#bl rants

[bl-inded]

Okay but Mohk is such a green flag. It hurt me to watch this episode 😭. Like we've known for a few episodes now that mohk cares deeply for Day. He himself only put words to that feeling this episode.

Call it whatever you want but he is starting to realise this is more. And it hurts because the thing he struggles with most is if he is wanted. The previous episodes even pointed out that he broke up with Porjai because he didn't want to burden her.

With all that in mind the way he treats August is of someone who genuinely believes in Day's happiness. He doesn't assume he knows better. He doesn't assume he's the one who has to "protect" Day. Don't get me wrong, he's protective. he's always there in case he does need him, but he tries to let him fight his own battles.

There is a certain kind of jealousy that always gets glorified in media. And i get it's appeal. But this kind of jealousy - the kind where you want to be the helper (or the match maker as Mohk says). Where you have to be aware of yourself and your place- that speaks to me way more. It's the kind of jealousy where you aren't claiming ownership, but you're wishing you could be their safe space. And if you can't you will make them that safe space even if it's at the cost of your feelings.

Here's the thing though. Mohk is Day's safe space. He's the first person Day looks for when he feels overwhelmed. His absence at the party clearly affected Day too. Mohk is his shoulder to cry on, his narrator, and his eyes. He's someone Day knows he can rely on without feeling like he's being 'taken care of'. And yet.

Honestly. I get it. You do not get over your lifelong crush that easily. Realising your feelings for one person does not automatically get you guidebook on your own feelings. It's hard every time. (And upto this exact moment I was fully ready to defend August and his actions but the "I kissed him coz I pity him" thing really had me seething)

And Jimmy. Sir. The actor that you are. I felt his pain and confusion throughout the episode. The despair, the longing, the butterflies, the desire. Doc. UNFAIIIIRRRR

Based on nothing but the way he was looking at Day in this scene I knew we were getting a kiss. He manages to pack sooooo much emotion in those eyes I was DYING IN ANTICIPATION OVER HERE. I knew Jimmy and Sea were going to ruin us with this series and I was right. Damn.

#last twilight #and it will not be a me rant unless i sing praises of P'Aof #sir you are my muse #how do you manage to get soooo much out of your actors #i was sobbing the whole episode #heart went on a rollercoaster ride #but i live this series sooo muchhhhh🥺 #thai bl #gmmtv #p'aof #bl rants #jimmysea #jimmy jitaraphol #sea tawinan

[happypotato48]

This Is A Gay Asian Rant About BL Comments Made By Some Queer Westerners I See Sometimes.

So you know of those gays (usually white) that made dumb tiktok dancing to list of countries that legalized same sex marriage and list of countries that discriminate against LGBTQIA+ poeple as a way to say something racist. yeah i kinda got the same vibes from some comments regard how asian BL is homophobic just cause they don't live up to queer western standard. look, i'm not saying that some BLs and their creators don't deserve criticism regard how they capitalized/exploited queerness for an easy cash grab.

But people need to understand that Asian countries despite recent progress are still very much culturally conservatives. so when people says that thai bl is homophobic and all the characters looks like bunch of straight guys, which is true for some olders thai BLs i'm not gonna denied that. but after all this time and newer BLs generally being very queer and most of creators being out queer themself and poeple still making these comments, i'm annoyed.

And don't get me start on the actors. you don't know them! why are you making assumption and calling them queerbaiter just cause they acts in bl. like maybe they're straight, maybe they're not but what they're definitely doing is making queer content for you know, queer people here. so when you made halfass comments about their sexuality what do you think that made other queer people who still in the closet feels. and when you add the nationality to that, "these thai bl pair are this and that, this korean actor is so ungrateful for his bl past", etc. when our societies are still very much still in progress regard LGBTQIA+ acceptance. it make us living here feels fucking awful like somehow we're lesser queer than people in the west just cause we don't have citibank at pride or some shit.

And the shittiest in my humbled opinion are comments regard censored chinese bls. people do know like, that the creators making these bls are risking their livelihoods for this. that these shows getting make at all are miracles. yes it sucked that they're censored but they're still very much queer shows making by queer people who want to express thier queerness despite the chinese government being the chinese government. when people dimissing these shows as not belonging in queer media, you're also dimissing their creators and audiences as not belonging in the community.

Look what i want to say is that we're trying our best over here, and maybe our best are not up to your liking. the ways we talk and express our queerness maybe still can be perceived as problematic by western queer standard. but these media are our house and you're the guests. for people aren't shitty we appreciated that you're here engaging and loving our media, this is your home too and you're welcome in it. i can speak for myself that i very much love being here on tumblr and interacting with people from all over the world who love BL. but for people who are being shitty sometimes about asian bl.

YOU'RE THE GUESTS, BEHAVE!

#bl drama #thai bl #asian lgbtq dramas #personal rant #dumb boy rambled #japanese bl #taiwanese bl #korean bl #asian ql #asian bl series #asian bl dramas #ql dramas #bl fandom #ql meta #queer media #just fandom things #fandom #chinese bl

[gunsatthaphan]

#attaboy.

