#tcl asks

[thelovelycircusau]

Pomni, do you remember what happened before you got into this circus?

[lesbianmaxevans]

thony are you serious, you took the toy car that isabel gave to nadia and gave it to luca??????

[idealisticrealism]

Hi! I don't know if you're still looking for people to discuss The Cleaning Lady with. But here are my thoughts, let me know what you think. I think if Adan hadn't passed, they would be setting up a love triangle with Jorge, and he would've been the catalyst to make Arman act on his feelings for Thony. I wouldn't mind Thony and Jorge getting together. I think the show needs some romance. This is controversial, but I think they should consider recasting Arman rather than killing him off.

Hey! I'm always down to discuss TCL, so thanks for the Ask! I think you're right about the original plan for the Arman/Thony/Jorge 'triangle' happening to make Arman act on his feelings. I don't think there ever would have been a question in Thony's mind about who she would choose, but obviously Arman couldn't know that for sure, and just seeing Jorge's interest in her (and realising that Jorge and Thony could actually make a good match) would have likely been enough to push him to do something about it. I think that's also why ep 1 had the scene of Nadia buying a house for herself alone, not to share with Arman, because the writer's plan was for Arman to come back and for Nadia to see that his feelings for Thony were never going to go away, and so she leaves him.

Tbh, it hurts my pride a little to say it, but I've also reached a point where I wouldn't mind Thony and Jorge together either-- but only as a theoretical concept a couple of years into the future, not during the course of the show. The timeframe is just too short; for example, the 4 episodes of this season have taken place over FIVE DAYS. Arman has only been missing for FIVE DAYS. If the eps don't start having bigger gaps, this entire season will happen over barely more than 2 weeks. So while I'm fine with Thony and Jorge developing some kind of 'friendship' over the course of the season (something that ep 4 is certainly setting them up for), I would be incredibly disappointed in the writers and their choices if they had the two of them develop a romance so ridiculously fast and also while Arman is (as far as they know) still alive and missing??? It would be a bizarre act on Thony's part and not consistent with her characterisation at all. Plus, the show has never actually been about romance specifically; it has always been about family and the choices that protecting her family leads Thony to make. The Armony romance was always just a bonus, so I doubt they're going to turn around and suddenly try to push a new romance plotline when there's other more thematically-aligned stories to tell.

As for the idea of recasting; I can absolutely see where you're coming from, and it's fair enough! But personally, I know that I absolutely couldn't deal with a recasting. Arman was/is one of my favourite characters of all time, and for me there is simply no Arman without Adan, without the face and the voice and the hearteyes and all the little things that are just such an inherent part of the character in my mind. Not to mention that Adan and Elodie's chemistry was just on another level, and I don't think the show could ever recreate that with another actor. So as much as it hurts, having Arman die is the only real option in my mind (though @enigmaticfox has posed an interesting theory about Arman being rescued alive but having to immediately leave Vegas/go underground forever in order to avoid the FBI etc). But honestly however the writers do it, I just hope that they do it in a way that honours both Arman and Armony.

Anyways that's enough rambling from me now. If anyone else wants to weigh in here, they're absolutely welcome haha

[perfectarmony]

I liked ep 7 a lot but it sounds like the writers are going to continue to lean into the Nadia, Arman & Thony triangle more this season. So much for Nadia throwing Arman out. According to the Wrap, the showrunners are calling it a "fun see-saw" and they will be "steering clear of any one love of his gaining favor over the other (ugh!!)," also noting again how much Nadia loves Arman. MK describes his relationship with Thony as "beyond love" and as "2 souls who have come together, who completely get each other" (soulmate stuff right?!). In the ep 8 promo, it also looks like Arman is about to kiss Nadia altho that could also be a bit misleading. I get that Arman & Thony can't necessarily be together right now but if it plays out as he is still indecisive and leading them both on, where is the growth from S1? If he wants so desperately to be a better man, how does that fit with his relationship with N? They seem to be building up toward something with A&T but are really dragging this out.

✨Soulmates indeed✨

Warning : this is just my two cents on the Armony/Arman storyline right now - everyone sees things differently 😏

I have to say, to me, this is really Arman's story. All of this is supposed to shape his character all the while building unbreakable foundations for Armony. I can understand why it seems a bit long - but if you look at it that way, I don't feel like they're dragging it out 👀

In fact, I would have loved to explore Arman's past again, as I think his father/Hayak (speaking of, we could be hearing about Tarik at some point soon 👀) are part of the key to all of this - but I'm really enjoying his emotional journey with Thony by his side. S1 already started to touch on Nadia ''vs'' Thony (''Do you really think throwing money on some sick little boy makes you a good man?' ') and I think this is what is always coming up again.

And this is what I am understanding through this ''love triangle'' that in fact just represents, as Melissa said here ⬇️ the two sides of his soul.

Am I making any sense? Or is it just clear in my head? 😅

Arman has no choice but to further darken his soul right now to push through and find some light at the end of the tunnel. Thony is helping him with all of that, she has no doubts about who he is - they both had to do things they regret - but at the end of the day, he is just a good man that has to survive, and she understands that right now, this is the only way out.

(Nadia telling Arman that Thony will get him killed when she's actually the one keeping him afloat 🤧)

But at the same time, it's also ''easier'' with Nadia because he doesn't have to fight his criminal side - take her idea to sell the drugs on the street: it was fast and ''easy'' money, while Thony initially chose the longer but less damaging road.

All of this should hopefully help him define what he wants, but mostly - what he needs...which should then lead to...who he needs by the end of the season 🤞

Arman and Nadia have a history and there were feelings between them before, and there still is affection, so I'm not really surprised with the promo 👀 As many pointed out, they haven't had a real conversation about their relationship, what they want or need - and as long as that doesn't happen, I don't think we'll have a real break up.

Well, I feel like I lost myself on this and barely answered your ask anon? 🤧

[missusplum]

I'm worried abt the showrunner's comment that no relationships are safe in the TCL finale. I kind of hated Thony's betrayal of Arman altho you made some good points. It sounds like Thony goes rogue next ep. I really hope she doesn't betray Arman again - I think that would signal the end of their relationship which would be very frustrating to say the least. Any guesses? Tx.

Lol yeah it sure is a hell of a tease eh. I mean your guess is as good as mine re: which relationships she’s talking about so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I have more thoughts on Thony this week under the cut:

I honestly think her ‘betraying’ Arman has been a bit overblown, at least only judging by what went down this week. Was it harsh to question Arman? Sure maybe? But I dunno she wasn’t exactly wrong, the drugs were already on the way via Kamdar, vs. all the variables and unknowns that would come up if he died and they had to find their own way to get to the drugs. Like imo it was less about not trusting Arman vs. going with the sure thing for the sake of Luca. I hated seeing them fight but both had points tbh.

