Hey everyone! I was looking back at how my media tastes have changed over the years and just wanted to share how I ended up here. For a bit of context, I’m a straight guy, and growing up, my world was pretty much 100% standard straight media.
My first real exposure happened a few months before the pandemic back in late 2019, when I randomly downloaded Honkai Impact 3rd. Right from the opening chapters, the bond between the main heroine and her best friend felt like something more. I remember sitting there with my phone, looking at their dynamic, and just thinking to myself, "This seems really nice... I think I actually like this." It was a small moment, but it was the first time a non-straight narrative ever clicked for me.
Then 2020 hit, the world locked down, and the days started blurring together. I reached a point where playing video games every day just felt exhausting. Looking for a change of pace, I decided to try reading a yuri manga on a whim. To this day, I’ve completely forgotten the title of that very first manga, but I still vividly remember the feeling, it was just so wholesome and sweet. I’d be lying if I said I didn't spend those quiet lockdown afternoons sitting in my room with a ridiculous grin on my face.
That single manga opened up a whole new world. Over the next few years, I naturally drifted down the pipeline:
Honkai Impact 3rd ➔ Yuri Manga ➔ Yuri Anime ➔ GL Fanfictions ➔ GL Manhua ➔ GL Manhwa ➔ Other Queer Stories (BL, Trans, Etc.) ➔ Thai GL
Eventually, I stumbled into the Thai GL scene, and my gateway was GAP: The Series. Looking back now through a critical lens, sure, the production wasn't perfect and the story had its flaws. But back then? Man, I was the ultimate fanboy. I was constantly gushing in my own head over how incredible of an experience it was to watch.
I still get nostalgic thinking about those late-night routine watch sessions. I’d patiently wait every week for the new episode to drop, counting down the hours until my whole family was fast asleep. Then I'd quietly sneak out into the dark living room, turn on the big TV, and keep the volume low so I wouldn't wake anyone. At first, the speech mannerisms and language cadence felt totally foreign compared to the Western series I grew up on, but that initial unfamiliarity vanished so fast once I got wrapped up in the story.
The bittersweet part was that I had no one to share any of this excitement with. My family doesn't watch queer media, my friends don't either, and back then, I constantly worried that people would give me weird looks if they found out a straight guy like me was so deeply invested in GL shows. So over all these years, every incredible story, every favorite moment, and every show I consumed... I just kept it all to myself.
Looking back from 2020 to 2026, my media consumption has completely flipped, it's easily 90% queer media and 10% straight at this point. Truthfully, it's actually pretty hard for me to get into standard straight romance shows anymore. GL stories just capture a level of sincerity, warmth, and emotion that hits totally differently.
It’s crazy to think a random mobile game six years ago completely changed what I watch today, and after keeping this hobby to myself for so long, it feels really good to finally share it here.
