Erythyles

LOOK AT OUR CHILD CARRYING THE WEIGHT OF HIS PAIN!

LOOK AT HIM!

THE AIR DOLLS

CINDERELLA CLOSET [EP 1 vs CH 1] Manga by Yanai Wakana

these people go a bit through the BL history of different asian countries and how it changed over time:

Dr. Akiko Mizoguchi - theorizing BL as a transformative genre: women's pleasurable discursive space with feminist and queer potential

Dr. Hyojin Kim - Boys' Love in Korea "Leaving BL" debates

Dr. Kristine Michelle L. Santos - BL in the Philippines

Dr. Thomas Baudinette - Thai Boys Love Media

Q&A (bit of a summary of the individual presentations): terminology, misconceptions, different asian vs western fandoms, LGBTq+ connections, why do women like BL, 90s cliche tropes backgrounds explained (seme / uke, only gay for you, rape of love), is it fetishization of m/m, influence on LGBTq+ community and allies, fan translations, live action dramas, BL development

Live questions from the audience: chinese & taiwanese BL, public distribution, acceptance of BL in asia vs west, future of BL

compiling all the fics posted under treasurebook

in alphabetical order per fandom, from least to most recent!

a boss and a babe

touch you softly (i call you up late at night) (guncher / T / one-shot)

Cher's boss is unlike anything he had imagined. But then again, Cher's probably not the intern Gungawin expected to meet.

pour my love out (spill it all on the ground) (guncher / T / one-shot)

Staying, leaving, which path to follow – Cher wonders to himself how he became so woven into Gun he can barely tell himself apart from him anymore. Cher's just in intern, Laem a simple streamer, Saran a man, but Nong Cher's a lover, a shoulder, just as Boss is a leader, Gungawin a soldier, Phi Gun a giver, a taker, an eternity. Maybe there's simply no separating them now.

but oh my god (i think i'm in love with you) (guncher / T / one-shot)

Time's a confusing thing, Cher's always thought; hours pass as if they last months, days drip by like seconds, and the midnight strike looms ever closer. Cher doesn’t know which path he’s walking on, but as all roads lead to Rome, Gun’s standing at the end of every step he takes. Time resets at the press of lips against his, two smiles into a kiss, and all the waiting was worth it to be everything for Gun, to be perfect for him.

guilty as sin? (oh, what a way to die) (guncher / M / 3/6)

This was all supposed to be a simple been-there-done-that kind of job; Cher has done this thousands of times, taken what wasn’t exactly his from people whose names and faces he can’t even remember. It was supposed to be simple – which means it isn’t simple at all, because Gungawin’s name and face aren’t forgettable, and he takes from Cher just as much as he’s taken from, if not more. If not everything. Cher might’ve gotten in way over his head.

enchanté

do you even think about it? the way that we changed the world (akktheo / T / 6/6)

Akk’s hiding something from him, Theo’s sure of it. They’ve been friends their whole lives, Theo’s earliest memories all featuring him in some way, and if Akk thinks he hasn’t noticed all the telltale signs of something being amiss, the fidgeting and averted gazes, then he doesn’t know Theo at all. Whatever it is, it has Akk’s anxiety spiking to astronomical levels; Theo has never seen him quite like this – as if he’s about to vibrate out of his own skin. And when Akk starts jumping like a scalded cat at every little sound around them, Theo decides then and there – he’ll figure out what’s going on, no matter what. He’s always been too curious for his own good, and best friends should look after each other, right?

melody of secrets

these violent delights (tanpleng / E / one-shot)

The only permanent fixture in Botpleng's mind is the song. Through the cracked edges of his memories, the notes ring loud and clear, an endless melody he can't point to the origins of - or to who controls the strings that keep it playing.

only friends

i’ve been playing with a heart like a violin (fix my soul so i don’t lose a love again) (topmew / E / 132/132)

What kind of story would entertain you the most? Would you like this film to be a tragedy, a romance, or both, the in-betweens? Sad backstories and star-crossed lovers? Sweetness and daydreams? Treachery and revenge? A villain who dies so the hero can live? A cheater who gets his comeuppance? Regret and grovelling? A love so all encompassing you can’t go on without it? A loss so painful it never heals? Whatever you decide to see in Top’s eyes will define every frame that passes you by. When the film’s over, what will be their last scene?

moving through the seasons (with you) (topmew / M / one-shot)

As the months change, they learn what being each other's truly means. or; Top turns 22. Mew promises to stay. Mew turns 23. Top vows to not let history repeat itself. or; A year (give or take) in the life.

