#playboyy meta

[nozunhinged]

I finally managed to put my overall thoughts about Playboyy into words and hoooooo boy do I have a lot to say.

I watched the mdl ratings go down, the blatant hate towards the plot, the actors, the scenes, the sex. There was nothing that wasn't torn apart about this series and yet I wasn't phased for a second and I kept wondering why because usually get very passionate about defending the things I love.

And then I realized that this series is the cinematic embodiment of a very lonely path that I've been walking for decades and I am already very, very used to the shame around it.

Sex is not just my special interest, I also had the privilege to grow up with excellent sex education (thanks parents) and on top of that I never struggled with my (pan)sexual identity. Sex plays a significant role in my life. But I learned VERY quickly that I should keep this to myself if I don't want to be ostracized or bullied.

"You're autistic AND you like sex? You like porn? What the fuck is wrong with you??? That's impossible."

And all the comments I read about playboyy are exactly the same just in different fonts. Ew sex. Ew kink. Ew porn. Ew sex work. Sex can't have storytelling, plot, it's just for shock value. We all read it.

And sadly it's a very accurate representation of the role sex plays in our society. Which - ironically - playboyy exactly is about.

Playboyy is a visual collection of all the experiences of lives and people in which sex plays a significant role - even the lack thereof (looking at you zouey and all you lovely aces).

It's a collection of very important social commentary, with all the characters, sets, plots and visuals as a medium. Because this way, the points they make come across even stronger and draw out all the emotions they want us to feel - which is in the rarest cases, pure arousal. Because this is, in fact, storytelling. Even if many don't want to hear it.

Telling stories about sex is so stigmatized and shunned, it only has the tiniest place to exist freely. Just like sex itself. Every sex worker, sex educator, sex therapist, everyone who has a profession that deals with sex will tell you about it. The shame. The misunderstanding. Look at the state of sex work and porn in the world. It tells you everything you need to know.

And it's happening in the middle of the "modern" western society - Yes I'm talking about you, UK and I can't not plug this here:

*btw I am not a sex worker I'm just very passionate about letting people not just live their lives but giving them a CHOICE to do what they want or don't want to do

I existed in this tiny place for decades now and I got really comfortable in my tiny lil corner, but to see a show like this go "mainstream" talking about all the topics that tickle all the knowledge I collected over the years feels so amazing. And I can tell you, all you lil smartass purists, everyone involved in this show doesn't care an inch what you think, just like me. We're used to it, believe me.

I could go on for ages about how carefully all these topics of the show are treated but what I actually want to say is that I find it incredibly ironic that a show that depicts the struggles and stigmas about sex, exactly draws out the reactions and treatments it criticises.

If you don't want to join in on the fun, that's totally fine. I get that it's not for everyone (just like sex, he). But treating it as a piece of trash just because it's a thing you personally find icky is exactly the reason the issues Playboyy talks about exist in the first place. Hence you can thank your stuck-up ass yourself that debauched individuals like me get a gem like this to enjoy.

And the fact that it didn't just find a crew, but also the funding and the mainstream distribution proves that I'm not alone in this.

It's not my lonely little corner anymore and I'm absolutely thriving on that. Cry about it.

#playboyy the series #playboyy #playboyy meta #and no im not using tumblrs mature label for this because i like to love dangerously and want you to read it

[sunshinechay]

Nont feels like a replacement. He came in disguise but I think once that disguise got dropped, I think he assumed that everyone has come to care about him as well as his brother. I think that statement is true, but I think Nont doesn’t believe it.

He just learned his brother may have died by suicide, but also that Nant may have staged it. Nant was a sex addict, a drug addict, a man capable of violence against someone he claimed he loved, manipulative and more cunning than Nont had imagined his brother to be. Nont idolized his brother but now that has all come crashing down.

Nont is upset and sad and angry and yet all anyone seems to care about is that Nant might still be alive. They want to keep searching, they want to find him, they don’t seem to care that Nont is coming apart at the seems. That he is losing the one thing that made him want to find out what happened to his brother, the pedestal that Nont put him on.

So he walks away from the boys he hadn’t realized he wanted to be friends with, he goes towards a man he might be falling in love with, thinking that man loves Nant. He offers to be Nant for that man just once, because he wants to feel that love. He is so desperate to feel wanted by someone that he will burn himself alive just for the chance to feel like someone wants him, even just one time.

But the way the boys look after Nont walks away, how uncomfortable Prom looks at the idea of pretending that Nont is Nant. They do care about him, they do love him. They don’t want him to leave or to feel like he is alone. Nont is a part of their lives now, but none of them know how to say it in a way Nont will believe, so they say nothing. Prom tries to show him through action, but all it does is convince Nont that Prom is in love with Nant. That Prom is not in love with him.

#playboyy the series #playboyy meta #promnont #nontprom #it’s not edited and i apologize for any mistakes #nont needs about a 1000 hugs #i am in my nont feels #cap watches playboyy #cap speaks

[mygwenchan]

Teena through Zouey's eyes - Famous artworks and movies in Playboyy the Series - Part 1

My art historian ass couldn't help but notice that a few references to famous works of art have been inserted into the Teena-Zouey scenes. This was most likely done, because we see Teena through Zouey's eyes and that boy undoubtedly has an artist's point of view.

