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feuqueerfire · 7 months ago

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Only Friends Live Blogging

I usually just binge one show at a time but I currently have 23.5 ongoing (while it's on-air) and am on episode 4 of I Will Knock You. So I'm not quite sure why I'm starting Only Friends right now but I guess I wanted something messier than those 2, since they're pretty lighthearted shows.

I'm... somewhat nervous to get into this because there seem to be so many different opinions on the show. I wasn't really in the BL sphere while the show was airing since I took a bit of a break from watching shows in the second half of last year but I did get the general vibe that there was discourse and disagreements.

Hopefully, I'll enjoy it. I'll also try to watch just 1 ep a day while also watching 1-2 eps of I Will Knock You a day so that I don't just neglect that show but maybe I'll become hooked and binge this one, who knows.

Ep 1 (May 7)

1-1

omg 1-1 has 5.9m views another part in a diff ep has 8 million, that's wild, feels like it's been a while since a GMMTV show had that many views on Youtube, think Bad Buddy had higher views than this (though it's had 2 years to accumulate). also this has made me realize that 2gether isn't available for me on youtube anymore lol

is that First's voice singing...?

Sand-Ray argument at first meeting

Book looks so cute with the glasses, just like gives :) vibes

chaotic intro but intriguing

August

hostel business plan in Ray's father's house

lol laughed at Nick and Boston just eyeing each other up the whole time

Lookjun is so pretty

pls Top sick of the "fierces ones who already know it all" experienced sexual partners and wants to try it with virgin Mew

Does Boston have a weird reaction to Mew saying he always gets what he wants?

Drake, hii

one of these days somebody's gonna call Ray burden again and he's gonna combust fr

heh Sand driving Ray's drunk ass home

1-2

Top gulping down the water, mans was Thirsty

having ice cream instead of sex, sounds good

lol Sand's gotta take Ray to his own dorm

the vomiting sounds terrible

damn, Nick gonna get off to Boston's vid?

I'm skipping through the nsfw scenes tbh

I get Top, Mew's quite cute

1-3

the fucking Poor Boy shirt on Ray lol

"I can tell who is being honest with me. My sense is always right." well, I sure hope that's true, Mew

So freaking bold, Nick leaving his own shirtless pics in Boston's phone and getting him to check it right in front of him

1-4

damn, both Sand and Boston just constantly side-eyeing Top and Mew as they're being cute

I've remembered that there's some storyline about Boston liking Top despite hooking him and Mew up? I wonder if Ray likes Mew since he's also iffy about this relationship?

hm so Top has intentions to actually date Mew

the handwashing icked me out lol

ah, indeed even Top knows that Boston likes him

trying to watch the show and not be sucked into embarrassment at public gestures like this + my aversion to these public questions anyway because of the pressure to accept

Started 1.25x already tbh but not to the fault of the show, it's just what I like. Actually, pretty good first ep, it set up the characters and relationships well and gave us a taste of what's to come. Also, I've been seeing people mention that maybe Mew has a more sinister/manipulative underbelly and I'd be into that, some people brought up "you're the company you keep" and if he's in the company of Boston and Ray and such, then he's probably not a saint.

I know there's some cheating involved (Top cheats on Mew?), and Ray has an addiction problem I think?, and also from the talks, it seems like the expected pairs neatly end up together rather than any curveballs being thrown at us.

Also, Nick is gonna be pitiful later on when he falls for Boston but like he's also wild in this ep, not only jerking off to Boston's pics but leaving some of his own, that's sexual harassment but works out in this case.

I ended up skipping through all the nsfw scenes this ep cuz idk I feel awkward watching it right now but that's a shame tbh cuz that aspect is also supposed to be a draw for the show

Ep 2: M.F.M. - My Favourite Man (May 7)

Whelp, screw watching just 1 ep a day haha, I'm gonna be out for several hours tomorrow, so I'm gonna watch ep 2 now as well and listen to the podcast recaps while I'm out so that I have something to do while waiting (it's not like I can watch the next ep of Only Friends in public with my mom beside me...)

2-1

wonder what Sand's got against Top, mans has been sighing and rolling his eyes and giving him stick eye through this whole asking-Mew-to-be-his-bf ordeal

wonder what these cut scenes are about? like Cheum referred to the camera/whoever's asking the questions as Phi. reality show-esque

I hope Yo plays a bigger role as the story goes on and she's got a faen too

I don't know what Lookjun did (other than her lips) but she looks kinda like Wonyoung. pretty hehe

neither Boston nor Ray are into Mew's relationship but obviously they each other one half of the Top/Mew pair lol but Mew's strong-willed enough to not get swayed by their dislike while he's also not fully committed and in love with Top or anything

Ah, Nick and Sand are already phi-nong friends. I think I've seen an edit where everything and everybody is chaotic af but Nick and Sand are just buddies (each heartbroken over red flags Ray and Boston ig)

Nick and Sand are so fun what the hell

interesting that Mew brought up being embarrassed by the public asking the other night. feels like a rare thing in these BLs where public gestures are common but seen as a special, romantic thing only

Top just gives me the ick like every few minutes

lol Mew idk how many of your apparently simply standards Top actually meets

Sand selling drugs?

Ray following Sand to Roxie club

Is Ray into women as well?

Sand's selling plum wine. I thought a post also said sex worker Sand after seeing the trailer (which I haven't seen) but Idk if that's true still or if they misinterpreted (similar to Ray lol)

aghhh the drinking buddy for pay thing is getting to me, KhaoFirst my beloveds but I mustn't fall for them so easily, since it'll be episodes of pain and misery from what I can tell

also 10k baht is like almost 400CAD, that's insane

2-2

oh man, Nick looking at Boston afterwards so cutely and prettily rom the bed. save yourself my guy

[Linguistics] Boston has started using gu/mueng with Nick (and Nick follows suit)

rich, rich boy Ray

his mom passed away

have to keep reminding myself to not freaking fall for SandRay

Cheum's gf April makes an appearance

ah, Top helping Cheum

not Boston just taking everything off in the locker room before approaching Top lol, reminds me of the Army and Joe endless locker room scenes in Warp Effect. Jojo lol

girl already?! I... knew that there's a scene with Top cheating on Mew with Boston (and thus the Mew kicking Boston into the water scene) but it's not happening already, right? It's too early, they haven't even started dating the second time, Mew's still a virgin, it's only ep 2. they'll somehow wiggle out of it lol

2-3

okay, Boston managed to sneak out into the next stall thing

pls this cookie feeding/eating. stupid and silly lol

mutual masturbation my beloved

ah, Nick's already so into that he's gotta lie saying he's not that into it to keep Boston around

not Ray ruining Sand's hookup plans. let him take the girl home before he becomes inescapably into you and can't leave !!

pls Sand being like bruh no threesomes, leave me out

"Instead of going home with a girl, I'm driving a drunk man home" whelp I was hoping you'd get one last night with somebody else before you're way too into Ray to do anything else but ig it's already too late

girl he's Driving !!

why are Sand and Ray so cuteee

2-4

insomniac Top

who's that in Boston's photo? Mew and Ray?

Sand offering to be Ray's friend for free. they're so cute for now

Sand who's open to all genders

hilarious that Sand's the one who's like yeah you're gonna want more of me but we're strictly friends like girl... ok

well, I didn't skip this makeout session. i'm biased about KhaoFirst, what can I say? also, it doesn't matter that smoking in real life is gross, it looks hot when they do that

Ep 3: What Am I to You? (May 8)

3-1

nick asking the internet if fwb can turn into lovers lol

lol jojo twitter cameo

damn nick-boston sex montage

not Nick being hopeful when Boston says "who knows, we might promote our status again in the near future" like girl...

oof, Nick finds Boston's photo from the photobooth with Top

Ray's huge ass comfy looking bed

Sand and Ray can't be cute nowwww, y'all have 10 more episodes of shit to go through ahhhh

hmm CCTV and blind spots. will this come into play?

why are you singing out loud laksdfjalk;sdf it's silent disco, dkm

3-2

lol interaction with somebody who Top clearly used to sleep with and idk if it's weird to just move past it easily but ig there's nothing to talk about since the guy clearly said Top's not replying to him

Boston-Sand-Nick meeting

hehe Yo

I actually hate how into SandRay I am like they're sooo cute to me

3-3

Boston knowing Nick wants their relationship to be more but he just always placates him without giving in

feels like I've def seen gifs or clips of these characters from this party, esp like Sand's outfit here

Sand and Top fr have beef, like at the end of ep 1 when Sand was over Top's public gesture, it was like well does he dislike Top or does he just dislike some dude making a scene? but now Sand's flipping Top off

First is such a good actor but he's truly not a singer

Boston couldn't easily get to Mew to break off with Top but now he's using Ray's crush on Mew to try to see if he can do something

and now sowing the idea of Mew and Ray in Top's mind, oh Boston you're so into this, it's fun

where and when tf is that Ray/Mew kiss photo from? Is it the angle? Edited? It's real photo from before and that's why Boston asked Ray whether he STILL likes Mew because they'd kissed and Mew was like lol that was nothing, let's be friends while Ray was into it? messy

Only Friends Stay - the hostel name lol

oof, before Ray had a problem with Top but now, Top also has a problem with Ray lol

3-4

girl how am I supposed to be impartial about Ray and Sand like fr? Ray saying 'you saved me, so it's now my turn to save you' about giving Sand a ride lol

I'm fucking screaming, no way Ray poked and prodded Sand until he finally gave in but then immediately pulled back and stopped their hookup the second Mew called...

...and we have arrived at the Top-Boston car

2 year old video, long enough time man

bruh Boston getting to Top's head lol

if Mew can do something 2 years ago, doesn't mean y'all should mess around Now bruh lmfao

oh crazy

okay, Boston and Top hook-up in the car: Cheating or not? It seems like a violation of trust and indeed seems like cheating to me that even though technically Mew and Top are not "boyfriends" they sort of still are because they were already boyfriends for a day before restarting with the plans of again becoming boyfriends. They weren't boyfriends but they seemed exclusive nonetheless.

Damn, Nick wire-tapped Boston's car? It's probably from the preview right? Cuz I didn't see if but people in the reddit comments are mentioning it. I kind of expected him to go through the CCTV (esp since he was mentioning all the stuff about cameras with mics and seeing it through your phone and stuff) and catching Boston and Top in the car through one of the videos but this is much more intentional

oh wait! it's after the credits but not Next Week's Preview?

ah, so he put a mic thing under the seat earlier and he's also physically seeing them have sex in the war, whelp

lol nine pinta (the screenwriter whose college friend group this show is based on) also tweeting to nick

Ep 4: Emergency Contact (May 8)

4-1

2 Years Ago oh flashback

oh dang, Ray called Mew as sort of a cry of help before trying to commit suicide

the burden thing really gets to Ray

no wonder why Ray's so hung up on him, not only did Mew show up, but he hugged him in a way even his mother never did and also told him he loved him when he needed to hear it most

lol Boston really took that video of Mew and Ray kissing for fun lol

watched the opening credits for the first time

don't kiss him !!

agh Ray actually kissed Mew while he had his eyes closed trying to sleep

Mew is shown to be pretty strong-willed, whether it be to Top or his friends

Nick and Sand are cute friends

is this is the photobooth where Top and Boston hooked up? Top's dad's hotel photobooth would be crazy tho

Top's rich guy attitude icks me out so bad like he and Mew are just talking at the room, why is Top sitting like he's giving an interview T.T

airplane model with the letter B... Boston? Top seemed to not be truthful about it

4-2

Sand being mad at Ray and Ray trying to make it up to him

I actually hate Sand and Ray, head in hands

Top's disgust at seeing Boston

Mew at every turn talking about how he's not like Boston and Boston feeling like he's superior to Mew, what great friends they are

well at least this time Top pushed off Boston but making Boston angry doesn't bode well

omg ?! Top inviting this over guy over... for a good time? mans didn't have sex for 3 months, had sex with Boston and now is like fuckkkk I can't not have sex

did Nick get Top's number from Boston's phone?

Boston's father is planning on running for House Representative and so he can't risk a photo getting out...

Nick likes to just listen to the sex audio and torture himself fr

ah, Nick's texting Top?

4-3

Nick talking to Top about staying about from Boston like girl... Top's not the one hunting Boston down. you gotta get over Boston frrrrr

Nick saying that he knows Top's a dick and he is too... I mean, you did bug his car and now have their sex audio so you're not incorrect but well

bruh Top literally back onto Sand in his motorcycle?!

Top and Sand animosity once again, let me know where it stems from !!

"It's clear you just can't take care of what you have" did someone Sand was dating or something cheat on him with Top?

fake ass punches

did Nick tell Sand that Boston hooked up with Top?

oh he did. and is telling him about the bugging too, that's wild lol lots of trust

Top stole Sand's ex indeed

Ray apologizing to Mew, tbh idek how I'd show my face to Mew if I did what Ray did

and Top arrives to the scene, along with the stuff Boston'd told him about Mew and Ray. meanwhile Mew-Ray don't know anything about this Boston whispering in Top's ear stuff

lol Ray unknowingly admiring Sand for punching Top

ah, Mew actually telling Top about Ray liking him + the kiss from 2 years ago (not about Ray coming onto him yesterday though, which honestly I wouldn't either lol gonna make Top even more mad and he's already mad about it)

Why does Top think Ray and Mew did more? What was the video Boston showed him?

ah, Mew also picked up on the fact that Top was hiding something about the model airplane. wrong B name though

okayyy I've seen people mentioning Top doing drugs but I hadn't seen anything about it so far, so I kept forgetting but now we know he's done coke and stuff

Top's soooo sleazy while he's insinuating that Mew should sleep with him if he quits drugs ew ick ick ick

how is this a deal between two people who want to be boyfriends and have a long-term relationship lmfao

4-4

bruh, Top straight up brought drugs to Mew's place in a little teeny ziploc baggie? or like what is that? he just poured it into water? to show that it's unusable now?

oh... Boeing???? that's Mond's character right? He's Top's ex? also watching this amidst all this Boeing controversy

skipped the sex scene like I tend to but the lead up to it was so uncomfortable for me lol

Top only caring about whether he came or not and not whether his partner enjoyed the sex, who would've thought

so Ray's taking Sand seriously as a romantic interest now?

