#moonchildridden answer

I’ve been dying to read more fics about Sky meeting Pai’s family. Did he meet them on the morning during breakfast while everyone acted as if he has always been a part of the family and not someone who randomly appeared at their house one night? Or did Sky try to sneak out because he was worried he would leave a bad impression on Pai’s family if he met them now and worked himself into a panic? What else was going on at the Pai household around the time of the end credit scene where Sky sees the family portrait and recognizes the uncle? How did his day to day look like once he moved in with Pai’s family and had to adjust to being pampered 24/7? Did Pai go to meet Sky’s dad at some point after the last episode to ask if Sky could stay with his family and to essentially introduce himself as his future son in law?

I need to domestic PrapaiSky like I need air 😭

PROMPT ALERT!!!

Are there any other major or interesting changes that you recall? And would you say that the book is more or less political or anti-authoritarian than the show? Or about the same level, or differ in another way? Thank you!

No problem, this is why we are all here, to share knowledge, so you can ask away and if I can answer, I will :)

Ok, changes are too many so I will display them through "novel - series" explanation:

1 - Both in the novel and the series, Black and White were separated after their parents divorced and each stayed with one parent, Black with their mom and White with their dad. However, the reason why Black and their mom do not get along is not because of different political views or anything but (if I recall correctly) because his mom used to make debts with other people and Black was the one responsible to pay them back.

2 - In the series, Black gets into a coma after being beat up and only wakes up weeks later. In the novel, Black is fairly fine, fine enough to flirt with the nurses taking care of him and even move around his hospital room. He was kept there for observation but his medical state was not as serious as it is in the series.

3 - The novel is your typical wattpad story, in terms of storytelling, character development, progression, transitions, stuff like that (I am a wattpad writer, but I'm using "typical wattpad story" here to talk about the type of stories that gave wattpad its infamous reputation) and even how it navigates certain subjects. There are a few non-con/dub-con" sex scenes in there and SeanWhite's first time happens while they are both drunk (or one of them is drunk, I don't remember very well), but in the end, your typical wattpad story.

4 - Tawi, the trama involving Sean's dad (which includes Dan), Dan himself and his relationship with Yok, Eugene, Nuch, Gumpa, the sour relationship between Black and Todd, basically everything political or authoritarian related are exclusive to the series. Anucha basically only took the name of the novel, the names of the characters, the central plot (that was White getting into the gang in place of Black) and created a whole different story with it.

5 - The story about GramBlack is a bit more complicated that them just being canon in the novel. Gram and Black met first before Black met the rest of the gang and even then Gram was in love with Black and Black had some “lingering” feelings for Gram but just decided to shrug it off. That’s actually one of the reasons both of them are the closest in the gang.

6 - In the novel Sean knew Black had a twin brother and they had already met before but White forgot about that because he was involved in a car accident and the trauma made him forget a few things related to the accident or something like that (the novel was a mess in terms of explanations). And that same accident is the main reason Black hates Sean (in the series, the hate is mutual but in the novel is one-sided).

7 - The reason Black hates Sean because of the accident is related to the fact that he is schizophrenic and when he saw the accident, he thought that Sean had pushed White to the road. The problem with this fact is that it was only revealed in the last chapter of the novel or something like that, and nothing during the novel made it seem like Black had a mental illness; it was just Black hates Sean -> Black hates Sean because he saw Sean push White to the road and that caused White to be involved in an accident -> Black hates Sean but he was wrong about Sean because it was in fact Gram that pushed White and Gram was joking with White -> Black has schizophrenia and that’s why he made up that confusion, and things ended up going like that.

Like I said, a mess.

8 - The reason Black got beat up was because of one of his mom’s debt, not because of Todd.

9 - This is just TMI but the author made SeanWhite have sex in Sean’s room, while GramBlack were having sex in the living room and then made Gram watch SeanWhite be lovey dovey and guess why “Black” was acting like nothing had happened between them and why was Sean was going around saying that he was the one that had sex with “Black”. Black basically went there, had sex with Gram and then dipped like the jerk he was.

10 - Sean knew all along that White was not Black and decided not to tell anyone about that, for whatever reason.

I think those are the major differences between the novel and the show and, having read the novel, I guarantee you that Anucha did a much better job with the plot and the potential the plot had than the novel author. Seriously, when I saw Not Me’s mock trailer, I got super excited with the story and went after the novel, just to be met with an almost sloppy story that could’ve been so much more than it was. Basically, the series is better than the novel.

Listen, listen, listen. Every picture that comes out of this event feels like a dream because witnessing FortPeat dealing with each other today was a test of resistance that I was NOT ready to have.

