So since you hate CMBYN, what is your rec list for LGBTQ+ movies 🤭
On that note, I'm just gonna publish my list because Yams asked this so long ago she's barely on Tumblr anymore lol
My criteria are feature films (not documentaries for example).
Brokeback Mountain (2005) - forget your preconceived notions about this movie and watch it. There's a reason it's one of the most acclaimed films period of all time.
But I'm a Cheerleader (1999) - If you check metacritic, the scores might not seem great but again, a reason this one has also stood the test of time. Just goes to show that film critics aren't all that.
And if you don't need to take it from me. Take it from Elliot Page.
Carol (2015) - Resplendid Americana. Feels like a reclamation of nostalgia in some ways for a time and place that doesn't exist but feels like it should.
The Handmaiden (2016) - Even more fun, this one is a Thriller. You will not see It coming (whatever it is... just. This was fun.)
Moonlight (2016) - as someone who watches way too much arthouse films sometimes I just find the solemnity too much. But there is a sort of quiet dignity that queer black men, especially working class queer black men, often aren't afforded. Extremely beautiful and moving.
Mysterious Skin (2004) - This one is admittedly hard to recommend because of its subject matter which is probably why it's not often on rec lists (TW CSA apply so tread carefully), but it explores queer identity in the context of a very sensitive subject with delicacy to the subject and individuals who've experienced it. Also an excellent film about queer identity that doesn't center around romance at all. JGL acted his socks off.
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) - What can I say. The new standard. If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? Even aside from the queer element, it touches upon another subject I try to discuss that's often brushed aside: the experience of the working class, blue collar Asian immigrant who are ubiquitous and often ignored in favor of the model minority myth.
love how we describe the college-age MA gym meeting as a meet-cute and not the (un)successful(?) gym gay cruise scene that it was. Apo taking about seeing Mile lifting a barbell and what type of shirt he had on and calling him bear (p’mee) like okay boo, i see you 😉
@workinclass is this you?! if not come collect your anon so you two can form a club 😭
I don't think we realize how huge it is for someone as guarded as apo to consider mile as a comfort zone. He would have to feel so loved, safe, and understood for him to allow such vulnerability around mile. Its a big impact for anyone to have a comfort zone. Its also not a surprise because we can see how mile treats apo like he hung up the stars and moon such sweetness like apo deserves nothing but tenderly love lol and I know miles feels the same with how open he lets himself be around apo.
haha... what if i cried. how would y'all stop me.
No but really it's so sweet. Mile is super super attentive to Apo's feelings... early on (Filmania) there was an interview where Mile knocked this toy out of Apo's hand with his own toy and Apo looked crest fallen and Mile corrected his behavior pretty quickly after that. The way he's so gentle with Apo...Apo is very gentle and attentive to Mile too 😭
Actually I saw this post earlier this week around the same time these anons came in , and it fits.
These bidding interactions had profound effects on marital well-being. Couples who had divorced after a six-year follow-up had “turn-toward bids” 33 percent of the time. Only three in 10 of their bids for emotional connection were met with intimacy. The couples who were still together after six years had “turn-toward bids” 87 percent of the time. Nine times out of 10, they were meeting their partner’s emotional needs.
Those who showed genuine interest in their partner’s joys were more likely to be together.
Another thing from the emotional bids post's relavant--
Apo had invited Mile go to invited to Thawan Duchanee's exhibition with him, but Mile said he was at the gym so Apo called his personal trainer to confirm Mile wasn't lying 😂
He responded to Apo's emotional bid on Twitter because he recognized he couldn't go in person and Apo might be upset. This was still fairly early in their relationship and Apo had been burned in the industry before.
