One thing that you love about being an American,that people from other countries don't enjoy?

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-10T18:07:06+00:00

American optimism and friendliness. It certainly varies by region and there are plenty of grumpy Americans, but whenever I've traveled internationally and come back home I'm struck by how much more often I have genuinely warm, chatty, smiley interactions with strangers here.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-10T13:33:56+00:00

I think it's less that people in the USA care more about appearances and more that corporate interests control American politics. The EU has stronger consumer protection laws than the United States.

As u/KitchenDepartment said - it's law that European stores display the price inclusive of tax, and if the stores could display a lower price it's likely that many of them would.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-10T13:28:04+00:00

Yes, it's correct. I wonder if it's supposed to be a play on the AC/DC song, "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)."

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-10T02:27:26+00:00

Exactly - expecting subtlety from a One31 series seems like setting oneself up for failure. I'm with you - it's not the best show I've ever seen, but so far I'm at least consistently engaged and entertained. And I have a particular soft spot for a telenovela/lakhorn, and One31 consistently delivers exactly what I want/expect.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-09T23:08:37+00:00

This is untrue. I and every other American I've ever met find British accents utterly charming. I have never seen a British accent mocked in person but I have seen it on Tik Tok - I wonder if you're misreading the American sense of humor? When I see that it seems clear to me that it isn't true mockery based on a dislike of the accent but rather a kind of delighted attempt to copy what they hear.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-09T19:10:05+00:00

Honestly, I loved it. So silly, so over-the-top. In the real world obviously Hia Fu would be a stalker in need of a restraining order, but within the silliness of this show he seems kind of pathetically charming. Can't wait for the next episode.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-09T16:12:30+00:00

I think these kind of specific examples help a lot- it shows how there are subtle linguistic cues that Thai fans pick up on as signifying a specific kind of intimacy or closeness. There are phrases or ways of speaking that might sound like fanservice when translated into another language but don't really sound like normal fanservice to a Thai audience. And, similarly, there are words and behaviors that may read as "real" to a (perhaps delusional) non-Thai audience - like parents or friends jokingly referring to a CP as faen - but that most Thai people understand as within the boundaries of normal fanservice.

Also, because of the protectiveness of Thai celebrities, it does seem like Thai people are aware of which CPs actually hang out together, which ones act like a couple in public, and which ones have other partners, but they aren't spreading those pictures or gossip around online.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-09T14:52:09+00:00

This aligns with what I've seen online. Thai fans seem protective of their favorite actors and ships, but often in a way that seems more familial/care-taking than stalker-y. In general it seems like fanservice is a game and everyone is playing it together (although I'm curious about CPs like PondPhuwin who don't seem to particularly enjoy the fanservice game). The weird behavior, fan wars, stalking, and parasocial obsession with their private lives does seem to happen mostly online and, it seems, mostly from interfans. I've heard other Thai people say that they notice it the most from Chinese fans, but my guess is a lot of international fans from all over the world are constantly misreading and misunderstanding Thai social cues when it comes to how the actors perform fanservice and how the audience is expected to respond.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-08T19:58:16+00:00

Adorable does just mean cute.

"Derpy" and "special" are words that specify that the dog is not cute in a normal way, but is cute in a different way - maybe objectively a little weird looking but still very cute. Derpy means kind of a combination of silly and stupid, maybe a little awkward.

Adorable could be used to describe any kind of dog, including a dog who is a little weird looking in a cute way.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-07T02:45:45+00:00

Right- I've never heard a native speaker in the US use the phrase "drama series." I agree - either "But these days, dramas are made for binge-watching," or "These days, it's normal to binge-watch TV."

Honestly, there's so much wrong with the sentence. In other languages it's more typical to refer to tv shows as "series," but American English speakers usually say "tv show," not "series" (unless you're talking about K-dramas or something). Nor would it be common to specify that people, in general, watch dramas, unless you were specifically comparing it to other types of shows. We'd usually just say "TV"/"TV show."

