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Unknown Episode 11

#unknown the series #gifsets #beautiful colouring op #this set is so soft #love the light cyan and purple tint that comes from the diffused light ij this edit #I love them your honour

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Unknown Episode 11

Well, let me get this out of the way upfront. This episode brought us to the big moment we've all been waiting for, the final turn in Yuan and Qian's relationship--and unfortunately, it didn't quite land.

I've been sitting with this episode, contemplating my disappointment with the first sequence, and I think it comes down to this show that has been so assured and confident through most of its run faltering at the crucial moment and seeming to lose faith in its own storytelling to the point that it used editing tricks to compensate. The choice to chop up and sequence this narrative lynchpin of a scene out of order is baffling, and it's a choice that significantly stepped on the most important emotional climax of the story. I was confused to go from the conversation outside to a sudden kiss, then disappointed when we cut back to a very short exchange between Qian and Yuan that was supposed to provide the basis for this turn with only some thin dialogue that didn't connect the beats of the scene, and then into an intense sexual encounter (that was constantly interrupted by repetitive flashbacks) that should have felt like a triumphant and revelatory moment but didn't because of the way we got there.

I know I'm not the only one feeling that way, since folks have been creating and distributing reedited versions of the scene, and Youku actually uploaded a new version free on YouTube with all the flashbacks removed (a clear move toward fan appeasement after the show received a lot of negative feedback on the scene). The editing and the flashbacks were annoying, but honestly the fundamental problem was the scene they wrote did not sufficiently sell the change for Qian--he goes from saying he is still not certain what he wants to being ready to be dicked down in a couple minutes' time, with nothing in the exchange providing any new information or impetus for the shift. The performers did great work but unfortunately the writing and directing and editing decisions around this sequence were just bad; it's frustrating for this to happen with arguably the most important scene of the romance.

A note about the novel: the way this final turn happened there was quite different and, candidly, better in just about every way, from the impetus for the change to the beats of the revelation to the progression of physical intimacy on a pace that felt much more attuned to the emotional complexities at play. I do not know why the show did...this when they had better source material content to work with, but here we are. I absolutely recommend that anyone who loves this show read it!

So, with that disappointment expressed, on to the rest of the episode, in which Yuan and Qian settled into their couple era. I was deeply amused by Qian taking to their sex life like a moth to a flame to the point of daydreaming in meetings, but I do wish the episode had focused more on the natural tension and role confusion that should have resulted from this huge shift in their relationship. They touched on that a bit in the scene where Yuan asked Qian if his hug was from his brother or his boyfriend, but they didn't delve into those complexities in the way I hoped they would. I enjoyed their date at the local restaurant (and loved their friendly neighborhood gangster helping to set the mood) and how much it felt like they were surrounded by their history as they moved through all of these familiar locations where they've had important moments. I didn't much care for the insertion of the health scare plot or the time spent on Le and the doc, though I'm always happy for more Sam Lin even if it comes in the form of a weird late stage and wholly unnecessary ship.

My favorite scene between Yuan and Qian in this episode was far and away the discussion on the stairs with Qian reflecting on his fears of becoming more like his mother and Yuan biting him to snap him out of his fatalistic attitude (this felt like such a classic Priest tribute, she always has biting in her romances). It was a helpful re-centering of what they do for each other and why Yuan is an important presence in Qian's life. I didn't think we needed the health scare for Qian, but I did love Qian choosing to go to this place where he found Yuan to contemplate his life and what matters, with Yuan in turn reflecting that even though he's seen a lot more of the world now, he still prefers to come home to this street. I found that exchange so moving and I think it was important for Qian to hear that.

And that scene led to my other favorite thing in this episode, which was everything to do with Lili and her bond with her brothers. I teared up to see her standing against the wall where Qian has measured their growth talking about the sneaky ways she would try to care for Qian when they were younger, with San Pang listening attentively and gazing at her adoringly. It was such a small moment, but a really lovely window into their relationship dynamic and the shared history they also have together. And when Yuan and Qian came in hand in hand and she just ran to them and offered up her love and acceptance, I felt so much warmth for this family and everything they've survived together.