The Mew Top scene made me so uncomfortable and I don't think I can articulate why. "I'll sleep with you if you give up drugs" is just so ?? Like I thought you needed to be boyfriends or love Top or something and that's why you weren't having sex? So what's up with this, i don't get it. and what kinda exchange is this, virginity in exchange of quitting??

Also, Top could get more of that or have more at home lol, he's into it enough that he literally just carries some around with him, I don't think destroying a teeny bag is gonna do much

Ep 5: (May 9)

5-1

Sand's life of sleep, working out, and work

this is all recent right?

why are Sand and Ray so cute, I'm gonna lose my shit when problems occur in their relationship tbh

my toes curl up and I can't control my smile when watching them fr

Sand's sausage eating tease

Nick trying to become a "new" him and also somewhat trying to emulate Top at the same time i guess?

why do Mew and Top never feel... genuine

the stall is just a curtain not even doors omg

ewwww Sand jerked Ray's dick a few times and with the same hand, grabbed one of the shirts (from the store!! not theirs!!) with the same hand i'm dead, they better buy it

5-2

weird interaction with the server

bruh someone took a sexual video of Boston to make money off of it? scary af

5-3

I would not be able to do the Blind Dining thing where you don't know what you're eating

What's up with all these people noticing Top? Is it that Top has slept with the entire gay population in Thailand? Is Top's dad keeping an eye on him or something dramatic like that?

oh, Top shivering/shaking from withdrawals or what?

bruh not Sand's mother being the manager of Roxie and tricking him to get here by using the ruse of debt collectors

oh it's Sand's birthday

ah, Ray singing such a romantic song for Sand

“I just feel like If he doesn’t sleep with me he is going to get bored of me” whelp

I wonder if Boston's gonna become insane now that he knows Mew's gonna sleep with Top

5-4

The Top/Mew scene is supposed to be romantic. It does not feel that way and I wonder if that's intentional

Is Sand's mysterious father ever gonna come back to the story?

ah, good scene with "She drank herself to death" and Sand's hand pouring the liquor faltering

Ray sharing some of his story and past with Sand

oh, I'm kinda into the way Nick grabbed Boston's wrist and lead him home

Sand is so into Ray man

Boston needs to shut his fucking mouth, why is he talking about Sand liking Ray

and now talking about how Ray's been in love with Mew for years oh Bostonnnnn you instigator. but it's good that Sand also knows now ig

so does a video of Mew and Ray actually exist? like Mew pushed Ray away that night... and I've been wondering wtf video Boston showed Top

I wonder why Nick even likes Boston fr

Sand T.T

Do I not feel Top-Mew's scenes because I'm not meant to and they're being artificial on purpose or is it because ForceBook can't pull it off? I also wonder how TopMew's gonna go now that Mew's slept with Top?

Interesting to get Sand's perspective this ep.

I didn't comment on it but there are lots of moments where we can see the wealth disparity between Sand and Ray (the second-hand shop stood out to me first but also the debt collectors moment where Sand was so worried but it just seemed like a bit of fun to Ray).

Ep 6: Happy (F*cking) Birthday (May 9)

ep 6... feels like things are gonna go down this ep, esp after the debacle that was 5-4.

I'm quite enjoying this show and the characters so far but I know people have problems with the character writing, I guess that's maybe toward the latter half of the show?

6-1

The way Ray and Sand sharing the cigarette smoke in ep 1 (? or 2?) and the cookie in ep 5 mouth-to-mouth drove me insane yet I feel nothing toward TopMew sharing their cookie or this apple slice mouth-to-mouth, man I hope the artificialness of their relationship is on purpose and not just bad writing/acting/directing. I mean tbh they're cuter/more normal in this ep so far, so idek

omg Mew has two moms

Ray and Boston tension while they have to be around each other in the friend group, esp Ray sending glares toward Boston who's playing at nonchalance

omg is Drake's character (Gap) the one who fucking recorded Boston?

Boston's cold reception and rejection of Drake's character right in front of Nick who... also recorded (the audio of) Boston having sex. also not to mention Boston having recorded Mew and Ray's kiss lol

Gap's video of Boston is def gonna come into play again but I wonder... if it'll be Gap's doing or maybe Nick will acquire it from Gap?

damn, Sand and Top once again and Top always seems to know where to hurt Sand while Sand's quips roll off of Top

6-2

omg???? is Sand destroying his fucking phone so that he can use Nick's phone to send Mew the recording of Top and Boston?! my god let's go vengeful Sand blowing things up and being the instigator

what did Nick notice about his phone? did he know Sand sent himself the audio or did he notice Sand didn't actually call his mother

okay Top's hanging out with Mew and getting him Lasik and taking care of him even after they've had sex, so I guess they really do like each other

how can you know that it's Top and Ton from just their moans lmfao ?? anyway seems like Sand's passing it around to Ray instead of sending the audio to Mew himself, which is smart since Ray's closer to him

I wish Sand didn't tell Ray that he got it from Nick tho??

girl something or other is def gonna fuck up Boston's dad's campaign rip

Boston possibly going to New York

Nick once again mad/sad at Boston but still gives in

6-3

and Boston knowing how to get under Ray's skin even while Ray sought him out first to give him a piece of his mind (kinda like how Top gets to Sand)

Mew's reaction to Top's gift... I thought it'd be a little more happy since it's a pretty good gift for a rich guy? Wtf is this fake ass barely-there reaction that even Top has to ask if he likes it

Does Mew know something already and is uncomfortable?

damn, Ray went to the stall to get high?

nah, Mew definitely looks significantly better with glasses, I must say

omg Ray getting cross-faded and just airing out everybody's dirty laundry? yikes. even sowing discord among the lesbians pls I wonder if April and Cheum are gonna have drama now

he's an asshole to Sand too

damn, even Mew getting violent, alright

6-4

holy shit he keeps calling Sand a whore and insinuating he'd take money for sex or whatever?? and even pushed him down, Ray you fucking jackass but I'm kinda glad that there's now some sort of rawer, more terrible conflict in their relationship beyond just Ray liking Mew

"While we are together, can you not lie." yes plsss I think if Cheum and April can get that together, they'd be so far ahead of the other 3 pairs

Is Top not at all concerned that Ray at the end seemed to target Boston about Top, meaning he maybe knew about them? Because at first, I get him being like wtf what does ray even mean when he doesn't know shit but shouldn't he now wonder whether Ray does indeed know some shit

Mew being unconcerned about hitting Ray and what happened to him afterwards is kinda interesting. I'd at least expect some more anger like wtf why did he do that fuck him but now he's so... nonchalant about it all, doesn't care at all, so strange

skipping through the sex scene less bc I'm not in the mood to watch a se scene and more bc I lowkey hate TopMew but hoping I catch the dialogue

Mew likes Top's sounds during sex... which he will recognize when the audio is found?

ohhhh okay good hah he has it

okay, so Mew knew about it since he and Ray met in the bathroom, right? still don't know why he seemed guarded/uncomfortable at the beginning of the party though

I think the way Mew revealed the audio and everything was so fun + the rant at the end showing he's had so many thoughts about it and wondered why Top had done it etc. It's a good scene I think but still felt... somewhat lacking? I think I'm just being too hard on ForceBook because in a different show, this would've been Great but this show just has too many good scenes and conflict scenes and dramatic fights and this one doesn't quite deliver as well as it should.

It’s still a really good scene in general though and I’m gladI hadn’t been spoiled for it

Ep 7: After Effect (May 10)

Okay, let's see how the Aftermath is dealt with

7-1

god drunk driving is truly just so.

random ass car crash lol, would've been better if Ray'd fallen into a ditch or crashed into a tree off the road lol

will Sand have to save Ray's life in the future again too cuz this is the 2nd time Ray's explicitly thanked him for it already

random emergency reference since it's not like Sand knows Ray's emergency contact thing

I want Sand to be more mad bruh like Ray was quite harsh to him earlier and I want him to be like yeah I saved you but doesn't mean we're now made up

oh, Ray's got a dad who sometimes shows up lol

put Mew into this damn glasses again, it actually irritates me that they took them off when he looks significantly better with them on

Mew deciding to be terrible to deal with terrible people

The way the last person among the 6 guys to know about the audio is Boston himself and second-last was Top. meanwhile Nick knew for longest, then Sand for quite a long while too, and Ray and Mew became aware recently

damn, Nick didn't remove the bug?

Nick looks so pathetic

what fucking video clip man like did Boston engineer some sort of fake (deepfake?) sextape for Mew and Ray??

Mew's burning just one page, I was hoping he'd burn the whole sketchbook but ig it's fine. love the drama of it anyway

Glad BostonNick and TopMew had actual breakdowns in their relationship, kinda disappointed that SandRay are just fine and dandy. I get that they give sort of a balance and they didn't do as much shit to each other the way Nick and Top did to the other person but still... some sort of apology or conflict due to Ray calling Sand a golddigger or a whore or something, c'mon

7-2

I wonder what the father asked Sand to do. I hope it wasn't "I'll pay you to take care of Ray" or something lol

I want to enjoy the SandRay moment and bath and shaving and whatever but it feels unearned. maybe I'll try real hard to just watch the scene and enjoy it outside of the narrative

Ray is such a spoiled brat man "you wouldn't get me" girl, why would Sand who is working day and night to support himself and paid off his mother's debt and who doesn't have a father not understand? He might not explicitly understand having a dead mother who hated you but it's not like his life is roses without a reason to be stressed. annoying ass

I mean, none of y'all cared that he was driving drunk and high lol

If Ray doesn't get over Mew soon, I'm pushing him into the water as well

interesting to see Boston being iced out by all 3 of them + he doesn't have Nick anymore either, so he's gonna be alone for a bit?

the kick into the pool

7-3

okay at least Nick yells at Sand about the clip stealing

Nick is so pathetic I actually cannot. okay you love him, so what? literally so what? get over him, distance yourself, and just because you love him doesn't mean you have to be with him

aw fuck, Sand relating to Nick in terms of loving someone and not needing to be loved back

was he about to love you? Was he, Nick? but I do like the contrast of crying and being hugged by Sand while still being mad at him

Curious to see Mew being evil

Why is Nick giving intel on Boston to Mew bruh?

get in a stall

okay, so Mew now possesses Boston's secretly recorded sex tape...

7-4

my skin crawls at Mew threatening to show Boston's dad the sex tape... he's just bluffing and wouldn't actually do it, right? He even threatened Gap about the cops, so I think Mew's just bluffing

okay good he wouldn't actually post it

He still has the clip on his phone right?

Top coming in to give Mew books in public in front of the rest of the group is so gross, mans will never stop giving me major ick. kinda reminds me of the first ep ending or whatever when he put Mew on the spot by asking him to be his bf in the club

bruh, Top still calls himself Mew's bf?

how did Top even punch Mew, obviously he was right in front of him, how did he think he'd get anybody else. the fight choreo in Only Friends is a rip fr

Mew Ray is so silly to me lol idk cuz I guess I know nothing's gonna come out of it but I guess we'll see how they navigate it

Sand also needs to grow a backbone and some self-respect lol

Each person in this show is doing bad things and having bad things happen to them and I think Boston's the one who's having the worst happen to him. Wiretaped by Nick, who he trusted, and he was secretly recorded having sex by Gap, thought he got him to delete but was doubtful it's all gone, then finds out now his ex-friend Mew is in possession of it too, and threatening to show his father. To Mew, Boston's just a shitty fucker friend who slept with Top while they were dating and so it makes sense that he'd hate Boston and beat him up like the pool but doing stuff with the video is too far. Some people are shitty, doesn't mean I want their rights to be violated.

And Ray being a drunk driver... fucking hell. It kinda feels like the writing is not treating Ray's actions as bad enough. like we're supposed to feel bad that his father yelled at him and he hurt himself but he's the one who drove drunk! Sand also doesn't require an apology from him for treating him terribly that previous night, like huh??

Ep 8: Save Me (May 10)

8-1

We're starting off with Mew and Ray at the club from last time

Ah, self-destructive Mew has started drinking every day and skipping classes

a non-breakup breakup for SandRay. "Let me go already."

omg not Yo's relationship also in the trenches

age diff relationships hit in this specific way sometimes where Yo's older and has had past relationships that have all ended and is scared to repeat it again with Plug while Plug's young and eager

TopMew antagonisms are good.

