#but khao isn't ray and ray isn't khao

[huachengeye]

Only Friends Episode 8: And they were all messy

Hello there! Episode 8 has been out for some days now, but after watching a reaction os YT and scrolling through the comments, I wrote this piece to add my two cents to the whole Mew victimization and Ray the supreme asshole (I don't actually think he is tho).

For organization and better reading comprehension, I'm going to separate this into sections, starting off with Mew going wild, then Ray, the fandom's favorite broken boy, and ending up with little about the relationship of the friend group.

Mew, one of the nasties.

First off, I'm a Mew apologist. He is, in fact, my favorite character as of now, but I'm down to criticize the hell out of him, because loving is caring <3

I want to start with the whole discourse around his and Ray's relationship. The fandom seems to be separated into 3 categories (and yes, I'm generalizing a lot for the purpose of making my point): Mew apologists, Ray apologists, and everyone else who thinks they are as messy as everyone else without needing to explain their behavior.

In contradiction with my very first sentence, I belong to the third category in the sense I think they all do bad things to one another. Starting with Mew, we already know that he puts himself on a pedestal compared to his fucked-up friends, but my boy was kicked out of his high horse and now is like us, failed humans. One of the discourses I've been seeing, and that some characters in the series agree with (Cheum and Top), is that Mew is being dragged down by Ray. I completely disagree. Mew is an adult, and although he is experiencing heartbreak for the first time, the way he is acting is very realistic. Mew's first honest conversation with Top was about how he is afraid of getting his heart broken. He confided that to Top, about how he lives through his books because of his fears of getting hurt. And it happened exactly as he feared. It would be weird if he just behaved normally after finding out his boyfriend cheated on him with his friend. So his way of hurting is not hurting at all, is numbing his pain and he does it in the same way as Ray because that's the way he thinks it works.

As the theories go for this BL, I've seen a lot of people saying that it is Mew that it's enabling Ray's substance abuse. Honestly, in my opinion, they are using each other. Mew made it clear that he doesn't love Ray romantically, he said it himself in this episode, Ray is the one he should love. I genuinely don't think Mew is using Ray with the idea of making Ray drown more in his addiction, I think the reason Mew is clinging to Ray right now is the same reason Ray clings to him: they were there when the other was going through his worst time. They are like lifesavers to each other. In this sense, they are mutually using one another, the difference is that Ray is also clinging to the idea that he is in love with Mew, when it's already clear to us, the viewers, that this boat has sailed. If Ray was certain that he wanted a future with Mew, and Mew only, he would've let Sand go. Because Ray didn't go after Sand only when he was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, he also went when he was sober, actively trying to keep Sand in his life, even if their relationship was never a friendship, and was always sexual/romantic (for Sand, at least).

Still analyzing Mew, I saw this brilliant post by @wen-kexing-apologist (this post right here, highly recommend for you to check it out) where they analyze Mew, and his personality (or lack of, for that matter). As soon as Mew told Top that he decorated his place with ideas from Pinterest I felt bothered, especially with his whole introduction in the first episode, about how he is the table keeper (I honestly don't remember how he worded it). I felt bothered but I couldn't quite say why, so when I read Wen Kexing Apologist's analysis, it all made sense.

Lao Wen's (I'm sorry for the use of the cannon nickname of wkx, saying the whole username is a task lmao) thesis is that Mew has no idea who he is, and I completely agree with them. The thing that was Mew's whole personality is that he was a virgin, which was the thing that most set him apart from his friends. Yes, he is also a bookworm and a smart person, but these were secondary things when it came to who he was. Mew was the "pure" one of the group, the one that was waiting for the right person, for the person that was worthy of his virginity (just typing this makes me want to wither away). After Top, he is no longer a virgin, he is no longer that different from his friends. So once he found out about Top cheating on him, he had lost more than his virginity, he had lost his own ideals, because he wanted his first time to be with someone worthy, as I said, and well, Top wasn't worthy, but Mew didn't know that at the time.

Now, Mew doesn't have the one aspect of him that defined him, so he is utterly lost and is now mimicking the one person that offers him some type of stability, one person that he knows truly cares for him, Ray. I really don't know how Mew will react if he knows that Ray kissed Sand at the party, I don't if he won't care because he isn't in love with Ray or if that will only make him go down to the worst path. I think he will get mad if he finds out, especially because it's Ray, his best friend, the one who was there for him when Top cheated on him. Oh, the drama it's gonna be.

Now for Ray. I'm gonna be straight with y'all and say that Ray is the character I dislike the most in this BL, but also the one that I pity the most.

From the get-go, I knew Ray wasn't better than Boston or Top, but after this episode, I can't understand why people still treat him as the victim. He keeps on stringing Sand around as if he is his personal doll, even after Sand makes it clear that he doesn't want to be Ray's second option, that he wants Ray to let him go. Ray does not let him go, and more than that, he clings to Sand as a spoiled child clings to his favorite toy, not out of love, out of possessiveness. I don't really see Ray and Sand's relationship as one of love, Sand is basically Ray's parent, and for Ray, Sand is a thing he can own, just like he can own anything else with his money. For this topic, I recommend this post by @wen-kexing-apologist (yes, I might be a little obsessed with their analysis, sue me) and this post by @emotionallychargedtowel.

I saw some people saying that Ray doesn't know he is addicted, and that his substance abuse doesn't excuse his behavior but certainly explains it, I disagree. I think that Ray knows that his actions hurt others around him, and he knows because his friends and Sand already told him when he was sober. Sand said more than one time that he should drive whilst drunk because he could hurt someone. Sand in the hospital made it clear that he should take accountability for his actions. Mew keeps on chewing him about his drinking behavior (even if he doesn't in a very judgmental way). So he knows, he might not be able to control himself when he is drunk, but he never takes accountability afterward, not really. Even after his accident, what was his punishment? Community service, and even when it comes to that he tried to make Sand help him.

As for the idea that he doesn't know he is addicted, I think he does. I think he does, but he doesn't want to acknowledge it. If I remember correctly (and I might not, please correct me if I'm tripping), when Ray and Mew kissed back when they didn't know Sand or Top, Ray says to Mew that if he hadn't found Ray in the bathtub, he would've joined his mother. At the time, I hadn't watched the flashback of his mother on the floor, but I got the impression that he meant that not because he would die like his mother, but because he would've joined his mother in the same way that she went. Now, I think that scene was Ray's way of acknowledging for a brief moment that he is going down the same path as his mother. Again, I might be way off here.

