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Now that I know how to make my own subtitles to help with learning Thai, and have fallen down a particular rabbit hole, I'm working on the OST below. (Don't take them as recs for the series, I haven't seen most of them.) But do listen to the music.
I'm not adding the .srt text yet because I'm still tweaking them and their length makes it hard to edit in casual HTML. I might later, but the chances of this finding anyone who's interested in close enough to zero there probably isn't much point. But if it does, please leave a comment. I'm happy to share and would love to have someone to enthuse about these with. Or suggest more.
It will be slow going as the 2016-18 OST MVs have hard-coded Thai subtitles and I'm determined to use them to practice reading modern script, using the text and my ears to see how close to a decent transliteration I can manage. This is also a way of discouraging myself from over-doing with too much subtitling (so much respect for fan-subbers who do episodes and movies and not 3 minute pop songs). It's also why the slower ones will come first, the faster ones are beyond my capabilities at the moment.
( Read more... )
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Sticky: Customising subtitles
27 Sep 2024 07:25 amRewriting my earlier post so it's less of a daunting wall of text. It's EASY to customise subtitles and that's the point I want to get across.
All you need is 1) a downloaded video; 2) with an .srt file (subtitles); 3) what you want to replace the existing subtitles with; 4) basic text editor (Notepad on Windows, Text Edit on Mac). That's it.
This is an example of two lines of subtitling. The formatting is important, including the empty line. The text line(s) can be changed to whatever you want.
1
00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:26,600
Counting the stars in the sky
2
00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:31,840
Thinking about when we first locked eyes
Saving it correctly is the moderately tricky part. Make sure it's plain text (Format > Make plain text). Copy the exact name of the video (everything before the first . ) and start to Save your new file. Give it the name of the video BUT change something after the . so it doesn't overwrite anything. It needs to be an .srt file, not .txt, but you can change it from .txt to .srt by Renaming it after it's been saved. Save it (or move it) to the same folder as the video and play.
This is an example of how I distinguish my adapted .srts
Original .srt file: นบดาว (Counting Stars) Ost_คนนบดาว Astrophile - Fluke Gawin(1080p).mp4.en.srt
My custom .srt file: นบดาว (Counting Stars) Ost_คนนบดาว Astrophile - Fluke Gawin(1080p).mp4.aaROM.srt
That's it.
Making these for favourite OSTs has been so good for my language learning (I swap out translations for Thai + romanized Thai lyrics). Easy to make and fun to use. I really recommend it.
Here's my earlier post if you'd like more detail or have hit a snag.
If the video you'd like to customise subtitles on doesn't have a useful .srt file, there's free software to help make your own. If anyone is interested I'm happy to share what I'm learning about that. It's a bit tedious and fiddley but not difficult. I'm using Tero Subtitler for this. It's lovely for adapting existing .srt files too. (Open .srt with Tero; Load the video; adapt what you want; Save As... - done, custom .srt file.)
All you need is 1) a downloaded video; 2) with an .srt file (subtitles); 3) what you want to replace the existing subtitles with; 4) basic text editor (Notepad on Windows, Text Edit on Mac). That's it.
This is an example of two lines of subtitling. The formatting is important, including the empty line. The text line(s) can be changed to whatever you want.
1
00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:26,600
Counting the stars in the sky
2
00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:31,840
Thinking about when we first locked eyes
Saving it correctly is the moderately tricky part. Make sure it's plain text (Format > Make plain text). Copy the exact name of the video (everything before the first . ) and start to Save your new file. Give it the name of the video BUT change something after the . so it doesn't overwrite anything. It needs to be an .srt file, not .txt, but you can change it from .txt to .srt by Renaming it after it's been saved. Save it (or move it) to the same folder as the video and play.
This is an example of how I distinguish my adapted .srts
Original .srt file: นบดาว (Counting Stars) Ost_คนนบดาว Astrophile - Fluke Gawin(1080p).mp4.en.srt
My custom .srt file: นบดาว (Counting Stars) Ost_คนนบดาว Astrophile - Fluke Gawin(1080p).mp4.aaROM.srt
That's it.
Making these for favourite OSTs has been so good for my language learning (I swap out translations for Thai + romanized Thai lyrics). Easy to make and fun to use. I really recommend it.
Here's my earlier post if you'd like more detail or have hit a snag.
If the video you'd like to customise subtitles on doesn't have a useful .srt file, there's free software to help make your own. If anyone is interested I'm happy to share what I'm learning about that. It's a bit tedious and fiddley but not difficult. I'm using Tero Subtitler for this. It's lovely for adapting existing .srt files too. (Open .srt with Tero; Load the video; adapt what you want; Save As... - done, custom .srt file.)
Was 202x a good year for you?
30 Dec 2025 04:01 pmReminded today that this was a year ago.
EYDC2024 Day 30: was 2024 a good drama year for you? It was all about going deeper into Thai telly and movies and learning a lot about the culture, language and ways they tell their stories. That part was good but it's also very lonely. It's been rough to be the disabled kid standing on the sidelines expected to cheer everyone else along or go home and not bother anyone. Cause the world is so busy and fannish folks make themselves extra busier so who has time to play a different game? |
The nature of my lifelong chronic illness and disability makes that not a metaphor. I just wanted to join in. At best I was patted on the head, or ignored, or allowed to listen while they talked about their own things or 'splained their versions of me and my life. As for the worst, maybe I'll write about that some day. Maybe.
2025 was the year I gave up and stayed at home. The message became too loud to ignore, even for someone as foolhardy and trusting as me.Gaga is a good, sometimes excellent, resource for queer indy films, including titles which are very hard to impossible to find elsewhere, legally or not. There are gems, but finding them does mean weeding through a fair bit of dross. Also, the gay is gay not BL gay, which was a welcome change of pace.
I am far too susceptible to Last chance to watch. Also the need to see for myself to form my own opinion. Which isn’t helped by me being so far out of the mainstream amongst reviewers I have language-access to.
Letterboxd watchers of indy gay films can be quite cynical, especially regarding gay coming of age. MDL watchers tend to be kinder and more generous. Both of which means it can be difficult to get a handle on what a film will be like ahead of time, or to know when reviews can be trusted and it really is as they describe. Many describe their experience watching it more than the film itself, and there are so many externals which shape that. Including things like conventions and expectations conditioned by other viewing or the state of the US.
But for lesbian indie films, it tends to run opposite on both sites.
( Read more... )
I really didn’t expect to come away from six months of Gaga so painfully aware of the way even the best BL reinforces heteronormative conditioning about women’s place in society - relegated to second place at best, or barely there at all, and always always prioritising men’s happiness over everything else.
My mental health is markedly better when my viewing is majority Thai. This is the second time in two years my choices have demonstrated that to me. VPN to Viu here I come =D =D =D So many unsubbed Channel 8 lakorns though.
tl:dr Gaga is sub-par for Thai series but good for queer independent films, although it takes a fair bit of trial and error to find them.