We'll probably get a couple more scenes like these in future episodes. I'm expecting something like Michelangelo's David or maybe some classical sculptures. Vermeer's Girl with the Pearl Earring or Gustav Klimt's The Kiss would also work, I think.

Anyway, if you've spotted any other references, don't be shy and leave them in the tags or leave a comment :3

EP1 Teena modeling during art class - Auguste Rodin, Le Penseur

EP1 Bathroom scene, Zouey grabs Teena's thigh - Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Ratto di Proserpina

EP1 Bathroom scene, close up of Teena - Gian Lorenzo Bernini, L'Estasi di Santa Teresa

EP1 Zouey paints Teena at his place - Michelangelo, Creazione di Adamo

BONUS:

EP1 Zouey paints Jump - Titanic movie, 'Paint me like one of your French girls' scene

Of course this one is a reference to the many depictions of a resting Venus

For example Alexandre Cabanel, Naissance de Vénus

[Part 2] [Part 3]

#kate was already censored in the pic #but it looked ugly #so i added a fruit :) #playboyy the series #playboyy meta #meta #playboyy #gwen's watchlist #playboyy ep1

[akria23]

Something I wanted to talk about is the gun scene. I saw someone say there was 2 pairings that had someone say they can’t live without the other and I’d actually say you have to count this scene as another. Because essentially the bit that’s important is the what’s being said underneath the conversation - what’s being said without words.

As Nont rejects Proms request for him to stay telling him that he can’t continue to live that way he’s not Nant - he moves the gun higher along Prom temple. This is because the rejection isn’t just being vocalized, he’s also showing Prom that he cares little for him & he will leave him once this is over.

This is where dialogue drops because Proms response is to move Nont’s hand with the gun from his head to his heart. He grips it, leans in, presses hard. This is a statement - this was him saying he doesn’t want to live without Nont. This was a rejection of them separating. Prom doesn’t get to speak tho because it’s against the rules, it’s goes against their agreement. And also Prom and Nont’s version of communication has always been more unhinged than the rest of the pairs because they’re unhinged and because Nont’s so resistant. But even in this moment, despite his earlier words, Nont is once again affected by Prom.

He backs down from the challenge by bending his wrist lowering the gun and eventually his arm from Prom’s grip. He looks away uncomfortably I think in part because he’s not as comfortable with the thought of Prom’s demise as he pretends and because he doesn’t want Prom to have that power over him, doesn’t want to have any sort of emotional bond to him. Nant hangs between them like a ghost…

When Nont told him not to cross the line, that he wasn’t Nant, Prom didn’t push or battle it - he became his partner in crime.

When Nont told him that he didn’t need aftercare because he wasn’t Nant, Prom continued to give him aftercare and moved the conversation to their plan.

Even after this conversation where Nont tries to convince him that he will leave him behind after the mission is complete (because he can’t do this life, he’s not Nant) - Prom sends him a text that basically says after murder, come home to me and if you’ve succeeded I’ll award you and if you’ve failed I’ll console you.

No matter what you think Proms motives are he obviously believes in playing the long game. Whenever Nont tried to erect a wall between them Prom glides over it and continues their relationship. Nont is in denial.

He wants to believe he’s the predator in the relationship, that he’s using Prom and will be able to discard him the second he doesn’t need him anymore but he hasn’t been able to do that yet even on the small scale.

Something I will say is I don’t think Prom is actually as cool an collected as he appears when it comes to moments like these with Nont. I say that because more than once now we’ve been shown them ‘aggressively smoke’ during moments where they’re repressing a lot of their conversation / emotions when they’re together. And the amount of times Prom took a pull of his cigarette during the first but of the conversation to Nont taking a drag after sitting with obvious uncomfortable feelings (after he pulled the gun down from Prom’s chest).

#thai bl #playboyy #playboyy meta #Nontprom #promnont #prom and Nont #playboyy the series #Playboyy ep7

[technicallyverycowboy]

playboyy: no fags, no femmes

okay, so. playboyy meta. thanks to @lugarn, @chaos0pikachu, and @cryptidafter for talking all this out with me <3

i originally started this post with "not to be that guy," but honestly, i do want to be that guy. because so much of the critique and analysis of playboyy i'm seeing is a) grounded in a lack of knowledge about queer history and aesthetics and b) veers unintentionally but wildly into unexamined homophobia.

so, given i'm going to reference susan sontag's notes on camp several times, i've decided i might as well go full queer studies major about it and copy the list style she uses. (i would highly recommend reading notes on camp. it is academic and somewhat dense, but it's a tame 13 pages)

1. so many people are confidently asserting that playboyy is not camp, regardless of what the creatives behind the show think. to which i have to ask: how are you defining camp? what things are campy to y'all?

2. the personal definition of camp that i arrived at after writing a bunch of papers about it is two-fold: camp is exaggeration, treating things that are serious casually and treating things that are casual seriously. camp is about an aesthetic of inhabiting a role, where something is a little bit off or being something that it's not meant to be.

and to be clear, this is a wildly incomplete and simplified definition, because one of the points of camp is that it's a vibe, not something concrete. It’s also something that shifts over time the relationship between queerness and society changes.

2a. camp often intersects and overlaps with surrealism, like in rocky horror picture show. very often media that is campy exits the mundane world and enters a heightened world of exaggeration and stylization. 