are we one or are we two? are we me or are we you? (topmew / E / one-shot)

Mew looks like he's out for his blood, eyes so dark Top thinks he's seeing red in them, a hallucination, a mirage, a vision of divinity. Whatever Mew is, Top wants him, whether as a tantalising gift or a terrifying omen, a boon from the heavens to have Mew here, a torment to not know how long it might last.

always gotta go out, we don't ever slow down (topmew / E / one-shot)

Mew has no one but himself to blame for his current predicament, yet the circumstances aren't as negative as his stressed-out brain is painting them out to be. The drink might not be to his liking, but no one else is here to judge him for wanting something stronger. Something stronger is staring at him from across the bar, a sharp gaze complimented by perfectly shaped eyebrows that lingers on him as if nothing in this crowded place could possibly be more interesting than watching Mew.

peaceful property

and always just breaking apart, my pictures of you (phoomvicha / T / one-shot)

When you look into the video, you see the ghost of yourself. What's the difference between a picture and the real thing?

perfect 10 liners

tangled in love, stuck by glue (arcarm / T / one-shot)

A snapshot of a future shared - a moment of sweetness amidst the chaos. If you told freshman Arm about it, he'd probably never believe it.

head over wheels (arcarm / T / one-shot)

This show is a vibe, and I'm vibing with it. I'm loving everything about these two lonely people desperately seeking intimacy. Watching episode four in the car while the rain poured around me only added to the vibe. That said, being in the car means I can't do my normal screenshot process so semi-relevant gifs it is.

We start with Hagiwara descending into the depths. I mentioned after episode 3 that he still had a more positive outlook on his circumstances. But he's now on his way into the hole where he won't be able to gloss over his unhappiness. Sei is already in the hole. He has been there for a while, he knows he's there, and he's somewhat resigned himself to it.

This change in Hagiwara's attitude is reflected in our aesthetics too. While Hagiwara's home had bright and warm elements last episode, the door to his house is cold and dark after their dinner. It's no longer welcoming. The restaurant is where the warm colors resided.

However, the truly interesting thing to me about this show is in how much this show has flipped the character expectations.

It's flipped the idea of "good guys" and "bad guys" - particularly in a drama that's definitely leading towards cheating. It's pretty standard fair in a cheating drama for the partners to be painted as not caring or evil. But as Hiragawa and Sei make clear in their exchange after the meal, nobody really is in the wrong (yet). It's really unfair to all of them. I actually think Sei's partner has the shortest end of this stick thus far, but that's a different discussion.

The partners of our leads are caring. They cook for our leads. They clean up for our leads. They are kind. But they offer companionship, not sex. This makes them "cruel". It's cruel to be kind.

Our leads actually have only shown minimal considerations towards their partner. Sei sprayed perfume and Hiragawa goes to his girlfriend's social events, but they aren't the ones doing the major acts of service. The have mainly shown care to each other, not their partners. And they mainly want sex (and intimacy, but...the dialogue keeps saying sex) from their partners. In most other shows, our leads would be the "bad guy". The boyfriend who is obsessed with sex and has you do all of the work. But this show is clearly demonstrating that while romance may be in the little things, the little things cannot fill the empty hole. And it's okay to want that hole to be filled.

The characterization of our main leads has flipped as well. The initial setup in episode one depicted Hagiwara as a bit of a bumbling oaf. He sent an email to the wrong address. He forgot to pick up his ID card. Sei, on the other hand, was initially portrayed as the fastidious one handling a business need and admonishing Hagiwara for wearing an id tag that wasn't company issued.

But we have learned that those were false impressions. Hagiwara is good at his job. It's made clear that he's good at planning the company outings. He's good at sales. He's the responsible one gathering and returning the umbrellas. He's the "picky" one at the grill making sure the grilling is done correctly. Sei is the one who stands in the rain and acts a mess. We now know he likely reacted to the id tag because of his complex feelings about who designed it, not because he actually cared about the rules. It's an interesting switch up.

There's also some interesting flips in that Hagiwara is a gregarious guy who talks a lot (he's in sales after all). He not only goes to social events on the regular, he plans them. But he never says what he actually wants. That characterization is more common, but it's still an interesting dichotomy. He is tumblr - only saying his deepest thoughts when writing to a stranger.

Meanwhile, Sei says exactly what he wants. The man is crude and rude, but he's also open with his thoughts. Many taciturn, loner characters are blunt, but few are as open as Sei. He just lays it all out on the table. I wish I could catch the linguistics of Japanese to know if he's actually using rude speech patterns as well, but that's outside of my skillset.

