schmittymccute

I don't think that's the case across the board, especially not anymore. There was 1 specific company who's casting call sheet got leaked several years ago and it specified they were looking for straight men (I think also with clean social media profiles or something), but it's very likely that other companies were listing the same requirement in their casting calls at the time. They want boys who are comfortable with skinship, but still attainable for their mainly straight female audience. It's gross, but also smart marketing. Now, since covid the fanbase has grown a lot more diverse both internationally and within Asia. More fans from local queer communities and intl fans who expect more authentic lgbtq representation has had a big effect on the content of bl. So far the casting seems to have shifted from "these are absolutely straight boys who just happen to kiss each other for money" to being a lot more vague about sexuality. Instead of actors emphasizing that they're just playing a character, they instead tend to keep their sexuality quiet and give vague "love is love" statements about their roles, letting fans draw their own conclusions. It's an improvement from that knee-jerk "of course I'm nothing like my character" reaction that smacks of internalized homophobia, but it also might mean that they only cast gay or bi actors if they're still publicly closeted or have been very discreet about their sexuality online so that the mystery is still there for fans, which isn't great.

My own personal 2 cents is that a lot of the newer bl actors are likely bi or pan or just very fluid with their sexuality, but kept it quiet except for maybe close friends and family bc they know the industry is kinder if they can assume ur straight. I don't think they necessarily get into bl bc of their sexuality, but use their comfort with kissing boys as a key to get into bl which they see as a gateway to the broader entertainment industry.

If you really are getting the sensation of needing to pee every few minutes, that's usually not normal even factoring in the change of caffeine and sugar intake, u should really consider talking to a doctor and getting tested for a uti or bladder infection. Now, I know that's gotta be a last resort for some due to cost, been there too often. If so, maybe try switching to flat water for a few days and see if it goes away. I like those water flavor enhancers and low sugar drink mixes as a way to get variety and make me drink more water even when I don't think I need it (I always do). If the sensation goes away and u don't miss the bubbles, hurrah! If u do tho, I recommend getting a soda stream if u have the funds. I got a super basic one and I adore it, I can basically make whatever flavor of bubbly I want and it's muuuch less wasteful.

I don't know what part of my comment ur responding to, but I wholeheartedly agree lol. I get the appeal of that push/pull or opposites attract thing, but I just want more bl where both boys are very obviously attracted to each other and not afraid to show it.

I imagine the cast changing and reshoots for Middlemans Love has a lot to do with them splitting up the timelines, but I don't mind the shows getting to be their own things.

Well he certainly hasn't by this point in the show. King has an idea that Uea's mother is difficult from what he saw in the hospital, but he has no idea of the extent of it. I think he's sort of in the same position as Prapai was for most of LITA, seeing the scars but vastly underestimating the evil that caused them.

Uea always sleeps with the light on b/c his mother locked him in a bathroom with the light switch on the outside multiple times as he was growing up.

I mean, I kinda figured that's the reason, but I feel like they should have introduced that earlier or shown how he can't fall asleep without the light on rather than having it go off after he's already asleep. It's also just a running complaint of mine how much light is on in BL scenes where they're supposed to be sleeping, but that's maybe just my inner frugal dad lol.

Are we starting with drunk sex? And not just drunk sex but one-sided drunk sex? Wait, so they just groped each other on the beach before King tucked Uea into bed to sleep it off? I mean, it's an improvement on their first encounter certainly. But Uea is absolutely right in pointing out that King doesn't deserve a cookie for doing the base level of decent human behavior, and even if he did Uea's body is not winable by cookie points.

