#ql stuff

You, as a queer man, might be okay with that, but I have far too much pride and love for my homosexuality to let women practically claim every depiction we've ever had.

In this echo chamber you people have in the BL fandom, you might all agree with each other, but I know, from being in gay men's reddit and other spaces, that the genre is seen as Other. And the only people who get to decide what is or isn't queer male art are queer males. Not the majority of the BL fandom (women).

Thank you, goodnight. I'm off to watch Desire and live in fantasy land for 40 minutes lmaoooo

hello again. good to know you're at least honest about being a pretentious asshole who hates women. you do you i guess.

there are so many things wrong with your statements i don't even know where to start. bl isn't made "for women by women" even if the holy reddit page states so. there are so many people working in the bl industry who are openly queer and have talked about using bl as a vehicle to communicate about their own experiences (p'aof, p'jojo, p'nunew, p'golf tanwarin, just to name a few).

also, incidentally, i do not know a single straight woman who is in the bl fandom on here. i'm sure that one of them exists somewhere, but my feed is full of queer people watching and loving these shows because they were made for us.

oh and also, implying that women never have anything valuable to add to an art form just because they're women is plain old misogyny. there are a lot of female bl creators who i have MASSIVE respect for and whose art speaks to me in profound ways.

maurice and queer as folk are not boys love because, as i stated in my original answer, boys love is a marketing category. maurice and queer as folk were not made with a bl audience in mind and not marketed as such and so, they are not bl in my opinion. however, just because of the derogatory way you talk about bl (a genre which i love, which has helped me more than anything else to explore my own queerness and my own existence as a queer man, even if you might find that hard to believe), i want to say that yes, they're all bl now, just to piss you off.

look, if you can't find anything to enjoy in mainstream bl, no one is forcing you to watch it. it's literally fine if it doesn't spark joy for you. but to then get up on a high horse and say that no queer man could ever find meaning and validation in bl just because you personally don't like it is beyond absurd. i personally love the silly comedies, i love the university romances, i love the soapy lakorn style bls, i love everything you despise. and my queer male experience is just as valid as yours.

a couple of days ago, i saw a post bemoaning that "the older one is always the seme in bl", and while i unfortunately can't find that post again, i still wanted to write up a little list of references to refute this claim. while it does happen often that the older character is automatically the seme, there are some notable (and in many cases commercially extremely successful, just in case anyone's going to argue that people don't watch this kind of stuff!) exceptions.

i only chose shows where the age gap is explicit either in the narrative or in how the characters address each other (as in, the seme consistently addresses the uke as "phi" throughout the show).

Pit Babe

i put this one first simply because it's probably the most well-known example. who could forget our adorable puppy dog charlie and his older muscle uke p'babe? this show said fuck them stereotypes and made charlie a rather aggressive domtop despite his meek personality out of the bedroom.

ThamePo

this is another extremely commercially successful and well-known show. the name of the show already spells out the seme-uke order for us, yet thame consistently calls his love interest "p'po".

Love Sea

this is probably the biggest age gap of the bunch, tongrak and mahasamut have almost 10 years of age difference between them. this is also an example where the characters never use phi in conversation, neither as a form of address nor as a pronoun for oneself, but their age difference is incredibly important to the narrative of the story and does come up over and over again.

My Stand-In

oh ming and his p'joe. here, not only did they consistently use phi, but joe being the bottom was iconically plot-relevant. and plot-twist-relevant. the entire story basically hinged on that prostate orgasm induced sneeze.

Jack & Joker

technically, these two might be verse? at least it was implied? but in the nc scene we did see, jack asked to be on top, so i'm including it here. this is another one where they never really used phi in conversation (except in episode 1 if i'm not mistaken), but jack being younger was very important to their initial meeting and everything that followed from it, which just happened to shape the entire narrative.

