#telomeke

[telomeke-bbs]

BAD BUDDY FILMING LOCATIONS 13

Barring any surprise discoveries, this write-up will call time on all of my Bad Buddy location posts – I've had notes for this tucked away for more than a year now, and have been putting off writing it up partly because I didn't want it to end, and also partly because (frustratingly) there's one final location I still haven't been able to track down (😬 more on that later).

But now it's time; more than two years after Bad Buddy aired I really should put my location posts to bed, and I was motivated to set digital pen to virtual paper by an Ask from fellow BBS fan @honey-beebs (linked here). Lucky Bee is heading to Bangkok right about now and will be looking up BBS locations while there, so I hope my posts will be helpful! 💖

This write-up, Part 13 in the series, profiles mostly odds and ends – minor locations that I found late and/or couldn't manage to fit into any other location post. So there isn't a theme here, but it's all BBS-related so hopefully Bad Buddy location fans will still find something interesting in this.

To start things off: the scene where Pat helps Pran look for his lost earphones (beginning at Ep.4 [1‌/4] 10.29) is the only outdoor one with an overt reference to rugby (Pat is still in his rugby kit after practice) that was filmed at Rangsit University (RSU):

(above) The boys search for Pran's lost earphones at BBS Ep.4 [1‌/4] 10.58

All other rugby scenes (plus a whole lot of outdoor university scenes as well) were filmed at Bangkok University's Rangsit campus. But the location of this one scene is actually the grass verge in front of RSU's Faculty of Architecture:

(above) The tree in front of the Architecture Faculty, below which Pat and Pran search for Pran's lost earphones

Proof of the above is the building that we see in the background of the scene, behind Pat and Pran – that's the Chinese-Thai Institute of Rangsit University, with its unmistakeable roofline and parade of columns, on the other side of the road from RSU's Faculty of Architecture:

(top) The Chinese-Thai Institute of Rangsit University (opposite the Faculty of Architecture); (bottom) the map location of the Chinese-Thai Institute in relation to the Faculty of Architecture‌

Elsewhere on campus, the covered car park where Pat serenaded Pran with Nanon and Sizzy's Love Score (Ep.8 [1‌/4] 15.52), spied on by a furious Wai (Ep.8 [1‌/4] 16.57 and Ep.9 [1‌/4] 5.19) is also where Pat, loving Pran on the down low, waves to Chang, Korn and Mo before getting into his car where Pran is waiting (Ep.12 [3‌/4] 4.54):

(top left) Pat serenades Pran in his car at Ep.8 [1‌/4] 15.59; (top right) Wai sees Pran getting into the car of his sworn enemy Pat at Ep.9 [1‌/4] 5.21; (bottom) Pat waves to Chang, Korn and Mo from the covered car park while Pran stays horizontal and out of sight in the car (Ep.12 [3‌/4] 4.54)

These scenes were filmed at the ground floor covered car park of the Faculty of Optometry (Building 12/1) at Rangsit University:

(top) Location of the Faculty of Optometry on the map; (middle) the ground floor covered car park of the Faculty of Optometry is on the left of the photo – in Bad Buddy the perforated cladding is visible at Ep.9 [1‌/4] 5.21 and Ep.12 [3‌/4] 4.54; (bottom left) a look into the car park; (bottom right) the building opposite the car park, that we see behind Chang, Korn and Mo at Ep.12 [3‌/4] 4.54

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Another covered car park in Bad Buddy was the airport car park in Ep.12, that we got to see when Pat sent Pran off to further his architectural career in Singapore:

(above) Pat and Pran at the airport car park (Ep.12 [3‌/4] 7.32)

Despite the airport signage at the top right of the image, this wasn't the car park at Don Mueang (or Suvarnabhumi for that matter). It's actually the same car park as the previous filming location (the ground floor covered car park of the Faculty of Optometry), just over at the other end facing the basketball court:

Corroborating details are the large V-shaped struts and the ramp next to them, that we can see behind Pat and Pran at Ep.12 [3‌/4] 7.32.

And if the adjacent basketball court looks familiar – it's arguably most famous because of its appearance in SOTUS S2, when Kongpob and Arthit were shooting hoops there in a one-on-one bet. (And that was also when Kongpob found out Arthit was a great shooter – see SOTUS S Ep.4 [4/4] 8.22. 🤣)

The court also appeared a couple of times in SOTUS Season 1, but its scene with Arthit and Kongpob's matchup is perhaps the most memorable one. 🤩

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Still on the RSU campus, the South Technology University Library was represented by (no surprises here) the Rangsit University Library (Building 7). This is also the building on whose forecourt Pat and Pran's favorite wonton noodle stall is located:

(top) Location of the RSU Library on the map; (bottom) a view of RSU Library (Building 7) and the forecourt in front, that housed the wonton noodle stall

In Bad Buddy, the South Technology University library scenes are all indoors:

(top) Pat keeps the Engine gang distracted while Pran hustles the Archi gang back out of the library at Ep.2 [1‌/4] 5.58; (bottom) Pran apologizes to other library users for reacting too loudly to Pat's teasing at Ep.3 [2/4] 3.30 (actually the same location as the one above, just from a different angle)

Matching images of the RSU Library with corroborating details:

(top) This photo from RSU Library's Facebook (linked here) has a lot of matching details – the RFID gate scanners, the ceiling lights, the bookshelves, the shelf labeling, vinyl floor pattern, orange-red ottoman, green exit sign and what looks like a book-scanning station in the bottom right can all be seen at BBS Ep.2 [1‌/4] 5.58; (bottom) this photo on Google Maps by P. Hirancharoennon (dated April 2019, linked here) is actually a match for BBS Ep.3 [2/4] 3.30, just viewed from a different angle – note the same dark red sofas that curve around the columns, chairs in the far background that match what Pat and Pran are sitting on, the ceiling lights, the computers for OPAC (library catalog) reference and the yellow-orange poster of what looks like a clock on the right

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This scene of Pat applying ointment to Pran's shoulder at Ep.7 [2/4] 3.05 (re-living the tending to my stricken lover trope and calling back to Ep.4 [3‌/4] 7.07) is one of the few in BBS that actually shows wet weather (remembering that the series was filmed at the height of Thailand's rainy monsoon season, although we don't actually get any scenes of PatPran in the rain):

This scene was filmed at the elevator lobby of Chana City Residence, and may possibly have been one of the scenes originally planned for the rooftop that were rained out on that fateful last night of filming (see the Behind-the-Scenes video จนกว่าจะพบกันใหม่ครับเพื่อน! | แค่เพื่อนครับเพื่อน | BAD BUDDY SERIES linked here):

Anyway, proof of the location can be found in this scene in Oxygen The Series Ep.12 [2/4] 13.57:

The full-height window frames, wall paneling and red fire alarm panel are a match for what we see in Bad Buddy.