If you’ve skimmed this, or even read it in detail, and have decided that it is in any way a criticism of you or others who have different preferences, please refrain from that. Please also be careful on what you’ve decided I dislike. (Cocks good, giant tongues not for me.) Please allow this to be solely an expression of my own. It’s not fair to me, or to yourself, to read into it things which aren’t here.
I am far too susceptible to Last chance to watch. Also the need to see for myself to form my own opinion. Which isn’t helped by me being so far out of the mainstream amongst reviewers I have language-access to.
Letterboxd watchers of indy gay films can be quite cynical, especially regarding gay coming of age. MDL watchers tend to be kinder and more generous. Both of which means it can be difficult to get a handle on what a film will be like ahead of time, or to know when reviews can be trusted and it really is as they describe. Many describe their experience watching it more than the film itself, and there are so many externals which shape that. Including things like conventions and expectations conditioned by other viewing or the state of the US.
But for lesbian indie films, it tends to run opposite on both sites.
( Read more... )
I really didn’t expect to come away from six months of Gaga so painfully aware of the way even the best BL reinforces heteronormative conditioning about women’s place in society - relegated to second place at best, or barely there at all, and always always prioritising men’s happiness over everything else.
My mental health is markedly better when my viewing is majority Thai. This is the second time in two years my choices have demonstrated that to me. VPN to Viu here I come =D =D =D So many unsubbed Channel 8 lakorns though.
tl:dr Gaga is sub-par for Thai series but good for queer independent films, although it takes a fair bit of trial and error to find them.
If you’ve skimmed this, or even read it in detail, and have decided that it is in any way a criticism of you or others who have different preferences, please refrain from that. Please also be careful on what you’ve decided I dislike. (Cocks good, giant tongues not for me.) Please allow this to be solely an expression of my own. It’s not fair to me, or to yourself, to read into it things which aren’t here.
(no subject)
5 Nov 2025 06:08 amfound out that the ex, who i haven't had ANY contact with in over a decade, is continuing to make up absolute shite about me. he's turned a physical limitation i have to cope with because of chronic illness into a problem with my thinking and attitude. it's likely coming from deep insecurities within himself, how he interacts with the world and what he assumes other people think of him.
and of course i'm helpless to do anything about it. i cannot open up contact with him again (which might be what he's after) and i am just not going to put the person who mentioned it to me in his firing line because the real me isn't like that and never has been. the person, who i also hadn't seen in years and probably won't again for many more, believed the yarn he's spinning about me. probably still does, regardless of what i said.
i'm frustrated with that person as well. and i know i'm giving him far more benefit of the doubt and understanding than he'll ever give me. and why would he? the real me isn't part of his life but the ex's alt version, who's become this personification of things he thinks people think about him, has more reality in their conversations than i'll ever have. his friendship with the ex is what's real to him, so the ex's imagined version of me is too. believing my ex strengthens their bond, believing me would open him up to questions about his friend's patterns and versions of things.
even when there's something as obvious as the ex claiming he never thinks about me but is talking about me with this person??? the real me is out of his life for good but this messed up alt version still lives in his mind. like just let it go. but the alt version is useful to him so it stays.
at least i was able to avoid letting on that i've moved and where i'm living now. the only person who might have given that away died of covid four years ago, this week even. i miss her. so at least i'm still physically safe even if all of this is in my own head again.
for whatever reasons from deep in my childhood i have this need, which at least some deem rather unreasonable, to be seen and understood accurately (criticise me all you want, but understand what i am actually saying first and make the criticisms relevant to my actual positions, values and behaviours) even as they want to be seen and understood accurately themselves. the ex certainly does. it is absolutely mandatory that he be understood and it was always incumbent on me to do so. which i was better than average at, even before short form social media and the stress of the world broke our attention spans and ability to listen and lowered the bar below ground on that.
but it was never enough. and hearing me? why would he do that? my role in his life was always to make him feel better about himself. as long as i was doing that directly, i was useful to him. but being my own person, with my own reality, that just got in his way. his pattern of making up shite about me and putting me down to elevate himself was already well-established by the time i succeeded in breaking off contact.
it's like poorly written fan fic from someone who didn't understand the characters but uses their names anyway. though there they could just recognise they're writing original fiction and take ownership and pride in that, while the ex needs to believe that his alt version of me is real, it's part of the structure his subconscious uses to protect himself from aspects of the world i have nothing to do with. his subconscious will always sacrifice the women in his life to protect itself.
it's out of my control, which is its own difficulty to cope with. the alt-version which has only ever existed in his head has far greater reality, and use, to him than the real me ever did. he won't change, so all i can do is try to forget what he does.
and of course i'm helpless to do anything about it. i cannot open up contact with him again (which might be what he's after) and i am just not going to put the person who mentioned it to me in his firing line because the real me isn't like that and never has been. the person, who i also hadn't seen in years and probably won't again for many more, believed the yarn he's spinning about me. probably still does, regardless of what i said.
i'm frustrated with that person as well. and i know i'm giving him far more benefit of the doubt and understanding than he'll ever give me. and why would he? the real me isn't part of his life but the ex's alt version, who's become this personification of things he thinks people think about him, has more reality in their conversations than i'll ever have. his friendship with the ex is what's real to him, so the ex's imagined version of me is too. believing my ex strengthens their bond, believing me would open him up to questions about his friend's patterns and versions of things.
even when there's something as obvious as the ex claiming he never thinks about me but is talking about me with this person??? the real me is out of his life for good but this messed up alt version still lives in his mind. like just let it go. but the alt version is useful to him so it stays.
at least i was able to avoid letting on that i've moved and where i'm living now. the only person who might have given that away died of covid four years ago, this week even. i miss her. so at least i'm still physically safe even if all of this is in my own head again.
for whatever reasons from deep in my childhood i have this need, which at least some deem rather unreasonable, to be seen and understood accurately (criticise me all you want, but understand what i am actually saying first and make the criticisms relevant to my actual positions, values and behaviours) even as they want to be seen and understood accurately themselves. the ex certainly does. it is absolutely mandatory that he be understood and it was always incumbent on me to do so. which i was better than average at, even before short form social media and the stress of the world broke our attention spans and ability to listen and lowered the bar below ground on that.
but it was never enough. and hearing me? why would he do that? my role in his life was always to make him feel better about himself. as long as i was doing that directly, i was useful to him. but being my own person, with my own reality, that just got in his way. his pattern of making up shite about me and putting me down to elevate himself was already well-established by the time i succeeded in breaking off contact.
it's like poorly written fan fic from someone who didn't understand the characters but uses their names anyway. though there they could just recognise they're writing original fiction and take ownership and pride in that, while the ex needs to believe that his alt version of me is real, it's part of the structure his subconscious uses to protect himself from aspects of the world i have nothing to do with. his subconscious will always sacrifice the women in his life to protect itself.
it's out of my control, which is its own difficulty to cope with. the alt-version which has only ever existed in his head has far greater reality, and use, to him than the real me ever did. he won't change, so all i can do is try to forget what he does.