Mile then bought the art he gifted Apo this year in July 2021... of course Mile immediately responds to many of Apo's emotional bids but he kept this for two years for the right opportunity to give it to Apo. Even though it wasn't a 3 million THB painting, Mile said: your emotional bids to me are heard and when I say later, I mean later
And that's why Apo knows he can trust Mile to make him feel safe
I wasn't originally going to post this but it seems as usual toxic solos harassed Strawberry into deleting translations. Since spite is the greatest motivator, I tracked down the video and translation parts to post so it doesn't fall into the void
Translation by 🍓🥛
This came from Mile's birthday IGL during Filmania era (January 2021) Mile gets asked to button up his henley shirt lol (~6:10) but he eventually unbuttons it again. He starts taking questions about the cast, with this clip pulled at at 7:30.
Apo shows up with a cake to surprise him at 37:20 and Mile plays guitar for the stream and fans at 1:10:05. Apo sings "fly me to the moon~" as he hands Mile the guitar.
Thank you to @mirrorofprinces for saving the tiktok that had a clip of this translation so I could find the video and segment since I don't speak Thai 😭
So since you hate CMBYN, what is your rec list for LGBTQ+ movies 🤭
On that note, I'm just gonna publish my list because Yams asked this so long ago she's barely on Tumblr anymore lol
My criteria are feature films (not documentaries for example).
Brokeback Mountain (2005) - forget your preconceived notions about this movie and watch it. There's a reason it's one of the most acclaimed films period of all time.
But I'm a Cheerleader (1999) - If you check metacritic, the scores might not seem great but again, a reason this one has also stood the test of time. Just goes to show that film critics aren't all that.
And if you don't need to take it from me. Take it from Elliot Page.
Carol (2015) - Resplendid Americana. Feels like a reclamation of nostalgia in some ways for a time and place that doesn't exist but feels like it should.
The Handmaiden (2016) - Even more fun, this one is a Thriller. You will not see It coming (whatever it is... just. This was fun.)
Moonlight (2016) - as someone who watches way too much arthouse films sometimes I just find the solemnity too much. But there is a sort of quiet dignity that queer black men, especially working class queer black men, often aren't afforded. Extremely beautiful and moving.
Mysterious Skin (2004) - This one is admittedly hard to recommend because of its subject matter which is probably why it's not often on rec lists (TW CSA apply so tread carefully), but it explores queer identity in the context of a very sensitive subject with delicacy to the subject and individuals who've experienced it. Also an excellent film about queer identity that doesn't center around romance at all. JGL acted his socks off.
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) - What can I say. The new standard. If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? Even aside from the queer element, it touches upon another subject I try to discuss that's often brushed aside: the experience of the working class, blue collar Asian immigrant who are ubiquitous and often ignored in favor of the model minority myth.
Apo first tweeted this picture of them photoshopped in the iconic BBM poster in January 2021 to promote KinnPorsche (Filmania)
In June 2022, Mile talked about how Brokeback Mountain is his favorite LGBTQ film during an iQIYI interview released during pride month, for KinnPorsche (BOC) promotion.
OK Mile. 👁👄👁 what did you flash back to ... what did you understand about yourself???
In September 2022, Mile missed the KPWT Send Off due to having COVID, and Apo wore both his own jacket and Mile's jacket to make sure Mile's presence was felt at the Send Off.
Twitter users also noticed Apo recreated the iconic ending scene of Brokeback Mountain with Mile's charity jacket. (It me. I'm twitter users.)
OK other people noticed the parallels too 😂
In January 2023, Mile posted to his IGS photos of cowboy hats with the horse emoji tag. See this very recent post for Mile about how Apo reminds him of horses and of course the horse art BD present.
Call this one a reach if you want I won't be mad but you can't deny the fact that today (March 2023), it was Apo who showed up in the cowboy hat with their Brokeback Mountain inspired airport couple coordi 😂
In conclusion: cowboys are gay culture and for the gays only, I am extremely pleased BBM ruined cowboys for the straights and I am not taking comments or criticisms at this time. Save a horse ride a cowboy. 👋🏇
do you ever just think about how (publicly) unbothered Mile typically is when the fandom has beef with BOC and/or when he gets unnecessary hate — always aiming to spread positivity and good vibes (and we love him for that!!) — and that the ONE time he actually involved himself in drama was to defend Apo when someone implied that he only got his past lead roles by chance (as a replacement to bigger actors who denied the role/s)???