So my point is, I'm a bit tired of people trying to blame Ray's trauma for all of his actions. Of course, his traumas and mental issues are a big part of it, but he still chooses to hurt others, even when sober. Trauma doesn't mean you can treat others like shit. And as someone who grew close to a person that dealt with alcohol abuse and turned a jerk because of it, it's fucking tiring and emotionally consuming to have someone berating you. It doesn't matter at the moment that they are out of their minds, because in the end, you are hurting.

THEY ARE FRIENDS, BUT ARE THEY REALLY?

Now onto the Fantastic Four. After this episode, I saw some people talking about Cheum never actually caring for Ray or that neither of the friends did. I saw someone talking about how Cheum shouldn't have said that (her whole monologue) whilst Ray was being held down by a cop. I agree with all of it, except maybe for the part that his friends don't care. I think Mew does care, although he certainly doesn't look like he does now. But we need to remember that he was there for Ray when he tried to take his own life. And I believe that there are still things we didn't see from them because they are best friends. Before Top, before Nick, before Sand, the one that Ray could lean on was Mew and from the way Ray behaves around him, it seems as if Mew wasn't the worst friend around.

As for Boston and Cheum, it is VERY clear that the one person who keeps these 3 people (Boston-Cheum-Ray) as friends is Mew, he is the glue of the friendship. Things are starting to look bad for their friendship now that Mew is acting out, because even when Boston did what he did, Cheum-Ray-Mew were still together. We also have to take into consideration that maybe Cheum and Boston don't know the scope of Ray's problems, maybe they don't know that Ray tried to kill himself, because from what we saw that was something that only Mew knew. Cheum clearly knows that Ray still suffers from his mother's death, and that's why she walked away when he said that his mother is dead, but we don't know if they actually know why Ray behaves in such a way.

Let's look at the situation from Cheum's POV for a minute. She is watching her friend, Mew, acting the same way as Ray, when Mew used to be the one to try and make Ray stop. She sees that both of them are making decisions about the hostel that the FOUR of them worked on, without her (or Boston). She knows that Ray did the whole hostel thing because of Mew. She is feeling left out as if no one cares for her like Ray was feeling before he started going out with Sand. When it comes to their friendship and this scene of Cheum's explosion, we need to remember Ray did a similar thing to her on Mew's birthday. He told everyone about her private business, and for her, it doesn't matter that he was drunk, because it hurt her and could've possibly ruined her relationship (ofc if it did the blame wouldn't be on Ray, because he didn't lie about the things she said about her girlfriend). And as she was talking, she mentioned that she and Boston were always the third wheel, which makes me think about all the times Boston talked to Ray about how he needed to stop his bullshit and be real about how much he wanted Mew to stay away from Top - and he was so right about that, because what was the thing Ray did when Mew was heartbroken? He asked Mew for a chance.

For my last point, I just want people to try and be in the friend's place for a second. In everyone's place actually (except for Ray's). Would you be a pantheon of peace and calm when your friend keeps on doing things that hurt you? The series did a great job at showing how Ray's traumas hurt him, but it also did a great job at showing how Ray's substance abuse hurts everyone around him.

As I said, when you are close to someone who has an addiction, you want to help them because you know that it's hard, but at some point, you get tired because, in the end, you are putting your own mental and emotional health in line for someone else. Most of the time, the person doesn't accept your help. It's not that they don't know they are addicted (sometimes that's the case tho, not trying to generalize, but I'm using my personal example and Ray for this), is that they don't want to assume it, they honestly want to believe they are in control.

Ray doesn't have the best support friendship, but in the end, not a single one of his friends is well enough to help him out, not even Sand. Not one of them has the capacity to help him, so I think it's unfair to place them as awful friends for not helping Ray out every time. Again, you can't help someone who does not accept help, but that also doesn't mean that they should just leave him to go crazy and drink like a madman, snort like his nose is made of steel. That's not it. But I think we should stop minimizing his acts just because of his mental issues and substance abuse. As someone who has mental issues in a way that I had similar thoughts to Ray, it does not mean that I'm allowed to treat others badly because of it. And I know people ain't trying to place Ray (only) as a victim, but I feel like the bar is raised high for everyone that isn't Ray, just because of his traumas and addiction -- let me also remind some of yall, that Top snorts too, he looks like he may have or may have had an addiction to his sleeping pills, his house caught fire and his parents weren't there to help him because his parents don't give a shit about him. From what we know the thing that sets him apart from Ray is that his mother didn't die in a very traumatic way, but still, I don't see anyone trying to justify his wrongings by using his traumas (as it should be).

This whole essay is just to say that no one is fully right here. We have people messing up and people trying to better themselves. Right now, Mew and Ray are messing up, but I'm sure at some point they will get better, and hopefully Ray will get the help that he needs because now he is looking for the help that he wants (aka Sand and Mew).

[chaos0pikachu]

rip I found today's episode of Only Friends a bit underwhelming negl some decent character progressions but lackluster compared to last week.

[visualtaehyun]

Sooo I kinda went back through all six episodes to examine the progression of how Day and Mork speak with each other. For ease of understanding, I'm color-coding words referring to Day and Mork like this again.

Disclaimer: not a native speaker, still learning 🙏

Episodes 1-4

Both use ผม/คุณ /pom, khun/ - ผม = polite, formal, respectful male 1st person pronoun - คุณ = polite, formal 2nd person pronoun -> other than pronoun choices, they speak pretty casually with each other:

Neither of them uses polite ending particles but Mork sometimes uses polite male ending particle ครับ /khrap/ (and then Day uses it back sometimes) - in the beginning seriously, for example when knocking on Day's door/bringing him meals, later on playfully and affectionately -> it becomes more frequent the closer they get and thus the more he teases Day

- ชัดครับ เจ้านาย /chat khrap, jao naai/ - ไม่คิดว่าคุณเดย์ของเราจะดังขนาดนี้นะครับเนี่ย /mai khit waa khun Day kaawng rao ja dang kha naat nee na khrap niia/

Speaking of particles- จ้า /jaa/ (also จ๊ะ, จ๋า etc.) is a particle used with juniors/children/people of lower status (you can hear Day's mom use it like this, for example, in ep. 6 when she greets Mork back) and commonly between family members or among intimates as it, you guessed it, conveys intimacy:

