First Kanaphan, Reblog If You Agree

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

had to remake this account bc tumblr took away my messages lmao

Hi, not to risk sounding deranged I was wondering your opinion on the almost constant flicking of eyes to lips in the series. I noticed this particularly with Team/Prem like whenever winteam are in close proximity to eachother they always look like their .5 seconds away from kissing. Just curious if you think this was something they were directed to do to build the characters/relationship or if it's just happening cause of the tension in the moment- either way I love little things like that that show the chemistry between the characters/actors. I'm a sucker for small pieces of intimacy rather than grand gestures cause its so much more realistic.

LISTEN, LOVELY ANON.

I WELCOME DERANGED ASKS WITH SPECIAL FONDNESS AND ENTHUSIASM. THIS IS A PLACE OF EXCESS AND NOISE. YOU ARE SAFE HERE.

Now! With that out of the way!

It could very well be a director thing OR it could be a thing that BounPrem just know to do as actors. Prem also did it as Team in UWMA during the conbini scene, if I'm remembering correctly. He's always been good at those little microexpressions, and he's only gotten better since.

Like take the bus scene in episode 13 where Team's just barely smiling.

It's so hard for me to pinpoint exactly how I can tell he's smiling, but it's some very minute detail around his eyes. Like! He was BRAND NEW to acting when he took the role of Team, and he was already doing little things like this. According to New, he listened extremely closely to all critiques and took direction beautifully, so he improved exponentially throughout filming. And it's been three years since then, so he's just a powerhouse, honestly. He's good at so many things, and he's so devoted to improvement and becoming well-rounded overall. I'm very fond of him. ;___;

I did a whole thing about Prem and his microexpressions when I was brand new to fandom. He's always impressed me.

SO ANYWAY BETWEEN US.

It's definitely happening a lot. The first one I found at random when I went to look is the little surprise kiss during the bottled water scene.

Win looks down at Team's lips for a second, which is clever, because it cuts away to Team right after, so you're not expecting the cut back to Win or the kiss. This might've been a serendipitous choice Boun made that worked out well in post when it came time to edit the scene.

He does it in the wide shot later on at the pool, too!

It's such a little thing, but it's details like that that make rewatching so much fun because on the first watch you're so focused on what's going on in the big-picture sense, you might miss some of these little things.

Whether it was their idea or New's or someone else's influence entirely, I'm a big fan. <3

dance practice with soogyu ♡

Pharm: i cooked breakfast for Dean at my place Manaow: *basically has a boyfriend now Team: *went to home base with swim club VP twice Manaow and Team: WHAT?!!!! *scandalized shriek

Win thought Team and Pharm were dating

This is why he asked...TWICE!

And this is why he snatched the food Pharm made Team!

And why he demanded a ride, so Team couldn't pick up Pharm or take him home.

Win has a strategy. This kid is playing the long game!

I'm so glad that the UWMA franchise decided to start with a different type of bang this time around.

Did you know that you had a bad dream again? But I managed to go back to sleep. Thank you.

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

Lost in the Deep Blue

When we left our red- and blue-coded boys, they were exchanging their colors and emotions like it was easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Well...until they realized they caught feelings and questioned their entire lives, so now they are seeking comfort in their own colors trying to sort out those pesky emotions.

And they are struggling! After a night together where Team asked Win for exclusivity yet refused to commit to a defined relationship, both boys are lost (at sea, but trying to be an anchor for each other).

Team is devoid of color much like he was at the beginning of episode two after speaking to his mother, and Win is losing his color as well, which is difficult to do when his closet only features blue.

And the little blue Win does have left, he gives to Team before they leave the safe space.

*Win fixes the tie symbolizing order and submission while Team looks fully in the mirror representing his awareness of what Win is doing to him, yet Win does not look in the mirror until the end because he hasn't faced the truth of how much he truly cares for Team, which we heard in the preview for next week

Win's brother, Wan, is also struggling with the absence of color, but luckily he has Tul unknowingly providing him some blue (and support).

Team is also showing up in small ways to support Win that Win seems unaware of.

*the label on the tie and the bottom of Win's shoes are red

They won't see each other throughout the day (no practice) or that night (Win is going home, and Team is staying with Pharm), so neither can find their way back to their natural element.

*You might be thinking "they are just sitting in a different class" and "Win is outside, so trees are green," but this is the same classroom as the day before when they decided to sit in the red chairs (Manow talking in the red chairs while the green ones are in the background), and Team sits in the green when he is conflicted (the day he skipped classes).

*And Win sits in the blue unless he, too, is conflicted

Dean comes for Pharm, which leaves Team on his own. He is still reeling from the conversation he had with his mother and with Win the night before yet won't see Win at all, so he goes where he can find blue.

But his anxiety grows the longer he stays. He can't concentrate because everywhere he looks, he is reminded of all the things he wants to forget - Win's absence and Ton's incident.

Then we see the transition from Team's red into the blue through the pool rope as his anxiety and stress overwhelms him and he experiences a cramp

*Some of the ropes are colored this way while others are red and yellow. The colors serve a purpose. The red indicates that the wall is within a certain length, and most likely will be the shallow part of the pool, while the blue denotes the deeper portion of the pool. We haven't seen this transition from the red into the blue until Team becomes increasingly distraught because he is entering a deeper state of emotions

Which causes him to sink to the bottom.

Team is drowning in the deepest part of the pool

Everything Team has been trying to avoid is now dragging him down into this deep dark blue (depression). Win will save him from the pool, but Win can't save Team from the issues he keeps bottled up, and Win himself, through the previews, seems likely to become one of those issues.

I mean this with my whole being in the gentlest way possible, Team.