3. so, is playboyy campy? i sure as hell think it is. i think lugarn and chaos0pikachu both made really good points about the campiness of playboyy and it being specifically sexwork camp. (both replies are at that link.)

4. a brief list of things that specifically resonated as campy to me: first throwing american dollars in the pool for soong to catch, zouey's fantasy of feeling up teena in art class, every single element of nant's room (especially the projected images), captain's sports plot that involved zero doing the sport and 100% fucking and fantasy, the softly romantic framing of nuth and phob's sex scenes, jump's pleather tank top & coverall combination, prom wearing assless chaps to a rooftop party at 2:30 in the afternoon, the entire concept of investigating a disappearance via a themed party... i could go on and on, but i said this was brief.

5. i think the actual problem a lot of people have with playboyy is that it doesn't care about straight people.

6. what i mean by that is that playboyy is not a universal story. you could not plug different characters with different sexualities into the plot and preserve the essence of the story. the gayness of the characters is integral to the plot. the sex work is integral to the plot. this is not a world where homophobia doesn't exist and being gay is just like being straight.

7. additionally, these characters are all performing gender in a specifically queer way. they are femmes and fags, they are obvious, they are clockable, they're visible. when nice gays talk about the people who are giving gays a bad reputation and making it harder for everyone (to assimilate into heteropatriarchy) they're talking about playboyy gays.

8. comparing playboyy to only friends is low hanging fruit at this point, but i would argue that the reason boston stood out in that cast and was so viciously punished by the ending is because he was a fag stuck in a nice gays narrative.

9. and this is where the fandom homophobia comes in. so, so many people describe these characters and chaotic and messy, watchable as incoherent and vaguely amusing from a distance, but without real substance. the resulting narrative is often that no one could take their characters or their stories seriously or resonate with them.

10. again, why? why was ray and sand's high and low, blow up fights, calling each other whores relatable but soong and first's miscommunications about what they mean to each other unbelievable chaos? why is white taking black's place an acceptable plot point, but nont pretending to be nant is absurd?

11. most bls do not deal with flamboyance except in limited capacities by comedic side characters. flamboyance is a baseline trait for most of the playboyy characters. so if they feel too much, too loud, too out there, consider asking yourself why they do.

12. to a large extent, i think a lot of the criticism of playboyy is rooted in a bad faith refusal to engage with the show beyond a surface level pearl clutching about the sexual content. the unspoken belief here being that sex scenes are inherently vulgar distractions. they can't be integral to characters or their relationships. they can't be vital pieces of a narrative.

to which i say, there are nine thousand other BLs out there where the kissing is chaste and sex scenes are ~tastefully abstracted shots of shoulder blades and hands. watch those instead.

13. if you decide you want to watch it anyway, take a couple minutes to examine what parts of the show make you uncomfortable and why. and to be clear, i think there’s a lot of value in watching things that make you uncomfortable; media is often one of the best ways to dip into interrogating your emotional responses from a safe distance. 

but don’t use discomfort to dismiss the possibility that there’s meaningful artistic and stylistic choices made to serve a meaningful narrative. take a second to sit with your reactions and ask yourself where it’s coming from. 

#playboyy #playboyy meta #i want you all to know i hunted through three emails to find the rhetoric of camp essay i wrote in college for this

[heretherebedork]

Teena and Zouey really are more similar than you'd think they were, frankly. But also the way Soong smiled when he got the text from First? Aw.

Giddiest. boy. ever. Just... damn. Falling in love is complicated and it's even more complicated when you've been taught to never be in love

And even harder when he goes from being giddy to being told not to be in love and to First only hearing the most hurtful part and not the parts that lead to it... because it's about how complicated love can be and how much it can hurt and how do you find love when you're always been told that love isn't for someone like you.

How do you learn to trust and love when everyone around you tells you that isn't what you're meant for because of what you've been doing to survive? (Soong can't even argue, he can't say a word, because he doesn't believe in any of it, not a bit of it.)

Really, the exploration of the love that Soong is experiencing tempered with the reality of his life and First's own innocence coming up but also his own love as well, his own pain only making everything worse and knowing that Teena believe in love because of Zouey and knowing how fine of a line the trust exists on and how easily broken it is if you don't know how to trust, well, trust.

Because this is basically the exact opposite of the problem that First and Soong have. The misunderstanding comes from a totally different place but also serves a different purpose. This is about what sex means and what being a virgin means and the different weights placed on either having or being denied sex but also how important sex can be to people...

Teena accusing Zouey of having sex with other people and just refusing to sleep with him, Teena throwing out the word whore for Zouey because he feels betrayed by his refusal to have sex, Teena already heartbroken before Zouey ever shows up rather than giddy until he realizes something, Zouey desperately trying to talk and explain only to be shot down...

And Zouey still arguing, still trying to point out that they were something more, that none of this is true, that he wants to talk about what's wrong... ugh. But also, yeah, Teena deserved to get slapped for that. Absolutely. But they're both falling apart because they care about someone that they can't communicate with and don't know how to trust or believe in or even just love because the very things that brought them together so easily tear them apart because differences can both bond and fracture.

(But also damn Teena calling Zouey a whore as the biggest insult he can find is wild and painful and so big, the fact that Zouey was still trying to fight for him to listen after that... oof, their love is rough but it's also just so damn there.)