#only friends #only friends series #only friends the series #only friends ep8 #ofts #firstkhao #sanray #sand x ray #first kanaphan #khaotung thanawat #gmmtv #thai bl #bl drama #its hard for us ray protectors out there #it really is #big sigh #decied not to answer OF asks anymore since ppl kept coming for my opinions so im just gonna rant about it in the tags deal w/ it #so yeah this is all bullshit dskjghf #im so pissed at ray like who tf does he think he is?????? #also I appreciate non-linear storytelling but the thing with mew is so fucked up to me #i have a headache #its so weird #which is probably intentional #but still #i had to skip all their scenes #also top bribing that police officer and now ray is off the hook???? #fcking hell dude #i cant #i have discovered that april is the only sane character on this show #this is why i love her

[jade-len]

i adore how mxtx sorta flipped the idea on the whole top/bottom thing with svsss, and just BL relationships in general.

making bingqiu very open to switching, not making the "bottom" super feminine and actually leaning more to the handsome side compared to the "top", how luo binghe is manipulative sensitive and cries easily, etc. one of the main themes in svsss is literally about sexuality (and possibly even about gender roles).

as a queer asian man myself, i absolutely despise the "yaoi archetype" and it was one of the reasons why i avoided consuming BL media. hell, years ago when i first saw heavens official blessing, i mentally groaned and went, "ugh, let me guess, the bottom is super feminine and innocent, while the top is masculine and experienced." of course, that's not the case now, but it's disappointing how that thought was there purely because of the god awful way fetish-y media portrays homosexual people and couples. because, believe it or not, we are not assigned male/female typical gender roles just because one likes to top/bottom (and even then, it's not even like that! some people have preferences, sure, but it's not so strictly "i'm top/bottom")

so, while i absolutely LOVE the english novel designs (especially luo binghe's cute curly hair, gongyi xiao, etc, and personally believe a lot of the takes from the western artist on the designs are an improvement), i am greatly saddened by people subconsciously assigning shen qingqiu as someone more delicate and feminine and luo binghe as someone super masculine and muscly. like, if you're going to have luo binghe depicted as the western design (i believe this stems from binghe being applied to more western ideals for men, and, admittedly, i actually really love his design), at least don't make shen qingqiu feminine and delicate? don't have his appearance play into the stupid yaoi thing?

i get that people have different takes on svsss, especially how the western version depicts it. but, people just... seem to very over exaggerate the top/bottom roles when it comes to bingqiu (again, these two are, canonically, VERY open to switching).

it's weird, it's uncomfortable, and it comes across as, "so, who wears the pants in the relationship?"

so, can we please have more canonically handsome shen qingqiu? canonically beautiful and pretty boy luo binghe (they literallly state that binghe looks EXACTLY like his mom, su xiyan! while a more handsome woman, is still very beautiful!! plus it is stated several times that binghe is slim, and that shang qinghua made him that way!) or at the very least, a BL couple who actually look like normal people (ok thats a little hard considering binghe is literally supposed to be perfect) and not just a stupid fetishized version of themselves.

and no, i'm not saying that queer men shouldn't be feminine or men who are feminine shouldn't be in a relationship with guys who are masculine, etc.

TLDR: please stop twinkifying shen qingqiu and going against what mxtx defied for us queer men (the stupid yaoi roles). and for the love of whoever you believe in, do NOT think that i hate the english design or people's personal interpretation of characters, i just hate the subconscious assigning of gender roles to bingqiu and how media portrays and fetishizes LGBTQ+ relationships in general.

edit: also i love teardrew's (check them out on twitter!) interpretation of shang qinghua. while i do really like the the eng novel design's tiny scared hamster vibes, teardrew's version just radiates "up to no good, paranoid but suspicious looking bitch" rat man and i love it so so so much. i'm not gonna repost their art bc i don't know how they feel about that but perhaps you can search up "svsss designs" on here, you'll see it pop up eventually lol.

edit 2 (1/16): i just saw someone reblog a post (that im pretty sure was referring to this one because, well, if you saw it i think it'd be a little clear kahxj) that was about how bingqiu switching and completely eschewing traditional top/bottom dynamics was a fandom idea or smth? so now i'm wondering, since i swear i remember that they were open to switching, but it's just that sqq preferred to bottom and/or was just a little too lazy to top. plus, sqq is a pretty unreliable narrator who says he doesn't want something one moment and then he does. how could he say no to bingbing? esp if he seems to wanna try bottoming too. perhaps i'm mixing things up though, idk? so if anyone can find that passage that says he only and strictly wants to bottom or whatever please show me! but i think the point of this post still stands haha (i wanted to ask about it, actually, but when i clicked on the og post's user it turned out that they blocked me ? so that was a little surprising oops. hey if ur somehow reading this, im... sorry for making you want to block me bc of this post? akdhxjj)

#JOIN THE 'STOP TWINKIFYING SQQ' GROUP #did i make sense? i have no clue i just wanted to rant about this #i really pulled a cucumber bro there huh #this also applies to GL #thinking about it more #there should be trans men and women bl and gl #and not in a fetishy way #of course luo binghe is still the big strong protag and taller than sqq but come on #i dont believe luo binghe is a twink exactly?? maybe?? but just feminine in a historical chinese male ideals way #for edit 2: #i was just saying how it made me happy that mxtx didn't follow the yaoi archetypes and how i lov her for it <3 #never said bingqiu was never done before and COMPLETELY flipped it over skdhjx #but i do believe that bingqiu did a good job providing variety and such :) #same goes for mxtx's other works as well i love her stuff sm #svsss #mxtx svsss #the scum villain's self saving system #luo binghe #shen qingqiu #luo bingge #shen yuan #luo bingmei #bingqiu #luo binghe x shen qingqiu #danmei

[readingplannet]

I was reading the comments under Bible's announcement post for '4 minutes' and while I was so excited for this project finally seeing the light of day, I was also disappointed while reading the comments.

