February 2023 Fanfic Recs

[forestsofpine]

Man, do you ever have one of those months where nothing is sparking? After an excellent January with a bunch of fics I was delighted to rec, I read a bunch of perfectly fine and competent fics in the first half of February that I then immediately forgot everything about. For awhile there, I was staring at my fic spreadsheet afraid I might not be able to rec anything at all. Luckily, things did pick up a little bit in the second half of the month, so I have a few, at least.

Here are some of the fics I enjoyed in February:

Kinnporsche Fic Recs

when you say nothing at all, Kinn/Porsche, 1k, teen

“You were hard to find,” Porsche says.

“I meant to be,” Kinn says, already exhausted. “Nice ring.”

Also, it's still a WIP, but a nonny is writing an excellent series of Vegas/Pete/Macau vignettes over on kptskinkmeme. I was not the prompter, but I sure am enjoying the fill! I'm hoping it will be posted to AO3 later, in which case I'll be sure to share the updated link.

Moonlight Chicken Fic Recs

Watch on YouTube

Moonlight Chicken is set in Pattaya, Thailand at a restaurant that specializes in Hainanese chicken rice. It's directed by Aof Noppharnach Chaiwimol, who also directed Bad Buddy, He's Coming to Me, and A Tale of Thousand Stars, among others, and it stars a bunch of GMMTV's heavy hitters, so I was pretty excited about it before it aired and I'm happy to say that it more than fulfilled my expectations, with great acting, beautiful cinematography, and a mature storyline that digs into realistic character, relationship, and community dynamics.

Moonlight Chicken was my first EarthMix drama and it immediately became clear why like half my Thai BL Twitter list is obsessed with them. The chemistry, wowwww. RIP me 😵 Talented young up-and-comers Fourth and Gemini were also incredibly charming together and pulled off several of the show's most emotional scenes with conviction, and First and Khaotung, who wowed me as Akk and Ayan in The Eclipse last year, both killed their roles here as well.

I'm always a little wary of recency bias, but I think it might well be my new favorite Thai series ever. I could keep rambling on at length here, but I'll spare you and maybe do a separate post with more detailed thoughts later. (ETA: The post is now posted.) Meanwhile, it's free on YouTube.

This fic was written after episode 1 and based purely on those vibes but stayed mostly canon-compliant for the rest of the series.

men in exile feed on dreams, Jim/Wen, 1k, explicit

Jim's not used to any of this

A Tale of Thousand Stars Fic Recs

Watch on YouTube

So... EarthMix. To be honest, I got kinda obsessed, too, and ended up starting A Tale of Thousand Stars to get more of them in between episodes of Moonlight Chicken. In this series, Mix plays a wealthy young man named Tian who collapses due to myocarditis and receives a heart transplant from a young teacher killed in an accident the same night. After recovering from the surgery, Tian volunteers to become a teacher in the remote village where his donor had worked, falls in love with the chief (Earth) of the forest ranger guard unit posted there, and discovers his own true passion and strength after a lifetime of partying, ease, and luxury.

Between this series, Moonlight Chicken, Bad Buddy, and He's Coming To Me, Aof Noppharnach has really cemented his title as my favorite Thai director so far. Like his other series, 1000 Stars is one of the most solid and consistent Thai BLs I've seen yet in terms of production quality, acting, and story. Although Tian is, technically, an engineering student like so many BL characters before him, it's not your typical college BL story, and plays out more like a classic slow-burn romance. Besides the main characters, you'll also fall in love with the beautiful rural scenery and many of village residents.

It's free on YouTube.

Nong Tian's DIY Guide to Successful Co-Habitation, Phupha/Tian, 7k, teen

In his efforts to fix Phupha's embarrassingly squeaky bed, Tian accidentally becomes the DIY champion of Pha Pun Dao.

Need a Love Reaction, Phupha/Tian, 2k, explicit

In his dreams he lets him touch him however he wants, lets him pin Tian’s arms above his head and hold him down, feels his body twist under Phupha’s big hands. He has no problem telling Phupha what he wants in his dreams, all chief, please and more, don't stop.

Basically Tian is a tragic horny mess.

oceans move, Phupha/Tian, 7k, explicit

“You’re so – “ Nam sighs. “This big man is already in his thirties and he’s like this. Relationships take two, you know. If you want something, go for it. Talk to him, seduce him, whatever! Make it known!”

Phupha stares at Nam, dumbfounded. “How…”

Nam stares back. “You know what,” he announces, “Forget it. I’m not touching this one with a ten-foot pole, man."

or; Phupha finds himself in the uncomfortable state of existence where he's constantly thirsting after his boyfriend.

TharnType Fic Recs

I haven't actually watched this series yet. From what I've heard, MewGulf's chemistry is great, but the plot is a flaming trash fire, so I'll probably try it eventually, but I've had other priorities recently, especially since Love in the Air, by the same writer, was a solid "meh" from me despite the hot sex scenes. I read this fic because I liked some of the fan author's other fics, and enjoyed it despite going in fandom-blind.

xxx STRAIGHT college boy takes DICK for the first time xxx, Tharn/Type, 2k, explicit

A hard bolt of panic goes through him. He claws at Tharn's shoulder. "Wait. What if I shit on your dick?"

Tharn looks down at him, going slightly cross-eyed with confusion. "Then I'll wash my dick?" Type makes a noise of disgust. Tharn's laugh rumbles against his chest. "Do you want to stop?"

"Did I say that?" Type digs his nails in again. "Do it, shit dick."

Happy reading!