My two sad little rich boys getting drunk to recover from their first forays into love. But also the very sad and much more lonely whores that fell for them who are much more alone and finding very different ways to cope.

#playboyy #playboyy the series #playboyy meta #bl drama #bl series #thai drama #thai bl #thai series #thaibl #asianlgbtqdramas #asian lgbtq dramas #thai bl series #thai bl drama

[cryptidafter]

Voyeurism in Playboyy

First off, I will preface this by saying I am by no means an expert on film and it’s been years since I’ve written an essay so - uh - take that as you will! 

One of the most fascinating elements of Playboyy to me is the overwhelming feeling of being observed. The most obvious way this is achieved is through the use of video. Characters are often recording themselves or other people and those clips are integral to the progression of major story arcs (Captain filming Keen without his consent, the clips of Nant used to investigate his disappearance, etc.) There’s this omnipresent gaze that can’t be hidden from. Someone, somewhere, is always watching. You could be recorded at any moment, your most intimate and personal moments put on display for an unseen audience, and you'd have no idea. 

TV screens also play into this sense of being watched. There are often TVs on in the background of scenes. Sometimes they’re being used (Captain showing the video he made with Zouey to the rest of the rugby team, another voyeuristic act) but oftentimes they’re simply showing static (Nont has many scenes like this as do Nont and Prom together). The TV acts as a sort of window into the outside world and, in this case, we're the outsiders looking in. These characters are performing for our entertainment and Playboyy doesn't let you forget that.

Mirrors are another way that Playboyy heightens this sense of being watched. These are often most utilized with Nont as well. Private moments are being “reflected” back both to the character and the viewer. It's a double dose of being looked at. Twice the attention and judgment.

However, what I really want to touch on are the characters’ sense of being observed by us (the audience) thanks to some really neat camera work and breaking of the fourth-wall. We're voyeurs in our own way, another element that Playboyy plays with and draws our attention to (no, I will not be getting into the overarching theme of being surveilled by society because I'd be here all day).

To start, so we’re all on the same page, some basic definitions of voyeurism and the fourth wall. 

Voyeurism can be described as “the practice of obtaining sexual gratification from observing others” which fits Playboyy in regards to cam work and the sharing of sexually explicit videos (often without the consent of all involved parties). However, the definition I’m most interested in is “the criminal act of surreptitiously viewing a person without their consent in a place where the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy (such as a home or public bathroom) or of using a device (such as a camera) for the purpose of such viewing.” Merriam-Webster

For fourth wall breaks, this video summarizes things pretty well:

Okay, with that out of the way, I want to get into how Playboyy utilizes fourth wall breaks and specific camera angles to bring the audience directly into the story and heighten the sense of voyeurism. We are as much a part of the mystery as the characters. 

I won’t touch on every single instance of this in the series but a few of my favorite ones (thus far). 

In the beginning of episode 2, we have Prom welcoming us to the Playboyy Lounge. The reason I say “us” is because he is addressing the viewer. We aren’t tailing some nameless, faceless person off the street; Prom’s facing the camera and we’re put in the position of a patron. We are the ones participating, looking at the sex workers who are available, being given the rundown. I think it’s a really fun way of establishing the location and preparing us for what’s in store at Playboyy Lounge in the future. 

One of my absolute favorite scenes is in episode 6, where the university gang is talking about the best way to get all the suspects together, and the camera is hidden. It’s like the camera has been placed in a closet, left to capture whatever happens behind closed doors. We are given a glimpse into a private conversation that we should not be observing! 

And then, the university boys all turn to the hidden camera - to us - and Nont says this: 

Yes, he’s speaking to his friends but he’s also addressing the audience! We're riding along, anxiously awaiting what will be revealed next, passively watching as these characters go through difficult and terrible things. I think it’s a clever utilization of the fourth wall break that still ties into the show’s presentation overall (the characters, most specifically First, are often remarking about how their life isn’t a specific genre of movie or TV show. That’s another little fourth wall break in and of itself, but I digress). 

On to another altered perspective moment that had me screaming: the interrogation scene in episode 12. 

Nont and Captain are executing their half-baked torture plan and the camera is positioned above, lurking. We’re hiding up in the rafters, watching some very illegal activity going on that - again - we are not supposed to be seeing. We're a captive audience to some truly awful behavior but, hey, we shouldn't be here right? We've chosen to follow the story because we want to know what happens. We're voyeurs! There are also moments where the camera is low to the ground and nearest to a column, giving the illusion that we’re hiding. I just really love how these angles add so much extra tension! 

The final fourth wall break I want to touch on is the rooftop party in episode 6 (you know, the one we sneakily listened to the planning for?). The uni boys (+Nont lol) do a toast and we’re included! They’re looking directly into the camera and raising their cups to us - we, the audience, are in on the plan and now we’re explicitly being invited to see how it unfolds.

There are more instances (and flavors) of voyeurism and fourth wall breaking but I don’t want this post to get crazy long. (Reiterating that I’m not a professional lol).

I really appreciate all that Playboyy does, not only narratively but stylistically. Each choice that’s made feels deliberate and enhances the story. 

