BL - and that's it

PHUWIN, ON BEING COMFORTABLE WITH FAILURE AND AGREEING WITH GEMINI'S "ช่างแม่ง" MINDSET

And we see the ones who cannot even release these shows in their own countries safely. We see the creators who still choose to create and to act and to director and to make even when they know what it could mean and that their fans are terrifying and yet they make and they act and they create and it is amazing.

Anyway.

meanwhile Moshang:

MBJ, robes artfully falling around his chest: Shang Qinghua. Come to bed.

characters do kind of have to think and act in ways which are both motivated by and facilitate shame in order for that exploration to have any meat. and sometimes that means acting in ways that are understandably but not justifiably cruel to both themselves and others, even people they love.

1. Using kowloon walled city as a backdrop

Kowloon walled city was a city within a city. A place almost detached from the rapidly developing rest of Hong-Kong. This is where the lowest of economic class resided. Hence crime of any form was rampant. Kowloon is where local gangsters originated. Kowloon was ruled by gangs. Laws *literally* stopped working in kawloon as even police officials wouldn't enter the place.

In the first episode an old man is trying to recruit *fresh blood* for a gang for commission. Very accurate. Many associates, old members and young women were tasked to recruit young men, dare I say 'boys' for gangs. Education was a rare thing. As the community lived in poverty, gangs were a way to make quick money and gain power. Or that's what was told to them.

2. Xiaoqi hall being involved in the film industry

As Hong Kong movies started gaining international accreditation, gangs were quick to involve themselves in the industry. It was an amazing way to turn black money into white, have a legitimate front and weild soft power among the population through owning actors, directors etc. (Bollywood has the same thing too)

3. Liuyi's father was a *drug addict* not *alcoholic*

Liuyi specifically mentions his father was a 'drug addict'. (Ngl I screamed at this moment because most shows use the 'my father as an alcoholic' trope).

The show stayed true to the drug problem of Hong-Kong. And kowloon again being in the centre of it. As Hong-Kong became a busy hub, transporting things from all around the world it included illegal stuff too. Drugs predominantly. And quite a huge chunk of it went towards the lower class population to keep them docile and in debt of the gangs, always.

4. Qiang long taking in the siblings

Some people may see qiang long in a positive light because he 'rescued' liuyi. But gangs did this all the time. Financing a child's education, someone's daughter's marriage, taking in orphans with the goal of getting them in debt of the gangs.

Qiang long's hypocrisy can be seen in how he doesn't give xia liuyi proper education (because he could if he wanted to) instead he makes liuyi learn how to weild knives. He disagrees to liuyi joining the gang but also immediately gives him a position which would not make liuyi see the negative parts of joining a gang.

5. Xia liuyi 'gifting' chusan's father the banner

I recently did a tag game about BL soundtracks, which in my post included a lot of Thai songs, but beyond the world of BL there are so many incredible Thai artists so I wanted to highlight some of my favourites :)

HYBS - Fantasy

This song makes me feral, I love it so so much. HYBS was a duo by James Alyn and Karn Kasidej, who have now returned to making solo music, and I will forever mourn not getting to see them perform live together. Those shows must have been incredible.

Timethai ft Ziyen - ก็ดี

Timethai went viral on TikTok with his song “Hit Me Up”, which is fantastic, but this one is my personal favourite.

D Gerrard - รถไฟบนฟ้า

I wish I spoke Thai so I could belt this song at the top of my lungs. It feels like a perfect song for a roadtrip or a karaoke night.

Rocketman - Orange Coffee

This is one of those songs that instantly puts me in a good mood. I like to listen to it in the morning while making… tea, ironically.

Whal & Dolph - ดีใจรึเปล่า

The word that comes to mind for this song is “Smooth”. The melody, the voices, it’s all great.

25 Hours - ฤดูกาล

Something about this song makes it feel like a classic. Like I grew up listening to it, but I didn’t.

Tilly Birds - Call It a Day

This is, in my humble opinion, one of their best songs. The day it came out, I probably listened to it 15 times (why yes, I do hyperfixate on music, why do you ask).

Yented - เด็กอ้วน

There’s so much good indie pop and r&b coming out of Thailand, and this is a great example.

Jeff Satur - Yellow Leaf

Alright I’m cheating because if you like Thai BL you definitely know Jeff Satur, but nonetheless I wanted to include this song because it’s great and really showcases his voice.

BamBam ft Timethai - Dancing by Myself

I think a lot of people know this song already but I wanted to include it because it felt so meaningful for BamBam to release an album in Thai, that featured Thai artists, and that was basically a love letter and gift to his home country.

He fights piranhas. He lives on a cursed floor of an apartment complex. He's being haunted by his best friend who got murdered in the apartment next door. His bestie's gf was convicted for the murder and is in jail. He still visits her in jail because she's also his bestie and he #BelievesWomen.

He finds out the kid next door, Dao, can talk to ghosts and read feelings. He begs Dao to help get his bestie out of jail. He succeeds and reunites his wrongfully-convicted bestie with the ghost of her boyfriend.

He enters an arrangement with Dao in an attempt to speak to his dead mom one last time. But Dao wants something in return, and now he's being spammed nonstop by Dao's annoying ex. Against his will, he is now doing pro-bono therapy work for Dao's ex.

He agrees that Dao's ex is a piece of shit but he still goes for drinks with the ex anyway after Dao verbally murders him. And for all his trouble, the evil ex still pisses on his car.

Dealing with complex thoughts and emotions I can't work through in therapy, like grief, despair, a complicated relationship with pain and addiction