Love Alert

this one is a bit of an obscure example, but i love this show, so i'm going to include it. toh was a stereotypical uke in everything but the fact that he was several years older than jim and had his own business while jim was still a uni student. jim even called himself by his own name whenever he was with toh, which is such a cutesy way to refer to himself that this is the first and to this day only case i have ever seen of a seme doing that.

i was tagged ages ago by @maybe-boys-do-love here and by @embersinthefirelight here! thank you both for tagging me 🥰

Rules: The rasas are South Asian aesthetic categories that remain influential in the region's dramas and art (read more on the wikipedia article here). Literally, it's the dominant “flavor” of a work or performance. For the game, pick a pair that represents each rasa to you. You can choose whether you want to do CP pairings or just characters. No need to explain unless you feel like it. Then tag 5 friends to find out their flavors of love.

1. Sringara (शृङ्गारः): Romance, Love, Beauty, Eroticism

nothing, and i mean nothing, has come close to this scene in terms of beauty and eroticism. it's still my favorite intimate scene of all time.

2. Hasya (हास्यं): Laughter, Mirth, Comedy

i've had ohmpoon as a side couple for one show but if anything happened to them i would kill everyone in this room and then myself. they truly were a revelation. poon keeps bringing out the best in his acting partners!

3. Raudram (रौद्रं): Fury, Anger

a lot of vengeful ghost characters fit well into this category, but kwan's anger truly hit on a different level. i think she should be allowed her violent revenge, as a treat. i know the tag game rules said couples but i'm going to bend the rules a bit to include individuals 😌

4. Karuṇā (करुणा): Compassion, Mercy, Spiritual Longing, Sorrow

i read this combination of words and immediately went, oh, yeah, yinwar. spiritual longing, compassion, mercy and sorrow is basically their bread and butter.

5. Bībhatsa (बीभत्सं): Disgust, Aversion, Repulsion

non was the first character i thought of, simply because basically all of what happens to him is deeply and viscerally repulsive.

6. Bhayanaka (भयानकं): Horror, Terror, Overwhelm

yeah that's vergaspete, not even a question about it. sorry not sorry. they are always in my heart.

7. Vīram (वीरं): Heroism, Energy, Adventure

keen and thun really embody this one for me.

8. Adbhutam (अद्भुतं): Awe, Wonder, Amazement

nobody does awe, wonder and amazement like net siraphop. that look in his eyes!! damn 😵‍💫

9. Santam (शान्तरस): Peace, Tranquility, Calm

quite a few dmd couples came to mind for this category, because in a lot of dmd shows you really get the feeling that two characters are finding peace in each other (khemjira, duang with you, love upon a time, etc). however, muenfah and teerak are probably the strongest example, since they're both very calm characters to begin with.

this was fun! i've seen so many people playing this game already so just ignore the tag if you've already done it! i'm tagging @befuddledcinnamonroll @gay-wrongs-activist @buckystilinski @tanrak @moonverus 😘

another year has passed, and i am continuing my tradition of writing up a retrospective of my ql highlights. as always, only shows that finished airing this year are eligible!

this year had so many highlights that i decided to split up the "best show" category into several subcategories because i honestly couldn't decide.

Best GL

this might come as a surprise, but despite the stiff competition, i'm giving this title to pluto. this show qualified for my 2025 retrospective only because its final episode aired in january, and nothing else has managed to beat it! i just love the unapologetic soapy-ness of this show and the sensual chemistry of namtan and film.

Best GMMTV BL

my magic prophecy has this one in the bag: this show was a 10/10 from start to finish, it was amazingly written and had some absolutely SUPERB acting; after the disappointing offers of 2024 i was really happy to see gmmtv bouncing back in such spectacular fashion! also, this show had the cutest kiss of all time 🥹

Best Action BL

oh, knock out, you were a knock out. here's what i wrote in my notes: it's fucking insane it's so compelling it's so good SO WELL-WRITTEN oh my god ALSO THE BDSM IN THE SPECIAL EPISODE IS SO IMPORTANT TO MEEEE 😭😭❤️❤️ this show was gripping, incredibly well-made, had some of this year's most memorable sex scenes, and on top of that, the mawinitt storyline was one of my favorite side couple stories of the year.