weeds in the pavement
5 Oct 2025 12:04 pmthe best i can hope for is to slip into the small cracks in people’s lives, like a weed in the pavement. this is all i deserve, it’s been made clear to me time and again. whether in words or in silences. even if i have been slow to truly learn and accept this. i get it now. deep in my bones and my soul. i get it.
no one likes to say that though, so everyone is certain someone else will do it. some hypothetical other who lives only in their imaginations, and only for the brief time it serves them. lovers have done this as they're walking out the door, momentarily convincing themselves someone else will love me even though they can't. one layer of support worker referring me on to another, until i fall through the cracks of remit specifications. i'm alright in the areas they measure so i'm an easy one to move out of the service in March, when they need to numbers to show they've helped some, numbers to secure their funding for another year. the ways in which i'm struggling are irrelevant, not in their remit, invisible, easy to ignore. people who i thought were friends. how very foolish of me.
it comforts them in that moment until i disappear and that's what matters. the hypothetical me who lives only in their imaginations being loved or supported or befriended by some hypothetical other who will never exist. who am i to say they're wrong. their version of me is true to them.
if i'm unable to meet their needs, i'm not worth their time. this is just the way it is. it's the way it's always been.
it's most obvious in the support cycle. when i'm useful as a service user, i can be a service user. when i'm more useful as someone who can be considered to no longer need their help, that's what i become. when i can build up someone else's confidence, say good things about them, help them feel better about themselves. when i listen to them, let them be the focus and keep myself out of their way. when i say *just* enough about myself that they can feel like a good, compassionate person, but only as long as i then take myself out of the way and let the focus return to where it should be, on them and their interests. they need to feel like they've helped and it's my obligation to not get in the way of that.
the imagined me has use to some, as an imagined enemy or a projection of conflicts with family and others they dare not see as an enemy. so they imagine me in ways which suit them and object when i try to clarify that it's not me they're imaginging. this was one of my worst transgressions last year. to say but that's not me. this is who i am. to ridiculously think misunderstandings could be cleared up and we could get along and share different points of view and learn from each other. how intolerable i am for doing that, worth only ostracisation. their version of me is true to them. i am a tool to be used and discarded, nothing more. this is how it is. i understand my place in the world.
when people are stressed, and we are living in such stressful times, those cracks are so small, a hairsbreath here and there, and subjected to such pressure. why should anyone bother with an old useless woman. everyone is so busy, their lives are what matter.
may this be over soon.
no one likes to say that though, so everyone is certain someone else will do it. some hypothetical other who lives only in their imaginations, and only for the brief time it serves them. lovers have done this as they're walking out the door, momentarily convincing themselves someone else will love me even though they can't. one layer of support worker referring me on to another, until i fall through the cracks of remit specifications. i'm alright in the areas they measure so i'm an easy one to move out of the service in March, when they need to numbers to show they've helped some, numbers to secure their funding for another year. the ways in which i'm struggling are irrelevant, not in their remit, invisible, easy to ignore. people who i thought were friends. how very foolish of me.
it comforts them in that moment until i disappear and that's what matters. the hypothetical me who lives only in their imaginations being loved or supported or befriended by some hypothetical other who will never exist. who am i to say they're wrong. their version of me is true to them.
if i'm unable to meet their needs, i'm not worth their time. this is just the way it is. it's the way it's always been.
it's most obvious in the support cycle. when i'm useful as a service user, i can be a service user. when i'm more useful as someone who can be considered to no longer need their help, that's what i become. when i can build up someone else's confidence, say good things about them, help them feel better about themselves. when i listen to them, let them be the focus and keep myself out of their way. when i say *just* enough about myself that they can feel like a good, compassionate person, but only as long as i then take myself out of the way and let the focus return to where it should be, on them and their interests. they need to feel like they've helped and it's my obligation to not get in the way of that.
the imagined me has use to some, as an imagined enemy or a projection of conflicts with family and others they dare not see as an enemy. so they imagine me in ways which suit them and object when i try to clarify that it's not me they're imaginging. this was one of my worst transgressions last year. to say but that's not me. this is who i am. to ridiculously think misunderstandings could be cleared up and we could get along and share different points of view and learn from each other. how intolerable i am for doing that, worth only ostracisation. their version of me is true to them. i am a tool to be used and discarded, nothing more. this is how it is. i understand my place in the world.
when people are stressed, and we are living in such stressful times, those cracks are so small, a hairsbreath here and there, and subjected to such pressure. why should anyone bother with an old useless woman. everyone is so busy, their lives are what matter.
may this be over soon.
(no subject)
6 Sep 2025 11:24 amStill trying to understand why it's acceptable for some to talk about their difficulties, enough that they will be supported and understood, but not for me. Working hypotheses include how relatable those problems are and how much entertainment is provided otherwise, especially geared towards their particular interests or is relatable in some other way, like work or family. All fails for me of course. Just the way it is. Sometimes I think about trying to invent an online persona which will be more acceptable but that will only emphasise the ways in which my life isn't worth the bother for anyone.
My uses in this world are to be of service to others, which I am barely able to do any more, and to serve as a punching bag for whatever they're upset about that they can hang on me. A core component of who I am is very much hated these days, for all it's framed as something else. In the world of identity politics, all of mine require me to be silent, or invisible, or erase my own knowledge, study and lived experience and only say what they want me to say. Their emotions and emotional reactions will always take priority over anything I might contribute. That's the world we've made for ourselves.
Seem to have abandoned short form social media for good. The shifts in attention it requires are beyond my capabilities now. It's also debilitating knowing how deep subconscious cultural prejudices run, even if I don't actively see them. The neighbour who talks to me when she's outside has fucked up her knee badly and needs to not be outside making it worse. Months of rest it will need and she won't rest if she can see something which 'needs' to be done. So now I'm trying to keep up with her gardening on my own. I don't have the energy myself but it's my only hope that I'll have someone to talk with next summer. Autumn is starting early here in more ways that one.
My only use to the other neighbours is as an audience, and perhaps as someone to invent stories to gossip about behind my back, they're not paying enough attention to know anything. I might be slow, but I do get the message eventually and it's hard to ignore it when someone outright blanks me mid-sentence. Even when I'm talking about something they're interested in. Not much I can do there except erase myself and watch for opportunities to help. One was very kind in praising me for the help I gave her when she fell. Still didn't let me say more than a few words, but it was something. Anyway, it's a lonely time, which is probably why I'm bothering the bandwidth here again. Those who might see this, just join the rest in unfollowing me. I can't be entertaining in the ways you need, or offer relatable, fixable problems. It's just how it is.
May this be over soon.
My uses in this world are to be of service to others, which I am barely able to do any more, and to serve as a punching bag for whatever they're upset about that they can hang on me. A core component of who I am is very much hated these days, for all it's framed as something else. In the world of identity politics, all of mine require me to be silent, or invisible, or erase my own knowledge, study and lived experience and only say what they want me to say. Their emotions and emotional reactions will always take priority over anything I might contribute. That's the world we've made for ourselves.
