Soogyu Vs. Staying In Character vs. Each Other      ( Mission Status: FAIL )

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tul: 😏 win: 🔪 team: 🧍🏽‍♂️

“it was a wonderful four months for me. i hope we can quickly meet again in bigger venues.”

Question…. How do you feel about Win Hitting Team in the face after he saves him?

I wasn’t a fan of that part and I don’t know if I’m comfortable seeing it on screen. I know it’s a mix of emotions he angry, nearly lost him, but ……. I don’t know. Hope you understand .

I understand, Anon! It's a polarizing scene, and people don't need to have a unanimous opinion of it.

I personally really liked it in the novel! It was a moment of raw anger and flawed humanity from a character who's been composed and responsible ever since he got through a rebellious phase that mainly consisted of skipping class and body modification to get attention from his parents. Literally the tamest rebellion in teenage history. The punch is also framed as a mistake, and something he clearly feels guilty about almost immediately, since he then yanks Team into a hug. The novel describes Win as shaking like a frightened animal, which just underscores for me how primally terrified he was. After all, he was alone when he walked into the building and saw Team at the bottom of the pool, probably seconds from death. If Win hadn't acted as fast as he did, he would have had to watch Team die.

And Team put Win in that position through his negligence. Even worse, Team doesn't even have the grace to even act apologetically after he regains consciousness. He's dismissive and almost petulant, and while that's his whole thing, it's just not the time for it. Of course, Team's clearly suffering from a host of mental traumas, so it makes sense for him to diminish nearly dying, but from Win's perspective, he's probably imagining previously unthinkable things: would CPR and potentially breaking a rib have killed him instead? Who do you call to take a corpse? How would he ever swim again? Sleep again? I'm not arguing the punch was deserved, only that Win's so far removed from rationality at that point, he's just trying to get Team to understand the severity of the situation they're in.

Imagine how Win feels seeing Team shrug off his near-death. That could easily make Win believe that this could happen again. If Team doesn't value his life, if he takes risks like this again, if Win's not there the next time, if he doesn't take this seriously—

Anyway, that's why it worked for me. Plus, after the punch, after the hug, Win takes Team not back to the dorms, not even to his own dorm room, but to his own family's home. Win drives Team's car, stops at a convenience store to get ice for Team's face and snacks for him as a treat, literally feeds him at home, lets Team shower on his own to respect his space, and at the end of it all, he falls asleep with Team safe in his arms. Because this is who he is at his core. He's the one who talks Team down from intimidating Alex, and he's the one who gives rational advice to Dean. So I like that the novel shows that the only way to make him lose it completely is Team dismissing his own brush with death. Is it romantic? No, of course not. Is it healthy? Also, no. But I don't want a character to make the right choices every step of the way. Their mistakes and how they try to make up for them enhance their complexity for me. I mean, if Win were a real person, I'd be like, "He punched you?" but he's fictional, so I just see that scene as fascinating to explore his mentality instead.

ALL THAT BEING SAID, it works for me because it's that version of Win.

The Win we've seen in the series isn't the same Win we see in the novel. Boun made the decision in December of last year while they were filming the post-drowning scene for the pilot teaser for Win not to punch Team, and it works so well. Because it's Boun's version of Win. Novel Win didn't have a meticulous, restrained conversation about consent with Team before he slept with him the first time. Novel Win didn't even hook up with Team a second time. There are a lot of overlaps with Novel Win and Series Win, and they're both written by LazySheep, but Hemp Rope is a novel she started around 2017, and she had to take her time and a lot of consideration to adapt the novel into a script with 2022 sensibilities and growth.

So I think Boun was right to change it because he knows what this version of Win would do. And I think it says a lot in favor of Sheep and New that they saw the wisdom in his decision and allowed him to do so for the main series as well. (They show him raise his fist but switch to a hug in the trailer, just like the pilot teaser.) When directors understand and value the input of their actors, I'm always deeply impressed and appreciative. Collaborative art can be some of the most powerful, and I think Boun was incredibly smart to show that Win did have the impulse but decided against it. I think that's just as powerful for this version of him.