Best Historical BL

another category with a hell of a lot of competition, but one show stood out from the rest: love in the moonlight. this show had me by the throat week after week, i literally cried, the acting was next level and when sasin and saenkaew finally got their happy ending after all the torment, it was both a profound relief and incredibly sad—i would have wanted to be tortured by this show even longer. it hurt soooo good.

Most Rewatchable Show

i am giving this title to the show that i have already rewatched about 3 times this year alone: perfect 10 liners. every time i finish a rewatch i immediately want to start yet another rewatch. this show is everything to me: fluffy but with substance, characters who are Adorable but who aren't cardboard cutouts, so cute it's rotting my teeth and so emotionally gripping that i'm moved literally every time. as i have said elsewhere, they put some kind of insane drugs into this show, on every rewatch i'm giggling squeeing curling my hair kicking my feet, this has literally become my comfort show to end all comfort shows and i can't even decide which couple i like best because they're all amazing.

Best Romance

this is a new category, and it exists purely because of memoir of rati. thee, the capital r Romantic that you are. i have never seen a show that so firmly focused on romance as its main element—the political struggles of the characters and the time period, the family issues, the cultural divides, are all just background elements in the Big Romance of the main characters. i was swept away by the fantasy in the best possible way!

Most Unexpected Hit

my stubborn, you weird little show, we expected nothing from you and yet... would i call this show "good"? debatable. but it kept surprising me with its choices, like when it gave us the best breakup scene of all time. juin verbally tearing sorn to pieces in episode 9 was so incredibly satisfying. who would have expected this porny nonsense with a crack premise to be actually well-written and for the sex scenes to contain actual character development? this show delivered in ways absolutely no one thought possible. (not to mention that the first special episode was basically just softcore porn with a little bit of fluff sprinkled on. iconic.)

Most Buckwild Finale

lover merman. this show started off as a fun mermaid romcom and then in the finale, we had a main character almost dying for half an hour, a "your parents were murdered by my father" reveal, two characters competing over which one of them got to make a blood sacrifice by killing himself, sexual assault during said blood sacrifice, a funeral that left so many questions unanswered and then a sudden happily ever after. i have never seen anything as out of left field in a final episode and the rush of emotions it made me feel is unmatched. lover merman, you were unpopular on tumblr but you will always be famous to me.

Most Disappointing Show

oh the next prince, we expected big things from you that you simply were not equipped to deliver. unfortunately, while making the most expensive bl ever produced, it seems like the producers forgot to hire competent writers and your potential was squandered on a previously unseen scale. your one saving grace is the ramilpaytai sex scene in episode 8, which was one of the best sex scenes of the year.

Best Sex Scene

speaking of sex scenes: charn and jet fucked their way into my heart on khemjira. their first time in episode 7 was emotionally charged, awkward, funny, passionate, sweet, and so so so endearing. if there's one thing domundi consistently does well, it's sex scenes. (sadly, i'm hitting gif limit here, so no more gifs for most of the other categories!)

Best Main Couple

there was some very stiff competition in this category as well, but we've got another domundi entry taking the first place here: teerak's and muenfah's charm on your sky burned itself into my heart in the best possible way. these autistic4autistic babies literally had regular check-ins with each other about where their relationship was heading, and you know i am all about that paperwork. (in the beginning, they did literal actual research and paperwork for their fake relationship. MADE FOR ME.)

Best Side Couple

kimkenta, you only had about 10 minutes of combined screen time on pit babe season 2, but in that little time you absolutely stood out. i am still rotating these blorbos in my mind. strong fanfiction to follow. (just give me 3-5 business years.)

Best Sensuality

what would this list be without mentioning harmony secret. this show didn't manage to win in the best gl category purely because i thought it tapered out a bit towards the end, but the incredible chemistry of lookmhee and sonya is legendary. in this show, they were on fire playing business rivals turned lovers, and brought us absolutely explosive sensuality.