- จ้า พ่อสุดหล่อ /jaa, por sut laaw/ - [...] ขอบคุณครับ /khaawp khun khrap/ -> พ่อสุดหล่อ /por sut laaw/ contains the same พ่อ /por/ that means father, it's not just used in that context though - it can be used like a prefix to turn a noun into its male form, like พ่อสื่อ /por seuu/ = '(male) matchmaker' aka the word that Mork uses in ep. 6 to break all our hearts, and also to affectionately call a younger male

Both use impolite ending particles วะ /wa/ and นะเว่ย /na woei/ during their first argument (also a lot of แม่ง /maaeng/, a curse word, from Day that isn't in the subs at all lol) and, outside of this fighting context, they use these same particles casually here and there (same as Day does with his friends for example):

- นี่มันชีวิตคุณนะเว้ย /nee man chee wit khun na woei/ - คุณคิดว่าผมเหมือนคุณหรอวะ /khun khit waa pom muean khun raaw wa/

During this same argument, because of Mork's trauma response, he abruptly changes from คุณ /khun/ to just เดย์ /Day/ as he's pounding on his door (the same thing also happens when Day gets lost at Chatuchak Market btw) -> Shoutout and thank you to @btwinlines for opening my eyes to this 🙏 ...and inadvertently prompting me to write this post about the entire evolution of their language use lmao

The Phi-Nong along the way to the actual Phi-Nong

ผมโตกว่าคุณละกัน ไอ้น้องเดย์ /pom dtoh gwaa khun la gan, ai nong Day/

- นอ้งครับ ไม่ไหวอย่าฝืน /nong khrap, mai waai yaa fuuen/ - พี่ครับ ไม่ถาม อย่ายุ่ง /phi khrap, mai thaam, yaa yoong/

ใจเย็น ไอ้หนุ่ม รอบต่อไปพี่ค่อยเอาจริง /jai yen, ai noom. raawp dtaaw bpai phi khaawy ao jing/

ผมว่าเสียงพี่เขาอ่ะ เหมือนกลิ่นบุหรี่ /pom waa siiang phi khao a muean glin boo ree/

- [...] พี่หมอกของมึง /phi Mork khaawng mueng/ = your Phi Mork/ that Phi Mork of yours - พี่หมอกอะไรของกูล่ะ /phi Mork a rai khaawng guu la/ = What 'Phi Mork' of mine? - ก็คนดูแลของมึงไง /gaaw khohn duu lae khaawng mueng ngai/ = Well, [he's] your caretaker! - ไม่ใช่ของมึงแล้วจะของใคร /mai chai khaawng mueng laaeo ja khaawng khrai/ = If not yours then whose [is he]? -> in the following little exchange with that fan of Day's, Mork calls himself พี่ /phi/ and Day by name

Episodes 5-6

Day->Mork: ผม /pom/ -> พี่ /phi/, พี่หมอก /phi Mork/ Mork->Day: พี่ /phi/ -> เดย์ /Day/, น้องเดย์ /nong Day/, เรา /rao/, น้อง /nong/ etc.

Their particle use has largely remained the same but they are getting sweeter, as I said before, by using ครับ /khrap/ more frequently and not just in a teasing? playful? sarcastic? manner but also genuinely sweetly:

ฐานะอะไรดีล่ะครับ น้องเดย์ /thaa na a rai dee la khrap, nong Day/

How to even explain how sweet this sounds because Mork uses ครับ /khrap/ and calls him น้องเดย์ /nong Day/ specifically, nevermind the loaded word ฐานะ /thaa na/ = status

When I catch you, P'Aof!! Having Mork say something so romantically charged and then following it up with the getting-ready scene 🤌

There's more use of ครับ /khrap/ in this scene before this exact exchange here but this is the standout:

เดย์ก็เป็นคนหล่อเหมือนกันนะเนี่ย รู้ตัวปะครับ /Day gaaw bpen khohn laaw meuuan gan na niia. ruu dtuua bpa khrap/

เวลาพี่พูดเพราะ ๆ เนี่ย พี่ก็หล่อขึ้นเยอะเลยนะครับ พี่รู้ตัวปะครับ /weh laa phi phuut praw praw niia, phi gaaw laaw khuen yuh loei na khrap. phi ruu dtuua bpa khrap?/ -> เพราะ /phraw/ describes a voice as pleasant, sweet, melodious. When Porjai asked what her voice sounds like, the first thing Day said was เสียงเพราะ /siiang praw/ = nice/pleasant voice. So this is basically "when you speak sweetly", it's about the tone of his voice as well as choosing to use polite ending particle ครับ /khrap/ to sound more gentle - so much for zero tenderness 😌

[cornyonmains]

Something I really like about Only Friends is the characters are so complexly written and layered that I kind of wind up being an apologist or detractor for all of them at different points in time. I don't really have a black and white view of the characters, which is usually the only thing you have in BL.

Top's a fuckboy with substance abuse issues. But also, he seems like he genuinely wants connection, and I feel bad for him sometimes because it's so clear he wants Mew to be affectionate with him, and Mew just isn't.

Mew is controlling. A giant walking defense mechanism that can't connect will with people. But also, he's surrounded by people who don't have his best interests in mind, and as he's opening up, we're seeing that he's not some criminal mastermind. In fact, that's the mask. The real Mew is just some dumb college kid who's into a guy he's scared of being vulnerable with, because he's never caught feelings he couldn't control. It's so obvious someone messed Mew up REAL GOOD.

Boston is.... He's an objectively terribly human being. He's also a miserable human being though, a lot like Ray, and he places so much of his value on sex he doesn't know how to make meaningful bonds. It's clear he's nuts about Nick, that he wants to monopolize his affections and attentions, but he doesn't know how to translate that into something healthy. Like Mew, his relationship with sex is fucked, and at the core of an inability to bond. I actually think he's jealous of Mew because there's a parallel there, but whereas Boston is derided for his relationship with sex and inability to connect, Mew is praised. Boston is a shit human being, but he is to be pitied.

Ray's kind of a dick. He's self-centered, won't take no for an answer from Mew, he has substance abuse issues, and saying Sand wasn't his boyfriend because he's holding onto that hope for Mew was fucked. But he's also got major depressive disorder, his parents sound like real pieces of work, and Khao does such a great job of conveying his fragility you can really sense how close to just breaking apart he is. He fucks up, but you still want him to get to a better place.