Why are we still having discussions about top/bottom in 2024? I know a lot of BLs have made you believe that top and bottom are entire personalities but that is simply not true. They are just sexual preferences and believe it or not sexual preferences do not define someone's personality.

That is why I feel the lead pair in "Pit Babe" is so path breaking. It is a very big example that your personality does'nt define your sexual life. Whose name comes first in a ship doesn't matter. It doesn't change anything. Also "Bad Buddy" in this matter, they refused to set themselves in boxes of wife(เมีย) and husband(ผัว). It was a series that very nicely explained the stereotypes gay couples face and the stereotypes that still exist in the BL industry.

Masculine, dominant ≠ Top and Feminine, submissive ≠ Bottom always (key word being always because there are people who fit into masculine top and feminine bottom too which is perfectly fine but diversity and representation of other people in the spectrum is equally important) and that is something that needs to be understood. I don't think I could have said it better than P'Apo myself. Also more power to him because he is one of the few BL actors who I have seen openly talking about this topic.

And believe me guys someone who played Vegas doesn't need to always play roles like that, moreover we don't even know what his role and character is going to be like. This is what acting is. Don't limit actors into boxes.

P.S This top/bottom discussion really needs to go. I haven't only seen this in comment section of BL actors but also in the comment section of gay couples. If they let you in this part of their life that's okay but if they are not comfortable sharing, just let it go. It hardly matters. We need to stop seeing everything with heteronormative lenses where there has to be a female/wife (เมีย) role and a male/husband (ผัว) role in every relationship.

#bible wichapas #jes jespipat #4 minutes #stay tuned x 4 minutes #pit babe the series #pavel phoom #pooh krittin #pooh pavel #pavel pooh #thai bl #bad buddy #rant #bl industry #apo nattawin

[scarefox]

The way some people straight up deny soft criticism of the BL industry (stuff that isn't even a secret if you don't close your eyes and ears!!!) Criticism by literally LGBTq people working in said BL industry in Thailand..... basically one of the only ones who's voice are most valid here in this discourse. That's not hypocrism of people working in the industry to open their mouth! That's called self-awareness and using this genre to convey a message and trying to fix issues. This is about Step by Step and Lovely Writer atm. But those are not the only dramas who brought up some critic but somehow people get salty now about that little poke from SbS? Did you sleep the past 3 years?? And it's not a coincident that it's always the same topics certain BL dramas brought up!

I feel like some people here don't get that you can criticize your own work place, your own industry, your own country WITHOUT hating, shaming or demonizing it completely! Yall need stop this black & white thinking and the constant urge to feel personally attacked by something like this...

Especially the message of LW (the same people who make SbS now) was that there is nothing wrong about loving BL stories and they do like producing them. BUT that there are some things in the industry that are bad and harmful NOT ALL OF IT, SOME THINGS! Like the treatment of actors and certain topics by companies and producers. And the main theme of LW: the toxic overstepping and overcontrolling shipping culture that can (and did) destroy real life relationships / friendships under the weight of the pretend relationship (pretend as in they are not dating for real (everyone knows that! or should know that! this is also not even a secret if you watch interviews outside of the fun and couple game shows) at least in most of the cases.... in some rare ones yes, in some very rare cases some actors actually date but they are too afraid to come out due to homophobia and the way the industry & fandom treats those cases (source Dr. Thomas Baudinette who studies the industry as a form of queer asian media and interviewed companies and actors since years... somewhere in this he talks about actor relationships, I can't find the time stamp atm))

ALSO the point about exploiting the LGBTq community is NOT about the fans or LGBTq audience who love these dramas. But about businesses and literal Thailand itself. For using those stories and actors / couples for advertising, for marketing, for tourism even. BUT at the same time some don't care for real life LGBTq issues and rights or the fact that Thailand is still not agreeing on equal marriage (which is not just about them not being able to marry but they get denied a lot of things married couples get. alone the fact that they can't see their partner in the case of an emergency in the hospital because 'they are not family'). In the said SbS scene they were literally discussing which pretend couple has the most fans and how they could use their fandom and fan clubs to gain profit. Don't you guys get how fucking frustrating this is for the LGBTq people and allies who work in the BL industry, to get paraded in front of the camera for money and image but still don't get treated equally??? THAT is what they mean with exploiting.... And it's a lot of producers, writers and some actors who voice those points, not just these few self-aware BL dramas. But doing it through the medium they adress is the best way to reach the right people, to make the right people aware and ask for their support. Since they can't say such things directly (even though they should) unless they want to lose their job, they still like to a degree.