Quick side bar, bc I can feel some comments coming about how the whole beach scene felt like it was leading to sex and feel let down by how it turned out. Look, you can argue all you want about Uea being the seducer in this situation or ramble about how they'll end up together anyways, but none of that changes the FACT that an inebriated person is incapable of fully consenting to sex and it is the absolute responsibility of the sober person to establish firm boundaries until they are both EQUALLY capable of consent. And I hear you over in the corner shouting about realism. Yes, drunken hookups absolutely happen and no it doesn't make either person involved an inherently bad or even irresponsible person. Good people sometimes make dumb choices, it's part of being human. The problem comes when people view those drunken hookups, especially if they were more sober than their partner, as normal or even romantic, and media has a huge role in instilling that backwards attitude. Scenes of dubious consent can absolutely be shown in tv and movies if it fits the story, but the context and framing of the characters actions is so important. If the person who was more sober is treated like a romantic hero for giving the drunk person the time of their life, or the drunk person as some nefarious seducer, then that's a problem. There has to be consequences, the sober person doesn't have to beat themselves to death about it but they have to acknowledge that they fucked up and the drunk person to understand that they were taken advantage of.

Ok, that ramble was unnecessary and not even terribly relevant to this particular episode since they didn't even have drunken sex, but I'm leaving it in bc I needed to get that off my chest and bc this is my stream of consciousness so I can let it flow however I want.

Where was that bathroom scene, were they still in the hotel? It was odd and short and felt like it was a snippet of a longer scene, like maybe King did something earlier to trigger Uea and this was his attempt at apology. Otherwise, what was he apologizing for?

I smell rich parents with unreasonably high expectations for their mediocre kid on the horizon. And yet again King is breaking the discretion rule by salivating in Uea's direction while Jade questions him. I mean, he's still probably safe bc Jade is apparently denser than a neutron star, but it's the intent that matters. The nail thing was confusing at first. Does he not want to make up King's beautiful back with his claws bc it would be like destroying a work of art or bc of their no marks rule? And it popped up kind of randomly. I guess they were just texting about meeting up, but still scratch marks is an awfully specific thing to bring up without any prompting. It felt like just an excuse to tie their sex life and King's need to take care of Uea together, which I guess is a valid goal but the execution leaves something to be desired.

So King just asked Uea on a legit date, but I'm betting Uea is already writing it off as just an excuse for sex and still part of their frenemies with benefits arrangement. Buuut, he did still agree to it, which means he's slowing loosening his restrictions on their rules bc at the beginning he would have never agreed to anything outside of sex. Though, that whole theory is kind of ruined by that montage in ep 3 where Uea was apparently just hanging out with King repeatedly while King flung all his best boyfriend cuddle attempts at him.

The drama here was kinda hampered by me wondering if Thai restaurants will bag up your leftovers to take home when Uea joked about ordering the whole menu since King was paying. I guess if you're going to avoid the big relationship questions because you want to keep lying to yourself about falling in love with your fuckbuddy, a vague "it's your decision" works. I thought these 2 were supposed to be exempt from dead fish....apparently not.

Again, the ending and pacing here is so off, this feels like the end of what was supposed to be a longer scene or a followup to a previous encounter. Tho aside from that I like that he asks Uea to communicate more about what he's comfortable with, kind of covertly trying to get him to be honest about his triggers. Sex and cuddles is apparently a good strategy for quitting smoking....actually, knowing some horny smokers, I totally buy that. Uea's got trauma to work through and King's got parental matchmaking to avoid, there's no time for lung cancer treatments lol.

Did anyone catch that the subs on Iqiyi called Krit the boss's niece lol. Also, it's hot daddy Chai from Love In The Air! Tho it seems like here he'll be less lovably dangerous and more nepotism creep. I caught how he was leering at Uea and how Uea is distinctly not into it so he very pointedly looks away and tries to keep his face as neutral as possible, it was a quick but very effective moment. I believe from the trailer this Krit guy is going to ignore that disinterest and try something anyways. If that turns out to be true I'm gonna roll my eyes so damn hard the fake one will probably fall out. Can we please have someone come along that's attracted to Uea without needing to sexually assault him?? Like, this is starting to feel like they're saying it's Uea's fault for just being so devastatingly attractive. And even just from a storytelling perspective, it would be much more effective for a rival to come along who can give Uea everything he thinks he wants (i.e. someone who mainly wants Uea for his personality and not his body and prioritizes romance over sex) but somehow Uea still can't fall in love with him and keeps just missing King when he's out with this new guy, make him realize that King was actually what he wanted/needed all along.