And as for Thony keeping Kamdar alive, well I mean I see it less of a betrayal as much as a clear crossroads of motivations. Thony was extremely clear with everyone that she couldn’t have Kamdar die, and also mind you she spent basically all day trying to reach out to Arman who ignored her. And per her scene with Nadia, she was really just asking them to *wait* — wait until the drugs were secured for Luca. When they kept blowing her off, she was pretty much left in a desperate situation. And also let’s not forget that before Kamdar collapsed, Thony was at Fastlane to beg for Arman’s life. She never betrayed them by giving up their plot to kill him, she was just trying to find another way. Which by the way has always been what she’s tried to do, it’s just in this episode it didn’t work out as nicely as it has in the past.

The only real bad thing she did to Arman was siccing an emotional Miller on him and she didn’t even know the extent of what she was doing. She had no idea they found Arman’s print on the gun, she had no idea the danger she was putting him in. She’s certainly guilty of being myopic but not intentionally putting him in harm’s way.

I do want to bring up that the more I sit on it, the more annoyed I get at Nadia gaslighting Thony about equating keeping Kamdar alive to killing Arman. Obviously I understand it’s out of concern for Arman but like what is she supposed to do with that lol. It literally puts Thony in an impossible situation. And notice how it’s not Arman who says this to her because he knows who Thony would choose. This is why I don’t think their relationship will be that strained coming out of ep 10. Ultimately Thony choosing Luca over Arman, over anyone, should be the least surprising thing. As much as we all would love to see Armony, people ought to remember the reason Thony got into the mob business in the first place. She would sacrifice anyone and anything for Luca, even herself.

To be clear, like I said in a previous post, I didn’t agree with Thony’s choices this episode, but at least I can see what drove her to make those decisions. I also think it was very deliberate writing how almost every character pushed back on Thony this episode; I think the writing made it clear that she’s trying to control everything and failing. It’s really her hubris; thinking that she can outsmart everyone and can control how everything goes down (which btw definitely plays into her past as a surgeon). But reality isn’t like an OR and people are wildcards and she cannot possibly see all the angles and things won’t always work out exactly how she wants. I think that’s the main takeaway from ep 10 and going into the final two hours of the season. As far as the episode synopsis for the finale, with everything leading up to it (JD’s voice of reason, a certain character in an orange jumpsuit in the promo, the looming danger of Sin Cara), my initial thought is Thony’s plan is less about throwing other people utb as it is about herself. But yeah who knows lol.

One last thing I’ll say is… I’m like 90% sure that if a character does die in the finale, it won’t be anyone without a penis lmao 🙊 I don’t have any insider knowledge, I just can’t see this show offing any of the women. But I mean yeah if you’re a man in TCL or a boy I would watch your fictional backs 😬

[kindredhearts13]

I agree with your latest TCL post about Arman not putting Thony first. I love seeing different views and find it interesting that some say that Thony is the one holding back. While true, IMO she is justified because he has never indicated that his marriage is over and continues to prioritize Nadia. Even in the scene when Thony tells him to reconcile, he says that he and Nadia are not living together "right now," suggesting that it is perhaps temporary. I hope that he actively chooses Thony at some point and not just in reaction to Nadia's marriage to Kamdar. I feel like the writers have still not focused on the real reason for the problems in Arman & Nadia's marriage (way too much time spent on the love triangle and Nadia's jealousy of Thony). So painful watching Thony feel so alone. As you said, it will be interesting to see how the writers bridge the gap now that Thony has emotionally pulled back from Arman and how he will react to that. And at what point will he feel like he deserves her? Thanks for your posts!

Thanks for the ask and insight! I so agree with your thoughts; I think it’s fascinating how Thony and Arman both have and represent these types of insecurities, but they exist on such opposite ends of the spectrum. For Thony, she feels like she’s too much which translates in her being not enough for someone because she as she is makes people uncomfortable. It’s this weird complex where she comes off as so secure in who she is that it brings out the insecurities of others, while she’s constantly trying to be the best person she can be and not make a single mistake or else she’ll crash and burn- and that makes her feel like there’s something wrong with her.

For Arman, he feels like he isn’t enough and has spent his entire life trying to prove that he IS enough. And I think that his insecurity somehow makes people more secure (sometimes at his expense), because he goes out of his way to prove his worth to everyone. I think that when they both decide to be at least a little deservedly selfish (as far as doing something for them and not for someone else, and not attaching regret or shame to it) they’ll finally feel deserving of each other. It’s like they almost both realize what the other person sees, but their fear and insecurities won’t quite let them get there. So they’re stuck.

I also agree about the love triangle taking space that more character development and story could be. I’m not a huge fan of love triangles, and I wish that we had more insight on Arman and Nadia’s relationship outside of the context of Kamdar and Thony. I want to know why they are so loyal to each other, and what happened that made them so resentful of one another? Their biggest issue is that they’ve clearly never been able to fully trust each other, and I would love to see that realization played out over these last few episodes of the season.

Also, I would love some more levity to balance it all out. Someone else mentioned it, but we haven’t had as much light to balance the dark this season. And while I get that it is purposely darker, my girl Thony hasn’t genuinely laughed like all season. I just need a few seconds of her NOT feeling like the weight of the world is on her shoulders and for her to have a moment’s peace.

[itslilacokay]

pls pls PLSS tell me about your NS? au i need to know as much as humanly possible...

sniff... i.... i thought no one would ever ask........... nows my chance...... to yap..........

AHEM.

ns?AVA (normalswap?ava) is my swap au! its not normal

victim and tco both take tsc's role, while tsc just takes victim's role

mercenaries swap roles with cg, though its not exact on which mercenary takes specific a cg member's role and vice versa, theyre quite jumbled around

though one specific stick in the cg doesnt take a mercenary's role and that's yellow, in fact he takes tdl's role! as for tdl he takes tco's role

"so in your au there's like only 3 mercenaries instead of 4?????" no i thought of something else to remedy that

you know that cloaked guy that gave king the command block? yeah hes a mercenary now

speaking of king........ he has a different role as well but that's in ns?avm, which i'll get to later because i need to explain more ns?ava things

so fun fact! the hollowheads have new names for this au

tsc -> The First Victim (tfv)

tdl -> The Chosen Lord (tcl)

victim -> The Return (tr)

tco -> The Second Chosen (scn)

btw the animator is alexcrafter28, aka that minecraft kid in lush caves

for ns?ava lore, i wrote down what happened in ns?ava1-4 a few months ago so if you dont miiind

SWAP-AVA 1 -tfv becomes a rogue animation and destroys the computer -tfv finds the stickfight website and convinces the colorgang to destroy the computer with him, they agree -colorgang gets "ended", which makes ctv want to destroy the computer even more -ends like normal ava1 with the fla closing without being saved, since tfv is bound to that fla file he disappears with it

an extra thing to note is that if this were a video, there would be an ""animation error"" where yellow didnt get shown to be ended, an aucanon explanation would be that yellow managed to escape to the outernet, albeit on accident

SWAP-AVA 2 -tcl is made and destroys the pc, wow what a shocker -alex eventually traps him and just renders him powerless, though tcl's able to still wander around the pc

