#saengtai

Could you give me a chance to get to know you better?

Saengtai hears Phat's voice in the rain and that makes them soulmates.

But Phat has decided to deny destiny and fell in love with someone else.

Now Saengtai is torn between already falling for Phat and his own fear of love and the pain that comes with losing it.

But there's also Lomfon coming in with the book and the talk about passion. Lomfon who shares interests and love.

And there's Tien just starting to discover that he might have feelings for Lomfon as well (absolutely despite himself).

It's already been a week since La Pluie has ended and I'm still left in awe of how unsuspecting this show was presented and just how lovely it turned out to be. I tend to have the attention span of a gnat when it comes to shows that I consume, but La Pluie has been different. Starting with the cameo of Nora Robert's MacKade Brothers, I find that La Pluie has challenged me to look beyond what meets the eye at first glance and really engage with the message that they are attempting to convey. La Pluie asks you to watch the characters challenge their own beliefs while also challenging your own beliefs of the romance tropes they utilize.

Love in media is always romanticized and dramatized as something that is designed by the stars and predesignated in fate. In a world in which La Pluie takes place, it makes sense why people want to believe in the notion that the one you can hear is your soulmate. Humans are bound to creating answers out of what is unknown and confusing. La Pluie uses all the world-building that they established to subvert the notion of a destined love and instead utilized it to emphasize the active and deliberate choice to love someone and maintain a relationship, even when you're faced with challenges. They subverted the 'stars aligned' trope to show that love is an intentional commitment and ongoing effort, no amount of destiny is going to be sufficient to keep a relationship alive.

I think another running theme, though mostly in the undercurrent of the show, is that any form of love without work just ends up hurting all parties involved. La Pluie, for all intents and purposes, is a romance drama, but they allowed themselves to show so many different types of love. Love is often wrapped up in the idea of consisting solely of eros, and this is especially true in any romance drama, but La Pluie did such a good job at depicting different forms of love. And how they all take the conscious effort to keep the love alive, whether it be romantic, friendly, or familial. Each of these forms of love take a shit ton of work and effort to cultivate and keep safe, without it misunderstandings brew and resentment grows.

If episode 11 really focused on that for familial love, this final episode really continued to cement that message into the relationships of our main four. Lomfon stuck to his guns and publicly professed his feelings through his project, but a starry-eyed edited collage does not mean anything and Tien essentially states as such. Saengtien didn't let himself have hope until Lomfon verbally stated that he was in love with him. Lomfon, who used to be a bit proud, finally learned how to fully communicate. It was a long journey and he fucked up more than once, but he made the effort and he grew as a person from his mistakes. Their whole arch from frenemies to friends to lovers was weaved through the show. Their development depended on how they communicated and if they were even able to communicate. You can't start any relationship, whether friendship or more, if you can't learn to communicate.

Lomfon's biggest fuck-up came from the lack of communication, he expressed vague ideas to Saengtien, but was never nearly as forward as he was in the final episode. He learned his lesson at the cost of his relationship with Tien, both romantically and as his friend. He even warns Tien that he'll show him through his actions as well, and he does. Meanwhile Tien, who has been sidelined his whole life, has finally found his own place of comfort in Lomfon. As I've seen @bengiyo say multiple times throughout his reviews, there's no magical dick that will solve ones problems, and that rings true here. Saengtien will always be one to willing self-sacrifice in order to protect those that he loves, but this time around Lomfon will be there to look out for him. To have his best interests and welfare at heart. There's finally someone in his corner.

Saengtai... Oh Saengtai, I had such a love-hate relationship with his character because he was so finnicky and frustrating throughout the whole show. That signifies that both La Pluie and Title did a good job, because I don't necessarily believe that he was supposed to be a loveable protagonist. We finally get full-blown development from him, and he for once becomes pro-active in his life. It came full circle that Tai had to utilize both his words and his actions to salvage his relationship with Patts, after shunning him out for years. Now without the soulmate connection to assist, Tai has to put in the work to locate Patts.

It was never the lack of love that was the problem in their relationship, it wasn't even that their love was flimsily based on a notion of soulmates, but rather Tai had to unlearn his self-absorbed tendencies for Patts. A relationship won't survive in the long-term if it's one party that gives and gives, especially not when Patts has reiterated the need for Tai's affirmation of their love and relationship. This time, it finally clicked for Saengtai that he needs to communicate his care. Actions may speak louder than words, but if you're conducting yourself in a manner that is contradictory (even with the best intentions), those actions are obscured. Patt's needed that verbal confirmation and Tai finally learned how to give it. They love each other beyond the soulmate bond, they love each other because they choose to do so.

