FreshKicks

You have to love the BL world, where almost every male inhabitant turns out to have a same-sex affinity.

Because now we are going to learn that the evil-doing of Tul (who is currently married and has a kid) has its roots in being abandoned by a boyfriend who left Tul after Tul got his wife pregnant.

And then it will turn out that Tul was so cruel to Tin because :

He hated Tin for being yet another person who left him ...

Or, he hated that Tin might be happy instead of miserable like Tul ...

Or, because Tul has so much self-hatred that he wanted to open a franchise and get other people to hate him too ...

But! Tin will bring the ex back into Tul's life and this will lead to the two brothers being reconciled at last. (Thank goodness the super-hot ex-bf turns out to be single at the moment. ;)

I generally dislike a last-minute redemption for an evil character but for some reason I'm not so mad about Tul getting one.

Not hating on the series! I just thought this plot development was cute.

Agreed! If they were to end up doing it like in the book it might turn out to be one of the most iconic confession scenes in BL.

I love both the book and the series, but I'm also a realist so I'm not getting my hopes up lol.

The book version of Pai is sassy and more confrontational. For some reason the series version is more passive. When this is combined with the fact that the series version of Itt is also *meaner* than the book version, the result is a chasm between the main leads that would seem really hard to bridge in a believable way.

For me it all hangs on how Itt finally confesses, or rather how the series depicts his confession. (The book version of the confession scene takes up two entire chapters, in which Itt makes it abundantly clear to Pai that he not only likes him now, but has liked him for a long, long time -- maybe since before they'd ever even spoken to each other in high school.)

The preview for next week's episode shows that Itt has pushed Pai to the point that Pai loses it, telling Itt that he hates him. While I'm pleased that Pai will show some spunk and self-respect and finally tell the guy where to stuff it, I think it puts a burden on the screenwriters to make it believable that their relationship could ever come back from that. Telling someone that you hate them is pretty heavy!

This one is almost complete and will soon have all of Book 1 and Book 2 uploaded. (There's only a handful of chapters still left to post. )

There's also a plan to go into the next book.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/241769501-my-gear-and-your-gown

No. Seventeen-year-olds have lips just like anyone else.

But as I think about it, the title of the series is "Like in the movies".

Out here in the world, when someone tells a story about being with someone they like and finishes by saying, "It was just like in the movies!", doesn't that always suggest that something really good happened?

Yes, movies can have sad endings, but that phrase is one that I've only ever heard used in a positive way.

I'm so glad I wasn't alone in reacting that way. I could have written every single word of your comment. Such a powerful scene, brilliantly scripted, directed, and acted. It might well become iconic.

I agree -- in that scene, Pure is being Itt's wing man. At other moments I've sensed that he knows what Itt is up to.

When Itt first shows up at the freshy orientation and Waan comments on the fact that Itt should be in Chiang Mai, Pure just has this 'knowing' way about him as he says that Itt changed his mind.

In the blindfold scene, as Pure walks along with Folk's hand on his shoulder I get the impression that he is showing some extra interest in Folk. I think Folk's single-minded pursuit of Pai is intriguing to him. But his #1 mission at the time is to make sure Pai's hand is available for Itt to hold.

'Yes' to everything you say here!

I think Itt was definitely awake when he held Pai's hand.

And, despite all the agony that Itt has put him through so far, Pai was still so happy about it. He just can't quit lovin' dat man.

Best has the best abs ...

Right! And Itt holding Pai's hand when they are walking to the wrist-binding ceremony with the seniors ...

Itt won't let go of Pai's hand even when Pai tries to shake him off .. like, Pai literally shakes his arm in an attempt to get free, and Itt won't let go.

Then, when the camera gives us a wide shot, we see that they're the only two people in that whole group who are still holding hands!

How can Pai go through all that and not ask Itt to explain himself?

If they were a real couple, no wonder their chemistry is so good. Plus, all of the scenes they do together, like the Episode 1 apology on the beach, would draw from that experience and gain all the more from it.