SWAP-AVA3 -yellow appears back in the pc and starts destroying it again -tcl tries to stop him but eventually joins him and also the code that disabled his power gets removed (yellow did it) -just like normal ava3, it ends with them both completely destroying the computer, ending with a blue screen of death

SWAP-AVA4 -starts like normal ava4, in the middle of an online chat -however, it starts in the middle of scn destroying the computer -scn comes across an fla file and finds tr and co -they hang out for a bit but alex eventually finds the fla with them inside -fight sequence -as soon as alex is about to close the fla a few flashbacks to (swap)ava 1 happen -they come up with a compromise, scn doesnt wreck the pc and alex lets him and his new friends hang out in said pc -a little while later it shows that scn, tr and co are in their own fla, with a house drawn inside it (similar to the stickfight website)

a few extra things i want to add before heading to ns?avm is that in this au, when tfv gets brought back from deletion he tries to immediately go back to the stickfight website in hopes of bringing back the cg

it works, but yellow is still missing

they then find out about the outernet and try to find yellow there

along the way they founded illustratiocorp

just to make it clear they dont care about the animator, or at least getting revenge on the animator is of less importance to them at the moment, for now they just want to find yellow

the reason why tcl is wanted is because he was suspected to have involvement with yellow somehow,,, and also the past instances/news of internet terrorizing but yeahhg

i think thats all for ns?AVA for the moment, now is time for ns?AVM!

so in ns?AVM, gold and king found purple and took him in (purple's lore up until that point still stays, orchid dies and navy leaves)

purple died in the minecraft event and gold feels severe survivor's guilt and now wants to destroy minecraft

unlike king, gold's ,.,,, a child so this hatred against minecraft is more severe

speaking of king, yeah he's still traumatized but he still has a bit of moral left and doesn't want gold to go through with this plan

gold then early on finds out how to enter minecraft because of the cloaked guy (gasp)

in this au, cloaked guy originally resided in the mac and later led gold to said mac

gold decided this would be a good time to start destroying a bit of minecraft currently on the mac, but accidentally ended up being a ruler of the mac village (definitely not because cloaked guy gave him the crown and silently left and the villagers took that as cloaked guy passing down the crown to this kid)

then skip to a whiiiile later, gold and cloaked guy are kinda working together and cloaked guy is also teaching gold how to work with the command block

now that golds more confident on working the command block, his plan to destroy minecraft can finally begin right after making a staff because he still liked his old staff during his time as ruler of the mac village

honestly i havent thought much about ns?AVM as much as i have with ns?AVA so maybe i'll post some other lorethings about ns?AVM after i think some more, but apart from that i thiiink thats about it yeah

[cloveroctobers]

SAFE & SOUND — ARMAN MORALES X READER X ANGEL REYES: [Spring Prompts]

A/N: it’s going to be tough getting through the cleaning lady this season but it’s always the work that lives on that continues to inspires us. Just from the premiere also sparked this little thing + I also assumed I’d stop writing for Angel once Mayans MC ended but after a name drop in TCL here I am lol! That angel was handsome too IJS. Bet you thought you could get rid of me huh!? Hope y’all enjoy my first spring prompt of the year!

PROMPT IS FROM HERE & I’m using:  “Spring is so boring there aren’t any good holidays.” “Have you forgotten Easter, St patty’s day, Mother’s Day, April fools-” “I get it, I get it!”

FIRST GIF WAS FOUND THROUGH PINTEREST SO IT BELONGS TO IT’s RIGHTFUL OWNER + THE SECOND BELONGS TO: @dailymayans !

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*

The Vegas heat was doing what it does best, roasting down on you despite residing in a mountain area. You’re used to it, being from this state and living here all these years; although it was the fresh start of April, the eighty degree heat demanded to be felt. You’re out on the balcony, leaning over it, one arm exposed to the sun while the other went to work fanning yourself with your silk handheld folding fan staring out into the view.

Your bathing suit is somewhat dry still clinging to you although you, Angel, and Mavy got out of the community pool (over a half hour ago) as soon as it started to get over crowded with your fellow neighbors. Your body was slouched over the balcony, mindlessly fanning yourself as you sank into your boredom.

Angel chuckled at you from behind, leaving the balcony door open just a crack behind him with a beer in one hand. He briefly touched your lower back in greeting before moving to dramatically copy your movements but instead with the back of his hand resting on his forehead. “What you doin’ out here querida?”

“Oh you know, just losing my mind. Nothing too serious.” You replied while Angel snorted at you.

He sips at his cold beer before saying, “I asked you if you wanted go cruising this weekend and maybe end up in the city for a night but you weren’t feeling it. So…I’m guessing you didn’t enjoy your time at the pool?”

“With my two favorite boys…of course I did.” You weren’t sarcastic this time, “it’s just that I’m imagining spring break to be a real drag.”

Angel furrows his brows, not even knowing when that was coming up but still said, “so what are you saying? You wanna live out your college dreams again, head down to Miami to get wild or something?”

It was your turn to laugh as you tug on his shorts waistband, “Why would I need to relive Miami when I got my hoochie daddy right here?”

“Ah, Fuck outta here,” Angel laughed as he playfully smacked your hand away from him while you winked.

Pressing your temple into your balled up hand you sighed after awhile, “what im getting at is: Spring is so boring there aren’t any good holidays.” 

Angel raised his brows at this, not entirely believing that you found the season to be boring since you just went out the way last weekend to go shopping for spring decor. He was glad he had to work that weekend because he just knew you would have him in those stores for hours like you commonly did, he just felt bad for maverick in the end though.

“…Have you forgotten Easter, St. patty’s day, Mother’s Day, April fools-” he ticks off with his fingers while you roll your eyes.

You interject, “I get it, I get it!”

It’s not like angel cared much about those holidays either…(he wasn’t the best at remembering dates) well maybe the last one he found the most interest in but now he was trying to do something different in life for Maverick and since he met you (who did care for holidays) after the big move here. That sweet baby boy changed the trajectory of the way angel looked at life now and he wanted his kid to experience nothing but greatness and if he could provide that he would. He also liked watching you interact with Maverick and you both seemed to have a good time on Easter, doing kids activities like: painting eggs, going Easter egg hunting, and even getting a picture with a weird looking Easter bunny that now sat on the mantle in the living room.

Angel was even going to church now when he felt up to it and knew his mother would probably be proud of the way he turned his life around. How life was so different from what it could have been. He could be the one in the ground with his family but Angel knew he was meant to be right here, no matter how painful it got to be here.

He reshaped his life and was glad to say that he did it.

“You know, there’s plenty of things we can get into now that Mav’s down for his nap. I can be your source of entertainment.” Angel hints, slipping an arm underneath your cover up and tugging you to him.

You smirk as you meet his dark eyes, fanning yourself with one hand while the other grips his tatted arm. “Is that right?”

“Uh huh,” Angel hums pressing into you as he bites his bottom lip before pecking yours.

