A Small Bad Buddy Meta

pran: being super annoying to each other is our love language and i don't know how to act when you are being super sweet, i am flustered okay because your actions are kinda really really love-shaped

So…Young Royals.

The point of this post is solely to get you to start watching Netflix’s new Swedish teen drama Young Royals.

To give a short summary it’s a love story between 2 boys and one happens to be a prince with the backdrop being that of an elite boarding school.

So it’s about a young prince called Wilhelm. He gets into a fight at a party one night and the next day the entire countries heard the story. The Queen and Kings solution is to send him to the fancy boarding school his older brother went to. He doesn’t want to go, as he’ll be leaving all his friends and any semblance of a “normal” life. When he gets there he meets his extremely intense and elitist cousin August and Felice a girl he knew at elementary school. He also meets Simon who he immediately feels a connection with, possibly a romantic connection.

One of the best things about it is the cast of characters so here they are:

Wilhelm

Wilhelm’s our lead. He’s the second in line for the throne after his older brother. He doesn’t want any part of royal life and after an altercation that went viral he’s forced to go to a boarding school for rich elites (his worst nightmare). He meets Simon and romantic feelings come to fruition which he struggles to deal with.

Simon

Simon is way more than just Wilhelm’s love interest. He’s a local, isn’t a boarder and he’s nowhere near as wealthy as his classmates which has left him as an outcast, he’s resigned to not make a single friend at this school. He’s openly gay and dreams to move away from his home town. When he meets Wilhelm he expects him to be like the other rich kids but he’s sweet and they get along. He’s such a talented and adorable sweetheart and you will want to love and protect him with your entire being.

August

August is Wilhelms second cousin, he’s extremely entitled and classist. He constantly puts down those he sees as lower than himself. He’s the row team captain, a prefect and most popular guy in school. He’s also always had an unrequited crush on Felice. And he tries to insert himself in Wilhelms life more than necessary. The actor is brilliant, the character…hard to like.

Felice

Felice is the richest girl in school. She knows about August’s feelings but says he isn’t royal enough for her. She knew Wilhelm when they were young and she’s started obsessing over him. The more we learn about her the more layers are revealed, she’s not as perfect as she wants to be perceived. It took a while for me to understand her but once I did I enjoyed watching her grow.

Sara

Sara is Simons sister. She’s also an outcast and spends all her time at the stables as she feels she understands horses better than people. Although she says she’s fine being alone when the chance to become closer with Felice arrives she starts to like her. She’s a really interesting character and her relationship with Simon can be adorable, he loves and cares for her so much.

After seeing the trailer I was so excited for this show but it’s 1000 times better than I was expecting and just such a beautiful, wonderful young queer love story! A lot of people have compared the love story to the book Red, White and Royal Blue or Skam and whilst fundamentally similar they are very different at their heart. The chemistry between the lead’s is just crazy good, their first kiss in particular was just beautiful. The soundtrack is this awesome scandi electronic music that just fits the story perfectly. And the direction is way more complex and interesting than most teen shows I’ve seen. Also crazily they’ve actually cast real teens, most of the cast is 18 and they all have acne and blemishes…it’s so realistic and refreshing - I haven’t seen something like that since Skam!

So basically I’m in love with this show, even more in love with it than Wilhelm and Simon are with each other (and that’s a lot) *sobs* THEYRE JUST SO BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT! LOOOK!!!

But of course..

We were just kids. BAD BUDDY (2021)

Saint’s Physicality

Let’s talk about Saint Suppapong’s physicality in acting for a moment. Watch Love By Chance back to back with Why R U? It’s kind of a revelation. 

There are some really good actors in BL and he is one of them. 

But when most viewers say “great actor” they’re thinking about facial expressions and how an actor portrays emotions. 

What Saint has (and very few other actors anywhere do) is whole body physicality. The way he moves it totally different between Pete and Tutor. 

When he walks: where he weights his spine, carries his arms and shoulders, and how he tilts his head is different. Tutor has faster more abrupt movements, Pete’s are more precise and careful. 

When he’s standing, also different. 

It’s actually kind of insane. 

Saint inhabits his own body completely differently depending on the character he’s playing. It’s just really rare to see someone do this. It’s like spy-craft. 

I’d love to see him tackle a seme character or a bad guy. I bet he’d be great more aggressive and agro. 

It’d be fun to see how he inhabits space when he is required to take up a lot of it.

I think Plan has some of this ability too. Look at him in his Until We Meet Again bit part (aggressive, older seeming, stiff) versus Love By Chance (floppy, childish, and uncontrolled). 

But with Plan we haven’t yet got to see him execute this as two different main characters where he has to maintain alternate physicality over time. Although it explains why he’s so great at imitating Tin’s posture and walk in LBC2. (One of my very favourite scenes.)

i haven’t seen anyone talk about it so i will: i adore how insignificant they made who played kwan in the play. they didn’t use it as some dumb jealously arc which we all know would’ve been dragged out if this was any other bl. and for patpran it was insignificant bc they trust and care and love each other enough to know that pat was only doing the play FOR PRAN and that there was absolutely no reason to be jealous over his acting partner. like, the guy who played kwan didn’t even have any lines. instead they focused on the patpran moments like trying to write to what riam was feeling and running the lines together while kwan was gone. it’s just so refreshing

I posted a fanfic for the first time in like 10 years if not more (it's more for sure, shhh), I'm very stressed. 👉👈 BUT The Devil Judge managed to get me to that level of obsession and I couldn't help it (also I started writing this before last weekend and I can't handle other eps airing and making me edit stuff ok).

