#ballboy tactics

[heretherebedork]

It wasn't sudden.

[loveisactivated]

[decalcominia]

hearing the words “I’m gay. or maybe bisexual? anyways, I like guys.” in a korean bl in the year of 2025…maybe the world is healing after all.

[bolobaaumoubolo]

I love how self satisfied and smug Jeongwu is that Jiwon is announcing him as his boyfriend.

Finally! Sweet victory lol. That shit eating grin is everything.

[nabi-unveiled]

Trope Tuesday: Ear Touches

When I first received an ask by @abstractelysium about whether I had explored ear touches for Trope Tuesday, I was super excited. Because ear touches? They're adorable. This simple move screams familiarity and intimacy.

Ballboy Tactics

I will fully admit to being on board with ANYTHING involving the ear. Ear kisses, whispering in the ear, blowing on the ear, nibbling, an ear grab - I love them all.

Actually, no ->

Stay With Me

Wake me up like this and meet your death.

But all the rest? I'm on board. Ears are erogenous zones thanks to their thin skin and numerous nerve endings, and that fun in real life often translates well to screen too.

Plus to get to the ear, one must get close. Allowing anyone near your face is a sign of trust in my book. You can immediately tell when a character isn't sure they should allow it (even if they might want it). The neck scrunch is an instant tell.

The Heart of Tsukuyomi

But all of those more sultry ear-focused actions carry a different connotation than their more affectionate cousin. Yeah, we'll go with that word. In simple terms, ear touches are more likely to be sweet and "aww" inducing rather than hot and steamy. While they can lead to other things, most of the time they are just a casual touch.

Now that doesn't mean all of our casually touchy people tend to do it! Even characters that are extremely touchy and casual about physical affection may not do it.

Perfect 10 Liners

(Disclaimer: Faifa might do it at some point, but he's far more likely to do a head grab. I didn't find a casual ear touch for him. I lost that bet.)

Ear touching is a fairly personal habit (even if scripted). So it's not unusual to see the SAME character do it on more than one occasion.

Ballboy Tactics

And sometimes, we have to wonder...how much of that is the personal habit of the actor themselves leaking in?

Revenged Love

Especially when it starts showing up in the BTS videos.

In Chi Cheng's case, TXN is doing it all the time in both the BTS and series.

I almost think the crew just decided to roll with it 😂. Just call it another Chi Cheng staple. If he's not picking Suowei up or putting his hand around his throat, then his hand is probably somewhere near his ear. And I'll let you decide how many of those were initially scripted.

In any case, it's a gesture that says "I see you. I'm here with you. I WANT you....and everything that comes with you."

Monster Next Door

That said, there's no rule that it can't happen simultaneously with other actions.

You are Mine

But despite the action's adorable nature, I did run into a slight problem writing this post. It appears that ear touches, like hand holding, are something that just doesn't stick in my brain. So after the (mostly recent) ones above, I had nothing. I couldn't remember any. So I had to outsource this time.

Thanks to the mutuals who helped me track the following down. You all are rock stars!

Kiseki: Dear to Me

Secrets Happened on Litchi Island

Not Me

Jun and Jun (guests in ep 5)

There are definitely more, but my time for today is up. I'll be on the lookout in the future - a new column has been added to the spreadsheet. 🫶

[plsyellatme]

Jeongwu is as cool as a cucumber…

…until Jiwon says kissing him felt like melting and then he lost the plot entirely

Our man was sweating

Ball Boy Tactics, Ep 5 (2025)

[maybe-boys-do-love]

I’ve started Ball Boy Tactics, and I am regretting putting out my end of year list before watching this. Choi Jae Hyeok as Jeongwu is one of my favorite seme performances and characters I’ve ever gotten.

I love a bitchy truth-teller in a BL. How often do they get the lead role and their man, though? Only Friends’ Boston and Jun from ThamePo can attest to that fact. Jeongwu is just like them in how he calls out his ridiculous friends and cockily pursues who he’s after, but he earns his happy ending—I’m presuming; haven’t finished yet—by facing his own truths head on. He’s cocking his eyebrows in disbelief at his own jealous behavior, kicking himself over who he’s dreaming about. There’s no gaming here because he’s not lying to himself or pretending with others about his feelings. He already called himself an idiot for being so lovestruck and blind to his queerness in his head, so what’s the worst someone else could do.

Choi Jae Hyeok did NOT have to play this character with so much brass. There’s a version of this character on the page that’s flat-faced and cold, delivering his direct lines in a graceless robotic fashion. Choi’s version of the character is so warm, witty, and fluid, though. He reads the room with a quick glance and refuses the expected etiquette to address the elephant everyone’s avoiding. His ego leads but for the right reasons, unafraid to laugh when others’ conversations become absurd from being confronted by the truth.

His confidence isn’t off-putting because there’s a slight softness there, a rare quality to find in such a typically masculine seme. Earth Pirapat infuses a similar light into his masculine seme characters. When Jeongwu’s confronting a character attempting to manipulate Jiwon into performing while injured, Choi takes a beat to snap his head into a tilt. Moments of effeminate gestures like that in a seme!? It makes me giddy! And Choi finds a wealth of spots to plant these kind of physicalities, sassy and flexible, without threatening his character’s alpha status. He’s not here to protect his uke with his size and strength. He’s here to offer solidarity until the truth comes out.

[baseballmomlesbiandad]

they're so stinking cute