Because I think about it every now and then and just internally scream.
(also, don't let me start on how Apo himself replied to Mile in a joking manner to relieve the tension — MY HEART HURTS)
The sad thing is Apo has had to deal with a lot of rumors and bullying in the time he's been in the ent industry, both before and after BOC and was one of the reasons he left acting in the first place.
I think both he and Mile have their own way of identifying where the line is, speaking up for themselves or for each other/other people. This is just my opinion but knowing that your partner or a friend or just a person around you is capable of defending themselves vs. when you should step in is also a sign of respect. White knighting can and often prolongs the noise/drama/frustration, especially online and especially if the comment is framed badly. Knowing that directly saying something to defend yourself online can prolong the drama is also unfortunately a reality.
Of course no person is perfect, but I really appreciate that Mile and Apo, as individuals even before meeting each other, are people who try their best to do the right thing... so of course it's going to extend to how they treat and protect each other! Both of them are so much better situated in the ent industry because they have each other to lean on these days... and that might just be what protects the longevity of their careers at their current and expanding level of fame.
Mile defending a woman being bullied on a talk show ⬇
Apo defending Yoshi Rinrada, a trans model, actor, and beauty queen who was often bullied on talk shows and was even being bullied by the hosts here before Apo spoke up for her. And this was obviously Channel 3 Apo era 🤗 (Yoshi also follows both Apo and Mile on IG!) I've been looking for a chance to post this for quite a while now...
They talk to each other offline way more than they talk to each other on social (even if Apo primarily uses his socials to reply to Mile and only Mile...) but yeah, I think they have a good understanding of when to speak up and when to quietly support each other online. Like it was during during one of these asinine episodes of fandom drama is when, alongside liking his fans' mirror selfies talking about how loving Apo has improved their own self confidence, Apo liked this one that casually referenced Mile as his boyfriend 🤷🏻♀️ Apo also doesn't always speak directly but it's pretty obvious when he steps in to take some of the heat off and let fans know he protects Mile too
anyway the tl;dr version of this yeah, strongly agree. Mile is often quiet about fandom drama especially BOC but he's gonna protect and speak up for Apo when needed, as he should.
Mile Phakphum #1 Apocolleague Mile Phakphum #1 Apo defender and protector!!!!!
During the interview Mile said he wanted to buy himself a guitar for his birthday but someone already bought it for him. Fans think Apo’s reaction is a bit sus ahaha
Mile and Apo talking about the Thai period film at the Vogue Thailand Gala on 2022/9/21
I've been meaning to sit down and write about this for a while now, ever since I saw the pattern of Mile and Apo injecting it into their talking points about the 2023 historical film, but it's taken some an effort to actually lay it out. Hopefully the time I sat with it will make the it a more insightful, rich reading experience.
Disclaimers:
(1) I have no formal experience in international relations aside from reading and watching the news, but my strong point is research. Folks with a more formal backgrounds in policsci or IR are welcome to add their input!
(2) Comments about policies or political actions of nations, whether positive, neutral or negative, are not meant to reflect on private individuals of the nationality, even those with a notable amount of social-cultural capital. Private individuals, despite their positions of social influence, most often have little to no individual influence on a policy level**.
So without further ado:
What is soft power? (aka soft power for dummies)
Joseph Nye, a then-Harvard professor, coined the term soft power in the 1980s/early 90s. He described it as:
“A country’s ability to influence the preferences and behaviors of various actors in the international arena (states, corporations, communities, publics etc.) through attraction or persuasion rather than coercion.”
In his book Bound to Lead, Nye established that three prongs of a country's soft power were its culture, its political values, and its policies. Here are two different graphics that further break down what those look like when evaluating soft power in practice.
If you feel like all the above is still vague to the point of unparsable in an applied context, I spent the majority of the time researching how to demystify the term especially in the way MileApo discuss it, and found this great explainer:
A strong nation brand and positive soft power perceptions allow a nation to promote itself as a place for people to visit, invest in, and build a reputation for their quality of goods and services. [...] it is often overlooked that a strong nation brand and soft power can deliver better outcomes at home. Primarily it encourages domestic tourism, the consumption of domestic goods and services (rather than imports). Less tangibly it also just makes people feel better about their country.