Tai finally came to that realization and understanding because he was forced to face the reality of his own parents and their bond. Saengtai was a traumatized kid of divorce who had their same ailment, it's not crazy that his understanding of love was shaken. He just didn't realize that there was no loss of love between his parents, their love had just taken on a different form. His parents loved each other, but they knew that they weren't good for each other. Priorities had changed and expectations clashed, their separation was a choice to salvage their love. The catalyst of his initial questioning of the soulmate bond brought him the answer that he needed to hear after destroying his own bond. Love is work. Love will always be work. It just depends on you to choose to work with it.

This show will always be a memorable one for me. It probed on ideas that romance shows and novels tend to shy away from, glossing over the fact that no relationship can survive without work. Love is a choice. We will never know if the choice we make will work things out or if it'll cause us the pain that we want to shield ourselves from, but without making that choice, we seclude ourselves. We rob ourselves of experiences in fear. Instead of fantasizing about allowing destiny leading us to who we love, we need to take control. People aren't simply meant for each other, they work to become meant for each other.

La Pluie is more than just another romantic BL, as the story unfolds, it allowed us (the viewers) to witness every single characters' journey of self-discovery, vulnerability, and gradual understanding of what it means to love and be in love. It's not a high stakes drama and it was never meant to be, instead from the first episode we were made aware that this was a show that was going to challenge deep-seated beliefs of the characters. In a world that was built around such a otherworldly, fictional disease, it allowed for an in-depth analysis of what it means to find love and what it means to keep it alive. This show was never meant to be a simple soulmate trope BL, and that much was clear when it set its mission statement in the first episode. It only continues to reiterate that idea as it concluded with this last message from Saengtai.

"In the end, the hearing-loss and soul-mate stuff are still questions that no one finds an answer. Or in fact, no one chooses to find an answer anymore. Because whether or not we know, it doesn't have anything to do with the path each person chooses. And, we will never know whether the paths we choose are the best ones. At least, we get to choose our own paths, instead of destiny determining it for us. There may be sadness, happiness, struggles, or convenience. But all in all, it's the meaning of life. I wish you all a happy journey in life."

For my last La Pluie post, I just want to say a big thank you to @lurkingshan, @bengiyo, @shouldiusemyname, @wen-kexing-apologist, @neuroticbookworm, @sunshinechay @shortpplfedup, @heretherebedork, and so many other users for posting such thoughtful insights that really made this show even more enjoyable to watch. I used so many metas that you all made as a stepping stone for my own ideas. The show was already enjoyable as it was, but the community made this experience even better.

List by StayDandy Synopsis : Saengtai never believed in destiny or things such as "Soulmate" but rather in his ability to make his own choices. Every time it rains, the sound around him silences, making way for the voice of his soulmate to be heard. On the other hand, Phat patiently waited for the unfamiliar voice but had never been fortunate enough to hear it. Even in the midst of a downpour, the voice of his soulmate was elusive. Their differing beliefs were like a game of tug-of-war played in the rain, with a rope of fate pulled by a stubborn person trying to win the other's heart and a denying person trying to escape the truth. If destiny played a role, would Saengtai be able to go against the will, or would it be Phat, who had been played by destiny? (MDL) AKA : I Loved You, That Time it Rained

Whumpee : Phat Wetchutianan played by Pee Peerawich Ploynumpol • "Tai" Saengtai played by Title Tanatorn Saenangkanikorn • "Thian" Saengthian played by Suar Kritsanaphong Sripattiyanon • "Lom" Lomfon played by Copter Nuntapong Wongsakulyong

Country : 🇹🇭 Thailand Genres : Romance, Fantasy, Supernatural, BL / Boys Love

Notes : This is a Full Whump List • Adapted from the novel "La Pluie" (La pluie ฝนตกครั้งนั้น…ฉันรักเธอ) by eddy • I actually loved the supernatural concept of the show at the beginning - but just over halfway through it started to get messy. Wasn't a fan with how the story progressed.

Episodes on List : 8 Total Episodes : 12

*Spoilers below*