#Nick Only Friends

[heretherebedork]

You know what, they are actually a perfect match. I love this. Look at them in their little blackmail collection and how eager they are to share it as well. Absolutely perfect. Love them both.

[kinnbig]

I'm not your boss tonight. Call me Daddy Dan.

Papang Phromphiriya and Mark Pakin in the Only Friends episode 9 preview - for @prismatic-witch

[tiistirtipii]

Only Friends + textposts part 4/?

[danielsarmand]

nick dressed as detective conan in the preview for episode eight

[yinwaryuri]

Seeing a lot of upset posts about how the show ended with Boston and feeling like something really went over a few heads. Do I also believe Boston deserved better? Yes. But let's be realistic in the way Jojo and Ninew approached this.

Boston and his promiscuity have been the target of harsh judgements from episode one. And the writers have stated that he has a moral code, it's just very different from others. I was never expecting him to state it outright, that it would just be a thing worth paragraphs of speculative meta, but he does!

Boston stated his definition of boyfriend. If he wants to be exclusive, that's for all the emotional bonding that he desires with someone special, but does not deny him the ability to fulfill his physical desires with whomever he wishes. That's not just polyamory, it's a very specific kind!!! And it's entirely different from the traditional sort of relationship society has accepted. The thing is, he wouldn't have discovered that possibility without knowing Nick.

Boston did genuinely fall for Nick. But how could he have handled that properly when he has no experience being loved and has never learned how to love someone back? Moreover, how could he come to the conclusion that he likes being exclusive in one way but not another without absolutely fumbling the bag with someone who's on a different page? It's not exactly Nick's fault that he prefers physical affection to be exclusive as well, that's just how he is. There couldn't have been any discussion about this, it was a discovery in the making.

The truth is Boston would still have a hard time finding happiness in Thailand due to the political climate, especially with his father being a politician. He's gay and that alone makes achieving his dreams more difficult, but being as promiscuous as he is means even a majority of the queer community will shut him out. He's better off moving to the states where at least he has rights and better acceptance for who he is. And that's what happened.

Because having a sexual or romantic appetite outside of monogamy is still looked down on. I still see it in the BL fandom. I see it just in general. 3 Will Be Free is so often cited as a must-watch, but how many people stick to their comfort branded pairings?* How many people have made or heard jokes about the "Seattle polycule"? How many romantic aces and allosexual aros get othered and excluded and judged for their identity?

Jojo said there was no intended message, but that doesn't mean there isn't one to be found. Boston's arc is a prime example of how slutty queers get treated even by their own peers, even by people who care about them most. It's a cry from the cold and lonely dark that if we think these people deserve better, we need to change existing paradigms and find how we can give them that!

Nick wasn't prepared to do that because he is still hurting, and that's also okay. Not everyone has to change themselves to make the puzzle pieces fit. Boston and Nick's story centers around that so much. Nick being jealous and trying to copy Top, Boston trying to be what he thinks a boyfriend is - they only hurt each other because the parts that don't fit are digging in.

I hope we get a second season, but if not friends, remember Boston. He represents such a particular demographic that gets hated on and ignored constantly, and they deserve a chance. They're not easy, but that doesn't mean they're not worth it. Remember Nick too. We all have a Nick in some manner - someone that made us want to try, but no matter how much we cared for each other it just wasn't going to work. Family, friends, partners, whoever.

Instead of being outraged with the show, be outraged with society. Do something about it. Be kinder. Community is important, now more than ever. I cannot possibly overstate how much we need community, especially among minorities.

*this isn't meant to be judgmental toward fans who prefer branded pairings or aren't interested in that particular show. I know watching anything requires time and energy and scratching a certain itch at the right moment. It is, however, a concern that so many fans complained about numerous aspects of OF to the point where the creators went to the effort of explaining themselves on a weekly basis and editing certain parts to avoid backlash. I mentioned 3 Will Be Free because it's another example of Jojo's work. Many BL fans have heard of it, but only a small portion seem to have watched, and that can be an indicator of certain biases. This is not to imply anyone who hasn't seen it has said biases and is only intended to encourage reflection if needed.

[tbhimnoteasyonmyself]

15 Day BL Challenge - DAY 14

Heyooo~~~ This was supposed to come out yesterday but I was busy, so... Sorry djsdksjdsk

Top 5 Saddest Boys

Let's do this bottom to top, shall we?

Number 5: Pete (Kinnporsche)

He barely cries, it's true, but to assume this man is fine is to ignore his entire history... I mean, he seems to cope relatively well, but what can really be inferred about a man who doesn't even think he's human? Kinda fucked up, kinda really damn depressing, kinda gonna throw myself off a bridge.

Number 4: Gaipa (Moonlight Chicken)

This list would be meaningless if he wasn't here. I mean... Imagine:

Your father died not long ago, your beloved dilf doesn't want you back and has a boytoy now, your mom just fucking died.