Expressed in this context, soft power can be understood as the act of building trust in the cultural products of a nation domestically -- some more abstract in the form of art (music, film) and culture, some more concrete like products including fashion and beauty -- in a manner to appeal to its own citizens while also broadening the appeal of cultural goods abroad in a which can drive international tourism, trade, and commerce.
In other words: yes, our collective desire to actually taste Farmhouse bread.
The Thai government and the push for soft power
While my interest in this topic was originally piqued by MileApo's comments, soft power policy has to originate at the government level. Note again that Nye's definition of soft power is centered around "a country’s ability to influence", therefore soft power policy must always formally be expressed nationally.
Around the time MileApo consistently began promoting soft power in alignment with the period film, I noticed a slew of references in Bangkok Post, one of the reputable English online publications based in Thailand.
Back tracking through some of the articles as a reflection of national conversation, since 2020, there has been a consistent theme in terms of what the government is attempting and how well it's going (or not going):
On Thailand's soft power and positioning in the world, Feb 2020:
According to Kitti Prasirtsuk of Thammasat University, who has carried out extensive research into Thailand's branding and repositioning in the age of interconnectedness and social media, Thailand and its culture, values and foreign policy have charisma and high persuasive power which can attract admiration and cooperation. But the Thai people and bureaucrats must change their mindset and perceptions and appreciate their country in real terms first before they take up new challenges.
Within Asean, Thailand is behind Singapore as No.1 [among SE Asian soft power rankings]. The report stated that Thailand has the potential to rise into the top 30 in the world, if the country can strike the right political balance between the rural poor and urban elite. It went on to say that Thailand's weaknesses are problems related to corruption and inequality. It also said that the Thai government is failing to showcase the full potential of Thailand's rich cultural offerings beyond tourism. One more weak link is its poor performance in public diplomacy and digital infrastructure.
(Mile, Apo, and Bible all attended Thammasat University, which is considered one of the premiere universities in Thailand. Apo later transferred and graduated from a different university.)
On Milli, a Thai rapper who performed at Coachella in Spring 2022:
The presence of the 19-year-old rapper Milli at the Coachella Music Festival in the United States has reinvigorated Thailand's soft power ambitions -- an area the Thai government has not fully explored nor exploited. Milli, whose real name is Danupha Khanatheerakul, is the first solo Thai artist to perform at Coachella, a music festival that draws tens of thousands of fans annually.
[Milli's prescence at Coachella] was able to advance Thailand's soft power [in ways previously stalled]. It is not that the government is clueless about "soft power". For decades, governments have focused on presenting Thailand's soft power to the world. However, that iteration of "soft power" mainly consisted of Thai customs and traditions such as food, costume, classical dance, Buddhism rituals and the wai. These aspects of our cultural heritage, despite being charming to foreign tourists, are not sufficient to catapult Thailand's into a stronger position in the global market. Thai cultural heritage has failed to catch up in the digital age…
Milli's song also includes ideas relevant to international audiences. One of her songs openly discusses sexual consent. Being relevant is one of the keys to increasing the nation's presence among diverse populations. The cultural impact made by a young girl like Milli should make the government rethink its cultural promotion strategy. More support is needed for progressive Thai artists and innovators.
An opinion rebuttable on Milli's performance and the government's blundering of reaching for soft power while not meeting basic domestic requirements:
One of the minister's advisers belted out a long speech that did not seem to address how Thailand will become a "soft power" but used the term multiple times. One can't help but wonder if the ministry knows what it is doing, or what the so-called "soft power" it is espousing is about.
Milli's self-taunting line "I don't ride an elephant" may sound a bit old but her rapping about how "the country is good, people are good, our food is good but the government is bood," seems to have struck a chord. "Bood" means rotten in Thai. It is thus understandable if the government was not too coherent when discussing anything about the phenomenon that Milli created. Indeed, [Thailand's Prime Minister] Gen Prayut should feel awkward discussing the "soft power" of Milli and mango sticky rice when he filed a defamation charge against the teen rapper himself back in June last year.
