-Aprillen-

I thought the first scene was the camping trip? But I may have misunderstood that

Exactly, it was fine as long as it was just the standard plotlines about college boys flirting and hooking up, because the stakes are low and there's not a lot you can mess up. But using r'pe as a plot device to cause drama and tension is such lazy and infuriating writing, especially when your writing is too mediocre. I wouldn't bet on the novel being better, TBH. Mostly the drama adaptations of Thai BL novels are toned down to be less toxic... but I haven't read this novel so I can't say one way or another. It's just what I've heard about other drama adaptations.

If someone has read the novel and can disprove this, I'm happy to be corrected.

It's not the Chinese people, people in China in general are in fact probably less homophobic than people in general in the West. It's the government.

Some Chinese people say it's fake, but others say it's unofficial policy only circulated in internal memos. I guess we'll see what happens in the future whether it will have any bearing on Chinese BL or not.

As far as I understood it, it was about overseas versions of Chinese platforms, like Youku, iQiyi and WeTV. Which is strange because at least those latter two have a lot of non-Chinese BL dramas on their platforms and have even been involved in co-producing them.
They can't do anything about foreign-based platforms like GagaOoLala or Viki. The ban on BL actors is going to be the big stumbling block for Chinese BL dramas going forward, since no up-and-coming actors will dare take a BL role in the future unless they are fine with only acting in BL dramas for the overseas audiences going forward.

Tian Xuning was scrubbed from his appearance on Hello Saturday, but some people say it's because of the rumours and allegations about him at the time, not about him being in a BL. But it's hard to know what the exact reason is.

I know, MDL was just being grumpy and hid the edit option for me :)

Well, if it is, I don't think I will continue watching... that would not sit well with me

Yep, none of it makes sense! I'm actually angrier about the terrible writing than I am about the fact that they used r*pe as a plot device (which is in itself terrible) hahaha

He was naked because he was asleep, in his own room, in his own house. Some people just wear shorts to sleep.

If that was me and I saw that person when I walked in the door, I'd turn around and walk out again. If they came in after me, I'd get up and leave. But they're all, it's fine, we're all old buddies here ... I really don't understand how these characters are written

Lazy, subpar writing is the answer. I'm beginning to despair about Thai BL and what they decide to adapt. We do get the occasional gem, so surely there must be some good material out there??

100% agree. I'm very disgusted by the subpar writing. I also don't mind darker themes, but the writing needs to hold up to the themes. This is on the level of bad fanfic written by a middle schooler.

I agree, the writing is horrendous. It was fine when it was just a very basic storyline of boys flirting with other boys, but as soon as it went into this darker territory, it simply doesn't hold up.

I'm pretty sure we're being fed a red herring, but just in case we're not, better wait and see what happens. Regardless, I cannot defend this writing.

I dropped LBC before the end back when, because I really didn't want to see that plotline play out. Yikes.

Thank you for putting all this so eloquently into words! Brava!

Mud is acting as if the event was an affront to *him*, rather than an assault on his little brother. His behaviour seems to fit someone who only cares about his own pride, nurturing his own beef with Knight as if Knight had, say, stolen his car and totalled it. Not as if Knight had (allegedly—I'm 80% sure it's not in fact what actually happened) severely violated and harmed someone who was very close to him and supposedly under his care. He doesn't really care about Mild's well-being at all, just about being right and marking his territory. There's no care, no empathy there. I don't understand what the writers were thinking when they wrote these characters and these events. It's not just bad writing, it's lazy. And lazy direction, too.

Agreed on all points. I've been enjoying the series as some very undemanding, light hearted entertainment up until now, but this? This is stupid, bad, lazy writing. I don't mean that there can never be dark themes in a BL, but it needs to be written with some intelligence and empathy, and the reactions and the fallout need to be realistic. Nobody's behaviour or responses seem appropriate, or even like they fit with what happens (or with what everyone *thinks* has happened). It just doesn't make sense.

Exactly. This feels 100% like a red herring. Maybe that's my wishful thinking, but the way it's set up looks very obviously like they're trying to make us believe one thing, only to later reveal that the truth is something else entirely.

I don't believe it. I know Li Longshi doesn't have the best track record with his BL roles but this really seems like it's a very different type of story, and it seemed too much as if they *wanted* us to believe that's what happened.
Still, it does leave a bad aftertaste. It feels like bad and lazy writing. Everyone's behaviour is off and doesn't fit. If that's what everyone thought happened, why are they all still able to be in the same room as Knight? If the friend group (aside from Mud) do NOT believe it, why haven't they made an effort to find out the truth before now? Mud also acts as if he's more mad that someone stepped on his turf than that he's protective of Mild. As if his beef with Knight is more important than the wellbeing of his own brother.