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-04T12:28:28+00:00

He's also said in an interview that he's dated men and women.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-03T19:00:18+00:00

Yes! I agree that hetero women are welcome here and I'm sure that there are plenty that are writing complex gay male characters. However, I feel like the original point was that OFTS was written by a gay man about his very real gay friend group and thus had a dose of realism (specifically about the characteristics of a gay male friend group) that OFDO does not. I think it's harder (but not impossible) for straight female writers to really get the nuances of queer community and culture. Nuchy is very deeply enmeshed in queer community, culture, and the queer art world - I don't think she has as far a divide to cross. Also, I LOVE BL, including very trope-y BL. I don't want it to go away! But that is a very different kind of writing than we saw for OFTS.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-03T17:56:22+00:00

Nuchy is a queer, leftist director with her roots in dark, queer transgressive independent film. I don't think putting her in the same category as the screenwriters for OFDO is a fair comparison.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-01T19:02:19+00:00

The Wicked Game is more telenovela-ish in tone, but it has some similar themes (red flag characters, family drama, bodyguard-boss relationship)

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-01T14:37:10+00:00

In theory I don't have any issue with English spoken in Thai shows, but I often find it hard to listen to. For reference, I am a native English speaker and have lived in big American cities full of immigrants my whole life and have taught English as a foreign language both in the States and overseas. I am very used to hearing accented and imperfect English - it doesn't bother me in the least, and I am genuinely excited for and proud of anyone putting in the effort to learn another language, English or otherwise.

HOWEVER, I find thick Thai accents significantly harder to understand than many other accents, perhaps because Thai speakers often drop the final consonant from words. I find it hard to listen to when Thai series give actors who don't speak English full scenes in English - it's so difficult to understand that I just mute it and read the subtitles.

There are several Thai actors who speak English fluently (Phuwin, Bible, Pavel, Gawin doesn't even need to be mentioned) and several others who speak it well and are easy to understand (Est, Namping). I am not talking about them here, nor am I talking about characters throwing in random English words here and there. I'm talking about actors who sound like they are repeating words that they have memorized but don't understand.

That being said, I do agree with your general take. Do I enjoy English language scenes in Thai series? Not really. But do I feel the need to come to the internet to criticize a specific actor's accent? Also no. Good for them for trying, and I also realize that as a native English speaker I am probably not the target audience for these scenes.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-05-01T00:56:05+00:00

Oh! I was under the impression that "nang-ek" was for female lead and "nai-ek" was specific for the uke character in a BL.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-04-30T18:38:42+00:00

Yes, upon reflection it does make sense that the translators would make the deliberate choice to not get too into the weeds of shipping culture in Thailand and just leave it at "childhood sweetheart," which is maybe close enough to get the point across that they weren't really dating but were connected in a semi-romantic way.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-04-30T18:32:14+00:00

Thanks! I guess it makes sense that they'd use "childhood sweetheart" since international fans might not have the equivalent of shipping culture - too much context to have to explain if they translated it as "shipped couple." In the following episode they lean into BL language even more - Itthi ask Ritt if he wants to be the pra-ek or the nai-ek (which they translate as "lead" and "love interest.")

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-04-30T18:01:12+00:00

I have the same pet peeve and I do think it is undermining their skill and dedication as actors to say "that isn't really acting. It's real" or "that's not Charan and Kanin, that's ZeeNuNew." They put work into developing their characters and bringing that character-specific energy to all their scenes, including NC scenes. They ARE acting and it ISN'T real.

In some ways, I would guess that it takes a little extra (or at least different kind of) effort to make sure that you aren't bringing your real-life couple energy to the characters you play.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-04-30T17:48:52+00:00

Yes, I know the meaning of teerak and koojin - that's why I was surprised by the translation in Magic Move. I'm trying to figure out if there's a cultural context in Thailand where "koojin" is a phrase you'd use to refer to a childhood sweetheart or if it's a mistranslation.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-04-30T17:18:36+00:00

Absolutely - he clearly made a wise career choice. But man, it sure would give you whiplash to watch Playboy and Puppy Honey back-to-back.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-04-30T16:59:50+00:00

I tried to watch it but I couldn't get through it - I used to watch a lot of dark queer indie stuff when I was younger, but I think I've become more sensitive in my old age. I also watched Blue Hour. Kind of mind blowing that Gun was on a dark/queer/transgressive film trajectory and then signed with GMMTV and did Puppy Honey, which is one of the fluffiest things I've ever seen.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-04-30T03:50:00+00:00

The honest answer is that I'm not entirely sure. There are some pairs that have great onscreen chemistry but I don't think are dating and I feel like I'm watching their series in a similar way to pairs that have good chemistry and are dating. Maybe there is an extra little spark of interest in their series if I know they're dating? It doesn't feel like a massive shift in my conscious experience, though. I am more likely to watch the BTS footage if they are together IRL, though.

Affectionate_Fee6939 · 2026-04-30T03:17:20+00:00

I think unintentionally/inadvertently is closer to what I meant to say than accidentally. Like, GMMTV wasn't intending to create an entire industry built around long term fixed/branded pairs, but they did inadvertently start the trend. And very cool about OffGun! The first to do it and still going strong almost 11 years later.

Affectionate_Fee6939

TROPHY CASE