Sand, oh dear god, this boy has my heart. He's not perfect. Yeah, he sells hooch, he smokes weed, he parties. But he's got flaws too. He works too much, his head's in the clouds, he's destined to wind up on a sexiest mugshots website, and he falls too hard, too fast. He lets himself get led around by the nose by Ray. Sand's the easiest character to like on this show. He's got a hustle, but he's also got 'dude I wouldn't be deeply uncomfortable to be in a room alone with' energy.

Nick's not completely guiltless with his relationship with Boston. I've got a soft spot for him because he's a sweet, quiet kid, and I have a habit of adopting introverts. But he's not like Mew, he knew his way around both dick and dicks from the start, and wasn't blind to who Boston was. He bugged the car. That was a little too extra. I still wanna buy him cheeseburgers and tell him these boys ain't shit though, because he's so miserably in love with Boston, and Boston might be up front with him, but he's still stringing him along, telling him what he wants to hear, and giving more when Nick expresses interest in seeing other people. Was recording Boston and Top some pure creep mode shit to do? Yes. But do I support him using the recording to put Boston in his place? Yeah, I do.

Cheum is another easy to like characters, but we don't get to see much of her, so aside from simply liking her dancing queen energy, I can't really make an assessment. I like that she's the only one in the group actually helping Mew with the project. Also, I laughed when she clocked Ray as most fuckable. Most queer woman would agree, and Jojo is out here making us feel attacked.

Anyways, in summation, I'm thinking of opening a GoFundMe to get therapy for fictional characters. I still can't believe we've got 7 more episodes of drams to get through.

[hotasfahrenheit]

This is what looks like a long one about the push and pull of Sand and Ray inviting each other into their lives in episode 5, sorry not sorry, but it's actually mainly because there's lots of pretty gifs? (because First and Khao are pretty obviously) here we go!

Ray spent this episode involving himself in every moment of Sand's day, dipping fully into Sand's world. Learning about Sand, following him around, being fed by Sand, letting Sand dress him up and choose his clothing, listening to Sand's music, going the places Sand wants or needs to be, meeting Sand's mom, finding out more about why Sand is who he is. Learning about how Sand takes care of other people, how Sand is always doing things for other people.

Getting up on a stage and singing a song to the boy who is used to being on a stage, singing for others.

Ray is taking steps in the right direction- towards Sand, away from Mew. Learning how to care for, and about, another person, who actually cares for, and about, him as well.

Sand is letting him in, but Sand is also not putting in the effort to learn about Ray and Ray's life at the same time. He's letting himself get swept away by Ray's charm and light but not trying to see what's going on in Ray's life that's driving him to seek solace in Sand's life.

The simplest representation of it is right here. Sand doesn't want to go in Ray's car; he doesn't trust Ray or his driving, he won't let Ray take him in his car. Ray can come with him, he WANTS Ray to come with him, but he won't enter Ray's space.

(that cute satisfied smile, how dare you First Kanaphan)

Sand is aware that Ray has something holding him back from being serious about a relationship, from being more than friends, but he doesn't try to find out what it is. He asks for one piece of Ray's truth in this episode, by asking what happened to Ray's mom- but he's asking about Ray's past, not about Ray's present.

Of all the things holding Ray back he clearly didn't expect it to be another person, but he also doesn't want to hear any kind of explanations or excuses from Ray after he finds out about Mew from Boston in the messiest way possible short of Boston sending him the make out video. He's been so focused on pulling Ray into his world that he wasn't prepared to get hit with this kind of information and immediately shuts down and closes himself off from Ray.

Ray tries, in the most direct way that he's done so far, to invite Sand in, to ask questions, to find out the truth, to find out about him.

But Sand still won't let this go both ways, he won't take the step to involve himself directly in Ray's life.

Turning over closes himself off physically from Ray and pushes him back out, and that's that. He's done, without really starting.

Could and should Ray have been more upfront that he had feelings for someone else when he started getting involved with Sand? Absolutely, especially as soon as he started pushing for more of Sand's time and attention. Ray isn't innocent here, though I have a lot of opinions about how genuine Ray's being in love with Mew is even by episode one, and definitely by this point.

It can also be really hard to process leaving behind old feelings for new ones, especially when you're dealing with people from what are or what feel like VERY SEPARATE parts of your life. Ray is a King of Compartmentalization, and his school life/friend circle/feelings for Mew have been kept almost entirely away from his time with Sand outside of the bar space that they all occupy, the overlap in the Venn diagram of Ray's life; alone at his place or Sand's, making out in his car at Sand's house after the party but barely directly interacting AT the party in front of Ray's circle, at the record store, at the concert, at Sand's mom's club, are all away from the rest of Ray's life. It can be much easier to keep the aspects of your life that make you miserable away from what makes you happy rather than deal with bridging the gaps between them, and Ray is honestly incredibly relatable for wanting to keep them apart even though it isn't the healthiest or best way for him to be dealing with things, for him or for Sand.

Nick is the first person to actually intrude on Ray and Sand's existence in tandem to each other, and he then brings Boston into their orbit and all hell breaks loose. This is probably exactly what Ray was afraid of happening- the two halves of his life coming together, in a way he absolutely cannot control; the bitter and unhappy side meeting the shining and wonderfully hopeful half, and an explosion that leaves everything in tatters.

Normally when Sand tells him no, Ray is able to use his puppy dog eyes on Sand to bring him around, but that's not going to work this time. Sand needs to be willing to go further into Ray's life to have Ray in his, and Ray needs to be open and honest about everything instead of only offering tidbits when directly asked or pressed into honesty by circumstance. Hopefully whatever it is that does work is something that involves them both being healthier, happier versions of themselves! But that's not what this show is about so we'll see how it goes.

[thatgirl4815]

Mental Health and Defense Mechanisms (Predictions)

I'm curious how big of a role mental health will have in the series. There were a few snippets in the trailer--pill bottle, "you should save your money for a shrink," hysterical bathtub sobbing--but between the backstabbing/cheating mess, I wonder how much attention this will actually have. (Ideally, a lot.)

As far as I can tell, the mental health/illness trailer bits relate to Top and Ray--predominantly Ray. I predict that being with Sand puts Ray in an uncomfortably self-reflective position, so much so that he attempts to distance himself from Sand by way of yelling at him (see: "What are we to each other?" and "You think my life will be better with you?").

Maybe Ray is just a dick who likes to use people and throw them away. Or, maybe he's adopted a very plausible (yet harmful) defense mechanism. As Khao mentioned in his little character-view, Ray develops strong feelings easily. But if Ray's psychological turmoil really takes up as much of the plot as I think it's going to (gut feeling), then Ray's crush on Mew really isn't about Mew at all, or even Sand. It's about how Ray shapes the people in his life the way he wants to, to fill the void and affirm his own worth. It's rooted in control. To shoutout @bird-inacage’s analysis: Ray needs others to validate him.