Seem to have abandoned short form social media for good. The shifts in attention it requires are beyond my capabilities now. It's also debilitating knowing how deep subconscious cultural prejudices run, even if I don't actively see them. The neighbour who talks to me when she's outside has fucked up her knee badly and needs to not be outside making it worse. Months of rest it will need and she won't rest if she can see something which 'needs' to be done. So now I'm trying to keep up with her gardening on my own. I don't have the energy myself but it's my only hope that I'll have someone to talk with next summer. Autumn is starting early here in more ways that one.
My only use to the other neighbours is as an audience, and perhaps as someone to invent stories to gossip about behind my back, they're not paying enough attention to know anything. I might be slow, but I do get the message eventually and it's hard to ignore it when someone outright blanks me mid-sentence. Even when I'm talking about something they're interested in. Not much I can do there except erase myself and watch for opportunities to help. One was very kind in praising me for the help I gave her when she fell. Still didn't let me say more than a few words, but it was something. Anyway, it's a lonely time, which is probably why I'm bothering the bandwidth here again. Those who might see this, just join the rest in unfollowing me. I can't be entertaining in the ways you need, or offer relatable, fixable problems. It's just how it is.
May this be over soon.
Healing Dramas
25 Jul 2025 02:10 pmjust a backup for a post on MDL; boxes indicate other people's posts i was replying to
Mar 10, 2025 12:16 pm
This isn't true for all Thai series. Lakorns (evening soap operas big on melodrama) are harder to find legally, although one31 has several on their youtube with English subtitles (my list here, the calmest I've seen so far (before I got waylaid by Ch 3) is I Feel You Linger in the Air, cut on one31 YT, uncut on Youku's). Lakorn journeys tend not to be calm all the way through, but they're much better IMO at mitigating stress - rather than piling it on like most countries do, they break it with lighter moments, sometimes playful or humorous. I have to avoid most C- and K-drama because of their stress rollercoasters but I fare much better with lakorns.
( Read more... )
Mar 10, 2025 12:16 pm
Healing dramas, however, are a bit heavier, but can turn light at the end after the healing happens. Healing dramas involve some sort of loss, trauma, or deep angst, and then show a calm journey towards overcoming that sadness. You watch it and feel healed, calmed, and revived yourself.Thai series and movies often have this way of surrounding difficult emotions in warmth and kindness. They have a different rhythm than other countries'. Maybe it will work for you as well.
Yes, I love thai dramas, their culture and genre is very refreshing. I enjoy listening to their language. The only challenge is the platform to watch them, mostly illegal sites
This isn't true for all Thai series. Lakorns (evening soap operas big on melodrama) are harder to find legally, although one31 has several on their youtube with English subtitles (my list here, the calmest I've seen so far (before I got waylaid by Ch 3) is I Feel You Linger in the Air, cut on one31 YT, uncut on Youku's). Lakorn journeys tend not to be calm all the way through, but they're much better IMO at mitigating stress - rather than piling it on like most countries do, they break it with lighter moments, sometimes playful or humorous. I have to avoid most C- and K-drama because of their stress rollercoasters but I fare much better with lakorns.
( Read more... )
Friday Fives june 2025
13 Jun 2025 10:38 am1. What item would you be embarrassed for people to know you own? The embarrassment is my struggles to stay on top of housework. Aside from that, not really. I have some lingerie somewhere which brings up difficult emotions, but that's just because I was too thick and stupidly optimistic to realise my sex life had already hit its expiry date (mid 40s) when I bought it.
2. What is something you splurged on just for you? Aside from a few years of marriage, my entire adult life has been financially on my own so 'just for me' is par for the course. Difficulties working enough hours to make ends meet because of health problems engrained frugality, but I also figured out a version of Vimes Boot Theory on my own decades ago so I'm very careful about what I spend money on. If anything looks like a splurge, it's because I expect it to last and it's long run cheaper to buy once than often.
3. What is something that you own with no real world value that is priceless to you? My half-written novel. It truly has no real world value - it's not like anyone's going to read it, let alone spare the bandwidth to understand it - but I would like to finish it for myself.
4. Do you collect anything? I need to let go of my books and CDs.
5. What item belonging to a friend/family member do you covet? My situation is such that when I go into a care home or a casket, the council will give whoever one week to empty this cottage. I have no one to do that, although a neighbour has volunteered her daughter. Which isn't realistic for several reasons. After that, the council will dump everything left in landfill. Anything which might be of value to anyone else is better off with them. So no, I don't covet anything. I'm slow to do anything so it's better if I'm getting rid of things rather than acquiring them.
------
1. What sets you apart from your friends? Everything. Willingness to focus on them.
2. What sets you apart from your family? Everything and then some.
3. What sets you apart from your coworkers/fellow students? N/A. Long term disabled.
4. What is the one thing about you that is most unique? How about most incomprehensible while also the most signficant? That would be the consequences of chronic illness since childhood. Everything else is just details.
5. What is your most interesting quality? Oh hell. I'm so uninteresting other people would rather make up stories about me than pay attention to what I have to say.
2. What is something you splurged on just for you? Aside from a few years of marriage, my entire adult life has been financially on my own so 'just for me' is par for the course. Difficulties working enough hours to make ends meet because of health problems engrained frugality, but I also figured out a version of Vimes Boot Theory on my own decades ago so I'm very careful about what I spend money on. If anything looks like a splurge, it's because I expect it to last and it's long run cheaper to buy once than often.
3. What is something that you own with no real world value that is priceless to you? My half-written novel. It truly has no real world value - it's not like anyone's going to read it, let alone spare the bandwidth to understand it - but I would like to finish it for myself.
4. Do you collect anything? I need to let go of my books and CDs.
5. What item belonging to a friend/family member do you covet? My situation is such that when I go into a care home or a casket, the council will give whoever one week to empty this cottage. I have no one to do that, although a neighbour has volunteered her daughter. Which isn't realistic for several reasons. After that, the council will dump everything left in landfill. Anything which might be of value to anyone else is better off with them. So no, I don't covet anything. I'm slow to do anything so it's better if I'm getting rid of things rather than acquiring them.
------
1. What sets you apart from your friends? Everything. Willingness to focus on them.
2. What sets you apart from your family? Everything and then some.
3. What sets you apart from your coworkers/fellow students? N/A. Long term disabled.
4. What is the one thing about you that is most unique? How about most incomprehensible while also the most signficant? That would be the consequences of chronic illness since childhood. Everything else is just details.
5. What is your most interesting quality? Oh hell. I'm so uninteresting other people would rather make up stories about me than pay attention to what I have to say.
On romanticising abusive behaviours
7 Apr 2025 10:29 amMy review of a Channel 3 comedy lakorn อกเกือบหักแอบรักคุณสามี (My Husband in Law)
As a lakorn, this was alright. Not great, and they got lazy with several things like the gay and lesbian side stories and a late ungrounded reveal about the ML. And just no on using ridiculous straight boy fears of gay men hitting on them as a recurring punch line.
