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Lung Jim & Gayness - Moonlight Chicken

I had a post a while back where I talked about Jim insistence on use of the honorific ลุง “Lung” (sounds like loo). Even though he is mostly too young for this honorific, and how I thought that was intentional. Then when Episode 7 dropped talking about owning a gay identity it occurred to me that the two might be linked. 

As I said in a post on gayness (I’m gay vs I like men) and this one on using English in Asian BL scripts as a characterization device, owning the word “gay” in Thai BL has low register connotations and youthful punkass baggage. In other words, it’s manly used among peers and equals and by younger generations. In some instances, calling oneself gay can be looked at like reclaiming a slur (as happened to “fag” in some circles). 

Because the word itself comes with all this linguistic baggage SO DOES CLAIMING the identity. Language and culture are inexorably linked. This is why we battled over syntax constantly (not to mention the legal definitions) because it’s often also a battle for identity. This is why some of us embrace the word queer while others refuse to or have terrible visceral reactions. (An elder gay of my acquaintance still refers to it as “the q word” and winces when I use it. So around him I try not to. Respect to the elders and what they went through.) 

Thus it’s possible Jim’s “Lung” is a distancing tactic not just from younger men/lovers + to established himself as tired and old in a life state, but also to distance himself from use of the term gay, which he may regard as belonging to a younger generation, and in effect his own gayness is also something that he cannot claim because his is a lung and too old for it. (Well that was a terrible run on sentance.) But you get what I mean I hope?) 

So the scene where Wen essentially presses Jim to change his own use of the word gay (even though it starts off about Jim’s nephew) is also Wen convincing Jim, linguistically, to own an identity that Jim perceives as province of youth. To become young again. 

In way the new Chicken & Rice shop represents not just a reboot for Jim and his life, but a kind of rediscovery of Jim’s own youth and an attempt to fix what his first lover broke in him. Metaphorically going back a decade to a point where Jim could trust again, not just in himself, and in his business, and in love, but in youth and vibrancy and optimism and possibility. It’s like he’s trying to shake of being old and jaded, so very courageous. 

So for me, this little scene in ep 7 was a favorite. 

(source) 

[rayspuppyeyes]

top when nick asked him to stay away from boston:

[rayspuppyeyes]

i always suck at predictions but honestly "mew gives top a handjob immediatley after finding out top does hard hard drugs to get him to stop" was especially soooo far from being in my bingo card for today

[rayspuppyeyes]

RaySand wedding in episode 118 confirmed ✅

[rayspuppyeyes]

i said i would dokidoki kali style this scene

[rayspuppyeyes]

Boston and Mew's secret

It's well established by now that Boston feels the need to show that he's superior to Mew. He compares himself to Mew constantly. And while at first it seemed like he was obsessed with Top, I feel like his interest in Top stems entirely from Top's interest in Mew. You know what I mean? From the very first scene it is established that Boston is obsessed with Mew's virginity. He says that he was hitting on someone for Mew so that Mew would finally have a one night stand. There is also the strange moment where he develops a photo of Mew and Ray posing with their wakeboards and he just stands there and stares at it intensely. And of course there is the pictures he took of Ray kissing Mew and the video that we still don't know the actual contents of. And why was he so eager to get Ray to talk to Mew on the night of the pool party? He even watched in secret to see whether Ray would manage to convince Mew to stay.

I wonder whether there is more backstory to Boston and Mew than we currently know. In the preview for ep.5 we saw that Mew tells Boston that he plans on sleeping with Top. But why tell Boston of all people? MAYBE because Boston and Mew have a secret history. Maybe Boston's video even shows Boston and Mew, but only Mew's face is actually visible?

And what if - and this is my wildest throw-stuff-at-a-wall-until-something-sticks theory - Boston and Mew have some kind of bet going for Top and which approach - slutty or prude - would turn Top's head more easily. The way Mew dangles the prospect of sleeping with him in front of Top, constantly keeping him on his toes, postponing and giving in at a glacial pace... but then giving him a pretty confident handjob? As a full-on virgin? And tells him it was "okay" afterwards? The math doesn't add up my friend. There is also the scene where Mew clearly spotted Boston's swim trunks on the way to the showers, but then didn't mention it to Top. Mew isn't stupid. He is extremely aware of Top and keeps pointing out that he knows what he's doing and isn't as naïve as everyone thinks.

Boston's dad

On a completely separate note: In episode 1, Cheum jokingly asks Boston whether he wants to open a massage parlor like his dad. Then Boston tells Nick that his dad wanted him to study business administration rather than art and that he might have to take over his business. And in episode 4 he says that his dad plans to run for House of Representatives. Who is this man? Where is Boston's mom? He has a picture of himself standing behind a seated man in his room, which almost makes his dad look like a Mafia boss?

[rayspuppyeyes]

Something about ray always wanting to do something for the people he loves, to return favors, buy gifts, drive them around etc because on some fundamental level he believes that's the only way he can be worthy of them. That his existence alone will never be enough. Something about his acts of service/gift giving stemming from deep rooted self esteem issues hit very uncomfortably home. I'm going to go lie down!!!

[rayspuppyeyes]

the epic high of realizing that ray did keep the poor boy shirt vs the terrible low of watching him let mew put it on vs the enormous ??? of him kissing mew while he was wearing it. & then he hung it up in the bathroom specifically so that he could stare at it while he went on a sad lonely bender. boy what is happening inside your brain i must know

I could NOT have said it better. Also my favorite moment in all the t shirt metaphor is THIS ONE

When Ray ALMOST said : Please Mew not this one. It’s personal. It’s important.

[rayspuppyeyes]

Hey I wanna create a collection of Only Friends songs and lyrics. Pls send me your favorite character/ship songs (and which char/ship they relate to for you)! I need them for science!!!

[rayspuppyeyes]

I'm really really liking the contrast of ray "being in love with mew" vs ray "being in love with sand".

The idolization vs the adoration. Acts of service between ray and mew vs quality time between ray and sand. Ray chasing after mew only for him to move further away vs sand accepting ray's invitation every single time. Unrequited love vs mutual friendship turns into something more. The desperation and sadness in ray's eyes while looking at mew vs the joy and fondness while looking at sand. The feeling of never being enough vs the feeling of being wanted.

Khaotung the fucking. Actor that you are. My God.

[rayspuppyeyes]

RAY & SAND | ONLY FRIENDS EPISODE 4

[rayspuppyeyes]

if red flag, why hot.

[rayspuppyeyes]

sand’s red flag is ignoring the fact that his roommate is INSANE

[rayspuppyeyes]

What I truly appreciate in ep. 4 is Nick acknowledging that he ain't that great either. Like yeeees bestie, go and make each other worse!! 💕💕💕

[rayspuppyeyes]

Drake not returning was a miss, but I think I did pretty well overall.

[rayspuppyeyes]

the fact that ray wanted sand to yell at him and call him names because that would be what he's used to and something he can hurt himself with but sand calmly explained to him what he did wrong so that ray actually has to and can stop and consider was just

chef's kiss

[rayspuppyeyes]

ONLY FRIENDS | Ep 4