And I am sorry but the opinion of actual thai people who are inside that industry is more valid than some random fan who just doesn't want to understand those things in order to enjoy their shows without feeling bad.... What if I tell you that you can do both and that this is not about shaming you or making you feel guilty (unless you participate in toxic overstepping behavior or are actually LGBTq-phobic, then yes feel guilty)! Acknowledging issues, supporting to fix those issues and still have fun with these dramas and actors.... Those things can and do coexist and nobody said otherwise!!

#damn i said i stay away from discourse and I am not here to discuss but I have to say something about this since I saw some bs #sorry my patience is very thin the past months and I am so damn tired of stupid discourse #rant #bl drama #bl actors #step by step the series #Tee Bundit Sintanaparadee #tee bundit #salt post

[itsanidiom]

The problem with *some BL office dramas is they seem to think that I care about their business success.

Like let me give some examples:

We Best Love: Fighting Mr. 2nd knew how much I as an audience member cared about both the company our boys worked for and the project they were working on. How much? Not much. Except when it relates to their romance. Zhou Shu Yi having to work with Gao Shi De again because he works for his dad's company and they're doing a merger. Classic forced proximity. Love it.

This is the shit I wanna see. Their romance. The company could crash and burn for all I care. All I know about their work is that they are in an office and making some kind of software. That's it.

Here's another example. Cherry Magic! They work somewhere that make pens and stationary. Sometimes they have to do lots of unexplained paperwork. Do I care about the details surrounding the pen company paperwork? No. I don't. They know this and respect my time by not having a character spend an episode walking me through the pen company audit paperwork.

When a character has a big project, it is brief and has a clear connection to the romance arc. In season 1 and 2, work project moments just create big "reasons we cannot be together" crisis moments to be overcome.

*Step By Step, on the other hand, forced me to sit through employee training sessions and about one full length boardroom meetings per episode about products and marketing campaigns. I felt as bored watching those scenes as I would have if I was actually a member of a marketing team sitting in on a meeting that could have been an email.

Apart from the meeting where they first decide to use Put, there's no clear romantic drama or stakes in many of those scenes. It's literally just business. I do not care about Forge, they were just a client, and yet that client's name is now burned into my brain. I do not care about Olive and Pearl (?) or how their karaoke night marketing is gonna be amazing because look we got Put in it again. In fact, get that guy out of my face! All I care about is our main characters and their romance. And yet I must sit through board meeting after board meeting after...

#rant #bl dramas #step by step #step by step the series #we best love #we best love: fighting mr. 2nd #if you disagree fight me #lol #I was also going to add Check Out as another TERRIBLE example of what not to do #But we all know it's crap I don't want to even bother lol #I have thoughts about Office BL Dramas

[juneviews]

I think the greatest bane of my existence as a thai drama fan who doesn't just watch bl (especially not just the one watched by most inter fans) is watching a show or movie with THE MOST INSANE CAST doing THE MOST INSANE SHIT & not being able to freak out about how cool these random famous thai actors being there doing that is, like... y'all don't get how insane it is to see pae arak go queer for an unhinged villain role alongside the lead singer of the tpop band mints who plays a burmese sex worker bc you guys literally don't know who these people are. same thing for chin chinawut in the outing having sex scenes when he's a random pop singer (who happens to have made one of my fave tpop songs of all time but that's besides the point lol), like... I have niched too close to the sun. knowing every thai actor on this earth has damned me to an eternity of lonely freakouts lmao

#axelle rants #thai dramas #doi boy #the outing #the outing the series #and these are the two most recent examples btw; there's like 100s more #anyways I can't believe I hadnt heard about doi boy until today... haven't finished it yet but WTF #it's like not me crossed with manner of death minus the bl lmao

[clairedaring]

the mood for this scene.... is insane... literally THE most beautiful scene in a thai period lakorn i have ever witnessed. fearing for my life that i feel you linger in the air is deehuphouse's magnum opus because i don't see any of their future works living up to what ifylita brought to thai bl history

#i feel you linger in the air #claire opens her goddamn mouth #ifylita #it's so funny whenever y'all see me rambling on here it's either ranting abt thai bl conventions or random ifylita thoughts #my sincerest apologies #to those following me for anything else #the classiness and elegance of ifylita.... not a lakorn but not quite your typical bl series either... a queer period series #austen-coded thai bridgerton meets outlander we love thee

[bl-inded]

So... I'm pissed? I feel like we're taking the wrong lessons here guys! Why is Mohk the one apologizing again??? He apologized like thrice in this episode and each one made me more upset than the last. He did not pity Day! Never has. Never will.

Honestly I'm kinda just mad about how they handled the whole three year break. Why is it that Mohk came back and they're back to being flirty from minute one??? What about the heart break? What about the absolute negligence for what Mohk wanted? What is happening??

I kept waiting hoping for an explanation. But nope. When he wanted to stay the first time for Day it wasn't okay, but it's the okay the second time? WHY?? It doesn't make sense. I don't get it.

