#wasuwat

10.) Mangkorn [Big Dragon]

- I’ll tell you right now, when I started Big Dragon, I did not expect to like either of the characters. Yet SOMEHOW this tall lanky fuck ended up winning me over. He’s complicated, can’t communicate for shit and has so much love to give.  

9.) Tankhun [Kinnporsche]

- Where do I even start... this man is funny, fashionable and loves his family/friends deeply. He gets written off as crazy and is EXTREMELY misunderstood but has the BIGGEST brain in that family. I mean he truly holds the only braincell in the compound. This man deserves so much more than he is given, and I love him to pieces.

8.) Nuea [Secret Crush on You]

-The definition of his crazy matches my crazy. The way he accepted and loved Toh for everything he was. NEVER asked him to change and met him wherever he was at, incredible. He always stood firm on his feelings, even when he wasn’t sure Toh felt the same. 

7.) Wasuwat [The Eclipse]

- He was cute, artsy, funny and smart as hell. I respected the hell out of him for not accepting whatever the fuck KhanThua tried to do at the beach and I respect his quick thinking even more. He is loyal and will do anything for his friends. Even put more work on his plate. 

6.) Khondiao [Cutie Pie]

- Literal ray of sunshine. Though most of the story he seems weak, he is strong as hell. He handles himself, Hia Yi, Kuea and so much more with grace. He is an amazing friend and an even better partner. His patience with Yi deserves to be rewarded. I mean that. 

5.) Jao [Secret Crush on You]

- Literal ray of sunshine number 2. Watching his story develop and him gain confidence in himself was one of the highlights of the show. As a friend, he was ten toes down for his Alphabet Mafia and I love him for that. 

4.) Payu [Love in the Air]

- Y’all may disagree with me but this man is one of the best boyfriends in all of BL. He took Rain under his wing, and while the beginning of their relationship wasn’t the best, he really did everything to make sure Rain was being careful and responsible. He also lays the pipe down, what more can someone want?

3.) Ayan [The Eclipse]

- He is the definition of “I’m hurt but I’ll heal you.” The way he cared for Akk even though he could’ve easily just let him rot, is why he is top 3. He knew what Akk was doing from the beginning but he noticed that he was suffering, just like he was. The way he was with his supposed ‘enemy’ just shows that his character was pure of heart and just trying to find closure. Green flags everywhere.

2.) Akk [Enchanté]

- I’M ONLY GOING TO SAY THIS ONCE, AKK DESERVED BETTER. This man shoved all of his feelings to the side to help the man he has loved since they were children. Even though it hurt. Even though it was KILLING him. He was supportive and loyal. The way he forgave Theo and just continued to give him the same energy... he is incredible. And the way he was waiting to fulfill promises they made to each other as kids?! Where do I find an Akk?!

1.) Pluem [Ghost Host, Ghost House]

- I will take ZERO criticisms or arguments. Pluem Pitiphong is THE best BL boy of 2022. He was loving, understanding, gentle, caring and just everything he could be for Kevin. He had his low moment but he’s human and it was honestly, mild. He loved Kevin with every fiber of his being from the moment he met him. HE WAITED FOR THREE YEARS FOR HIM. Patiently. Quietly. He faced his fears and worked on himself to be the best he could be for the man he loved and I respect the absolute hell out of him for that. He is the GREENEST of green flags and this is why he is number 1 on my list. 

HONORABLE NON-BL MENTION:

Yeon Sieun [Weak Hero Class 1]

- I have to mention him because while it WASN’T a BL, there were gay undertones. Sieun was loyal and devoted as a friend. He was willing to put his safety and his life on the line for Sooho and even risked jail time for him. He went from ‘couldn’t be bothered’ to ‘if you touch a hair on his head, i will kill you’ and I LOVE THAT. He is quiet, intelligent and full of so much love for the people he cares about. He was deeply misunderstood and even then, he wasn’t full of hate or resentment. He just took care of business. 

🚨Disclaimer:

Originally, I kept this in my personal notes, but as I'm processing episode 11, I found these to be a little helpful in putting my perspective. So, I'm just going to make this a full text post. These are my favorite lines of dialogue from Wat. I specifically made this note on his lines because, oh, I think they're wise words, no, because his lines made a good caption of each episode's things-learned-about-the-plot, in my opinion. So, I'm not lying if I said my viewing experience of the Eclipse is very much shaped, mostly, by the way Wat see-through his lenses.

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Episode 1

"In every movie I watched, each character has a goal and motive to do something."

This was basically a set-up of almost everything. I started to mildly question everyone's motive because of this line. And by motive, I mean knowing the context, knowing where they're coming from for each decision and/or act they did.

Episode 2

"Akk was helping me. He was making Teacher Waree think she had a backup. You know people her age hate to lose faces. It's a big deal. He was trying to help, and so was Ayan. But they chose different methods. Come to think of it. Aye was pretty cool. He was totally talking back to Aunt Waree."

I think this is where I officially became very fond of Wat. Here, he did many things at once. First, he gave a narrative about the old generation (represented by Teacher Waree) as viewed by the younger generation (represented by himself). Second, he tried to put some understanding to Kan on how Akk had helped him through that narrative. Third, when he mentioned Aye, he might have unknowingly put some understanding to Akk as well. When Akk tried to stop Aye from talking back to Waree, I see it as Akk didn't want Aye to get into trouble. But only after hearing what Wat said, he started to see Aye a bit differently. And, lastly, with all that talks, Wat managed to reconcile both Kan and Akk. He could make Kan listen to him, he defended Akk the way Akk hesitated to do so by himself. How is it that Wat's not a peacemaker, the one standing on the middle ground, doing the job of being neutral, not taking sides but not staying silent either. How is it that he didn't speak his mind at the right time and the right place for his words to be contextual. You can't tell me not to have respect for this boy.

