Love In The Air Episode 2 (Full Reaction)
Added 2023-01-15 04:03:58 +0000 UTCDef still feeling uncomfortable with the scenes between Payu and Rain. There is still very much so a lack of consent and it's very manipulative the way Payu fixes his car and then insists on using the "debt" against Rain to have his way with him.
Definitely not loving that dynamic. I don't think I'll be able to enjoy their intimate scenes until Rain clearly gives consent and it doesn't seem like he's being manipulated or taken advantage of.
Also, Rain's sudden declaration that he was going to make Payu fall in love with him was really sudden and felt pretty stupid because it didn't make sense LOL. I really do hope that we get some character growth with him in terms of accepting his sexuality and his attraction to men.
Overall the show is still fun to watch tho. There's a lot of funny and silly moments that were really enjoyable haha. And I'm curious to see how I feel about the other couple because Sky is such a cutie and seems to be a lot more smarter and wiser than Rain (who's such an airhead!!)
Comments
Ugh yes agreed. A part of me wants her to redeem herself and take more responsibility, but it's true that maybe she's not the person to handle these things. It would be better for someone who's more capable to do the job.
BL Besties TV
2023-01-17 19:56:36 +0000 UTC"I think this also highlights why it's all the more important for writers like MAME to create situations in these stories where the assaulter IS brought to justice and where the victim DOES speak out, because it can set an example in real life for those who are struggling with this. When shows perpetuate the theme that the assaulter never takes responsibility or faces consequences, that can also in itself perpetuate this kind of behavior in real life." I do agree that depicting SV and then showing no consequences for it reinforces the normalization of the behaviour and does more harm than good. But I do NOT trust MAME to handle a story like that with the efficacy it needs. I think it would be better if she just stayed away from the topic entirely if she is not gonna address it all the way. That's why more BL stories these days are moving away from depicting SV and just showing a utopian world where being queer is nbd (in the past BLs were like lakhons in painting SV as inevitable and ethical) Whoever does take on making a queer film/series where SV is depicted and justice sought would have to do their research into cases like this and thier outcomes (in order to show HOW to win such cases). But the Thai government does not make public a lot of data so it would take a lot of work, like petitioning for something like the USA's freedom of information act so they can get court documents unsealed, interviewing victims who have gone to trial as well as LGBTQ+ advocacy groups etc... And I don't trust MAME one bit to do all this correctly 😬 What I think she CAN do (as well as the whole community of queer story writers in Thailand) to help advance LGBTQ+ rights is social advocacy like protests, petitions, talking about LGBTQ+ issues in interviews instead of just her stories etc.
Luna
2023-01-17 19:20:01 +0000 UTCSo true @C Sanders! It's very easy to project our own ideologies and be frustrated with the characters when their behavior or handling of the situation isn't up to our standards. But it definitely helps to understand why things are the way they are. I think this also highlights why it's all the more important for writers like MAME to create situations in these stories where the assaulter IS brought to justice and where the victim DOES speak out, because it can set an example in real life for those who are struggling with this. When shows perpetuate the theme that the assaulter never takes responsibility or faces consequences, that can also in itself perpetuate this kind of behavior in real life. But the same thing can happen on the flip side. If these shows can paint a picture of how things SHOULD be handled, it may inspire a victim to speak out. I think that's super important!
BL Besties TV
2023-01-17 17:52:57 +0000 UTCThis is amazing! Thank you Luna for sharing all of this data and information. It definitely helps contextualize things more and why this is such a widespread problem. It's so important to bring these things to light so that we can achieve progress and equality in countries like Thailand and all around the world. It's so unfortunate that things like this continue to be such a difficult problem to navigate for so many. But that's why it's so important that we have discussions liek this to help spread awareness and understanding.
