#blushing maiden

I don't doubt that it is also a reference to Lyanna, especially given how Jon contrasts the willowy creature with the horse-riding "warrior princess" concept he assigns to Val. It highlights the fact that both aspects describe Lyanna, making this dismissive fake dichotomy Jon creates particularly nonsensical. (Which also undercuts the idea that we're supposed to take his dismissal at face value.)

But the reference to hairbrushing especially is something heavily associated with Sansa as a character, same as "waiting for some knight to rescue her". And the example of "blushing maidens looking to be protected" also doesn't particularly recall sword-swinging bold Lyanna first and foremost. These phrases bring to mind Sansa for a reason.

When Alys Karstark shows up as a girl-not-in-grey, a maiden looking to be protected, she too blushes at one point, referencing a shared childhood memory that just so happens to mirror Sansa's TWOW Alayne sample chapter in several precise phrases as well as general context.

The context in which he praises "warrior princess" Val in this chapter is also decidedly geared toward the marital over the maternal, given how her physical description is repeated alongside her skills and courage. "A worthy wife for any lord." A bit of an uncomfortable connection to make if Lyanna was supposed to be the only point.

Lyanna is in there, utterly.

I’m currently watching Sotus/Sotus S and I can really see what you mean by saying Kong/Arthrit are like an asexual romantic couple, especially from Arthrit’s side… but… I also see lots of sexual interest/desire from Kongpob whenever he looks at Arthrit. This led to me thinking, do they actually have a sexual relationship and how does that work given the vibes Arthrit gives off? So, I was watching the kiss under the shooting star scene in Sotus S and it all clicked into place for me! Every time Kong flirts with, touches, tries to kiss Arthrit, he backs away, refuses, makes a joke, and Kong always smiles indulgently at him, like he finds it endearing… but! When Arthrit tries to back away in this scene Kong goes full seme on him, grabs his neck, says ‘I’m not letting you get away from me this time’ and Arthrit instantly goes pliant and let’s Kong kiss him. Now I can see how these two work together, Kong is normally a very gentle seme but I reckon he sometimes goes all in and his uke just melts… What do you think about this?

Sorry for such a ramble, I don’t have anyone in real life who will listen to me and BL has eaten my brain!

SOTUS - Kong/Arthit = tsundere, ace, D/s, or...?

It's certainly one way of looking at it, very D/s.

As though Arthit, being the ultimate tsundere (which is what he is as an archetype), is also kinda the ultimate brat, and what he is really asking for is his caring Dom, Kong, to step out of Kong's comfort zone and be VERY firm with Arthit.

Honestly, I think that line of thought is a way many of us work around discomfort in chemistry in BL (when it's on display from the actors) or even the sex negativity we see on display when it's a gentle soft uke character, like Pharm in Until We Meet Again (kinda the opposite of Arthit) who is showing off the blushing maiden archetype. Both characters are equally flinchy about sex, which always makes me cringe a little.

But if I can get my brains to accept that it's all part of a D/s dynamic, then it'll work out for the psyche of this modern queer person. Or indeed a kinkster and/or ally. Isn't that often what we do with the media we adore, try to imagine away the difficult bits? Isn't that what fanfic is all about? Under those circumstances does the writer, director, or actor's intent for the character really count or matter all that much?

This is the great debate of all entertainment media consumption - where is the line between art and artist? Can and should the two be separated? I would argue that if you write fanfic, draw fanart, create FMV for an IP then you are tacitly buying into the idea that the art has been produced and sent out into the world for the audience (AKA market) and is philosophically independent from the original creator as a result. Our very act of watching this thing, and then churning it back out into the word (like I'm doing right now) has an impact on that thing and how it will be perceived going forward.

The show has a life of its own. It changes as we filter it through this lens of ever changing and evolving consumers, social media, and exhibited imagination.

Sorry, that go very art critical theory deep for a moment.

But honestly, I just personally really prefer it if BOTH actors show that their characters are interested and into sex at some point and in some way.

A counter example to Arthit would be someone like Shu Yi in Taiwan's We Best Love. Also starts out as an extremely angry tsundere uke character, but we watch him relax in all ways, including physically into the relationship as it progresses.

Or like CopyNampu in the recent Thai pulp Top Secret Together. Copy is a total head hazer agro tsundere (like Arthit) although he's the seme, but also soft as butter and totally into his boy. He is just terrible at showing it. They manage to show this about his character even though their couple is very low heat and they have little screen time.

Which is not to criticize SOTUS in particular.

I don't think SOTUS or the actors can necessarily be blamed for this. It is a really early BL for Thailand, and things have changed substantially in this regard just in the last few years.

The gayness is allowed to show through in many Thai BLs now in ways SOTUS really didn't have access to as a concept back in 2016. You can't execute what you don't know is an option, or don't realize is damaging to a community. SOTUS just... didn't know any better. Is what I would say.

Most uke characters in y-novels and mangas, when SOTUS was filming, were written as not wanting sex - because if they did that would be slutty (and, theoretically, make them unappealing as characters). This is similar to how its taken a long time for western heterosexual romcoms etc to embrace women having any kind of sexual agency or, indeed, interest in the physical. (See K-dramas grappling with this right now - arches brow at Nevertheless.)

I think Love Sick is actually a bit more representative of the Thai cultural zeitgeist at its time, because it's more a messy high school soap opera. Noh is much less a uke character than he is a confused bisexual. As a result, despite dead fish kisses and very low heat, we never doubt he and Phun are into each other.

It's taking Thailand a while to get over blushing maiden. But I think they are getting there. And, frankly, a great deal faster than we have any right to expect, (given my experience with queer and feminist cinema).

Do they feel Taiwan nipping at their industry heels? Is it global queer community pressure? Is it internal shifts in Thai society? Who knows. Possibly all of the above.

But in rewatching SOTUS my tactic is just to pretend they're ace. It brings me comfort that way. Your tactic should be whatever helps you enjoy it the most. It's entertainment, after all.

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