#ql stuff

[williamrikers]

I'm the original anon that started that lovely discourse. Listen, I, as a gay man, am not comfortable calling the likes of Maurice, or Queer as Folk, or Looking, or Love in the Big City, or Your Name Engraved Herein, "Boyslove", when the very origin of BoysLove is that it was created by (straight) women for (straight) women. The main Reddit page itself even states this.

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.

have a nice day and please go back to reddit. i think you'll have a better time there.

[benkaben]

I wanted to read news about Be My Angel (if there were any of course)

Love the people who responded and the likes ratio, but genuinely sometimes I feel like I see shows and live lives so, so far away from some individuals on the internet

[aylinaliens]

what if 23.5 degrees doesn’t come out until the end of 2023. what if.

[williamrikers]

BL Essentials 2024-2026

this game was started by @maybe-boys-do-love on this post, i am using the lists he linked for reference regarding which shows fall under what year. i was also tagged by @embersinthefirelight here, thank you both for the tags!

What are the top ten QL series from 2024-26 you think ought to be treated as classics now and in the future?

i decided to stick with thai bl for this list since i really haven't watched enough gl to be able to say a lot about those. i also decided to make two different lists, one of shows that i think really impacted the genre on the whole, and one of personal favorites, since there is not as much overlap as expected! 🤓

Genre-Defining:

Pit Babe (2023)

this is listed as a 2023 show, but since it aired into 2024, i decided to include it, since it is just that significant. pit babe put change2561 on the map as a ql production house, and the success of pit babe also led to the launching of lookmheesonya and their incredible impact on the gl genre. (i know i said i won't talk about gl but affair was groundbreaking.) pit babe was so successful that it got a whole second season, something which is incredibly rare in bl. it turned pooh and pavel into veritable stars who earn awards every season, and not without reason. it also made pavel the face of "muscle uke" representation, for which we should be eternally grateful 🙏

4 Minutes (2024)

as much as i personally did not like either the main couple's chemistry or the ending, there can be no question that this is one of the best-made bls of all time. the intricate plot across three timelines is one of the most complex stories the genre has to offer. personally, i would always recommend this show for the tragic side love triangle and the incredible acting work of fuaiz, who i simply cannot stop gushing about every time he is on screen. as i have been saying, give fuaiz a main role now!!!

Jack & Joker (2024)

this is a show that would go on my personal favorites list if it wasn't on this one already. j&j pushed the limits of the genre in some aspects and weirdly didn't in other regards. but be that as it may, yin and war are simply incredible to watch and have some of the best chemistry out of all the people working as cps right now.

Spare Me Your Mercy (2024)

this show was not for me personally, it was incredibly underwhelming to me on the whole, however, it's one of the few bls i've seen that have had an actual ethical dilemma at the heart of it, with no easy or even "correct" solution. this show never shied away from showing the more thorny aspects of its own premise and plot, and did not offer a happy ending. plot-wise, one of the best shows among this list.

My Stubborn (2025)

the reason my stubborn made it on this list is that i think this show proved that even in the age of high-end bl, porny pulp with minimal plot can still win just by being sufficiently unhinged and having two actors in the main roles who are putting their entire pussies into selling absolute nonsense. my stubborn put mflow entertainment on the map as a potential future bl powerhouse, which is a definite win for everyone who loves pulp.

Khemjira (2025)

i don't think i need to explain this one. it won so many awards that its success probably speaks for itself. i must confess that i still have not watched this one in full, so i can't actually offer my personal opinion, but i'm sure that its success is well-deserved.

Mystique In The Mirror (2025)

okay, i know this plain isn't true. this one wasn't genre-defining, nobody watched this, it is doomed to obscurity. however, this is one of the best shows i have seen out of thailand, period. this should have been genre-defining. this should have gotten international acclaim. this should have swept in wins during award season. the fact that it will never be widely recognized as the genius masterpiece that it is will haunt me forever.

Goddess Bless You From Death (2025)

another high-concept bl for the list—this one was just incredibly well-written from start to finish! i think khemjira and gbyfd are the most significant horror/supernatural bls we have gotten so far. i don't have a lot to say, this show is just great!

Me And Thee (2025)

this one took thailand by storm at a rate that i think we as international fans aren't even aware of. i've heard that this show was so successful in thailand that even people who otherwise had no interest in bl ended up watching it, or at least watching the meme compilations 😂 even though i had a great time watching this show, it will never be a personal favorite, but i cannot deny its incredible significance.

Love Upon A Time (2026)

this one, however, is definitely a personal favorite! dare i say that this is the best period drama bl that has been made so far? yes, yes, i dare. the recent period drama trend really is epitomized by this show, luat did everything right and then some. (there are some minor criticisms i have of this show, but on the whole, these hardly seem to matter in the face of how good it was and how much fun it was to watch.)