Oxygen The Series filmed a lot at Chana City Residence, with the building name prominently displayed in the ground floor lobby scenes (see Oxygen The Series Ep.12 [3‌/4] 5.17 for one example). This confirmed its location, and thus the matching end wall of the elevator lobby also confirms the location for Bad Buddy's scene above at Ep.7 [2/4] 3.05.

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Pat and Pran's motorbike ride in Hua Hin was filmed at one of the side roads perpendicular to Khao Tao Beach:

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.11 [2/4] 13.15 – Pat and Pran set off on a motorbike ride toward Uncle Yod's bar

In the distance behind Pat and Pran we can just make out (on the left, half-hidden by a tree) the island of Ko Singto (also called Ko Sai) with its distinctive, leonine silhouette.

The truck ride to and from Chatchai Market (scene beginning at Ep.6 [3‌/4] 0.28) and PatPran's mud-play (scene beginning at Ep.6 [3‌/4] 4.00) were also probably filmed along the same road because we can see the same kind of barbed wire fencing, and Ko Singto also appears at Ep.6 [3‌/4] 4.04.

(top) PatPran in Uncle Tong's yellow Datsun; (bottom) Pran slaps some Hua Hin mud on Pat

(top) Uncle Tong, Pat, Pran and Junior head off to Chatchai Market; (bottom) Ko Singto in the background on their return

The exact side road (more like a dirt path) isn't traversable on Google Street View (and with increasing development of the area it may not be around for much longer anyway). But other Street View captures show similar barbed wire fencing in the general vicinity:

(above) This image from Google Street View showing similar barbed wire fencing dates to January 2017 and can be viewed at location 12°27'50.4"N 99°58'36.0"E

Noting that the road heads toward a hill looming inland (visible at Ep.6 [3‌/4] 0.28), triangulating off the map pinpoints an approximate location:

(top) The approximate location on Google Maps; (bottom) a dirt path viewed from 12°28'28.7"N 99°58'24.9"E, that is a likely candidate for the location (the trees in the distance are a match for what we see flanking the road at Ep.11 [2/4] 13.15)

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So PatPran's motorbike ride ended up at Uncle Yod's beach bar (location already identified in this post here – it's the Anchor Bar and Restaurant at Khao Tao Beach). However, the approach road to Uncle Yod's Bar is also visible on Google Street View – the location coordinates are 12°28'03.7"N 99°58'35.1"E, which brings up a match:

(top) Bad Buddy Ep.11 [2/4] 14.09 – Pat and Pran at the entrance to Uncle Yod's bar; (bottom) a screenshot from Google Street View of the approach road to the Anchor Bar and Restaurant

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The filming location for the music video to Pat's theme song Secret (sung by Kacha Nontanun) was already identified in this post here (it's the legendary rooftop of Chana City Residence):

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The music video for Pran's theme song (Just Friend?) stepped away from Bad Buddy and was a mini-movie unto itself:

The video was filmed in a location that had nothing to do with Bad Buddy the series – the Prince Palace Hotel Mahanak in central Bangkok. Visual proof of this is within the video itself, at timestamp 2.33:

(above) Nanon scribbles "แค่เพื่อนมั้ง?" (meaning "Just a friend?") on the hotel notepad, which bears the name Prince Palace Hotel Mahanak

From the interior details we can tell that the music video for PatPran's theme of togetherness (Our Song) was also filmed at the same hotel:

(top) Music video for Our Song, timestamp 2.11; (bottom) music video for Just Friend?, timestamp 2.07

Although the images above do not show not the same space, there are enough similar details in both (e.g., the armchairs, the green wainscoting with its gold-trimmed wainscot cap and the window framing) for us to conclude that both videos were filmed in the same building – the Prince Palace Hotel Mahanak.

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One final location that was referred to in Bad Buddy didn't actually have any scenes filmed there – it's the street in Singapore where Pran's condo was supposed to have been located. The address was identified on a postcard on the Ep.12 memory board (see this link here for more detail):

(above) Pran's postcard to Pat from Singapore, on the Ep.12 memory board

Although the details in Pran's address are mostly fictitious, the street is not. Lorong Limau in Singapore actually exists:

(top) Map location of Lorong Limau; (bottom) a screenshot of the neighbourhood around Lorong Limau

Lorong is the Malay word for street, and Pran's full address in Singapore is Blk 94, Lorong Limau #86‑05, Singapore 320047. Except for Lorong Limau and Singapore however, the address is wholly made-up.

This location is nowhere near the Marina Bay Sands (so Pran really couldn't have seen it from his apartment window). The neighbourhood around Lorong Limau is known as Kallang/Whampoa and it is considerably less flashy than residences bayside (although it is still central and convenient). There is also no Block 94 nearby, nor is the unit number #86-05 a real one, because the 86 refers to the floor level and there are no buildings with as many floors in Singapore at time of writing.