Naturally, this means Ray craves the idea of Mew more than who Mew actually is. Mew is who Ray has chosen, and that’s crucial. If Mew expresses romantic feelings for Ray in return, he would be affirming Ray's self-image. Top understandably threatens this careful construction Ray has built (not only Ray's romantic intentions for Mew, but their friendship altogether). Achieving Mew's affection becomes a competition between them, which is its own defense mechanism.

The way it's been portrayed so far, Sand is an outsider. That is to say, he's someone malleable to Ray, especially due to his financial status. Ray can use Sand to get the affirmation he needs, but it isn't enough compared to what Ray thinks he needs from Mew. The integral point is that Sand doesn't seem the type to just roll over and be whatever Ray wants him to be. No, I think Sand's true self, without pretenses, is precisely what Ray needs. That's the ironic bit--Ray has been chasing after something comfortable, something he understands, only to be blindsided by his very real feelings for Sand's true self, not just the idea of Sand that he's constructed.

What I predict then is that Ray's arc will be devoted to his inner reckoning. I'm sure he is someone who is used to having control over his surroundings; his wealth is proof of that. But for all of Ray's financial power, Sand's grip on him could ultimately prove much stronger. Tangible conflict is something Ray understands and can thus manipulate, but raw feelings? People he can’t control?

(Of course, the real kicker would be that Ray is simply a spoiled brat who wants to be at the center of attention all the time for no other reason than that he is a spoiled brat. But I’m willing to bet against this based solely on what Khaotung said: “Deep down, I think he’s someone who needs love.” …was he denied love in another part of his life? Familial affection, perhaps?)

The question becomes then, where do these control issues stem from? That's exactly the kind of heart-wrenching backstory I, myself, need from the series.

...maybe I'm just a sucker for the notion of a control freak finally learning to give up control. I'm theorizing based solely on what little we've been exposed to so far, so I wouldn't be surprised if this goes in a totally different direction. But here's hoping a fraction of this is a correct interpretation of Ray's character.

[prapaiwife]

THIS scene was just acted so well first of neo and khao are AMAZING! BUT THIS scene goes to show how manipulative Boston can get. Ray went there with a purpose to tell him what he did was wrong! Mew didn't deserve this all he told him in so many words he's selfish. And did all of this behind mew's back just to get his fix!? But the way he turned it's real dirty of him to throw in Ray's face that "I think your glad it happened" again making it seem like isn't this what you wanted don't you want him? When ray knows he doesn't have a chance to begin with that's a bridge that him and mew have crossed and it's done. Then he goes to say you'll be evil just as me cause Ray's intentions will be seen as him doing this so he can have mew when it's far from that! In way he can't even deny for passing the because deep down he probably hates to admit that Boston is right that maybe just maybe he could have a chance still. But he knows it's done friends is all he can and will be with mew.

[rabbiitte]

I admit I only tolerate Ray cause I love Khao. but irl I'd run from a guy like Ray and never look back 🫥

Hey Anon!

Thank you for talking about Ray, I'll take this opportunity to give my opinion on the subject.

I feel like a lot of people only tolerate Ray because it's Khao who's behind the character, so you're not alone! Your thought regarding real life is valid, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It's essential to understand that choosing not to want to be with someone who has addictions doesn't automatically imply thinking that person is a bad person. A person's first instinct is always going to be to protect themselves and setting clear boundaries is a big step toward that. It's not necessarily related to dehumanizing the person with addictions, but to recognizing one's own limits and needs. After all, addictions are complex and can affect the dynamics of a relationship in a variety of ways. While it's important to offer compassion and support to those struggling with addiction, it's valid for others to choose not to expose themselves to situations that may be detrimental to their well-being.

Still, the dehumanization of people with addictions (whether real or fictitious) is a real issue and it's critical to remember that people struggling with addictions deserve compassion and support too.

In this context, Top and Cheum's scene helps us to reflect on the matter. Cheum refers to Ray as some kind of animal they can only hang out with if they have him under control. Without having it under control, Ray doesn't deserve to hang out with Mew?

Personal responsibility: Understanding and supporting someone with addictions involves acknowledging the struggle, but not excusing actions that harm others. Seeking help and taking responsibility for one's own behavior is crucial.

However, it's essential that the audience understands the difference between understanding and supporting someone with addictions and excusing harmful behaviors.

Here are some tips to ponder whether we're excusing or supporting and understanding a person (real or fictional) with addictions.

Setting limits: Support involves fostering growth and positive change. If someone excuses harmful behaviors without the expectation of change, they are more likely to be crossing the line into the excuse.

Awareness of consequences: Understanding does not mean ignoring the consequences of actions. Those who excuse harmful behaviors can minimize the repercussions, while those who understand recognize the difficulties but do not underestimate the negative consequences.

Fostering growth: Supporting someone with addictions involves encouraging personal growth and looking for constructive ways to address challenges. Excusing harmful behaviors could involve passive acceptance of harmful actions without a clear drive toward improvement.

I'd like to add, much is said about how addictions affect Ray's personality but little is said about how trauma contributed to the origin of much of Ray's behavior patterns. In fact, many of Ray's behaviors (intensified by being intoxicated) are inherent to his personality. Ray's inclination toward violence, disregard for others' boundaries, possessiveness, desire to purchase affection, and stereotypical affluent behavior constitute his inherent traits. Even if Ray abstains from alcohol or drugs, these behaviors persist. Sobriety primarily enhances his capacity for reflection and attempting behavioral changes. The origin of Ray's behavioral patterns isn't in his substance dependencies but in his experienced traumas. His possessiveness, willingness for multiple relationships without preference and attraction to maternal figures like Mew or Sand stem from a deep fear of abandonment. In contrast, his violent tendencies trace back to the affectionless and hostile environment of his upbringing.

In conclusion, let's reflect and understand the way in which addictions affect Ray but let's not ignore that addictions aren't the cause of the problems but a way to cope with the inner real problems. In this regard, rehab can help treat addiction itself, but therapy is crucial to addressing the underlying roots of those behavior patterns. If the origin of behavior patterns is not addressed, unhealthy coping mechanisms may continue to emerge. Coping with and overcoming trauma, learning healthier coping strategies and changing those patterns takes time and ongoing effort.