Number 3: Ray (Only Friends)

You thought it was gonna be Sand, right? Or Nick? SIKE!

Ray lost his mom, thinks his dad doesn't like him, thinks his friends hate him, is an alcoholic, was in love with a guy that didn't like him back for YEARS, nearly lost the only guy that maybe could help him be better bc he's overemotional and easily aggressive... Cried like a fucking baby to his therapist about all of this...

That's rough, buddy.

Number 2: Joke (Jack&Joker)

They made War cry every single episode. If you tell me Joke wasn't FUCKING SAD the entirety of this series, idk what to tell you.

His father hated him, he couldn't pass his exams, he's was a wanted criminal, he cheated an innocent kid, he went to jail for 5 whole years, the kid hated him, he gets beat up constantly, everyone around him is trynna use his skills to get somewhere, his actions keep having terrible consequences, people are trying to murder his grandma, his adoptive daughter nearly died, his boyfriend broke up with him, ppl tried to play the SAW films games with him... Like... OOf, give this man a break, will ya?? He's tired! Damn!!

No wonder he's always desperate and crying, I'd be too!! Shit!!

Number 1: Non (DFF)

I don't even have words... Like, I wish I could start somewhere about how much this boy suffered but... I really fucking can't. So allow me to quote my past self listing everything he went through (with a few additions):

Poverty

Isolation

MENTAL ILLNESS(ES?)

Severe Bullying

Guilt-Tripping

Intellectual Property Theft

Being Framed for Mistakes He Didn't Commit

Rich Assholes Asking for Money

A Money Laundry Pyramid Scheme

Owning Money to THE FUCKING MAFIA

Multiple Threats to His Life

Police Interrogations

2 suicide attempts (AT LEAST)

Falling from a Motorcycle

LITERAL Textbook Grooming

Twitter Revenge Porn

A Terrible Break-Up

A Kidnap

FORCED LABOUR

Physical Assault

Overwork

(Probably) Forced Substance Abuse

Negligence

DEATH BY EXHAUSTION

I literally cannot think of anyone that can compete with this boy, like he went through what JESUS never did. He deserved to see all those ppl die.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Kenta (PitBabe); Vegas, Big & Porchay (Kinnporsche); Alan (Moonlight Chicken) & Nick & Sand (Only Friends)

Tony threw that matcha onto Kenta's face and made him cry for thinking the man who raised him loved him as a child. Plus his teenage crush left him behind and went and fell in love with a rapist. Man just had to be mentioned.

Vegas' mom died god knows how, he was raised by an abusive dad who gave him extreme self-esteem issues and a masochist kink as coping mechanism and then the guy was killed in a coup you guys DIDN'T EVEN WIN and now he's forced to obey the people he hates the most in life, he's got no power and no parents, a brother to take care of and the compensation is a bf with as much mental illness and trust issues as him. Congratulations.

Big didn't cry but living your entire life to serve a man who didn't give a shit about you only to die protecting the boytoy he suddenly promoted to husband gotta hurt as hell, dude.

What would you do if there was a child right in front of you? Apparently, to every single adult in Chay's life, the answer was "lie to him", for some fucking reason. His uncle lied, his brother lied, his ex-bf lied, his ex-bf's dad lied, everyone is a liar (and a thief) and Chay's trust issues might just be worse than VegasPete's, not even joking.

Alan... Ah, Alan... I feel like not having any character played by First in this post would be a dishonour to his name, right? sdkjskdjskdjs Man cries so much... And Alan is the epitome of this, I feel like. Not saying I like most things he did during the series but I get him, I mean... It was a long ass breakup and it seemed like it came kinda out of the blue. I'd be fucking miserable too.

Nick kinda did it to himself, I mean, you don't see a player and think you can wife that, but hey... We all make mistakes and ig that mixtape can be worth some good money if he sells it to Atom, so... ✨Silver linings✨!

I feel like Sand... He's just like Nick, he put himself in that situation sort of. Hence not making the top 5. Nevertheless, he did cry and cry and be sad, so... Shoutout to him, my precious little terrible singer <3.

[bl-bracket]

Horny on Main Loser's Bracket Round 6: Nick (Only Friends) vs Ray (Only Friends)

[Submitted Reasons Under Cut]

Nick: "Left his own nudes on a customer’s phone. Made out with said customer at work. Recorded people having sex and played the audio for his roommate. Suggested having sex with his roommate for funsies."

Ray: "When the dick is so good it makes you want to go to rehab"

[three-milkz]

Ray: I love you.

Sand: I love you too.

Sandray: ...

Sand: We love you too, Nick.

Nick: Thanks. I was feeling left out.

