KAOUP X POSHMAGAZINE

honestly speaking bad buddy is like....a slap to even western queer representation. im not even kidding. as someone from a queerphobic country, who got introduced to their first queer character at 14 through nico di angelo, who had to deal with queer identity being used for queerbait through stories like sherlock, who knew of the dumpster fire of queerbait that was supernatural, who rarely ever saw sapphic rep, who found shadowhunters and malec but the awkwardness in all those initial seasons (i wont talk about the books cause...yeah)

bad buddy is like a cure to all of that. this asian show did what western shows are so cowardly to do, unless they want to make it a pat on their back or showcase themself as revolutionary. no, bad buddy gave us a queer romance, told us love is genuinely blind to gender, told hs that sometimes girls do only like girls and nothing will change that, told us that queer people aren't a one in a thousand occurance. queer people exist everywhere, we just don't have the same stages and same spotlights to live out our love like non-queer people.

and bad buddy is what we'd get if we did. the family fued would've been a credible issue even if it was a girl and a guy. and thats why bad buddy feels so special.

this is recompence for suffering through awkward western queer rep, for always having to watch traumatic coming outs as if you can't have a love story without them, for suffering some disgustingly fetishistic pieces of media, for always having to read between the lines, the subtext, for having to make do with blurry lines and deal with "oh nah theyre just friends, you people can't let people of the same gender be friends without wanting a romance".

bad buddy showed that a girl and a guy could be good, even best friends without being in love with each other and still cheat the other. it showed that a guy who once liked a girl could definitely have feelings for a guy and accept them both as part of him. it showed that girls do have their niche set of problems navigating sapphic relationships (felt you there pa). it shows that queer or not, family can still be traumatic, as it has been. it showed that a coming out scene can be "i like a girl" / "oh cool okay" over bowls of noodles.

this is actually what we've ever wanted. we love normally, go through normal conflits, have friends, talk about stuff everyone else does. our sexuality or identity isn't our whole personality. we do music, play sports, slack off or do well at school, have rivalries.

and i gotta thank this show for giving me that.

Light On Me, Ep. 16: Can I Walk You Home?

pansexual kings

I want to point out something SO important about this episode…

This scene right here. Omg. I got emotional. The way Pat was originally coming over to continue their teasing, but saw that Pran was in a sad mood so he changed his tune real quick to become a more lighthearted and supportive person for Pran to lean on. They understand each other in ways even their friend groups wouldn’t understand 😭😭

Yes, I’m obsessed with this scene and not just because Pran treats Pat’s fingers like this is a KFC commercial. By comparison, Pat’s attempt at flirting seems childish and silly, but I think that’s exactly what he’s going for. Pat doesn’t actually know where Pran’s boundaries are with this, this is a new battlefield for them, and the last thing he wants to do is push Pran away accidentally.

So, he starts with something simple and familiar. Change “if you want it, be my boyfriend” to “if you want it, be my friend” and this is precisely something Pat could have done pre-kiss. He’s testing the waters and, well, he’s had plenty of evidence that Pran likes it when he acts cute, so why not start there?

So then, when Pran leans in and really says, “yeah, no, we’re not 15 anymore,” yes, Pat short-circuits for a hot second, but then as Pran walks away you can literally see, “oh, this is gonna be fun,” written all over his face. He knows Pran is really the more competitive of the two of them, and he is not above using that to his benefit to make Pran up the ante. The way he sees this, he can’t lose. He’s able to be as clingy as he wants (very), has found a way for Pran to be more open with him (important), and gets plenty of his new favourite side of Pran (flirty).  What more could a boy hopelessly in love want?

Pat, open the door! She’s your sister. But you’re my boyfriend.

#smitten

What do you think of Third (theory of love) being on the ace spectrum ?

Ohhh that’s so interesting! I’d never thought about it before, but I could totally see it!! He does mention in like... the first episode, I think? That many people are chasing after him and that he would have his pick of the litter, as it were, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was in love with Khai. I could see him being like... a demisexual? Like it’s his strong emotional bond with Khai that causes him to have sexual feelings?? 

Actually I could see him being just ace too since (if I remember correctly) he only ever talks about romantic feelings, while Khai expresses both romantic and sexual feelings for Third. And it would explain things like why Third likes to make Khai sleep on the floor, etc. Like he has strict boundaries because he’s still figuring out what he’s comfortable with in a sexual context. 

Oh man, that’s super interesting! I really like that interpretation of his character!