The problem, which many won't care about because it's all so normalised, is the type of rom com they crashed into it. The kind where abusive behaviours in the ML are magically transformed into happily ever after by the FL's enduring love.
Most viewers will just see this as adding drama and excitement, making his transformation all the more neuro-chemically rewarding for them. Many will dismiss it as "just fiction" or cite the mantra that they know the difference between it and reality, as if everything bouncing around in our brains stayed neatly in its assigned box. Our subconscious minds don't really work that way. Stories are powerful and we are narrative beings.
So when writers and directors make stories which parallel the kinds of things women (and sometimes men) in abusive relationships tell themselves - he'll change, he's doing this because he loves me, it will get better if ... - which keep them locked in the relationship, turning them into romanticised tropes, these stories cumulatively reinforce and normalise them. It's already hard enough to break free from an abusive relationship as it is. If you don't understand this, count your blessings.
( Spoilers ahead )
As a lakorn, this was alright. Not great, and they got lazy with several things like the gay and lesbian side stories and a late ungrounded reveal about the ML. And just no on using ridiculous straight boy fears of gay men hitting on them as a recurring punch line.
The problem, which many won't care about because it's all so normalised, is the type of rom com they crashed into it. The kind where abusive behaviours in the ML are magically transformed into happily ever after by the FL's enduring love.
Most viewers will just see this as adding drama and excitement, making his transformation all the more neuro-chemically rewarding for them. Many will dismiss it as "just fiction" or cite the mantra that they know the difference between it and reality, as if everything bouncing around in our brains stayed neatly in its assigned box. Our subconscious minds don't really work that way. Stories are powerful and we are narrative beings.
So when writers and directors make stories which parallel the kinds of things women (and sometimes men) in abusive relationships tell themselves - he'll change, he's doing this because he loves me, it will get better if ... - which keep them locked in the relationship, turning them into romanticised tropes, these stories cumulatively reinforce and normalise them. It's already hard enough to break free from an abusive relationship as it is. If you don't understand this, count your blessings.
( Spoilers ahead )
Impressions please!
28 Mar 2025 07:16 amThis is part of a lakorn (Thai melodrama) I'm writing. It's early on, around the 3rd chapter/episode.
These are useful things to know:
It's set in Thailand because lakorn.
Ratree (Rah-tree), the FL, has a very different life than what she describes. Don't worry about that.
Ti is a short form of her name.
Faen is girl/boyfriend. It's gender neutral.
Yai is maternal grandmother
A haawm หอม is a SE Asian way of expressing affection. It's like a kiss, but with nose and breath instead of lips, and can be anything from innocent to not.
Bpai ไป means to go or leave. Thai grammar runs on vibes and context, so this can mean Let's leave together. Subtitles would likely render my use at the end as "Let's go," but that has a different feel and I wanted the simplicity of ไป. It is very much what someone would say in Thai dialogue.
The friend who read this missed what I had hoped to convey in the last two paragraphs, so I'm interested in finding out how others read it. I've added a bit but it also needs to be understated. So I just want to know what you make of it please. It will help me find a good balance.
(Edit: Am interested more in how the vibes and emotions read than understanding of facts.)
( Read more... )
These are useful things to know:
It's set in Thailand because lakorn.
Ratree (Rah-tree), the FL, has a very different life than what she describes. Don't worry about that.
Ti is a short form of her name.
Faen is girl/boyfriend. It's gender neutral.
Yai is maternal grandmother
A haawm หอม is a SE Asian way of expressing affection. It's like a kiss, but with nose and breath instead of lips, and can be anything from innocent to not.
Bpai ไป means to go or leave. Thai grammar runs on vibes and context, so this can mean Let's leave together. Subtitles would likely render my use at the end as "Let's go," but that has a different feel and I wanted the simplicity of ไป. It is very much what someone would say in Thai dialogue.
The friend who read this missed what I had hoped to convey in the last two paragraphs, so I'm interested in finding out how others read it. I've added a bit but it also needs to be understated. So I just want to know what you make of it please. It will help me find a good balance.
(Edit: Am interested more in how the vibes and emotions read than understanding of facts.)
( Read more... )
สัญญา - คมสัน เด่นทวี
10 Feb 2025 09:18 pmสัญญา - คมสัน เด่นทวี
Sunya - Khomsan Denthawee
(Promise)
lyric คําร้อง, composed ทํานอง, arrange เรียบเรียง by คมสัน เด่นทวี
beautiful piano song at end of Ghost Wife 2018 youtu.be/_tGMbDd9btc
if i could just find more of his work...
Sunya - Khomsan Denthawee
(Promise)
lyric คําร้อง, composed ทํานอง, arrange เรียบเรียง by คมสัน เด่นทวี
beautiful piano song at end of Ghost Wife 2018 youtu.be/_tGMbDd9btc
if i could just find more of his work...
(no subject)
6 Feb 2025 03:34 pmOne year ago today I started a comm here on something I'm fascinated by. My wild dream was that someone wandering by perhaps from dreamwidth or a web search might happen into a post and maybe I'd be able to find an English-speaker to geek out with about Thai language and culture and learn more.
Instead I've ended up responsible for feeding prompts but otherwise irrelevant. It works best when I stay out of others' way. I really should have realised this going in.
Instead I've ended up responsible for feeding prompts but otherwise irrelevant. It works best when I stay out of others' way. I really should have realised this going in.
friday five - 31 jan 25
31 Jan 2025 11:01 am1. If you were to star in a movie an opera, who would you want to be cast as your love interest? Joyce diDonato
2. What genre of movie would you most like to star in? Opera, live, to be utterly surrounded inside and out by that gorgeous music.
3. What song would you insist be on the soundtrack? It's all soundtrack. Je viens a vous, puissante reine, act 3, Cendrillon, Jules Massenet
4. What would you wear to the premiere of your movie? Breeches role for this one as Joyce is singing Lucette
5. Who would you thank in your Oscar acceptance speech? Met Opera for their free daily streams during the first year and a half of the Covid era
(But also this and this from Stephanie Blythe, and she gets to sing to Danielle di Niese. Or to be on stage when Sondra Radvanovsky sings Casta Diva. Hey, I narrowed it down to three :D :D )
2. What genre of movie would you most like to star in? Opera, live, to be utterly surrounded inside and out by that gorgeous music.
3. What song would you insist be on the soundtrack? It's all soundtrack. Je viens a vous, puissante reine, act 3, Cendrillon, Jules Massenet
4. What would you wear to the premiere of your movie? Breeches role for this one as Joyce is singing Lucette
5. Who would you thank in your Oscar acceptance speech? Met Opera for their free daily streams during the first year and a half of the Covid era
(But also this and this from Stephanie Blythe, and she gets to sing to Danielle di Niese. Or to be on stage when Sondra Radvanovsky sings Casta Diva. Hey, I narrowed it down to three :D :D )
EQUAL MARRIAGE in THAILAND
23 Jan 2025 08:52 amAll the steps have been completed, passing by huge margins in both lower and upper houses of government, and 120 days since the royal faffing about to make it official and legal.