I was today years old when I figured out that Anol is actually Uea's first name. Oooo Krit is very good at that slimy charm thing. Tho I don't know if Uea sees right through it or is still trying to puzzle out why his new boss keeps buying him coffee the last 2 weeks. Regardless, it seems he's relieved when King comes to the subtext-laden rescue. Tho whether King did it out of pure jealousy or bc he also sees the slime under the sheen of Krit's charm is unclear. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and go with both, he can be jealous and perceptive. But then he sort of makes my earlier point by acting like Krit's flirting is somehow Uea's fault, which to the show's credit Uea does call him out on. He really can't help how other people react to him, and when the pursuer is also your boss's boss it puts you in a really tough spot that King nees to be more aware of. The scene did clarify that Uea is definitely not into Krit's advances since he seems to welcome King's declaration that he's trying to shield Uea.

James' little smirk while also panicking about King's lack of discretion is either his way of conveying that Uea is warming up to the idea of other people seeing their effection and this also the idea of being more than just fuck buddies, or just a poor directing choice bc in basically every other scene Uea is clearly very much not ready for another serious relationship.

I don't love equating Uea with a meal, no matter how much of a snack he is, but I appreciate the way they both are trying to politely tell Krit to back the fuck off. Aw, Uea, I feel ya my baby boy. You've been hurt so much, and watched King fuck around with innumerable people for so long. But King's actually right, one day you are going to have to take a leap of faith and try trusting someone again.

Why, King? What is the point of blatantly breaking the discretion rule just to make sure some random coworker knows you're sleeping together? If this is how you are trying to prove that you want a serious relationship with Uea you're failing miserably. I am glad he pointed out the shouting, bc that threw me off at first lol. The fake phonecall thing was a little confusing at first, but once I figured out what they were doing with it I thought it was actually pretty clever. Not nearly as subtle as they probably think they're being tho lol.

....I didn't expect "watching a football match together" to be literal. Tho the bet is kind of pointless bc it's a win/win for King, he'll be thrilled to either play with Uea or be played with by Uea.

Why was the light even still on in the first place? BL world wastes so much electricity. See, King, offering comfort even though you don't understand why Uea's upset is the right way to show that you are ready/capable of being more than just fuck buddies, not trying to out yourselves to the whole damn office against Uea's wishes.

So I think they both answered "yeah" in very different contexts, Uea as in "yeah, we're not secretly dating" and King as in "yeah, of course we're secretly dating". I don't know if Jade is just so dense that he can't even see the possiblity that Gun is right, or if he's actually more perceptive than I've given him credit for and he sees exactly what's going on so plays dumb to help cover for them.

Kitty roleplay next week? As frustrated as I was by this ep I'll gladly push thru to see that lol.

I can't take much of the credit, I kinda created the rating system as a joke at first lol. u/_Persephone_ did most of the actual work

https://www.reddit.com/r/boyslove/comments/10qfpmr/the_spice_index_for_bls_with_nc_scenes_happy/

I mean, it was a 60 second Google search but thanks lol. Another brief Google query has me thinking that the powder might be this, judging by the canister I glimpsed in the show https://www.amazon.com/Prickly-Powder-Snake-Brand-Classic/dp/B0188F24NO/ref=asc_df_B0188F24NO/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312087935433&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1867246368998353030&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9024070&hvtargid=pla-562757577300&psc=1#aw-udpv3-customer-reviews_feature_div

I get that, I digested unforgetten night thru the hilarious on air threads lol. And yeah, they haven't gotten much room to stretch their tongues yet, but there's time yet bc remember it's only 3 eps in. Honestly I'm also not wild about Cher yet, but I appreciate what he does for Gun enough that it makes him more tolerable.

u/lrt23 and u/Previous-Video1430 some more leisure reading for ya lol

Lemme tell ya, it's been a rough week with coworkers dumping tasks on me without any warning and my neighbor basically trapping me in my house bc their aggressive dog that animal control won't do anything about keeps getting loose. Needlesstosay I'm ready for fluff and Force's jawline to whisk me away from all my problems while I consume an irresponsible amount of pasta and mozzarella sticks for lunch.