#cryptid's thoughts #playboyy #playboyy the series #playboyy meta #bl meta #bl series #thai bl #analysis

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

I really like Playboyy. I like the settings that look like a mixture of TV and theatre. I like that the different pairings have different effects, like the dream filter for Zouey and Teena or the always a little bit filthy looking setting for First and Soong. I like that there are meanings behind it, that the picture represent the type of relationship that people think it should or would look like. I like the clean feeling you get of Nont's and Prom's encounters, the feeling of money, of prostitution and that that is both true and far away from the reality. I like how this series manages to put on masks on these "couples" on these "relationships". I like how they try to play with our prejudices. And to be honest I celebrate the variety of different kinks and preferences that find their places in this show. What makes me sad is that people won't give this series another chance, because they think it is just about random sex and corn and that they can't see the beauty behind all of that. And that this whole oversexualization is also part of this disguise and the play itself and with that the beauty of this series. But I get that it is not for everybody and that is totally fine. There is really a lot of sex in this one...

#playboyy the series #playboyy #josi watching bl #I am so intrigued by this series #and it really fascinates me #bl drama #bl series #thai bl #thai drama #thai series #playboyy meta

[lukaherehelp]

Playboyy EP2 - Getting What You Want?

(feels ominous now)

Instead of commenting as the episode progresses, I'm going to go straight to analyzing everything that has caught my attention. Fasten your seatbelts, this is gonna be a long one with no brakes!

SO!

Let's get out of the way the horniness first because it has me distracted. Yes, more shirtless Teena, yes to Aob's melons are out first two minutes buT I NEED TO GO UNHINGED ABOUT THIS MAN FOR A SECOND:

he fuckin pulls in wearing converse, leather pants and jacket, a white tee and while still wearing those fuckin nerd glasses while smoking a cigarrette and y'all want me to skip it?! And then we procced to learn that he was in this sugar daddy/sugar baby with master/slave dynamics with Nant (where idk if there were actual feelings or not) AND Y'ALL WANT ME TO BE NORMAL ABOUT IT?!

I'm taking Nant's place! I'm running across the globe to be his barbie doll, all the feminism in me has left, the traditional woman protocol is activated. Sir, how do you want your eggs in the morning? I get Fiat now when he said he would let Leo tie and lock him up, this man has awaken that in me.

... okey, moving on to my actual notes. Let's begin again:

PROM & PORSCHE

two bad bitches in one single frame, they are blood related.

This two are so fuckin sus that at this point I actually think they are yet another red herring (at least Prom). But I'm not talking about their involvement in Nant's disappearence right now, I'm talking information and dynamics:

Prom works in Playboyy, Porche is in charge of Miracle Car Wash.

Prom is the older brother, Porche is the younger one. Yet, Porche is out here ordering around Prom like he is taking care of a child. Either he is truly the baddest bitch on this show or growing up Prom was not the most severe brother against Porche taking in account how family dynamics in Thailand tend to go... Porsche has some balls.

Now, Porche doesn't want Prom to work on Playboyy anymore. He even states that he must hand his resignation due to Nant be back, which makes Prom smile:

Prom is obviously happy about Nant's comeback but also about his job, he ain't bending down to his little brother's wishes.

Is Playboyy also one of their father's business? Would makes sense that you put your eldest in charge.

Porche is coming out to be quite the ambitious boy, managing Playboyy would be a much more profitable and exciting job that a fuckin carwash, but Prom gets more from his job in Playboyy than just being the maître and a possible host.

Porche comments about how meeting up with Nant again can screw them over... Why? Because of their relationship or because of the clips Nant was sending to Captain? Was one of them with Prom? Is Porche looking into protecting the family name?

To continue with Prom for a little: as happy as he seem to the news of Nant being back, he doesn't seem that thrill when meeting Nont.

clever of you to go see him in Nant's white, Nont, but I do think Prom knows his baby better than you do.

Still don't know what the fucking dynamic is apart from what has being obviously stated before but here is when I slowly slide in to talk about

NANT & NONT

First of all, Nont has run out of info and is already slipping, I was fully expecting for him to come clean to First and Zouey during the breakfast:

a bunch of babies

... yet he didn't but found out important info:

the relationship (money wise) Prom and Nant had.

the clips Nant was selling to Captain.

that he's into kinky sex lmao

Seriously now, in what type of trouble was Nant in that all the money (which is not little) Prom was transfering him, combined with what Captain payed him for the clips, wasn't enough? And that's if the money is the problem.

Nont seems to think that Nant is death (so do I) and he could have fallen victim of a rough session gone wrong. Is a possible. It could be accidental.

But if it wasn't, if someone is behind it... Let's go with our only clear suspect right now: Porche.

what is the motive? could be from jealousy or pride. Is not strange for younger siblings to think their older siblings are out of bounds to their friends and Porche is a possesive bitch. If he didn't like Nant to begin with, him fuckin Porche AND getting paid by him would probably send him to the fuckin edge. It could also be a matter of family pride as well. Maybe he knew about the clips, or maybe knew about the relationship by other means and that could tint their father's reputation, therefore also his. Specially if the problem is the clips... that shit would spread like wildefire.

quick to scream at

CAPTAIN

My brother in sin... WHERE THE FUCK ARE THOSE CLIPS GOING AND HOW ARE YOU SO NON CHALANT ABOUT IT? SPECIALLY SINCE YOUR "FRIEND" IS INVOLVED IN THEM?

anygay, he's currently distracted with Puen and Keen and I can tell he's already planning how to get in Keen's pants to join the team...