[mlmshipbracket]

ROUND 1: POLL #21

EngieSpy/Napoleon Complex art by wavycat on Youtube

ROUND 1 POLLS [HERE]

PROPAGANDA BELOW

Spy/Dell Conagher [Engineer]:

Boston/Nick:

They were a disaster of a couple but it was great. They first hook up because Nick was repairing Boston's phone and went through the pictures and then jerked off to one of Boston's thirst traps and proceeded to leave his own on the phone, which when Boston saw, decided he might as well fuck him. And thus began the most emotionally complicated friends with benefits arrangement of all time. in a slight genre shift there would have definitely been some murders going on if we're being real

look this gif set of their first hook up haunts me

also these are quite fun

also this one lives rent free in my mind

[thisautistic]

"I get it,"

Sand & Nick in Only Friends the Series Ep 7

[ghoststookournightmares]

Why did Nick's goodbye affect Boston that way?

I think it's hard or jarring to understand why Boston felt like he was coming undone listening to Nick when the most stuff they did was just f**king. The thing is even if they were doing the nasty 80% of the time, that 80% was when Boston was the happiest. And Nick did LOVE him, like love him. And I mean of course what Nick did wasn't just stalker-ish, it was what stalkers do!!! BUT, I think what happened is that neither of them is completely mentally A-OKAY... They both have their issues and Boston especially has always shunned connections, especially long-lasting ones, because he knows he'll leave and that is just burdensome, so he treats everything as use and throw, hurting so many people in the process.... And I don't know, but I'm speculating he also treats the concept of LOVE similarly, probably after watching his parents, coupled with the fact that Boston uses both himself and others with sex as a currency in exchange for something like a good time, a power play, a way of feeling good about himself, a trade-off, a way to obtain conquests, which at the END OF THE DAY makes Boston extremely lonely... He is a human and you can't avoid connections just like that... BUT NOBODY SEES/OR SAW THE HUMAN BOSTON, not the evil, villainous slutty, assholey Boston, but also the artist Boston, the humane Boston underneath..... UNTIL MR. NICHOLAS ARRIVES.

And I'm very intrigued by Nick's character too, I wish we got some backstory... But Nick as we can see is very naive, very impulsive, and introspective but strangely and foolishly thinks that he is clever... He has abandonment issues, and self-esteem issues too... But what he has that Boston never had was EMPATHY, intense EMPATHY, or clinically illegal empathy, with which he sees the world. And he in his own warped mind accepts Boston, good, bad, and ugly, and even if to Boston they were just FWB, those times he spends with Nick are enjoyable, happy, pleasurable (in a different, not exactly sexual way) unknowingly allowing Nick to burrow under his skin. And even though Nick loves Boston, most assuredly, still he does feel upset too... And we saw that when he told Mew about Gap... But the thing is Nick feels things deeply, more deeply than the others, and in a way he is softer, gentler, and more straightforward than probably anyone Boston has ever known.

And before Boston could even comprehend what had happened in his strictly FWB relationship with Nick, he was ALREADY ATTACHED TO him. He never considered that he would be the one pining for something other than sex, but he did, and that's why Nick's betrayal seemed so drastic for him. Because he genuinely was becoming fond of Nick. But Boston would never have acted on this feeling, instead choosing to bury it away IF NICK HADN'T GIVEN HIS FINAL GOODBYE MONOLOGUE TO HIM.

Nick changed the trajectory of their relationship. THE FIRST PERSON TO SAY SORRY TO BOSTON. To say that I appreciate you, I think you're not a terrible person even if you think so, and I appreciate your dreams and hope you achieve them one day and I love-you-enough-to-let -you-go.... And finally goodbye my lover, I wish you nothing but the best, shook Boston because not only was Nick brave, he was vulnerable, he owned up to his mistakes and he affirmed that yes, you made me happy and I see you, all of you and I still love you. It broke Boston to be 'loved' at all, but in this way by a man, he cheated on and broke his heart.... Also, I want to add, that a lot of people make fun of how Nick eavesdropped on other of Boston's hookups but poetically it is so ironic because in that moment Nick was actually grounding Boston away from another one of his meaningless hook-ups, stopping him from running away from his actual thoughts and processes... And what was very interesting was it was Nick apologizing and bidding him farewell, but it was Boston who couldn't meet his eyes. I would also like to add, that honesty is Boston's saving grace, something we also see in Nicholas in episode 9, like two peas in a pod.

Lastly, I think all credit goes to Mark and Neo for fleshing out such complex, selfish, almost-criminal characters with such finesse, humanity, and vulnerability with so little screentime.

[athousandbyeol]

discussion #11 (only friends): is mew an outcast in the friend group? is it an intentional tactic by the directors/scriptwriters to make mew "less attractive"?

i think, from episode 1 to episode 3, we aren't seeing much of mew because it's intentional.

he's always at the furthest side of the shot, not really in the spotlight (except in scenes shared with top and close-up shots of himself alone). the clothes he wears aren't exactly trendy or fleshy. those glasses. he looks... boring. ordinary. nothing exciting about mew.

