#sandray story

[firstyok]

The "505" Significance in "Only Friends"

During the process of Q2, Khaotung posted a section of lyrics of 505 - a legendary song by Arctic Monkeys. Now, since it was Khaotung who posted this, and as we know Sand is a huge fan of Arctic Monkeys from his wall posters, it is factually safe to assume this song is a part of the SandRay story, and I have enough of proof for that! If you don't know about Sand's obsession with AM, refer to this post by @catbiodolor

505 is a song of heart break, one-sided or unrequited love, portrayed with raw emotions and a compelling lyrical melody. Now, before you all freak out; It also refers to a person who is so in love with another, but the other one remains aloof and distant, not wanting to settle with the other.

We clearly know that this perfectly matches up with what we've seen in the Only Friends Trailer. Sand is the one who wants an exclusive relationship with Ray, but Ray doesn't want to settle with Sand, because he has a crush on Mew. Symbolically, we can assume that Sand is the protagonist, who is singing the song 505 ( again, he the actual musician in the show ) and he is talking about Ray, through the Song. Basically, the song is from Sand's perspective when he expresses his love and thoughts on Ray.

The Lyrical Significance

The song begins with this forever iconic line,

"I'm going back to 505

If it's a seven hour flight or a forty-five minute drive

In my imagination, you're waitin' lyin' on your side

With your hands between your thighs"

Sand is literally longing for Ray. He emphasizes that he is willing to go long lengths and miles and miles ( metaphorically in distance and in efforts ) for pursuing Ray.  505 is a Hotel Room number in the song. It could also mean that SandRay may have had a moment in a particular hotel room or a place, and he desperately keeps going back there, in hopes that Ray will be there, just the same as he was with him the last time.

Khaotung had specifically posted his part of the lyrics;

"Stop and wait a sec

When you look at me like that, my darlin', what did you expect?

I'd probably still adore you with your hands around my neck

Or I did last time I checked"

Sand is hopelessly falling for Ray, especially that's what the lyrics mean. Maybe it is about his stares or his hands around his neck, Sand knows he will take Ray back anytime, if he ever wants to be with him. The line, "I'd probably still adore" signifies that it has been quite a while since Ray broke his heart, but Sand still has a little hope in the corner of his, that Ray may give in to him one day.

The Climax of the song hits like Sand is screaming, releasing his frustration from heartbreak;

"But I crumble completely when you cry

It seems like once again you've had to greet me with goodbye

I'm always just about to go and spoil the surprise

Take my hands off of your eyes too soon"

The last part of the song is the most intense. Here, it seems like Sand admits that Ray is his biggest weakness. He keeps pursuing him with several ways and efforts, but at the end, Ray always sends him back with a goodbye. This makes Sand impatient and way more desperate and fucked up.

End Notes

Apart from the juicy stuff and fun social times, SandRay story is going to be sorta angsty, atleast initially. But as the story proceeds, I have faith, things will gradually come to place piece by piece, I mean c'mon we believe in P'Jojo, after all. Sand just have to suffer a little bit, rip us. Ray, please have some mercy on our Sand baby, and don't hurt him too much, okay?

That's all for my 505 and Only Friends TedTalk! Bye Bye!

[khaoala]

the holy trinity™

[firelise]

Only Friends (2023) Ep 8 // Ep 9 Parallels

[thewayuarent]

The main conflict of Sand and Ray

In my previous post about SandRay dynamic I was talking about Ray’s addiction and how it could influence their relationship. But this conflict is based on external factors - Ray's addiction, as the Sand’s savior syndrome are their important characteristics, but not so much the basis of their personalities as a consequence.

Third episode gave me an understanding of some key traits of their characters, which are the basis of their main, internal conflict. What I mean by that is they’ll have a lot of fights caused by some reason or another (addiction - possibly, Mew thing - definitely yes, financial status - maybe, whatever else I don’t know probably everything, this show is a mess) but all these fights are going to happen because they have completely different view on life.

Ray is living in the moment where tomorrow may never happen. In ep1 Sand make that comment

and personally, I’m not sure of Ray knows himself. He doesn’t think ahead. Moreover, he is prone to avoidance - his drinking in a way helps him not to think about what’s happening in his life. He actively seeks ways to not thinking.