Congratulations - ดีใจด้วย dee jai duay
ยินดีด้วย yin dee duay
(plus ค่ะ kha (if you're a woma) or ครับ khap (male) at the end to make it polite)
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2945632/hundreds-wed-as-thai-same-sex-marriage-law-takes-effect
Thailand finally has marriage equality!!!
All references to husband and wife in the legal code have been changed to spouse. Same sex couples are able to adopt children now too.Congratulations - ดีใจด้วย dee jai duay
ยินดีด้วย yin dee duay
(plus ค่ะ kha (if you're a woma) or ครับ khap (male) at the end to make it polite)
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2945632/hundreds-wed-as-thai-same-sex-marriage-law-takes-effect
Friday Five 17th Jan
17 Jan 2025 11:57 am1. Ten years ago, what did you think you would be doing now?
2013 was hysterectomy and the discovery of severe endometriosis. 2014 was continuing recovery once my body was no longer in a quasi-autoimmune battle to get rid of the endometriosal tissue and rebuilding some fitness and community. Being able to manage two outings a week maybe 2/3rds of the time (albeit with a full week of rest once a month) was such a marked improvement for me. They were a yoga class and a lunch gathering at a community cafe run by a women's group at a local church and really helping with both physical and mental health. Was getting to the point where some small volunteer work seemed like it might be feasible eventually. Something like sorting in the back room at a nearby charity shop which would allow flexibility with scheduling so I could go on my ok-er days and rest when my body needed to.
That was the trajectory my life was on ten years ago. I didn't know how much more improvement was possible, but what I had seemed sustainable.
Starting in December 2014, I was forced, under threat of losing ALL benefits for up to 3 years, to go against all medical advice for my chronic illnesses (pacing, pacing, pacing) and attend a weekly and then twice-weekly "back to work" programme on the other side of the city (two buses and a walk each way) for an entire year. We were allowed to miss at most four sessions per year. The Tory government in Westminster was in another one of their periodic fits of deciding they know better than everyone else how to coerce those not in work into work.
My group included a 64 year old man with cancer hoping to reach retirement age in a year, someone with depression and not much English, a woman who'd been in jail and was trying to make a new life (I really hope she's succeeded), tradesworkers with injuries, someone on methadone (who was very upfront and clear about the effects his daily dose, which he could only get at a certain time, would have on his ability to sit still and that he needed afternoon sessions), another actively alcoholic, and me, who would sometimes end up leading the class because the ever-changing cast of instructors were so inexperienced. We needed specialised rehab services, not power point lectures on the importance of checking spelling in a job application.
So ten years ago, I was at the beginning of one of the very worst years of my life, one which stole all possibility of some degree of recovery for absolutely zero reason beyond pointless Tory cruelty. But in January 2015, I didn't yet know how bad it was going to be.
2. Where do you think you will be five years from now?
The only realistic outlook given the overall situation - five years further along this decline, even more isolated and struggling to care for myself, but probably still falling between all the cracks to qualify for care. It's my misfortune to live amongst those who expect someone else will help out.
3. Do you live life one day at a time or look to the future?
One day a time. It's the only way to get through this without losing my mind completely. I can think in terms of "I can get through five more years of this", but say 10 or please no 20? The thought is unbearable.
4. Do you wish you could go back in time and undo something in your life?
Of course. The list is VERY long indeed.
5. If you could send a message back in time and give a younger version of yourself some advice, what would it be?
Prioritise getting yourself into a pleasant, comfortable and sociable place to live over *everything* else.
2013 was hysterectomy and the discovery of severe endometriosis. 2014 was continuing recovery once my body was no longer in a quasi-autoimmune battle to get rid of the endometriosal tissue and rebuilding some fitness and community. Being able to manage two outings a week maybe 2/3rds of the time (albeit with a full week of rest once a month) was such a marked improvement for me. They were a yoga class and a lunch gathering at a community cafe run by a women's group at a local church and really helping with both physical and mental health. Was getting to the point where some small volunteer work seemed like it might be feasible eventually. Something like sorting in the back room at a nearby charity shop which would allow flexibility with scheduling so I could go on my ok-er days and rest when my body needed to.
That was the trajectory my life was on ten years ago. I didn't know how much more improvement was possible, but what I had seemed sustainable.
Starting in December 2014, I was forced, under threat of losing ALL benefits for up to 3 years, to go against all medical advice for my chronic illnesses (pacing, pacing, pacing) and attend a weekly and then twice-weekly "back to work" programme on the other side of the city (two buses and a walk each way) for an entire year. We were allowed to miss at most four sessions per year. The Tory government in Westminster was in another one of their periodic fits of deciding they know better than everyone else how to coerce those not in work into work.
My group included a 64 year old man with cancer hoping to reach retirement age in a year, someone with depression and not much English, a woman who'd been in jail and was trying to make a new life (I really hope she's succeeded), tradesworkers with injuries, someone on methadone (who was very upfront and clear about the effects his daily dose, which he could only get at a certain time, would have on his ability to sit still and that he needed afternoon sessions), another actively alcoholic, and me, who would sometimes end up leading the class because the ever-changing cast of instructors were so inexperienced. We needed specialised rehab services, not power point lectures on the importance of checking spelling in a job application.
So ten years ago, I was at the beginning of one of the very worst years of my life, one which stole all possibility of some degree of recovery for absolutely zero reason beyond pointless Tory cruelty. But in January 2015, I didn't yet know how bad it was going to be.
2. Where do you think you will be five years from now?
The only realistic outlook given the overall situation - five years further along this decline, even more isolated and struggling to care for myself, but probably still falling between all the cracks to qualify for care. It's my misfortune to live amongst those who expect someone else will help out.
3. Do you live life one day at a time or look to the future?
One day a time. It's the only way to get through this without losing my mind completely. I can think in terms of "I can get through five more years of this", but say 10 or please no 20? The thought is unbearable.
4. Do you wish you could go back in time and undo something in your life?
Of course. The list is VERY long indeed.
5. If you could send a message back in time and give a younger version of yourself some advice, what would it be?
Prioritise getting yourself into a pleasant, comfortable and sociable place to live over *everything* else.
Friday Five 10 Jan 2025
10 Jan 2025 09:51 am1. If you could go back and relive one moment or day from your life, without changing anything, what would you re-experience?
I miss sex so much and it's not realistic to think it will happen for me again (yay double invisibility of energy-impairment disability and being a middle-aged woman), so that. Early days of a relationship too, before the other person understood what a drag my health limitations are. Ironic eh that if I mention anything arising from my AWOL libido, it's taken as if it were criticism of theirs, or that I'm a prude, or whatever, when the truth is no, I really value a healthy sex life and understand how important it is to mental health.