#unknown the series #bl meta #shan's wisdom #cosigned #you're right and you should say it #I loved the Lili scene too it was so great to see San Peng so in love with her #and I'm frustrated with the show for what we got re the turn #I'm travelling today so I'm going to take the chance to read the novel! #Thanks for confirming it's better there that makes me excited to read

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this isn't really a note on the translation because the focus is on what isn't said, and i probably should add a disclaimer that this is just my take

that's a more delicate/family-friendly** way to put it

你都不知道晚上我怎麼想你

"you don't even know how i think of you at night"

how, not how much. how, as in "what positions i'm putting you in while i'm jerking off" how*

this is one of those instances where the actual translation doesn't matter as much as the implicit meaning. by now we've been given enough clues and context to key in on what Yuan really meant. Yuan has learned from his drunken confession that going too hard (ha) would cause Qian to shut down. he's learned the art of subtlety and how to keep the heat simmering (that whole "coming in directly" double entendre and that offhand bondage comment plus how many times have we seen him feed Qian creamy white substances (i.e. milk and porridge) please the dirty jokes are right there). i do think the expectation is for the audience to easily fill in the blanks (ha), because it should be really clear what Yuan's implying: he's been masturbating while thinking of Qian

*that was my first thought as soon as i heard what Yuan said anyway. decades of media consumption and picking up words and euphemisms and hidden meanings conditioned my brain to automatically make these kinds of connections

**side note: i've never watched anything else on youku and i don't know if their translations need to be clear of any swear words and suggestive language, but there were multiple instances of swearing that didn't get translated (Qian x5, Yuan x1, Ah Hu x1, Le Ge x5 just off the top of my head) plus that cleaned up "coming in" innuendo. i've pointed out the ones that make the most impact in earlier posts

#unknown the series #bl meta #i love learning about language nuance #thank you op i needed to know this #this is definitely what i assumed this line meant #but its interesting that in the original the fact that he's thinking of qian is directly stated

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Happiness

#unknown the series #gifsets #beautiful colouring op #this set makes me so happy #i love this scene #look at this afterglow! #qian finally looks relaxed #yuan looks like he still can't believe this is real but he's going to cling until he does #i love them your honour

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THAME-PO / HEART THAT SKIPS A BEAT (2024-ish)

#thame po heart that skips a beat #gifsets #thank you op #this show is already giving me the practice room shenanigans i need from an idol bl

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US THE SERIES (2024)

#us the series #gifsets #sapphic media #thai gl #beautiful colouring op #honestly this is the show i'm most excited about from all of the announcements

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realized i did not do my regular Colors Thing after the lflse7 set. here u go

#love for love's sake #gfisets #incredible work op

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Episode 10: An unstoppable force (Yuan) meets an immovable object (Qian).

Unstoppable force wins.

Episode 10 really drove home the point that Qian has spent most of his life living entirely for Lili and Yuan. In his quest to not emulate the selfish abusiveness of his mother, he over-corrected into not caring for himself at all. At every turn Yuan attempts to balance him out. Qian is his north star. His gaze is ever focused on Qian. He seems to be the only one who can slip around Qian’s grumpy shell and push him into a bit of self-care. Qian never really understands how much his lack of self-care hurts Yuan.

Qian is an expert in knowing exactly what levers to pull to get Qian to do what he wants...up to a point.

In this episode we really see these two forces locking horns. Qian is not only preventing Yuan from taking care of him, but he is repeatedly lying. Qian cannot fathom a reality in which Yuan has a right to share his burden. In his mind the caring goes one way; Qian cares and protects Yuan. That Yuan also can care and protect him is breaking his brain. Yuan really begins to push back on this dynamic after overhearing the conversation at the medical clinic.

This episode is about Qian finally shifting his outlook on their dynamic and ultimately the nature of their relationship. Yuan is no longer just his younger adopted brother, he is his partner. Yuan is not deferring or backing down, but keeping a constant pressure on Qian. "Let me in."

I want to take a moment to appreciate this pissed off expression from Yuan.

Yuan is so stunned that Qian will just continue to outright lie to his face.

"Do you think that this is just about you?"

This was the gauntlet being thrown down. It’s not just about you. You can practically see Yuan screaming on the inside, “It’s us, it’s US! Why won’t you let me in?”

I appreciate Qian’s attempt to apologize through food, but the hurt is deeper and Qian is going to have to use his words. Qian is trying to play by the old book, where the arguments have low stakes. Yuan is demanding Qian not just apologize but change his whole outlook on their relationship. He's demanding Qian value himself as much as he values Yuan and Lili.

I cannot say enough about San Pang’s amazing relationship intervention. He played these boys to perfection, first by bringing unhealthy food, then summoning Yuan with his over the top announcement of all the unhealthy food. Yuan’s appearance confirmed the strained state of Qian and Yuan’s relationship and that’s when San Pang laid out some harsh truths, technically right in front of his salad.