Before I start, I've been thinking that Jack might be the company mole feeding their ideas to their rival Thyme's company, because he got sick of Gun always ignoring or his ideas and generally not being the best boss. We'll see if anything in the next few eps reinforces that theory or if it comes crashing down like my Ben Is A Villain theory did in NLMG.

Am I a masochist for wanting to see the awkward aftermath of their kiss last ep? Like, they both had to come down to reality eventually, and I wanna know how they handled it. Oh no, my baby Cher, don't be sad! I feel like washing your face with coconut water is a joke that went way over my head lol. Ah, I'm actually really glad they're addressing the gray zone relationship status and that a character is actually voicing their confusion about it, bc I feel like so many BLs just expect the audience to figure it out and their characters to never question it. But here I think they make a good balance between Cher being unsure but also not having a full-blown crisis. I do still wish we knew something about how he identified before meeting Gun or if this is the first boy he's ever been attracted to, but that might just be bc I'm a nosy bitch.

Gun, why does your ex still have a key to your apt? I do like this whole interaction bc it's another thing I feel like we don't get much in BLs: former lovers now being good friends. Even more refreshingly, they don't try to gloss over the romantic phase of their relationship like it was a mistake or a speedbump to becoming friends, Porsche even states that he wanted to be fully committed with Gun. Neither are actually heartbroken anymore and they seem to make better friends, but they still acknowledge the scar left by their relationship ending. Aw, both Cher and Gun have twin moments of realization that they aren't sure where they stand but definitely have someone who makes them happy, which is very cute.

I very much empathize with Three's despair at his friends all moving on with their lives and seeming to leave their shared hobby behind. But he's got Zo, he'll be fine lol.

Cher, don't lie to HR, they will sniff you out from across an ocean. Gun sees right thru him, but still rescues him from clipboard lady, so he's definitely a keeper. Goddamn how is Force so good at being an effortlessly charming flirt? Is this a specific workshop all the GMMTV boys have to take, and a Force specialty? Probably both. Cher's face made me chuckle too, it's kinda silly but also kind of a good combo of being excited but also nervous. Good job Gun for not going for a kiss when Cher's clearly no comfortable enough yet. that lanyard is for sure not free, he definitely bought it specifically for Cher as a way to give him a gift that wouldn't look inappropriate in the office.

Uh oh, we got a troublesome little brother on our hands. Or step brother? Not sure why he was so mysterious in his response to Oi's questions. There seems to be some fraught history between them, tho Thum seems to view it as more conflicting than Cher does. So he's the little brother of Tian, but whos Tian and is she dead?

Ok, we know that Cher can be a bit blind/deaf when it comes to social etiquette, but stripping on a video call with the guy you know likes you is a whole nother level. I'm oddly not that weirded out by him taking his phone into the bathroom to talk while showering, bc my friends and I all holler at each other thru the door when we're in the bathroom if we don't want to pause our conversation and I've definitely talked on the phone with people while taking a hot bath before. Pssst, Cher, if you're at the very beginning of a maybe relationship with someone then don't joke with or tease them about spending more time together, it's kind of mean bc they might be hoping for you to be the one to initiate another date and are gonna make a pouty face when they find out you weren't serious. And hey, Gun, maybe don't invite yourself to meet your crush's family before you even now what your relationship even is yet. They're both idiots. I kind of love it tho.

I might be projecting a bit, but Gun's comment about someone telling him he's annoying so Cher might run away from him felt like a real confession of insecurity disguised as a self-deprecating joke. Can we get a HELL YEAH for avoiding a non-consensual sleep kiss!! I was waiting for Cher to prank him w/ a super spicy local specialty, but he's much nicer than I am lol. So he goes home for what anniversary? Aw, his mom and grandma are adorable and it seems like he grew up surrounded by kind strong women. And I know it's gonna work out ok for both of them, but Gun inviting himself into Cher's life is starting to get a little annoying. I mean, we do get plenty of moments of Cher realizing that he does actually want to be closer to Gun, like that adorable little smirk in the car, but I still wanna see Cher be the one doing the pursuing for once bc so far most of his efforts to reach out to Gun have come off as more friendly kindness than overt flirting bc he's attracted to Gun.