(i just have to put this picture because he's as precious as he can be &lt;'3)

(well, hello there, mew.)

i think the directors and scriptwriters intentionally make mew look/feel like an outcast in this messy friend group so that we'll grow suspicious of him. mew is 'hidden' because he has yet unleashed the 'other side' of his. because i think we might have questions now; is he really all this? is that even possible?

side note: even p'force said mew is the flirty/cunning one in this relationship. he knows a lot of things, but i assume he chooses not to let people know because it isn't of importance to mew. he just wants to have fun sometimes and get that degree. that's all. but is that really it?

i see so many people are having strong opinions about mew, but saying mew is boring is where i believe this is somewhat true. i think many of only friends watchers took the bait— mew is so boring— they [topmew] aren't progressing anywhere— what are they even doing? it's so interesting to witness so much disparity when it comes to topmew. some like their story. some hate them. but as someone who enjoys every plotline in the drama, i can only say the six of them revolve around each other. the story won't progress if one character/a couple is pulled out from the circle. all of them are equally important. some relationships progress faster than the other. it's in sync with the build-up of the story (do refer freytag's pyramid to get a better idea of how a story is constructed), and the growth of the characters. they depend on each other. so, like it or not, the six of them co-exist. it can't be five people or only two pairs. it must be six and three pairs to make only friends work.

i regress.

moreover, i guess, p'jojo and p'ninew want us to implant this idea of mew in mind— just a normal person. i think, in that way, it creates tension, suspense and speculation. i think most of topmew enjoyers see this gradual growth of mew's character. as top has grown out of his confident persona little by little (mostly when he's with mew, top shows more of his vulnerable and child-like personality; the smile top gives mew during the silent disco scene was so pure and innocent. it made top look like a kid again; that lost kid in the fire), mew's other side of the coin is waiting to set sail. this excites me very much. because we clearly don't know who on earth mew is. and i'm taking this opportunity to applaud p'book again. he's doing a fantastic job as mew. kudos to him.

additionally, i have a question, don't you think it's a bit off that mew is friends with 1) ray, an alcoholic (i apologise if this term is degrading), 2) boston, a sexually-active person, and 3) chueam, the party-goer (i don't have anything negative to say about her, hehe). mew— a nerd, who likes partying but is still pretty much an average university student— how did he end up in this group? i just find it a bit weird. a bit out of place. he feels like an oddball in this friend group. it's like he doesn't belong here. and that itself is very intriguing.

i have a feeling mew's transformation will shock everyone, and he might be the core of everyone's heartbreak/headache (with nick being the second/main destroyer). i'm excited to see mewnick's revenge arc unfold because both of them will approach their battles differently; nick is going to be more emotionally driven, while mew is strategic and perhaps, heartless.

thus, i think the directors/scriptwriters have succeded in making us view mew as just... a person. nothing special. dull and one-dimensional. but this is just so thrilling to me as i believe (way before the series aired) mew is so much more than what we think he is, and i can't wait to see that mew. :)

//p.s. i don't know what this is honestly so i apologise for even writing this post...

[1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (i) | 4 (ii) | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12]

[kinnbig]

I DID NOT HAVE PAPANG DADDY KINK ON MY ONLY FRIENDS BINGO CARD BUT HERE WE ARE!

[tiistirtipii]

Let it be known that I predicted this 3 months ago 🙌

[woper123]

sand really said in face expression "you did WHAT"

[sherrymagic]

everyone's talking about SandRay (as they should) BUT can we take a moment to breathe in the fact that Nick is using the nerd-to-popular-girl makeover technique to win Boston's heart like he's some high schooler who's watched too many 90s-00s romcoms growing up and now thinks this is the actual way to make someone fall for you?

little stalker boy has been spying on his beloved fcking someone else, has been collecting the recordings as some kind of precious collector edition of a rare vintage album and randomly listens to them alone while crying, then he went to Top asking him to stay away from "his" man and now he's trying to change hilmself to look more and more like Boston's type in order to keep him, despite knowing deep down that everyone's right about how he stands no chance. he's acting like a delusional teenager with no experience who's just one heartbreak away from going completely unhinged and ruin his and everyone's life in the process of coping with his emotions, but at the same time he's so desperate and in need for love that i can't help but adore him and root for him in any possible way.

i mean i do know that he's fated to catastrophe but at the same time i'm like, baby boy, sweet problematic child of mine, i love you and support you every step of the way on your journey to self-destruction while you try to deal with the trauma you clearly went through at some point during your life to become like this, i wish you good luck with your stupid little plan but even more i hope you'll be able to rise back from your ashes when you eventually burn everything to the ground in the process of finding true love, mom will always be proud of you anyways.