It wouldn’t be the first time out here on this balcony but you wouldn’t make it a repeat since it was too hot for all that. And you didn’t need to hear angel’s complaints of his ass being scorched thanks to the material of the balcony! However with the way the both of you ended up, tongues battling, hands roaming and squeezing with Angel’s back against the balcony now, it was becoming difficult trying to get the words out.

His hand’s are full of kneading your backside and he lets you breathe while he’s attacking your neck now, just the way you like it underneath your ear, his facial hair tickling your skin as he does so. Your fan and his beer are both out of your grasps now as you’re scratching at his back, which is just enough indication for Angel to lift you by the waist and up against his hips. He buries his face back to your skin, loving the way you smell as you hold onto him.

Your eyes peek open, breathing still ragged as you hold on but soon your eyes focus out towards the fence that blocks the condo’s from the main highway, spotting a figure who has their attention solely on you. At first you expect it to be some sort of creep watching you be intimate with your boyfriend but a palm goes up into the air before they remove their sunglasses.

Your breathing stops and Angel instantly notices you go still against him. He pulls back to glance at you, “you alright?”

Swallowing the lump in your throat, you slowly place your legs down and Angel steadies you, still keeping a hand across your hips before he follows your stare. Angel’s eyes are in slits now, craning his neck and he’s on defense mode now, “fuck are you doing here?!”

You slap Angel’s arm to ease him while the man slowly steps closer to the building and both of your eyesight’s.

He says your name in greeting, “…hey, can we talk?”

Angel’s against it once he spots your hesitance but once you move, he’s not far behind you. You’re waiting at the front door, eyes to the right as you await for the man to make his way up the steps. He jogs up the last few steps, quickly making his way over to you while holding his sunglasses.

You’re still holding your breath as you take in his appearance, and it’s still the same man that you had the chance to spend your childhood with. The both of you don’t say anything, just staring and tracing over each others features with your eyes and Angel doesn’t like the feeling that sinks to the bottom of his stomach.

“You’re Armando right? You don’t look like any of the pictures.” Angel breaks the silence from behind you, arms crossed.

Arman flicks his eyes to your boyfriend, he takes in Angel’s appearance for a second before turning back to you, “Please, call me Arman…and Pictures?”

You exhale, “oh…yeah just two. The one from Costa Rica and your personal favorite: The selfie you took with my digital camera, the one you stole to impress that girl in photography class who already had a boyfriend—

“Did she though? I don’t recall.” Arman smirks and you scoff with a roll of your eyes, “but yeah I think I remember that one. It was the week after we finished junior year, Back when you were working at the skeeball section and Alicja Bosko purposely threw the ball at your shoulder to show off to her jackass boyfriend.”

You nodded remembering that huge bruise you received later that night, “Steven Jefferson. He was actually one of the nicest on the basketball team, if not the only one.”

“That’s because he was in love with you.” It was Arman’s turn to roll his brown eyes while you shook your head.

“No he wasn’t,” you crinkled your nose, “he was too far up Alicja’s ass.”

Arman argued, “yeah well maybe he should have been in theater instead of his brother because he wasn’t fooling me.”

You shrugged your shoulders with a small smile at the little walk down memory lane but knew to agree to disagree. It’s not like it wasn’t possible since you and Steven shared a few classes together, worked on a project or two because you sat near or next to each other but it didn’t cross your mind then. And you also weren’t aware that Steven questioned Arman once, after school when you went home early if the two of you were some secret couple. That was just the clean version of what Steven really said, which landed Arman on a three day suspension and Steven missing out on the next two games.

“…but the picture? It had to be of you having Alicja by the throat in the background while I had the most mischievous smile on my face…I can’t believe I forgot how much of a little shit I was.” Arman chuckled to himself while you nodded at him in amusement before he turned back to Angel, “plus it would make sense that I look different as a teen to present day right? Being a grown successful man does that to you, huh?”

He playfully slapped Angel on his shoulder before he squeezed himself by, taking in your home.

‘Now who the fuck did this guy think he is?’ Was exactly what Angel was thinking.

You squeezed Angel’s wrist as he sent you a look before kicking the door shut behind you.

“Feels much better in here and I see you’re doing well for yourself too.” Arman stood in the middle of the home.

Although he resided in the same state as you but at a great distance, Arman was still aware of your professions of once being a PI but now worked for a cybersecurity company as an intelligence analyst. He was proud to see that you were still driven but ultimately knew that wouldn’t change.

Angel muttered, “I bet it does when you’re not dressed like fucken blade in Vegas.”

“What was that?” Arman’s got his hands on his hips, bringing his attention back to the tatted man.

“Angel’s just wondering what you would like to drink.” Smiling hard at your boyfriend, he sucked his teeth with a roll of his head and rushed by you two.

He went around the corner by the dining area to the left where the closed off kitchen was. Once he pulled the fridge open, he missed out on you and Arman reaching out for each other to give each other a squeeze but not long enough to the point it would bring tears.

Arman couldn’t take tears from you, never could.

“Angel’s also wondering what brings you here and why you felt the need to stalk his girlfriend from the bushes.” He inquired, appearing just as you’re motioning for Arman to have a seat on the couch.

Angel slides a Gatorade on the coffee table (this Arman character wasn’t getting any of Angel’s good beer. By the looks of Arman, Angel had a feeling he probably wouldn’t drink it anyway.) and plops down on the sitting chair on Arman’s left.

Arman awkwardly laughs, “right…didn’t mean to intrude on you two…” he sends a knowing smile at you while you shrugged with a flick of your hair, “and I know that probably looked insane so I do apologize for that. I just had to make sure I had the right place.”

You suggest, “Next time maybe a phone call would be better?”

“Can’t exactly trust that lately.” Arman admits which makes Angel sit up, sending you a glance before Angel is pressing his elbows into his knees while Arman continues, “Look…I’m not here to cause any trouble but I had to see you…just in case.”

Angel wasn’t sure what that means but he had a feeling and he didn’t like being out of the loop of what was going on. He left Santo Padre for a reason and he found something special with you…yet someone from your past just shows up out the blue—that you haven’t seen in who knows how long, with a nice cut on his lip, brow, and cheek! and who knows where else! Arman didn’t seem to be walking normally if you asked Angel and this guy was saying things like he was preparing for the worse! In conclusion: sounded like a red flag to Angel.

“Before you expand on that…there’s just a few things that I do need to get off my chest.” Angel interrupts the intense eye contact you were sharing with another man.

Arman blinks over at Angel, “okay…”

“How long has it been since you two last saw each other?”

Arman looks to you again and you round off, “it’s been years, maybe fifteen? but the postcards and little figurines made it seem like less.”

Angel wasn’t aware of any of that but it’s not like you kept your friendship with Arman much of a secret. There wasn’t anything to hide in the first place. You always spoke highly of him and Angel couldn’t really grasp the idea of a man and a woman being just friends if they weren’t family. Yes that was his projection but he’s never seen anything like this that wasn’t romantic.

He rubs at his face in thought while Arman smiles softly at you, lightly shoving your knee and in that moment Angel was thankful he did the honors of tying your coverup before you opened the front door. Sorry not sorry.

