#i didn't have this ep in good quality but still wanted to gif for the sheer evilness of this scene

[tragicotps]

Random gifs of Marisa Coulter smiling [8/∞]

[airenyah]

on analyzing acting: ohm pawat as an example

attention: read my additions to this post first for some more context as it might help you understand a little better what i'm on about here...

ok so this post was born out of me wanting to give an example of what i mean by "actors perceiving something" bc you can see that really well in bad buddy ep 3 [3/4] in the music shop scene where they're hiding and pat smells pran. however, i realized i actually have a lot more to say on this moment and that i can also use it to try and showcase what i mean with "(having) thoughts"/"creating images" as well as what "directions" are supposed to be (i'm struggling the most with explaining directions in english lmao). i ended up having so much to say that it absolutely is worthy of its own post, so here it is

so this here is the moment in question that i'm going to analyze and i'm going to look at ohm specifically:

[sorry for the image quality of this gif, i had to compromise it in order to get the file size down]

before i say anything, here's a little disclaimer: obviously i have absolutely no idea what was going on in ohm's head in that moment when he was shooting that take. so whenever i make a mention of a specific sentence that the actor or the character could be thinking it will be my very own interpretation of what i personally am seeing or getting out of it. there are many thoughts and emotions one can read out of an actor's performance (often multiple at once!) and there are many ways of putting all of this into words. i will try to keep everything as technical as possible but sometimes i do need to say what i think is going on in the actor's/character's head in order to explain my point

ok so let's go and break down some of the acting things that ohm is doing here

[gif 1]

this is a wonderful example of an actor actually and actively perceiving something. at this point pat hasn't actively smelled pran yet, he hasn't reacted to that smell yet. in fact, up until this point pat is more focused on not being caught by chai. what ohm is doing here is showing us the process of going from "don't get caught" to "pran smells good af". and it starts right here. in order to do so, in order for this change of topic to work smoothly pat has to become aware of pran's smell first. and ohm is acting it out for us: he really is perceiving and noticing that smell as the actor and we can see the controls in his brain going "oh my nose is sensing something"

another thing i want to point out here is his "spielrichtung" (god i GOTTA figure out a word for this in english) aka this is where i talk about his "directions" even though it's difficult for me in english bc it sounds rather clunky. (for those who didn't read my original reblog where i talk about acting concepts: the literal translation of this german term is "direction of playing" or "direction of acting". this direction can refer to many things, such as where the focus is directed, or an action, a thought, etc...)

here in this moment ohm's directions are both downwards and very inwards. as in: his focus goes downwards to where the smell is entering his nose while his thoughts are very much directed inwards. this is a private moment for pat and ohm shows us this by acting towards the inside (ohm/pat is completely inside his own head in this moment) ("by acting towards the inside" – sorry, this sounds so clunky in english, i mean to say "indem er nach innen spielt")

alright, moving on. so in real life, once a person has perceived something and the brain has processed and determined it... what happens next? the person is going to react to it and have one or the other thought. in real life we go through a process of perceiving - processing - (re)acting and the same thing should happen in acting:

[gif 2]

first ohm showed us that pat has perceived something, now ohm shows us that whatever pat has perceived causes some thoughts/feelings inside of pat

(quick side-note on his directions: he's still very much inwards in his direction, the private moment in his head is continuing. and despite his eyes going to the side, the focus of his actions is still directed downwards because again, that's where the smell is)

(edit: i had my mom read this post and on the topic of directions in gif 2 she pointed out that you can actually split it up in three directions even: everything is happening on the inside, then you have the sensory direction that is going downwards because that's where the smell is, while he's sending his thoughts sideways)

i can't read minds, nor can i time travel so i have absolutely no idea what thought was crossing ohm's mind in that exact moment, but it has to be something along the lines of "i gotta smell that again". ohm/pat has perceived the smell, he considers it for a moment and whatever he's thinking here leads to the next moment where pat smells pran on purpose (note: i do love how his head is subconsciously moving slightly down towards the source of the smell again even before he's actively taken the decision to sniff pran):

[gif 3]

(edit: another thing that my mom said is that in gif 2 it's like his thoughts aren't quite focused yet, they're not quite formed, while in gif 3 his thoughts are very much focused. it's like his thoughts went from a subconscious level in gif 2 to a conscious level in gif 3. anatomically speaking you could even say that in gif 1 and 2 he percieves the smell emotionally and in gif 3 it goes over into a cognitive perception of the smell. because he percieves the smell subconsciously in the beginning and the very first thing that happens when you perceive a smell is that it goes to the emotional center of the brain. then the smell goes on to the cerebral cortex and only then you get the cognitive perception of the smell. ohm's performance here really is FLAWLESS. in the words of my mother, a trained nurse: "he plays that EXTREMELY WELL because you can analyze it anatomically even, and use his performance to showcase how the sense of smell works")

and now we have arrived at the point where pat is sniffing pran. what i really like about this is how subtle ohm portrays this. he doesn't stick his nose into nanon's back and we don't even see him breathe in. and yet we still know that pat is smelling pran here, all bc of ohm's body language where he moves his head down to the source of the smell and the thoughts that ohm is having in his head in that moment. you can just see that ohm is really and actively smelling something here. and by that i mean not only just the motion of him moving his head down, but rather that again he is actively perceiving a smell as his head is filled with thoughts (his thought process goes from something like "what was that smell" to "ok i'm smelling, i'm checking this out")

and now we're back to the point where we were earlier. once again our character is perceiving and processing something, our actor is acting it out for us and so what has to happen next? exactly, a reaction to the new information the character's brain has just processed:

[gif 4]

and again we can see that ohm's head was filled with actual thoughts in that moment (probably something along the lines of "wow he smells really good" or "oh what a nice smell". and it looks kind of unexpected to me, as if there's also some surprise coming with it along the lines of "oh i wasn't expecting to like his smell so much" or "i didn't think he would smell this nice")

i keep going on and on about thoughts, and it's because that was hammered into me by my fave monologue teacher. he kept going on about "getting your thoughts straight" and "having thoughts" ("die gedanken haben") and whenever we students had no idea what to do with our bodies he'd tell us that if we know exactly what we're thinking in that moment we shouldn't worry about our body because our body will follow our thoughts automatically. we can see that beautifully in gif 2 where an underlying thought (and i don't necessarily mean thought as in an actual thought or sentence inside the mind, but thought kind of in the sense of an emotion or feeling, if that makes sense), anyway in gif 2 there's an underlying thought along the lines of "this smell is good i want to get close to it i want to keep smelling it" and ohm's/pat's head is already moving slightly downwards towards the smell before ohm/pat has taken a conscious decision to take a purposeful sniff. the power of thought y'all. thought is a powerful tool when it comes to acting. and it's really obvious when an actor is in no-thoughts-head-empty mode. unfortunately i don't have an example of a thought-less actor on hand, or i would show you. ok, that's a lie, actually. i do have some examples, but they either don't work as a tumblr post (once again i wish i could do this one acting analysis project i did with my uni friend with online people as well) orrrr i don't want to share them publicly bc i don't wanna hurt anyone's feelings and i want to avoid angry anons in my ask box or getting into arguments with random internet users (i quite like my quiet, peaceful tumblr life where i'm a nobody, thanks)

okay, now back to bad buddy and ohm:

in the other post where i talk about acting i mention that while my monologue teacher would talk a lot about thoughts, my mother instead likes to talk about "creating images". my mom likes to think of it as a flipbook where you have individual pictures that make a moving image when going from one picture to the next at speed. personally i think you can also think of it as individual panels of a comic book that together tell a narrative arch. if we look at the first part from this perspective, as if if were a comic, we can see that ohm provides the audience with these clear images:

image 1: perceiving a smell, becoming aware of it, noticing it

image 2: reacting to that first whiff, something along the lines of "is this pran's smell? i gotta smell pran. for science. to see if that nice smell is him"

image 3: smelling on purpose, there is an aim to the action, it is motivated by thought and by what happened previously

image 4: another reaction to the perceived smell, this time it's a realization and/or a conclusion (the realization could be something like "oh i like the way pran smells" and the conclusion would be "yes what i sensed earlier was in fact pran's smell")

in full:

[gif 5]

it has only been three (3!!) seconds (yes i went and checked the duration of that clip on premiere pro) and ohm has already told us an entire story arc. god, i LOVE it when actors do actor things

alright, let's continue with part 2:

so now we get to the part where pran (nanon) comes in with an impatient "what now?" and pat (ohm) reacts

[gif 6]

since ohm is a good actor he once again presents us with that split second where we can see that he was actively listening to nanon's line, we get to see the moment where pat's brain is processing pran's comment and comes up with a reply. once again ohm is acting this all out for us. this is also what helps make it look like everything is spontaneous: as if the character didn't know pran was gonna say something and what he was gonna say, even though the actor, having memorized the script and likely having discussed it with his co-star and/or the director, definitely knew about it

now let's look at his directions again before we move on to the next gif: he's still in inwards-mode, but pran's line distracts him and snaps him away from the downward focus and now it's going to the side instead, towards nanon/pran

remember what happens after the processing? that's right, a (re)action. pat reacts to pran's comment with the action of saying "you smell good"