So he finds Sand. I mean, of course he likes Sand, but what’s more important, he can turn all of his time and energy on that guy he knows for a couple of weeks or something. One night together and Ray immediately imprints on him like a baby duck? Sure, why not. They both agreed that will be one time thing? But it was good, they both want more, complexities what,

Sand, on the other hand, is basically opposite. He always thinks ahead. He gives up to the moments in ep 2, but he’s concerned about it immediately. He analyzes everything - Ray’s behavior and his problematic tendencies, his own reaction, their relationship - and I can guess comes to some disappointing conclusions.

He knows Ray is a problem. He knows relationship with Ray will be a problem. I find it very interesting to compare these two lines:

Ray is almost in self-defense mode he’s basically like “Oh no I gave mixed signals so this guy may think I’m into him but I’m so obviously not” (yes you are)

Where Sand is saying “I know you are problematic and I don’t need that in my life” (with those eyes yep I believe you)

So he resists. He reminds them both about their status as friends in (almost)every dialogue they have in this episode.

Except for this one. My boy, you are flirting hard, is there something with the air or what?

So he knows things can go off the rails very easy very fast. But he gives in to Ray - not once, but twice. Because while he can understand what’s bad for him, he’s still prone to it. Letting everything go and living in a moment is very attractive idea and I can get Sand easily here.

The problem is, he just can’t afford it. Sand is in a constant survival mode. He have several jobs, he does illegal stuff for money and he has no option but to think through every aspect of his life. He can’t just control some parts of it and let go on others, he needs clear vision of his future.

So yes, the financial aspect plays a big part in who they are. Ray is rich rich and therefore he has no need to think about tomorrow. He is safe. He doesn’t need to think about job, or count expenses, or worry about future. Sand does.

Offtop but I really love the little details about their financial statuses. Sand never eats in university cause money. Ray can start a hotel business after one phone call. And my favorite is the cigarette thing. As a smoker I know NOTHING in the world makes me put on a whole cigarette. Not even a hot guy. Apocalypse can wait while I finish it. So yeah this shot was my moment of realization that Ray is very rich I’m not joking.

So what do I think gonna happen next? Ray will continue to push through, Sand will continue to give up (resisting in a process and tho giving quite mixed signals). Eventually they’ll come to a moment when Ray’s inability to think ahead will hurt Sand. And Sand will probably hurt Ray back. And the rest is history (I honestly don’t know what’ll happen this show is a mess).

And of course their relationship is not only about conflict, I find them very depressing but still very promising. There are a lot of great interactions going here but that’s probably a theme for another post.

[these-emo-thoughts]

Forget threesomes, I want a foursome with TopMew and SandRay 🤷‍♀️

[thatgirl4815]

*Just a disclaimer but I don’t wanna start any squabbles with this; I’m genuinely curious what thoughts are after that first ep

[frostluvrs]

i feel like some of your are genuinely lying to yourselves to make yourselves feel better about being wrong about what you thought the show was going to be with some of the clearly false things some of you are saying about it. nothing wrong with expecting something different or wanting something different but the way some of you are wording it ……

[annurb]

Prompt

Ray doing something stupid or childish to make Sand go to him, get his attention. Nothing too bad, maybe getting a little drunk and calling Sand to pick him up so he doesn't drive. But the thing is, Sand ends up in an bad accident going to Ray, who thinks Sand is mad at him. And that makes Ray feel guilty and stop his silly games and actually be there for Sand.

[if-i-was-a-cucumber]

my love for mew | only friends

to be absolutely frank, i was super hesitant to make this post because i’m a bit shy to make only friends (2023) content.

this is mostly because of its explicit nature? everyone on the planet has known that this is the Sexy Show™ (at least everyone in the bl community) and i’m very squeamish with that sort of thing. i’ve only been tentatively watching the show because i know it’s definitely going to be a mark on the community, just because of how popular it already is, but as a somewhat sex-repulsed asexual i sort of only started watching it because i knew it was making some sort of history, even if as just a small blip.

but omg i was wrong. on so many levels. and maybe i’ll make a post about the other levels someday, but for this one i want to talk about how wrong i was about specifically MEW.