I don't have much comment (for now) on Teena and Zouey since they seem to be in their own bubble and not involved in the mystery at all, but I'm going to address the elephant in the room:

SOONG & FIRST

My mind tells me two things: "well, this fuckin sucks" and "is a red herring".

We had them going at it with their fuckin shenanigans (never better said) for almost the whole episode. But we keep being reminded about how materialistic Soong seems to be:

First adores this man to the same level Zouey adores Teena, but his eyes are set somewhere else: profit.

Now, we can go to Denial, the river in Egipt, for a while and say that he's being thruthful about how he doesn't want people to think he's with First for the money... But he is. First is a giant bhath sign for him. Even when he goes to leave First home after their little "cosplay" adventure (ominous that they were dress as knock off versions of Ghostface), he just have eyes for the fuckin watch First has eventually given him:

so much so that he gets caught by First's dad

which makes me go into two theories:

either Soong is really dumb and for real has being playing First + he's straigh up a psycho

OR

as many are wishing for, after the massive argument First and his father had, and the knowledge we have that First cannot move out due to his father's controling nature, him and Soong are teamming up to con First's dad... which I also think is a dumb idea, but how cares for now.

or at least that's it for now... I'll probably write more and go in depth as we wait for EP3, but that's my investigation work for now.

Remember, my ask box and my dms are open if anybody wants to scream my way,

Luka out!

#playboyy #playboyy the series #thai bl #thai drama #bl drama #playboyy meta

[lugarn]

On Jason Lee and Realism

I have seen some saying that Jason Lee's portrayal as an abuser in Playboyy isn't realistic, and I have to politely disagree.

(Spoilers for Playboyy through the finale. Trigger warning for abuse + discussing the mindset of this type of predator/abuser.)

Jason Lee is very realistic. All it takes is one look at real-life examples like Harvey Weinstein or Larry Nassar to see it: predators like this typically hurt a wide pool of people, not one or two specific victims.

This is just the way they work, because many predators are opportunistic. They can't let an opportunity (like one of their adopted son/sugar baby's school friends befriending him) pass without taking advantage of it. They can't let the opportunity to have the system protect them while they're perpetrating abuse pass without taking advantage. 

The way that Jason Lee exists in the world, and by extension the sex that he has, is entirely about power, conquest, and control. 

He didn't make Aob blow him in front of a bunch of guards because he thought the sex would be better. He made Aob blow him in front of a bunch of guards because it was a power play. It was remember who you are + remember the power I have over you.

People like Jason Lee have an ability to tell when someone is less under their control, because the control is what they're in it for. Not sex. The sex is incidental! They crave the power/control, and so when they don't get it, they are hyper aware.

Just like any predator, Jason could tell that Aob's loyalty to him was flagging, so he upped the amount of power he exerted over Aob. Instead of just giving him orders, he sexually humiliates him and gives him orders at the same time. He doesn't let the opportunity pass to remind Aob who he is and that he is powerless. Aob received the message loud and clear, too, you can see from him getting the fuck out shortly after.

It's very realistic for someone like Jason Lee to hunt for victims in people who already lack power. Jason Lee targets people who socially lack power (sex workers), young adults whose idealism isn't tempered by real world experience (queer students at private school), and young adults who need something and are willing to bargain (anyone needing a scholarship). We know for a fact that his victim pool includes not just sex workers but also students at one particular school that he is a major donor for. He provides scholarships, and as mentioned, a predator like him can't let opportunities pass unexplored.

How did Puen ended up at Playboyy and not working independently? Not that it matters at this point, but I do wonder sometimes when Jason Lee clearly has no qualms about hunting for victims among his son's school friends--one of whom stayed with Porsche at Porsche's house for a time. That's right, remember that offhand comment that Nant and Porsche lived together for a while in first year? 

For me it would be shocking at this point if Nant hadn't also had a similar experience as Zouey and that was part of his desire to expose Jason Lee. I have a feeling that based on Teena's reaction to Zouey's painting that the 'I had sadistic sex' from Teena in episode 6 at the party was Jason Lee too. 

A connecting thread that I haven't seen people mention is the letter necklaces. Teena, Nant, and Phop all have them. We know where Phop got his, but we don't know where Nant or Teena got theirs. In a show with this much visual language it seems like an interesting thread which hasn't really been considered by fandom yet, so I urge all of us to think about the above facts and other visual cues to better understand what is going on.

Jason Lee's main victim pools are Playboyy and the International School. It would be very surprising to anyone familiar with this type of abuser if he didn't hurt an extensive number of people in both of these pools. We know of three victims for sure, but there are a lot of cues that point to the idea that his victim pool is much larger. 

The size of the pool is not unrealistic at all. It's incredibly realistic, to a point where it's uncomfortable to watch and think about deeply sometimes. But that's for me part of why I love the show: we just don't typically get this level of realism about sexual coercion and abuse from BL. Playboyy makes me feel seen in this regard because it's somebody finally showing the systems of abuse and power that I'm most familiar with from my life experiences. 

Media representation isn't just about the good parts. Seeing the worst parts of my life onscreen and watching characters navigate it with the safety/distance of fiction has been super healing in a lot of ways for me. 