And that ending??? What I'm saying IS THAT THEY COULD HAVE DONE ALL OF THIS IN EPISODE 11 WITH A SMALLER FIGHT AND 4/4 (aka happy) COULD HAVE BEEN ALL OF EP12?? Y'all pick up what I'm putting down??

Sorry this isn't an analysis. I'm just mad

I caaaannnooottt put into words how fucking mad I am.

*immediately starts writing a fic*

#turns out i have a lot of words to say how mad i indeed am #but day has the best bro and sis in law fr #and bf #i dont understand how anyone thought this was the take away from the last episode #sigh #last twilight #last twlight the series #gmmtv #thai bl #p'aof #bl rants #jimmysea #day #thai bl meta #mohk #mohkday

[absolutebl]

BL Streaming - Which Service is Worth Your Money?

I’m bored and I have a little extra time this morning so it’s time for ABL to play with the spreadsheet of doom. 

Occasionally I get the question: 

If I were to subscribe to only one platform for BL which should I pick? 

This post is dated May 2023. 

First things first. I am going to be (somewhat) objective about this and not judge on quality of content. Because if KinnPorsche is all you love in life, obvs you need iQIYI, but if you are a HIStory franchise stan, than it’s all about Viki. Those are your life choices, I’m just here to play numbers games, okay? 

Secondly, some shows air on multiple platforms, particularly Viki & Gaga, but sometimes it’s Gaga & YouTube, occasionally it’s even iQIYI + others. This has only started happening in the last few years. Bed Friend was on 3 different platforms (GaGa, iQIYI, YT) - even though it was originally announced for Viki! I honestly don’t know how to track this, so I tend to log the spreadsheet with my preferred watching platform for that language, this will throw the numbers off for those platforms. 

Since I join everything my platform preference choice is based on:  

the quality of the subs/captions   

the quality of the user experience  

My subs experience tends to be: 

YT = best for Thai

Viki = best for Korean and sometimes Japanese, okay for Thai

Gaga = best for Chinese and sometimes Japanese but very weak Thai subs

My user interface preference is: 

YT, Viki, Gaga in that order then everyone else with iQIYI at the bottom. This is because I watch on mobile devices. 

ASplay, WeTV, former Line, Amarin TV, Netflix and the other smaller suppliers (and apps) will all be grouped together for this assessment. Since they have so few offerings, by default I would not recommend subbing those platforms unless you are a hard stan of all BL with disposable income. 

Super bad BLs that I watched back in the day on grey sites or YT (pre 2020 crack down) because there were no other options and I am a completest are still listed as grey. I would never suggest anyone watch these shows anyway, so I don’t care if they have now shown up on legitimate sites. If they are somewhere, it’s likely Gaga. Which means Gaga’s percentage of the market share is probably UNDER reported by my numbers. 

Movies and cinema-only releases that never got international distribution fall into the “grey” category. If I got it off an indie subber, since that too is technically illegal, it falls into the grey category as well. 

Final note: This is from a USA based IP, I don’t use a VPN, so platforms assessments are from that perspective. 

Spring 2023, current state of the spreadsheet. AKA 

Our BL Data Set 

Total # of BLs = 564

# of BLs ongoing (so finished runtime is best guess) = 18 

Just Answer the Damn Question 

Round Number of Actual BLs - % of market share

YouTube = 218 - 38.6%

Gaga = 148 - 26.2% 

Viki = 77 - 13.7% 

Grey = 53 - 9.4% 

BLs I’ve never been able to find on any platform (including grey): 36 - 6.4% 

iQIYI = 14 - 2.5% 

Other platforms = 12 - 2.2% 

Margin of error: +- 1% (look I’m just not driven to be that accurate here)

Subscription Platforms Breakdown  - % of market share

Eliminating YouTube, Grey, and missing BLs. Viki is included because I do not know which of theirs are behind the paywall and which are not. 

Total subscribe-only BLs: 257 

Gaga = 59%

Viki = 30%

iQIYI = 6%

Sml sites/apps = 5%

(rounded) 

Okay but how about actual runtime? 

Gaga = 360 hrs - 44% 

Viki = 311 hrs - 38% 

iQIYI = 98 hrs - 12% 

Sml sites = 50 hrs - 6%

Anyway you cut it... on pure BL standards...

GAGAOOLALA WINS 

Other consideration? In most places Gaga is ALSO the cheapest per month option. 

Final Thoughts

YouTube (America’s Alphabet) 

YT has the most pieces of content and longest overall runtime because of all the Thai stuff. ALSO bootlegs show up there, especially the early Chinese and Japanese stuff. They will often get taken down and you have to hunt for it again. YT takedowns come in waves, every 6 months or so.

However, GMMTV, some Star Hunter, some Studio Wabi Sabi, all the Vietnamese & Pinoy stuff (until now), and a few choice bits of Strongberry are YT content.

YT’s app is the best UX of a poor set (for me), but the web based YT at Premium level doesn’t work with Firefox. I use YT for work A LOT, so the fee for Premium ($13.99) and lack of ads + downloads (travel) is worth it for me, but I think it probubly isn’t if you’re on a budget. 