[gif 7]

what i find particularly interesting here are ohm's directions. before i sat down to gif these 10 seconds of scene i distinctively remembered ohm's spielrichtung (fuck it, i'm going with the german word bc "directions of playing" or "direction of acting" just doesn't sound right – quick german grammar lesson: spielrichtung = singular, just one single direction; spielrichtungen = plural, two or more directions) being very much towards the inside. and i had assumed that pran's comment would snap him out of it, that nanon's line would trigger a jump in his spielrichtung. but looking at it now? this... is not quite what i'm seeing. what i'm seeing instead is actually fascinating to me

you see, his actions and his line definitely have an outward focus, to the side where nanon is. however, it looks like that outward focus hasn't quite reached his eyes (it's in the way his eyes travel towards nanon, but they're not really focusing on anything in particular, he looks very distracted instead, as if his mind is somewhere else)

to reiterate: his words are traveling outwards while his eyes look like they're still in inwards-mode. outwards and inwards – two opposing sides. this creates conflict and it's exactly what makes me as a viewer sit up in curiosity and go "huh? what's this? what's going on here?" it fills me with a lot of questions about the character: why can't he snap out of it? did pran's smell really affect him this much? so much that his mind is still on it even when pran starts talking to him? why is it affecting him so much? what's going on inside him? aww does he have feelings? (yes. yes he does 🤭) it's these little subtle things that make me start caring about a character, that make me want to keep watching in order to find answers to my questions. (also! this would be an example of what i meant in the reblog from the other post when i talked about actor's showing conflicts that aren't in the plot/the script)

to be honest, i'd love to double check ohm's spielrichtungen during this line with my mom, but unfortunately it's gonna be another two weeks until i go home for semester break. because this is one of those moments where i realize that i still need to practice my acting analysis skills a lot, because to be quite honest i'm having a moment of is it just me or...? where i'm not entirely sure if i'm seeing this "right" (not that there's much of a right or wrong here...)

alright, moving on... once he finishes talking?

[gif 8]

right before ohm says his next line he falls back into inwards-mode again and once again we see that there are actual thoughts going through his head. what those thoughts are exactly i can't say, but to me it comes across as if pat is reflecting his statement of "you smell good", it looks like pat is lost in thought about pran smelling good (to be honest? at the end of the day it doesn't actually matter what ohm's exact thought process was, the important thing is that he had one at all, because now i as a viewer get to have fun with interpreting it)

and now we're finally coming to the end of the sequence i've decided to analyze. after a short moment of reflection pat adds "you smell so damn good" and goes to sniff pran one last time

[gif 9]

and what's ohm's acting choice here? this time he goes for an exaggerated sniff, he points his entire nose at pran and breathes in loudly (which we can't hear in a gif, of course, but we can definitely very clearly hear that sniff in the episode itself). and delights me very much because this sniff right here? in comparison to the ones in the beginning? is very much for show

the first two times pat/ohm smelled pran was very "quiet", rather small and subtle, and very much for himself. it was a private moment. this sniff now? it's loud, it's exaggerated, it's big with ohm bending his entire face down in order to almost shove his nose right into nanon's back. and of course he sniffs extra loudly, to make sure pran can hear it (and yes, i'm specifically referring to the character now, bc ofc nanon should hear the sniff, but more importantly pran should hear it bc pat is about to be a little shit to annoy him)

the reason why this big sniff delights me so much (especially with regard to how the scene continues after the excerpt that i have chosen for this analysis) goes away from the technical aspect of it and is much more about my own interpretation, but i'll tell you anyway: again, in the beginning it was a private moment, pat was smelling pran just for himself. but this causes him to fail to react to what pran just said about chai being gone now and that pat can get up. having that little story arc where pat notices pran's smell and goes to check it out causes pat to linger and that makes pran suspicious. pran more or less catches pat in his own private moment, and so pat turns sniffing pran into a full on show. "you smell good" he says, "do my laundry", he says. pat was nearly caught having feelings for pran (bc we all know this is why he's so affected by the smell) (fun fact: in german we have this idiom that goes "jemanden nicht riechen können" which translates to "not being able to smell someone". it means that you don't like someone and that's why you can't or rather don't want to smell this person. this idiom actually showcases how important the sense of smell is interpersonal relationships) pat was nearly caught and now he deflects. he gets annoying on purpose (by shoving his nose into pran's back and loudly insisting that he likes the smell) to keep pran from asking more questions, he jokingly demands that pran does his laundry bc obviously pat likes the smell of the detergent, it's definitely not the smell of pran that he likes, okay? yes, exactly, pat likes the detergent, not pran, and him sniffing pran definitely had a heterosexual reason and there were definitely no romantic feelings involved. that's the story pat is putting out into the world, that's the show he's pulling off here. ohm goes from quiet and inwards to loud and outwards (spielrichtungen!) and it just delights me because there is so much i can get out of it when it comes to my interpretation

alright, so i've now reached the end of my chosen excerpt and now that we've gone through the entire thing i just want to talk about one last thing: changes.

in the reblog of the other post i mention that when i analyze acting i look out for whether anything changes. (i didn't explicitly say it in that reblog, but it gets boring when an actor keeps doing the same thing over and over again). in the reblog specifically i take emotions as an example, but also make a note that changes can apply to things other than emotions as well. in this scene of bad buddy ohm provides us with a beautiful example of what changes look like when it comes to a specific action

in this 10 second excerpt that i have chosen, pat smells pran 3x in total:

do you see how each time the action of pat smelling pran is different? each time when pat smells pran it's motivated by a different thought, each time there's a different reason behind it:

the first time is all about pat noticing the smell in the first place, becoming aware of it at all. at this point it's rather accidental: pat never made a decision of "i'm going to smell pran now". no, it just happens. he percieves the smell on an emotional level. sniff one is all about the thought of "oh, i'm sensing a smell".