OK, so maybe Pran stayed here for a spell and then moved to within sight of the Marina Bay Sands sometime later? Not completely far-fetched, because we know that by the time of his Ep.12 break in Bangkok he had been working on a new tower for Marina Bay (and it would have had to have been a pretty prestigious project to be sited in that locale, meaning that Pran could well have afforded swankier digs if his career was on the up and up):

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And this is probably just a coincidence, but guess what's happening with the Marina Bay Sands? 🤣

Planning approval has been given and construction is expected to commence some time in 2025.‌ Yay Pran! 🤣

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Anyway, these are all the locations that I have for now. I've not been able to track down every location in Bad Buddy, nor am I going to try. For example, I'm not going to stress out over unidentified interior spaces like Ajahn Pichai's office in Ep.1 and Ep.3, and InkPa's dark room in Ep.10:

(top) Ajahn Pichai's office at Ep.1 [4/4] 6.19; (bottom) InkPa's dark room confession at Ep.10 [3‌/4] 17.05

These were likely filmed within the same buildings that represented their series counterparts anyway, so Ajahn Pichai's office is likely at RSU's College of Engineering, and the dark room in RSU's Digital Multimedia Complex (Building 15).

Likewise, I'm not able to say exactly where on campus the 112 Chemical Store is (where Bad Buddy made a potent political statement) as there is no Google Street View down that back alley.

But because of this TikTok video by TikToker @‌markydoge, I know it has to be somewhere in the environs of the RSU College of Engineering. 🤩

It's probably near the white tiger mural and workshops, because the air-conditioning condensers and buttressed walls that we see just before Pat pulls Pran into that alleyway are similar to those that we see when the Engine boys chase down Wai at the beginning of Ep.1 – and because the roofline of the Engine workshops can be seen behind Korn and Chang in their pursuit of Wai at Ep.1 [1‌/4] 0.51, the location is also anchored on the map. 👍‌

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HOWEVER, there is still one fairly important location that remains unidentified and that continues to frustrate me – and it's Pat and Pran's family hardware stores.

(above) Ming and Chai watch Pran's dad set up store right next to the Jindapats' one at BBS Ep.1 [1‌/4] 4.54

I've searched far and wide but just cannot find the location, and it's all the more frustrating because there are so many clues:

The store belonging to Pat’s family looks like it is actually a construction material shop; the shelves and the items all around have been there for some time, and not likely to have been put together just for Bad Buddy.

The store belonging to Pran’s family looks like a covered vehicular park or outdoor storage, masquerading as a shop though.

The general location of the shops is likely to be not in Rangsit (where a lot of other filming happened), but rather somewhere closer to central Bangkok (though not right in the city center either). This is because the planting on the road divider outside is very well-manicured (which is more a feature of central Bangkok), and the lamp-post has markings similar to those on central Bangkok lamp-posts. But there aren’t any tall buildings visible, so it’s not likely to be in the absolute city center either, where skyscrapers are everywhere blocking the sky.

I've been scouring maps of Bangkok and trawling Google Street View, but have not been able to find a matching location. If anybody out there has any leads, please do let me know! 😍

And that's a wrap for BBS locations! For now, at least (unless I can find the above – I won't stop trying). 😍 In the meantime, if any Bad Buddy fans have questions about BBS locations that you think I might be able to help with, do send me an Ask or message and I'll be more than happy to share my two bahts' worth! 💖

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[P.S. – here are the links to all the filming location posts:

Part 1 – The legendary rooftop, PatPran’s student apartments, their high school, the white arches behind the Engineering Canteen, the Zero Waste Village and various seaside scenes, their honeymoon suite, the hospital where Pat was treated for his gunshot graze, and the high school reunion.

Part 2 – Pat and Pran’s family homes, the Flagpole Bar, the car park fight location, and the Jae Si Curry House.

Part 3 – Various locations at and around the rugby field, including Pat’s photoshoot with Ink, the rugby bleachers, the iced milk tea (and green tea wave) picnic table, InkPa’s photography picnic, the old bus stop and the new bus stop. Also Khun Noppharnach’s pharmacy.

Part 4 – Pat’s Engineering Faculty (in and around Rangsit University’s College of Engineering).

Part 5 – Pran’s Architecture Faculty (Rangsity University’s School of Architecture).

Part 6 – Various F&B and commercial locations (eateries, shops, malls and a market).

Part 7 – Pat’s post-graduation apartment and Pran’s residence in Singapore.

Part 8 – Various campus locations filmed within Rangsit University’s Digital Multimedia Complex, including the auditorium and the Freshy Day Song Contest.

Part 9 – The LogTech Building and Pran’s architectural office in Singapore.

Part 10 – Locations for the Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy special episodes.

Part 11 – The apartment for rent that Pran went to view in Ep.2, the elevator scene with Pat just after the viewing, and Wai’s apartment.

Part 12 – PatPran’s elementary and high schools, as well as the location of Pa’s near-drowning.

Part 13 – Random locations (Pran searching for his lost earphones, the covered car park where Wai spied on Pat serenading Pran with Nanon's Love Score, the airport car park, the SouthTech U Library, PatPran's rainy day ointment interlude, their motorbike and truck rides in Hua Hin, the approach road to Uncle Yod's bar, the filming location for the music videos Just Friend? and Our Song, and Pran's street address in Singapore).

Will update this list if I can track down the hardware stores! 🤣]

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#bad buddy filming locations #bad buddy locations #patpran #bad buddy analysis #telomeke #YouTube

[telomeke]

GMMTV PRODUCER/DIRECTOR CAMEOS – IT'S NOT JUST FOR KICKS AND GIGGLES

So viewers who are familiar with the progenitors of My School President all had a collective chortle when its producer Aof Noppharnach Chaiwimol appeared in the persona of supertutor Kruu P'Nop (ครูพี่ณพ) in Episode 10:

(above) My School President Ep.10 [2/4] 1.05

This was just the latest instance of a GMMTV director or producer popping up onscreen in their own show. 😍 In A Tale of a Thousand Stars (that he directed), Khun Noppharnach also appeared briefly as a tourist who bought Osmanthus fragrans from a blind man (in turn played by his Assistant Director Phyungsak Naruepai, also nicknamed Aof):

(above) A Tale of a Thousand Stars Ep.5 [1I4] 10.22 – Director Aof is on the left, Assistant Director Aof is on the right and main actor Mix Sahaphap is in the middle (American singer Cassie also has a cameo on Director Aof's t-shirt 😊)

In The Eclipse, Director Golf Tanwarin Sukkhapisit also had their own cameo as the proprietor/manager of the Café for All:

(above) The Eclipse – Ep.4 [3/4] 4.31

However, it was really in Bad Buddy that this trend of having production team cameos got deployed in a big way (possibly because the pandemic simply made it more expedient to use members of the crew as extras and for minor roles – see this blogpost here for more info).