2. If you could witness a moment in history, again without changing anything, what would you want to see?
These days I'd like to experience hope and joy again, so somewhere celebrating significant equalities legislation. Though not in the U.S. as they're showing how fragile this all can be and the pain of that, the loss of hope, is so hard to bear.
3. If you could talk to a younger version of yourself, what age would you visit and what message would you give?
The week after the ex first hit me. Pack your bag and get to a women's shelter. Then prioritise finding good housing over anything else, some place where you'll be content to live out the rest of your life.
4. If you could choose one moment that would be guaranteed to happen in your future, what would it be and when would it happen?
This is too cruel. I don't know, someone takes pity on me and adopts me like they might take in a senior cat who shows up at their door?
5. Pretend you left a time capsule for yourself 5, 10, 15, 20 or more years ago. You just opened it. What three things from your past are you now holding and what age were you when you buried them?
A five-page paper I spent a week writing because I loved the subject so much, staying up until 4 in the morning at the computer centre with books of West African art used in divination and other rituals. Best week of my life.
Some of my writing for my Buddhist studies classes too. I did some really creative work for that.
Maybe some of my later writing, mostly online, though that came after I had lost the uni papers.
I miss sex so much and it's not realistic to think it will happen for me again (yay double invisibility of energy-impairment disability and being a middle-aged woman), so that. Early days of a relationship too, before the other person understood what a drag my health limitations are. Ironic eh that if I mention anything arising from my AWOL libido, it's taken as if it were criticism of theirs, or that I'm a prude, or whatever, when the truth is no, I really value a healthy sex life and understand how important it is to mental health.
2. If you could witness a moment in history, again without changing anything, what would you want to see?
These days I'd like to experience hope and joy again, so somewhere celebrating significant equalities legislation. Though not in the U.S. as they're showing how fragile this all can be and the pain of that, the loss of hope, is so hard to bear.
3. If you could talk to a younger version of yourself, what age would you visit and what message would you give?
The week after the ex first hit me. Pack your bag and get to a women's shelter. Then prioritise finding good housing over anything else, some place where you'll be content to live out the rest of your life.
4. If you could choose one moment that would be guaranteed to happen in your future, what would it be and when would it happen?
This is too cruel. I don't know, someone takes pity on me and adopts me like they might take in a senior cat who shows up at their door?
5. Pretend you left a time capsule for yourself 5, 10, 15, 20 or more years ago. You just opened it. What three things from your past are you now holding and what age were you when you buried them?
A five-page paper I spent a week writing because I loved the subject so much, staying up until 4 in the morning at the computer centre with books of West African art used in divination and other rituals. Best week of my life.
Some of my writing for my Buddhist studies classes too. I did some really creative work for that.
Maybe some of my later writing, mostly online, though that came after I had lost the uni papers.
(no subject)
7 Jan 2025 10:47 amWhen I asked the question "What can I give that you would like to engage with", profiterole suggested making a list for people to choose from. A lot of these things I've written about here already or in the Thai language and culture comm, so there's evidence being left on my own for this means, well being left on my own. Will try again.
Japanese films, anything on JFF Theatre or from the last two online festivals.
Also, older Japanese films from their 1950s Golden Age. i used to watch a lot from the library media centre and want to get back to doing so now that we have online streaming and DVDs are (sometimes) easier to buy.
The integration of grief and trauma narratives into a storyline without letting it take over, like Thais do so well with comedies and ghost stories.
Exaggeration and the influence of lakorn/melodrama on comedy.
It's proven beyond my capabilities to find a way to talk about Thai comedy which is understandable by those who don't watch much though so that's likely all a wash. It's not a difficult thing, it's just different.
learning Thai through watching two hours of telly a day
how much Thai telly is available free to stream legally and without the limits of a subscription
making custom subtitle files (i do this for OSTs to help with language learning)
Perpetuation of het sexism and sexist tropes in BL and GL series, including romanticised sexism and romanticised abuse.
Sexism and homophobia in Thailand and how these influence BL, especially the more violent and explicit series.
Recognising when harmful tropes are being used as a lazy way to up the tension and stress in a storyline (and could be replaced with something more creative), when they're being criticised through the story, or if it's less trope and more the exploration of a difficult subject.
Finding a balance between a blanket "don't yuck on someone's yum" and recognising the ways romanticised sexism and romanticised abuse continue the normalisation of sexism and abuse.
There's a pile of other things i'm interested in and know more about, both personal (including my own health and situation) and political, but mentioning them here will only bring on misreading, misunderstanding and more stress than i can deal with. If anyone is looking for advice on living with energy-impairment disabilities/chronic illness, i've been doing it since childhoood and have a lot of experience to draw on.
Japanese films, anything on JFF Theatre or from the last two online festivals.
Also, older Japanese films from their 1950s Golden Age. i used to watch a lot from the library media centre and want to get back to doing so now that we have online streaming and DVDs are (sometimes) easier to buy.
The integration of grief and trauma narratives into a storyline without letting it take over, like Thais do so well with comedies and ghost stories.
Exaggeration and the influence of lakorn/melodrama on comedy.
It's proven beyond my capabilities to find a way to talk about Thai comedy which is understandable by those who don't watch much though so that's likely all a wash. It's not a difficult thing, it's just different.
learning Thai through watching two hours of telly a day
how much Thai telly is available free to stream legally and without the limits of a subscription
making custom subtitle files (i do this for OSTs to help with language learning)
Perpetuation of het sexism and sexist tropes in BL and GL series, including romanticised sexism and romanticised abuse.
Sexism and homophobia in Thailand and how these influence BL, especially the more violent and explicit series.
Recognising when harmful tropes are being used as a lazy way to up the tension and stress in a storyline (and could be replaced with something more creative), when they're being criticised through the story, or if it's less trope and more the exploration of a difficult subject.
Finding a balance between a blanket "don't yuck on someone's yum" and recognising the ways romanticised sexism and romanticised abuse continue the normalisation of sexism and abuse.
There's a pile of other things i'm interested in and know more about, both personal (including my own health and situation) and political, but mentioning them here will only bring on misreading, misunderstanding and more stress than i can deal with. If anyone is looking for advice on living with energy-impairment disabilities/chronic illness, i've been doing it since childhoood and have a lot of experience to draw on.
There were two sides to my year. I've learned a lot about Thai culture, language and how they tell their stories through television and film. That has been wonderful but also very very lonely and isolating. I want to share but it's not like anyone has the time or interest. Everyone is busy with their own things, and fannish folk give themselves so much extra busyness too. It's been rough going to learn yet again that my preferences and needs are so far beyond peculiar in the parts of the real and online worlds I have language access to, but in the end it's not like that matters to anyone except me.
This year I also made the mistake of being more open on social media about the limitations chronic physical illness and disability impose on me and their consequences on my mental health. That was so incredibly foolish of me. I know how badly it fails in real life, how incomprehensible these things are to everyone else, and how uncomfortable people are with the insoluble problems of chronic illness. I really should have known it could only fail online too even if their reactions were hidden to me for longer. It was a mistake to read posts about finding your people by being yourself and hope it might work for me. But I've also learned that when I write about myself it will be misread as criticism of those who can do what I can't, so hey it's great being yourself works for so many. I wish it could work for me too. This isn't criticism of you, it's envy.