the second time is where the active decision to smell pran comes in. now he starts perceiving the smell on a cognitive level: this time pat is smelling pran on purpose, it's no longer accidental. pat has a reason to smell pran, he has a goal and it's to investigate that smell that he has just sensed. and as i've already said, he is in his own head and it's a private moment. his thoughts are kinda unfocused and he almost gets a little lost in these thoughts, in the smell. and it's a quiet, subtle action, he only slightly moves his head down to be a little closer to the source and get a better whiff, but that's it, no big loud breathing in, no exaggerated head bending. that sniff right here is for pat. that sniff is between pat and that smell, no one and nothing else. what ohm is doing here is creating a relation between pat and pran's smell

the third time the sniff also comes from an active decision. and again, it has a purpose behind it. this is also what happens in sniff no. 2, so in theory the same thing is happening twice, right? except no, bc the way ohm sniffs nanon for the 3rd time is completely different. while sniff no 2. was quiet and small, now sniff no. 3 is loud and big. it's exaggerated and it's for show. this sniff is no longer only between pat and pran's smell, no, now pran himself is involved too (whether pran likes it or not)

i've said it before and i'll say it again: i LOVE it when actors do actor things

alright, i really am done now. to be honest, i wish i had the time to go to my hometown and go through this whole analysis with my mom first before i post it. despite 3 full years of drama school and 2.5 years of intensely analyzing asian drama with my mom i still don't feel confident in the knowledge i've gained so far and i feel like i need someone with more experience to check my thoughts before i can go publish them for the whole internet to see. but i guess it's time for me to become a big girl that doesn't need to rely on her mommy's opinions. i guess it's because i feel like there is still so much more that i need to learn and there is so much more that i don't notice yet and so i'm afraid that what if what i'm saying is wrong? what if i'm talking bullshit here? but i guess it's time i trust the skills that i have gained so far. besides, when it comes to this there often isn't necessarily a right or wrong but rather a what do you see and how does that make you feel? so i'll go and post this anyway without having anyone look over it, because this is what i see right now at this point in time as i'm writing this. and if at some point in the future i realize i disagree i can always write an update (or another post)

all in all i had fun with this not so little analysis. and i hope you too had fun reading it <3

(edit: as you could already see from the previous edits, well, i actually did have my mom read this whole post at some point after all. she was very impressed and said my analysis is extremely well written. she had almost nothing to add. it's truly about time i start trusting my own skills fklslkkdlsf)

[kinetic-drama]

Ep. 1 – Our Beloved Summer

Our Beloved Summer is a k-drama that should be savoured slowly, in those late August days full of laziness and cravings of the May breeze. The two leads, Choi Ung (Choi Woo-shik) and Kook Yeon-soo (Kim Da-mi), are ex-lovers who never want to meet again. They met in high-school through the shooting of a reality show, where the top student, Yeon-soon, sits besides the one with the worst grades, Choi Ung. Fate – or, actually, a second season of the show – will bring them back together.

The brilliant banter and script is carried out by the lead actors impeccably, making the show enjoyable and light. The drama depicts a complicated relationship of two people different to their very core, the difficulty of communicating openly with the person you love, and the harshness of a break-up and the sweetness of a second chance. The rest of the cast is pretty much perfect in my opinion, and the cinematography is one of a kind, with aesthetic camera angles and unforgettable scenes. Truly a gem of its genre, this k-drama made me want to rewatch it over and over again, just for the excitement of walking with the characters through their journey of discovery of love and themselves.

If you've seen this drama and want to know more of my thoughts, keep reading below!

And here we talk about the serious stuff. In all honesty, this is one of my favorite k-dramas. Not only for its characters, tropes, and message, but also the aesthetic. You know I'm a sucker for pretty coloring, rain kiss scenes, contrasts of lighting, photography and addicting soundtrack. We need more dramas like this one, high-quality shooting paired with cured acting and an abundant amount of chemistry, pettiness, glances, side stories and character development.

It's one of the first k-dramas I've watched and one of the few I've felt the need to start again as soon as it was over, so it definitely holds a special place in my heart. I'd be lying if I said I didn't first start it because of its cast (I knew Kim Sung-cheol from literally one episode of Vincenzo and he was just too pretty), but finding out the trope was ex-lovers to enemies to lovers again – oh god. I was in love.

I usually hate love triangles, but this one was perfect??? The second male lead, Kim Ji-woong, has the most likeable character I've ever seen in a supporting role. He knows Choi Ung and Kook Yeon-soo still have some unresolved stuff to deal with and never tries to force his own unrequited feelings into their relationship, but his role never feels too shallow, maybe because of his personal life story and his closeness to the leads. At the end of the day, he knows he's just an observer, like he himself says, and accepts gracefully enough the line that separates him from being happy with the person he loves.