Most notable in BBS was Director Aof's cameo as a pharmacist:

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.1 [4/4] 4.24

Additionally, BBS Assistant Director Au Kornprom also took on a supporting role as Toto, Pran's senior and director of the Kwan-Riam musical, who changed the cishet period drama into a BL production:

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [1I4] 9.39

However, recalling the meticulously clever seed-planting and subsequent plot reveals orchestrated within Bad Buddy itself, we can now tell that this was yet another Aha! moment that they sowed in there – but it was done with the intention for the seed to burst into bloom only later, well after BBS.

For Khun Kornprom's minor role in Bad Buddy as the director of a fictitious BL musical (the story of Kwan and Riam) truly was also foretelling his future role in real life – as the director of an actual BL musical (My School President). 🌼😊👍

So when MSP Producer Aof appeared onscreen in My School President as Tutor Nop, I found myself rooting even harder for MSP Director Au to pop up in a cameo as well, since MSP is in many ways (in its stylings, themes and characterizations) the nong to BBS's phi (and as the younger sibling it also pushes its message out there with a considerably lighter touch, since its target audience is much less mature than BBS's).

With this in mind, for the past 10 episodes I've been on edge awaiting Director Au Kornprom Niyomsil's cameo in MSP – until it hit me that it's already happened:

(top) My School President Ep.2 [3I4] 7.07 – "Suksa" means "education, study or knowledge", while "Niyomsil" refers to the arts, in addition to being Director Au's surname; (bottom) My School President Ep.2 [1I4] 7.18

With the boys' school sharing Director Au's surname ("Niyomsil") this MSP cameo is veiled, rather than openly face-to-face.

But at this point I think the director/producer appearances are not just random anymore – it's possible to read some meaning into them beyond the feel-good giggles each one provokes:

In Bad Buddy, Director Aof's turn as a pharmacist (who provides Pat and Pran with ointment for their injuries) highlights his role in delivering BBS's message of healing, especially the healing of relationships (see this write-up here for more info). This theme of healing is everywhere in BBS – between Pat and Pran (whose relationship was forcefully ruptured by Dissaya in high school), between Pran and Dissaya (after their rift in Ep.10), between Pran and his musical soul (see this write-up here), between Korn and Wai (see this write-up here), between Wai and the world (see this write-up here) and yes even between Ming and Dissaya (see these write-ups here and here – although their process of healing was only tentatively begun and might not ever be complete, like the relationship between the Archi and Engine faculties as well).

In The Eclipse, Director Golf's cameo as proprietor/manager of a café that is open to all, highlighted the role of that series as a safe, non-judgmental space to confront and discuss some hard truths and painful realities with regard to LGBTQ+ issues, especially the experience of growing into your authentic queer self while embedded within an often-oppressive environment.

And in My School President, Director Au and Producer Aof cast themselves in the roles of a school and tutor respectively – they're positioning themselves as educators of the younger set, imparting from phi to nong some heartfelt but no less important lessons on positivity and self-esteem for those just embarking on their LGBTQ+ journey in life (and indeed for their straight allies as well). 💖

I'm less sure of the meaning behind Director Aof's cameo in ATOTS – it was possibly just for fun, since it seems like the first time (or one of the first times anyway) that they did it in a GMMTV series.

But just as Tian in ATOTS helped the villagers sell their tea by perfuming it with Osmanthus fragrans (and in doing so also helped them bypass the mercenary and controlling middlemen), Director Aof may also have been signaling that the soft, sweet-scented mantle of the BL genre could in turn help productions that are supportive of LGBTQ+ equality get their message more directly out to a wider audience. (And if this is indeed the case, I'm not sure he's wrong. 🥰)

It's cool that GMMTV's director/producer cameos can be imbued with significance beyond just the sly wink and chuckle. I'll certainly be watching out for more of them in other shows! 🤩

#my school president #bad buddy #the eclipse #cameos #gmmtv cameos #director cameos #producer/director cameos #telomeke

[lamonnaie]

💌 Send this to the twelve nicest people you know or who seem to have a good heart and if you get five back you must be pretty awesome. 💌 🥰🥰

Hi dear @lamonnaie! Anyone still stuck on the rooftop of Chana City Residence with me (leave a like if you know what that means! 😍🤣) must be the owner of a good heart! 💖

OF COURSE, I HAVE NOT AND WILL NEVER LEAVE THAT ROOFTOP FR 😭😭 tysmm, right back at u my fellow rooftop dweller <33

#asks #telomeke

[telomeke-kinnporsche]

BAD BUDDY / KINNPORSCHE PARALLEL 2

You’ve had feelings for him, for quite some time now, and you know he’s into you, but when he goes for it you get some short, half-assed smooch instead, like he’s holding back, afraid of who knows what? When all your hurt, repressed heart really wants is some full-blown passion with a side of steamy?