GaGaOOLaLa (Taiwan’s Portico Media) 

Of the pay to play platforms, GaGa dominates with the most BLs by all metrics. If you’re intersted in darker BL, GL and other queer content, very high heat, the history of the genre, or Japanese stuff - most of that is on GaGa. Also all of Strongberry and some of the newer queerer series (like My Ride).  

At $6.99 a month it’s ALSO one of the cheapest options. 

Gaga is based out of Taiwan, the only Asian country with marriage equality (as of 2022) AND it specializes in exclusively queer content so they need our support. If you can afford them, you should support them. GaGa is the only platform that will always have more BL, guaranteed (so long as Taiwan is autonomous). Ironically, you can follow their YT channel for previews and teasers to their latest series, short content, and acquisitions. 

Their app isn’t great, but their web-based interface is fine. That said: there’s no categories (way to organize), and the way they roll out new episodes is unintuitive. Their mobile app ALWAYS pauses not mater what you actually want it to do and the lack of the quick skip ahead is frustrating. 

Viki (Japan’s Rakutan)

Viki specializes in longer series, mostly Thai, Taiwanese, and a few of the Chinese bromances. It also now has a lot of KBLs. But in general only more recent stuff (2018 is as far back as they go).

At $4.99-$11.99 depending, it’s low to average cost. I’m not sure which one (if any) you actually need for BL. Most of my favorite new shows tend to air on Viki, and I like Rakutan as a parent company, so I don’t mind supporting them. 

They happen to have 5 of my top ten BLs, which is A LOT (since I hand out 10/10 so rarely). So for me they host the objective best BL content. 

They have the second best app (after YT, it’s kinda a combo of YT + Netflix) but the lack of a speed-up option is frustrating for many. Also the desktop version is super buggy. But they DO have categories you can name and control, which I love.

Other Platforms 

iQIYI - is Mainland China based (hello Baidu, you ugly fucker), so the platform getting/pimping BL for an international audience only is… how do I put this?… oh yeah: shitty. I will often rename it Icky, for this reason. It clearly wants to break the market, but… do we want it in the market at all? How long will they host BLs? When will they be shut down and censored? I would say it’s only worth it if you really also like Chinese dramas. And even so, Viki also has A LOT of those. Unfortunately for us, Wabi Sabi seems to have cut a distribution deal with Icky. And, of course, there is the KinnPorsche situation (so ironic that Icky hosts the highest heat). The interface is a nightmare. They have the WORST app, even when you pay, it serves ads, some of which alpha crash the platform. 

Netflix - here in the states it almost never has new BL content. Sometimes some old stuff. They tested the waters with SOTUS and Love Sick. I have a feeling they aren’t particularly intersted in this market. So if BL is what you watch, don’t bother. At last check they still had Gameboys and Your Name Engraved Herein and Wish You. 

WeTV - acts like LineTV used to, has Manner of Death and We Best Love and a few of the more obscure Thai pulps. But probably not worth it for anyone but a completest. 

Grey - Unknown or No Distributor 

Indie subbers: there’s some BLs that you can watch by supporting indie subbers who supply private links to their personal versions. This is not legal, but it is a slightly nicer way to get stuff you can’t find anywhere else. I’ve done this for some Thai and Japanese stuff.

I find the leads for these sources here on Tumblr. If someone is giffing and talking about a show and I don’t know how they are getting hold of it, I simply ask.

DramaCool (USA) & Dailymotion (France) & Bilibili (China) and others - AKA the grey space. You SHOULD feel guilty using these sites, you’re stealing, but it’s where many of us go for BL we can’t find anywhere else (in defiance of what few morals we have left). These are BLs that originally sold to very odd platforms or never got international distribution. Unfortunately, some of my favorites are in this category like Great Men Academy or Seven Days. It’s a nightmare. The ads are terrible and the virus/bug risk is high. They get taken down all the time. Or the leads are faked. I use an old computer to access and suggest you take all necessary precautions yourself.

P’ABL SOAP BOX TIME

Look I work tangential to the entertainment industry, so if you thought I wasn’t going to learn you a little on this subject, you got another think coming. 

HERE’S THE THING: 

You watch a show on one of the grey platforms, ESPECIALLY if it actually has distribution on Gaga or Viki - you better review that shit. You spread the word and advocate for that content here, on MDL, on social media, with fan art, I don’t care. You steal it, you find a way to pay back in your time and/or creativity. 

I get it if you’re poor, but don’t be a goddamn scab. Find a way to reward content creators with non-monetary support. If you had the time to watch the thing you stole, you have time to pay it forward in some substantial way. Do this even if you didn’t steal it but got it for free. Do this if you read fanfic. Do this with articles, blogs, books. Do this with podcasts. 

It isn’t hard to be a decent human and support creators. Don’t you dare just TAKE. If you’re that kind of person stop reading this blog immediately. I don’t want anything to do with you and you don’t deserve my words or my spreadsheet of Doom. 

/rant 

MORE ON THIS TOPIC WITH FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS

Original post on this subject that I adapted for this post. 