Personal Favorites:

Perfect 10 Liners (2024)

this is quintessential university bl to me, it's pretty low stakes on the whole, but the emotional arcs of the main characters, especially in parts 2 and 3, are absolutely incredibly well-written and performed. i have rewatched this show several times and every time it gives me shrimp emotions, i'm not even kidding. i put on this show and invariably find myself giggling, squeeing, clapping my hands and kicking my feet. i love p10l so much.

Your Sky (2024)

i have talked about how much the coming out narrative in this show means to me. your sky is absolutely one of my comfort shows, and the dmd show i return to most frequently.

Bad Guy My Boss (2024)

did someone say weird niche pulp with a heart of gold and a main couple that i am utterly obsessed with? you know, i've had jameskad as my phone background ever since i watched this, since i am absolutely enthralled by their chemistry. i don't think bgmb is on anyone else's favorites list, which is even more of a reason for me to sing its praises. i utterly love this show!

Knock Out (2025)

i don't even know what to say about this one. it's good! you should watch it if you haven't already! i think the best thing about this show is that it made some surprising choices that sometimes went against bl conventions, but always made sense in the context of the story.

My Magic Prophecy (2025)

to me, this is a quintessential bl, as in, this show has no intention of being anything more than a bl, and it does great things in its simplicity. the main focus is on the emotions of the main characters and their journey into their relationship, and everything else is just set-dressing. and this is why i love this show! it does exactly what it sets out to do, and does it brilliantly. also, this still has one of my favorite kisses of literally all time.

Love In The Moonlight (2025)

i know i said above that luat is the best period drama bl, but this one is a really close second. interclass romance has never been so angsty! this show had me on the edge of my seat, biting my nails, every single week. the angst! the tension! the yearning! absolutely brilliant.

Burnout Syndrome (2025)

this show, to me, is high art. the way it deals with the politics of art, the concept of artistry, and the struggles of the artist, is so nuanced and rich in complexity, that it felt incredibly true to life as a result, even despite its heightened, somewhat surreal plot. there is a darkness underpinning this story that is hard to define, a subtle violence that feels even more sinister than the overt violence being presented. an incredible piece of film-making!

My Romance Scammer (2026)

this started out as a comedy and then turned into a deep character exploration in its second half, and i for one was not mad at it, quite the contrary! i really enjoyed the slow and difficult rebuilding of trust as the characters struggled to find their places in the world and each other's lives.

My Grandpa Is A BL Writer (2026)

this is a hidden gem that isn't even on the huge list of bls that i went over while compiling this list! i don't think it was on anyone's radar as a bl. but it was so good. it's already one of my absolute highlights of this year, i just love family stories and this family now has an unshakable place in my heart. i adore literally every single character. i will be thinking about them forever!

The Edge of Horizon (2026)

this hasn't finished airing yet so perhaps including it here is premature. but i am obsessed with it. whoever cast inn and ongsa as the main couple is a genius, they are just absolutely incredible together. the angst is delicious. the tension and the yearning are everything i have ever wanted. utterly delightful!

i'm not sure who has done this already, i'm tagging @gay-wrongs-activist @befuddledcinnamonroll @pointlesscandies @bisexualboysbroadcast and anyone else who wants to play 😘 if you have made a list already, send me the link!

[williamrikers]

BLs where the younger one is the seme

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.

if you have any more examples, please feel free to add them onto the post! 🤓

[williamrikers]

The Rasa Pair Tag Game

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 😘

Here’s the list in an easy copy-paste format: 1. Sringara (शृङ्गारः): Romance, Love, Beauty, Eroticism 2. Hasya (हास्यं): Laughter, Mirth, Comedy 3. Raudram (रौद्रं): Fury, Anger 4. Karuṇā (करुणा): Compassion, Mercy, Spiritual Longing, Sorrow 5. Bībhatsa (बीभत्सं): Disgust, Aversion, Repulsion 6. Bhayanaka (भयानकं): Horror, Terror, Overwhelm 7. Vīram (वीरं): Heroism, Energy, Adventure 8. Adbhutam (अद्भुतं): Awe, Wonder, Amazement 9. Santam (शान्तरस): Peace, Tranquility, Calm

[williamrikers]

Some Personal QL Highlights Of 2025

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.

[williamrikers]

Tag Game: Badly Described BLs

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.

have fun 😁 i'm tagging @gay-wrongs-activist @gaym3bo1 @burnsuncomet @bisexualboysbroadcast and @maybe-boys-do-love 😘