I’m a Boys Love Fangirl. But What’s it Really Like?
Falling in love with a genre is one thing. Falling into the Boys Love (BL) fandom? A whole different level. Simone Margett shares her experience.
You never forget your first; the list is endless. Your first musical artist, your first concert, or your first BL series. I have always been interested in queer media, in all its forms. After all, Red, White and Royal Blue is my absolute favourite book.
I stumbled across my first Thai BL series on YouTube back in early 2017, SOTUS: The Series. I’d heard of BL in passing, but never really ventured into the genre. Something about the thumbnail pulled me in – maybe the uniforms, or maybe it was the promise of tension. I had no idea what I was walking into.
From the very first episode, I was hooked. It wasn’t just the storyline, it was the push and pull between Kongpob and Arthit, the slow-burn tension, the emotional hesitations, the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) power dynamics. It felt real. Messy. Alive. Watching them slowly grow from antagonists into something tender and protective? I was a goner.
And just like that, the world of BL opened up to me, beautiful, emotional, and yes… a little chaotic.BL isn’t just “romance with two guys.” It’s a space that handles emotions differently and, dare I say, more honestly. Thai BL gives me soft masculinity and I love it. It’s about emotion. Vulnerability. Yearning. The kind of storytelling that takes its time, that lets love simmer before it sparks.
After discovering SOTUS, over the years I watched series like ‘Together With Me’, ‘TharnType The Series’ , ‘Love By Chance’, ‘‘Theory of Love’, ‘Dark Blue Kiss’, ‘Why R U?’, ‘Manner of Death’, ‘A Tale of a Thousand Stars’
It gives space for softness, especially in characters who, in other genres, wouldn’t be allowed to cry or tremble or hope out loud. It centers emotions we’re often told to keep quiet. And for so many fans, that’s healing.
BL also reflects queer love in ways that feel affirming and emotional rather than performative. Yes, some stories lean into fantasy and trope — but even those can carry emotional weight when done right. And when they hit? They really hit.
Falling in love with a genre is one thing. Falling into the BL fandom? A whole different level.
Suddenly, I wasn’t just watching shows, as soon as I woke up I would watch the newest episode, all the clips, joining fan discussions, decoding interviews, rewatching behind-the-scenes clips, and spiraling over OSTs.
Right now, my heart belongs to JossGawin from My Golden Blood. The chemistry between them? Off the charts. Watching their scenes is like watching gravity shift. I’ve got screenshots, saved fan edits, and yes — a folder full of reaction GIFs I use way too often. They honestly made me fall in love with BL again, that same excitement and all the feels!
There’s something undeniably electric about Joss and Gawin together. Whether they’re locked in a dramatic stare or laughing through a blooper reel, the emotional connection they portray feels real. It’s not just about the romance, it’s the way they embody their characters with such nuance, while still letting their off-screen friendship shine through. You don’t just ship them because they’re pretty (though, let’s be honest — they are); you ship them because they have that rare kind of chemistry that feels effortless, like they were meant to be scene partners from day one.
The BL fandom is warm, hilarious, deeply supportive, and occasionally chaotic. Shipping debates? Check. People falling apart over a single smile in a press interview? Constantly.
And I love it here.
Let’s be real, being a BL fangirl comes with its own… rhythm. Here are a few “rules” I’ve learned (and broken) along the way: Don’t ship real-life actors. Me: Okay… but have you seen Joss and Gawin lately? Guilty. Fully. But respectfully.
Beyond the shows, beyond the actors, beyond the ships, BL has given me so much more.
A safe space to feel deeply.These stories remind me that it’s okay to care deeply. To cry, to hope, to root for someone else’s happy ending like your own depends on it.
Representation I didn’t know I needed. Seeing queer relationships handled with care and complexity helped me rethink love, what it looks like, who gets to experience it, and how we talk about it.
There’s something powerful about finding characters and dynamics that reflect emotions you’ve felt but never named. BL ships, especially ones like JossGawin, give us space to explore intimacy, softness, and even queer longing in a way that feels validating. And yeah sometimes it’s just fun to scream about beautiful people being soft with each other. That’s valid too.