He might be angry but he's still going to care for Qian no matter what. He gets a healthy salad with a side helping of cold shoulder.

If you want a truly amazing breakdown of this scene, see @wen-kexing-apologist post here.

Qian admits that he’s afraid and he doesn’t know what he wants. It’s so realistic because Qian never thinks about his own needs and feelings. He’s so focused on making Lili and Yuan happy, he never stops to interrogate his own heart. He's committed to sacrificing everything for them, but ironically he rarely checks in to see what they want. He's the overprotective big brother who is certain he knows what would make everyone else happy. The irony is, he has no idea what would make himself truly happy. So when Yuan asks him what he feels for him, Qian truly doesn’t know. He’s deliberately not looked. All he knows is that losing Yuan would destroy him.

That farewell letter broke something open in Qian and he’s been struggling with what to do with this revelation. Yuan walking out sent him into a panic, which is why he chased after him and eventually grabbed him to keep him from leaving. He can't figure out his feelings, he only knows that they are overwhelming him.

Let's hope that Yuan can help sort him out in Ep 11.

#unknown the series #bl meta #literally in front of his salad! #lmao op #this was a great

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After a long absence, I've got lots to talk about so let's get right into ep. 7!

Disclaimer: not a native Thai speaker, still learning 🙏

The Overhead Sun

The title of this episode is ดวงอาทิตย์ตั้งฉาก /duaang aa thit dtang chaak/ = the Sun perpendicular/at a 90 degree angle/directly overhead

-> more on how the title ties into the episode in this previous post

Fairy Godmother Ton

I've mentioned before how sassily Ton talks so I'm delighted to see the subs try to reflect that and also to see him give Ongsa a makeover lol

Ongsa: หนูทำไม่ได้หรอกพี่ต้น /nuu tham mai dai raawk phi Ton/ Ton: แต่พี่ต้นทำไ��้ค่ะ /dtaae phi Ton tham dai kha/

Ton: ไปเปลี่ยนชุดค่ะ เดี๋ยวนี้ /bpai bpliian choot kha. diao nee/

Banana Tree Ghost

Mawin: ดีน่ะ ไม่แบกต้นกล้วยออกมาด้วย /dee na mai baaek dton gluay aawk maa duay/ = Good thing she didn't come out carrying a banana tree.

The นางตานี /naang dtaa nee/ is a type of female tree spirit akin to a nymph that inhabits a specific kind of banana tree called ต้นกล้วยตานี /dton gluay dtaa nee/.

Left: our dearest loser lesbian Right: a portrayal on the Ch8 show วิญญาณพิศวง /win yaan phit sa wong/ (= wonderous spirits) -> If you know Poom Phuripan, that's the show he made his acting debut in (link to the ep., unsubbed, on YT)

I'm fine. This is fine.

Sun: หนูปกติดี /nuu bpo ga dtee dee/ ; เราปกติดี(x2) /rao bpo ga dtee dee/ = I'm fine. or more like- I'm so normal. 🙂

Ongsa gets hit on

Tong: นอกจากพี่จะอยู่ฝ่ายโสตแล้วเนี่ย พี่ก็โสดด้วยน่ะ /naawk jaak phi ja yuu faai soht laaeo niia, phi gaaw soht duay na/ = Apart from being on the AV club, I'm also single.

The first โสต /soht/ is short for โสตทัศนศึกษา /soht that sa na seuk saa/ = audio-visual education, the second โสด /soht/ means single.

Love Guru

Luangpu: นี่เห็นหลวงปู่เป็นโยมพี่อ้อยพี่ฉอดไปซะแล้วหรือ /nee hen luaang bpuu bpen yohm phi Aoi phi Chod bpai sa laaeo reuu/ = Do you take me for Phi Aoi and Phi Chod or what? -> Luangpu หลวงปู่ is a title for an elderly revered monk

Phi Aoi (right) and Phi Chod (left) are the two hosts of the radio show Club Friday (streams here), and several similar shows and podcasts, where people can call in to ask for advice about their relationship problems.

You might be familiar with the anthology series Club Friday The Series, where real stories from the radio show get produced for TV. If you've seen Pit Babe or follow any of the actors, you might also know these ladies from bts clips or Change2561's Boys' Journey.

#23.5 degrees #23.5 the series #23.5 #gl meta #i love learning about language nuance #thank you op

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Tadaima, Okaeri! Ep 3 Stray Thoughts

Last week, Masaki was sick (he was in heat) and so couldn’t care for Hikari. With the help of their tsundere neighbor, Yuki, Hiroumu and their other friend were able to care for and distract Hikari while Masaki was ill. It was adorable as any other episode, with a focus on Yuki becoming  Hikari’s first friend.