8-2

Ray trying to coax Sand into doing his community service with him, shut upppp. Sand, stand up and say no!

they probably meant kiss ass but wrote licking ass plss

Nick and Papang's character are cute

Not Boston looking at his and Nick's photo damn

Mew inviting legit everybody, friends and enemies alike, to this Halloween party lol

Mew and Ray dressing up as Joker and Harley Quinn lol suits their parasitic dynamic I suppose?

damn Mew also doing coke now

"You're someone I should love" well if only love worked that way

oh Cheum invited Top

Mew looks pathetic despite trying to seem cool

Cheum looks so pretty, is she Wednesday?

whelp, avoid the kiss Ray leans in for in private but kiss him in public in front of Top to throw it in his face (just like that drink)

8-3

Papang's character is Dan

Detective Conan Nick and Freddie Mercury Sand

Glad Boston brought up Nick telling Mew about Gap's sex tape because that was actually still so wild like why the hell did he do that? It turned out well in that hopefully Mew took Gap's copy so that he doesn't have it anymore (+ threatened him with cops) and won't actually release it to the public but Mew had told Nick that he literally wants revenge so like ?? Why tell him about that omg

lol Sand about to kiss another dude in a Freedie Mercury costume before getting interrupted by Sand

Ray keeps angling at threesomes with people Sand's trying to hook up with

hello??? Why is Ray kissing Sand, isn't he with Mew now

Ray is so gross though at least Sand stood up to him this time

ohh Boston/Atom hookup is exciting somehow? similar to Dan and Nick

aw, Cheum put an end to that

I guess I like Top following Mew and giving him a shoulder? surprisingly, I think I can come around to them despite not liking their dating arc the first time

8-4

bruh, Sand gotta let Ray take the L and get caught using drugs or smth fr tbh

If Sand gets caught with the drugs instead, I'll start destroying things tbh

ACAB tho

bruh why is that cop's knee on Ray's neck

bribery too? girl... but rich people get away with anything so i'm glad that at least sand isn't gonna get caught in this mess

damn, Cheum blowing up too, makes sense although it's not like she's very kind to Ray or Boston in general either lol

bruh, Top bringing Mew to bed is Enough, why is he taking off his outerwear and giving him a sponge bath or whatever like don't overstep and be a creep... and cuddling him in bed... be serious wtf

idk why I'm into Boston and Atom lol like okay what's another bad decision? let's do it

Ep 9: The Return (May 10)

9-1

damn, we don't even get a scene of Mew waking up and being mad at seeing Top cuddling him but now have to witness Top jumping in after him into the pool

glad Sand's mad that he almost got put in jail and doesn't just easily give in to Ray but Ray's nothing if not somebody who wants everything

loll Top talking in on them while recording. Mew isn't gonna give a fuck about Ray wanting Sand but probably thinks Ray should've broken up with him first

Atom and Boston hooking up

Team Second Option talking about being masochists lol

Top has devolved from an intentionally irritating, low morals type of guy to typical BL love interest who is possessive and controlling as they act as if the main character is a child whose decisions they should oversee, agh

9-2

"Why did you do it with Top but not with me?" Ray, girl... I thought he was gonna be like when in private, you keep pushing me away but no. what even

Atom, wtf lol this isn't a freaking relationship. also, you just found out you like men... if anything, you should be finding other guys to fuck now that it's a whole new world wtf maybe ask Boston if he knows safe/good men for ONSs

SandNick kiss hehe but apparently it's nothing for either of them loll

Ray showing up at 2am

THIS IS THE THIRD COUNT OF RAY WANTING A 3SOME, they've gotta give this man one omg. but in all of them, Sand is present and idk if my man can do threesomes all casually with Ray like this...

Gorgeous, gorgeous boys First, Khao, and Mark

Nick having to be the third wheel at his own Second Option hangout T.T

agh, i got spoiled that Sand and Top kiss in a comment and that's my own fault T.T I wish I hadn't clicked Read More but I thought it was just gonna have Boeing mention

9-3

Top showing up to be all gentlemanly and helpful to Mew's mothers like man... why is their story now so typical random BL LI-tries-to-win-over-MC arc

Ray wanting Sand to be his secret lover, I gotta kill this man

"I'm not just stuff you have in your possession" okay exactly because Ray really treats Sand like an object

not the Daddy and Nick having to EXPLAIN it to him?!

oof, Nick giving his goodbyes to Boston who was also touched by it (idk about the 'you don't have to change' part though lmfao)

9-4

"Compared to Boston, you're a saint" Is he? Is Ray at all better than Boston? In which way?

cheating sex but I still like to watch KhaoFirst getting it on, what can be done? the thrusting caught me really off guard tho lmfao

crazy to see SandRay having sex in a camp at night 2 hours away then cut straight to Ray with Mew during the day in broad daylight in public

That's it? No explosion? Where are Mew's feelings about being cheated on by the first guy he seriously dates and now his rebound friend-turned-date? like what about his self-worth and such because when he found out Top was with Boston, he had the "did you guys laugh at me?" moment and now shouldn't he be having a "oh does everybody I'm with want to cheat?" moment. at least he mentioned that Ray's doing the same thing as Top and ig he's saying he can't be mad since he's also using Ray to get back at Top

"Is being a lesbian easier?" "Life is tough whatever the hell you are"

Boeing has arrived heh

oh crazy ass scene tbh, if I was watching this while it was airing with no spoilers, I would've lost my shit fr

So when Mew called somebody to come spend the night because he can't fall asleep, was that Boeing?

a very... mellow episode with typical BL-progression for each couple somehow hmm but maybe the drama will pick up again for the next episode since Boeing is introduced.

I... wonder if this episode is when this show started kinda going down for people? like the characters have become more tame and palatable? but idk if it's just a pause or if they'll end like this as well

Ep 10: Redemption (May 11)

10-1

oof, Boeing coming over and sleeping over

ahh, I'm pretty sure Boeing's gonna be trouble because it seems like that from how people have spoken about him, even though I don't actually know what he does or in what ways, so it just makes me nervous

Ray's still convinced he's not addicted and can stop whenever...girl

"You're totally his type. Like an upgraded version of me" crazy

Nick saying they can kiss or have sex, it doesn't matter because it'll always end

Boss and intern hook-up but it feels less disgusting than usual, maybe because they're similar in age and have known each other a while and also nobody's uptight and in a suit

there'd no doing rehab "for you" man you gotta do it for yourself

Also, I've realized that Atom calls Cheum Jie

omgggg Atom why are you lyinggggggg. Boston tricked you into his house and took your nudes?!?!?! I'm gonna kill you. Enough! Especially bad because Boston's somebody who has actually had sex tapes recorded of him without his consent

bruh at the very least, the texts should show that Atom's the one who's been texting Boston and Boston's been leaving him on read?

10-2

They really do get off on just... being better than Boston despite Mew and Ray having done terrible shit as well, sometimes worse than Boston

like I get that they believe he raped and took nonconsensual photos of Cheum's brother and is blackmailing him but the 2 guys are just acting superior and condescending towards him while Cheum's the only one seeming distraught

I hated Cheum suggesting that Boston preyed on some young guy though like okay he dated girls... he can also be curious about guys... that's not a crazy insinuation

Mew's smirk as they leave gives me the creeps, disgusts me a bit

I cannot believe I hate Mew and Ray while I feel for Boston

I might've been more into this Top/Mew scene if I wasn't just previously disgusted by Mew

oh, I think I'm just losing it. 10 episodes is too much. the next time Ray says he's going to rehab for Sand, I'll punch him

at least Sand says "Not for me. for yourself"

The Top-Boeing parallels of coming in to answer the trivia question

and would this other ex possibly be Sand?

Top has become so meek

not Mew accidentally liking Boeing's pic on IG, god so embarrassing

Boeing talking about whether he can check out the plants in Mew's room someday plsss

This Boston and Nick scene, fucking hell T.T talking about taking care of things because some things are irreplaceable

what do I even want from them like fr?

10-3

rest of your life? girl...

Boeing's so... girl pls this innocent act

Boeing coming onto Mew, it was in the thumbnail

I'm expecting they'll show Ray doing alright the first few days and then falling off the wagon hard

ah yikes, indeed Ray's dad wanted to pay Sand for whatever it was he asked... why have this interaction at the fucking house where Ray also is though lmfao stupidddd

whelp

10-4

once again, we're at the point in Top/Mew relationship where it... doesn't quite feel real, doesn't feel genuine

and Boeing is here too

hm, so Boeing wants Mew for real or what? And he's had a secret hatred for Top this whole time despite being his little sleeping pill?

hm, Boeing said he and Mew kissed. all this is like a cycle, reminds me of the Mew/Ray kiss thing

ah, Nick and Boston again

crying kissing

romantic sex

oof, Ray's dad telling Ray about Sand

interesting scene but Ray hasn't actually apologized to Sand for real about anything so hm idk

Ep 11: Move On Move In (May 11)

Only 2 episodes left, how will we wrap everything up man?

11-1

why am I not getting subs on my laptop?? My phone has subs on youtube agh

bruh, I restarted my browser and still nothing?

okay it suddenly works again after trying a few diff vids

Aw, P'yo :(

Yo and Plug T.T cute

what is the point of Mew doing all this song and dance with Boeing, I doubt he actually likes him but just... wants to make Top jealous or what?

"Mew, seriously. What are you doing?" Hate to agree with Top bc he's so boring to me now but so true

no why is Top saying what I'm thinking. If Mew's gonna give Top a chance, that doesn't mean he gets to now just push Top around and treat him badly and hang the cheating over his head forever. "If you think you can't forgive me, we should just separate" indeed

Nick being unable to make himself break if off with Dan yikes. surely doesn't help that he gave Nick the job, this is why the boss/employee thing is frowned upon

oof, what was that look, is Dan gonna turn out to be shitty too?

Ray's yelling and pushing resulting in bruises on Sand's back/shoulders, that's quite fucked up

Okay, Mew stops the thing with Boeing

11-2

okay Nick and Boston teaming up to take down Atom. maybe Nick's penchant for illegally bugging people to find out secrets/truths will come in handy lol

Are Atom's pants down in those photos or what? damn he lowkey stooping to the level Atom painted him as

Boston being like "How can you love me after sleeping with me once? Is it because I'm the first man you slept with?" meanwhile Nick being like whelp (is Boston the first guy he slept with?)

remembering all the stupid only-gay-for-you trope BLs while watching Boston talk about how he didn't "turn" Atom gay because nobody can do that (No Touching At All gets a pass lmfao)

not Sand helping with Ray's social work lol

never-ending cycle of back and forth with Top and Mew frr

Boeing having had enough fun with Mew and Top, how to haunt Sand and incite more Mess

11-3

oh, Top's crying

I would never show my face at the store again if I was Ray and accidentally sang aloud at the store

good thing that Atom's telling Cheum the truth but she should be more mad that he lied about somebody being a rapist + taking noncon photos + blackmailing to leak the photos

Boston's promiscuity continues to not be one of his despicable aspects

Boston/Nick are cute... though idk what I want to happen with the New York thing. I hope they date happily for a few months and then Boston goes to NYC and they break up and it's sad

11-4

TopMew moving in together?!

oh, the Boeing dumping Sand for Top thing happened just a year ago?

bruh, Sand's gotta say "no, no chance, sorry" like c'mon

Ray coming in and inviting Boeing to his house hah 3some plssss

omg pool... I've been spoiled from a Reddit post that Sand has a 3way kiss in a pool... omg. also I've been spoiled that Sand kisses Top? whennn

Ray keeps suggesting 3somes this whole show and I don't think he Actually wants them but rather just wants to throw the other person off of Sand but I just want him to offer it here again and for Boeing to say yep why not

why is there so much tensionnn if they don't have a 3some i'm gonna lose my shit and if they do have a 3some i'm also gonna lose my shit

I was expecting more of a Ray falls off the wagon and accidentally binge drinks and gets drunk af sort of conflict, not necessarily this craziness but sure.

I also think it'd be the funniest thing ever if Boeing's just making his way through every pair and we think it's because he's a menace and causing chaos everywhere but he's just being the villain on purpose to get all the pairs to end up together lmfaooo

Ep 12: Begin Again (May 12)

The final episode but... idk if it really feels like that. Doesn't feel like we should have only 1 ep left to wrap up the rest of the story, idk. Maybe I'll do a little thoughts section of what my reaction is so far to each character and the ships.

Top: Who is this guy? Very different from the beginning of the series and that's fine, people grow and change but I don't know who this man is now. Was glad he was checking Mew last episode though like either move forward or don't but enough of the revenge bs

Mew: Annoying, idk. Either move forward or don't. idc.

TopMew: Why are they trying to move in together already omg let it be a few months and also I'm so over them. I occasionally think I could be into them but nothing about it feels real to me unfortunately, doesn't feel like something lasting.

Sand: 0 boundaries, 0 self-respect. Takes Ray back with open arms every time and now Boeing comes in and we see he can't stand up to him either.

Ray: I don't quite trust him to not be a jerk and asshole and needlessly hurtful at the drop of a hat. He's going to rehab but the journey is too easy so far, it's not supposed to be easy.

SandRay: sure, idk. Their scenes have chemistry and are cute because KhaoFirst play them that way but in the narrative, I don't think they're like a cutesy, beautiful, grand romance. Which is fine to me btw but sometimes it feels like people interpret it that way and it probably has to do with KhaoFirst lol

Nick: Interesting that he's not super receptive to Boston wanting to be boyfriends, that's fun actually. Also fun that he teamed up with Boston to ambush Atom.

Boston: I just don't think his promiscuity itself is a flaw and so I don't think he needs to be monogamous to show Growth and Improvement or whatever. however, he has been talking about how he doesn't find sleeping around as fulfilling anymore and stuff, so I don't think him wanting to be boyfriends with Nick is out of the blue or anything. Also, it sucks that he's cast out of the friend group is just a cruel way over lies and nobody apologizes to him this episode either. I kinda... don't want him to make up with them, like these people have their own problems but act as if Boston is beneath them all, so I hope Boston hangs out with Nick and maybe a few new casual friends before going to NY and finding new people.

BostonNick: I want them to be dating or boyfriends but I want Boston to go away to New York and for them to have the good memories and leave their own lives because you don't need to be Big Commitment for Life with your first boyfriend at 21/22.

Cheum: She's so flawed but she's also treated like a minor/side character, so it's never like seen as that? Or idk. but the way she was fine and dandy with Atom admitting to the horrible lies is just... no.