1. mew as a character - my first impressions

six main characters in only friends, right? top, mew, sand, ray, boston, nick. basically everyone in this show has a “thing” about their except for mew. top is a sort-of asshole who sleeps around; boston is an even bigger asshole (like HUGE) who sleeps around even more, except he’s less rich; nick is kinda cute in personality but is actually a bit deranged; ray is needy and spoiled but everyone lets him get away with it; sand is responsible and tired of everyone’s bullshit, even his love interest to an extent.

but mew? since the beginning, all we ever got was “virgin.” he’s innocent, sexually pure. that really didn’t do it for me — meaning it didn’t intrigue me. i was fully prepared to go in and come out of this show with mew as my least favorite character, not because he was bad or evil or anything, but because he was boring. the worst crime you can commit in media is to be boring.

even his relationship with top, as the episodes progressed, was very bland. yes top was a cheater, but that didn’t quite affect mew’s characterization, other than that it reiterated that he was a little naïve in this field. great, more virgin mew. i just really wasn’t into this little perfect smart boy who’s never had sex before and is so sweet and innocent and kind to everyone that even his friend ray is in love with him.

there was a small beam of hope, though, in the episode 2 date with top. i liked his agency, i liked how he wasn’t so drawn in by top. and i especially liked the following line:

as quick as that hope came, though, it faded. that’s not what this post is about though, and i’ll get to it in a sec. for now:

2. book kasidet as an actor - my previous biases

before anyone says anything, this is not meant to be slander against book. the whole next section is talking about book specifically in the context of the characters he’s acted as before, not about him as a person. he is a great actor who portrays all of his characters exactly as they are. this is not really about him — the only real reason i’m bringing him into this is because he’s mew’s actor.

book’s only other main roles in a series have been as théo in enchanté (2022) and cher/laem in a boss and a babe (2023). which is amazing, considering how recently he debuted, but i digress. the point is, at least in the thai bl industry where i can probably recognize 80% of the actors in any given bl, who the actor is and especially who they have played in the past is really important to me when i watch a series.

forcebook has never quite been my cup of tea, in the least offensive way possible. i dropped enchanté on its first episode (because the plot annoyed me) and a boss and a babe on its second (i couldn’t get over the workplace unprofessionalism). i’ve never been super involved in the forcebook fandom, either. not to mention a part of force’s appeal is his physical sexiness and as an ace person, that really doesn’t appeal to me. what i’m trying to say is that i had no initiative nor care for either force or book as actors and had no previous attachment to them that would draw me to love their characters.

an example of this actor-bias working positively are a couple who are in this series: first and khaotung. the eclipse (2022) was one of my first ever bls and i absolutely adored it from start to finish. i rewatched it twice and have since gone through reoccurring phases of firstkhaotung obsession. and in only friends, sand and ray (played by firstkhaotung) are my favorite couple.

i won’t say this is strictly because first and khaotung portray them, because that’s not at all fair to how sand and ray are as their own individual characters and how much i love them as well. but i can’t say it doesn’t contribute.

an example of this actor-bias working extremely negatively was pond naravit from fish upon the sky (2021). i don’t know if i’ve mentioned it on this blog before or not but i have a very hate-love relationship with that series. for one, the approval of disgusting fan behavior icks me to no end and i can’t help but scream at mork in every scene of the later episodes; for two, mork’s disavowal of every one of pi’s rejections sends me to non-con city, without my consent. (and yes the above picture was taken out of context but mork deserves it.)

but on the other hand, for some god damned reason, i’ve rewatched the entire series not twice, but three times. but i’m digressing again. the point is that for a very long time, i refused to watch never let me go (2022) just because pond naravit was in it, and at the time, i thought i despised him because of how mork acted in fish upon the sky. of course i gave it a try and watched a pondphuwin interview or two and now i love him just as much as the next fan, but the actor-bias theory is real.

so, back to the original topic, a part of my initial dislike for mew was not only that his character was boring, but that i didn’t care enough for book kasidet as an actor or forcebook as a couple to carry me through that dislike. i really wanted mew to have personality, to have something special that differentiated him from a slab of cardboard, even if it was a negative trait.