(source)

#where to find bl #all about bl #bl sources #bl platforms #ABL rants #BL spreadsheet activate #bl spreadsheet of doom #pay the creators #bl streaming #streaming services compared #DramaCool #Dailymotion #Bilibili #WeTV #Netflix #iQIYI #Viki #rakutan #Rakutan Viki #Japanese BL #Taiwanese BL #Thai BL #Korean BL #GaGaOOLaLa #Portico Media #YouTube #GaGa wins #ASplay #Amarin TV

[citruslllad]

mmmm draxum rant under cut vvv (ab how the fandom treats him not the guy himself)

i love the rottmnt fandom but the way that ppl treat draxum.. y'all love evil bastards but can't STAND when they get redeemed in a satisfying (and character-accurate) way fr. his backstory is very clearly that of a survivor amongst a species that, for the most part, had been shoved into one city underneath New York, by force.

and hell yeah draxum was an evil bitch about it! he wanted to wipe humanity tf out! but when you realize that all he's experienced with humans was essentially them shoving his kind underground, u sorta understand why he does what he does.

but then in fics he's this like.. heinous bastard willing to commit every form of torture imaginable when that's literally not him? at all?? he's never been shown to torture people. the closest we saw was in the first episode when the pizza delovery guy asked if the oozquito would hurt and he said "yes.. if i'm doing it right" and that's IT. that is IT.

and then he got another perspective of humanity through mikey! he saw the mother & her kid during that one episode and decided oh fuck they're just like us fr!! and SAVED her ass. even if he was and always would be all shy about it n shit, he still HELPED humanity in the end. MULTIPLE TIMES.

and again, the fics i read? love them. love them so much. they're so well written and the storylines are always CHEFS KISS but every time it goes over draxum being a ✨evil bastard willing to psychological torture anyone and anything to get to his goal✨ i either sit through it with a mental >:[ in my head or i skip it entirely, because reading it feels like a betrayal of an incredibly well written character and his redemption.

anyways i am a draxum apologist through & through. if you like making him that way, good on you for vibin, but personally i want the guy to be happy in the end

#rambles #rants #<- for BL #baron draxum #rottmnt #character ​analysis #HE'S! A! GOOD! PERSON!!!

[bellepark]

#my school president #gemini norawit #mark pakin #asiandramasource #dailyasiandramas #asianlgbtqdramas #boyslovesource #thai bl #esmetracks #uservid #userbon #baek1nho #msp #belleparkgif #someone pls hand tiw the best friend award already for keeping up with tinn's dramatic a*ss all the time jkajsjds #also a few moments later when tinn was also ranting abt heartbreak im like wth!!! #im too old for this!!! so watching tinn going through his 'high school crush moment' really amuses me lol #gemini bby this character really suited you perfectly!!! and so SO CUTE

[lurkingshan]

I am actually incandescent with rage at adult Soon. I do not even have words to describe how fucked up this is. Soon really came back to the past, fully romanced a teenager including sleeping with him, then told teen Ongsa he’s going to leave and he’s not allowed to meet the teen Soon because he has an irrational belief that will somehow “fix” something we don’t even know needs fixing. And Soon didn’t even tell him clearly when he will be leaving, he’s planning to just disappear and leave teen Ongsa devastated.

Like @twig-tea said last week, this is just cruel and the worst part is the show doesn’t even seem to be aware of that. They are presenting this romance with no hint that it’s wrong on several levels, instead they seem to want us to be swooning and ignoring the utter selfishness and cruelty of what adult Soon is doing to teen Ongsa. I am aghast.

#just ranting into the void because i think there are only about five us is still watching this #absolute zero #thai bl #shan shouts into the void

[welcometothelairofthebitchking]

Why it's funny to me that people give Way sooo much shit but think Charlie is the best thing that ever happened to Babe:

Okay so first of all, I am NOT a Way apologist. That boy is crazy and sick in the head and a very deep shade of red when it comes to red flags, but the thing is? Charlie isn't that much better?? Im not even talking about the 'Charlie faked his death and it hurt babe' part. I don't even really care about that. I'm talking about up to episode 8. Because at least up until the moment that Way snapped and tried to actually r*pe babe, the things he and charlie were doing weren't that different. 'Oh but Way used his powers on Babe and brainwashed him and controlled his whole life.' Exactly. Way used the privilege Babe gave him to get close to him whenever he wanted, to put his hand on his shoulder, and use his power on him to steer things in the direction he wanted. Each time Babe thought his best friend was being affectionate, he was actually being abused in the worst way possible. Babe trusted him with his love and the power to come close and touch his body whenever he wanted, and Way took advantage of it.

And you know who else did that? Charlie did. He did the exact same thing. Actually, I can even take the paragraph above and replace the words:

Charlie used the privilege Babe gave him (long term sexual contant never shared anyone else, cuddling in the bed and touching throughout the night, the kiss oh my god the kiss) to get close to him whenever he wanted, to put his hands on his body, and use his power on him (aborbe everything) to steer things in the direction he wanted (the grand plan, am I right? The one him and Jeff worked soooooo hard on). Each time Babe thought his sex buddy/lover was being affectionate, he was actually being abused in the worst way possible. Babe trusted him with the power to come close and touch his body whenever he wanted, and Charlie took advantage of it.