Not only happy, but all of their sins are forgotten and they're suddenly supposed to be sympathetic characters.

This, in the final episode, after 31 episodes of selfish, cruel, amoral behavior intended to hurt powerless people who've done nothing wrong to them.

I come back to clarify ...

There are at least three books in the series. Book 1 ends with the confession scene. The timeline for Book 2 is the 30 days after the confession scene. The 10-year time leap occurs in some quick chapters at the end of Book 2.

I've since learned that there's a Book 3 that covers the work life of the characters, starting after the 30 days of Book 2 ( and before the 10-year time leap.)

I hope this isn't too confusing. :)

You are guaranteed a happy ending. Sit tight.

There are a couple of (rough) translations on wattpad.

I want so badly to like Oxygen more than I do. I sense they're trying to do something different with that series but coming up short. The most awful part (for me) is the side story featuring the brainless fujoshi and the dumbest doctor who ever got a medical degree. Cringe cringe cringe.

The actor who plays Gui has a YouTube channel. The guy is bursting with personality. (In one of his videos he shows how a man should apply makeup.) If only his Oxygen character was infused with that kind of energy.

I think the series has made him a little *too* socially awkward. I mean, that scene demonstrating first aid to the kids? How can he possibly hope to become a doctor if he can't show any "bedside manner" and carry out something so simple.

Pure and Folk are excellent together! The chemistry has real sizzle. In general I think the screenwriting for their scenes is really good. The dynamic between them has a mix of attraction and skepticism with just a dash of jealousy. (I think Pure is a little put out that Folk is so ultra-fixated on Pai. It probably makes Folk look like more of a prize.)

The series has done a nice job of establishing Folk as a sweet and sincere guy. When he asked Pai if Pai had ever liked somebody before, so that Pai would consider how Folk is feeling as he tries to flirt with Pai, that was touching to me. Some of his approach might be considered stalkerish, but with that particular exchange I think he showed that he wants his intentions to be clear. And, once Pai turned down his request to be his boyfriend, he didn't hesitate to cash in his chips and head home.

However, precisely because Folk is so sweet and sincere, it's easy to worry about him getting trapped in Pure's lair. But I bet Pure's earlier conquests were all game-players like himself. Folk's sincerity might be the key to turning that tomcat into a steady boyfriend.

Best episode yet. We're now past all of the back story and character development and can enjoy the ride to the finish.

Something that the book never gets into that I hope the series will explain is why Itt would push his "hate" game on Pai so hard, and why he would give two figs about whether Pai has the confidence to win the Moon and Star contest. In any other story, Itt's motivation would be so set Pai up for the ultimate humiliation when he gets on stage. I mean, we're talking about the same Pai who freezes up just trying to say his name and faculty to his fellow faculty reps.

The preview for next week shows Pai telling Itt that he hates him (something that not in the book at all!) My initial reaction is to have no sympathy for Itt and to feel good about Pai finally pushing back. Itt is playing a dangerous game with his constant baiting.

It might be that the series is looking to make the stakes really, really high before the confession scene. Maybe with Pai so worked up and angry, Itt's confession will be all the more shocking, to both Pai and the viewers. I just hope that the series doesn't make it seem that Itt's confession is a direct reaction to Pai's "I hate you too" moment.

Also, shouldn't Pai be asking Itt what the "f" is going on with him holding hands and cuddling in the tent at the same time he's putting the screws to him? (If Itt had ended up bringing the cup of water to Pai and not been scared off by Folk, Pai would have been wise to check the water for poison ...)

Also, I really like how the Pure/Folk relationship is developing. I know everyone wants Pure and Waan to be together, but I think Pure and Folk have great chemistry too. That brief makeout scene felt very real. (And there's that camera pan over to the fishbowl again ... too funny.)

(Question for Thai speakers: is the series dialog using "Moon" and "Star" while the subtitles are saying "King" and "Queen"? We all know what a University Moon is from the "Moons" series, so there's no need to dumb it down for international viewers.)