[laurenkmyers]

Ok, so... besides KinnPorsche, I don't think I've ever watched a BL series in real time and so far I've seen just like eleven of them in total. But as usual your posts made me watch the first episode of Only Friends and now I'm scared.😃Based on your BL knowledge, how likely is it that at least one couple will make it in the end (so I can prepare)? So far I've watched BLs only with a happy ending and I'm not sure I'm ready for a show with a completely bad one.😂 This show'll be so messy, oh boy.

*screams* this post is so unironically funny.

you watch one bl and then you're sucked into the world of terrible stories, terrible tropes, (sometimes) terrible acting, and you're set for life.

only friends is going to be messy, you're right. however, i do have a very strong belief that the sandray (firstkhao) ship might actually end up together. i also think khao might have slipped up and mentioned that they do. but he could also just be a little shit who lies through his goddamn teeth. i also really kinda want bostonnick to be endgame, but i don't have my hopes too high. boston is the mess.

but i have a feeling that sand might be exactly the kind of man who can handle the type of mess that is ray. but we're on this wonderful, messy journey together nonnie, and isn't that the fun part??

[gunsatthaphan]

It's funny with people looking at all the stills of sanray and saying all they ever seem to be doing is fighting or looking pissed off at each other like...in the last few released they only look like they're fighting in that one first pic out of the three. if anything they look like they're staring flirtily and daringly with a sexual undertone 80% of the time and for the other bit they're arguing a little. DJDJRJRJ. like pls we all knew they were gonna be dramatic bc san clearly isn't as casual about their whole deal as ray bUT to me it looks like a healthy dose of angst mixed with the fun sexual tension drama we're hoping for from OF generally 😭😭😭 and let's not forget that from the trailer we see they do have SOME (admittedly very few we've been shown) genuinely sweeter moments too, so call me crazy maybe but in some of the stills I'd say you can see a hint of that admiration in their gazes on each other and a softer gentler thing hiding there. maybe that's just on how well Khao and First act through expressions and eyes alone but yeah. I had to say it somewhere like I kNOW they're dumb and dramatic and pent up but every single one of the pairings seems to have one party catching feels harder than the other. Nick in nickboston, San in sanray and Mew in mewtop. So I feel like they're purposefully trying to make us think sanray is gonna be an angst train with hardly any let up when actually every pairing fights eventually in the trailer 👀

people think they look pissed? I don't think they looked pissed lmao

sizzling tension and an abundance of chemistry is all I'm seeing when I look at these stills lmao.

Knowing that their story will be super dramatic apparently, there sure will be some fights but also the truth is I have no idea what to expect with them? like there's all these theories out there and I'm like?? what's your source lmao. We got a rough idea of what BostonNick and TopMew will be about but with them I really have no clue other than San not being okay with the casual thing - but even that I'm not sure about? they're keeping us completely in the dark. so idk where ppl are getting all these ideas from dfjkghfd. I decided not to make any more theories because I wanna stay as sane as possible until this airs djgkfdfg so yeah.

we'll have to wait and see 🤷🏼‍♀️

xxx

[savagebisand]

on the one hand, you all know I love a good I laugh in the face of despair move here, and I could make a joke about how we've all been begging for some vindication and to see Ray weeping on his knees for Sand. On the other, this will devastate me in the best way and it's important to remember not every crying sobbing scene is a spell of doom and misery. Crying can be very cathartic and necessary. Especially when crying in the arms of a loved one.

I am so so glad that Sand is going to be there with Ray on this very necessary and important journey. It's so important that he remains a rock for Ray in this very isolating time when Ray literally has to be cut off from everything else to find some clarity. It's lonely and it's so so tough. The fact he has Sand checking in on him (as indicated by the BTS video we've seen where First is messing with Force and Khao is in the back on a hospital bed with Sands jacket, going through the horrors) and Sands jacket with him to remind him that he is loved and safe even as he experiences withdrawal, he does not have to suffer entirely alone through this. It's so beautiful and uplifting.

And like I say, it's not all peace and love on planet earth. Recovery leads to withdrawal and relapse before you find sobriety very often and that is going to be hard and Ray is going to suffer and hurt and lash out and Sand may get hurt in that too. It could well be what spurs the apartment argument and I just hope to god Sand is prepared for and knows these types of relapses and lash outs and pushing away in moments of weakness can happen. I hope he gets to cry and scream and hurt over Rays punch out of pain and then gets to pick himself up, dust himself down and remind Ray why this isn't the Ray he has to be anymore. That Sand isn't going anywhere, not now. It would be a beautiful parallel to Ray telling Sand now that you are in my life I refuse to let you walk out of it. Because in these moments Ray is going to need Sand to be his reminder of strength.

The most important thing for Ray right now is to know that when it feels like nothing is left, Sand and Sand's love remain.

[itsmelb]

The ultimate Only Friends The Series resumé

So we are here at the end of the series we all couldn't wait to see the whole year. And I just wanna say some things about the series, the actors, the circumstances, my emotions. U know me I have a lot to say in general but firstly I am just so grateful to have witnessed this kinda evolution of BL series and now let's get deeper into the mess 😆

The series

As I said it was so highly awaited that I was sure ppl would be delulu all the time. I knew that there would be beef because everyone wants mess and when they get it they can't handle it. I know ppl expect things from BLs (me too I don't exclude me) and when it isn't how it (apparently) should be (in their opinion) and it's exactly how life COULD be ppl hate, be shitty and say mean things in general.

I mean I was mad when the directors and writers cut out TopMew scenes just because "fans" hated on them (I still don't get it) but I never once hated on Ray, Boston or somebody else (like hating Khao or sb). I can say we'll that's shitty what he's done, I can say I am mad at Boston for this but as I said before life is not perfect. I also can forgive somebody when I see okay he changes for me, the other one I don't. I think ppl should not watch the series when they can't accept failure and not being perfect then. When you want a BL like in books go watch Lita or Hidden agenda or sth.

This sometimes killed my mood. But well I am obsessed with the actors of this series. And it's what kept me watching. The mess was real.