'But he did it to protect Babe'. That does not matter. Babe isn't a child. Charlie doesn't get to decide to protect him without asking his opinion. Babe is an adult. He can make his own choices. Moreover, his senses have been with him all his life. They shape his whole identity and who he is. Actually, given his fucked up childhood and how he was raised, given that his whole career and number 1 'identity' depend on them (because it wasn't just a number 1 spot, it was who he was. Pit babe always wins. Pit babe won't be pit babe if he loses.), Babe probably thought most of his worth comes from his senses. He said that once, that he's not sure he'd be worthy if he doesn't have his senses (and here the point isn't that he would be worthy, it's that HE thinka that)

And charlie just comes and? Decides to take them? Decides to take the whole identity of someone he 'loves' in order to 'protect' them without giving them a choice or even explanation?? That's fucked up. When I got to that point of the series, I legit thought this is a kind of r@pe, and worse than the sexual kind.

So the thing is, what he did was fucked up. It doesn't matter what his motivation was. I'm sure that Way too actually thought r@ping Babe and putting a baby inside him by force is the best way for both of them too. Which, obviously, bonkers, but my point is that your intentions don't cancel out the harm.

Everyone in this show treat Babe as some sort of object or kid that doesn't know what is good for him. No one gives him a choice while it's literally HIS life. They just come in and use him and his trust. They just manipulate him and lie to him, and no one considers how much that would HURT.

And you know what the real difference between Way and Charlie is? Obv. That charlie is 'selfless' and does everything for babe rather than the sake of his own desires/safety, but I assure you a writer can twist that. I can easily write the same situations and characters (up until chapter 8), and this time make charlie the red flag. In a case like this, the real difference is the way the narrative guides you and your emotions along, and the most important part in that is Babe himself. It's about who babe chooses to forgive. Who he decides to stay with despite the hurt. It's not about choosing between a saint and a red flag, but choosing between two people who have hurt you. And you choose the one who you love so much, you would keep hurting for.

And that's the beauty of it. Despite what this might come off as, I'm not a charlie hater. Not at all. I like him and babe together actually. I like Way too. And I love all of them because they are incredibly fucked up people trying to do what they think is right and I find the struggle interesting. My point is that, we are too fixated on finding a green flag and a red flag and choosing between them, when in situations like this, when all characters have been through hell, there will be no green flag. You can't rip a person apart and then bitch about them being red like blood can be any other color.

My point in making this wasn't to say charliebabe is abusive or toxic. It can be at points, but my point isn't that. What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't fall into the trick of the narrative. You shouldn't decide a person is good and saint like just because their intentions were good or because they're the one the protegonist choses. You shouldn't ignore the hurt they do. The show moved sooooo fast from what was the biggest betrayal to me and I don't see anyone talking about it, simply because Babe decided to forgive and forget and the narrative pretended everything was perfect with a mama joke and a hug

#such a long rant #pit babe the series #pit babe spoilers #pit babe bl #pavel phoom #charlie x babe #charliebabe #way pit babe #not a way apologist but I love red flags because they are red #waybabe #thai bl #the mpreg show is actually that deep #unpopular opinion

[scarefox]

Pisses me off and doesn't let me go that I learned a few days ago that the actors of "City of Stars" got called queerbaiter for kissing on the mouth in a tiktok meme / trend for fun (a trend so many did, just usually they kiss on the cheek or do whatever, these two are the first actually kissing on the mouth... 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️ who cares??). BUT Porsche was made to APOLOGISE about it (tho he doesn't fully understand what it means because duh.... there is nothing to understand here, he didn't do anything wrong...)!! Can you fucking believe this backwards shit happening with 2024s social media police?!?!? (and pretty sure lead on by people who aren't even queer themselves because all the queers I know are fine or indifferent with this stuff)

Congratulations @ the moral police / haters who literally told two real life men to not be allowed to kiss each other on the mouth just because they are not dating for real and they assume they are hetero.

This damn queerbaiting discourse going through the fandom on social media right now, where people being so hell bent over it that it MUST apply to real people too.... WHICH IT DOES NOT! Queerbaiting is literally about fictional content marketed towards queer people but then not delivering anything queer related in the fiction. It is literally a term made because of Supernatural and Teen Wolf baity marketing back then! BL is the exact opposite of that!! And even if you argue that the actors are doing fanservice, which isn't as fishy anymore as it was a few years ago, THEN they are still marketing their series with it WHICH IS QUEER and therefore still doesn't qualify as queerbaiting! If fans still doesn't understand that fanservice is mainly just fun and games and not real dating actors, then that too is not queerbaiting. And I am talking about nowadays fanservice, not TharnType era fanservice where they actually pretended to be more than just coworkers.

Real people can not queerbait, because you don't know their true sexuality. Even if they say they are straight, they could still keep private (or not even know themselves) that they are open to experiment or are questioning! And even IF they are 100% straight: Newsflash even 100% heterocis & people who are not dating are totally allowed to kiss each other on the mouth if they want to for funsies! Body autonomy, free will, consent and all that~

Also wouldn't it be great if even hetero guys kiss each other without fear and judgement?

#rant #bl drama #bl industry #city of stars the series #lgbtq