Also, very long episode comparatively, it's like 70 minutes instead of the usual 45-55, which is par for the course of finales

12-1

so when is Ray allowed to drink vs not vs how much

Sand avoiding Ray's question of whether he still loves Boeing

SandBoeing and SandRay kiss and then BoeingRay omg

Ray and Boeing are both insane while Sand has no backbone, so he's just being puppeteered in the middle lol

I fully get Ray in this situation but I also can't help thinking about how Ray was chasing around Sand while actively being in a relationship with Mew and making Sand his sidepiece

Ray once again has valid points about Mew having to depend on Top too much if he moves in like this

man, I just... don't ask to be their friend again, Boston :( Mew is even still like "hey did you ask us?" about putting Boston's name on the project like okay kys you're giving a second chance to Top but still acting all high and mighty above Boston, dpmo

I feel like we're gearing for a happy ending for the couples and friendship group and that is so not what I care for, like one of my stand-outs so far this year is DFF Dead Friend Forever where I thought the lack of happy ending was a great choice and on the other hand, I watched Good Bad Mother, and thought the happy ending was too much and it should've had a more conflicting relationship at the end still

stupid, what is Top talking about not inheriting from his father, shut uppppp at least Mew said to be serious lol. idk why they annoy me so much but omgggg

the Boston/Nick date is cute hehe, i wonder why their date feels genuine while the Top/Mew ones... didn't and felt more calculated

they really do keep talking about "time left together" so I hope at least Boston/Nick don't end up together forever, just a sweet few months

no! stop moving to New York idea! although find at least Nick works in animation and says he'd move there for himself with Boston as a bonus

and Boston's at least like short term plans only!

girl, idc that Sand's here, why the hell is he helping so much with Ray's community service pls

Ah, Sand learning from Ray that Boeing went to Top first

12-2

"Booze?" "No. I quit" Ray's rehab is going so easily, I'm startled fr

the dog comparison well at least put Sand in a collar pls

well, seems like the 2nd couple has now defeated Boeing

discussing each other's strict habits after having already moved in together lmfao okay

Boston and Nick slow dancing and kissing in public my goddd they're so cute

pls dying laughing at Nick: I want you to introduce me as your boyfriend to your friends. Boston: Now that's a problem, I'm friendless.

pls now the 3rd couple must defeat Boston too?

Boston and Nick aren't in an open relationship where Boston can fuck other people, right?! Are they?!

broooo Boston straight up left Nick on the dance floor to go makeout with Boeing?!?!!? girl. be so serious.

okay even if you talked about it, you should've let him know before just leaving him alone and disappearing... girl

he's lying to Nick?! So they hadn't discussed it?! Boston I'm gonna knock your skull open, be sooooo serious

ahhhhh so we're back to Nick and Boston just have fundamentally different things they want from a relationship. Boston saying being boyfriends is a mental, not physical thing for him and he wants to do sweet, fun things with Nick but be able to make out or whatever with somebody else, I think that's such an interesting thing to explore, including how it can strain relationships as that's not necessarily how most people see being in a relationship. it's like obviously he's wrong in this instance because he was not being truthful towards Nick but I like seeing it.

12-3

December 31

party with everybody including Boston

Boston making up with Ray and trying with Mew and half-succeeding ig

truth or dare spin the bottle, who's surprised?

Mew only knows the skills of one person bruh

omg as soon as Mew's dare started, I paused and slapped my hand down on the table because I have remembered... apparently a Sand/Top kiss exists.

as'dlflkasjfk;ladsj hehehehehhhehe why was that so fun, mostly Sand's playful doing

Boston and Nick man, i don't even know

In The Bedroom by Boston is crazy lmfao

Nick avoiding Boston's kiss at midnight despite saying he wants that when they were still playing at being boyfriends owwwww

I'm at least happy that Mew and Boston aren't gonna be friends even though we're apparently getting happy ass endings for everybody except Boston for some reason

SandRay are cute

12-4

The thing isssss I do want this, I want Nick and Boston to pursue what they each want instead of being tangled with each other because they're not getting what they want out of the other and the compromises just hurt them but it just sucks that like... they're the only ones not getting the happy ending and I wanna know how this show might've been different if SandRay and TopMew weren't established couples

seeing Boston sitting here all alone while there are 3 other pairs + Nick who chose to walk away is like... did Boston deserve this? or at least did Boston alone deserve this? idek

unfortunately I don't have the strength to not lowkey skip through TopMew's scene

Top's fire scenario coming back but ig he has Mew this time

oh interesting, feels like there's some actual conversation about Ray's rehab since he started and him having to overcome it himself and that Sand can't just quite all his sources of income (plum wine, bar singer) just so Ray's never around alcohol

Feb 2024 oh that's like 3 months ago

P'Yo you are sooo cute

I hate seeing the 6 of them happy and together in couples and in the friend group while there's some random photo from Boston (and that would've been fine!!! if the ending wasn't this lol) and Nick is nowhere (this does make more sense bc he wasn't in the group)

oh lol Mix here and certain ominous ending but not enough For Me

Conflicted because messy people, those who make mistakes, those who haven't figured everything out still deserve to be happy but... everybody other than Boston deserves to be happy?

Overall

I'm just glad that I binged this by watching 2-3 eps a day for a week instead of watching for 3 months to arrive to that ending. Great first half of the show IMO (~6 eps), then there's a weird narrative shift there somewhere, then the last 1/4 of the show was dragging and then the last episode was boring and upsetting. SandRay and TopMew feel weirdly happy, artificially happy while Boston is the only character who is left to rot by his friends and Nick. I didn't need a happy ending for Boston/Nick but Boston's storyline felt... cruel and since the only character who wasn't monogamous got a bad ending and had all his faults amplified (while the others just had their faults or mistakes forgiven or never even apologized for them), it felt pointed at Boston's promiscuity.

Rating: 6/10

#only friends #ep by ep commentary

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seoschangbin · 5 years ago

Note

no worries! sorry for my late reply too though😭are you done with this semester now??? i hope you can have a fun break filled with nothing but rest n love!!!💞omg biochem sounds like the worst... are u done with that portion of your major tho??? and oh man i wish i was close to graduating😭i'm a third year (US usually has 4) but i think i'm gonna have to stay for an extra year so... got two more years left🚶🏻‍♀️wbu? i hope the suffering of uni is almost over for you🤗💕-🎁💫

no don’t apologize!! u can always take ur time 💖 and yes i’m done and free!! master gave rachel a gre grade rachel is FREE!!!! nd omg ur too sweet i also hope ur break is filled with rest nd love!! (love from ME) i am done with biochem thankfully!! but i truly thought i would never survive and i’m taking only fun stuff next semester hehe i’m looking forward to it! 😌 aww you’re more than halfway though you got this!! enjoy the rest of ur time i feel like it’s gone by so fast anyways so it’ll be nice to have an extra year 🥰 i’m actually graduating in april! aaah!

i hope that last final you took went well!!! n i also hope that you're enjoying some freedom now😤💞omg really? :0 way to go felix!!! gosh he gives me such bestie energy, i always wanna hype him up🥺🤲🏼voices n hellevater!!!! some of the best songs omg. i've been having skz on repeat lately and wow grow up n awaken are on constant repeat, i've fallen for those songs again!!!💞side effects choreo is a lot of fun!!! it's the best to dance along to heh. -🎁💫

still fingers crossed over the last one but nothing i can do about it now so i’ll forget about it 😞 omg me TOO felix is just so baby and sunshine.. when he smiles i’m like bro.. what do u want.. i’ll give u anything.. ur so cute.. . 😳 and me too but levanter album mjdkgj grow up makes me feel so nostalgic 😭 awaken is a banger too but the two are so different 😳and omg do you dance?? :O

ooo so miroh has somewhat of a soft spot for you as well then!!! its such a great song but i always think about how chan wanted to add an elephant sound to it hngjkfjsldk. winning 1st for levanter!!! so proud of the boys🥺🤲🏼at first i thought how cute it was of hyunjin to upload two photos then i realized it was bin...😐he doesnt wanna spoil us too much i guess😔got7 is great!!! but i def feel more at ease with skz since i'm being more chill with them!!!🙇🏻‍♀️💞-🎁💫

tbh.. maybe i should just say all titles songs have a lil soft spot in my heart 😭 omg i always forget he said that kjdgkajd chan .. what goes thru his mind! i’m so happy they got their second win before the end of the year it’s what they deserve 💖 nd truly changbin playing me like that.. ok... 😐 are you a jyp kind of person then hehe?

literally😭i wanna watch hyunjin's recent vlives but then i think do i really wanna put myself through this n fall even More for sir hwang😔finding skz!!! i watched the first episode a while back before i got drowned with uni work, so i'll have to pick it up again! woojin in that ep tho, his Power. sometimes buzzfeed does some really cute video ideas with groups so it'd be fun to see!!! and ooo monsta x i've been wanting to get into them honestly!!!💕-🎁💫

mskdgjskdg STOP SIR HWANG 😭😭 he;s so soft n endearing fr stop that sir hwang.. honestly ur right.. woojin was so powerful in that episode i need to go back and rewatch it.. not sure if ur familiar w victon but the same energy bt woojin + their leader in their running man episode nd it just sends me everytime.. skz x buzzfeed 2020 bls.. let us see it! omg i hope u get into mx!! they’re so funny and pure i love them 😞💖

binnie is taller than me but not by much so i can call him tiny, plus he just exudes and Is teeny energy🥺🥺🥺n felix's mind!!!! best binnie stan huh😌gosh i was the same too))): woojin was climbing up the bias list for me too before the News occured. we still coping😎😎😎gosh i Still need to watch the aussie line vlive, i've seen clips n it looks so funny n cute😭i was thinking if i should have you guess who my bias is but!!! i think i'll just say hehe-🎁💫

omg i know changbin is like Tinie baby energy the ep where he did the zipline thing!! baby!! felix nd changbin just have the cutest friendship i love them 😣 vibe.. we still feelin that wooj hole It’s Fine 😔omg yes the aussie line vlive was just the purest.. felix x egg... pure... pure and good!

it's changbin!!!💕so i'm also changbin biased!!! he's actually been number one for a while now... binnie not letting chan win for too long i guess😤but i say both are my ults!!! i can never choose between them🥺and yes i'm on break now!!! i don't have many plans honestly, i'm just going to relax n probably game the whole break! gotta give myself some down time before this next semester😔but i'll probably make some time to keep up with my language studies. wbu? any plans???-🎁💫

omg changbin nd chan. interestin! changbin is the cutest so changbin stans we goin through it! u 🤝 me suffering bin fans.. ooh what kind of gaming are u into! definitely bls take the break to relax and energize urself for the new semester.. only good things for us for 2020!! i’m going on vacation starting next week so i’m going to be on the beach!

#beach + me.. probably will sunburn x 1000 rip me #but i might be gone a bit next week before the reveal but im going to make u smth so im sorry if i cant post it on the day of!#🎁💫#anonymous #ask

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chibi-jing · 6 years ago

Text

Ardyn’s dialogues: redundancy and variation (+translations)

You probably already noticed that Ardyn greets the chocobros at their first encounter the same way as at their last, by saying to them “I’m afraid you’re out of luck.”. Even if the words aren’t exactly the same you can find this repetition in every translations of FFXV. It’s a clear way to indicate that the story made a complete circle and comes to an end for both the player and the characters, but it also corresponds to Ardyn’s way of over-dramatize everything like if he was reciting a line of his own theater piece.

I regrouped in this post some examples of this kind of redundancy in Ardyn’s dialogues, with a comparison between the French texts and English/Japanese to show you some interesting differences/similarities. (+ links to videos with FR/ENG subtitles for each)

Note: While I made the English literal translations from French, all Japanese translations come from FINAL FANTASY XV Translation

« Le vent en poupe »

I would like to begin with the very first words Ardyn pronounces in FFXV: Nous n’avons pas le vent en poupe (FR)/I’m afraid you’re out of luck (ENG)

When the chocobros arrive at Galdin Quay in Chap.1, our favorite chancellor informs them that there’s not boat anymore with those specific sentences:

ENG “I’m afraid you’re out of luck. […] The boats bring you here.” […] “Well, they’ll not take you forth.”

JP (lit.) “I have bad news. […] You came here for the boat, right?” […] “Well, they’ll not take you forth.”

You can remark that the meaning of the text is very close in both languages and that it has a structure in three stages where Ardyn first acknowledges the group isn’t lucky, then explains what he’s talking about and finally reveals the problem to them. The same construction can be found at Chap.14 when the chocobros arrive in the throne room:

ENG “I’m afraid you’re out of luck.” “The throne brings you here? It seats only one.”

JP (lit.) “I have bad news.” “You came here for the throne, right? It’s not available anymore.”

The exact same words and structure are recalling the first encounter at Galdin Quay but adapted to the new situation: this time Noctis isn’t looking for a boat but for his throne, and what he wants is still unavailable because of Ardyn.

Let’s talk about the French now:

Galdin Quay (video)

FR « Nous n’avons pas le vent en poupe. […] Le bateau. Vous voulez le prendre ? » […] « Eh bien… hélas, il n’y en a pas. »

FR (lit. translation) “We are out of luck. […] The boat. You want to take it?” […] “Well…alas, there is none.”

You can remark that once again there is the three phases structure and that the meaning is very close to the original with even the question in the central term like in Japanese. But…

Throne Room (video)

FR « Tu n’as décidément pas le vent en poupe. » « Le trône. Tu aimerais t’y asseoir, n’est-ce pas ? Ha ha ! Malheureusement, je crains qu’il soit occupé. »

FR (lit.) “You decidedly are out of luck.” “The throne. You would like to sit there, didn’t you? Ha ha! Unfortunately, I’m afraid it is occupied.”

The construction is still the same but the words are quite different. When in English Ardyn keeps saying “I’m afraid you’re out of luck” and in Japanese “I have bad news”, in French he says first « Nous n’avons pas le vent en poupe » (=We are out of luck) and then « Tu n’as décidément pas le vent en poupe » (=You decidedly are out of luck). Let me try to explain this…

First, « Avoir le vent en poupe » is similar to “Have the wind in the sails”. If it can be translated literaly by “Have the wind on the stern”, the locution means “Be on a roll”. The contrary of this locution that Ardyn uses « Ne pas avoir le vent en poupe » corresponds to “Be out of luck” which is like in the English version, but in French you have a play on words: since they are in a harbor with no boats it’s funny to say that there is no wind in the sails to express they’re out of luck. It’s stranger to use this locution in the throne room but it’s still correct, especially for Ardyn who has some kind of old way to speak. But what’s interesting in the variation of this sentence is the pronoun and the adverb :

When Ardyn says “We are out of luck” at Galdin, he’s including himself in the group like if the chocobros’ problem was his too. But in the throne room he says “You decidedly are out of luck”, «You» refering to Noctis only and not to his friends (because in French Tu is the second person singular, different from Vous second person plural). It shows that for Ardyn, it’s personal now. He doesn’t care/need anymore Noctis’ friends that’s why he get rid of them quickly, it has to be only between him and Noctis, the “battle of kings”.