3. the moment it all changed - only friends episode 6

the real meat of this post. the reason i’m posting any of this in the first place. it’s because i wanted to share the moment everything about my perceptions of mew as a character changed.

for a while i’d been thinking of mew as maybe a little more than the cardboard he appeared to be. he had some sense of agency, he wasn’t completely dependent on top, even if he did fall in love so soon. even if their romance had zero chemistry, at least mew was taking things on his own terms. i even supported him punching ray, at least in the context of creating character for mew, because that was something interesting that surprised me.

what really surprised me was THE SCENE. you all know what i’m talking about.

after mew’s birthday, after ray made a mess out of the whole thing and turned mew’s special day into a shitshow, after mew decided it’s okay and let’s spend sweet sexy time with my boyfriend, he pulls THIS:

AND WITH THAT SMIRK, HE PLAYS BOSTON AND TOP’S SEX TAPE RIGHT THEN AND THERE. I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW HARD I GASPED.

and then there was more.

their ENTIRE RELATIONSHIP DYNAMIC has changed. they’ve been building up the whole past 6 episodes of mew trying to be in charge but top always getting what he wants in the end, like with mew trying to take things slow but eventually he does sleep with top. mew having his own reservations about LASIK but top eventually convincing him to get it, making him physically vulnerable to top for an entire evening.

no matter how much agency mew is trying to garner himself, top always, ironically enough, ends up on top.

but here? right here? there’s no question about it. this whole evening, mew achieves the control he’s been trying to find throughout this entire relationship, and it comes in the form of his boyfriend fucking his best friend. you KNOW top has lost control because we’ve never seen him look so blank and powerless, have we?

but it gets better.

because mew wasn’t only in charge once he started playing the sex tape. he’s been affecting the mood of the scene since the beginning.

he hugs top when he enters the room and gives him a false sense of security. he even brings up ray. he lit that candle in the back just a moment ago. he’s literally and figuratively setting the tone for everything.

“when we fuck someone like boston, it’s hard to stop fucking them. don’t you think?”

top tries to isolate mew from ray again. he takes every chance he can get to insult him. and mew lets him believe that it’s working. (of course top’s insults also make sense in the context that ray was being an asshole that morning but we’re talking about mew’s characterization right now.)

and most linguistically of all to contribute to the change of atmosphere: mew is on top of top.

fangirls, fanboys, and fanneithers of the jury, i believe mew is moving up the ranks.

[includedisco]

One of my SandRay fanfiction stories ☺️

[chibipandaao3]

How many fics do you write at once?

5? 8? Just me?

[doyou000me]

This story is fucking fenomenal and I love every bit of it. For anyone who has any interest in sandray and Ray's recovery from his alcohol addition, go read this fanfic. Right now.

Only Friends (book & show canon) Parallels with Hurt and Grieve but Don’t Suffer Alone (my fic) 

So…I noticed a while ago that my Sandray fic and the canon of the show (and now the book) shared some very eerie commonalities, and I just needed to make a list to keep track of all the things that were happening that matched up between my canon and the show/book’s canon, because I don’t think anyone would believe me otherwise.

Obviously, if you haven't read my fic, then this post won't make sense, but in case you want to, you can find it here.  

I’m not saying anything with this post. I don’t think P’Den or P’Jojo have read my fic, and even if they have, the book and show canon were finished long before I started writing, but it just really is too uncanny, and sometimes very specific, in how my understanding of the characters/story match up almost exactly with theirs.

NOTE: All parallels listed are unintentional parallels I wrote/posted before canon in the book/show. Some aspects of the show/book are intentionally used in my fic — those are obviously left out of this list.

Sand with his back to ray in bed in ep 5 / his birthday; ray reaching out and touching his shoulder vs. ch 3 of my fic where he gets in bed with his back to ray during his withdrawals and ray hitting his back during his nightmares (posted before ep 5 ever came out)

Ray’s dad beating him in the novel version vs. “If his father knew he was eavesdropping, Ray would get a beating, for sure.” (ch 4, fic)

Sand researching rehab centers for ray in ep 10 vs. sand telling ray he’s already looked into rehab centers in chapter 3

Ray’s dad being the one to try and buy off Sand to force Ray into rehab in the show (ep 7) vs. Ray’s dad forcing Ray into rehab after his withdrawals in my fic (ch. 8)

jojo on ray (twitter): "but i think rayman should be more open with a doctor than with strangers" vs ch 10 when ray refuses to open up beyond his name at group therapy

Ep 10 when ray yells at sand saying "i'm the one who should be upset. you don't have the right to cry" (show) vs. ch 12 when ray says to sand (after seeing the photos of him and jane) “About what? What could you possibly need someone to comfort you about?” 