So those are the two sides to my year. Going deeper into learning about something I really love and wanting to share it with others, and social media making it beyond clear how much of my life and myself I aren't worth talking about.
Looks like I've written too much again. Will give myself this one night though, for the end of the year, because it's shaped so much of it. Just ignore everything about me that makes you uncomfortable. I'll close it off again tomorrow.
This year I also made the mistake of being more open on social media about the limitations chronic physical illness and disability impose on me and their consequences on my mental health. That was so incredibly foolish of me. I know how badly it fails in real life, how incomprehensible these things are to everyone else, and how uncomfortable people are with the insoluble problems of chronic illness. I really should have known it could only fail online too even if their reactions were hidden to me for longer. It was a mistake to read posts about finding your people by being yourself and hope it might work for me. But I've also learned that when I write about myself it will be misread as criticism of those who can do what I can't, so hey it's great being yourself works for so many. I wish it could work for me too. This isn't criticism of you, it's envy.
So those are the two sides to my year. Going deeper into learning about something I really love and wanting to share it with others, and social media making it beyond clear how much of my life and myself I aren't worth talking about.
Looks like I've written too much again. Will give myself this one night though, for the end of the year, because it's shaped so much of it. Just ignore everything about me that makes you uncomfortable. I'll close it off again tomorrow.
Things I forgot because the learning was more in the first half of the year. Brain is not braining well and these are things I have many data points on but struggle to put into words which are understandable to those who aren't familiar. IYKYK I guess and I'm so appreciative of these qualities and glad I found my way in.
When I first started watching Thai BL, I was over-attributing what I liked to it being BL and not appreciating how much of that warmth and caring was just Thai.
Thai comedy is its own thing - unpretentious, unabashed, unashamed, delightfully goofy, free-spirited and full of acceptance - and it really works for me.
Layers of meaning. The countless ways Thais have of embedding trauma and grief narratives in humour and lightness and the way it feels as those layers begin to be revealed. Movies have patterns in how they do this but every series I've seen with it has approached it differently.
Cradling pain. How gently and skillfully they handle big emotions. The time they will give to this. If it seems like there isn't much going on, look there. Or even if there is.
The respect much of the 2016-2020ish youth-orientated programming has for its viewers' intelligence. This isn't unique to Thailand, youth-programming is often higher quality than comparable mainstream fare, but the combination of other Thai qualities works especially well with this.
These are the things I most adore about the way Thais tell their stories.
When I first started watching Thai BL, I was over-attributing what I liked to it being BL and not appreciating how much of that warmth and caring was just Thai.
Thai comedy is its own thing - unpretentious, unabashed, unashamed, delightfully goofy, free-spirited and full of acceptance - and it really works for me.
Layers of meaning. The countless ways Thais have of embedding trauma and grief narratives in humour and lightness and the way it feels as those layers begin to be revealed. Movies have patterns in how they do this but every series I've seen with it has approached it differently.
Cradling pain. How gently and skillfully they handle big emotions. The time they will give to this. If it seems like there isn't much going on, look there. Or even if there is.
The respect much of the 2016-2020ish youth-orientated programming has for its viewers' intelligence. This isn't unique to Thailand, youth-programming is often higher quality than comparable mainstream fare, but the combination of other Thai qualities works especially well with this.
These are the things I most adore about the way Thais tell their stories.
I *really* like how slow and unhurried Thai movies can be.
The best way for me to watch a lakorn is one episode whenever until it grabs me, then binge to get carried along on its energy. Maximum three episodes a day though. Unless the political enshittification of the world is having an especially bad spasm and somewhere to hide for a few days is useful.
Don't be surprised if a seemingly weak woman in a lakorn turns out to be skilled in martial arts or shooting a gun.
The number of episodes it takes for a lakorn to grab me is not necessarily an indication of how much I will enjoy it by the end. Episode 7 is the current record.
If it feels like a Thai series hasn't completed certain plot lines with the correct sort of detail to satisfy western audiences, that just means the real story was elsewhere.
The real story will probably be centered in the emotions. Get those right, give them some grounding and the rest can have as much nonsense as they want to give it and it will still work.
I really like GMM singing to camera or into the distance OSTs circa 2016-17.
My mental health is significantly better when my viewing is majority Thai and minimally everything else, with some exception for Japanese films. This probably has to do with cortisol and how different cultures pace or mitigate tension and stress in their stories.
This is not what the majority of western viewers want or expect, so my only successful Thai recommendations have been ones which went up to or crossed my limits. Except for Moonlight Chicken. This is very isolating and complicates or excludes me from most conversations.
If there's a ghost it may be vengeful but it may mean grief is a significant theme somewhere along the way. This does not mean it will be a sad story.
Or maybe they just wanted to include ghosts. Thais will never meet a genre they can't put a ghost in.
MDL's "horror" genre tag is uselessly broad to suit Thai media.
Series with trauma and grief narratives don't have to be dark and traumatic.
Did I mention how much I like the refuse to be rushed pacing of Thai movies? They will get wherever it is they're going when they get there and it will be the right place for the story and the right time.
The best way for me to watch a lakorn is one episode whenever until it grabs me, then binge to get carried along on its energy. Maximum three episodes a day though. Unless the political enshittification of the world is having an especially bad spasm and somewhere to hide for a few days is useful.
Don't be surprised if a seemingly weak woman in a lakorn turns out to be skilled in martial arts or shooting a gun.
The number of episodes it takes for a lakorn to grab me is not necessarily an indication of how much I will enjoy it by the end. Episode 7 is the current record.
If it feels like a Thai series hasn't completed certain plot lines with the correct sort of detail to satisfy western audiences, that just means the real story was elsewhere.
The real story will probably be centered in the emotions. Get those right, give them some grounding and the rest can have as much nonsense as they want to give it and it will still work.
I really like GMM singing to camera or into the distance OSTs circa 2016-17.
My mental health is significantly better when my viewing is majority Thai and minimally everything else, with some exception for Japanese films. This probably has to do with cortisol and how different cultures pace or mitigate tension and stress in their stories.
This is not what the majority of western viewers want or expect, so my only successful Thai recommendations have been ones which went up to or crossed my limits. Except for Moonlight Chicken. This is very isolating and complicates or excludes me from most conversations.
If there's a ghost it may be vengeful but it may mean grief is a significant theme somewhere along the way. This does not mean it will be a sad story.
Or maybe they just wanted to include ghosts. Thais will never meet a genre they can't put a ghost in.
MDL's "horror" genre tag is uselessly broad to suit Thai media.
Series with trauma and grief narratives don't have to be dark and traumatic.
Did I mention how much I like the refuse to be rushed pacing of Thai movies? They will get wherever it is they're going when they get there and it will be the right place for the story and the right time.