Being a prickly porcupine, Sei is used to people being put off by him. He said earlier that he wasn't nice. And he's not. But we still LIKE him and we still FEEL for him. And that's incredibly difficult to pull off in a show that clocks episodes in at under 25 minutes.

Sei fully expected that Higawara would back off and only give him courtesy greetings once he found out his identity. His friend from college did just that this episode. A few courtesy greetings followed by "Oh you don't have LINE. Guess we won't talk then. Bye." Fujisawa is the only one that seems to have put up with his personality. But Higawara, as bad as he is at expressing his own thoughts, feels comfortable with Sei. He keeps reaching out. He reached out through e-mail. He reached out with an umbrella. He reached out with an invite to treat Sei for helping. He reached out with a dinner invite. And unlike his partner, Sei responds.

For Sei, whose desire to talk keeps getting shut down by his partner, this invitation explicitly to talk is a lifeline. He always responds, taking any hint of Hiragawa reaching out to initiate an entire, probably way-too-honest conversation. After all, the hole is deep.

By the end of the episode, Hagiwara has fully descended into the underground thanks to our pregnant friend spilling the tea. In a bright environment with a lot of light no less (enlightenment I dare say?). He's reaches out to his partner in a final attempt and gets shut down. So he reaches out to Sei. And, Sei does what he always does. He responds. He welcomes someone joining him in the underground. At the end of the day, they both crave the intimacy this connection is providing. But as the storm glass predicts....rain is coming.

Takara has not only liked Taishin from the start, he has been possessive and obsessive from the start. Rewind to episode 1, and see the face he makes when he sees Taishin make his first uni friends. This isn't the face of a senpai looking at a cute but naive kouhai who likes him find his footing after following his advice, and warming up to him. This is the face a man who is upset--because he feels irrational jealousy.

Takara knows that obsession and possessiveness would lead him to treat others like objects--because that is how his own mother treated him and his father. When the compulsion comes, people are reduced to obstacles or instruments, or to treasures to be displayed or possessed. It is one thing to collect marbles for over a decade, to have a life-long obsession with mountains or to always seek the same meal he never gets tired of eating--but now that what he wants is a person, he knows how much harm he can do, especially to a trusting, naive and already-enamoured person like Taishin.

So, what does he do? He sets safeguards for his impulses. The most obvious was that he set himself the strict rule that he would only allow himself to pursue Taishin if Taishin explicitly asked out him out first. It's not enough that Taishin's crush is clear for everyone to see, it's not even enough for Taishin to confess. Takara has to wait for the specific words, and once that restraint is lifted, he cannot wait a single second before kissing him.

However, the series shows us that Takara had set other rules for himself prior to this; how he decided not to encourage Taishin's affections by seeming aloof, to ensure he wouldn't 'influence' Taishin into wanting to date him; how he refused to set foot inside of Taishin's apartment because he did not trust his self-control; how he he wouldn't call or text first, despite responding immediately whenever Taishin did; how he went to events just because he knew Taishin will be there, but won't allow himself to just ask Taishin to spend time together before they start dating even though Taishin would clearly be happy to; etc.

In a sense, he over-corrects because of his baggage. That being said, it's not entirely unfounded. Takara knows his own charms and the effect he has on people, and he is well-aware that Taishin is naive, young, and trusting. How easy it would have been for him to make a move on him in the tent after the first climb, to follow and stay with him at all times, and to mold and shape Taishin into a kept treasure away from others. He unfortunately is able to recognise himself in some of the impulses of the creepy stalker uncle.

At the same time, his self-restraint has limits: if Taishin willingly comes to him, he will allow himself to have what he wants even if aware he might end up harming Taishin.

Thankfully, we also come to know that, unlike his mother, Takara is kind and caring. Takara has experienced the hurt that comes with being treated as an object rather than a person with needs and feelings by someone who was supposed to love and care for him. He does not want to be treated by others the way his mother treated him, and he does not want to treat others the same. It's clear that this is part of the reason he has avoided romantic relationships despite being so popular. He does not trust himself and his impulses.

And falling for Taishin is the biggest test of his self-restraint, since the only safeguard in this relationship is Takara himself--Taishin is too innocent to realise the darker intentions and obsessions of others, or to know how to set boundaries.

Delico's nursery “With our blood and pride, let’s show that we can fulfill our mission and take care of children!”