TAKE 2:

#bad buddy #kinnporsche #bad buddy kinnporsche #bad buddy kinnporsche parallel #telomeke

[airenyah]

oh. oh no. i'm about to sob... 😭😭😭

you know that scene in ep10 when they go back to their old high school and there's that flashback of pran watching pat get punished?

the music that was used here is called when love was easy

#tears are streaming right into my mouth!!!!!! #love WAS easy(er) back then!!!! BEFORE they got traumatized from forced separation!!!!! #also as tumblr user telomeke pointed out in our dms: it hits even harder when you remember how this episode ends #i'm screaming crying throwing up #bad buddy #bbs #bbs music #bbs ep10 #airenyah plappert #adrm #scheduling this for when more people are awake bc like. if *i* have to suffer then so do you

[hughungrybear]

💌 Send this to the twelve nicest people you know or who seem to have a good heart and if you get five back you must be pretty awesome. 💌 🥰🥰

I am returning this back to sender😁

#asks #also you're more deserving of the 'nice' title telomeke 😁

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Crying thanks to @telomeke

#zara larsson #symphony #the problem with having grown up without cable/satellite tv #is that I never watched mtv...and therefore music was only something to be listened to (and danced to) #rather than watched #so it's never on my radar to look for and watch music videos #so no doubt I have missed many many masterpieces #this is beautiful #so thank you telomeke for mentioning it in a post #and making me curious #HEY! WHY NOT SEND ME MUSIC VIDEO RECOMMENDATIONS!!! #DO IT. DO IT. DO IT #my ask is open 😊 #Youtube

[blmpff]

Hiya! I'm a big fun of your profile pic (I must admit I'm no good at tumblr terminology). I also like your posts. Experiencing shows, I know nothing about, through tumblr posts and gif sets Is one of my favourite activities. So thank you for what you do - I like going on a little trips to the corners of tumblr I know nothing about, and it's been nice here

:>

Hi! Thank you so much for the compliments^^

Tumblr bl community is a wonderful place, full of so many talented people, it's truly a delight to be here, isn't it?

Here are two of my favorite posts with blog recommendations, in case you'd like to check them out. Maybe you'll discover someone you don't know yet, that you'll like:

@bengiyo 's here (all kinds of creators)

@troubled-mind 's here (meta writers)

And here are some of my recs off the top of my head:

Liveblogging: @sparklyeyedhimbo

Shared and irl locations: @colourme-feral

Gifs: @pharawee @wanderlust-in-my-soul @guzhu-furen @ueasking @my-rose-tinted-glasses @gabrielokun @save-the-data @i-got-the-feels @smittenskitten @25shadesoffebruary @seatawinan @spicyvampire @laowen @maxescheibechlinichacheli @thisautistic @firstmix @itsallaboutbl @zhaozi @chinzhilla @bunnakit @alienwlw

Source vs adaptation gifsets: @troubled-mind

Meta: @lurkingshan @waitmyturtles @wen-kexing-apologist @bengiyo @neuroticbookworm @ranchthoughts @lurkingteapot @rocketturtle4

COLORS: @respectthepetty

Thai language: @recentadultburnout

General knowledge and shows/movies recommentadions: @absolutebl

mix/other @scarefox @lukaherehelp @heretherebedork @chicademartinica @telomeke @littleragondin @mikuni14 @poetry-protest-pornography @tenprem @tenprems

Apologies if I missed someone!

#nice anons are nice <3 #and worry not that pfp is here to stay im having way too much fun with it lol #conversation with anon

[lurkingshan]

Favorite BL Tumblr Shticks: 2023 Edition

Whenever I start thinking about end of year round ups, I get overwhelmed with how many awesome people are on here making my days so delightful, and how I could never capture them all in one solitary list. So I thought this year, instead of listing all my favorite blogs/people (which would be a ridiculously long list that would almost certainly break tumblr), I would instead share some of my favorite shticks that I came to rely on from fandom besties. 

Some of us (me) just post kind of randomly and inconsistently about shows. Will you get a pithy one liner, a photo essay, or a thesis from me on any given week of a show’s discourse? Who can say (certainly not me). But some of y’all decided you were going to claim the mantle for a specific type of analysis or creativity on here and delivered consistently, and I just think that’s really fucking cool.

And so, the time has come to pay respect to some of my favorite bl fandom blogs who commit to the bit (with our patron saint of finding your niche, Tankhun, looking on approvingly). Note: if you are reading this and NOT following any of the fine folks listed below, you really should correct that. Onto the squad!

@bengiyo stray thoughts

@blmpff favorite shots

@colourme-feral location spotting 

@dribs-and-drabbles Thai communal wardrobe

@gabrielokun throwback gifs

@my-rose-tinted-glasses mission posts

@ranchthoughts kissing multiverse

@respectthepetty color analysis

@sparklyeyedhimbo live blogs

@troubled-mind manga comparison sets

@waitmyturtles OGGMMTVC

@wanderlust-in-my-soul bl tropes collection

@wen-kexing-apologist long ass gay analysis

Special category shoutout also to the squad, in addition to a few folks above, keeping Bad Buddy meta alive and well nearly two years after the show aired: @chickenstrangers @dimplesandfierceeyes @dudeyuri @grapejuicegay @miscellar @starryalpacasstuff @telomeke-bbs. Watching Our Skyy 2 with y'all was some of the most fun I had on here this year. And to @chicademartinica and @negrowhat whose crack combination of comedy and lust make me laugh on this website just about every day.

And I must end with an extra special shoutout to my La Pluie meta squad. I created the meta round up for La Pluie specifically because its brilliance was being overlooked and/or misunderstood, and I really wanted to encourage the folks who got what the show was doing to write more about it in the hopes of bringing more of the bl audience along. A very successful Shan Scheme, if I do say so myself. I'm so glad @bengiyo and I decided to give ourselves brain rot over that show and got to know you all better as a result @ginnymoonbeam @neuroticbookworm @slayerkitty @solitaryandwandering @sunshinechay @syrena-del-mar @wen-kexing-apologist.