The add of “decidedly” is kinda ironic and reinforces the repetition by recalling their first encounter. It’s like Ardyn was saying to Noctis “Once again, you find me on your road”, and of course it’s another way to mock him, like if Noctis wasn’t able to accomplish anything since they first met.

« Immortel »

After Ardyn got frozen by Shiva then crushed by Noctis in the train during Chap.12, he came back to life with those words:

JP (lit.) “A near-death experience that I’ve never felt again after so long. God’s power is really strong, huh? But I’m strong too. Perhaps I can’t die even if I want to.”

It was the moment when both Noctis and the player realized that Ardyn was immortal. The same text was also used in Episode Ignis in the alternative bad ending after Ignis nearly killed Ardyn thanks to the Ring of Lucii:

JP (lit.) “Wow, a near-death experience that I’ve never felt again after so long. But I’m strong too. Perhaps I can’t die even if I want to.”

Everything is the same, only the reference to Shiva was cut. But contrary to the previous example with Galdin Quay and the throne room, Ardyn doesn’t repeat himself here. Since the alternative story is supposed to take place instead of the main story of FFXV, Ardyn is revealing his immortality for the first time in this version so it seems logical to have almost the same text to express the same idea.

Let’s see what we have in the other languages:

Train (video)

ENG “For a moment I felt death’s chill wind, such is the might of the gods. But then, I remembered I’m immortal. Such is my blessing and curse.”

FR « Pendant un instant j’ai eu un frisson d’effroi. Le pouvoir des dieux n’est pas à prendre à la légère. Mais il ne faut pas me sous-estimer non plus. Je suis pour ainsi dire immortel, comme tu le vois. »

FR (lit.) “For a moment I got a shiver of fright. Gods’ power mustn’t be taken lightly. But don’t underestimate me either. I am, so to speak, immortal, as you can see.”

Ep. Ignis (video)

ENG “For a moment I felt death’s chill wind. But then, I remembered I’m immortal. Such is my blessing and my curse.”

FR « Eh bien ! Ça faisait longtemps que je n’avais pas vu la mort d’aussi près. Mais bon, il faut quand même pas me sous-estimer. Je suis comme qui dirait… immortel. C’est comme ça. »

FR (lit.) “Well! It had been a long time since I had seen death so closely. But hey, you mustn’t underestimate me. I’m like who would say…immortal. It’s just the way it is.”

You can see that both the English and French texts are playing with the semantic field of the cold to describe Ardyn’s sensations in the train, which is pretty smart because it evokes simultaneously the death and Shiva’s powers. Like in Japanese, the reference to the goddess disappears in Ep. Ignis but if the text remains quite the same in English it changes a lot in French. While the English version has prefered to stay close to its first translation, the French took the risk to reformulate the text to adapt it better to the situation, bringing it closer to the Japanese one but by so making it harder to identify as a recall from Chap.12.

It’s also interesting to see that the Japanese text doesn’t mention the word «immortal», focusing more on the consequences of immortality for Ardyn and counting on players to understand his situation through his feelings: he can’t die even if he wants to. This line summarize everything: even if Ardyn tries to die – which is already sad – he just can’t, which implies that he’s immortal and not happy with it. The burden of immortality is also adressed in English with “such is my blessing and curse” which explains perfectly how this is a poisoned gift, and the French evokes it in a subtler way with some turn of phrase showing that Ardyn is wearied and fatalistic about it.

« Ifrit »

When the chocobros arrive in front of the Citadel in Chap.14, Ardyn greets them by summoning Ifrit. It’s not the first time the Infernian is called by Ardyn: before Noctis and his friends, the god had to fight against the Kingsglaives in the Comrades DLC. This is what Ardyn says to Noctis:

JP (lit.) ““Fire God Ifrit”, a partner of Ice Goddess who loves humans. Looks like he wants to see you. I shall await you…above.”

ENG “Ifrit, the Infernian. He doesn’t share the Glacian’s fondness for mankind. But you can expect a… warm welcome. I shall await you…above.”

FR « Je vous présente Ifrit ! Un dieu beaucoup moins bienveillant envers les êtres humains que notre chère Shiva. Remarquez, il vous a réservé un accueil plutôt chaleureux. Bon, je vous laisse briser la glace. Je vous attends en haut. »

FR (lit.) “I present you Ifrit! A god far less benevolent to the human beings than our dear Shiva. Note he booked you a pretty warm welcome. All right, I’ll let you break the ice. I’m waiting for you upstairs.”

You can see that the English and French localizations are very close to the original text and, like for the previous example, that they add some play on words about Ifrit and the heat, with a double layer in French about «breaking the ice». Once again Ardyn is playing a role and his provocating jokes prove how he feels superior to other.

The text of Comrades isn’t different because the cutscene is exactly the same, only the end of the sentence is modified to correspond to the Glaives:

ENG “Ifrit, the Infernian. He doesn’t share the Glacian’s fondness for mankind. But you can expect a… warm welcome. Well, I’ll leave you to it! Have fun– and try not to die this time.”

But again in French you can remark bigger changes from the original scene:

FR « Ifrit, le dieu du feu ! Il est beaucoup moins bienveillant envers les êtres humains que la Glacéenne. Il m’a confié qu’il aimerait bien s’échauffer un peu avec vous. Allez, amusez-vous bien ! Et essayez de ne pas mourir… cette fois-ci. »

FR (lit.) “Ifrit, the god of fire! He’s far less benevolent to the human beings than the Glacian. He told me that he would like to warm up a little with you. All right, have fun! And try not to die…this time.”

The words are placed differently, Ardyn doesn’t say anymore “our dear Shiva” but “the Glacian” and the play on word is different, even if it still employs the heat vocabulary. The reason is simple: in the first version of the scene released in FFXV Ardyn’s lip synch was far from perfection, as you can see in this video.

Even if FFXV has been dubbed in five languages, only two have a specific labial: the Japanese and the English ones. The French version uses the Japanese labial, that’s why all the sounds don’t always match perfectly the character’s lips even if all the French staff did its best while recording. Generally it isn’t a problem but on this very specific scene where there is a close-up on Ardyn, it really shows. That’s probably the reason why they took the occasion of the new dubbing session to re-translate the line so it can match better with Ardyn’s lips movement, as you can see in this video.

The text from Comrades might be closer to the Japanese one now but I think it’s too bad we lost «our dear Shiva» in the process XD

I’m gonna end this post with a little anecdote about the French dub and the labial:

At the begining the French localization was based on the English one, but since the translation was late they decided to stop everything and to match the Japanese labial. There were only three cinematics in FFXV where the French dub was done on the English labial specifically: the intro, Luna’s death and Noctis’ death. For these important scenes the actors worked with a rhythm band under the video to have a perfect lip sync. But when FFXV was released in France someone took the wrong file and the French dub made for the English labial was put on the Japanese scenes. Until a patch corrected it later, the French voices were a little desynchronized on these three cinematics for the first FFXV players. (source in FR)

As you can see localization is a tough job, and I will never thanks enough SE for all the efforts they put in FFXV’s one. They did their best to provide all the informations the dubbing studios needed and it really shows in the final result. We were also lucky to have in every localizations talented actors who performed wonderfuly their characters, making FFXV a great game for a lot of people around the world.

#ardyn #ffxv #ff15 #ffxv in french #translation #final fantasy xv #final fantasy 15 #ardyn izunia #french #english #localization #labial #analysis #long post

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dfroza · 8 years ago

Video

youtube

A new song released by Sleeping at Last that yes, appears here on YouTube, although it’s still nice to support the artists you like by purchasing their music. kind of like the Old-fashioned way when it was all there was by buying something tangible held in your hands. and maybe we can respect digital art in the same way?

just a thought. but it makes sense to me, to support things with the work of the body that touch the heart and mind.

and so, here’s the email sent this morning that ryan typed up to share his thoughts on how the song was made. it’s rather long, but i enjoyed it.

Dear Friends,

I’m so very delighted to let you know that my brand new song “Atlas: Body” is out TODAY! It should be there in all of your friendly neighborhood digital music stores!!

“BODY” - HOW IT WAS MADE:

“Body” is the fourteenth song (of 25) in my Atlas: Year Two series. The first (of three) songs written for the theme “Intelligence”: Body, Heart & Mind, inspired by the Enneagram Intelligence Centers. (To learn more about this theme, and all of Atlas: Year Two’s themes, read here!)

http://www.sleepingatlast.com/blog/2016/4/18/atlas-themes-explored?rq=themes

Originally, when Atlas: Year Two was mapped out, the three “Intelligence” songs were sequenced like this: Mind, Heart and Body. I thought that made sense on a physical level, top down, head to toe! But in learning more about Enneagram and the three Intelligence Centers, it is actually taught in reverse of that order: Body, Heart and Mind, because, in processing the world around us and the feelings and experiences we have, we first rely on our gut - our instinct (Body), secondly, we process emotionally (Heart) and finally, intellectually (Mind). This is why I rearranged the order of these 3 songs.

Though these three songs were inspired by the Enneagram Intelligence Centers, they also represent the coming together of the physical, emotional and intellectual pieces of us. These are the key ingredients that make us, us! Actually, a better analogy would be cooking tools- these are the pots and pans of who we are. With the body, heart and mind, we process the world around us. Thematically, I really loved the idea of this “Intelligence” EP being a bridge between the “Emotions” EP and the upcoming “Enneagram” EP (9 songs based on the 9 Enneagram types!) - it keeps one foot in the physical and another in the psychological.

“Body” is a song about intuition. The first thing I began singing, before the song was a song, was “i feel it in my bones.” - which is something we say when we don’t know why, but we just know something. It’s another version of a “gut feeling” - I loved that those idioms speak to the physical body and intuition at the same time. I decided those idioms were a little too on the nose for this song, but I used them as the jumping off point of the whole song.

“there’s magic in our bones, a north star in our soul that remembers our way home. there’s magic in our bones.”

That first chorus lyric, “there’s magic in our bones” - this means a lot of things to me.. I think it describes the gift of intuition- it feels buried in us, like something primitive, but at the same time, there’s a lot of wonder or magic around the idea of intuition. In researching “intuition” a bit, I learned that neuroscientists generally say that our brain is constantly searching for and collecting patterns and storing them in our subconscious. I think that’s so true and beautiful. What an incredible magic trick we are capable of! I believe that explains only some of the gift of intuition, that there’s more mystery and real “magic” happening too! An internal compass that we are born with that knows more than we think we know. That’s essentially what this whole song is about.

On a more personal level, this song nods to a recent large life decision my family and I just made. I recently watched a TED talk by Ruth Chang about this. She says that hard decisions are hard because there is no clear answer - and this is actually a good problem. It means that either option isn’t right or wrong. There’s freedom in that. It’s an opportunity to start a new adventure. For my wife and I, January 1st, the new year began with zero plans to buy a new home. Not even on the radar. Then, a couple days later, suddenly we saw a home in town and we fell in love. The home felt right, but we couldn’t explain why - we love our current home, we weren’t looking to move and somehow, we felt a magnetism toward this house. As parents to two little ones (a 2 and a half year old and a 4 month old), the idea of uprooting in anyway right now, especially just “because”, felt totally crazy to us, and yet we couldn’t get the house out of our heads. So, we trusted our gut and we jumped in. So writing this song at a time when there were a LOT of conversations about intuition and why we feel compelled to do the things we do, was probably some really good processing for me. So the line “a north star in our soul that remembers our way home.” is a direct nod to our new home. Also, a teeny tiny nod to the house was the word “bricks” in the opening line…

“a feather is a ton of bricks, or maybe i’m too sensitive…”

Firstly, that opening line was inspired by something Fr. Richard Rohr said in explaining the Enneagram “Body” (or “Gut”) types: “Reality comes at us like one shock wave after another. We take it on like a full body blow every three minutes. EIGHTs fight back, NINEs back off, and we ONEs try to fix, reform, and control reality.” I love that. So the “ton of bricks” line is a tip of the hat to that concept.

(Brief Enneagram note: If you’re unfamiliar with the Enneagram, (in the words of wikipedia) it is “a model of human personality which is principally understood and taught as a typology of NINE interconnected personality types.“ Each of these nine types fit into one of the three “Intelligence Centers”: Body (the EIGHT, NINE and ONE types), Heart (the TWO, THREE and FOUR types) or Mind (the FIVE, SIX or SEVEN types)

That opening lyric is also a play on the adage, “straw that breaks the camel’s back” - there are situations in our life, where we get right up to that breaking point and our intuition kicks in, and we then choose to listen or ignore what it’s telling us. So I liked starting out the song with this abstract concept, and following it up with some second guessing- rational thinking. That created a little rule that I followed in this song: every abstract lyric represent intuition, and the conversational lyrics represent the rational processing we do to explain it. It was a lot of fun to write this song with that in mind.

It took a long while for the lyrics to finally fall into place on this song. The lyric that sort of “unlocked” the rest of the song was “There’s magic in our bones” - it was almost like all of the lyrics were hiding behind the word “magic” and once I found that, the song was ready to be written. That word resonates with me for a million reasons, but as a Dad, watching my two little girls grow from tiny babies into little girls - magic is the only word that makes sense. As I mentioned above, how intuition works is magic, the incredible complex and ornate design that makes up our bodies is magic. That through a matter of bones and muscle and willpower, we move around this earth - that’s magic! Nature is magic, imagination is magic, love is magic! We are surrounded by all of this “magic” every day of our lives, so the final and recurring lyric of the song:

“There’s magic in all of this”

.. is a reminder to myself to recognize this gift of life as the magic that it is.

Now, let’s talk about music (music is magic too)! I originally wrote this song on the ukulele, but when thinking about what instrumentation best represents the “body” the ukulele didn’t feel quite right. So I chose all acoustic/organic instruments.