The rest of the supporting roles are perfect, from the leads' friends, family and co-workers and their relation with said people. Even the role of NJ, the idol who takes interest in Choi Ung, never comes off as plain and useless. And the lack of unnecessary conflict and misunderstandings and excessive jealousy is exactly what I adore about this k-drama.

About our main characters, I have a lot to say and at the same time so little. Their childish interactions and messy relationship, on the border between hate and love, create the perfect game of push and pull, all adorned with a great amount of chemistry and comic moments. This drama doesn't just tell the story of two characters, but through them shares the incommunicability between people, so different but still so similar. Neither of them are good with words and expressing feelings out loud, and neither of them seem to understand what the other needs to hear. It deals with the mutual hurt, awkwardness and resentment of a hash break-up that happens when both are still in love, they are just unable to deal with it. All this in contrast with the silent understanding of the messages brought by thoughtful actions, private smiles and small touches. It's all about finding happiness and love in those little, short moments, showing a certain side of yourself to that person only, in the case of the cold Kook Yeon-soo, or letting your world be shaken to the core and feeling alive once that person comes around, in the case of the quiet Choi Ung. But as the k-drama demonstrates, most times only actions are not enough.

This view of love, in my opinion, is what sets this show apart and makes it a must-watch.

[queersouthasian]

PayuRain's love is Blue

Now i have already somewhat made a post about this earlier but i felt the need to eXpLaIn wHy 'cause I AM TIRED OF WAITING FOR THE NEXT EPISODE *dramatic coughing* anyways...

Love has always been RED

Why?

We tend to think of love as red — as aggressive and overly passionate, barely containable. It is palms sweating, heart pounding, burning desire that teeters on the brink of madness and sometimes crosses over.

Is it actually it?

Red doesn’t just announce its presence in the room, it claims the room as its own and wields its power. In just about any study of colors, red represents authority. When applied to people, reds need to be in charge, and relish a good challenge. There are situations where necessitating command could serve as an advantageous attribute, career leadership positions naturally come to mind.

Now think about it, does this really fit the dynamic of Payurain? Their story had a rough start, but gradually turned into something rather soft, gentle and respectful. Rain who initially didn't like Payu found him to be his safe space whereas Payu who just liked to mess around him found Rain to be someone who may come off as immature but in no way lacks, a person who is ready to give his all, a fiesty boy who knows how to stand his ground and Payu when needed (ep 6 reference), someone who comes off to be confused and lost but is genuinely bold and a quick learner. Someone who compliments Payu's vibes. A sunshine who is not actually a "stereotype". A man who made sure whom he likes, ple or payu. A man of his words. Now let's see how "Blue Love" is.

the color blue is known to have a calming effect. It has actually been shown to lower heart rate. (Red raises it.)

Oh look how that fits their intimacy, something so calming, so pretty, so heartwarming, so cosy. Their hugs can melt the biggest of ice bergs, their tension is so intense yet so subtle, their heart eyes never running out of that love.

Blue is an empowering influence. It’s warm and stabilizing. Individuals considered to have blue as their dominant color value integrity and appreciation. They are more focused on the quality and strength of a relationship, as opposed to controlling it or having the relationship become some kind of neurotic joy ride.

*flashback to Payu making sure Rain prioritises his academics, never twisting his words yet being so understanding and comforting, all of this while making sure Rain is fine*

Rain loves to be appreciated and patted (again a form of praise), Payu asking Rain to stay away to complete his work and helping him do so as well. Rain loved to be with Payu but the latter wanted him to establish himself and be serious so that they can have an actual relationship and not just a fling. RainPayu following the D/S dynamics by themselves, Rain willing to be called "Wife" by himself (no suppression here).

Blue love is peaceful. It stills your heart. It is not the storm, it is the shelter(i love how payu means storm whereas Rain often symbolises peace, such a contrast, but so well put like literally "opposites attract", it's so much like the "storm" calmed down when the "rain" fell upon) That’s not to say that there will never be tension, but it has a solid foundation set on respect and kindness. Tensions don’t often escalate to full-on assault. Blue love may not be as loud, but is infinitely more reassuring because it is consistent and confident (everytime they were being intimate, it was not "PDA" but something so personal and just for themselves) It drives instead of being driven. It’s in control, not needing to control. It’s liberating instead of constraining. It doesn’t have to be right, only understood.(such pretty words, Payu understood Rain, Rain unlocked a different side of Payu; "are you sure you are not the one love-stuck??")

I love them<3

[perfectarmony]

TCL SZN 2 THEORY

I think Chris is going to kill Marco. I think he’ll do it either defending Thony or Fiona while they’re trying to get Luca back. Also the new article about Nadia’s ex lover says Fiona is having to protect Chris after a “situation”… Idk just speculating, I think it’d be good for the storyline & Armony of course. Lol! There’s also the dead body being covered in the teaser & then Garrett calling Thony w “bad news” 👀

HELLO ANON ☺️

I think you're on a pretty good track 😉👌

I'm going to put a line here for those who don't want potential spoilers 👀

I have to say I'm trying to forget Marco's less than hypothetical death lately because I feel like I already ruined the surprise for myself 🤧

But. But. But. Yup you're perfectly right. Everything adds up perfectly - Chris screaming, BTS photos of him having a breakdown and Fiona talking to him, episode 2 introducing Fi and Marco's parents, Ivan not being on set since the end of ep 1/maybe start of ep2, the motel scene with all of them, and other things I'll keep to myself because it's way too spoilery and it'll ruin everything for everyone.

also yes, the body in the promo ➡️ if you watch it on YT, where the video is in 16:9, you can see Thony with tears on her face standing next to it, she's most likely identifying Marco here...

