#caged again

Lately it's Winter Season

"Do panthers like it when they do this?"

Like proper Ann Radcliffe romantic gothic? Because that is a PULL. But okay let us delve into...

the origin of genre tropes

and have us a BL party

10 Gothic BLs

Lemme cobble together our tropes: setting as character, portentous omens, inescapable fate, oracle, the weather has feels, decaying mansion, Byronic hero, damsel in distress, and the supernatural.

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Thai 2023 Gaga ) - IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework. It's about a gay man from our time who falls into the past, becomes a servant to a noble house, and falls in love with the heir. It turns out this has all happened several times before. My full feels detailed here

Khemjira (Thai 2025 iQIYI) - The story of a boy laboring under a curse, haunted by ghosts and demons, who’s family, friends, and (eventual) lover all try to help him via spiritual and physical means. While very much a horror BL (not my genre), I’m very glad that I gave this a chance. This is a diaphanous magical BL of the kind that only really comes along once a year these days with otherworldly beauty, stylish NC scenes, cultural relevancy, and elegant execution and impact. Full review.

Manner of Death (Thai 2021 WeTV) - A smoldering muscle boy murderY gay romantic suspense series with added cactus baby. Doctor & Mafia boy can't keep hands off each other, so also end up with chili plant baby. Am I making sense? No? Well neither does it, but ho boy is it fund to watch MaxTul do… whatever it is they're doing. Watch along here.

After Sundown (Thai 2023 YT) - Phloeng and Rawee enter into an arranged marriage for confusing prophetic reasons. Twists of fate demand that they solve the mystery of a past that is haunting Phloeng's family and harming Rawee. Honestly, it makes no actual sense, but it's kinda historical, and very pretty, so I enjoyed it more than I should.

Stay By My Side (Taiwan 2023 Viki) - About a boy who is tormented by hearing the dead, except when he is around one other boy - desperation+proximity = love.

Caged Again (Thai 2025 WeTV) - A sweet and innocent show with an absurd premise = sunshine penguin + grumpy panther become human boys and fall in love.

Goddess Bless You from Death (Thai 2026 iQIYI) - To catch a serial murderer, a psychic temple kid teams up with a cop and they fall in love. This show is full of gruesome jump-scare horror combined with a serial killer suspense thriller plot.

Dear Doctor, I'm Coming for Your Soul (Thai 2022 7 iQIYI) - This is a romance between a doctor trying to save his patients and a reaper who is both his enemy and (eventual) lover (basically the genius premise of a gay Doom at Your Service). Full Review here.

Ghost Host Ghost House (Thai 2022 YT) - Boys shack up with ghosts and each other, revelations occur. This is light horror combined with family drama built around a well executed BL romance that felt honestly queer with fantastic chemistry from the lead pair. (This was the first one I thought of when you made your request and probably has the most Gothic tropes in it.)

He's Coming to Me (Thai 2019 YT) - Boy and ghost boy fall in love, must solve ghost’s murder. This is a seriously slept on early GMMTV gem of a show.

Some Weird Pulls

but I could maybe make a case based on mood and vibes

Blueming (Korea 2022 iQIYI) - It’s a tiny bit dark and a tiny bit bittersweet, almost too honest to a university experience and first love (for BL), but if you want your mind ever-so-slightly messed with and your intimacy hellishly sweet, this BL will do it for you in a coldly distant manner, while bitch slapping you with self worth issues. Full review

The Eighth Sense (Korea 2023 Viki) - This is one of the few KBLs that feels more atmospheric gay coming of age romance than strictly BL. It’s got a bit of an age gap, country boy/city boy, stellar acting, complex characters, and leads with great chemistry and tension. It’s a bit chewy and sticky and less perfect than most KBLs.

ABO Desire (China 2025 Gaga) - About a boy who falls in love right before he manifests as an enigma (secret extra-special tippy-top of food chain) and then obsessively stalks/courts the object of his devotion though means both fair and foul (mostly foul). There's a Heathcliffness to our lead that's less distructive than your average Byronic jerkface but I'll fight you about it. Massive diatribe here.

The Eclipse (Thai 2022 YT) - We got a nuanced and multifaceted burgeoning relationship: philosophical (and socio-political) conflict contrasted to moments of empathy; flirtation contrasted to moments of genuine affection, plus plenty of angst.

My Stand-In (Thai 2024 iQIYI) - Stuntman Joe dies on the job and wakes up in the body of another Joe with an entirely different life. But Joe just starts repeating the mistakes of his previous self - love, work, play.

"Sun, do you know if you had me as your partner, you'd probably get bored of me? Because I'd stick to you and never leave your side."

Caged Again (2024) dir. Potae Anusara Korsamphan Episode 8

As I have in the past several years, I'll be participating again in Fandom Trumps Hate, a fanworks auction to support progressive nonprofit organizations. It's a great event that helps raise funds for groups working on a variety of issues, from environmental causes to LGBTQ rights to defending democracy. High bidders get to choose which organization(s) to donate to (see the list of 2026's supported orgs here), and in return receive a fic from me as a thank-you gift.

I'm offering three auctions this year:

A fic of under 5k in Ace Attorney, Haikyuu, or any fandom I've written for previously (other than HP or ASOIAF), up to E rating, minimum bid $5. Listing for Auction #1 here

A fic of 5-10k in MXTX fandoms (SVSSS, MDZS, or TGCF), Mysterious Lotus Casebook, or Thai BL (Kinnporsche, Meet You At the Blossom, 4 Minutes, 3 Will Be Free, Caged Again), up to E rating, minimum bid $10. Listing for Auction #2 here

A fic of under 5k in Jujutsu Kaisen, Dr. Stone, or any fandom I've written for previously (other than HP or ASOIAF), up to E rating, minimum bid $5. Listing for Auction #3 here

Here are some reviews from high bidders I've worked with in the past:

"This hits so many of my likes and is super compelling and well written :D Overall I love how this fic weaves together crunchy and compelling characterization with very hot smut--together, those are my catnip."

"You did such a beautiful job of bring the emotional and psychological side together with the hotness. I feel like you really saw the vision I was dreaming of."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! This was sweet and sexy; funny and heartfelt, such a joy to read!"

"This is probably the best fic I've ever received, I love it so much!!! Above all else. it's really great to see smut that is not only hot as hell but also does double-duty as character development and furthering the story, I don't know how you do it Nary! This is definitely getting downloaded to my e-reader so I can have it with me everywhere I go."

The full list of fandoms I've written before is way too long to include here, as it is over 170 fandoms long! To give just a small sampling other than the specific fandoms mentioned above, it includes SK8 the Infinity, Mob Psycho 100, Hades, Dungeon Meshi, Fullmetal Alchemist, The Apothecary Diaries, Spy x Family, Cherry Magic, The Summer Hikaru Died, Yuri on Ice, The Locked Tomb, various books by KJ Charles, and Heated Rivalry. You can view the full list here.

If you have questions about whether I could do what you're interested in, please feel free to message me here on Tumblr and ask! I would love to work with you to create the smut fic of your dreams! Or if you just have any questions about how bidding works or anything, I'm happy to help.

Bidding opens on March 3rd at 8am ET and closes on March 7th at 8pm ET!