Now...THE FIRST PICTURE???? THAT INTENSE STARE??? IF HE LOOKED AT ME LIKE THAT I WOULD'VE FREEZE IN THE SPOT AND JUST FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM RIGHT THERE BECAUSE I HAVE NO CONTROL WHEN PEOPLE DO THAT, I JUST DON'T. AND TO WATCH FORT SMILE, WHILE STILL LOOKING AT PEAT, WHY DON'T THEY JUST TOSS ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND WATCH A CAR PASS OVER ME, INSTEAD OF HURTING ME LIKE THIS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Yeah...about that...it was definitely deliberate. I was expecting to see some mention of a slight drama, a scene view from a distant perspective, to show that things were about to go down and, instead, I got sweetness, fluffiness, cuteness and knowing the amount of emotional baggage we still need to go through, it makes me think that they are doing this just to lure us into a false sense of security.

Hey love, my day is going fine, and I hope yours as well. So...this question took me a while to get an answer because my top 5 changes a bit after I watch some series and it's difficult for me to get a definitive and solid set of series that I would kill to watch again and again, non stop. But I got it...I guess (this is for series that already finished airing and based on some that are still airing and I really like it, this list can change at any moment)

5. Bad Buddy

Enemies to lovers? Slow burn? Mutual pining? Angst? Pain and suffering? Bad Buddy provided me with that in a good amount and even doubled a bit in some of those aspects for good measure just to make me suffer a bit. Granted, the novel had more of angst than the series, but it got angst nonetheless and I LOVED IT!

Emotionally constipated characters like Pran are a very truthful representation of how I am in real life and how difficult it is for me to navigate in personal relationships without overthinking to the point of freaking out when something actually happens (episode 5, specially the rooftop scene, was one of my favorite episodes of the series, because of the amount of feelings it managed to pour in those two characters. I even wrote something in Pran's POV of the kiss, and it hurts me to read til this day)

Also, the OST was absolute fire and Nanon (one of my bl boy) was in it, so I was sold.

4. Manner of Death

I don't usually talk about my favorite midia but if there is something that I adore in story genre is police investigation, murder and suspense. Give me a good mystery to solve, good places puzzles to put in place, dubious characters and I will follow you into the dark like a character in a horror movie. Even if MaxTul weren't the actors portraying the protagonists of the story, I would've watched because Sammon is a good writer and I really enjoy her stories.

This story also gave me mutual pining (TanBun really wanted to get on each other but we're simply repressing themselves, Bun more than Tan, for obvious reasons), fire chemistry, a spoon of angst (I really love to suffer, I know), swiftly adopted son (Sorawit is TanBun's child and I won't accept contrary opinions on that) and a happy ever after (or a happy for now, because we really want "Transplant", the continuation of MoD, to be adapted as a series and the chances are getting higher by the minute).

3. Vice Versa

Stories with supernatural/fantastical aspects have me by the neck, let's start with that. So, when I heard there was a series with parallel universes involved, my interest got picked immediately and I waited to see what I was going to be served (JittiRain, just like MAME, has a reputation of starting well her stories but midway do something that would ruin one or both characters, or even be sus the entire story), considering that I had liked two series based on her novels (2gether and Theory of Love). PuenTalay became my babies the second they met on that airport bathroom. Literally a soulmate meeting.

Another emotionally constipated character in the form of, well, both of them, in various degrees, and two people with an absurd will to love but not having the chance to explore the way they can really love until they are forced to spend time in a different universe than theirs, searching for a way to go back. It was so beautiful to see Puen have a chance to be himself, even if it was in somebody else's body, explore more his interests, gain friends, a family, learn how to express himself, how to pursue something he really wants and how to fight for what he wants; Talay, my sweet boy, someone who also wanted to love but his life was constantly in a blue color mood, only focusing on work because his love life was empty and no one seemed to get his attention, learned how to let go and just enjoy life for the simple things it can offer.

Both of them had an incredible growth, learned how to deal with their insecurities, how to lean on other people when they have a problem, how good it can be to let other person paint your life in a different color. "And now he paints my life pink forever" line, you'll always be famous.

2. Triage

Another Sammon work being adapted into a series (when I say that woman has me in a chokehold, I'm not joking. And when I say that stories with supernatural/fantastical elements also has me in a chokehold, I'm definitely not kidding. This time, were going time loop.

It took is almost three full years to have this series airing, and while some people had already lost all hope of seeing that happening, I kept waiting for it, because TaeTee really wanted to star in this series. And the wait was reeeeeeeeealy worth it.