Talented as Milli is, and extraordinary her achievements both locally and at one of the world's most famous music festivals have been, the teenage rapper really has nothing to do with so-called "soft power" which government figures are talking about. Her success is largely individual. Milli created a sensation and a craze. For Thailand's "soft power" to be built, let alone recognised globally, it takes more than one successful artist…
The whole product must be good if it is to exert influence. As experts argued, it takes a wide range of qualities for a country to say it has "soft power". These include the quality of its political institutions, education, digital development, innovation, cultural appeal, strength in arts or business brands. That is why it is odd for everyone to talk about Thailand's "soft power" now when we don't seem to have ticked any of the basic requirements.
On Bangkok International Fashion Week (BIFW):
BIFW2022 has been [a] major and continuing mission to promote and drive Thai fashion to international levels. The event strategically aligns with the government’s strategy to empower Thai fashion industry as fashion is one of the most influential soft power that stimulate economic growth.
Note that multiple actors in BOC walked BIFW2022 in September, as well as multiple actors from other Thai BL shows that aired in 2022.
On the increasing popularity of Thai BL:
Thai BL is now popular across Southeast and East Asia[, and] has been gaining traction in Japan, the home of BL, since 2020. Posters of famous khu jin were put up in a train station. Magazines that cover Thai drama, including BL, are rolled out for the Japanese audience. The Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched a Twitter account that uses BL to engage Japanese consumers. They are conducting research on these issues in the context of soft power.
Yes you read that correctly. No joke, BL as a facet of Thai soft power is so prevalent now that the government is literally tracking its popularity and Twitter conversation around the topic.
So what does this all mean?
Thailand is a country within Asia and internationally that has a lot of appeal as a tourism destination. However, with many competitor alternatives in both entertainment (particularly film and music) and beauty/fashion, which are major drivers soft power within Asia and internationally, and domestic dissidence of policy and politicians due to social conditions, Thai cultural power is not as prominent as it could be and also suffers at the international level.
While there is appeal of specific Thai cultural products internationally (such as Milli at Coachella or in the case of Kinnporsche the Series) the government has failed to activate these prominent media products as part of a cohesive soft power strategy.
However, the government does seem aware of the potential, specifically in the realm of BL. Thailand has always maintained an image of being LGBTQ-friendly among all the Asian countries, and may now be looking to push LGBTQ-aligned media (BL and GL dramas) specifically as part of its soft power strategy to increase pop culture and media appeal.
MileApo on Soft Power
Part of the reason my ears perked up at MileApo's consistent talking point of soft power is again, because even without a polisci background, I'm aware that soft power is expressed at the country policy level. Thus when both of them started specifically using the term to discuss the film in pre-production phase, it got my brain gears turning.
Mile talking about the film on 2022/9/24 at the D7 Grand Opening (vid/txt)
"Nong Po will act with Hia Mile -- please look forward to this movie next year, please look forward to that a lot. We want to expand Thai culture and soft power..." Apo on the Thai period movie at the KPWT Send off on 2022/9/11
Mile Phakphum's speech on Mother's Day in Kalasin, 2022/8/5
Here's what we do know. Apo's dance training for the film is with a teacher affiliated with the academy that also produces dancers who specifically entertain the royal court.
And here is what they individually said in the Vogue Thailand print interview (completed in late August 2022, published October 2022)
And I would be remiss and dishonest to not point out that Mile's family is prominent in Thailand and his mother is part of the Queen's inner circle. Keep in mind that Thailand is a constitutional monarchy where the monarch has limited powers in practice (think: Japan or UK), and Thailand has a history of cyclical political instability that does not displace the monarchy. So believe him when he says he has limited power compared to Kinn. He travels on a private citizen's passport like all the rest of the cast. (Though my eyes start watering when I'm thinking about baby chaebol CEO Mile and destiny.*)
That being said, what these connections likely did get the production team was access to cultural resources such as the dance expert and most likely credentialed historians to consult on the period film. I would surprised if there aren't ministers' offices who are in the loop about film's production in a way they would not pay to other film or show production teams. I'm sure we will find out more about the interesting and important people involved in the production process around the time the film is released.