Jason Lee is realistic. That's why Playboyy makes me feel like someone understands me and some of my traumatic experiences.

#playboyy #playboyy meta #playboyy the series #jason lee playboyy #character meta

[autisticbokutoenthusiast]

i have spent the whole show being like "is this the ep where we learn about zoueys trauma" but like... they told us it before the final ep. like we see the scene of zouey trying get off to this painting at the beginning, but didn't know who it was. we then have his whole "how could you do that knowing what i went through" moment, which isnt an explicit explaination of what happened to him but many of us could guess and then connect it to the painting. literally a few days ago i joked around about the person in the painting being jason and how wild that would be..... ive also been saying that zouey felt like an unreliable narrator.... im so excited to rewatch this show cause of all the details i need to pick up.

#playboyy the series #playboyy meta #playboyy spoilers

[sunshinechay]

Many others have spoken about this but I want to add to the screaming by saying how much I love the conversation that Playboyy is having about consent so far. Someone asks for it, someone gives it. Consistently every episode, someone talks about how important it is. How important it is to get it, to make sure it’s enthusiastic and how it not being so can be bad. How it can be frustrating when it isn’t given but the important thing is to make sure you stop and reassess with your partner before you continue.

This show has a lot of sex yes, but I think it’s one of the best ways to show that consent for this type of story. It’s about sex, the many ways sex can be had, the many ways sex can influence a person in ways both good and bad. Consent is consistently at the forefront and I am enjoying the hell out of it.

This show is trying to talk about how important being honest with your partner(s) is. How important it is to make sure that they know everything and can consent to it whole heartedly.

First and Soong both clearly have feelings for each other, but they are not being honest with each other. Neither thinks they are can be and they are a prime example of what happens when the truth comes out but not from the person it should.

Teena is not being honest about how frustrated he is that Zouey doesn’t want to have a specific kind of sex with him and I absolutely think he knows it’s because Zouey isn’t telling him something important. So as dumb as he is for believing Zouey actually has had sex before because of Captain’s clip, I get why he thinks that. He thinks it because Zouey is lying by omission. Only he misses that he is also lying by omission. He hasn’t told Zouey the original reason for his pursuit and Zouey is going to out and it’s going to suck.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Prom and Nont’s sexual tension feels more romantic after Prom figures out that Nont isn’t Nant. That Nont admits it. Both are being more honest with each other (though I wouldn’t be surprised if both have one more thing hidden up their sleeve). I think it’s not a coincidence that Prom feels less threatening from a narrative sense. All of his scenes have a softer edge to them this episode, because the two are finally being truthful.

Nuth and Phop’s scenes feels inherently creepy and haunting and it is at least partly because we know Phop doesn’t really want to be doing what he is doing. Still he lies and gives Nuth consent but he doesn’t want to. He lies that he bought Nant’s laptop from a secondhand store (I haven’t never seen a more obvious lie in this show yet).

It’s only when the characters start being honest that the truth can revealed. It’s only when the truth is known that we will know what happened to Nant. That all of the couples will know if their relationships can last or if they will crash and burn under the weight of life, lies and the truth.

#playboyy the series #playboyy meta #teenazouey #promnont #firstsoong #soongfirst #this makes no sense #but i can’t stop thinking about it #cap watches playboyy the series #cap speaks

[mygwenchan]

Since I still see people complaining about the sex scenes in Playboyy:

The stark contrast between artistically crafted shots of non-sexual scenes (some of those truly look like they could be art installations) and sex scenes that seem unaesthetic, hasty, somewhat badly performed and sometimes even comical, highlights the conflict between what we expect and dream of versus the true nature of interpersonal relationships.

Dream versus reality is one of the big themes in this series. We can see it in the way the characters expect certain things from their relationships, only to be repeatedly confronted with the fact that they won't get what they want. Teena dreams of sleeping with a virgin, but both his feelings and Zouey's hesitation get in the way of it. Zouey wants to conform to society's expectations about sex, he really does try. But in the end sex repulses him for some reason. First dreams of running away from home to have a steamy affair with some hot guy, but he learns that Soong isn't really into the idea. Soong seems to like First, but he is hit with the reality that affection won't be able to buy you dinner and it won't pay your rent. And then we have Nont who tells himself that his brother is still alive, while deep down he already knows that something bad must've happend to Nant (I'm delulu about that too, so I feel you Nont!)

Likewise the viewer is also forced back into reality. The dreamlike sequences end abruptly and instead quick humping and bad audio (the Japanese!) is thrown at us. Did you expect something kinky and hot? Did you expect romantic kisses in the rain? Well, you won't get any of that! In Playboyy sex scenes are used as a tool to make the viewer look beyond the dream. Sometimes sex is used for educational purposes or it tells us more about a character and sometimes it makes us think about our own relationship with kink and sex.

In addition, I believe it is also a direct critique towards the majority of BL series that are out on the market right now. Because those shows usually try to ascend sex between two men onto a higher plane. They only highlight the dreamlike romantic aspects of gay relationships and ignore real life issues, even the really small things (how many sex scenes have we all seen where they don't even use the lube and simply go straight at it...). Sex is not soft background music, slow motion shots, perfect hair and pretty make up, the right pose at the right time... Instead it can be messy, funny, weird, with sweat pouring down your face and smeared mascara.

