Let's start with the "stalker" side of things. This one doesn't bother me as much, to be honest. We never see Toh actually trailing Nuea, following them home/outside of school, not trying to insert himself into Nuea's life by "accident" or control what Nuea does (and with whom). He doesn't get possessive over Nuea to the level he would hurt someone. It's true that Toh was looking for chances to watch Nuea from afar (e.g. going to their cafeteria), but he never intentionally interacted with Nuea during that time. Is it cringey? Yes. Uncomfortable? Detto. But it's also fairly realistic and (for me), acceptable in the context the show puts it into. Toh's keeping his distance and letting Nuea live his life. The biggest problem I see with it is the amount of photos Toh makes and souvenirs he takes. Which leads us to our second point.
Toh's hoarding habits. The notion of collecting keepsakes to remember things by is something I do from time to time, and consider it safe in moderation. Toh does not operate in moderation. I can see why he would keep photos (especially since it's his hobby), but so much? Making a shrine out of them?! That's an unhealthy obsession. Collecting slips of paper and small things some might consider trash is fine in my opinion, but actual trash? Nope. That soda can crossed the line. The paint can is peculiar, to say the least, but it's one of the better ones. Food and drinks of any kind are a big no-no for me. It spills, smells, gets rotten, attracts ants... even if it's sealed. There's an enormous amount of it and it keeps growing.
Things the show did well in this regard is shoving it in such a big scope no one should think it's standard. Especially with the pig's head. It's also shown Toh has little to no rational control over it (e.g. wanting to go back to the waterfall to collect water, or wanting to count one date as multiple just to get more out of it). We also get a really good explanation for why Toh does it, which shows us it's fixable for him (I think that usually, reasons for hoarding aren't that clear irl). But the show also did a lot wrong with it.
Firstly, even if Toh's friends seem to discourage him from taking those things, they make fun of it, help him with it and even egg him on. They also haven't intervened in any meaningful way so far. Secondly, I believe the show's taking it too lightly. They compare it to Jao's much smaller, manageable collection as if they were essentially the same. They made Nuea act like it doesn't matter. He even called it trivial. I'm glad he's able to love Toh despite it, but the way the whole thing's portrayed doesn't sit well with me. Also, during the confession scene, they diverted attention away from Toh's problem towards Nuea's insecurities, mudding things even further. Last thing they did horribly (imo) is letting Nuea ask Toh: "Can we throw them away?" and the scene moving past it without any apparent hiccups. If you did that to a real person, I would expect a lot more irrational defense and some level of aggression or mental breakdown. Toh basically explained it away as if it's nothing.
What I wish they would have done back then? They should have admitted Toh has a problem. Either let Nuea distance from Toh in a way that would make Toh start addressing it accordingly, or let Nuea help Toh get through it. They should have consulted a physician. Because in the stage Toh is at, no amount of friendly communication or arbitrary rules would help.
In the end, SCOY is a show I don't like to analyze/judge because of its OTT and cringey theme which makes me give them a pass for things I would otherwise take more seriously. I don't think most people would take either of those issues seriously in such context. But it's still something I want to point out, especially since the show's trying to become more serious and it's being portrayed in less melodramatic vibe.
"Fantastic dom/sub dynamics and a little bit of kink on the part of Hia Lian and Kuea. "Girl, where?! At my place,…
It doesn't need to be spelled out, exactly (even verbal "yes" can be dubious as a consent). It just should be clear if you want to call it "one of the most explicitly consensual ones ever in BL history" . Lian took Kuea home against his will. Kissed him while Kuea couldn't even recognize him. No, they didn't have sex. But it was hardly consensual. By having sex after drinking, I meant their first time. Kuea said he wasn't drunk, but it's not like drunk people can't lie. Frankly, he still looked drunk to me. But that might have been just his sweet fake facade tricking me.
I agree about that. The shrine was creepy, 100 %. I've said the same thing about a similar stuff in SCOY.
"we know that neither of the characters have bad intentions towards each." Do we? I don't think so. And if it makes me uncomfortable enough that I can't relax, I'm not gonna enjoy the ride either.
I've just started rewatching LBC and OMG Pete's mom is played by the same actress as in TMoTB!! I couldn't help but imagining her having a breakdown during that confession scene 😭😭😭
"For some reason I can't leave a review"That's because you've already made one, 2 days ago. If you have anything…
Yop. It's pretty good for writing comments, but that's about it. It crashes occasionally and gives you random errors. Sometimes it doesn't post your comments, sometimes it posts them multiple times... if you are used to the web version, I would have sticked with it mostly (at least until they improve the app).
"Fantastic dom/sub dynamics and a little bit of kink on the part of Hia Lian and Kuea. "Girl, where?! At my place,…
Kuea didn't even know it's Lian at that time. I don't believe it's consensual, because Kuea was in a state when he couldn't even recognize him. He also fought against Lian taking him home. So while Kuea didn't exactly say no (as far as I remember), I wouldn't exactly say he wanted it. But I understand some people may view it differently, that's why I mentioned the consent is iffy.
"Fantastic dom/sub dynamics and a little bit of kink on the part of Hia Lian and Kuea. "Girl, where?! At my place,…
"Toxic" isn't an adjective that's solely used for sex. I used it in relation to their behaviour. In this case, it could be synonymous to controlling.