Angel just comes right out with it, “so…were you two ever a thing? Serious or just foolin’ around?”

Your eyes go wide and Arman laughs at this, which irritates Angel.

“No.” Arman clearly states, “We maybe soulmates but not in a romantic sense, which makes this friendship so much more easy to have, no matter how many years pass us by. I love your girlfriend but you don’t have to worry about me falling in love with her because that’s your job, right?” He stares hard at the bearded man, almost daring Angel to say the wrong thing.

Angel immediately nods his head, feeling the tension ease somewhat from his jaw although he can feel your heated stare on him also. You already told him what it was with Arman when he asked you about your love for him once before and didn’t particularly like that he was bringing it up again to Arman. However Angel wanted to make sure that this wasn’t one sided and he had no shame in that.

“Good!” Arman claps, “then we have nothing to worry about. As long as you’re good to her, then we won’t have an issue.”

“…we’re good to each other.” You tell, wanting Angel’s eyes to settle on you, which they do before he sits back with a crooked smile.

Satisfied.

You shake your head at him and turn back to Arman who’s watching the exchange. You place your hand on Arman’s which is now thrown along the top of the couch, “And I’m glad I have all of my boys back underneath one roof. Except one of them doesn’t work my nerves as much.”

Arman scowls as he looks at Angel, “I find that hard to believe.”

“Fuck does that mean?” Angel feels his lip curl while Arman holds his hands up in surrender with a smile as Angel says, “she’s not talking about me but you don’t have to assume shit with that smug smile on your face, man.”

‘Lookin’ like the damn monopoly man and shit.’ Angel thinks to himself but he was trying to keep things cordial.

Arman tilts his head at this, “…there’s another guy that loves to take up your time? Don’t tell me—

“Relax,” you soothe, “I didn’t biologically have Maverick but I love him like he’s my own.”

“And I can’t thank you enough.” Angel tells you with a glint in his eye, “you have any kids, Armando?”

Arman slowly shakes his head putting the pieces together silently after spying a picture above the fireplace before he thinks of his own situation, “no but I too know a kid that I’ll always protect.”

“Aw, look at you having the parenting bug.” You wiggle the man’s shoulder.

Arman sighs trying to fight back a smile, “I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to. Your face did.”

“She’s right.” Angel agreed.

Arman attempts to whisper, “Don’t say that too much or her head will explode.”

You pinch the back of the skin on Arman’s hand who hisses before yanking his hand away. Angel laughs at you two, finding that this Arman guy might be alright in his book.

“I’ve missed you, you know? Even when you still do that pinching shit.” He shakes his hand about before rubbing it.

“I know and so have I, Armani-man.”

He chuckles, “haven’t heard that in awhile.”

“What?” You gasp as you mention, “Don’t tell me Nadia hasn’t hit you with annoying spins on your government?”

Yes you were also aware that Arman found his Mrs. Morales out there in the world. At first you felt a way about it since he simply sent over a picture and a brief letter to your mailbox during your late twenties and not an invitation to the wedding. Which he later explained in the attached letter that it was a spur of the moment ceremony out of the country. You only knew bits and pieces of what Nadia was like and what she looked like. However there seemed to be a shift in Arman at the mention of his wife.

As soon as you noticed it, it was gone, leaving the guarded man to exhale, “…only when she wants something.”

“You too, huh?” Angel cracks open the Gatorade before taking a sip, “ever get hit with a ‘hoochie daddy?’”

Arman blinks before oddly staring back and forth at you two, “A what?”

“Never mind my boyfriend,” you fan your hand, “you said you came here to visit me just in case of what exactly…”

Arman dips his head and clears his throat. When he starts cracking his fingers with one hand, you notice it’s still something he does when there’s a lot on his mind even with the both of you settling into your own adulthoods. That alone makes you scoot closer to him, balling your legs to the side of you as you rest your head back against his arm.

“I’m here. Always.”

This he knew.

He never imagined plopping back into your life like this, on the run and keeping it all away from the two women he’s in love with but it was a fact that you knew the start. And if that’s what he had to go back to, then so be it. Part of him felt like he should feel guilty bringing you back into this, while at the same time he knew the levels of your relationship and that you would always look out for him too.

The both of you grew up together and then separately because arman sought out for more that his father didn’t approve of and the connection between you two was just as strong then as it is now. It wasn’t conditional on your part, which is why the both of you still had a friendship. That was evident with the way you two moved around each other and Angel felt like he should be jealous.

Oh but he was! especially with the bits of affection he witnessed, that was something he didn’t want to get used to but maybe he was starting to understand? Angel would grasp it more if he saw how Arman was around this Nadia person and had a feeling he probably would the longer Arman stayed or came around. However both you and Arman knew it wouldn’t be a long span of time. It’s just not the way he operated.

He was always on the move.

“Do I need to give you two the room?” Angel places his hand on his chest, “I really don’t want to in fear that I’ll start smoking again but my heart, yeah I got that, is saying I prolly should.”

You peek up at Arman, the both of you sharing a laugh before Arman nudged his head and you’re patting the empty spot next to you. “Get over here.”

“I dunno…the way you two look at each other gives off more than just friends.” Angel cautiously makes his way over, while you toss your legs right over his lap, leaving him to caress your bare ankle.

Arman shakes his head as he meets Angel’s eyes, “you’ve never loved a best friend so much that you’ll do anything for?”

“Well yeah…” Angel starts with a lift of his shoulders, “but I never had stars in my eyes when I looked at coco’s crazy ass. And he wouldn’t be walking up in my house like he owns the place. I’ll tell you that much. Actually—he’d probably find a way in here without us knowing.”

You’ve heard stories about Coco—Johnny plenty times before and wished you would have had the chance to meet him. With the way Angel spoke of him and the one’s he once called his brothers, made it seem like you already have.

You snort, “might as well have stars with how much you speak on him and Ezekiel.”

Angel blows out a breath at how much he missed those guys through it all, “I guess I get it too. But i do have to say, if this turns out to be more harm than good to us…you may see a side of me you don’t like and that can get ugly.”

That was aimed more at Arman than you, you were sure but as good as you knew the man to your left, he didn’t take threats lightly yet he could respect it since you chose Angel.

“Well at least you’re honest about your lack of looks…but we can both agree every side is my good side.” Arman jokes as he pinches his chin, caressing his facial hair with a grin.

Angel huffs, “get a load of this fucken guy! First you waltz in here and now this? You’re something else, man. But I guess…you’re alright for now.”

Arman leans over you as Angel goes to give him a fist while Arman was ready to give his hand a shake. Angel stares at Arman’s hand, not budging before Arman huffs and decides to bump fists instead with a shake of his head in disbelief.

“Yay, my bestie and my boyfriend getting along!”You grip Arman’s shoulder to place a kiss on his cheek before flopping your body against Angel who squeezes your shoulder, kissing the corner of your eye as you say “Love to see it…maybe spring break won’t be so bad after all.”