The actors

Book aka Mew: my beloved Bookie. I think he did so great. And I am not saying this just because I love him sm. He worked his ass off. He never did a role like this (playing so many emotions and naivness and all that we've seen). I am really excited to see what he is up to. I hope he gets to challenge himself again. I wish that ppl see how well he's doing. He deserves the praise for this role and all that are coming. 🍅💕

Force aka Top: I love bad boy Force. I love his smirk his laugh and him. I like how he acted the scenes from asshole to in love like a fool haha. I don't get why ppl hate on his acting. He improved sm I just want that he gets some respect. 🦊🫶🏻

-> Forcebooks chemistry was so good. All the stares and the cries and all the heavy emo stuff. I love them sm it hurts that ppl are so disgusting. They deserve the world and I am so proud to be their fan 🦊🍅💕

Khao as Ray and First as Sand: K is so naturally talented. I like his ways. I love his eyes and his smile. I like the way he and First act and be together. I like how they both cry so beautifully. I love how First can be fierce and soft. Also his expressions are so good. Their characters were a mess and they acted the part so good.

-> I realised that they don't belong on my top list of actors anymore. I mean, dont get me wrong. I appreciate and respect their acting, and their sexyness is beyond good, but I prefer others more. It's just a feeling I can't explain it further.

Neo as Boston, Mark as Nick: They did so good with their messy characters and all their deep shit. I like how it turned out at the end btw them. I like how Nick said, I can't be with u bc u are who u are but that's okay for u not for me though. I think that's so real. Also Boston is Boston, personally I couldn't be with sb like him but some will and it's okay. I can respect that.

-> Neo Mark did so good they grew on me. Especially Neo. He acted so good that we could hate Boston. U have to do that first. And Mark well the emotions were big!!!

Lookjun, Nonnie, Mond, Drake, Jennie as Cheum, April, Boeing, Gap and Yo: I love the mess around them, that Mond was Boeing was such a crazy thing. Also Drakes guest star was so sexy. The girls should have been there more. I don't know... they picked them well.

...and Mix as the first guest lol: holy shit I knew he would be there. I love him sm. And I am here for him to create chaos...and that's why..

My personal emotional ofts rambles

The emotions I had during this series were like a crazy ride. I am happy and sad and angry and a little disappointed and that's just the half of it haha. They did well. They could have done better though. Don't cut scenes just bc ppl want it, let stories tell and let them flow, be more accepting about different love lifes, different ppl different perspectives and last but not least accept failure from characters.

And at the end I would finally say my ranking of my fav characters I did a while ago and now I wanna do it again:

1. Mew (still on top sorry haha)

2. Top (yeah back on top really. All Mew said about forgiveness and that I agree)

3. Nick (just because I like that he looks after himself now!)

4. Sand (If he is there for u u won)

5. Cheum

6. Ray (how the tables have turned. I just don't like that he gets through with everything. Yah)

7. Boston (still last because I personally don't like his motives. And that is just my opinion)

And that's that. 💯 it was a ride. I am sad that this ended..

..but maybe we get Season 2 with Mix? I would watch it for sure 😆

[chaos0pikachu]

Top has gotten the shortest end of the stick of all the characters. (Imo) He seems like a plot tool for Mew’s development, not a real person. I thought they would delve deeper into the insomnia but they have not. They brushed over him doing coke so quick as well. That’s literally the only interesting nuggets we have about him. We don’t know about his family life either. It’s hard to feel sympathy or connect with his character at this point when motivations are still so unclear. So Jojo shouldn’t be surprised that he’s so ‘hated’.

I wish he was hated because he's under-developed but I think him and Boston (who also has a lack of nuance issue in the narrative) are hated b/c they had non-monogamous sex. Which the crew (not just Jojo, I'ma call them JNBD for Jojo, Ninew, Best and Den lol) must've realized too b/c they specifically cut a scene where Top was gonna have sex w a rando and cry about it.

Know, that's unfair, I think both factors can be true at the same time. I think some people are struggling to connect with Top b/c like you said, he feels more like a plot device for Mew's character than his own individual character with their own motivations. AND I think it's because he had sex with other people who were not Mew. Because Forcebook is a branded couple and I saw those stans on twitter wildin out.

I think one factor is valid - him being under developed makes it hard to the audience to connect with him as a char - and the is not - who fucking cares if Top, the fictional char slept with someone not Mew they are not Force and Book jfc.

I think it says a lot about the state of the type of hate Top is getting that JNBD are seeing that the scene they cut was a sex scene specifically. Only now that it's gotten to the point of being outright undeniable are people even a bit more sympathetic to Boston. But like, I saw people calling Boston a predator and a rapist like, 3 episodes ago lol and rooting for Mew to share the revenge porn of Boston with his father.

Obviously this is not the entire~~~ fandom but suffice to say fandom hasn't been actually all that understanding of slutty (or really, non-monogamous behavior, y'all know being poly isn't like, an ao3 trope right? boston isn't "self-harming" himself by sleeping around he just...enjoys sleeping around? but the show has been kinda regressive in terms of poly/open relationships anyway they tease at threesomes but never follow through. At this point it feels like a meta joke, lol look at ray saying him and sand should have a threesome don't worry firstkhao fans we're just teasing they're true love fr!)

I think a big factor is fans have to strong a para-social relationship with Force and Book along with First and Khao (like holy shit y'all calm down about these two). So Top sleeping with Boston was seen as a "threat" to the endgame of their ship which should be TopMew but is actually ForceBook (don't even try with me SandRay had like 100 fics before the show even aired, and so did Top and Mew).

I spoke to a friend about this, they don't watch BL themselves but they said it sounded like part of the appeal specifically with branded couples is viewers know going in their ship "wins" they are endgame, there's a low-risk factor involved so it's easy to buy in. And I think they're right tbh I don't follow branded couples because, well frankly I don't care much, so I wasn't expecting this level of fandom bias nor the existence of the branded couples interring actively with the narrative itself. It was a very new experience for me and I think I'll just pass on gmmtv shows in the future.

I don't mind knowing where a story is going, I've watched plenty of romcoms, I'm not in this shit for plot twists, but if the journey really pushes the couple shouldn't be together and I know they'll end up together anyway well then I'm annoying lol

I think it's a shame that Top is gonna end up with Mew. I don't think they fit well together, the narrative hasn't shown me that they work or even could work long term. They have all the chemistry - to me - of white sauce casserole Carol brought to my cookout and only added some pepper for flavor. But narratively, what does Top even want? Why does he want to be with Mew? Because he opened up ONCE to Mew? We never even saw his perspective of their dating life just him giving up drugs in exchange for sex which chepie that was NOT romantic to me.