Here's a lil Yohan/Gaon fic I guess?

Yohan calls him in many different, often infuriating, ways. There's only one that Gaon asks for. When he's ready.

Top 10 K-drama Actors: Honorable Mention 2 Moon Woo Jin

The main reason why he’s not in my top 10 is because we have yet to see him flourish to his full potential, but I’ve known since The Beauty Inside that’s this kid is one of the most talented actors I’m going to see in my life.

We all know that if he’s listed in a tv show, there’s going to be some tragic past subplot and I can guarantee you, you will cry. That child can cry from his heart and make you cry along with him. And if he isn’t crying, his facial expressions and the way he tells the story will!

Just  to list a couple of his works:

The Beauty Inside: Where he had to act like a grown up actress trapped in a child’s body. Hilarious and a great showcase of his talent.

What’s wrong with Secretary Kim? Where he portrayed the tragic past of  Lee Young-joon (Grown up version portrayed by Park Seo Joon)

Psycho but it’s okay: Honestly, if you haven’t cried in at least one of the flashbacks or the combination of Moon Woo Jin’s acting with Kim Soo Hyun’s, you have my respect.

Come and Hug Me: Once again, playing the child version of the main lead, with an amazing performance. We also get the well known flashback combo of Moon Woo Jin (child) and  Nam Da Reum (teen, btw, I should probably give him an honorable mention of his own, I actually considered putting the combo as an honorable mention). 

This particular combo is also seen in What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, and pretty much any k-drama where the main lead has a tragic past that is well explored. Nam Da reum also has a bright future ahead of him as he’s headed into adulthood, and I hope I can see him in a lead role soon enough.

In you I trust

Pairing: Tine/Sarawat (2gether)

Summary: Tine didn’t know what to do, how to feel. What he hadn’t realised was that the damage was already done. Years of dating people who didn't want him, getting rejected over and over again just because he seemed disposable had taken its toll. While he seemed bright and confident most of the time when it came to putting himself out there, his self esteem was in shambles. He did love himself and had a pretty good self-image but his ideals on how others should treat him were now a bit shaky. Did he deserve Sarawat? And what must he do to make himself worth it? What must he do to ensure he doesn’t disappoint, to make sure Sarawat doesn't leave him after the first week? (Basically includes all the communication we never got in the series. The one conversation that could have made it better.)

Fic starts here:

Tine looked into his eyes and stared as if he was searching for something. Much like a police officer peering into the eyes of a suspect desperately searching for answers. "Why?"

 "Huh?", Sarawat said bemused.

"Why do you want to be with me? What am I offering you that's so special? I certainly don't think I have done anything of note that could have attracted your attention. So other than being a good friend to you, what exactly have I done?", he asked his tone rising. 

Taken by surprise Sarawat curses himself for not realising sooner that something had been upsetting his boyfriend. "Please tell me where this is coming from", he pleaded, "I want to know just where the heck  all this self doubt is coming from".

His voice strained with trying to keep the tears in, Tine lets it all out. He needs Sarawat to, if not empathize, just listen and answer.

"I got a lot of people just wanting to be with me cause I looked good with them. Like I was an accessory. And the few who I thought liked me, well, turns out I was quite dispensable to them. So far I have never been a keeper. So why are you different? How can I possibly expect everything to be fine when I’m scared that you will up and run any moment?"

 Sarawat who had been staring at the floor contemplatively edged closer towards Tine on the bed. “Okay", he said, taking it all in. "Now it's your turn to hear me out. I like you for a lot of reasons, yes being appealing to the eye was one of them, but of course it wasn't the main reason. You think me, a guy who hasn't ever been in a relationship before, not even a hookup, would want to enter a long term relationship with someone based on trivial bullshit? From the moment I met you I had a feeling that we would click not just as boyfriends but as friends. I knew you would get me despite how weird I am. You have this aura that just makes me feel safe. I don’t know, maybe being an introvert helped me observe the way people behave. Because when I met you it was like I knew you, no, I felt you, the way you are as a person and it made me think 'This is someone I want to be with'. Not because you did something outstanding that attracted me, not because you're a catch and definitely not because you complete me. It’s just… you are free to be yourself around me and I can finally be comfortable in my own skin around you. Don't you think that's reason enough for me not to leave you?

Tine crumpled into Sarawat at that point. Sarawat felt dampness through the front of his T-shirt. “I’m sorry I didn't realise you were feeling insecure sooner" he said to the head sobbing on his chest. "I should have known. I promise to always be here, okay? Anytime you need reminding of why you are special to me I’ll be here.” 

Sarawat  didn't know when his own cheeks got wet and then they were just two boys in a room holding each other as they wept. "Oi!", Sarawat said lifting Tine off him. "Come on let's stop with this melancholic atmosphere."

 Wiping away his tears and then Sarawat's, Tine let out a contented sigh. "Thank you Wat. I needed this. I'll be here for you too, whenever you need reminding that you mean so much to me even if I don't make it evident at times. I'm still learning", he said while holding Sarawat's face, brushing away stray tears. He inched closer, just till he could feel Sarawat's  lips brushing his, and then planted a soft kiss. 

Sarawat broke away, grinning, "You're definitely learning well". "Salaleo! ", Tine exclaimed a similar grin creeping onto his face. 

the domesticity ✨😭