Another aspect that stood out to me is the fact that Mile and Apo, neither of whom have policy backgrounds, started iterating the discussion point of soft power in a way you don't see Milli, or Mew Suppassit (who let's not forget was also a RSIFF invitee and the first Thai artist to break into the Billboard World Song Chart), talk about it. Mew actually has talked about soft power a couple of times, but only in the context that he is part of a cultural wave that can increase Thailand's influence globally and never specifically in relation to a project he is promoting. That speaks a lot to the team behind the scenes involved in the writing and consulting (and marketing) process of the 2023 historical film.
The timeline of when these comments popped up is also interesting. While they do coincide with the release of the trailer post KPWT Bangkok, most likely what's happening during this time period is that BOC and more specifically Mile is shopping for sponsors to the project.
Think about Mile speaking about Thailand soft power to an audience of mostly older businesspeople at the mother's day event -- what would the purpose be except an ask for partnership on a project that he is on, which can become a vehicle for Thai products both domestically and globally? Look at the timing of the announcement of the Srichand partnership (end of August), and how successfully that broken the brand into the lucrative Chinese market, moving millions of THB worth of product for a brand that had struggled to get any traction previously. While Srichand's focus is currently on China, working with a Thai beauty brand for a film where the trailer highlighted many historical makeup elements is an actually ideal brand partnership and project alignment.
(Sadly for us, I don't think the film will be the second longest bread commercial in existence. But based on the Farmhouse CEO's comments, I would be unsurprised if they signed on to support the film project too. Ancient Thai bread I guess *jazz hands*)
In Conclusion
MileApo's soft power talking point was an intentional move specifically to shop the film project around for sponsors. The Srichand partnership proved MA-as-a-brand's ability to move product in a lucrative, hard-to-crack foreign market, though Srichand (and Giffarine) as brands aren't necessarily able to stand in the market independently as of yet. Their past brand partnerships' success simultaneously showed how lucrative it is to book MA for a product domestically. I'm sure we'll see a slew of new interesting sponsors and brand partnerships this year. This is only the beginning of MA's power as a cultural brand domestically and internationally.
Mile and Apo have also expressed their pride in the past in being cultural ambassadors of Thailand, both at the RSIFF and when speaking about engaging tourists who are visiting Thailand. Their praise of Thai products (for example, the artistry of Thai silk in the Vogue Th Gala interview) and their active choice to work with mostly Thai brands speaks to their values as businessmen who genuinely want to uplift Thailand's influence in the global market.
That being said, the Thai cultural ministry cannot rely on a single cultural emissary to advance its soft power agenda globally, and as of right now, despite ...some attempts, a cohesive government strategy around soft power does not exist.
MileApo have demostrated their brand has strong impact, and that they can influence purchase behavior internationally (e.g., KPWT ticket sales, Srichand) in ways many Thai media figures have not been able to as of yet. But they are not formally tied to the Thai government, nor should the government intervene and attempt to direct artistic expression.
Culture is one aspect of soft power, and political/humanitarian expression is another major component that advances an international soft power agenda. There are already articles discussing Thailand's problems of political corruption and self/journalistic censorship due to political conditions that prevent full freedom of expression. But that's the government's problem to address that. There is a lot of unharvested potential in multiple realms.
This essay is not about that though. I'm just a fan.
Can it be December 2023 yet 🥺
Additional notes that don't fit into the essay under the cut:
(1) There was a lot of fandom hand-wringing in August and September about Apo publicly having working dinners with Pond over the film project. Let's not forget Mile is someone who cares deeply about the art he makes, and he and Apo both have said multiple times they talk almost nightly about their artistic intent. If Mile talks to Apo and Apo was talking to Pond, why would Mile, a person who cares deeply about art, not be talking to Pond in pre-production? Obviously the answer is a division of labor in the relationship: Mile was working on funding which is just as important, and Mile also needs to sleep and rest and not work. There wouldn't be anyone else he would trust to convey his artistic intent to the director except for Apo. True power couple behavior right there.