#a by no means exhaustive list of great blogs to follow #bl superlatives 2023 #bl tumblr shticks 2023 #shan shouts into the void

[brazilian-whalien52]

So the boop and a conversation with my mutual (@killerandhealerqueen) made me want to bring back an old tumblr tradition! So prepare yourself

QL Blogs

@subtextsays / @thisonelikesaliens / @chitaprrrrrrrr /@petraplatypuspan / @qt-qtoey / @my-rose-tinted-glasses / @iamdarthbader /@telomeke / @sunshinechay / @khathastrophe / @wen-kexing-apologist / @ohtehhh / @negrowhat / @shannankle / @23point5degree / @callipigio / @sparklyeyedhimbo / @respectthepetty /@slayerkitty / @ebdbd / @braceletofteeth/ @absolutebl / @kristsingto / @lurkingshan / @hyperfocusmadness/ @babetanatat / @mikuni14 / @benkaaoi

Danmei

@ahhhnorealnamesallowed / @killerandhealerqueen / @averydedicateduck / @foralleternityidiot / @dual-domination

Nerds

@geometricalien / @kennyomegasweave / @momofmysquad / @hhuta / @rhomaa2 / @invisiblewords-invisibleworlds / @uozlulu / @anaiblack / @gloster / @nenehyuuchiha / @jackpoompkin / @kami-no-ikku / @morganadelacour / @dollopheadsandclotpoles / @hometothecanyonmoon / @lamb200345567 / @eros-avalon / @italianpersonwithashippersheart / @artemis-in-space / @bianxiousandcute / @kattahj / @kuronekonerochan/ @hautegirl07 / @superwholockian93 / @free-to-be-no-one-but-mee

Otaku

@latinokokonoi / @hyperbolicgrinch / @enteisabo / @sundaesonthursdays/ @ashedddaisy

Chilling

@chaotic-aro-incarnate / @mistsinthenight / @loomss / @apeirotilio / @mellstheprincess / @thepancakelady / @desmonds-comic-sans / @gravedangerahead / @peatbogbody/ @diekatimitdemhutohnehut / @of-fishes-and-birdcages / @justheretohangout / @softneomiro / @umbelina-e-helena-na-luz

Now you may ask what does this category mean? Well nothing, most people I follow post about anything. I just thought it would be easier to find blogs with similar tastes this way. I based the categories on the day I open their tumblr and what they are posting. Chilling are for people that I saw a lot of memes over fandom stuff and nerds is for more western fandom (tv shows, books, movies) and also anime. I also know that a lot of danmei fans don't necessarily watch other QL that is why I put them in a different category. The others are more self explanatory but like I said, I love to follow chaotic posters like me so it is worth checking them all. By the way, I am quite forgetful so there is a lot of blogs that did not make here, but if I do another one I may add.

#anyway those that know me #know that i am terrible at organization and my system does not make sense but who cares? #also that is why i end up missing some blogs and just did this one time when it was popular #because it sucks to remember someone right after you pos #i am already sorry for this mess #forgive me

[bengiyo]

Why Do I Tag So Many Creators in My Posts? It’s About Respect

Earlier today I was talking with @sophsloveskpop in the notes of a post, and was asked about all of the interaction between blogs in the posts and essays about the shows. I’ve noticed an uptick in new names interacting with posts (and making great posts of their own!) and wanted to talk about why I do it and why I like fandom on Tumblr.

Fundamentally, I think it’s generally good courtesy to acknowledge when someone else has expressed a similar idea to your, or an idea that intrigues you. I think it’s best to tag that person and link to their post so that others can also experience it. It also opens you up to a dialogue with them and others.

People Like Getting Their Flowers

If someone posts an analysis or even a quirky idea that I felt the need to think about, I will mention them in my posts. None of the great content we get on here is necessarily quick to make. I absolutely love all of the gifmakers who fight against Photoshop, Tumblr, and God Himself to post snippets of shows on here for us. I wouldn’t be able to flesh out some of my posts, illustrates points, or otherwise breakup walls of text without @liyazaki, @wanderlust-in-my-soul, @pharawee, or @gabrielokun. Whenever I can’t find the gif I’m looking for through Tumblr’s terrible gif search, I reach out to one of them for permission to use their gifs directly.

Also, many of us just like being acknowledged that someone we wrote meant something to someone else. Every time I get tagged by someone in an essay I’m like:

It’s a Conversation

I don’t think fandom is about being the smartest person or the most correct person. My basic framework I’m writing from is Black Gay Nerd Who Watches a Lot of Stuff. It’s what I’m most familiar with personally, and I find that people have really responded to that.

I’ve been around for a very long time, and have been seeing folks like @so-much-yet-to-learn around the entire time, who often has more specific information about fandom life during the airing of shows. @absolutebl and @heretherebedork have watched more BL than I have, and I’ve seen at least 250 productions. ABL has some of the most comprehensive posts collecting some of the history.

I made so many friends after diving into @shortpplfedup DMs to talk about sustainable urbanism and bonding over our shared geography. Now we run @the-conversation-pod together. Through them I befriended so many others, like @elnotwoods and @kyr-kun-chan.

I’m not a color theory expert, and so I love reading posts from @respectthepetty and others (I think @sliceduplife writes about color too).

We wouldn't even have my favorite show without @isaksbestpillow.

I know what shows are coming because of @clairificusrex.

I don’t know much about music theory, but @iguessitsjustme write some great stuff about the music in these shows.

I don’t always read the body language of hands as closely as someone like @wen-kexing-apologist might.

I am not Asian, and so I like reading from @waitmyturtles, @telomeke-bbs, and @neuroticbookworm. I know that @recentadultburnout and @airenyah offer useful perspective on Thai language.

Sometimes folks are going to narrow down on specific shows and consistently write about them for years on side blogs like @miscellar.

Some people have studied so much and bring specific academic lenses to the genre that I find compelling, like @emotionallychargedtowel.

In many cases, I just vibe with them really hard, like @ginnymoonbeam.

I actually didn’t always post as much as I do, but I try to keep up my Stray Thoughts project so that people can keep track of what I’m watching. I used to write less meta, but then I befriended @waitmyturtles and @lurkingshan. Any time I say anything remotely thoughtful Shan is like:

Also, though, this is Tumblr! It’s easy to tag each other and link to each other’s posts! This is what makes us different from every

Isn’t It Just More Fun?

I don’t enjoy shows passively. I grew up in a family that watched things together. My mom, dad, sister, and I all have differing tastes from each other, but we watched a lot of different things together. My friends and I discussed the things we watched at school.