Feels super inappropriate to call your son’s partner sexy. I will just roll with the social rules of the world.

Interesting. I guess Hikari is also an alpha since the grandfather is responding to his protectiveness.

We have interesting drama building here. Masaki is maybe feeling some sympathy for the grandfather, but Hiromu is mad that his father is overstepping again.

The way Masaki and Hiromu talk to each other is great. I like that Hiromu doesn’t attempt to mask with Masaki and that they solve their problems together. I like that Hiromu’s tendency to making a firm decision doesn’t come at the cost of Masaki’s ability to give his own thoughts or guidance about how they proceed.

I really like the way Hiromu talks to Hikari. I like that he instills purpose and direction into his son in a lot of their conversations. I get that it’s a genre thing for him to do so, but every kid I ever taught seemed to thrive when they had a role to fulfill.

This is actually a compelling fight they’re having. The grandfather is here to try to reconcile and show that he’s come around on the relationship, but the way he’s communicating it still implies his prejudice. Hiromu refuses to compromise about this.

Aw, Yuki loves them!

Not the omegaverse parents show making me cry over an apology!

Okay, the grandpa bursting into tears at being acknowledged by his grandson and family got me, too.

Matsu on the verge of tears in the background because he took a good family photo, and now feels like a real uncle, is so real.

I continue to adore how much PDA these guys do.

This show really is an excellent example of what gay slice-of-life could be for us. I feel like folks would get bored with this in live action because this amount of sweetness doesn’t hold for long always, but I’m having a blast with this. This is probably my favorite show right now.

#tadaima okaeri #bl meta #ben being brilliant as always #cosigned #honestly y'all this show is so good #i don't know how to explain that the omegaverse stuff is front and center but also not at all the point of the show and very easy to forget #maybe best to say it's set in omegaverse but not about omegaverse? #anyway #what it is about is a battle couple who have gone through the horrors and are strong in their love for and commitment to each other #and they love their child and gain strength from their love for their child #it is so wholesome and incredibly sweet #i said to ben earlier that makoto and hiruna are embodying 'it gets better' and i stand by that #i love them your honour #they make so happy #it's also depicting conflict well #i love how much their community has rallied around this little family #agh it's just doing so many things so well

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An appreciation post for the Unknown fandom:

To the gifmakers: thank you for putting in the time and effort to create such beautiful gifs that help me relive my favorite moments of the show.

To the big brains: thank you for the in-depth analyses in body language/color theory/cinematography/character development and other areas that I typically overlook. Your eye for detail and ability to connect those details into poetic eloquence have made me appreciate the show even more. (This includes those of you who write essays in tags, just dropping insightful gems like it's no big deal. I see you and appreciate you.)

Thank you all for making the past 2 months such an enjoyable experience.

#unknown the series #fandom meta #perfectly put op #cosigned #this corner of tumblr is so wonderful #i'm so excited that the pact is holding and we'll all get to talk about this show together a little longer #i'm so happy that we've had so many wonderful pieces about this show #and that people have created so many gorgeous gifs #and thank you back for your language posts and your own contribution to the community vibe op

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Rose Watches OJBL Junjou [2010]

#Junjou (2010) #junjou pure heart #gifsets #ahhhh junjou brings back so many memories #mutual pining my beloved #this film really gets longing right #whomst amongst us hasn't surreptitiously watched our crush play a sport from a distance when we were in school? #whomst among us hasn't ridden the bus with the full awareness that our crush was also on the bus near us tingling through our entire bodies #anyway this one is a little rougher in some ways but I still like it #thank you op

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Mimolette cheese.

For @troubled-mind 🤍

#living with him #Kare no Iru Seikatsu #gifset #beautiful colouring op #this scene was so great #kazuhito was so excited #my man really did flirt with salad #natsukawa didn't stand a chance tbh

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What Did You Eat Yesterday? S1 (2019) Episode 4

#kinou nani tabeta #what did you eat yesterday? #gifsets #beautiful colouring op #excellent curation #love this moment as a choice op #i love these early moments of shiro being smitten

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It recently occurred to me that one of my fave feel good/comfort movies, Big Eden, could be included as part of C6D because it stars Eric Schweig who was in the due South pilot.