(2) * everyday I go feral over baby chaebol CEO Mile. If someone made a kdrama about a handsome chaebol baby who was a CEO but also an actor and model who met his soulmate in university but it was a missed connection and then the soulmate went on to become a famous actor/model who quit because of bullying, but then they met again when the baby chaebol WHO IS STILL A CEO BUT ALSO AN ACTOR met at an audition for a drama... *foams at mouth* I would call this show bizarre, nonsensical and incoherent, and yet HERE WE ARE IN REAL LIFE. The jetsetting supermodel with wealthy CEO part of reality which is now bending around MileApo so they can live their wattpad fanfic life. What the hell am I looking at, I ask myself every day.
(3) ** this statement does not include billionaires like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos whose net worth exceeds those of small and mid-sized countries. Per today's estimate, ~50 people/families have more wealth than 90 of 190 countries. If your net worth can run the economy of half the countries in the world, then your wealth/resources hoarding behavior can control what the media says and influence otherwise free and fair elections.
Once again, Some of you need some contextualization of how comfortably wealthy vs. billionaire resource-hoarding rich looks like.
Mile defending Apo and telling him he's not weird. Mile Phakphum #1 apocolleague #1 Apo defender #1 Apo protector 😖
2. Whatever they put in the water that day at the XBlush shoot 🥴
3. The Moon Represents My Heart at KPWT Taipei (curse you one video per post Tumblr limit). The audible gasp and excitement from the audience when they realized what song it was!!!
4. MileApo at the Vogue Thailand Gala. Everything about them and how beautiful they were... Mile had just gotten out of COVID isolation #2 and now they had a Vogue spread and were mingling with the movers and shakers of the Thai ent industry. Also specifically these boyfriend soft launch selfies 😖
5. Paper Mile at the KPWT send off. This one was bittersweet and making the best of a bad situation... Apo was doing his best to have Mile be included but even Apo was not his usual sparkly self. The appearance of paper Mile per the request of quarantined Mile really put the smile back on his face.
6. Sharing dessert and water in the Red Sea Film Festival IGL
7. Apo taking this sexy photo of Mile in Phuket and immediately being exposed as the photographer. Thank you @ apovision for God's work and thank you @/may for exposing them.
8. Mile replying to this tweet. Yeah it's a tweet. Yeah he interacts with many fan tweets. But trust me, this is the one that made all of us deranged. It's the reason why I'm deranged now. I think about this all the time.
9. Mile and Apo kissing live at KPWT Bangkok. I'm just going to make peace with the fact that we're likely never gonna see another live kiss at a KPWT show again. But we got this one.
10. Holding up the pride flag together at KPWT Taipei. Wasn't Taipei beautiful!?! 😭 It was a beautiful moment for the entire cast and the audience, since it was Pride Week in Taipei 🌈
Bonus: 11. Meeting all of you 🥰💕 Yeah I'm sappy as heck, what are you gonna do about it.
If you've ever sent me an anon or liked or reblogged one of my posts or followed me or stalk my blog but don't have a Tumblr or written fic or drawn fanart or written meta or made gifs or made edits or trended for MileApo, thank you for making fandom a fun place. If you've learned anything new about yourself or the world or changed your perspective in life because of anything I reblogged, I'm glad something I said or did affected you 🥰
We often talk about about when being in fandom is annoying, but really, it's a community. If you've stayed, thanks for embracing respecting each other and loving KinnPorsche and loving Mile and Apo and the people in their lives (which includes all of us!)
Maybe the real MileApo was the friends we made along the way 🥹🥹🥹 (Mile would agree because he is equally sappy like me).
Many other beautiful memories I wanted to include... but I loved these so much. It was hard picking favorites, but I'm gonna 😤
Bonus runners up:
Looking like a royal couple at their first fan meet
KPWT Seoul date (are you going to give us the video or not BOC...)