SO YUP YUP ANON completely agree with you. God I love this show. Alright, back to my point.

...and honestly, so far I don't remember any TCL promo being misleading with their editing unlike others.

(okay there might be one in the latest promo with Garrett apparently saying ''you could be free from Arman. (...) cooperate with the FBI and I' ll keep you safe'' to Thony ⬇️

The scenes with Garrett and Thony don't fit - he could still be saying this to her but then why put a scene that doesn't match his to show her reaction 👀 or, and this is my number 1 option : he's trying to get Nadia on the FBI's side because they are running out of time and proof to keep Arman locked up.. also, it kind of looks he's at the club while Thony seems to be at the prison AND Eva shot her first scene of the season with Oliver at the club...or he's talking to his ex/ex-informant and the second part doesn't involve Arman at all and it's then actually misleading 🤷‍♀️ but that's unlikely. you didn't ask for this but hey bonus 😭😂)

With Luca safe, healthy and with her, Thony won't have the ''any way you can'' storyline anymore, and it'll be passed on to Fiona. It's a pretty smart way to keep the show on the same track as season 1 and still have a fresh start.

In the second promo that aired last week, Marco calls Thony and tells her they need to ''settle this''. I'm guessing he's talking about her relationship with Arman and their son being in the middle of it. Fiona also reminds her that her involvement with him is the reason Luca is gone. And with the interviews we have from the season 1 finale (that I can't find right now so I have to rely on my memory...bear with me if I take a shortcut or interpreted it wrong 😅) Miranda basically said that Thony was so focused on helping Arman that she didn't realize what was going on in Marco's mind. And so she ran out of time, and came home to an empty room.

About Armony and the consequences of Marco's potential death - YES, it could be good for them, but I feel like Marco wasn't that big of an obstacle to start with...Thony was obviously already distancing herself from her husband and didn't seem all that bothered to spend some quality time with Arman while they were in Mexico 😏

Something that keeps running in circles in my mind : if Marco dies, how will Thony handle it from an emotional point of view?

All this rambling to get to this point : if Thony starts feeling guilty and feels like her decisions led to her son having to grow up without his father, won't it have her distance herself from Arman?

Again, I'm taking a shortcut here and it's all theories, don't take it literally we all know Marco played a big part in his own downfall IF he dies - and I'm not going to dive into my thoughts on him as a father because that will get way too long. And yes, Arman would be an amazing step dad for Luca...one that knows how to put his pride aside..there I said it 😅

I hope I didn't bore you 😅 thank you for this ❤️

But honestly, that's just the way I imagine things because everyone seems to keep pushing her into that thought. And I'm just waiting for Garrett to pop up and be like ''YES YES IT'S ALL Arman's FAULT'' 😅

Anyway. Episode 5 has them on a motorcycle together, and I doubt it's (only) for business 😉 so yes, those two will definitely find their way back to each other rather sooner than later no matter what happens inbetween.

Don't hesitate to come back for another episode of Laura losing herself in TCL's world ❤️

[deus-angst-machina]

I posted 673 times in 2022

That's 29 more posts than 2021!

23 posts created (3%)

650 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@maschotch

@ssahoodrathotchner

@ssahotchdad

@genevievedarcygranger

@spacecowboyhotch

I tagged 152 of my posts in 2022

#prev tags - 23 posts

#ramblings - 18 posts

#mood - 7 posts

#answers - 3 posts

#dialogue ref - 3 posts

#my parents have one (1) family photo on display from ages ago and that's it - 2 posts

#i mean - 2 posts

#and that's just how it is - 2 posts

#the ship ask meme - 2 posts

#sometimes it has nothing to do with resentment or whatever - 2 posts

Longest Tag: 131 characters

#i firmly believe that hotch has dealt in half-truths and obfuscation for years and got really good at managing people's assumptions

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

sometimes you just gotta write that super cringe fic

1 note - Posted November 10, 2022

#4

Tagged by: @ssahotchdad

thanks for the tag!! three ships (sticking to cm for this): Hotchniss (but like. in a 'I'm bi' way), Morcia ( the chemistry, and after "You're my god given solace" I can't not ship it), and Hotch/Haley (I like watching things fall apart, inevitably and avoidably all at once)

first ship: from before i even knew what shipping was: O'Neill and Carter from SG-1. I was in kindergarten and was Angry that these characters were not together. Didn't learn the word for that anger until high school. (Should I have been watching that show when I was five? Probably not. But it's a fun bit of sci-fi cheese so I still recommend it.)