I’m a big fan of the water cooler approach to TV show distribution, which basically says you want your show to be the show people are talking about on their breaks at work. I always like Film Crit Hulk’s theory that movies (and our dramas) are the proverbial campfires around which we gather to share ourselves with each other.

This is all supposed to be fun, and I have more fun when we interact. I get tagged daily by @blmpff about updates from sets, or when we all need to rush to IG to make sure Fluke Pongsakorn doesn’t cut his hair. When @bl-bam-beyond makes a new set or post they let me know, and they recently rewatched Noah’s Arc! I made friends with @gillianthecat in the last year or so, and it’s been fun seeing her make her way through fandom. I always get excited with @troubled-mind pings me in a post because I know it’s going to give me something to chew on. I didn’t have a genuine appreciation for kink culture until I watched along with @lutawolf. If something funny is happening in fandom I know @benkaaoi is going to tag me. I still get excited when @heukheuk pops up in my mentions.

I know I’ve probably forgotten so many people alone the way here, and I’m sorry if I didn’t mention you.

Tag Because It’s the Right Thing to Do

So seriously, tag people and link to their posts. Try to use the giffmakers specific tags when you’re using the search feature. Fandom is better when we all interact respectfully and enthusiastically with each other. Tumblr is special because it lets us create goofy little essays like this and tag dozens of people just to get their attention.

If you have a cool thought about a show I’m watching, tag me. If you see something funny, tag me in the comments. If you wanna hash out an idea before posting it, DM me. This is Tumblr. Don’t be shy with your thoughts. It’s okay to be wrong on the internet. It’s actually fun to be wrong on the internet about show predictions!

Thank you as always for coming to my post.

#Ben writes #fandom life #tumblr life

[telomeke-bbs]

BAD BUDDY EPISODE 5 – THAT MOMENT BEFORE THE SECOND KISS

I know it's been analyzed and commented upon a thousand times before but I'm backsliding and rewatching, so–

By Ep.5 [4/4] we had already known on an intellectual level that Pran had been pining for Pat for years. We got to see some of his POV, and shared in his heartbreak, with all the flashbacks of him watching Pat and Ink's affectionate moments in high school as well as in the present day (especially of Ink buying Pat the less sweet/still sweet iced milk tea in Hokkaido Coffee, at Ep.4 [2/4] 0.21).

But what BBS did in Ep.5 was to carry us along on Pat's journey of realizing he'd fallen for Pran, so that by the end of Ep.5 [4/4] the full weight of these mutual emotions was ever-present, soaking into every wretched look they gave each other on the rooftop. And in watching Pat stumble into the full onslaught of his feelings, we were pulled along into the awareness of how much it had to be counterbalanced by Pran's emotions too, suppressed within him for so long.

The biggest emotional slap for me on this rewatch isn't the first, tentative kiss that Pat lands, even though it's the culmination of his realization that he's fallen – hard – for Pran.

It isn't the second kiss, even though it reverberated around the world when this episode aired. It isn't even the moment Pran wrenches himself away and abandons Pat alone with his feelings, just as Pran himself was wrenched away, alone with his feelings, all those years ago too.

The moment that really slaps is the little pause before the second kiss, even though by now we know it's coming. Pat isn't sure how Pran is going to react – yes, there's that – but it's Pran who's holding the weight of this moment in his hands.

You can see him trying to balance out all the roiling emotions within himself with the sensible logic he's known for; he'd convinced himself it was all meaningless, that Ink had easily and clearly supplanted him, that there was no hope of a romantic future for him and Pat.

But he'd held this secret, burning love within himself for so long, bore the terrible yearning alone, and by then had had all hopes of a moment like this one, alone with Pat on the rooftop, crushed time and time again. And yet here was Pat, offering himself to him – honest, bare and vulnerable.

All he'd ever wanted for so long. But at the same time all wrong, impossible, will only end in tragedy.

"Things don't end well whenever I'm close to you" ringing in his head (Ep.1 [4/4] 3.28, Ep.2 [3I4] 9.01).

It's the age-old dilemma of head-versus-heart.

And for once, just once, Pran cedes a little. The king of self-denial decides that after years of desolate pining he'll throw it all to the wind and allow himself – not quite a moment of happiness – but the illusion of happiness, for he could never take Ink's place now then, could he? But he could experience what a tender, passionate moment with the love of his life would feel like, if only for a moment where he could just pretend that it was real and that there was hope for a future of them together.

So he goes in a second time, reaching out to pull Pat in, no holds barred, giving it his all. Because for Pran in this moment, this IS all there is. He cannot see it going anywhere beyond this rooftop assignation, but he takes it anyway because it's all he'll ever have of his beloved Pat, in the way that he wants.

And when he pulls away sobbing, he weeps in part because he knows that it's over, that it can never be anything more, and that he can never have anything more.

I weep along, as a lot of us do, because we know the bittersweet tragedy of having loved once, known its intimacy, and then being cast back into the despair of believing we'll never, ever have it in our lives again.

Thank God Pat never gave up on Pran. And to all who might be despairing, give yourself a second chance. Sometimes it's not all you've convinced yourself it will be.

Pran's moment of shattering grief here also tells us it's OK to give in and think of yourself from time to time, even if you're used to putting yourself last, denying your own happiness. You deserve it, even if you don't think so. And even if the happiness is only illusory or fleeting, who's to say there's not more of the real thing waiting for you the next time around, if you just give it a try? 💖

#bad buddy #bad buddy episode 5 #patpran #bad buddy analysis #telomeke

[neuroticbookworm]

10 BL Boys That I Want Carnally

Tagged by @lurkingshan, my bestie-in-thirst.

I've watched laughably few number of BLs (MDL says 25, but I just refuse to believe it. I REFUSE, that is TOO FEW). So curating this list was so hard, but I still managed it. So here ya go, friends, my list for your perusal (and psychoanalysis). In no particular order.

Kurosawa - Cherry Magic (Japan)

Pete - Dark Blue Kiss

Pete, stop giving me ideas. I need to graduate.