BL Besties TV
2023-01-17 17:48:23 +0000 UTCLuna did her research! I think that’s the hardest thing about it watching shows like these. We enjoy the entertainment but often times forget about the cultural differences. Whether we agree or not we project our ideologies on to the characters we watch not always fully understanding what’s happening or why the response isn’t up to our standards. SA is a sensitive topic whether you’ve been a victim or not and although I don’t have the numbers like Luna I know even in the U.S the percentage of court cases and convictions versus actual assaults is substantial for various reasons
C Sanders
2023-01-17 14:39:39 +0000 UTCThanks for you explanation 🙏 it says a lot
Ailaudy93
2023-01-17 12:33:01 +0000 UTCIn summary sexual violence is hardly ever punished in Thailand
Luna
2023-01-17 01:37:58 +0000 UTCIn 2021 a meta study of 115 publications (76 academic) on SV in the Queer community was conducted. 99% studies conducted in urban areas like bangkok and chiang mai, only 1% conducted in rural areas. 14% of articles focused on LGBT+ people as a group, 27% focused on gay men or men who have sex with men (MSM), 27% on transwomen. The rest focused on the general population, bisexual and lesbian women and transmen. The study found that: - while Thailand “does not conduct active legal repression of sexual/gender minorities”, the law tends to ignore their existence. - In a large-scale study, the majority (56%) of the LGBT+ individuals (n = 2070) experienced bullying in school because of their LGBT+ status. - Over twice as many Thai LGBT+ students who had been bullied (33%) compared to those who had not been bullied (15%) reported unauthorized school absences - Basic Education Core Curriculum in Thailand covers sexual and gender diversity under the rubric of ‘sexual deviancy’ - A national survey (n = 1349) indicated that nearly half (48%) of respondents stated that they had experienced at least one form of discrimination within their family. -Another study reported 6X higher rates of rape among MSM and 1.5X higher rates of rape among young lesbian and bisexual women (n = 1725) compared to their cisgender heterosexual counterparts. - Thirteen publications identified police harassment and violence as a deterrent to seeking help from authorities. And again there has never been a national survey of SV amongst LGBTQ+ community or any public data on issues experienced by the community as the law literally ignores their existence so we don't even know how the few cases that make it to court are even adjudicated (2/2)
Luna
2023-01-17 01:37:32 +0000 UTCUnfortunately this is not a MAME trope but an actual societal issue in Thailand. Rape culture is normalised in Thai society and this is reflected in a myriad of places: - Sexual violence (SV) is highly prevelant in lakhons and is are often justified in the show as consequence to bad karma or fate and gendered social punishment—painting the SV as inevitable and ethical. -93% of Thailand is buddhist and within Thai Buddhism, women are inherently inferior to men. Their "lower karma" subjects them to a life of suffering from which they should endure with bravery so that they can eventually be reborn as a man in their next lifetime. Women in Thailand who've experienced domestic violence are often given advice from Buddhist monks to be patient and compassionate with their perpetrators as the victims' suffering is a product of bad karma from a past life. -The traditional values of the Thai family emphasize a clear division between public and private affairs, encouraging women to remain silent about problems at home and with their partners in order to maintain the “honor” of the family. As a consequence of all this: -Thailand has never had a national survey of SV -In 2010 the UN conducted a study that revealed that only 1 % of women who had experienced partner violence had gone to the police. -The Thai NGO One Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) reported that 23,977 women used their services in 2015 and only 460 (2%) of those cases were reported to police and of those 373(81%) were sent to court. BUT, there is no public data on conviction rates for the cases taken to court. (1/2)
Luna
2023-01-17 01:36:34 +0000 UTCYUP! i was v frustrated about Lhong 😤
BL Besties TV
2023-01-16 18:23:13 +0000 UTCIn Mame’s stories, the SA perpetrators are NEVER punished … (like Lhong in TharnType) it’s infuriating
Ailaudy93
2023-01-16 16:54:36 +0000 UTCLOOOOL omg
BL Besties TV
2023-01-16 02:59:57 +0000 UTCYall i just realized i can change my name on patreon 😂😂😂😂
Claudia
2023-01-16 02:10:25 +0000 UTCep 1 and 2 are actually the two episodes that the lack of consent / the lack of explanation on their dynamic really bother because ep 3 and onwards do get better and definitely are even more enjoyable (even though ep 1 & 2 are still enjoyable episodes)
Charlène
2023-01-15 21:07:50 +0000 UTCugh yes!! I agree that it does a great job at starting important conversations. But I still think it’s a shame that her righting doesn’t really do the kink community or the SA survivors community justice because she leaves so much room for things to be misunderstood and misinterpreted. If only the show actually went into depth about educating the audience on what’s actually going on because it would be such an important learning experience for viewers. Instead most viewers are left with a bad impression and a negative outlook on people in those communities and I think that’s sad :(
BL Besties TV
2023-01-15 21:06:10 +0000 UTCI have to say, I do love all of the dialogue Mame's shows create. They're great for discussions. Something else to keep in mind for future scenes is that Phayu is also a sadist in that he enjoys upsetting and teasing Rain. Which is part of what Saifah means when he talks about how no one can handle Phayu. And Rain is book smart at least. You have to be pretty darn smart and creative to study Architecture. There is also some suspicion that Rain might have ADHD by some viewers who were diagnosed with it themselves. Of course, stuff like that is never touched on in BLs so it gets largely ignored and is just made into a part of the character's personality. But yeah. I feel like I was most uncomfortable with the first 2 episodes, even with more insight into their dynamic, so hopefully y'all like it better from here on out! I can't wait 'til you get to the 2nd couple. Sky is my fave.