FUN FACT: Did you know that the violin was designed to mimic the sound of a soprano female voice? Who knows if that’s 100% true or just coincidence, but I believe it is and absolutely love it. With that in mind, I knew that this song should have prominent strings throughout, ideally a string quartet: two violins, one viola and one cello to represent the entire range of human voices. So I called frequent Sleeping At Last guest, Sharon Gerber to assemble the troops! She and her quartet are SO incredible and couldn’t have played more beautifully on this song. All of which was recorded live as one stereo track. SO grateful for their beautiful work!

For some reason, I’ve had the song “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” in my head a LOT lately. It’s from the movie/musical, “Hello, Dolly!” and is brilliantly featured a bunch in Pixar’s Wall-e. I loved the style of strings in the intro of that song- I’m sure there’s a correct classical word for what that type of playing is, but for lack of knowing that word, it’s swirls of tremolo violins stabbing chords. I love it and thought it’s such an appropriate sound for this song, about blunt gut feelings and intuition.

In thinking about the percussion of this song, I originally imagined it being full on drums throughout, but as the song was coming together, I realized it needed an older, more classical approach, so I decided to record loads and loads of orchestral percussion instrumentals: timpinis, cymbals, celestas - even chimes! (Never thought I’d be able to do it, but i did it… there’s so much “magic” talked about in this song that it felt like the right time for some chimes! Don’t worry, they are VERY quiet.)

Easter Egg: in the upcoming song “Heart”, I recorded my wife and our 2 daughter’s heartbeats, and my own, and incorporated these songs into the song. In the upcoming song, “Mind,” I recorded each of us singing a single note. In this song, “Body” I had each of us clap and in editing, created a really deep rumbly sound that leads into the last chorus, right alongside the timpinis! I wanted to make sure that our little family was ingrained into each of these “Intelligence” EP songs.

There’s a lot more to talk about, but I’ll leave it here! Thank you for reading!! I hope you like “Body”!! “Heart” and “Mind” will find their way to you soon.

BODY

a feather is a ton of bricks, or maybe i’m too sensitive… i don’t know. all i can say is this, from now on i’ll try to listen to intuition.

there’s magic in our bones, a north star in our soul that remembers our way home. there’s magic in our bones.

no, i don’t have a script for this. but i know the right words exist somewhere, and i just need more time. i know, i know, i’m asking for the moon, but i must listen to intuition believe me, i only want what’s right.

there’s magic in our bones, a north star in our soul that remembers our way home. God, it’s easy to forget there’s magic in all of this.

it’s so easy to forget, it’s so easy to forget that there’s magic in all of this.

there’s magic in our bones, a north star in our soul that remembers our way home. God, it’s easy to forget there’s magic in all of this.

there’s magic in all of this.

LINER NOTES FOR “BODY”:

Produced, Engineered & Performed by Sleeping At Last Guest String Quartet: Sharon Gerber: Cello, Tracy Ensley: Violin, Anya Gerber: Violin & Joanna Lebo: Viola. Mixed by John Goodmanson Mastered by Jason Ward (Chicago Mastering Services) Artwork by Elicia Edijanto (View Elicia’s work) Recorded at Enneagram Studios in Illinois

Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to read this letter and my thoughts about how these songs come together! Truly an honor to share. Enjoy your week!!

Love, Ryan - Sleeping At Last

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feuqueerfire · 9 months ago

Text

The Sign Live Blogging

I was supposed to watch Only Friends after Pit Babe but then took over a week off of watching new shows because I had to write a Pete/Kenta fic and now instead of Only Friends, I'm watching The Sign.

I know incredibly little about this show except it involves Billy and a guy I don't know, there's monsters? sci-fi/fantasy elements? cops? I watched like a few tiktoks/gifsets from eps 1 and 2 but those didn't give away much. Also, there was angsty stuff going on in this show during that week when Pit Babe ep 10? aired and [redacted] [redacted] and Last Twilight was getting a lot of flack for ep 12 but I can't remember if it was because somebody died or not

Anyway, here we go, hope to love it, as always.

Ep 1 (Feb 20)

1-1

Ah, I for a split second wondered if that person was gonna betray them... but was like nah, this is just the beginning and we don't know anything, would they would that rn? maybe that look was meant to signify that he's gonna get himself killed by being stupid? but ig they would make him betray them (though was that a real hostage or also a dummy?)

ohhh we got powers here too? Jeff in Pit Babe needed to touch someone to see their future but ig it's just visions at random times here?

I wish the first 10 minute fight sequence was shorter because we knew nothing but the last 3-4 minutes was interesting because we see more of the characters at play beyond just fighting

1-2

Ah, it was a little educational test. I knew it was about cop training, so I guess this makes sense

Were the censored butts necessary lol

ohhh people don't believe Tharn can see the future and would make fun of him

Ohh Tharn's visions often include Phaya

Also at first I didn't get what iron rod they were talking about but I rewatched and seems like there are iron rods protruding from the poles

Man, Chart's gonna be like Winner (Pit Babe) isn't he? But maybe more skilled and so less pathetic but more dangerous? Equally annoying maybe?

Does Tharn like Phaya already?

Are the guys who keep calling each other Baby dating for real or is this a joke? So many dudes, can't keep track of who is who

omg are Tharn and Phaya becoming friends aw

I just realized from the comments Chart is Kawnah (from KawnahTurbo and TharnType's Lhong)

1-3

"a sign in your vision but couldn't stop it" oh is that why this is called The Sign

Oh Chart is gonna already? delightful

oh wtf, a sea monster?

woah gorgeous gorgeous beautiful sea monster for real, I was not expecting it to look so beautiful instead of kinda janky CGI

not the ethereal being reaching her hand out to rescue Phaya and that hand becoming Tharn's pulling him up

What's the thing Tharn always wanting to do

dang, that girl is Tharn? but like magical? his magical projection when he couldn't physically go to help Phaya?

not past life soulmates

Chart haunting this story by being annoying even after he's left goddamn

Shoulda dropped some money for the auntie before leaving for making a mess of her restaurant

Phi Yai so funny watching Tharn and Phaya run away hand in hand talking about feeling like his nong is about to fall in love

I'll be honest if i was a gay dude and my crush drew a girl who looked like me and had my name but again was a girl, I'd lose my shit

1-4

Why is P'Yai obsessed with Tharn and Phaya, it's so embarrassing for them >.<

ouuu not this random kiss

damn a Lieutenant died and was found in the water

Is the Lieutenant dead fr or no cuz why'd the other instructor kinda give Phaya the go-ahead to do some investigating on his own

man, Phaya and Tharn are so cute! At first during the 5 day training I'd thought they weren't friends but then became friends throughout it but obviously not

oh lol so the guys actually have something going on on-and-off

pls not Yai airing out everything about his bro including his single and virgin status

this bathroom scene why?? i'm so embarrassed but also shy

A tree? monster??

wtf how can you even drink to "Do you like someone at this table?" Like the answer is then obviously yes and the answers aren't very broad lol considering there are only 4 people and one of them is your brother. and there's also the guy that everybody is teasing you and him about

What a good first episode! I'm very intrigued both in terms of the romance (it's so cute idk like why do they interact in a way that makes me kinda shy) and the fantasy elements + mystery elements. The straight-up fighting elements are alright but I could do with less. Also, tragic that we're getting copaganda but oh well

Also, Pit Babe and The Sign started in November while Dead Friend Forever started in December. The people who watch these BLs weekly must've been having a ball with so many shows exploring new genres and high-concepts in BL. Also interestingly, both Pit Babe have Pavel and Billy who each have been in BLs before and lead them as one of the main pairs while their partners Pooh and Babe are new to the industry. Ta and the other guys apply a little less since Ta only had small roles before and Dead Friend Forever seems more ensemble cast but kinda similar ig

Ep 2 (Feb 20)

As expected, I have a hard time stopping watching a show when I start even though I have work to do.

Also, while looking for ep 1 gifs, I came across some stuff about the naga (snake) and eagle but I didn't read much into the post but I guess those creatures will feature prominently throughout the show

2-1

aghh I'd seen this hiding under blanket scene in a gif or tiktok or something before it's so aksldfj cute [or was it a kinda different scene? cuz feels like they were more giggly hmm]

Ah, Tharn wants to joing the Special Investigation Unit to investigate his dad's death (and Yai isn't related to him by blood)

Is Captain Akk with them? For now, I'm guessing he also wants answers and that's why he's wanting more evidence + telling Phaya to get evidence + not stopping the little group from investigating

2-2

But now he does seem kinda suspicious...

omg a siren call type thing?

hmm Phaya says that Tharn looks like the girl in his dream... was he sleepwalking when he started following the magical girl?

Oof they got caught but okay again, it seems like indeed the captains are also investigating the cause of death and are not against our main characters

2-3

gorgeous shot

ah, past lives talk again

now we have some real cops on our hands oof

oh wait hah they were taking 5 special investigation students and it just happens to be our 5 characters lol

so cute they're so cute omg

also glad that

I gasped out loud, whoever Tharn loves will die? omg, this show has Everything fr

2-4

ahhh no, that's probably not Phaya's gf, don't mourn, Tharn <- I say as somebody who is mourning

ack, Phaya is no annoying with intercepting the drink from Oat (random guy buying Tharn a drink) agh you're jealous, do you know that?

Wish the lyrics were translated

lol their Spin the Bottle never ends

The drinking obviously means the answer is yes, wtf don't be silly guys

Would Phaya have fr chosen Tharn? ah the questions

AND OF COURSE THEY'RE LONG LOST CHILDHOOD FRIENDS why would they not be? I'd thought they'd mention that Phaya also lives at the same province as Tharn and Yai when it was mentioned earlier in 2-3 (Nong Khai?) but then they didn't but I guess they indeed met each other at kids at that province

Yai in his drunken state still making Phaya give Tharn a piggyback ride and take him to his condo

Ah, this is what the "Billy and Heng playing enemies instead of friends" was about

Didn't mean to watch the Ep 3 teaser but omg Phaya has prophetic dreams or something?

I'm really into like... Billy's physicality? I don't know how to word this, just the way he carries himself, I guess. It's very Boy and I'm envious but it's also attractive

Ep 3 (Feb 21)

Watching this in the dark on my iPad at 2am

3-1

ah how do i feel about a love triangle hmmm like theoretically it could be good idk some passive aggressiveness and jealousy amongst the suitors. also saw something about the lore behind it like heng’s character is the naga who has loved Than forever vs Phaya is some eagle guy who is Tharn’s one true love who is meant to die over and over omg??

15th day of the 11th waxing moon seems an important day, Phaya used to dream of the magical girl only on that day but now he dreams of her more often

3-2

oh lol i straight up thought they were all already in Nongkai cuz that conversation had insinuated they’d all meet at Nongkai for some reason. this makes more sense

oh did Tharn do some people wrong in his past life and they are still after him for vengeance?

lol why is Phaya so surprised about the amulet thing, he had a big hunch from last night

ah, so Tharn has bad karma from his past life and his life is intertwined with Phaya’s who will make him experience bad things but can also free him fr the bad karma

Ah, Tharn gave Phaya the amulet on the night of 15th day of 11th waxing moon and that’s when the dreams used to happen. i guess that’s why Phaya said he needs to go to where the dreams started and came to this temple on this day

the first time the childhood amulet thing came up i was like lol not this childhood friends who forgot each other again trope but this is actually such a good interpretation of it. they met at this festival where Phaya was drowning and Tharn saved him after seeing a vision, similar to how many times Tharn has seen him in a vision + has saved him from drowning whether it be himself or his last girl self. and also the amulet that started Phaya’s dreams

and it’s not like the trope of perfectly fine adult relationship that had random childhood backstory for no reason. this one is that the reason they even have this adult friendship and crush is because they met each other that time and were told they’ll meet again since their lives are intertwined ah Phaya dreamt of the naga often as a child

ah so many things happening. so the naga keeps calling Phaya to the water or is it the girl? and the naga wants to drown him under there but Tharn’s past life girl/Tharn in this life doesn’t allow it?

and these last words are so heavy lol protect each other and undo your bad karmas

3-3

this Naga said No Peace for Phaya

The Naga festival and cave and myths are so cool

3-4

what??? i was like aw at the cheek kiss but then the liplick goodnight kiss happened and i was literally like is this a dream? is it just that Phaya is drunk and so is actually kissing Tharn like he wants to?

On the one hand, who gives a fuck if a serial killer is killing rapists, let it go - so annoying if cops and the justice system can't keep rapists off the streets but can put the people behind killing rapists behind bars agh

On the other hand, killer seems to just be the mastermind and forcing other people to do their dirty work and murder is too big of a thing to force people to do so agh I suppose they should stop them

Also, is this gonna be related to the Lieutenant's death at all or are we forgetting about that one? the methods of killing are different though

Not as many comments, esp in the last 2 parts despite the episode being like over 80 mins or smth cuz I was watching on my iPad and sometimes had my phone with me to write thoughts down and sometimes didn't.

Continues to be intriguing, put out so many different threads and it feels like we got a few answers but so many more questions.

Also, I didn't realize the actress playing Sand is a trans woman but yay, employing trans people let's gooooo and in roles that aren't making a fool of them either!

Ep 4 (Feb 21)

4-1

Noooo okay fuck this killer mastermind I can't believe they made the woman who was sexually assaulted by some dude and then had her case dismissed was forced to kill him under duress

omg the stepson who was raped by his stepfather and was forced to kill him, this killer is literally forcing the victims to kill the perpetrators and it must be so horrifying to kill somebody but, like the woman said, she was glad that he was dead and wouldn't be able to harm anybody

clown mask

ah this investigation itself could be a 12-16 ep procedural kdrama, I wonder how they're gonna deal with this as a side plot in this already high-concept show

Oh yeah, I didn't recognize Surprise (from SCOY) in last ep but he's the IT kid

got food to eat lunch as they're eating dinner but it's so hard to type now

who is this fortune-telling, face-changing, snake-bracelet wearing woman?