Sandray hug / show pda at the therapist's office (ep 10 show) vs. when they hug for a long time / show pda on the lawn of the rehab center (ch 12) 

“Why are you asking so many questions? Just say what you want me to do. You're wasting my time” (ray to his therapist in ep 10) vs. “Then you tell me, what is the reason?” He snaps, unable to hold it in any longer. “Aren’t you supposed to tell me what’s wrong with me?” (ray to his therapist in ch 13 of my fic)

"sand please understand me" (ep 10 show) vs. ray just wanting to be SEEN throughout this entire fic 

“Like two stars caught in a gravitational pull and attracted to one another” (novel camping scene part 6) vs. ch 16 “It’s like he’s hyper-tuned to Sand’s body, moving and orbiting around him like a twin star.” (seriously what the fuck)

Ray being insufferable about being boyfriends in ep 11 vs. ray being insufferable about boyfriends/pet names from chapter 17 onwards

Ray pointing out the plum wine in ep 10 and it being sand’s main source of income / sand destroying a jar vs. sand hiding the plum wine from ray in the fic because it’s his main source of income (ch 18, posted after ep 9 but before ep 10)

Bostonray apology in ep 12 (non-apology/insults/easy forgiveness) vs. ch 18 of my fic boston calling ray and saying “i won’t apologize for it” and ray saying “fuck you” / “asshole” and moving on / reconciliation - just overall getting their dynamic and friendship on the nose

The use of Micro’s song เติมน้ำมัน and playing at the record shop / ray singing it in ep 11 vs the same lyrics/song being played over a record player in chapter 19 during Ray’s welcome home party - posted RIGHT before ep 11 came out (literally what the fuck at this one)

Ray telling sand “i’ve never loved someone so much i drove all the way out…” in the novel and indirectly being the first to tell sand he loves him / say i love you vs. ch. 20 of my fic ray almost being the first to say i love you (and he would have, if not for the interruption)

Just general character things that I didn’t fully expect to see happen in canon:

Ray only realizing he needs help through Sand and getting professional help in the show vs. ray only accepting that he needs help after sand tells him rehab will be good (and then getting professional help)

Nick confirmed as part of the friend group even without boston (show/book) vs. sandnick joining the friend group from ch 14 onwards in my fic 

Ray realizing the full weight of his feelings for sand during therapy in the show vs. ray opening up and talking about his feelings for sand to Dr. Duangkamol in the fic

Sand’s subtle alcoholism throughout the show vs. sand’s subtle alcoholism throughout the fic

Sand not focusing on himself / taking care of himself at all throughout the show vs. sand not focusing on himself / taking care of himself at all throughout the fic (ok i know this is generally agreed upon but i started this fic from ep 2 and just..kept it going yall)

Top suffocating Mew with his presence in the show (ep 9 & 10) vs. the same in my fic

Boston distancing himself from the group after they shut him out vs. the same in my fic (literally posted the chapter sand punches him before even ep 5 came out)

Cheum trying (awfully) to be a good friend at the end of the show (ep 12) vs. cheum trying (awfully) to be a good friend in my fic (ch 15 onwards)

Sand and nick being friends since high school (book canon) vs. sand and nick being long time friends in my fic confirmed in ch 21 (this one is tricky b/c i was still writing the chapter when it was confirmed in book canon — but i’m going to count it anyway since i had already written this section before reading book canon)

Ray being protective and taking care of Sand in the show (during the whole Boeing thing) vs. Ray being protective and taking care of Sand in my fic (once they become boyfriends, e.g., when Sand is sick, during sex, and overall wanting to take care of / spoil Sand)

Sand and Mew actually getting along in the show (ep 12) vs. Sand and Mew befriending each other in my fic (ch 14 onwards)

I stopped tracking after the finale aired, so anything that happens beyond chapter 21 in my fic is unable to be counted as a coincidence, since the canon is complete. The book canon is however still being translated and released from multiple sources, and I haven’t gotten around to it all, so there may be more. 