kisa1909
2023-01-15 20:43:12 +0000 UTCRain is like a baby i want to protect from the world cuz hes so dumb. He so precious 🥹🥹 poor dude is about to be ripped apart by Payu and its going to be great.
Claudia
2023-01-15 19:55:19 +0000 UTCAgreed
Luna
2023-01-15 17:03:09 +0000 UTCSky’s partner’s name is Prapai, which I believe translates to a Hindu god of wind
C Sanders
2023-01-15 16:54:30 +0000 UTCThe Problem with LITA in my Opinion is that ep 1 the scene on the Bed wasn't okay, ep 2 is okay because there are boundaries beeing established and safe words used but because of what happened in ep 1 and no more in depth discussions its still gray zone. Ep 3 onwards does that job a lot better.
BaoziBang (Tali)
2023-01-15 16:45:56 +0000 UTCI don't know what communities you run in, but it's very heavily frowned upon by a lot of the community to enter into this kind of a relationship *without* a negotiation first taking place. Yes, once the contract starts a Tamer wouldn't ask a brat for consent. Neither would any kind of Dom to a sub really. But my point is that Phayu and Rain do not have an agreement set up and that wouldn't fly in a lot of bdsm communities.
Luna
2023-01-15 16:19:49 +0000 UTCHaha yes last time we were told that IQIYI translations weren't good so we switched to Viki for episode 2. Totally agree that a TW or explanation is totally needed and necessary. These things are so nuanced and complicated and without properly explaining everything they're leaving things wide open to be misunderstood.
BL Besties TV
2023-01-15 16:15:38 +0000 UTCAlso Brat/Tamer fall into Gray Zones A LOT more than usual BDSM Couples.
BaoziBang (Tali)
2023-01-15 16:10:00 +0000 UTCFrom ep 3 onwards their dynamic is a lot more clear in my Opinion but I have to agree that even though it's clear for the kinky people, they should have made their situation easier to understand for non kinky people because they didn't put a TW or explanation in the beginning ec. It's a lot clearer in the Viki Translations to be fair though... Maybe you could watch those instead? Especially for everything ep4 and later A LOT of the iquiyi and Youtube translations are just plain wrong.