4-2

what is going onnnnn

oh kissing??? and caressing

a dream ofc makes sense. since that ep 3 kiss was real i thought may be this was as well

was that tharn in the pic that shattered

lmfao the finger in egg + licking it off + "I like it raw" ??

and then the sausage eating ahh Tharn let Phaya suck your dick, he's going crazy

hehe Phaya caught in his broken bike excuse

Tharn's secretiveness regarding Phaya spending the night makes it seem so much more salacious than it was

oh damn, it was just 3 days ago that Meena was kidnapped and forced to kill that guy?

ah, I don't remember her name but one of the SCOY girls!

fungal spores in their lungs, not gonna lie it reminds me of To Sir With Love mushrooms lol

Ah, I did wonder if somebody in their little quintuple (+ the boss Akk) was gonna betray the team but I suppose one of them could also be behind the mastermind killer

Why'd the criminal lowkey look like Akk?

Anyway, I kinda like that in 1-1 combat, Phaya wins over Tharn but Tharn's always out here saving Phaya because he can see when he's in danger heh

Also funny because the Abbot and the mystery woman was like never let go of Tharn and that Phaya's gonna help Tharn get rid of his bad karma, meanwhile Tharn's protecting Phaya all the time. guess it'll be balanced eventually

Ah, Phaya casually talking about getting stabbed to death and how it'd be solely his fault, nothing to do with Tharn. Meanwhile, Tharn has seen Phaya in near-death experiences like 5 times in his visions and saved him so far but is haunted by the experiences

4-4

Is it Akk and he's covering for himself by saying no fingerprints? Reminds me of Beyond Evil where Park Jeongje's fingerprints appeared in the forensics results but they made it disappear hmmm

pls not Tharn being like k whatever as he's jealous about Phaya and new girl Dao vs Phaya being like lemme Intervene as he's jealous about

Phaya is so annoying omg

Oof, did Tharn tell the doctor guy (man I can't remember Heng's character's name beyond it starting with C and similar to Shortcut) about Phaya's nightmares? Or did Doctor man come to find out about it some other way (since he's also connected to them via lifetimes? Is he sending nightmares and trying to drown Phaya on purpose or anything?)

Ah, so Doctor is decidedly a troublemaker/antagonistic and not accidentally so

omg Phaya is really angry (and violent :/)

AI to construct a face under a mask and hood, be serious girl, this cannot possibly be accurate

Okay, if this last murder is being done by the killer himself to avenge his sister who was raped and committed suicide, I think we should let him play it out. arrest him afterwards lol

I hope they clarify next ep that Tharn didn't tell the doctor about the dreams because he would never do that

Next ep has 5 parts woah and is gonna be like ~80 mins of runtime, these are pretty long episodes but don't feel that long and I don't feel the need to speed it up (except I think I did 1.1x once and also wanted to skip some of the gratuitous butt shots/that dream shower scene lol though I didn't)

I was kinda avoiding watching the dream sex scene (watched it in mini on the corner of my screen lol) and so I didn't have too many thoughts except once Phaya wrapped his palm around Tharn's neck. But going through people's gifsets, I've seen a few mentions of how we know this is a manifestation of Tharn's desires, whether it be the choking kink lol or liking getting pushed around dommed and that it's fun to actually get to see his fantasy like that. honestly a FAVE aspect when I think about it that way like aw his desire to be manhandled

Ep 5 (Feb 21)

I'm hungry and want to get dinner but am afraid that there'll be too much genetelia talk and will lose my appetite... maybe I'll gauge how gross it's gonna be first

Also, accidentally thought Ep 5 aired on Dec 24 and so ended up looking at tumblr posts made on Dec 23 (actual date it came out) and so was spoiled that the forensic guy was scheming with the murderer guy for this serial killing

5-1

oof shoulder check

okay I lied, I got too hungry and got dinner but am now gonna be unable to type for at least part 1 probably cuz food hands

okay I'm done eating and gotta say that hmmm too violent

Phaya is just too physically violent in his anger, especially the fact that he deliberately punched the wall beside Tharn's head and also accidentally backhanded him but didn't apologize. like I know we're meant to catch the range of emotions in his face, including guilt and apology for accidentally hitting but he purposefully doesn't apologize and yeah, nope

oh this fucker, why can't they just use this rapist as bait to catch the killer, why does he need to be protected. innocent man my ass

hm, the smaller black van is gonna get crashed into by a big white truck and the killer is seen with the van... is the rapist guy gonna be in the van when it crashes?

yess tomato tomato!

5-2

Man, they really had to have these killers force other people to do the first 3 murders in order to gain the audience support to stop the killer because like... what even is the reason for stopping them? If the cops and judicial system are gonna be useless, I think the little team should def kill this man as he's the reason their younger sister or gf is dead. should've teamed up to kill those other fuckers too tbh instead of involving the victims

let's kill him quickly (and painfully) before the cops come to stop you!

"I promise you that I will not let you die so easily" I get your need for torture but there are cops hunting you right now so hm

nah, not the amulet!

oh? is this guy naga too? the water magic thing?? also I think I saw a gif of Phaya fighting the killer and he had firey wrapped-up palms?

5-3

omg? Tharn taking the knife for Phaya and then somehow having red magic that defeats the blue man killer?

and he got a trinket? did Tharn get it from inside the killer? Was the killer wearing it?

oh hohoho Phaya saying he'll do everything Tharn says is really doing it for me

"The laws you worship and look up to can never keep those bastards behind bars for long" tell 'em. need these fuckass cops to be brought down a peg and get a sense of reality

rolled my eyes at Phaya's "There's the justice you're looking for. It might show up late but it will always come in the end." you cannot be this naive

that video the sister before she died was so fucked man i'm so sad now

stupid ass pep-talk from Captain Akk or whatever "I don't want a loser on my team" okay kys

enough copaganda, let's go back to the fantasy and romance and stuff because this story arc was so sad

Ah, so the car crash vision hasn't manifested yet

Or is that related to his parents death??

5-4

Ah, wearing the amulet again

pls Phaya prepping to make his moves

plssss both of them in their little fantasies

"I want to do just as you did to me" What? You wanna blow him? I acc have no clue why I'm so on the Phaya giving Tharn a blowjob train

not even little fantasies, incredibly long fantasies for both of them like okay Enough

but so funny like okay at least the first fantasy was Tharn dreaming but then he was getting off on that dream again the next morning in the kitchen while cooking and now here's Phaya with his fantasy while awake and mid-conversation

and also hilarious that Tharn's fantasy was like hand around neck + shower while Phaya's is... Tharn blowing on his wound like 40 times lol

Phaya's foiled plans

Oh, that's the gif I saw. Bandaged hands + black smokey magic from Phaya while grabbing Doctor by the shoulder??

lol Phaya speaking to Doctor as if he has any right to control who hangs around Tharn and to what degree. you forget yourself

"Until your time in done" ???

Ohh Phaya burned? Doctor's shoulder omg

not the sponge bath lmfao

lkasdfj the quick 123

Ah, Phaya being the bolster tonight

Phaya's taking advantage of sleeping Tharn fr but lol sure. I wonder if Tharn's also kinda awake lol

Phaya's dream: Freen magic woman -> Tharn and behind Phaya, very big eagle man (which is supposed to be him I guess?)

What happened this ep? Most of the beginning was focused on catching the killer, then the fantasy & staying over at Tharn's place, then being cute toward grandma. But stuff that happened in the middle: the killer can't remember what happened in the cellar but he def had magic (blue) and so did Tharn (red) - which he used to defeat the killer, Doctor and Phaya face-off where Phaya had black? coloured magic which burned Doctor - I wonder how much doctor knows? about the myth/past life stuff, the temple man (Luangpur?) told Tharn that Doctor and Phaya shouldn't meet. Then finally, the dream where we get Freen magic lady, kinda confirmation that she's indeed Tharn (this life), and also a visual of that tall eagle man. Also, from gifs, I realized that the amulet or whatever Tharn used to defeat the killer was his own, he tore it from his neck

Ep 6 (Feb 22)

6-1

I love the eagle fr I'm obsessed w the beautiful Naga from ep 1 too

ahhh lesbians !!!!!!!!!! hehehehehe

I don't care that much about this side couple and their backstory, let's hurry it up

lmfaooo okay funny but I would've murdered someone if all my papers went into the water like that

SCOY mention

huh?? Tharn dated someone and they died?

5-2

Why did Dao's actor become worse at acting? :( I think the script here is just bad because why would a character just recite these things? and they made her cross some lines with her "advice" about Phaya like you guys may be close but you can't say that you think he should quit his work lol

the triangulations lmfao I'm glad that even though Dao seems to care for Phaya a lot, she doesn't necessarily like him like that?

heh Nee coming to sus out if Phaya and Dao were ever a thing

and Phaya clocking that Nee and Dao are into each other lol

I like their little sibling relationship full of teasing but also Nee trying to guide Phaya into grandma's good graces

Dang, what's this painting the man thought was sold at the gallery about?

Okay, in this universe, it's just like ours where the stories of Naga and Garuda are thought to be myths/legends. I kept getting confused how much regular people believed because everybody seemed to believe whatever the monk said but that involved a lot of fantastical aspects + the Naga festival, so I wasn't sure what people in general believed (not just what Phaya and Tharn who are like reincarnations or smth of magical creatures believe lol)

6-3

pls let Tharn and Phaya have scenes together this section

oh man Phaya’s tendency to just do instead of speak and also drag Tharn around is kinda… agh

dang Doctor straight up said he’d seerate the two of them even if it means Tharn dies

oof punch but can’t quite blame Tharn

6-4

art something or other, who is this suspicious guy?

Was too sleepy to write anything for 6-4 but I have half-baked thoughts about the punch ig. On some YT comments and tiktok comments, I saw people annoyed at Tharn for not believing Phaya and people were calling him too stubborn and naive. I do think he should've taken Phaya's warnings/dreams more seriously cuz like girl, you're always seeing visions of him in danger so it can't be that much of a stretch to think he dreams of you in danger c'mon. But I also think Phaya is kinda too vague and doesn't explain properly like he can't just expect to burst in and physically drag Tharn away from Doctor who he has known for years and years and trusts; in contrast, Phaya and Doctor fought and Phaya even physically pushed him or whatever. So I get Tharn being like wtf... and also Phaya being desperate.

I hope they make up next ep (properly. through conversation and honesty and understanding) so that we can get them together again though bc we barely had them together this ep and unfortunately unlike Pit Babe ep 11 where the other characters were able to carry the ep w/o much Babe or Charlie, I don't care as much about the characters here.

Ep 7 (Feb 22)

7-1

As a mix of Death's Game murder artist + last ep's ending where Tharn saw someone (I'm assuming this guy) in a room maybe killing someone with red everything, I thought this guy (Art?) was gonna kill his (ex?)-lover. I still think that's the case cuz of the ending with all the red paint probably hiding the blood but lol at first, I literally thought the guy was asking to be killed and used to Art's painting lmfao but nah he wasn't that devoted, mans was getting married to someone else anyway

Anyway, cool idea, will be cooler once we realize he killed him

7-2

My biggest rip is that Wi can actually act while Dao's actress cannot, so I wish the actresses were switched or Nee's love interest was Wi

hm, so the VIP is the Minister Montree and we didn't get any visions or anything but Inspector Akk kinda makes me think he's behind Lieutenant Tam's death and I wonder if Tharn thinks he's behind his parents' death or at least the coverup. I also just realized is this the guy they were saying has ties to drug stuff that Lieutenant Tam was investigating and the rapist from last ep is tied with him too but they can't interrogate the rapist about him?

lol they talked about this after I wrote allthat

hmm Art said "That's too evill" before maybe puncturing the guy with a pen... so did that man himself suggest it?

I wish the camerawork focused on the art and dance better since it went on for so long

7-3

"To me, a guy named Kao, is already dead" oh man

Why is Phaya as a guest restraining the woman when there are so many cops who came to volunteer or whatever lmfao

Anyway, I thought they were gonna maybe pretend this was also part of the exhibition before he accidentally cut her (with the same pen that killed Kao? and was maybe gonna stab Montree with?)

Is Doctor doing some sort of dark influence/magic on Art? and the way he's physically touching Art on his thigh and then his chest over his heart and then hugging him... no.

okay atp Tharn Has to be kinda suspicious of Doctor knowing about Phaya's dreams/conditions and why he's using it against Phaya (and publicly too) and idk the way he's undermining Phaya like that... is he trying to make other people think of him as hysterical? As if he'd have an outburst similar to Art? but then Phaya almost becomes violent - strengthening Doctor's position...

ah yes, just casual handing over patient records to the cops <3 esp because Art isn't like... actually in jail or anything, idek what they're holding him based on. just cuz of a public outburst and possibly suspicion of maybe a reason behind Kao being missing? like c'mon cops are so fucking shit

bruh why are these cops just saying anything and everything about the case in front of the doctor? dumbasses

7-4

Tharn can see into a painting like this?