Best Fashion

since i sadly can't award a best toxic yaoi title this year, i am hereby giving the wicked game a title i can wholeheartedly bestow: offroad's fits in this show were absolute bangers and every single one of his suits made me melt with adoration. the 70s vibes were immaculate and made that man look even more gorgeous than normal.

Best Character Design

you might be wondering why i didn't give best fashion to mu te luv: diva deva mata, and that's because i don't think i appreciated the fashion on this show for the fashion aspect, but rather for the character design aspect, if that makes sense? those 4 girls had the most distinct styles and outfits of all time, served some incredible looks that were always rooted in their characters' sense of style and self-presentation, and slayed the house down. (i am making an exception for the "must have finished airing in 2025 rule" here, because the diva deva mata segment was completed before the end of the year.)

Most Anticipated Shows of 2026

you maniac had me at "let's not waste time". i just recently became a fan of est and i cannot fucking wait for this one. HOWEVER, a show i have been waiting for a lot longer and which has the potential to become my absolute favorite in 2026 is magic lover. i am all about campy fun and domundi put all three of its standout couples of 2025 into that show, so if the writing matches the talent in front of the camera, we could have an absolute banger on our hands.

Young Actor To Watch

and finally, fluke nattanon utterly blew me away in mu te luv. not only did he steal the show in his own segment, but his performance also stands out when looking at what gmmtv put out over the course of the whole year. fluke's performance was absolutely spectacular and i am hoping we'll see him again sooner than the gmmtv 2026 line-up suggested.

i was tagged by several people! by @pointlesscandies here, by @befuddledcinnamonroll here and by @embersinthefirelight here! thank you all for tagging me 🥰

i'll try to think of some shows you haven't mentioned yet 🤓

a time-travelling ghost keeps disturbing this man's piano lessons

the world's most competent secretary falls in love with the world's most emotionally unintelligent boss

what is a little "you fucked the guy i wanted to fuck right next to me while you thought i was sleeping, so now i'm fucking your brother as revenge" between best friends, am i right?

napping in your boss's office during work hours won't make you fail your internship if your boss is so whipped that he finds it cute rather than unprofessional!

fucking in the office stairwell during work hours doesn't have to mean that hr will write you up if everyone does it, the people at hr included.

Rules: pick your top 5 favorite sub-genres and the show that best exemplifies it. Feel free to explain your choices ☺️

i was tagged by @embersinthefirelight who started the game on this post, thank you so much for the tag! 🥰

1. Supernatural: Be My Favorite

i had to put this first because this is still one of my all-time favorite shows, and i just love supernatural elements in stories. time travel, superpowers, prophecies, magical creatures, you name it. i have been saying that i want more urban fantasy bl for YEARS.

runners-up: my magic prophecy, century of love

2. Period Drama: Love In The Moonlight

what an incredible first outing this was for pearlpeak! i still think about this show regularly. period dramas are all about the angst and the drama that comes with forbidden love but with the bl certainty of a happy ending—the best of both worlds!

incredibly strong runners-up: love upon a time, memoir of rati

3. Soap: Pluto

not gonna lie, i love me a good soap opera. secret twins, faking a disability, both partners lying to each other only for big dramatic reveals to lead to upheavals? SIGN ME UP. pluto is still my favorite example of this kind of writing but i feel like lately, we've been getting more pulp shows with a soapy approach.

runner-up: magic move

4. University Comedy: Perfect 10 Liners

one of the oldest thai bl genres and with good reason. university shenanigans just work. they're always fun to watch. p10l is of course a masterclass when it comes to this kind of story, but there are many, many more examples.

runners-up: your sky, duang with you

5. Toxic Yaoi: To My Shore

sometimes, i just want my blorbos to be toxic as fuck. of course, vegaspete are the unparalleled kings of this kind of story, but to my shore comes very close to the vegaspete level of messed up.

runner-up: my stand-in (hopefully many more soon!!)