Granted, there are a lot of differences between the source material and the series, mainly all the story surrounding the human organ trafficking stuff, that wasn't exactly on the novel. The novel focused on piecing together the reason Tin was involved with Tol, what was their relationship and why he was the only only being tasked with saving that boy from dying, over and over again. Seeing the disastrous attempts from Tin to approach Told and warn him about his death, starting from directly telling him that he was going to die (too straightforward, my friend, are you insane?) to make Tol break up with his girlfriend and fall in love with him, so he could save him (very weird plan, my guy) and how things slowly unfold between them was something that I enjoyed reading and watching, and would love to forget everything so I could experience the feelings I had while watching it for the first time.

1. Love In The Air

At this point, are we even surprised with this?

Seriously, I didn't even wanted to watch this series (MAME and her reputation have the power to push away potential viewers in the speed of light, I'm a living proof of that) and was going to let this one pass but then I decided to watch the first episode and see how things would turn out. Not gonna lie, I'm glad I decided to watch the first episode the day it came out.

Payu grabbed my attention with his long hair in a ponytail and his Daddy vibe. Prapai decided to step in and whistle, and I was sold. Rain was my baby himbo, so innocent and fragile that I wanted to keep him wrapped in bubble plastic and never let him go anywhere. Sky called to me because I, unknowingly, saw myself in him. PayuRain and PrapaiSky are literally two sides of the type of relationship I would like to have: as someone with a fairly long lost of kinks, having someone who not only understands but also encourages the exploration of said kinks and the possible discover of many others, Payu is the type of person I would like to have by my side, someone who's secure and stable in their skin, knows how to live their live and has a heart of gold (also because I can be bratty sometimes, give a brat tamer, I would love to push their buttons, just for the kicks. And as someone who is a trauma holder, Prapai is the embodiment of the idea that I would find someone who would understand my pain, my hesitation and my fears and, instead of forcing me to overcome them while I'm not exactly ready, would be by my side every step of the way, being a safe haven, reminding me that I did not deserve what happened to me and that I'm not a broken person or undesirable.

I love how they are so fundamentally different but manages to win my heart in a way that not many couples did and I continue to love them even more everyday. It doesn't matter if my heart leans more towards PrapaiSky (again, trauma holder here, it was bound to happen), I will always carry my weather boys in my heart until the day I die.

I know you only asked for my top 5 but every time I think about my favorite BL series, there is this one series that even if it's not on the top, will always be the favorite amongst all favorite, not only because it was my first bl but also because the amount of identification aspects I found in one of its characters really hooked me and till this day, I smile every time I think about it. So, a honorable mention:

SOTUS/SOTUS S

Many people have various opinions about this one, about a lot of things, but what makes this particular story stick out to me is the fact that Arthit's self discovery journey felt a lot like my own journey, down to a T (or almost down to a T). How he never really thought about it, used to make jokes about queerness but was really not homophobic, how he was "forced" to deal with it by having Kongpop kick his way into his life, the brief "enemies/haters to lovers" thing going on between them, the pining, the leap of faith, the doubts, them trying this new relationship to both of them (I have a headcanon that Kongpop is demissexual but that's not the point here), and how the support of their friends was really important.

And that's just SOTUS. The second season (one of the few early series that didn't have a cheating plot on the second season or a breakup in the penultimate episode of the first season) tackled the transition from the University life, a controlled environment, to the working world, where your life and what you do in it affect more than it is supposed to, how we need to constantly come out to other people, the development of their relationship, how being outed affects your life, your head, the way you react to the situation, how society becomes more judgemental the older you get, how they managed to overcome that; the side stories where one of my favorite things in SOTUS S, and gave us a more in-depth look into their private life, how they were managing that new stage in their lives, how their love continued to grow.

Don't get me started on their episode in Our Skyy, because I cried like a bitch when I watched the first time (without subtitles, because it was a LINE TV production, that primarily only distributed that in Thailand), and then with subtitles because it was so good. Being a couple that has to maintain their relationship at distance is not something I would like to see anyone go through (been there, done that) and when Arthit cried while talking with Kongpop about it...it broke my heart. Fortunately, everything got ok in the end, and my heart was healed.

Well, there you have it. It was really difficult to get to this definitive top 5, when I could rant about so many series, but these are the ones that really managed to grab my heart, tie it into a chair and don't let go. It got longer than I intended but what to expect from someone who got known here by making analysis and theories posts, right?

Sidenote: Now I can hope for ToruFirst happy ending. And I get the feeling that all of the couples will have a happy ending. Which I don't mind. Show all the dirt of industry and let the characters have their happiness. We win because we learn what really is going behind the cameras and the characters win because they can smile at the end.

I just finished watching the episode and I'm full of adrenaline running through my body, so I think this answer will be a bit long ;)

Well, more than anything, I am happy that NottPun got their happy ending, because it was not what I was expecting, at least not in the way that it was presented to us. I was expecting, in the best chance possible, a hint that would indicate that they could end up together in the future, considering the NottFang stuff that happened, Nott still being signed to TTV, Pun needing to heal and stuff like that, and how everything that had happened almost drove Pun to the brink of ending his life.