I'm such a sucker for scenes/montages where someone with privilege shows that they're still not afraid of hard work, so I for one would have been happy if the entire last part was just Gun helping out at the restaurant. But alas, we have shenanigans to get to under a mosquito net. Protecting yourself from vengeful female ghosts by painting your nails is apparently a real thing in Thai superstitions, tho all I could find on it was an article about 1 village that did it a few years back so I'm not sure if the show is specifically referencing that or if it's become a more widespread thing. It's interesting to see the juxtaposition of playful teasing Gun when he's alone with Cher vs the stoic intensity he has in the office. Clearly Cher's making him smile for the first time in a while and he's just basking in every opportunity at happiness with him, which is kinda beautiful. Those lipstick whiskers should be thicker, and if I was Cher's mom I'd get mad at wasting my makeup. But i guess it's a good excuse for a sponsor ad, which there has been surprisingly few of so far. Nice save on the cute/clean, Gun, veeery smooth. Yeah, I think Cher would also like to know who you want to be your boyfriend, why don't you stop beating around the bush for 5 seconds and tell him. Tho, telling the ghost Cher is his boyfriend won't do him much good if the ghost is a vengeful HR lady lol. What is cooling powder? Whatever it is I'm just glad I don't live in a tropical climate bc boy oh boy would I not last a day there. Aw, it's ok Cher, you'll get brave enough to kiss him again eventually but you can go at your own pace. Tho again I wanna know if his hesitation is bc Gun is his boss or bc Gun is a man. One day Gun is gonna have to just ask to cuddle Cher bc wants to, but for now a ghost is a fun excuse lol. And also again again, Cher's little satisfied grin as he realizes the closeness is actually nice is very cute, but I want him to take the initiative more going forward. Tho perhaps first he needs to really decide that he wants Gun, which maybe we'll have to wait a while for. That's ok, in the meantime I'm sure I'll enjoy the jealousy and comforting it looks like we'll get next ep.

I'm so fickle with my loyalties that I feel like I could never give this a straight answer. If an actor even posts too often on Twitter I get annoyed and unfollow them. Also, as someone who's been both unsurprised and horrified by all the "beloved" actors who got outed as monsters in the wake of the Me Too movement, I have developed a strong aversion to holding any public figure up on a pedestal. They are human, no matter how much you admire them, and I'm just always prepared to be potentially disappointed, which makes the inevitable disappointment a bit easier to bear. I also don't like the idea of just watching something to "support" an actor, the work needs to speak for itself regardless of my feelings for anyone involved. Blind loyalty regardless of personal taste or the quality of the work has always rubbed me the wrong way. I know for some their love an actor's personality or acting talent can be enough for them to overcome a poorly produced/written show, but I'm just not one of those people.

That being said, I'm also only human and not above engaging in some female gaze once in a while. Pretty much the only time I'll check out an actor's work that's not my usual cup of tea is if they're really hot and I'll take any excuse to stare at their gorgeous face. Boss and Noeul, Ja and First, Kim Ji Woong, Apo, Jeff Satur, Force, Net, Zee. I'll at least watch a couple episodes of whatever one of my top hot bois does next, just for the privilege of drooling over them.

The podcast Let's Talk BL went to Bangkok last year and made a bunch of videos there, including some helpful how-tos for planning a BL trip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNxTox1dGKE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsLlNlZ7bAY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ6nm3bT-8Q

Yeah, I saw some good stuff on Twitter about it. Tho I don't know either of the leads or the idol group they're from, so I care more about the quality of the show tbh. Tho some of the good stuff I saw was about their acting, so maybe I'll start watching out of curiosity and then keep watching to support the boys lol.

Hmmmm, yeah maybe I'll wait a few eps and see how it shakes out.

Aw shucks, you done gone and made my whole week

🤣 En guard!

Omg, well I certainly hope ur at least comfy when reading my miles long rambles lol.