last song: Villain by xUnreachablee

last movie: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (I went in with no expectations and it's actually really fun. Just....disregard everything you know about Arthurian legend. Treat it as it's own thing.)

currently reading: Underground Empire by James Mills (or at least I'm trying. I read so much at work that even this old favourite from middle school is difficult right now :(...still reading fic tho!)

currently watching: Criminal Minds, Witcher, probably gonna re-watch Sandbaggers again (highly recommend if you like watching bastard characters do bastardy things)

currently consuming: The Dread of Existing

currently craving: Blue Cheese (which I don't have bc my fav brand has disappeared from store shelves locally and only re-surfaces maybe once every three months). i'll be tagging: @ssahoodrathotchner, @arsonhotchner, aaaand anyone else who wants to do this. It's fun

2 notes - Posted February 3, 2022

#3

.

2 notes - Posted October 13, 2022

#2

who are your top 5 cm unsubs and why 👀

Tricky one. I had to think on this for a bit. Not in any particular ranked order:

Megan Kane. She's got a sense of style, and I don't know--the whole episode? Really? Who in this fandom DOESN'T have her on a list of fav unsubs?

Floyd Feylinn Ferell from "Lucky" because for fucks sake that's a fucky fucking episode. The chili

Tobias Hankel. I just think the character is interesting and the acting was solid.

Amber Canardo from "A Perfect Storm"--I love the "twist" that she was the driving force behind the murders.

Foyet. Sometimes I think he's overrated but also I like watching Hotch have a bad day (or year)

2 notes - Posted April 4, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

next question: top 5 episodes of cm, whatever that means to you (storyline, unsub, etc.)

Natural Born Killer--mostly for the "And some people grow up to catch them " and all of that which the writers just. drop. and forget.

Profiler Profiled--More eloquent people in fandom have enumerated the qualities of this Morgan-centric episode

Pleasure is My Business--one of my fav unsubs

What Fresh Hell --honestly this is just here for Gideon being a Problem and kind of Unhinged, I could just as easily have The Fox or Extreme Aggressor in this slot

Demonology--I just love Prentiss complaining that Hotch won't let her do something when he has spent 90% of the ep letting her get away with whatever the fuck she wants. It's funny.

4 notes - Posted April 4, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[literali1110]

Rating Season 4 Chenford Moments

We're halfway through the season, and coming up on a mini-hiatus, so I thought it would be fun to rate the Chenford moments we got this season so far!

This is essentially a ranking of each episode in terms of overarching Chenford plot/content. All gif credits go to the lovely @chenfordsource ! Please feel free to reblog with your own rating/ranking/additional moments!

4x01 Chenford hug #1 and (almost) sleepover 8/10

It feels like we had dreamed up endless possibilities for what could happen in the premier and it was almost too good to be true that one of them actually happened - Tim took Lucy home with him for the night and she almost slept in his bed!

She asked for a hug, to which he agreed with a "come here" (!) following which there was a verrry long look, and then: Lucy. almost. went. into. his. room.

I was almost in shock watching this scene, and nervous that something more would happen, which would have felt too soon, in my opinion. I love how they left the scene and personally it doesn't bother me that this moment wasn't brought up again because it was connected to the grief about Jackson.

We didn't get much more Chenford in this episode, and I think I would have enjoyed this moment so much more if it hadn't been in the promo but nevertheless this was a huge moment for them so 8/10!

4x02 Lucy pranks Tim with booties - twice! - and he compliments her 6/10

The prank! The (baby) booties! The locker room scene! Tim's smile! This was a welcome surprise in an episode where Chenford weren't even riding together. This gets a solid 6/10.

4x03 Lucy and Tim flirt banter about Lucy becoming Tim's go-fer aide 7/10

The lead-up to Chenford deciding to ride together again was almost even better than their later scenes actually riding together again.

The stubbornness, the way these two were openly bantering in the roll call room, and finally, that conversation at the end of the episode!

A conversation that gave us lines like: "a very handsome boy" and "screw what anyone else thinks?" which simultaneously made us think Tim might be aware of what is developing between him and Lucy, and also wonder if Lucy is anywhere close to beginning to think of Tim in that way.

I give this a heaping 7/10.

Although, this did leave me wondering: was this a step in the right direction, or was it just an additional obstacle they would need to overcome? I'm still 50:50 on that.

4x04 Tim and Lucy...spend some time working together? 3/10

In this episode...we had some screen time with Tim and Lucy together...! lol

I wrote another post pointing out some positives after this aired but aside from the Tardis comment, a moment when Lucy seemed to impress Tim with the state department, and them sitting close together in that truck, there wasn't much to go on. At least they were together for part of the episode before Tim disappeared? A generous 3/10.

4x05 Tim and Lucy talk about having babies together 5/10

The topic did seem to come out of nowhere, but we got Chenford talking about having kids, plus Chenford interacting with kids on the job. I still think it's foreshadowing. What more could a shipper want??