#playboyy the series #playboyy #playboyy meta

[akria23]

Suspect / Character Chart Update:

Nobody:

So this week’s episode moved us off the path of Nuth as he claimed that Nant committed suicide - including some possible flashbacks of the body. This moves my Nobody theory - specifically Nobody: Theory A into sus rank 1.

Do I believe that Nant committed suicide tho? No I’m not convinced yet. I do think he’d have a lot of reasons for suicide - which I pointed out the first time I posted - but there’s so many questions left with that option. Where’s the body? Did nuth hide it? Why? What about a suicide note - not everyone leaves one but it seems strange of Nant in particular to not want to get out to his brother what he’d never been able to say while living.

I do think this does move up other aspects of the Nobody theory tho - they confirmed debt collectors so maybe Nant faked his death & went into hiding, or they harmed him. We still have the possibility of psychological break & Nont and Nant being the same person who just suffered a traumatic experience or drug usage that caused a break in his psyche - I still don’t want this the most but I can see it being this cause it is the safer route to end us off with.

Nuth:

Nuth has moved down in the ranks to the number 2 spot. Hes not lower because while he claims that Nant ruined his life and committed suicide all of his flashbacks of Nant so far hasn’t shown Nant be violent or harmful towards him. He’s pictured supportive, sexualized, and a hurt Nant. That’s not to say Nant couldn’t have harmed him or even made his life worse - it’s just a possibility that Nuth isn’t a reliable source even his flashbacks. We’ve seen him have hallucinations so it’s difficult to say what he recalls or sees as 100 proof of things happening or have happened.

Also…did they ever tell us what the bloody hand print was from… If Nant was selling drugs to pay his debt is it the same ppl Nuth is selling for? Theres also these lines or cages placed over Nuth sometimes and I’m not sure if it’s metaphor for criminality or a metaphor for how trapped he feels. There’s still one of two threads they can pull and circle back around to it being Nuth so he stays on the list.

Prom:

It’s still all vibes no evidence. He doesn’t slip, he doesn’t miss. He’s almost the perfect specimen partner wise in the sense that he has an ability to read Nont in a way no other does. He’s not overbearing, or controlling. He doesn’t try to change Nont’s mind after boundaries are set. Anything Nont says he needs or wants, Prom goes along with - an active supporter (plotting, research, giving him the weapon). But that’s the thing, Nont is more honest with him than he is with any other characters - and he has to see the frayed edges but he doesn’t pull Nont back at all. He enables…he’s supporting his descent.

The question I’m lost on is why. Maybe it’s empathy, relatability- I too am sadistic in my way, I too have rage, I wanna kill someone - and because he’s so good at repressing he admires & desires Nont who doesn’t repress who just acts and reacts. And this is what makes them revenge lovers.

But there’s still always that niggle at my brain that reminds me that Prom inserted himself and then had had influence over the case ever since. The show is always highlighting something off when Prom is in the mix - the music change, the aesthetic of the room, the way they position his def in scenes at the Playboyy with Aob & Puen (which I’m sure is to show us how he’s a source that benefits from the competing nature). He still feels like an invisible hand, still feels like he’s playing chess and seeing moves ahead of his lover. There’s so much mystery surrounding him still that’s it’s difficult to move him off the suspect board.

Porsche:

I still can’t tie Porsche into his death so he stays at number 4 ranking but I still wonder if his sugar daddy had anything to do with Nant that would’ve set them into a competitive nature for his resources and therefore enemies…that’s my mind working theories from what the story has given us thus far tho.

#playboyy #playboyy the series #playboyy meta #playboyy spoilers #Playboyy ep7 #thai bl #thai series #Playboyy theories

[technicallyverycowboy]

a lot of you watching playboyy need to understand and internalize that every single sex act that has been shown is something that many, many real people do in real life. and I mean all of it - the medical fetish, the abduction role play, the punishment.

and it is certainly not less realistic than the typical slow thrusting, no lube, bottoms with their arms flat at their sides, straight to anal that most bls include.

just because it’s sex that you may have never experienced or have no interest in does not mean that it must be a stylized, unrealistic depiction of sex.

and stop fucking describing people who have kinky sex as an exotic species different from normal humans.

#playboyy #playboyy meta

[heretherebedork]

I do adore this boy and his slow, careful sexual journey that he just isn't sure about at all and that he wants to try but is also terrified of but is just as terrified of not trying and I love that he wants to try but he doesn't know what he can do and how much space and freedom the people who truly love him give him to figure that out and the grace given to him and, even when he's hurt and they go too far, he learns and so do those around him.

Plus, the way this line turned Teena into a kicked puppy dog because he was trying so hard and he explained so much and he apologized and he stopped and, oh man, these boys are darling. They're both trying, they really are. I appreciate that.

(And the way it contrasts to Soong and First and their relationship and how it fell apart for the exact opposite reasons but in such a similar way, the issues of consent and lust and want and who you want and what you want and why and how and when. The idea of consent and safe words but also of knowing each other enough to just know, the dream or the reality or somewhere, anywhere, in between.)

#playboyy #playboyy the series #playboyy meta #gagaoolala #thai series #bl drama #bl series #thai drama #thaibl #asianlgbtqdramas #thai bl #asian lgbtq dramas #thai bl series #thai bl drama