I'd love a fic that explored Top more as an individual char, why him and Mew don't actually work b/c Top's trying to contort himself into someone else because he's clinging to the sense of security Mew gave him. But what else is there to their relationship? Really? Maybe Top is actually aromantic or maybe he just enjoys being un-committed but feels pressured by society to do so, to "settle down".

There's potential there to explore that I hope fandom does but either way don't bring casserole to my cookout ever again gmmtv

[aikawa-kazuki]

[11/12] spoilers ahead

im kind of disappointed (but not surprised, it's gmmtv bl after all) that topmew got back together, especially after top mentioned that he isn't sure that it's worth going back, like it would be such a power move to have at least one couple that doesn't work out in the end (especially when they were at first showed as perfect, picture like couple)

sand and ray are really cute, and ray had such big character growth! boeing just loves chaos, tho not sure what he is trying to achieve from flirting with sand

im glad that atom admitted and came out to cheum but like?? why she isn't even slightly mad at him? like he made yell and accuse your friend and you got him kicked out of project (presumably, i feel like to kick someone out of graduation project is much more complicated, imagine explaining that to your profesor). it's just so weird she doesn't feel remorseful

a lot of people seem to hate boston but at this point in story i can't? he is an asshole but also he is not real. and he is another character with really interesting character growth and it's cute imo that he wants to spend those last months with nick as his boyfriend

i still have a really small wish of khao going outside of gmmtv productions and playing in some art house film that would break me into pieces but i feel like it's a pipe dream :')

ofc, last episode might change a lot, but for now i think i would rate it 8,5? it's really good series, does a lot that other bls don't but it doesn't mean it's without flaws

if this ends in cliffhanger, i will personally go to thailand and beat p'jojo

[hirmienworld]

LET'S WATCH ONLY FRIENDS EPISODE 9

2/4

Glad to see Mew's fish are ok.

But I don't think they would be ok to witness Ray staying in for the night. Nope.

Ray takes the hints. He doesn't care, omg. He doesn't even remember the last time you stayed.

"Am I the only person you love right now?" Problem is, he doesn't love you, Mew. At most, he idolises you.

"The word love makes the most sense when used with you" my ass, again. Hope Mew is just conveniently choosing to "believe " him.

And Mew can't have sex with him of course. And to be fair, you waited a long time before doing it with Top only to find out he screwed Boston (I still think it wasn't a big deal but for him, it is) therefore it makes sense you are extremely cautious.

But in a way I get Ray being mad. In his delulu phase I really think he likes Mew, I would be frustrated too if I was constantly rejected by someone who claims to love me, without a valid explanation.

Top for god's sake delete that video and be better than the one who hurt you.

And of course Ray is looking for Sand. Mew might be still in love with Top but he's your man

Nick, you goofball, just screaming in your Instagram where you and Sand are. Clever boy.

"I'm not that important" my ass agaaaainnnn

"The power of lust" ok, it's getting repetitive, read above.

Boston's house comes straight out of a vampire movie, isn't it?

LOL "partner" on his shirt.

Boston has got enough. He's full. And I understand him. I'm a bit sad because in the end he really is the only one who never makes any promises. He's not completely responsible if others develop feelings for him.

Atom, you are supposed to be the "Boston gets a conscience era"? It's not working.

I want what Sand and Nick have.

Mh, yes, hook up and laugh it off please. You are besties, not lovers, sorry.

In another show, without Khao, I'd genuinely like to see them together, tho. It might be interesting.

Omg. They're adorable 😭 I repeat, I want what they have.

"Freedom" written on the van. Nice ❤️

"Ray! why are you here?" Oh don't act like you're not the happiest boy, Sand.

Again, in any other show I would pay for a threesome. Lol.

[thatgirl4815]

Hi! I am the SandRay endgame anon, ty for answering!

I guess my problem is that I don’t trust the OF team enough to pull that off? Like for the endgame to work for me, Ray NEEDS to break up with Mew and CHOOSE Sand, I wouldn’t be satisfied if it’s Mew who breaks up with Ray, because it would seem, again, as if Sand is the second choice, the consolation price for Ray. And my issue is, I don’t think that is gonna happen, why? because TopMew is the clear main couple here, they are the ones who this story revolves around (god knows why) and thus they are gonna make a point of having Mew realize that he loves Top and have HIM break up with Ray, and I just can’t be okay with that personally, for the reasons stated above.

I wanna see Ray caring about Sand as a person and not just as a toy he can play with and then throw away and so far, I just don’t see it? Like he is obviously attracted to him and likes when he takes care of him and sometimes I do see him caring (ep5 and scenes here and there) but then it just goes backwards in the next scene and I am back to square one thinking he doesn’t care.

And we only have 5 episodes to go, and if they wanted to do it right with SandRay, this whole thing with MewRay should have happened earlier imo (but they didn’t because they wanted the mid point of the show (ep6) to be about TopMew falling apart bc, as a I said, they are the main couple sigh)

Idk I wish they could pull it off but I am not holding my breath haha

Anyway thank you again for answering!! I am also ride or die for First and Khao tho!! I love watching them together on screen but maybe not as an endgame in this case? haha

Very fair points, and I agree that TopMew is taking up a lot of focus, so Mew realizing that he wants to be with Top again could be a catalyst for a breakup with Ray. But I also think there's a possibility that Ray's relationship with Mew and, more specifically, his own jealousy over Sand's efforts to move on will play a big role in showing Ray that he cares more about Sand than he once thought. So I wouldn't completely rule out the idea that a RayMew breakup is mutual. I also think we could see Ray realizing that a romance with Mew just doesn't live up to his expectations? It's like how people build things up in their heads so much that the actual thing cannot possibly meet those expectations.

Purely my own opinion here (of course, all of this is my opinion, lol) but I find Top and Mew to be the least interesting couple of the three because they honestly feel like stock to me. Nothing against ForceBook, but I don't see the same spark between TopMew as between Sand and Ray. The main thing I think a lot of people, myself included, are contending with this episode is the fact that Ray and Mew isn't just a distant conflict in SandRay's relationship, but a very active threat to the delicate dynamic Ray and Sand have established thus far. I think the showrunners know that, and I think they want to remind us that this show will be as messy as they can possibly make it.

Of course, if Ray and Sand aren't endgame, that will completely blow apart my predictions, because I was thinking they were most likely to be endgame out of all three couples. So I'm really hoping it'll work out for them. In any case, like you said, seeing FirstKhao acting together is always wonderful...but I will be a little greedy and say I want them to be happy together too. Hopefully that's not too much to ask for at this point.