Consent is at the very least iffy in all of those situations. Lian kisses Kuea without his consent. He might have ask Kuea if he wants to have sex, but at that time, both of them were drinking, and Kuea doesn't seem sober to me. Kuea repeatedly says "No" to Lian's advances, and Lian ignores him (or threatens to not let him eat). So no, it's not "one of the most explicitly consensual ones ever in BL history" to me.
It doesn't matter if they are fictional characters. Fiction influences real life as much as it's being influenced by real life. That's the whole point.
For a dom/sub relationship and kink, you need to have strict rules in place. At the very least, you need consent. Discussion about the relationship. Safe word. Trust. Kuea and Lian did none of that. So no, it isn't a "dom/sub" dynamic. It's toxic.
Let's start with the "stalker" side of things. This one doesn't bother me as much, to be honest. We never see Toh actually trailing Nuea, following them home/outside of school, not trying to insert himself into Nuea's life by "accident" or control what Nuea does (and with whom). He doesn't get possessive over Nuea to the level he would hurt someone. It's true that Toh was looking for chances to watch Nuea from afar (e.g. going to their cafeteria), but he never intentionally interacted with Nuea during that time. Is it cringey? Yes. Uncomfortable? Detto. But it's also fairly realistic and (for me), acceptable in the context the show puts it into. Toh's keeping his distance and letting Nuea live his life. The biggest problem I see with it is the amount of photos Toh makes and souvenirs he takes. Which leads us to our second point.
Toh's hoarding habits. The notion of collecting keepsakes to remember things by is something I do from time to time, and consider it safe in moderation. Toh does not operate in moderation. I can see why he would keep photos (especially since it's his hobby), but so much? Making a shrine out of them?! That's an unhealthy obsession. Collecting slips of paper and small things some might consider trash is fine in my opinion, but actual trash? Nope. That soda can crossed the line. The paint can is peculiar, to say the least, but it's one of the better ones. Food and drinks of any kind are a big no-no for me. It spills, smells, gets rotten, attracts ants... even if it's sealed. There's an enormous amount of it and it keeps growing.
Things the show did well in this regard is shoving it in such a big scope no one should think it's standard. Especially with the pig's head. It's also shown Toh has little to no rational control over it (e.g. wanting to go back to the waterfall to collect water, or wanting to count one date as multiple just to get more out of it). We also get a really good explanation for why Toh does it, which shows us it's fixable for him (I think that usually, reasons for hoarding aren't that clear irl). But the show also did a lot wrong with it.
Firstly, even if Toh's friends seem to discourage him from taking those things, they make fun of it, help him with it and even egg him on. They also haven't intervened in any meaningful way so far. Secondly, I believe the show's taking it too lightly. They compare it to Jao's much smaller, manageable collection as if they were essentially the same. They made Nuea act like it doesn't matter. He even called it trivial. I'm glad he's able to love Toh despite it, but the way the whole thing's portrayed doesn't sit well with me. Also, during the confession scene, they diverted attention away from Toh's problem towards Nuea's insecurities, mudding things even further. Last thing they did horribly (imo) is letting Nuea ask Toh: "Can we throw them away?" and the scene moving past it without any apparent hiccups. If you did that to a real person, I would expect a lot more irrational defense and some level of aggression or mental breakdown. Toh basically explained it away as if it's nothing.
What I wish they would have done back then? They should have admitted Toh has a problem. Either let Nuea distance from Toh in a way that would make Toh start addressing it accordingly, or let Nuea help Toh get through it. They should have consulted a physician. Because in the stage Toh is at, no amount of friendly communication or arbitrary rules would help.
In the end, SCOY is a show I don't like to analyze/judge because of its OTT and cringey theme which makes me give them a pass for things I would otherwise take more seriously. I don't think most people would take either of those issues seriously in such context. But it's still something I want to point out, especially since the show's trying to become more serious and it's being portrayed in less melodramatic vibe.
Oh no, poor Khluen!!! He's doing his best 😭😭😭
I agree about that. The shrine was creepy, 100 %. I've said the same thing about a similar stuff in SCOY.
"we know that neither of the characters have bad intentions towards each." Do we? I don't think so. And if it makes me uncomfortable enough that I can't relax, I'm not gonna enjoy the ride either.
Try this if you're interested: https://mydramalist.com/article/beta-ios-android-mobile-apps-now-available-for-all-users-011013507?fbclid=IwAR3KWEOgkOBQiCUsE4H84LFbvJTh51GVTaRKdYiyOavfMa0roYkBILGLlGw
Consent is at the very least iffy in all of those situations. Lian kisses Kuea without his consent. He might have ask Kuea if he wants to have sex, but at that time, both of them were drinking, and Kuea doesn't seem sober to me. Kuea repeatedly says "No" to Lian's advances, and Lian ignores him (or threatens to not let him eat). So no, it's not "one of the most explicitly consensual ones ever in BL history" to me.
It doesn't matter if they are fictional characters. Fiction influences real life as much as it's being influenced by real life. That's the whole point.
For a dom/sub relationship and kink, you need to have strict rules in place. At the very least, you need consent. Discussion about the relationship. Safe word. Trust. Kuea and Lian did none of that. So no, it isn't a "dom/sub" dynamic. It's toxic.
That's because you've already made one, 2 days ago. If you have anything else to add, try editing that one 💚
Girl, where?! At my place, we call that toxic power imbalance and sexual coercion 💚
Which would still be fine for me in the end, if only it wasn't romanticized.