Anyways, I just think this is really freaky and deserves to be seen because I feel slightly crazy for how fucking close I got these characters to canon before it was ever established in canon??? And some are just a bit too on the nose?? 

P’Jojo and P’Den pls hire me 

[firelise]

Spent all night laying awake in bed haunted by Only Friends and trying to make sense of this last episode. Because watching it I was like "YES threesome" but when I got to bed I was like "wait, Sand, what the actual fuck are you doing?"

Not, "why are you not rejecting Boeing?" I get that. It seems obvious that Boeing is his version of Mew, the one that got away that he thinks is perfect on paper. And it also seems obvious that Boeing is going through something and Sand can see his desperation. We don't know much about Boeing but it doesn't seem a stretch that he may be self destructive or battle depression similar to Ray (when Sand tells him to come to the club anytime if he needs help, it is not romantic at all, he sounds super worried and uneasy about him). And we know that even if Sand hates you, he will not turn his back on you if he sees you in need or near danger. So I get that.

What I was trying to square was why Sand would this time indulge Ray? What does he think is gonna happen? He's not dumb. Like truly what is he expecting?? In what way does them 3 together in a pool end well for you Sand? You can clearly see the murder in Ray's eyes, like???

So then my theory became that the only thing I could think of is that Sand is there not to participate but to keep both Ray and Boeing from doing something stupid. He is babysitting. He's watching over them. Because if he said no, I don't want to go back to your place with my EX, those to crazies would have probably gone without him. He is there so when Ray says take your clothes off and we can all get naked, he can say NO no no, I can wear boxers none of that. He can be a buffer between the lustful looks Boeing is throwing Ray. When Ray asks questions he can be there to answer them (obviously not 100% to Ray's liking from the preview but I feel like that will be more Boeing's fault and Ray doesn't look THAT mad, just firm like Sand was firm about him and Mew)

[danmei-lover-bl-enthusiast]

I saw someone in Tiktok saying, 'I'm not getting 100% genuine romantic vibes from KantBison, what happened to FirstKhao chemistry, can't believe the same pair played SandRay and AkkAyan...' etc etc

Gentle reminder that, this ^^ means FirstKhao are doing excellent job as KB. We are not supposed to get genuine romantic vibes from them at this point of their story. Yes, they clicked organically the moment they met. The attraction was instantaneous and it's still very much there. But love or romance? No. They are not yet there. At least not mutually.

Kant is clearly manipulating and love bombing Bison to become his lover (cause people in love do tend to act irrationally and give up their guard quickly, that's why love traps in spying are age old techniques), at the same time he's also trying to gather information that he could pass on to Captain Chris as Chris wants the one under who's order BisonFadel are working as assassins.

On the other hand, although Bison is clearly, absolutely falling for Kant (I mean who can blame him?) he's still cautious, he's not divulging anything. They are not going to have a heart to heart at this point like SandRay did, cause these are different characters with different situations. In short, both KantBison are wearing a mask athough you can see the genuine connection between them in some moments (for example their silly dance in the bowling alley floor where clearly they had lots of fun).

[prapaiwife]

The writer on ig shared some info on the show and its true story aspects. It's all so interesting to see it play out the way it is on screen and it's done so well! Also sandray are fictional so that makes me even more curious as to how they lead the rest of their story.

[sherrymagic]

every single word of this

I'm seeing all kinds of "oh I get it, it was realistic" kind of takes and honestly if that's what you got from this and you like realism in fiction good for you.

But honestly I think I just need to be a bit petty tonight.

I didn't want realism. That's not what I'm watching TV for. I can go out and live life for that lol

Now I'm also thinking thoughts about how the only couple that didn't have a happy ending was also played by the only duo of actors who aren't an official cp.

I had a feeling about it for quite some time now seeing how the BostonNick screentime has been so obviously and drastically reduced the last couple of episodes. In a way that was almost laughable. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's just the petty part of me talking. I just find it very interesting is all.

Still hoping Neo and Mark get a chance with another show.🤞🤞