#ons nueng

[sixplusfive]

One Night Steal | (2020.01.19) | Ep8

[braceletofteeth]

I have to leave with you.

Are you alright? I'm here.

[justafriend-ql]

What happened, Ben? Did he start it? NEVER LET ME GO Episode 5

[itsbinghebitch]

nuengdiao’s top 5 dramatic gay moments:

gets sloshed while absolutely allergic to alcohol because he has a crush and needs to make it everyone’s problem

refreshes his instagram feed every ten seconds for signs of palm instead of outright asking where he is

concocts intricate rituals (mandarin assignment) just to touch the skin of other men (palm) 

casually drops the most scathing bdsm implications in regular conversation. does NOT realize the effect they have on palm

the yearning. the sheer amount of pining. pining from the window. pining from the side of the basketball court. pining from the elderly club bar. get, and i cannot stress this enough, help.

[gunsatthaphan]

“do I need a reason?”

[respectthepetty]

There is something about the show beginning in a restrained purple

And Nueng and Palm mainly existing in the purple...

You know what? Never mind! It's likely nothing! It's probably just the lighting for nighttime. Let's not be excessive.

but...

when Nueng thinks about Ben at night, he is lit by red.

Possibly because Ben brings more of the same normal red Nueng is usually surrounded by to Nueng's life

Well, at least until thoughts of Palm start to creep in

Because Palm gives blue

and takes red

And the purple appeared in the background during the daylight when Nueng was watching Palm while playing piano

Well, until he saw Maggie playing around with Palm. Then, Nueng blocked the purple

And he tried to cover it up with red by drinking into the night

While Palm remained highlighted by blue

The whole time Nueng was yelling at Palm, the purple was stifled, and the purple wouldn't appear again

Until Nueng called out for Palm

And it began to creep onto Nueng as he reached out to Palm

After the fight, Nueng woke up in the blue

And his mother showed him love in the purple

Something he has been missing from his mom since his father's death, and only gets from Palm

So he tried to apologize to Palm by buying Palm the shoes he wanted, but Palm was strictly in the muffled blue and not willing to take any red

But after Nueng was bullied at school, and Nueng verbally apologized to him, Palm was willing to give color love

But when they got home, the purple faded (pay attention to the color as they walk in)

As Nueng worried his mom would be disappointed in him as she sat strictly in the red

But, as before, she surrounded him with purple love

So maybe purple is love because we know blue boy + red rascal = pair purple and pink

Why else would the credits be in the spectrum of blues and reds making pink and purple?

Or it could all mean nothing.

Maybe cinematographer Rath Roongrueangtantisook who worked on 3 Will Be Free and A Tale of Thousand Stars just really likes purple. Maybe he likes it so much that hints of it were included in the OST. Maybe...

[aouboomseries]

"love cannot solve everything" nueng says and palm, again and again, tries to show him that he's wrong. reassuring his doubts. forgiving his mistakes. telling jokes to make him smile. holding nueng in his arms rather than letting him push him and everyone else away. taking a gun and pulling the trigger without hesitation.

[distant-screaming]

Crying and throwing up about how Palm as a character has so little agency in the story, how the first real choice he makes is to go looking for Nueng after ep 9 (after Nueng leaves him behind, after he is abandoned the moment he starts to grieve for Mam) and how even that is tied up in duty and responsibility, how Palm's decision to leave Nueng and go back to the island is the only real choice he makes for himself and even that is because he is terrified of being a burden and wants to protect Nueng.

[khaothanawat]

cool how nueng and palm have both had their parents shot dead in front of them even though they’re both just teenagers 😀👍

[prapais]

NEVER LET ME GO ⋮ 01. don’t follow me again.

[braceletofteeth]

I saw you holding the gun. I was afraid that it might accidentally go off. I was afraid that you would get injured.

[justafriend-ql]

"i can't breathe" - the privilege paradox (never let me go, ep. 4)

nuengdiao has "everything," except for what he really wants. the paradox is that although he occupies a position of privilege, that very privilege is what most prevents him from achieving happiness. his privilege comes with expectations that constrict around him and limitations on his ability to form meaningful relationships with other people. nueng is incredibly skilled at maintaining a confident, unbothered mask. but as the pressure on him mounts and his feelings for palm grow increasingly uncontrollable, the mask fractures - and as he shouts at palm at the party, it shatters.

the first 15 minutes of the series set the tone. nuengdiao's parents prioritize work over him. his dad pressures him to take over the family hotel business (despite his lack of interest in it) by saying he's "the only one" who can be trusted to do it. his dad is murdered in front of his eyes, launching him into the limelight as the company's heir apparent. he must face a crowd of hungry reporters fishing for dirt on his family and the greedy parents of his peers with a steel gaze, betraying no weakness.