Big Eden is a sweet film about a gay man who returns to his small hometown in Montana to take care of his ill grandfather, and pretty much the whole town then proceeds to play matchmaker between him and the local general store owner, Pike (Eric Schweig).

This film means a lot to me as Native/Indigenous representation is hard to come by, and queer Native/Indigenous rep even more so. I highly recommend it to any dS/C6D fans, and anyone in general, who wants to watch a lovely queer romance.

#big eden (2000) #this movie was so good #undescribed

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Memory in the Letter Ep 1 Stray Thoughts

I've been meaning to start this for a bit, but @yankeebastard has been busy and we couldn't make it a Saturday show.

Oh, starting on a down note. Not entirely certain if this is homophobia leading to a major break with our protagonist and his father.

I'm glad we don't have to pull out the charts about queer homelessness right away, but it's kinda weird immediately transitioning to a more upbeat song.

This guy's face kinda reminds me of Tod Techit.

Can you imagine chilling on your bed, heading the news talk about a meteor shower, and then looking out the window to see one coming right for you??

The meteor scene is making me wonder if our protagonist is dead now that we're starting with the mirror universe stuff.

Our protagonist Aksorn, and our romantic lead is Songjam.

Oh ho! Our leads are in different universes with different histories.

He searched 'man in the mirror' and Michael Jackson was not a top result. Terrible.

I feel like I have to visit this cafe that is in so many of our shows.

Okay, Kyo, shoot your shot!

It appears that Songjam is dealing with tech that's about 30 years older than ours. He didn't seem to recognize the idea of a game store, but also didn't seem too wowed about an iPad.

These boys seem very gay about each other.

Is the conflict with the father around the mom's love of her books and Aksorn's desire to be a writer? I feel like the subs are letting me down here.

Okay, it was about becoming a writer.

Big fan of this dancing scene. We should get more romantic fantasies in the first episodes more often.

We're definitely in pulp territory here, but I like this first episode. Things are moving a little quickly, but that's actually refreshing to feel from a Thai BL. I don't know how well the sci-fi ideas will hold together, but I'm intrigued.

#memory in the letter #bl meta #ben being brilliant as always #i am so glad you're watching this one! I'm having fun with it #though i have to say #the protagonist's lack of curiosity about this alternative universe really threw me #i was like “i have 83 questions and you're.... asking none of them?! agh!!!!” #the dance was very cute though and definitely a better use of screen time than my pinpoint-where-our-universes-diverged guessing game

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Ossan's Love Returns spin-off part 2 eng sub

This is the second part of the two-part spin-off originally streamed on Telasa and concludes my journey of fansubbing Ossan's Love Returns.

We did it!! I translated over 11k lines of fast-paced comedic dialogue and people talking over each other. I feel like I am a better subber now than I was before I started this project haha. Thank you to everyone who came along on this journey! I'll make a masterpost at some point before the episodes disappear to the depths of my blog, but this is the terminal stop.

I forgot that I also have a kofi. No pressure in this economy, though!

Full episodes, welcome on board: Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8 Episode 9

RAW

subtitle

Notes:

Tsumagoi is a town in Gunma prefecture known for cabbage.

Ikebukuro ('pond bag') is a commercial district in Tokyo.

Hotei Tomoyasu is a renowned guitarist. I think Takekawa-san was maybe trying to perform the theme from the yakuza film Shin jingi naki tatakai/New Battles Without Honor and Humanity. I don't recognise his lyrics from any Hotei song lol.

Maro calls Kikunosuke too kenage. I translated this to persevering but honestly there isn't a word in English that quite captures the full meaning of kenage. Kenage means heroic or brave but it's used to praise a weak or powerless person showing courage in the face of adversity, such as a child.

Ribbon and Nakayoshi are shoujo manga magazines.

The lifetime together line is again a reference to his old one hit wonder.

Tag list:

@babeluda @twig-tea @nieves-de-sugui @nongnaos @veikonvihannekset @bengiyo @thirstkanaphan @my-rose-tinted-glasses @faillen @ellieellieoxenfree @randifrnz @fromisstar @lurkingshan @penguin251159 @i-remember-yyou @remadi @thesedamncannibals @sewichii @littleragondin @thegalwhorants @mirkoscarrot @sightetsound

I don't know why tumblr removed most of the tags I'm sorry. D: I hope this post will still find you.

#ossan's love #ossan's love returns #reblogging because of the podcast episode dropping #in case anyone is inspired to give the show a try you can do it with siiri's subs #(and then watch the show on GagaOOLala so that we continue to get international distribution) #thank you again op for your hard work!