No Chenford for the second half of the ep though, unfortunately. 5/10

4x06 Tim and Lucy make another bet and continue to be competitive dorks, which everyone notices 6/10

Another episode where Tim and Lucy aren't riding together (and so soon after getting "back together") but still have some quality interactions! That handholdshake? Talking to their other teammates about beating each other (we saw that exchanged look, Nyla and Nolan). Their full-body reactions at the end when Tim won they tied!

Giving this a 6/10, since in terms of progression to their relationship, there was a minor setback with the whole Ashley introduction.

4x07 Chenford have a bet rematch including a 🔥 van scene 7/10

The competitive banter this episode was amazing, their case was fun, and we got the closest we'll probably ever get to an UC Chenford plot. I loved the entire van scene from Lucy criticizing Tim's outfit and essentially dressing him, to him hiking his shirt up higher than I'm sure was necessary, to Lucy not knowing where to look, to her highly entertaining commentary in his ear.

However, the ending left me confused, and I kind of wish the bet had been outside of work like the one in 2x03. Not ending the episode on a "high note" rounds this score down to a (still impressive) 7/10.

4x08 Lucy meets her future SIL and gives Tim some advice 4/10

It was cute to see Lucy and Genny bond in this episode, and Lucy's words to Tim at the end were definitely coming from the right place, but looking at this episode as a whole without what was to come in 4x09 - especially with the camera angles - didn't score very high for me in terms of overall Chenford plot. This was a great episode for Tim, of course, but we didn't get to see as much of supportive Lucy (yet!) as I would have liked. Oh, and we find out Tim is not single. 4/10

4x09 Lucy supports Tim investigating a case involving his dad, and we get our SECOND CHENFORD HUG 10/10

This episode blew me away. I want to thank whoever kept most of the Chenford stuff out of the promotional material, because it made it that much better. All of Lucy's scenes were with Tim, from helping out at his old house (I still want to know how that came about), to going with him to the station on their day off (his confident "c'mon Chen"!), to interrogating a suspect for him, to that final hallway scene and HUG.

Her "come here", paralleling 4x01, her reassuring "you're nothing like him", Tim just breaking down and melting in her arms...this whole storyline definitely felt like a significant milestone in their relationship and I loved this hug even more than their first. My only complaint is we didn't get to linger on it longer! 10/10

4x10 Tim needs Lucy's help yet again in his relationship 5/10

We get a hint of jealous!Lucy, them talking about Kojo, and of course the scene where she calls Tim a sweetheart. Having Ashley call Lucy was a welcome surprise and the show is being pretty obvious this time around about contrasting how well Tim and Lucy know each other vs their LIs. Plus we got another parking garage scene!

On the other hand, we got introduced to Lucy's new LI and Tim had an ending scene with Ashley so overall I'm giving the Chenford content a 5/10.

4x11 Tim is a supportive *partner* to Lucy while dealing with a personal case 5/10

This was another good episode for Lucy (a continuation of what I hope is her upcoming "personal journey" from last ep), and it was nice to see Tim kind of take a step back and let Lucy take the lead on this one, while still letting her know he was there if she needed him. Overall there wasn't much development in their relationship, but we did get to see Tim in her apartment again, plus another interaction with Tamara, and they did have a sweet moment in the shop where he asked if she was ok. 5/10

4x12 TIM AND LUCY GO ON A [double] DATE 9/10

Unlike Tim, we were well fed in 4x12!! We have never seen Tim and Lucy act the way they acted on that date and it only highlighted how far they have come and how well they know each other. Stealing food, sharing inside jokes, finishing each other's sentences, sitting next to each other (turned towards each other!) and basically ignoring their dates - I think this exceeded our expectations and then some!

It was also great to see them solve the main case of the episode together. Personal space, what's that??

The only reason this isn't getting a 10 is because they each ended the episode with their LIs and not each other. 9/10

Final ascending ranking:

12. 4x04 Tim and Lucy...spend some time working together? 3/10

11. 4x08 Lucy meets her future SIL and gives Tim some advice 4/10

10. 4x05 Tim and Lucy talk about having babies together 5/10

9. 4x11 Tim is a supportive *partner* to Lucy while dealing with a personal case 5/10

8. 4x10 Tim needs Lucy's help yet again in his relationship 5/10

7. 4x02 Lucy pranks Tim with booties - twice! - and he compliments her 6/10

6. 4x06 Tim and Lucy make another bet and continue to be competitive dorks, which everyone notices 6/10

5. 4x03 Lucy and Tim flirt banter about Lucy becoming Tim's go-fer aide 7/10

4. 4x07 Chenford have a bet rematch including a 🔥 van scene 7/10

3. 4x01 Chenford hug #1 and (almost) sleepover 8/10

2. 4x12 TIM AND LUCY GO ON A [double] DATE 9/10

1. 4x09 Lucy supports Tim investigating a case involving his dad, and we get our SECOND CHENFODR HUG 10/10

If you've made it this far, thanks and I hope you enjoyed - would love to hear your thoughts too!