the color palette is all midnight blue and velvet red - decadent, heavy, and suffocating. you subconsciously feel nueng's unwanted future closing in around him, so much so that you don't realize you're holding your breath until it cuts to palm on his fishing boat. there, it's all bright sky and open air, complemented by relaxed, breezy music. of course, this too, is a prison (palm himself says he has "no future here"), but in contrast to the darkness and formality of nueng's world, it feels like freedom.

nueng takes it pretty well, all things considered. he swallows his desires and tells his parents he'll do his best to take over the family business. when an english-speaking reporter asks him about concerns that the company's profits will decline in his father's absence, nueng masks his uncertainty about the future with a confident tone and elegant accent, telling the report everything will be "absolutely fine."

nuengdiao wears the same mask at school, proclaiming he doesn't need friends and refusing to give his bullies the satisfaction of seeing him upset. instead, he leaves the room calmly, only folding in on himself when in the safety and privacy of his beloved music room.

because everybody approaches him for personal gain, he can't allow himself to trust anyone. perhaps the most powerful example of nueng's masking ability is when he acts friendly with phum in the pool, all while suspecting him of being his bully and simultaneously executing a plan to catch him in the act. even when he does, nueng exercises self-restraint, attempting to first negotiate with phum to get his necklace back rather than rely on violence.

palm is the only one with whom nueng's mask falters, perhaps because he is the only person nueng has any real power over (or, perhaps, because he actively wants palm to see and love his true self). again and again, we see nueng show extreme vulnerability to palm in a way he doesn't let anyone else (even his own mother) see. he shares his grief and bitterness at the condo rooftop in episode one ("my father died on my birthday"/"we are our father's puppets"), invites palm to touch his neck in episodes two and three ("pengyou"/"can you put it on me?"), and shares his anxieties about his mother's response to his sexuality in episode 4 ("i'm afraid i won't fulfill her expectations").

nueng's inability to be with palm (as a friend and a romantic partner) is yet another instance of nueng's privileged position getting in the way of what he wants. each time they take a step closer to becoming something more than boss and subordinate, an external factor comes and reminds them that doing so is not allowed. this is clearest in episode 2: they agreed to be friends, but aunt nid asks palm to bring palm breakfast like a servant; nueng invites palm to eat with him, but chanon scolds palm for doing so; palm must take the bus to school, while nueng rides in the van; the teachers exempt nueng from doing push-ups when he's late, while palm must do double; and so on...

because being with palm seems impossible, nueng accepts ben's advances, mostly because he is willing and able to shower him with the love and affection he so desperately craves (side note: at least for the time being - i haven't forgotten chopper's warning). when ben confesses his feelings for him, nueng admits that "no one has said those words" to him before. as he tells palm later, it feels good to be "wanted."

but nueng cannot mask or repress his feelings for palm for long. two scenes are critical to nueng making the decision to continue to pursue palm and slow things down with ben. the first is when palm says he doesn't like maggie during their conversation by the pond. nueng looks confused and asks if it's possible that he'll like her in the future (perhaps an attempt at figuring out palm's sexuality?), to which palm gives an ambivalent response. previously, nueng had assumed palm liked maggie, and that assumption drove his jealousy. now though, there's a possibility that all of those lingering looks and soft touches and caring words he's exchanged with palm meant something to palm too.

the second critical scene is when nueng is in the bath, thinking about his kiss with ben. he touches his lips contemplatively, remembering the sensation, but the memory of ben is quickly replaced by one of palm wrapping his arms around him at the shooting range. just like in episode 3, when nueng danced with ben but wanted to dance with palm, nueng kissed ben but would rather kiss palm. he sits up and leans forward abruptly, as if coming to a decision. he's not giving up on palm. he looks slightly resigned, acknowledging how difficult it will be for them to be together.

nueng's conversation with ben at the dance hall, in which he suggests they not rush to date and take time to get to know each other first, illustrates his decision to pump the brakes with ben in hopes of being with palm instead. throughout their whole conversation, he wears a happy, flirtatious, confident mask. but as soon as ben leaves, the mask drops, replaced by a forlorn, jealous expression as he heads to the bar to drink while stewing over maggie and palm from afar.

more than anything else, i think nueng is jealous of how easy it is for maggie and palm to be with each other. when he storms over to them, demanding to know why palm can dance with maggie but not him, he is acutely aware of why. he spells out all the reasons as he derogates palm, calling him his servant, his running dog, his lackey. he doesn't really see palm this way, but everyone else does. and when has what nueng thought mattered? when have his feelings made a difference?

despite his privileged position in society, nueng is powerless in his own life. at the dance, he takes out this helpless anger on palm, the one person he can exert power over. (it reminds me a little of vegaspete's dynamic on a smaller scale, with one taking out their frustration about the impossible expectations they've inherited from their fathers on the one person they can control.) it's almost like nueng is grappling with the impossibility of being with palm aloud, angry that their status difference will always keep them apart. maybe he's angry with himself, for thinking things could be different.