Those feelings are not something that go away easily. I know that.

We can all agree that Pun, first and foremost, needs to give himself space to heal, to leave the mentality that he's not worthy of love, that he needs to be angry all the time and that he needs to keep his walls up until the day he dies. And the journey to healing takes time, it reopens wounds that we think we're already healed, makes us face our deepest fears and the worst thoughts our minds can create. And a SA survivor would have even more onto their plate to deal with, into starting to believe that whatever happened to them was not their fault and that they are not tainted, that they can be vulnerable again to someone they really care about and that our boundaries should always be respected.

And the finale gave him exactly that. Gave him space to face his demons, understand that he was abused by his former manager, that his trust was manipulated to other's personal gains and that he had the right to seek compensation (in this case, seeing the person, or one of the people, that put him through that, being exposed for their crimes, instead of continuing to do to others what was done to him) and could use his experience to avoid others of falling into the same rabbit hole, at the same time that he could put to rest a part of him that was screaming to be heard, to be free. It also gave him the power to decide how he was going to deal with the things that had happened to him, and the option to move on without being forced to be "the bigger person" and forgive his abusers; we can heal and at the same time not give our abusers a rest bed that a forgiveness would give them.

As long as we forgive ourselves, the rest is a matter of perspective. Pun got to that conclusion and that was the starting point of his healing journey, the one that was right for him.

I'm pretty sure the ending felt anticlimactic for mainly two reasons:

1. It was a bit rushed, because it tried to tie a lot of loose ends at the same time and made things look a bit cartoon-ish. We had like the revelation that Koon was going out of her way doing couch castings to literal teenagers in exchange for an opportunity to be put inside the industry, that Pharaoh was her little helper, that all the money Pun was supposed to have received from all the dinners he was forced to attend because Koon said it would be good to him stayed with Koon and Pun didn't even see a dime of it, that Song was not as innocent as he seemed to be, that Candy was seeking informations about NottPun to news outlet, and also that Tai helped Pun get the revenge he needed. It was a LOT of information being dumped at us in under 50 minutes and the way it was segmented made it seem rushed.

2. We did not see how NottPun fixed all the issues that aroused after their reunion in episode 4. How did Pun got past the fact that Nott slept with Fang, one time or not? After they finished filming Mafia Baby's s2, how was their relationship? Did they kept contact with one another? Was Nott keeping an eye on Pun from the distance? Was Pun keeping an eye on Nott from the distance? Did Nott told Pun what his manager had done? All we got was NottPun fighting in the beginning, the three month time skip, them not talking with each other, even if Nott was showed sending him messages, Pun acting again and then the news that NottPun were in fact together; a lot of information were lost between those moments and it makes the story, that had been neatly tight feel sloppy and lazily written.

It's like the screenwriting team did not had the time or inspiration to fill in between the gaps and just tossed that task to us, believing that we would be able to do it. Because, seriously, Pun kneed Nott in the dick after finding out that he had slept with Fang and you guys are not going to show us how they resolved that?!

Their story needed more gut-wrenched moments between NottPun, because they needed to purge everything that was bad between them, tear down the bridge that was connecting them and built another one in its place, a more solid one, and have a very painful but sincere conversation about everything that had happened and what was their plans moving forward. Maybe they used NueaToh's ending in Mafia Baby as a way of giving NottPun a sense of closing of a painful chapter and to lay the ground to a possible beginning of another one but that could've been more laid more obviously, instead of having to be inferred; I mean, when Toh said "why does it had to be you? Why do you have to be mean to me?" and Nuea simply said "I'm sorry", we could view that as a parallel to all the times Nott said that he would never be mean to Pun, something that he actually did, even if unintentionally, because there are things that Nott did that Pun could've interpreted as Nott being mean to him,betraying his trust and his love.

Maybe that's why they decided to give NueaToh a sad ending and NottPun a happy one, to show the contrast between them. Because, even if Nott did something mean to Pun, there was more space for Pun to see past that and see a future with Nott, something that could not be the case with NueaToh (this is me trying to see something in here, because without having an information about Mafia Baby's plot is very difficult to actually assert something about that series).

I also think that all the other couples will have a happy ending, although the plot of the series revolving around realistic and sometimes heavy themes. As a writer myself, it took me sometime to understand that being realistic is not automatically a closed door in the face of a happy ending, because we all know that we should take all the wins when we get them, no matter how small. Realistic endings can also be happy endings, provided well explained and justified, otherwise it will just look like the writer did not took the time to actually think the story through and slapped a happy ending just to make people satisfied.