love Pit Babe. Where else can you get beautiful portrayals of male friendship and gentle masculinity and heartbreaking grief while there’s also the cuntiest villain running around just casually human trafficking and organ harvesting? Oh, and it’s set in the OMEGAVERSE????? Never change Pit Babe. Never change.

15 day BL challenge time!

OG here 🧡

Day 8 - The trope you hate except when it’s “this series”.

Throughout the course of my twenties, due to a combination of working with incredibly difficult people (never work in Australian media y’all) and navigating personal drama, I have learned that the best way to interact with people is through direct, honest communication. I have learned how to be gently confrontational, I am comfortable being uncomfortable and saying to someone, “hey, can we sit down and have a chat?” And as a result, I find myself huffing impatiently when miscommunication rears its ugly head.

Looking at you buddy

Ah yes, miscommunication. My arch nemesis. Miscommunication is the rotten toenail of tropes. So often it feels like a cheap way to manufacture drama because the writer was too lazy to come up with something more original.

If the central conflict of your story stems from a miscommunication that could be resolved if the characters had a two minute conversation, but instead you stretch this petty misunderstanding out for an infuriatingly long amount of time… ya boring. Go back to the drawing board. Think of how else you can create tension and obstacles that compel the audience to care.

So which show is my only exception?

BL: My Personal Weatherman.

My Personal Weatherman, for those unfamiliar, is essentially a story about two emotionally constipated dumbasses that are desperately in love with each other.

And I adore it.

So what makes their miscommunication different?

This is not a surface level miscommunication that can be solved with a simple conversation. It requires serious introspection, recognition of fears, voicing insecurities and allowing vulnerability. These are not things that happen overnight.

Yoh has incredibly low self esteem and believes he has nothing to offer Segasaki. He constantly downplays his abilities, despite the fact that throughout the series we see him being Segasaki’s safe space.

He can’t bring himself to be honest about his feelings to Segasaki (except when he’s drunk). He is confused by Segasaki’s actions and finds himself becoming resentful, finding reasons to hate Segasaki because he thinks his heart is the only one that races when they’re together.

Segasaki, on the other hand, wears a mask around others, feeling like Yoh is the only one that understands him. He can pretend with everyone else, but with Yoh he is utterly defenseless. Since day one he has been captivated by this man that sees right through him to his very core.

Segasaki desperately needs Yoh to be by his side, he craves him, and yet it takes seven episodes for him to finally break and say, I can’t breathe without you. Even after this declaration we see him tying Yoh up in an attempt to keep him from leaving, begging telling Yoh to be his and his alone, his insecurity palpable (also, he never actually tells Yoh about his insecurities, he just tortures himself in private). This moment of vulnerability is a turning point in their relationship.

And all this is externalised through a lack of communication, and not just that, but a lack of understanding about different communication styles. Segasaki is taken aback when he finds Yoh drunk and sullen, proclaiming that he will earn enough money to move out because Segasaki only sees him as a slave. Meanwhile Segasaki is like, wow, okay, first of all rude to say that to your husband.

But after this, Segasaki specifically takes Yoh out and they experience all these cute little date moments. It’s super sweet and everything is going well, until Yoh says, “hey, if you want to do something without me you can”, leading Segasaki to walk away despondently (and lie about having other plans) because he clearly thought they were on the same page (however, he still uses this time to buy Yoh a jumper while Yoh goes off to buy more sheets so they can fuck be intimate more often (because they’re both dumbasses who haven’t heard of a dryer)).

Through Segasaki’s actions, he thought he was clearly saying, “hey, I like you.” And yet, the lack of literal vocal communication meant these gestures went completely over Yoh’s head (literally at one point he says, this guy really needs to use more words!!). His low self esteem has created a barrier in their relationship. He doesn’t understand that Segasaki actually wants to be with him. How could this amazing man ever actually want him? And it’s understandable that he’s struggling, because Segasaki can be quite ambiguous with his words.

Now could all of this be resolved in one conversation? Not exactly, no. It’s more complicated than that. Which is why it works. Because there is something far deeper going on.

In order for these two to find each other, they have to overcome their own insecurities. They are each fighting an internal battle and don’t actually understand how to vocalise their needs and fears to each other.

It’s hard, but they get there eventually.

Dumbasses (affectionate).

What time is it? 15 day BL challenge time!

OG here ❤️

Day 9 - Most visually pleasing love scene

When I think of visually pleasing love scenes, the one that immediately popped up in my head was this scene in KinnPorsche.

THE GREEN BATHROOM SCENE 🤌🏻🤌🏻

I’ve rewatched this scene so many times. But not for the reason you’d think.

I adore the way lighting is utilised in this scene.

KinnPorsche is one of the strongest BL technical productions I’ve ever seen. The cinematography, editing, costumes, etc., it’s all so satisfying. And my favourite part about the whole show is the lighting design.

Bisexual lighting you will always be famous

I love lighting design so much that I’m incapable of fully articulating myself. Most of the time I just point and go ASFGQOAN@&&-$6;uwh/-:$2UANBW!!!!!

AJhkkiiqjjHYQU/5167-jajahhyxQSSWA!!!

It is a powerful storytelling tool in visual media but there’s been this trend in western film and television over the past fifteen years to make everything as dark as possible. And no, don’t tell me, “it’s night time, it’s meant to be dark!!” Or “you just don’t get it, it’s a specific, stylistic choice” or “adjust your brightness” when you can watch movies and tv shows from twenty plus years ago that have night scenes and dark aesthetics where you can still see everything.

I also have to mention how lighting is effectively and beautifully used in Between Us.

The contrasting softness of the yellow light on one side and then the colder, hazy blueness coming from the curtains on the opposite side. The way they are still standing in the shadows, you can feel the hesitancy, the quiet desperation, the buzz of electricity emanating between the two of them, the desire, the hunger.

The lighting is used in this scene to help visually convey all of these feelings without having to explicitly explain it to the audience.

These scenes in KinnPorsche and Between Us show how lighting can be used to elevate a scene. Imagine if these scenes had that dim, Game of Thrones-esque lighting.

BORING

15 day BL challenge time!

OG here 💕

Day 10 - Most emotionally pleasing love scene

Get in losers we’re talking about Bad Buddy!!

Oh Bad Buddy. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height. Except Wai. Fucketh that guy.

Boooooooooooooooo

I know that the challenge is, “most emotionally pleasing love scene” but honestly this is more like, “most emotionally devastating love scene”.

This is THE moment for Pat and Pran. Their first kiss. It’s the moment when the floodgates open.

I love how Pat initiates the first kiss and then there’s a pause and Pran grabs him and it’s like finally. Every single suppressed emotion spills out in this passionate, desperate, hungry kiss.

God it’s beautiful.

And the best part is it all happens while Pat is wearing a shirt that says, “Baseball mom”.