Arman and Angel both share a knowing glance, being aware that this probably wouldn’t be some simple visit of a friend coming to town—although you were no stranger to Arman’s lifestyle—but for both of their sakes they’ll relish in your happiness.

That’s mainly what both men wanted for you.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*

Continue along with my spring anthology prompts here.

[pawnshopbleus]

Put Me in a Movie - Chapter Fourteen

Miguel O'Hara x Fem!Reader

Summary - You’re a famous actress and he’s one of the greatest directors of all time. What happens when you get cast in his new movie? 

Chapter Thirteen

“Miguel O’Hara and the leading lady in his new film have been spotted entering a new restaurant earlier this week.” The news reporter said your name with a hint of jealousy. Everyone wanted Miguel and was disappointed that he was taken away from them so soon. You scoffed like any of them actually had a chance. 

Pictures of you and Miguel flashed onto the screen of your fifty-inch flat-screen television. You were sitting crisscross applesauce on your couch while Fern sat next to you. Today was supposed to be a lazy day until you received a call from Stella. 

“You’re needed at the TCL Chinese Theater in the next two hours. Wear that Chanel dress that I bought you for your birthday,” Stella said without elaborating further. 

“The hell? Why am I needed at the TCL Chinese Theater?” 

“Well, you may or may not have been invited to an A24 premier that I forgot to tell you about. You’re allowed to bring a guest so if you want, you can bring that fine ass boyfriend of yours.” “Stella!” Your head hit the back of your couch. “If you keep doing this then I don’t know if I can trust you. Did you not grasp onto anything during our conversation?” Stella’s sigh was heard on your end of the phone, “I know and I’m sorry. I’ve just been having a hard time with Jack and all.” Jack is Stella’s new deadbeat boyfriend. He has no job and zero ambition. You don’t approve of him and wish that Stella would break up with him. 

“Stella, you need to break up with him. He’s not good for you. 

“This isn’t about me!” Stella huffed and then composed herself. “Look, honey, you need to call Miguel and tell him to get ready, pick you up, and head over. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner, but maybe this could be good for you and Miguel. Practice before the premiere of your own movie. I need to go.” Stella hung up and you sat there for a second before you dialed Miguel’s phone number. 

Miguel picked up the phone after two rings, “Hello?” “Miguel, I’m sorry for the short notice, but Stella just told me that I need to go to an A24 movie premiere. She said I could bring a plus one and I was wondering if you want to go.” It was silent for a moment before he spoke, “To be honest, I don’t think I can go. Jessica isn’t available to take care of Gabby and her usual babysitter is on vacation.” 

Your heart sank. Of course, he couldn’t come. He was a father first before your boyfriend. He had a daughter to love and take care of. You would always come second and you needed to get used to that. 

You were about to respond before a light bulb appeared in your head. “Well, I can tell Stella that something came up. Then, if you’re up for it, you and Gabby can come over for a pool day. It’s the perfect weather.”

“Mi amor, that sounds perfect, but I can’t let you skip a premiere for us.” “I don’t want to go to premier in the first place. Please, Fern misses Gabby and I miss you.” Fern tilted her head at the mention of Gabriella’s name. If you and Miguel ever broke up, it would hurt Fern and Gabby more than it would hurt you.

“Fine. When do you want us to come over,” Miguel chuckled at the sound of you celebrating. 

You told Miguel to come over in about an hour or two. Then, you texted Stella that something came up and that you couldn’t attend the premier. She was disappointed but ultimately understood how last minute this was. 

You uncovered your pool and made sure that there were no bugs or stray leaves inside of it. Your pool overlooked the beautiful city that you lived in. Every day you thanked the Universe and your own hard work for letting you live this life that you’ve dreamed of since you were little. Words cannot describe how blessed you felt every time you woke up to this incredible view. 

You sent a text to Peter asking him if he, MJ, and May would like to join the party. He accepted the invite and expressed his utmost excitement. You missed the banter between you and Peter. He was quirky and funny in the best way possible and you were glad he was your friend.  

You were wearing a red one-piece bathing suit that cinched at the waist. You looked like Pamela Anderson in Baywatch. Fern was wearing a pink doggy life jacket and you nearly cried at the fact that just a few months ago she was living on the streets of LA. Luckily, Fern was roaming around in the right place at the right time. 

A knock at your door took you out of your head. Miguel and Gabriella were the first ones to arrive at your home. Fern happily jumped around when she saw Miguel's daughter in a matching pink swimsuit. 

Miguel greeted you with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. It looked friendly enough to the untrained eye, but if they looked a bit closer, they would see his hand rest on the globe of your ass for a quick second before returning to a modest place on your body. 

Gabriella doesn’t know that you and her father are dating. He doesn’t want her to get too attached just in case it doesn’t work out, but as he watched his daughter smile while playing with Fern, he knew there was no going back. 

“What are we eating for lunch? I’m hungry and my dad wouldn’t take me to McDonalds,” Gabriella looked at Miguel and then at you. 

You let out a little laugh at her comment. Then, you got another idea. “You know, McDonalds does sound good. I’ll order some when Peter and his family get here.” 

“Peter’s coming?” Miguel asked. He wasn’t mad, just surprised. 

“Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. I invited him over because I miss him and his wife and his sweet little baby.” 

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. There was a knock at your front door and when you opened it, Peter and his small family were revealed all in their swim attire. 

Everyone made their way over to the pool. MJ and May were sitting on the stairs of the pool while Peter and Gabriella had a competition to see who did the better underwater handstands. Gabriella won every time and Peter took the losses like a champ. You and Miguel were sitting on the edge of the pool while your feet were submerged in the water. Miguel watched as his daughter interacted with the leading man of his latest film. 

“I think we should tell her.” 

You gave Miguel a questioning look, “Tell who what?” “Gabriella. We should tell her that we’re together,” Miguel threaded his hands through his perfectly styled hair. “I didn’t want her to get too attached just in case the worst happened, but she really liked you and your dog and to be honest, I think she already knows.” 

“When do you want to tell her?” This was a very serious moment in your relationship with Miguel. He was so secure in this that he was about to tell his daughter about your relationship.

Miguel called Gabriella over with a simple motion of his hand. She doggy paddled her way over to where you and her father were sitting. Miguel was nervous. You could tell by the way he shifted uncomfortably in his spot. 

“Gabriella, you know I love you and I’ll never keep a secret from you.” Gabriella nodded her head as she floated in the water. Miguel continued, “Well, I have been keeping a secret from you. We’re dating.” Miguel took your hand in his and braced himself for whatever his daughter would say next. 

“I know,” Gabriella shrugged.

“You know? How long have you known? Who told you?” Miguel’s brows furrowed in confusion. 

“If I tell you, will I get in trouble?” Gabriella was weary. She knew that there was a fifty percent chance that she would be grounded if her father knew the truth. Miguel shook his head, eager to know how his daughter knew such a big secret. “Well, when she came over for dinner I was kind of listening to the two of you from the stairs. Also, when I use your phone to play Minecraft I’m not actually playing Minecraft.” 