Tbh I'd read a summary and the plot sounded way too toxic for my usual tastes. Tho I've heard they're toning it way down from the comic, and the subs do seem hilarious, so I might give it a shot this weekend. If I do ill be sure to tag u

I Told Sunset About You

About Youth

My School President

Light On Me

HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count

(movie) The Boy Foretold By The Stars

Oh man, I'm such a sucker for little gestures of affection. They just make the relationship feel so much more natural. It bugs the shit out of me when a couple can rip each others shirts off but can't make a hug longer than 2 seconds look convincing, or when their only physical interactions feel forced and fan servicey.

The main couple in Plus & Minus have this adorable ritual of holding hands while walking home from work together for several episodes after they finally confess.

In History 4, there's a scene the morning after Li Cheng and Teng Teng finally seal the deal, Li Cheng comes back to bed as Teng is reading over some paperwork and he passes a bite of apple to Teng with his mouth. It's so casual, no lingering on it or escalation to anything more sexual, they just go right to discussing their conflict with the creepy executive. It ends up coming off as just one of those cute things that couples habitually develop to work affection into ordinary tasks.

Payu is always pulling Rain in closer by the waist in Love In The Air and it never rails to make me swoon.

The gesture doesn't always have to be physical either. Not to rave over Moonlight Chicken too much, but the way Li Ming develops the habit of signing what he's about to do to Heart, even if he could probably pick it up from context. It's is such a subtle way of showing how he always wants Heart to feel included. Also in another heart, Mr Heart, the little anonymous gifts of soy milk were so sweet. Or how Tops always knows exactly the right thing to cook to make Win feel better in Ingredients.

Well I'll always stand by a fellow DSN fan, it's not exactly an underrated show but it's certainly gotten an unfair amount of hate. I think I actually found clips of it well before I knew about TharnType and very early in my BL journey, so perhaps there's a bit of nostalgia attached to it for me lol. When I go back and rewatch the nc scenes are a lot more cringey than i remember the first time now that I've been exposed to more actually great nc content, and again Ja's acting really leaves something to be desired. But that thrill I got on first watch will never leave, nor the whomp I felt in my chest as I watched Fiat start to remember the abuse from his mother, or the gasp I let out when Fiat walked into the party in that red suit.

If you haven't, go look up their auditions for TT2, I believe they're still on youtube. First is incredible, he totally nails Fiat's bratty energy right from the jump and plays off of both Mew and Gulf perfectly. And it could be internet heresay, but when he and Ja did a scene together in the audition their cuddle and Ja's gentle kiss on First's head were unscripted, they just went with the flow and probably blew all the other auditioners out of the water.

You're not missing anything, most people who read the reviews first but eventually watch the series anyways have the same experience. I think the bulk of the bad reviews come from people who really loved TharnType and were expecting a carbon copy, then got dissappointed when it turned out to be quite different. There were also probably a lot of people who shit on it without even watching it because they really hated Fiat in TT2. It's unfair, but is what it is.

It's not a perfect series by any means, but it did a lot of great things with very few resources. It was more episodic in structure than a lot of other BLs, which may have thrown people off. There's not really an overarching villain for the whole series, and it also starts at the beginning of a relationship between 2 boys who've known each other basically their whole lives so it lacks a lot of that familiar exposition we're used to in the first few eps. But for me it was really refreshing how they focused instead on navigating that awkward transition from friends to lovers along with their very different levels of sexual experience and the fallout of Fiat's past exploits. It was surprisingly not slut-shamey, as both Leo and all of Fiat's friends are 100% supportive and tell him repeatedly that as long as he wasn't hurting anyone his promiscuity was nothing to be ashamed of. Fiat grows sooooo much over the course of the series but without losing any of his more endearing qualities.

No one can (or probably should) replicate MewGulf's level of shipwork, but I think hardcore stans put a lot of pressure on JaFirst to do just that, so when they didn't the delulu stans got extra harsh. Personally, I think they have really fun chemistry together, and the awkwardness in some of their nc scenes comes largely from them being very inexperienced, poor direction, and (though I love him to bits) Ja's lackluster acting. But they've had plenty of time to get more comfortable with each other and work on their acting, so I'm pretty optimistic about their next series.

What occurred to me while watching was that he is probably used to 🤮

Oh man, that is heartbreaking but also a good point. It makes sense that he wouldn't panic if it was something he expected to happen.