Yai - I Feel You Linger In The Air

Togawa - Old Fashion Cupcake

King - Bed Friend

Army - The Warp Effect

Joe - The Warp Effect

Arm - Gay OK Bangkok

I'm using a screenshot here because 1. gifsets for GOKB on Tumblr? little to none 2. this is my favourite shot in the whole show -- beautifully bookending Arm's character arc.

Khai - Theory of Love

Lan Wangji - Mo Dao Zu Shi / The Untamed

Okay, I will admit, I've not watched the show yet, and I'm only halfway through reading Book 1 of the MDZS series. But I think he has earned his place here because Shan exclusively used Lan Wangji gifs to seduce me into picking up the series. Also. Look at that face. Of course I want his broody, angsty, self-righteous ass.

Bonus: Karan - Cherry Magic (Thailand)

I know Karan is just another version of Kurosawa, but this list simply would not be complete without that single strand of hair artfully placed on Tay Tawan's forehead.

Tag, you're it! @telomeke, @grapejuicegay, @kyr-kun-chan, @colourme-feral, @blmpff, @my-rose-tinted-glasses, @twig-tea

#10 bl boys i want carnally #tag game #multi bl

[waitmyturtles]

10 Some BL Boys People I Want Carnally

@lurkingshan, this one's for you!

(THE BOTH OF THEM)

And, for @lurkingshan and @neuroticbookworm, not someone at all that I want to know carnally, but someone I wanna get drinks with, so that I can be the Michael Jackson popcorn-eating gif when the shit hits the fan -- this guy will find evidence to protect me from whatever, including gunplay:

HELLO, FRIENDS! @solitaryandwandering @grapejuicegay @telomeke @ranchthoughts @chickenstrangers @nieves-de-sugui @thatgirl4815 @airenyah @blmpff

#this was hilarious LMAO #10 bl boys that i want carnally #cherry magic #cherry magic japan #cherry magic thailand #cherry magic th #dark blue kiss #3 will be free #bed friend #old fashion cupcake #a tale of thousand stars #atots #moonlight chicken #bad buddy #machida keita #tay tawan #net siraphop #fluke pusit #thor thinnaphan #mild lapassalan #kimura tatsunari #earth pirapat #up poompat #kao noppakao

[telomeke-kinnporsche]

KINN PLAYS CHESS

Kinn Theerapanyakul’s life: trapped in a game of chess where there is no black or white...

#kinnporsche #kinnporsche chess #kinn chess #telomeke

[colourme-feral]

Hi there. So I read your tags on an other post and thought I would give you challenge.

What were your 10 (or really how many you want) favourite locations in 2023 QLs? Can be places or buildings, or both. Your choice. Rose💜

@nothingsbetterthancoffee thank you for enabling on the clown website!! Did you have any favourite locations in this year's QLs?

I referred to MDL and so I've only included shows that started in 2023 and to keep this under Tumblr's maximum of 30 images, so I didn't include all screenshots for shared locations!

Anyway, these are my favourite QL locations from 2023:

1. Chong Nonsi Canal Park (Bed Friend, Chains of Heart and The Promise) (location) Shout out to @winnythanawin (aka @aprilblossomgirl) for our discussions about parks lol

2. The timber mill (Chains of Heart) I love wide angle and maximalist shots, so this location has been stuck in my mind.

3. Thai Muslim Women Foundation School (My Dear Gangster Oppa, Y-Destiny, Return Man, 55:15 Never Too Late, Midnight Motel, Never Let Me Go and My Only 12%) (location) I love that the building has specific motifs that are seen in other Islamic architecture. But also, an excessive number of chandeliers is always fun to me. (There are also far too many shared locations, so I picked only a few screenshots).

4. Chakngeaw Chinese Market (Moonlight Chicken) (location) Maybe it's the lanterns and the colours in the scenes, but I loved this location!

5. Como Metropolian Bangkok (Step by Step and Middleman's Love) (location) I described this as a Pride & Prejudice moment once. LOOK AT THE HUGE WINDOWS. That is all, lol

6. 13 Coins Tower Ngamwongwan (Playboyy and 3 Will Be Free) (location) I cannot explain how the slightly dead and uninhabited vibes of this hotel appeal to me but here we are 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♂️🤷

7. The houses (I Feel You Linger in the Air) (location, location) These details are *everything*. I'm especially a fan of the windows and stained glass!

8. Factopia (Pit Babe) (location) One thing about me is that I am chaotic. Look at this studio that's being used as a home. I love it lol

9. These two temples (Cherry Magic Thailand) (locations) The boat is selling the whole idea for me, though I've been told that there isn't actually a boat operating in these canals anymore, but let me imagine it!

10. Chao Phraya Sky Park (Last Twilight and Low Frequency Pilot Trailer) (location to come) I have actually been waiting to see this bridge/park used and was so excited to see it in Low Frequency's pilot trailer, though it didn't make it to the show. THEN Last Twilight showed up for me. Thank you to the location manager of the show.

11. Tokyo Tower (Shigatsu no Tokyo wa... / Tokyo in April is...) Please ignore how bad Ren looks in the screenshot. I don't care that only the base of my favourite tower can be seen. I'm taking it!!!

12. Whatever this building is (Pit Babe) I mean, I AM CURIOUS about it but haven't found the location. Maybe that's why I'm obsessing a little. Just let me find the location and I will get over it. Probably.

+ BONUS 13. Ikea Sukhumvit (Cherry Magic Thailand) I'm just kidding about this one, but I did google to see where it was @callipigio

Tagging @blmpff, @callipigio, @dribs-and-drabbles, @telomeke because we discuss locations, or at least I make you listen to me talk about them. I'd love to know if you had any favourites/ones that I forgot to add to the list!

If anyone else has their favourite locations, I'd love to know!

Also including these collections of locations, because why not: Troye Sivan's Got Me Started and its shared locations in Thai queer media

If I were in Bangkok, I might want to... in response to @lurkingshan's ask about my favourite locations

#the ask game #irl locations #2023 in qls