The Art and Kao hallucination (?) is so eerie, everything about this is so eerie, I really like it

omg so Kao was really selling the art and betraying Art

I love love love the spliced scene from that night and the same scene in a white room as Tharn and Phaya watch it (I'm assuming Art is recounting it?)

crazy ass pen to be able to rip somebody's throat open and kill them just like that

Oh, so they don't think Art has something to do with Kao's disappearance... but does that man disappearance of Kao the alive man (maybe he ran away abroad with Montree lol and that's how Montree had known to whisper to Art about it being the pen that hurt Kao) or his dead body?

okay at least the pen didn't kill Kao the way they were insinuating lmao I was like tf kinda pen

7-5

I actually cannot, Phaya and Doctor must be Stopped

oh confession ahhhhhh <333

lmfao I'm watching the shower scene in mini on the side lol too much for me

It Continues like okay Enough i'm like watching in mini with 1 eye only enough enough enough i'm so embarassed/shy I think after barely watching anything for so long and then only recently starting watching shows again that have NC scenes (kinda Law of Attention, Pit Babe, and now this) means that I've lost a lot of the tolerance I've built up against it lmfao

Ep 8 (Feb 22)

5 episodes left and they're each fairly short compared to some other ones (each is less than an hour I think?) so I hope they have proper time to wrap everything up in a satisfying way, esp with all the fantasy going on

8-1

omg? The book flipping to Doctor's face to make it seem like he's watching it all was creepy enough last ep but now he tried to kill Phaya via magic dream?? and only stopped because the monk woke Tharn up

I hope Tharn starts actually thinking about the Doctor critically now

They're so cute, I'm glad we can have cute Phaya and Tharn back for a bit because they were really upset with each other for the past 2 eps (and then resulting sex scene but that's still not cuteness yknow)

8-2

Having Phaya promise to not leave... sad if he does end up getting hurt/leaving/whatever and ironic if it's Tharn instead

Wait I'm so confused? Was the Doctor somehow shrouding Tharn and that's why Phaya couldn't see him?

omg even making Phaya see an illusion of Tharn, then once Phaya gets in the water, taking control of him

8-3

oh we finally get to see the past

Also this other world reminds me of Midnight Museum a bit

hm Tharn plays the past "sister" Wansa? I'd expected Freen... but maybe they don't wanna have to have Billy and Freen in such romantic situations etc

I'm South Asian but not Indian or Hindu, so it's very interesting to see these costumes/myths which are vaguely familiar but I'm not fully aware of because idk much about Hindu concepts beyond like the most well-known gods and festivals

ngl I'm slightly confused still but sure

The amlet is Wansarut's original SOUL? damn girl

ENOUGH of calling Wansarut her nong sao/younger sister. Tharn isn't a girl in this life at least, so say nong if you must why are you saying your sister and Phaya are in love when Tharn's now your brother agh

Bad CGI but I forgive because all the Thai show CGI has looked like this I think?

8-4

Kao died in the waters... I wonder if Doctor had something to do with it with his evil water magic since he knew Art and stuff and used Art as a way to get into the investigation...

oh never mind, killed somewhere else and dumped here

why not at least say Yai follow that man with me!

ohhhh that car crash vision was actually a flashback of him and his parents

ah, the scene with Tharn screaming while holding Phaya's still body

I commented about the gender thing like why are we doing Tharn as a girl bc it was kinda... why are we actually just pretending the character who is seemingly the bottom [I mean they're vers to Me but idk about canon lol] and sexually submissive is the girl fr instead of having an actual woman play Wansarut but then I saw a post that said that actually she takes on a female form under water but took on a male form above ground and yay gender fuckery and i'm like okay nice sure, I love gender fuckery.

I wish we got... slightly more time and a more coherent story that Showed the past life story better. I think this show is good with broad themes and parallels and characterization but kinda struggles sometimes with specific moments/scenes, which can make it kinda confusing or unsatisfying - this scene of the past life kinda feels like that to me.

Ep 9 (Feb 23)

9-1

yep Tharn is def gonna be like fuckkk ppl whom I love with die because I love them (and i mean in this case Doctor is making that true) and probably gonna withdraw and breakup after Phaya wakes up

since that Eye Contact moment with Montree’s bodyguard in ep 7? or whatever art gallery, it’s been clear this guy is suspicious and behind some stuff

Montree got Tharn parents killed and wants to kill him now

9-2

Okay so at least Inspector Akk seems to be on the hood side and also knows way more about the case like Korn (the bodyguard?) was behind this

who is Akk talking to?

The disparity between Ning and Dao’s actinng skills is just too much, why didn’t they make Dao be played by Wi the art gallery woman or Marys the forensic officer who are both better at acting ahhh

9-3

huh? why doesn’t Phaya have the Naga amulet? it came off in the water or something?

this is just silly what is even happening

wtf Chart? is that even a fr tattoo? Montree got someone else to get the tattoo/join the gang to throw ppl off his own trail or what

9-4

hopefully a real break from the cop stuff even though ig Tharn’s gonna investigate on his own

I wish Phaya would explain more to Tharn rather than being so cryptic

plssss man snuck out of her hospital to not only meet his past life love but also to have sex despite nearly dying for a few days

aw I wish this NC scene was longer, I’m kinda better at hanging these soft and loving sex scenes more than the crazy shot Horny desperate ones I think?

Also, Phaya kissing down from Tharn's chest and staying kinda on stomach in a similar fashion to how Tharn did it to Phaya during the shower sex scene... I'm gonna take it to allude to Phaya finally sucking Tharn's dick, I've waited for this moment for multiple episodes

Ep 10 (Feb 23)

10-1

Okay, discussion, good! And Phaya didn't tell Tharn about the Doctor but that's because the Abbott told him not to, so it's okay IMO

And it's a cute scene with the cuddling and just so domestic with how casual it is

Phaya was so desperate to make sure Tharn was okay (and also thirsty for that dick...) that he forgot to bring his phone or inform his grandmother and sister like omg

10-2

Phaya is so cute puppy as he's apologizing

Yai shut uppppp the music and vibes makes it seem like Grandma's gonna be okay but what if she wasn't and you outed them D:

pls the Grandma being like "Give me a second" before asking Phaya what the important thing he wants to say is aklsdfj so funny

Awww so supportive and cute T-T

Khem suspecting Inspector Akk of being in cahoots with Montree

SCOY and Gap mention

10-3

dang, is someone in the unit gonna betray them again? We already had Wit or whoever

ah, Tharn overhearing Phaya and the abbott about Doctor... Can I hope he won't do anything stupid lol

lmfao the grandmas complaining, so true

Tharn wants to quit his job after solving his father's case and just stay with his grandma? girl I wish I was rich omg

10-4

agh, Korn and Khom are same person then right? Cuz they're not consistent in naming

oof, Ning dead

lmfao I saw a post w the pic of the "A tiger-man is not real" line by Phaya with caption whatever you say bird-man like so true

everything converging in Nongkai i suppose

Ep 11 (Feb 23)

One episode until hopefully tomorrow morning it's ep 12? Cuz then it's perfect timing. Otherwise, it'll suck lol

11-1

Is the tiger-man and the person died related to this Montree drug ring

Is the instructor knowing about the visions gonna backfire or anything?

So many times people just overhear things lol like Ep 4 Phaya overhearing Tharn and Yai talking about the visions, Ep 10 Tharn hearing Phaya and Abbott talking about Doctor and stuff, and now Khem overhearing Phaya and Tharn discuss his footprints lol

No I get Tharn cuz it's like why does my lover claim to be so jealous of this guy who I've known for years and trust? To Tharn, it feels like Phaya doesn't trust Tharn

oh oops, he doesn't believe Phaya even he's told directly anyway, which I feel like is theoretically understandable like wtf are you even saying Phaya but if you believe the rest of it with past lives and naga and garud, then this is like yeah sure i suppose that makes sense lol + I thought he overheard Phaya and Abbott but no I guess??

ooh cool shot about the grandma to the flashback

omg ?? Doctor in child Tharn's room talking about how they'll be together when the times comes um ??

10-2

Oh, I just realized that the man who Inspector Akk was speaking with was actually probably Chart. like he's there to infiltrate and give info to Akk (and that's also why he hasn't resigned as a cop maybe)

sorry everytime Phaya's exasperated about the Tiger Man, I want him to be more real. like girl you believe you are a Garud reincarnated who is in love with Naga princess reincarnation and have been lovers in the past lifetime(s) and also that a current Doctor is actually a Naga like right now in his own current lifetime. your boyfriend has visions and you have dreams.

10-4

Dang, the cliff falling and surviving should’ve been more exciting I feel like? kinda feels like History 3: Trapped when Tang Yi and Shaofei got out of the forest out of screen lol

ah im really into the last scene bc it’s once again giving vers switch framing with the way that Tharn’s palm is not Phaya’s neck this time + That is sitting slightly taller than Phaya who has to look up at him

I feel like even with a 15 min longer ep they could’ve made part 4 more emotionally charged on-screen idk i might be nitpicking also, so funny cuz I thought Ep 12 was gonna be airing at 11am or so but then I finish watching this ep at like 9:04 or smth and see The Sign ep 12 live premiere schedule recommended on my YT feed and part 1 is airing right now cuz apparently the ep is releasing at 9 ig

Ep 12 (Feb 24)

Accidentally read a couple words of BLupdate's tweet for the ep and apparently Doctor sacrifices his soul? interesting ig

12-1

Doesn't trust anybody but does trust Chart lol

Okay but atp someone (else) from their unit Has to betray them right? Like Inspector Akk has mentioned it so many times

extremely hilarious to have Phaya who was limping around moments ago and Tharn go in guns blazing in casual clothes while all the other cops are in full gear and bulletproof vests etc

Do any of these gunshots from either side injure/kill anybody at all lmfao

oh finally some ppl (villainous) just drop dead from the shots lol

12-2

agh, Yai and Sand are honestly so cute >.<

So funny for Phaya to be talking about protecting Tharn like yes agree but throughout the show, Tharn has definitely protected you much more lol

Ah, I'm noticing the lighting choices after reading posts about it like the bokeh effect for Phaya and the concentrated warm colours for Tharn

Okay, I can watch this subdued and softer version of sex scene more than the desperate/erratic first one

okay lol ended up skipping last minute or so though heh

10-3

omg gorgeous, beautiful shots and directing and acting for Phaya finding Tharn gone and the whole desperate sequence with the grandma, Yai, the Abbott etc

Ah, Phaya saying that even if hadn't remembered their past lives and past loves, he still would have loved Tharn in this current life, exactlyyyyy that's what I wanna hear

The endless number of times (well, 3) Tharn runs in front of Phaya to protect him

12-4

noo he was taken to the Naga cave and is gonna recover, trust. maybe the Doctor is gonna sacrifice his soul or something to save him, who knows heh

From the flashbacks here and in part 3, I do miss the earlier days when we knew there was Lore but didn't know it yet and they were just cute and such. I very often feel this with paranormal fantasies where the earlier parts of knowing there's something happening but not yet knowing and slowly discovering is my favourite part - when things are simple, yet intriguing

wait I have a question, did Khem die or what? like is he just in the hospital?

Also, Billy in this hospital room looks a bit like Saint?

omg I was like who is that with the long hair but it's Phaya, I guess it has been many months

ah, I was wondering if it'll be 15th days of 11th waxing moon again for Tharn to come home and yeah, guess it's been a whole year fr

man, I wish the meeting again had a bit more fanfare because the despair was done so well, c'mon

Ah, so Doctor didn't die, just gave Tharn his Naga soul to keep him alive but I guess that doesn't kill the Doctor, idk. and he's letting them love each other now

Aw cute but again, anti-climactic and not enough relief, not enough time, not enough emotional impact. I wish they had maybe shown some of Tharn's time there (though that might've taken a bit away from Phaya's desperate situation? idk)

Update: lol I didn't realize there was a little after-credits scene with Saint cameo and season 2 bait

no fr what is that ending, Tharn stayed with Doctor for a year on purpose? and Doctor decided to just get over it? And so Tharn appears all casually over the hill a year later? Seriously needed a stronger ending.

Overall:

I think I liked the first few eps and the potential of the series and the possibilities more than I liked the actual series oof. Since everybody freaking loved this, I also had high expectations.

I just went through the gifs I'd reblogged (I reblogged A Lot cuz I thought I'd end up liking the show more than I ended up liking. went and deleted a bunch bc I was like why did I even reblog this one, what's the point) and I really did like more of the show's gifs from the earlier eps (whereas I enjoyed the analysis and stuff more in the later eps). Don't even feel like reblogging any ep 11 or 12 stuff now though, except maybe the checking under bed sequence. It was also just clear from how invested I was in an episode while watching because in the earlier eps, I was paying more attention and watched an ep in one sitting whereas in the latter half, I would pause in the middle of a section to go on my phone or even just stop watching the ep after a section, do stuff and then come back to finish.

I thought there would be more focus on the romance and fantasy and past lives aspect and less on the cop activity. Like there was no need to spend That much time on the rapist killer case nor Art and Kao's case, we could've spent that time on something like following up on what Lieutenant Tam had learned and the drug case/Tharn's father's case more directly along with more of the actual past lives and fantasy and such. In fact, we got so little about their past lives, I thought there were 4 cycles or something?

I don't know man, I feel like they didn't choose the correct things to show on screen? This sucks because they clearly put in So Much Effort and tried so many new things for BL, so I wish I had loved it more and was more attached.

I think most of the fight scenes and stuff were confusing and not choreographed very well and some interactions/moments/explanations needed to like have more time dedicated to them. However, some moments were just shot/directed so beautifully like ep 11 when grandma is going through the flashbacks of seeing Doctor with Tharn as a child and uni student etc from that single room and ep 12-3 when Phaya wakes up to find Tharn gone, looks under the bed, and the whole sequence after that. (Unfortunate that the reunion scene was so meh).

So many parallels and gifsets of parallels, I keep having to remember my parallels tag is for across different shows while compilation in the tag for same show. I enjoy the parallels and the thought put behind them. It also shows like the cyclical nature of Phaya and Tharn's lives, and it would've been even more impactful if we saw more of their past lives (the original one or the 2 that occurred in the middle apparently).

Highly doubt I'm gonna think of the characters again, I somehow stopped being attached to them about halfway through. Really wanted to give it at least a 7 for trying so many things but don't think it earned it sadly. They tried so many things, as shown in the list of tropes below, but I don't think they satisfyingly merged them or chose the correct things to focus on on-screen.

Running list of tropes: A mix of romance and fantasy lol

Monsters and Cryptids: Sea Monster (naga?), the woman Freen is playing, that tree dude (whatever happened to him? Was that Doctor or something?). Update: the monsters/dieties are the main characters themselves

Police training/cop academy

Murder mystery + a Serial Killer murder mystery + drug ring bust

Tharn seeing the future/people in danger (specifically often seeing Phaya in danger)

Past lives/reincarcation/soulmates

The person Tharn loves will die

Childhood friends (who Tharn gave the locket to). Update: just a fated childhood meeting more like

Does Spin The Bottle count lmao

Love triangle

Lesbians, let's go

Rating: 6/10 [May 12, 2024 Update: Decreased by 0.5 stars when rerating shows I’ve watched in 2024: 6.5 -> 6]

#ep by ep commentary #the sign

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