Apo lifting Mile in the KPWT Taipei behind the scenes video
Mile discretely rubbing Apo's waist underneath his suit jacket at the D7 event 🤭🤭🤭
KPWT Taipei goodbye (x2)
(alright no more for real or else I'm gonna be here all day)
I was wondering, what are your thoughts on: Who might have bought Apo that green white crochet over shirt? From his IG story where he posted about it, it looks like someone else bought it for him. Since, he mentioned that it looked B***hy, and where would he wear such shirt. I have stalked fan sites and no one has mentioned that it as a fan gift. So, it must be someone from his circle! That shirt cost close to $700 US. So, who would buy him such provocative expensive shirt? Any thoughts!!
Oh friend, you sure sent me down a fashion rabbit hole for this one.
Apparently the MTL called it "super bitch" hahaha.
So you mentioned you think it might be a gift but no one's came forward to claim it, and I want to caveat: (1) I don't know if Thai fans post as much on Twitter if their present gets used, so maybe it is a fan gift and we don't know but (2) this actually made me check Bode's stockists, and lo and behold:
The only place in Thailand that carries Bode is actually *drumroll* The Decorum! Also known as the place that Mile and Apo have been going to get their fittings for the film festival debut. And where they got their Vogue Gala suits. 😊
Apo posted the story on November 23, and Mile's post about doing the fitting again (right photo) was posted November 30, so it's possible there was a week between fittings.
This also had me taking a poke at Bode's instagram page. And look what I saw here 🎯👀
Yes, it's the green shirt Apo wore to Universal Studios Singapore. They're from the same collection.
These were both posted to Bode's instagram mid June (15 and 16) and had the text:
First delivery styles now available online and in-store. To request upcoming arrivals, please contact our New York or Los Angeles stores.
So they arrived at the stockists circa mid June. By the end of July, their instagram had noted both these were out of stock at their online store but available in their in-location stores (they obviously do not track their stockists' inventory). So the earliest Apo could have had the shirt he wore in Singapore was late June as well. No fan claimed that one either, so he likely bought it for himself (or you know. sugar baby privileges 😂)
Just a cute thing I want to note but is meaningless to Apo's choice, the collection both items were released in was named the E.A.B.A. Wedding Collection.
So to answer your question, who do I think bought it for him, I'm just going to lay out all the possibilities:
Fan bought. Unlikely. A lot of fans are pretty conservative about the clothes they buy him and Mile. I'm going to change that and get Mile a tiddy shirt.
The Decorum's owner gifted it to Apo to clear stock. Unlikely. They are friends though, which is why Apo (and now Mile) frequents his shop!
Bought on sale at The Decorum. Most probable. Some places have discounted it for end of season sale where I've seen it available online still. To be fair, "Very naughty, how do I wear it!" has the energy of a girlie who found a good deal on the clearance rack but has no idea how to style this ridiculous piece. So I still think he could've bought it himself.
Bought at The Decorum, but it was a friends and family discounted offered to Apo to move the product 🤷♀️
As for whose wallet the money came out of Apo has his own money and job! But Mile's wallet seems to hurt a lot when they go shopping huh😅
Mile: i’m broke because of him ahah
Apo: ahahaha it’s payday i wanna do shopping ahahaha
So we saw this cutie putzing around in the Red Sea Film Festival travel log with it on, pre-purchase. So we can definitively say it did come from the Decorum
P'Gift (?) also was wearing for a bit.
Draw your own conclusions but:
The jacket issss twice as expensive as the shirt but don't tell me a $700 shirt wouldn't make him pause too haha
Jeff: All I can do is quote WANG YIBO TELLING XIAO ZHAN HE LOVES HIM, THAT'S ALL THE CHINESE I KNOW.
also in this interview he talks about how much he likes wearing femme clothes and how he rescues stray cats, I am truly not strong enough for this
[gifset: Interviewer: Can you guys speak Chinese? What words can you say? Jeff: Uh, didi...didi ai ni. I've seen it from watching The Untamed. *laughs*]
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