BaoziBang (Tali)
2023-01-15 16:06:21 +0000 UTCJust read the Tumblr post you sent. Totally see how all of their interactions are fitting in with the Tamer/Brat dynamic, esp from the POV of someone from the kink community. I think we’re running into the same issue that we discussed before about how easy it is for a vanilla person to read all of these actions negatively because of how things are presented. The best way I can explain it in my head is that it’s like a non-native speaker is watching a show in a different language that doesn’t have subtitles. The kicker is that the non-native speaker thinks they’re being presented with a language they understand, when really it’s a different dialect with a completely different set of rules. The native speaker of course, knows exactly what’s going on and can pick up on all of the nuances, the context and all the little details. The non-native speaker though, is missing all of that context and can only pick up on and see what looks like someone who’s uncomfortable and in danger. This is why there is so much being misunderstood. I can totally see why a non-vanilla person could find this annoying or frustrating because from their POV it’s clear as day and it sucks to see it be misinterpreted. The writer of the tumblr posts seems to have a clear awareness of how a vanilla person might read this or misunderstand this. I do feel that the writer though is a bit condescending towards vanilla people. There is an air of superiority when they say “don’t put down a kink that a lot of people have and enjoy just because you can’t comprehend it for yourself.” It makes me feel like they’re basically saying we’re not smart enough to get what’s going on so we should keep our mouths shut. I don’t think being genuinely alarmed at what can be read as an alarming situation is the same as putting down a kink, especially when the show hasn’t made it clear that there is even a kink involved in the first place. Just as you said, if a vanilla person were to do what Payu is doing, it would warrant retaliation and it would be a negative situation. Which is exactly how most vanilla viewers will read this because the show isn’t making it clear to us that we are being presented with a Dom/Sub dynamic. This again is why these scenes can be received negatively, because most viewers will read Payu and Rain as vanilla people. I hope it’s clear that I’m not condoning kink shaming nor do I think that kink shaming is ever okay. I just want to highlight why the nuances and intricacies of these scenes can very easily be misunderstood, which also explains why Philip and I had the reaction we had. One thing I’d like to ask though, which I’m genuinely curious about because I’d like to understand is this: Rain is clearly a character who hasn’t come to terms with his sexuality. He clearly doesn’t know what he wants and is in denial. Because of that, I think it’s fair to assume that he is far from even comprehending or knowing that he has a kink. As far as he knows, he’s a vanilla person. Yes his body language clearly shows he’s secretly enjoying it and is just fighting against it. But if Rain himself isn’t even fully aware he has a kink, how can he really consent to the interaction? Yes I can see how Payu gave him many opportunities for an out which Rain doesn’t take. But I still don’t feel like that means he is giving explicit consent to be touched and have his personal space invaded. The lack of a clear no doesn’t mean he’s giving a solid yes. It still feels to me like Rain is being taken advantage of. Again, this is just my thought process and how I’m reading things from my perspective, so maybe there’s more that I’m missing. I’m curious how someone in the kink community would navigate this situation. If you were Payu and you took an interest in someone who you think might be a sub, is there more communication that takes place where you confirm that they are indeed someone who has that kink before engaging in any physical activity or intimacy? What if a dom did what Payu, and it turns out that the person (Rain), isn’t in fact a person with a no-kink. Doesn’t that put them in a sticky situation? Thank you for taking the time to explain your perspective!! I feel like I’m learning a lot and that it’s important to talk about these things!
BL Besties TV
2023-01-15 15:12:10 +0000 UTCLet's explain it like this. If a Vanilla Person did what Payu does to me, I would tell him to fuck off and probably even hit the mofo in the balls. If a Dom does the same, it's communication and testing boundaries ec. It's so hard to explain.
BaoziBang (Tali)
2023-01-15 09:11:23 +0000 UTCI wanted to explain why it's not manipulative and there is consent because he gave Rain Words to stop ec but I couldn't because all I write sounds spoilery so here https://at.tumblr.com/lutawolf/love-in-the-air-ep-2-review-running-commentary/tkspfwzru3wu
BaoziBang (Tali)
2023-01-15 09:08:59 +0000 UTCI don’t like giving spoilers, but I have to say Sky’s story hits differently and is a bit heavy.
C Sanders
2023-01-15 06:38:25 +0000 UTCRain is impulsive and says and does things without thinking. When books are turned into a series or movie we tend to lose details and sometimes storylines get lost. To Rain there is a motive behind his declaration, although it doesn’t change the fact that it was random and a bit stupid.
C Sanders
2023-01-15 06:05:33 +0000 UTChaha yah I guess I just chose the wrong word in the moment. I get that it's because he was annoyed at being called stupid. I guess I just felt like it escalated so quickly that it caught me off guard and I wasn't ready lmao. But yeah, he's definitely an act first think later typa dude. He always acts super confident but is obviously not LOL
BL Besties TV
2023-01-15 05:54:42 +0000 UTCIt's not random lol. Rain was tired of Phayu calling him stupid. So he is like, well I'll make you fall for this stupid boy and what would that make you??? Rain is an act first think later typa dude. And this is the last uncomfy episode for the Love Storm arc. Well atleast from my pov
Luna
2023-01-15 05:46:50 +0000 UTChaha hope you enjoy the video! ♥️
BL Besties TV
2023-01-15 04:46:15 +0000 UTCI can’t wait to get home from work to watch this.
C Sanders
2023-01-15 04:45:42 +0000 UTC