while the moment is certainly devastatingly painful for palm, i want to suggest that it is also painful for nueng. when palm is knocked to the ground, gasping for breath, nueng falls to the floor too. despite the harsh words nueng just said, they reach for each other in mutual anguish. nueng cries palm's name, begging for help as he repeatedly says, "i can't breathe."

it's a confession. i can't breathe. maybe he stopped breathing when his father died, bleeding out in a back alley and releasing one last breath into the night air. ever since, he's been suffocating in slow motion, denied oxygen at every turn. palm is the only one who gives him air, the only one he can let the mask slip for. but now, the mask is altogether shattered, and nueng is as vulnerable as he's ever been. he's reaching a shaky hand out toward palm, telling him, i can't breathe without you.

and sometime soon, palm will take him to the ocean, where we first saw palm against a background of bright sky. where it felt like freedom. and they'll be able to breathe once more. together.

[petrichoraline]

palm, i don't have friends, you're gonna be my friend, okay? paalmm, i'm kinda feeling like having a boyfriend, we're a couple now, right? palm, i'm really into the whole marriage thing lately, get the certificates ready.

[respectthepetty]

I'd like to thank everyone for watching the ninth episode of Never Let Me Go live and posting about it, so I knew exactly what I was getting into before I even pressed play.

But I'm also going to apologize to all of you, because I am over the moon with excitement because I'm hoping Jojo is giving me a redemption for 3 Will Be Free's Shin who (spoiler) DID NOT KILL HIS FATHER WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE!

Please, Jojo, let us have the ending Thana Kit deserves -

Shin Remixed - The Rise of Nuengdiao

Hold on. That doesn't feel right.

Shin Rebooted - The Fall of Kit

Why did Nueng AND Chopper take shooting lessons if they aren't going to put them to good use?!

As much as both boys have wanted to avoid the family business, the past few episodes have shown us they are actually good at it:

Nueng had no issue hitting the guy in the alleyway.

He was very comfortable taking the money to the baddies. He mentioned if he couldn't do that, he didn't deserve to inherit the family business, something he has never wanted before.

And he called the man's bluff by basically telling him that he didn't want this smoke.

Nueng is a man of words, not actions, so he tried to lie to Palm about not loving him. When that didn't work, he jumped into action! He drugged Palm, left him with his credit card and necklace, and took his ass back to claim the throne. *That's growth*

His cousin, Chopper, has looked away from violence, yet had no issue with beating up Phum and some rando to protect Ben.

He also was fine intimidating An in the bathroom.

Now that Ben knows what Kit has done, Ben is in danger of being Kit's next victim.

While Kit is motivated by power, Chopper and Nueng are motivated by love. Kit has already killed two parents while one rots in prison and another is in a coma. If one more person dies due to Kit's actions (Tanya! Only because Nueng is so sure she is going to wake up), these two cousins are going to make like Mario and Luigi and fuck up an entire kingdom.

3 Will Be Free's Shin ended up taking over the family business after his father's death (THANK YOU, MAE!), but occasionally met his girlfriend, Miw, and boyfriend, Neo, on the beach where they had a business (THROUPLE SUPREMACY!).

Nueng already mentioned several times that he wants to see Palm on the beach and has suggested that they run a business there.

Nueng assures Palm he WILL be alive and hopes to see Palm happy with someone else in the future.

But he should already know that Palm is ride or die for HIM.

Palm has already killed for him (KILL KIT DAMN IT!) and is willing to put his life on the line to protect Nueng. Palm is going to inform Nueng that they either stay together forever and meet at the beach once a year or they die together right now and see each other in heaven all the time because Palm is not going to love another.

The only thing standing in our boys' way is the tension coming from Nueng not being able to trust Chopper.

But, if there is one thing our boy Chopper is capable of, it's winning over a tough crowd.

I have high hopes that they will come together to take down Kit even though this show has surprised me multiple times (Chopper not being the culprit, Chanon not being the killer, Ben knowing Chopper liked him, Palm not believing Nueng didn't love him, etc.).

However, I haven't forgotten it gave me one thing I truly desired:

Someone pointed out the tattoo IS in Mandarin, so if Nueng gets one too, I'm going on a budget for Lent @wen-kexing-apologist!

Sorry this episode made you scream @grapejuicegay, but...

Kill Kit.

[aouboomseries]

you need to listen to me. i promise that i will never leave you.

this letter is an order for you. i hope you respect my decision.

someone has to leave first. this is a very old story.

never let me go, ep 5 / ep 9

[stormyoceans]

going rabid because i absolutely adore the way registers and pronouns in thai can help build up a whole fucking sub-narrative in the relationship between any two characters and drastically influence the story by giving away what those characters really feel