Essentially, I appreciate the novel scene for what it is, and I like that the series has presented a different version of it with unique nuances influenced by an actor who loves his character tremendously. <3

Okay, so. Someone mentioned this, and I agreed so much that I had to talk about it. Thinking back about what I said in this post, not only has he figured out what he wants, and it being clear to him, (as someone mentioned) he also sees that Win needed just as much comfort as Team did. From what I've seen so far from these two, Win it much more affectionate than Team is. It's not to say that Team isn't, it's just that Win is much more comfortable expressing his affection than Team his currently. Aside from sex, we've only see Team really kiss him on one occasion and it was a quick one. The other times we see any sort of affection come from Team is during the many nights that he spends with Win, and again, it's mostly Win comforting Team to help him sleep.

I think this kiss is not only making things clear to Team about how he feels, but it's also him comforting Win in the only way that he knows how to, in this moment. Sure, hugging can do the same thing, but it's not as meaningful as what Win does for him on nights that he has nightmares and can't sleep. Win is practically experiencing his own nightmare and the only way Team can think to calm him down, and to keep him from making himself sick with worry is to physically show him. He is sad, he is upset, he is scared, but he is also acknowledging that Win, too, is sad, he is upset, and he is scared. So this makes Team feel even worse for causing Win to feel this way, and he understands more now just how much he really means to Win, so he kisses him.

It's such a simply act, but it's such a powerful one because Win didn't have to ask for him to do it, he didn't have to initiate it, Win didn't have to be the only expressing affection and emotions for the other. And I think, I think Team is lowkey apologising for not realising it sooner, Win's feelings.

expected but not surprised ⚔

The changes in the kisses across the first three episodes of Between Us. Win starts with passion but Team starts so shy and so soft and the way they each love and care and Win is passion and seeking while Team is reluctance, in need of teasing and gentle nudges, how each of them wants and chooses this again and again but also what they share... a mutual need, a mutual want, a mutual love that they are building in their cracks, shoring up the other's faults, finding the places that they are strong when the other is not.

Win is flames and passion and need and Team responds to that so strongly but Team starts smaller, starts sweeter and Win cannot resist even the lightest peck from him.

So far, the show has focused on Team's struggles but Win is there as well, Win who has never had anything of his own and does not know how to hold onto things, Win who has always been the middle child given leftovers and giving everything away when he outgrows, Win who wants to hold Team like the most precious thing but does not how to hold on.

Team knows how to need and to hold but he cannot fight his own fear while Win knows how to face fear head on and how to comfort but he does not know how to keep anything.

I cannot believe this is what we're getting in week three. Anxiety and nightmares, comfort and protection, Win looking out for Team even as Team struggles just to find a place for himself. They start these regular competitions to try to help their swim team only for Win to realize that this is hurting Team and then to seek to help him, to love him, to protect him and the way Team stiffens in his nightmares, the way he doesn't seek anyone out but tries to keep it to himself but in the end Win is still there and suddenly the way he touches him, treats him, teases him in UWMA makes even more sense because their nights are so serious, their nights are filled with so much that the days must be smiles and gentle to make up for that.

You can be afraid of the world, but never be scared of me.

To my new followers 💕

Some of you don’t have icons, blog titles, descriptions, headers and most importantly no posts (wether it’s reblogs or original posts)

To me it’s fine because I barely check new followers anymore so idrc how many bots I may get but if you’re a real user and chances are you are also following other kpop content creators on tumblr, they might end up blocking you if you don’t make some changes because if your blog stays blank it simply doesn’t look like it’s being used by an actual person. And here on tumblr we’ve dealt with a huge bot issue for years so it’s common knowledge that blank blogs are bots and it’s common practice to block them.

So just a friendly advice to customize your blog to make sure you don’t get blocked by mistake