Episode 3

"Hey! What's wrong with you guys? Why making a grumpy face? Don't tell me you're jealous of Thua and Aye. / What? If you don't have a crush on him, why are you making that face? / Are you sure? / If you two want to know, why don't we go ask them? / What? You want to know but don't want to ask. And you think it all in your heads."

When I rewatched this episode and listened to this part of the conversation using subtitles in my native language, I realized something that should be obvious, but I misunderstood anyway when I watched it the first time using the English subtitle. It didn't help that I was also distracted by the focus on Kan's heavy reaction. So, when Wat said this line, don't tell me you're jealous of Thua and Aye, by you, he meant both Kan and Akk, also referring to his previous line, what's wrong with you guys? So, I think it's pretty safe to think that Wat knows there's something between Kan and Thua, as well as between Akk and Aye. He's not oblivious, just being (too) practical, and can't see what's the problem with bringing the topic up, only when there's only the three of them.

Episode 4

"The teachers were so harsh on Aye today. / Do you think someone is behind this hardship on Aye?"

Another line that gave a narrative about the situation with Aye. After this scene, Akk was seen looking for Chadok in his office. Perhaps, he knows that he was someone behind all those tests from the teachers to Aye. He might have guessed someone was behind the attacks, and after Wat voiced it out, he considered confirming it to the only person he has in mind.

Episode 5

"But I agree with you. We can't just judge people without hearing their reasons."

Another simple line as a middleman of the three friends. He validated the change in Akk, and made Kan understand the change is good.

Episode 6

"Akk is bonkers when he's surrounded by close friends. / He's a good leader. He always put others before himself. But he can be a little weak-minded sometimes."

"Thua seems soft but he's not stupid. He can surely survive. Don't worry about him."

"You seem so worried about Thua these days. It's weird. / You didn't even want to walk past him back then. You were so afraid people would say you two are the legendary boyfriends."

Nobody could ever convince me that Wat is not observant. He understands his closest friends well and knows things that happened to them. He has no problem explaining it to others or saying it directly to the said friends. Now, after episode 11, I gave closer attention to what he said about Thua. While not explicitly stated, his description of Thua's character implied that you shouldn't worry about the outward impression he gave. Who knows this line, he can surely survive, implies surviving a based-on-lies, that is the Suppalo curse, oppression.

Episode 7

"No, we aren't. Think about it carefully. Those who think differently read different books, watch different movies, or appreciate different types of art than us. / You are what you eat. What you take builds who you are."

Personally, I think these are the most significant lines from Wat throughout this series. It gave the narrative that underlies the show, as well as the motive of the World Remembers group for doing the protests over the old strict rules in general and the uniform rule in particular, which we know, is only a metaphor for a broader political movement at the scale of a country. There are layers of takes from these lines. If you want to change something, think differently. To think differently, have diverse and out-of-your-comfort-bubble references. Read with context. Be mindful of what you consume.

Episode 8

"Kan. I think this is so weird. Before this, Akk was the one chasing Aye. Now Aye is chasing Akk Instead.”

I might be wrong about my interpretation here. I think these are the only lines that highlight Akk and Aye's relationship shift in the romance term. Akk was the first to like Aye, unbeknownst to himself, and Aye fell with Akk later, fully conscious of the matter.

Episode 9

"I like a screenplay that someone wrote. His name is Nut. He writes indie film screenplays. / He likes to play around with the grey area between tales and reality. / I'm interested in what's happening in our school. The protest and the Suppalo curse."

This time, no lines were indicative of other characters or the story. It was the episode where Wat started to take pictures/videos at the school. Also, in this episode, he stated his intention of what story he wanted to tell by referring to a screenplay he liked. I guess this line, "...to play around with the grey area between tales and reality," should have somewhat prepared us for the not-so-beautiful chaos, but, whether we like it or not, a part of that grey area (edited; previously I wrote reality), that was episode 11. But that is another discussion.

Episode 10

Kan: "So the Suppalo curse is back?" | Wat: "I don't think it is."

In this episode, Wat continued taking pictures/videos at the school. That only important line he said, answering Kan, briefly but firmly implied he doesn't believe there was even the Suppalo curse to begin with.

Episode 11

"About what? I don't care who you like. What I do care is what you did."

And finally, my beloved boy exploded. He was angry that Akk lied to them about the curse, and for a reason, I believe, that's not attached to himself personally. He was mad because he realized Akk had inflicted danger on others, even to a life-threatening level. He focused his anger on Akk for doing what he had done and did not extend it to Aye for hiding the fact. And, while he was angry and disappointed and had every right to be, he still knew his boundaries. He still knew he needed to prevent Kan from fighting Akk. Even when he got irritated with Thua, he was the one ready to put himself between Kan and Thua. The boy had his rage and emotional complaint but was a peacemaker still, a middleman, the one to be neutral and take only the side of the truth.

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She's an ally

Tell them Valentina

"There's no way we gonna forget each other"

"I don't know how much further we have to travel before we find our space. We may have to pass difficult curves and crossroads we have to guess whether to go left or right, or how many times we'll choose to turn back. I won't deny that I'm still afraid. But just having him makes me feel a lot more at ease. Because I know he's my safe space"