Miguel huffed and shook his head. Of course, his daughter was sneaky like his ex-wife. Like mother like daughter. The rest of the day was spent lounging and playing in the pool.

Well, the cat’s out of the bag. With Gabriella in the know, you felt better about your relationship. You felt secure and ready for whatever the future held.

Chapter Fifteen - Comming Soon

[azure-clockwork]

That feeling when your boss asks you if you’ve made any breakthroughs on any of the Python tools you maintain and the answer is yes, but the breakthrough you made was finally finding a forum half explaining a niche Tcl function which you then spent the afternoon running experimenting with till you understood it enough to use it to bastardize somebody else’s custom tkinter text widget.

This allows me to make a textbox that has both line numbers and a scrollbar.

[the1northlanderprincess]

The end of a beautiful story....Episode 6, TCL

Well, the time has unfortunately come for Arman's story to close, and I am feeling SO many things about how it was done. I will try to write everything somewhat coherently.

Questions

Thony spent the first part of the episode being interrogated by different people wondering about her relationship with Arman. She dodges Jorge's inquiry completely. When Fiona asks her if she wants an "us two", Thony gives a little more up. Well, kind of. She asks if she should let him in, which, in all seriousness, I think she already has (more on that later).

Anyway, back to her scene with Jorge, Thony is almost elated to hear about them getting a proof of life for Arman. Then she listens to it, and you can see her expression totally change. She's, like, "conceal, don't feel", and tries her best to not show anything in front of Jorge. But, to us, you know it struck a chord with her with the memory of her time in Mexico with Arman. It's really the first time we see a glimpse into an intimate moment she's spent with him, and her feelings on them. And, it isn't the only time in the episode.

Why did Arman use the lyrics in the first place? Was he somehow hoping that Thony would listen to it and know he's thinking of her? Or was he just so drugged he was hallucinating about the actual event, and the captor used it for the proof of life? What is evident, though, is that Thony was on his mind, and I think that says a LOT.

Signs of Arman

After Thony and Fiona decide to follow up on JD's intel, Thony notices a kid setting down what she believes is Arman's jacket. She picks it up, smells it, and knows right away that it's his. How telling is that? That she knows his scent? It's love, baby! Anyway, so, after getting help from a local kid, they are able to find Dante's apartment from the outside. Thony looks through a broken window and spots what apparently is a very dazed Arman. She can hardly believe it and is nervously excited. Finding their way in, Fiona unlocks the door of the apartment. Thony wants to go in by herself, so Fiona stays outside to stand watch. Thony calls out for Arman as she looks around. She finds a whole shelf of the drug, but accidentally bumps into it. That leads to....

An Illusion

Thony's reaction as she seemingly wakes to hear Arman's voice is absolutely brutal. Like the way she clings to him and tells him in a desperate voice how she'll never let him go again. It's full of fear, relief, and, in my opinion, unconditional love. It's another glimpse into what she really feels for him. However, what she thinks she sees is only a hallucination, and how she reacts to that as Fiona comes to her aide is totally devastating. She sounds like she's on the brink of sobbing. As she is being helped to Jeremy's pickup, it becomes distraught. To hear her voice crack while saying "I need Arman". is...a lot. That fraught-ness turns into almost a crazed excitedness as she spots Arman being dragged away.

Now this may sound crude, but people do tend to be at their most honest when they've lost their inhibitions. This is what happened here. I know that people weren't pleased about this incident, but, it fit the circumstances, and it was an effective tool for us to see her true feelings exposed, and maybe reveal it to herself. Anyways, going back to her words, I think they have double meaning. Not only does she need Arman back in general, but she needs him to help her through this drug-induced suffering.

The chase

Jeremy is doing his best to keep up with the captors, and you can see how on edge Thony is with this pursuit. When they finally catch up with the getaway car, Thony's expression upon seeing Arman, and saying his name, is certainly one of relief, but you also can detect some confusion, almost like she's surprised to see him. Maybe some part of her was still questioning what was real. Arman is experiencing the same thing when he sees her. He did not expect to see her at all.

Things get more intense, and the vehicles separate for a time before meeting side by side once again. Arman and Thony lock eyes for a moment, and you know that they know something is building. For a second, there is a longing in her gaze, one unlike we've ever seen her give. Arman's is a bit more bittersweet. His mouth is set very sorrowfully. He senses that this will more than likely end badly, and is apologizing to her; that he wishes things could have been different and they had more time. It all snowballs from there, and one of the bad guys points a gun at Thony. She doesn't appear to have much of a reaction to it. I think she's too fixed on Arman to comprehend that she's the one in immediate danger. However, Arman notices. You can see him taking stock of the situation and we know that he's trying to figure out what to do. He's constantly looking back and forth from the gun holder to Thony. The last time he turns to Thony, it's quick; he wants to see the woman he loves one more time before he takes action. He does so in a swift fashion, hitting away the hands of the gunman, then reaching for the driver. Thony can only watch in confusion and shock as the car veers off the road. Her expression turns to horror as she watches the car jump over a cliff.

Seeing her run to the edge and breaking down was just so, so sad. Aside from Luca being kidnapped by his father, we have never seen her in so much pain. Yet as she raises her head after the initial grief, in what I call a moment of strength, you see some semblance of...well, not peace, but something akin to it. It is at this time she looks back to the dance in Mexico. It is a snapshot moment when the two of them were free to be in love with no obstacles; a moment resembling a couple already in a serious, romantic relationship signified by their slow, tender kiss.

As tragic as it is, all of this tells us something major (really for the first time) about how Thony viewed her relationship with Arman. I will expand on that for the next episode's meta.

[canonicallyobserving911]

Scenes included in some of the episode promos were NOT included in the final edits.

[Completing 2022 drafts before 2023]

Scenes that were included in the promos for several episodes were deleted and never aired.  It’s a problem because there are still audience members who decide if they are going to watch an episode based on the promo for it and if scenes from the promo aren’t included when the episode airs, they start to question what happened.  Even though it appears this has been happening since the end of season 4, it also happened a lot during 6A.  Since filming began in early July 2022, these types of continuity issues with the show’s promos shouldn’t be happening especially since 9-1-1 is in its 6th season.  Other than the fans and some of the cast members promoting season 6, OG hardly had any promo before 6A started and when a promo trailer was finally released, a few days before 6x1 was scheduled to air, it was combined with the promo trailer for another show (TCL) that’s not even in the 9-1-1 franchise.  Promotional issues have been plaguing OG for a while now and for 6A those issues included delayed episode promos, incorrect synopses and episode stills that weren’t released until a couple of hours before some episodes aired. It seems like a lot of these issues can be attributed to changes being implemented at the last minute which probably contributed to all the pacing issues that have plagued the majority of season 5 along with the first half of season 6.  Scenes from some of the promos that weren’t included in their respective episodes have been listed below.

