D/s Dynamics in Episode 9 of I Will Knock You-Thi's Point of View
This is the second week of collaborating with @lutawolf on examining the D/s relationship between Thi and Noey. She's taking Noey's pov while I'm taking Thi's.
The first part I'll focus on is Thi's reaction to Noey's attitude about Phayu in the morning. He's clearly a little embarrassed by Noey's possessiveness, but he doesn't say anything. And when Noey threatens to hit Thi if he sees Thi go anywhere with Phayu, Thi clearly takes what Noey said seriously, but he doesn't protest even slightly. He pouts the tiniest bit, but he's entirely accepting Noey's authority. Just like when Noey threatened to hurt him if Thi didn't get on his bike back in ep 6. Thi very easily could have gone back upstairs and locked the door. But he didn't. He scurried to get his helmet and came right back down. He consistently accepts Noey's authority. He's almost always some degree of sulky or resistant, but he'll do as he's told. And if he truly doesn't want to do something, he's capable of letting Noey know, and Noey backs down.
Thi has gotten more obedient in general, though. He felt submissive to Noey from the start(side note I rewatched the first couple of episodes and jfc do they react to each other the way a feral Dom and timid yet needy sub do), but the longer they've known each other, the more Thi has seen that Noey, while not always the most mature, has Thi's best interests at heart. That kind of faith inspires obedience from Thi. Even if your Dom is scary, you know that they'll never hurt you in a way you can't handle. They're always protecting you, however strict they happen to be. Thi's trust in Noey was very apparent this episode.
One of things I truly loved about their dynamic in ep 9 is the fact that the way they positively influence each other was strongly on display. Noey, despite his admittedly childish reaction to Phayu, was overall calmer and less aggressive towards those around him. He was helpful, and polite. Thi was much braver and more outspoken. Especially with Noey. Some might assume that this means that their D/s dynamic is diminishing, but it's not. It's simply growing into something much more stable. Thi knows that he can make a joke about smacking or spanking Noey and that Noey won't get angry. That he can be a little demanding, like when he refused to go downstairs to meet Noey after getting off the phone with his mother, gesturing for Noey to come upstairs.
Regardless, he's obedient. He didn't go off alone with Phayu after he was forbidden to, he stayed in bed after he was ordered to, he didn't argue when Noey said that he didn't consider Thi his senior, because he planned to make Thi his boyfriend. Despite the fact that they were surrounded by people.
Also the way they spoke to each other at the end of the episode was a great demonstration of how comfortable they've grown with each other. Thi made playful jokes like he was the Dom, and Noey, even though he laughed, made it clear that he was the one in charge, saying that Thi was "under" him. Thi smiled at that and ducked his head. Noey added that Thi shouldn't forget how tough Noey is just because Noey's been soft and sweet. I think Noey wanted to make it clear that his sweetness towards Thi did not change the fact that he was in charge. And Thi didn't fight him on this even slightly.
Honestly, I just love how much they adore each other. What they have isn't easy for most people to understand, as evidenced by the way so many characters looked sideways at their relationship in this ep. And I think that reaction had a lot more to do with Noey's treatment of Thi than the age difference. His behavior could very easily be misinterpreted as abuse. But it's not. It's what they both want and need, and the mutual understanding of that between each other increases with every episode. In this one, the romantic love was at the forefront, because Noey has that old fashioned vibe that he's cultivated, and wants to court Thi.
He also feels like he needs to prove to Thi that he's worthy of him, which is honestly an excellent Dom move. Noey knows that he needs to grow up, understands that there are ways in which he's immature. And he knows that if he remains that way, he's never going to be able to take care of Thi the way Thi needs. And he truly, truly wants to be a good Dom and a good faen. I think it'll be a few years before either of them can put words to the kink dynamic they have, but for all their inexperience, they're doing an excellent job at navigating their kink dynamic with no outside help. They were so natural and so much more comfortable with each other in this episode. Their relationship has continued to improve as time has passed, and I think they have a bright future.
That's all for this ep! Don't forget to read the one @lutawolf put out.