5x7 “Ghost Stories”

Two scenes that were included in the promo for 5x7 weren’t aired, i.e., the ghost roommate call the 118 responded to and Ravi scaring Buck while they were inside of the firehouse. The original episode was scrapped and replaced with a lackluster episode that had a lot of scenes with two recurring characters included in them.  Right after the hiatus began, on one popular social media platform, subscribers were asked to post the name of the worst 9-1-1 episode to date and several of them responded that it was 5x7 because the promo included the ghost roommate scene but since it wasn’t included in the episode, they weren’t happy.

The scene with Ravi scaring Buck was also supposed to be in the episode but it wasn’t.  The decision maker(s) said the reason the majority of the episode had to be reshot was due to conflicts with some of the main cast members’ schedules but that seems like a poor excuse, especially since both the ghost roommate and Ravi scaring Buck scenes wouldn’t have included the missing mains like Maddie and Chimney because they were already gone (Maddie left in 5x3 and Chimney left in 5x4) long before 5x7 even aired.  But there sure was LOTS of screen time allocated for the reporter to play amateur detective for almost the entire episode.

5x18 “Starting Over”

The promo for 5x18 included a scene where Buck told Eddie while they were repairing the walls in Eddie’s bedroom, “This last year with everything that happened, feels like maybe he spent so much time worrying about us; maybe we didn’t spend enough time worrying about him”.  He was talking about Bobby but that part was cut from the episode and it seems like the decision maker(s) decided to delay Bobby’s spiral/breakdown or whatever they were or are still planning to do with his storyline until 6B.

6x2 “Crash and Learn”

Eddie was shown crossing himself during the season 6 premier promo trailer and based on the white walls that can be seen over his shoulder, it appears the scene would have been included in 6x2 while the 118 was at the Happiness Convention but it never aired. (Inspired by this post from @sassybitchdiaz​.)

6x6 “Tomorrow”

Karen’s 9-1-1 call was included in the promo for 6x6 that aired at the end of 6x5 “Home Invasion” but the scene wasn’t included in 6x6.  Instead of her 9-1-1 call being included in “Tomorrow”, the episode included a scene with Denny on the phone with Hen when the explosion happened but NO ONE was shown to have called 9-1-1 during the episode.  The 118 just showed up and Bobby started talking to the onsite fire captain.

6x9 “Red Flag”

Eddie crossed himself again in 6x9 but that scene wasn’t included in the episode either.  He was kneeling right next to Bobby in the promo so it’s interesting that both scenes with him crossing himself were cut from their respective episodes.  Eddie crossing himself in scenes from two separate episodes that were deleted are just two examples of the way his scenes ARE ALWAYS DELETED, SHORTENED OR CRAMMED INTO THE END OF AN EPISODE.  BOTH HIS SHOOTING AND BREAKDOWN SCENES WERE HANDLED IN A SIMILAR MANNER. EDDIE DESERVES BETTER!

Hopefully this issue with promos including scenes that never get aired will be resolved before 6B begins.  But with the way 6A ended, it seems unlikely that any changes will be made to correct them by the decision maker(s).

[idealisticrealism]

First of all, thank you for your brilliant recaps! Can’t wait for your download on episode 8. Question- I thought arman coming to Thony in middle of night to give key card was ridiculously sexy and spot on for him: - he came back to her, then clearly tried to discuss what he did with Nadia before she shut him down, then he let her know that he’s going back to Nadia essentially for her “buying her time” - do you agree or is it more tragic lol

Well, considering 'sexy' and 'tragic' are two of Arman's main attributes, I'm going to go with both haha.

I mean, he obviously had to deliver the keycard to her either way– since getting it for her was literally the whole point of going back to Nadia– and he had to do it at a time when Nadia would be least likely to notice his absence, so the middle of the night made sense. But it's clear that he also just needed to see her; not only to try and make her understand that this wasn't the choice he'd wanted to make, but also to apologise for starting them down a path and then having to turn around and abandon her on it alone. The fact that he has literally snuck off from his marriage bed to try to have this conversation is clearly not lost on either of them, however, which is why she cuts it off real fast and shows him the door (and damn, the writers really weren't pulling their punches with the symbolism there, were they?).

As for his line about possibly not being able to buy her much time: I think it's mostly about trying to keep her safe by encouraging her to get in and out of the office– and therefore, out of danger– as fast as possible, but there's also the unmistakable undercurrent to it where he's trying to tell her that his and Nadia's reconciliation may very well only be fleeting, meaning that this forced distance between them might be nothing but a temporary diversion from that path they were on. And so it's practically a plea for her to wait, to not to give up on him just yet, and even though he knows it's not fair to any of them for him to say it, he still can't stop himself– because let's be honest, he's in far too deep to let go of her now.

Anyway of course I'll probably undoubtedly find more words about this in my recap (so happy to hear you're enjoying them, by the way!!) so keep an eye out for that lol

[perfectarmony]

ep 8 of TCL had multiple scenes with Arman at Thony's house/garden. do you think that was just for convenience or do you think the writers are trying to merge their worlds a bit more? some have noted that he looked out of place there - do you think they are trying to highlight how different Thony and Arman's everyday lives still are (what a diff betw Nadia & Arman's home vs. Thony's, lol) or starting to make it seem more natural for him to be there? obviously, it's much easier to have Arman there when Thony's family is not around. where do you see it going in the next few eps? tx.

Okay, well this is about to get messy anon! 😅

Welcome to this week's episode of ''my two cents on Armony'' I guess??

Disclaimer as always: this is just how I see things - and those things are always clearer in my head 👀

Also, Tumblr apparently hates me, and I had to start this entire thing again from scratch after it failed to save as a draft, so I might come back to add something I forgot later 🙄

Okaaaay, so I finally had time to quickly go through the tag, and I definitely mostly agree with what has been said about that part! so I won't dive too much into it, because others have already said it perfectly!

But there is something I'd like to add though, because I feel like by focusing so much on their scenes, we don't see that a lot more is actually going on.

To try to answer your question, I don't think anything is done for convenience on this show - but what struck me most during this episode wasn't really their scenes, but Thony's - alone in that house.

And all I could think of was this house no longer feels like home

sorry not sorry if that song is now stuck in your head, but that's all I could hear (also, don't take the song, that is about cheating, literally - just make the lyrics that feel relevent fit Thony's pain and let the song guide you 🤧 I am not going to start vidding this song when I have 100 other projects on standby. Nope.)

The director did a magnificent job there. I absolutely loved those quiet, yet powerful scenes where Élodie just shines through the pain and emptiness her character is feeling.

To have to watch her all curled up in Luca's bed or simply sitting on her bed and staring into the void - and then cutting to the noisy, chaotic and happy bubble Fiona and the kids are in...it was just stunningly painful.

Okay, you might wonder where I'm getting at with that, but keep those scenes in mind and let me go back to Arman and Thony.

You're right, the difference between their two houses is stricking. At least it usually is. But not so much this time...if you're willing to look past the money tied to Arman's house.

As gorgeous and fancy as Nadia and Arman's house is - it's just that: a cold and empty house with no soul. I might be influenced by the fact that we only saw that house when they had fights or difficult times, but still - it doesn't feel like a home to me.

And this is just how Thony's house (and heart...) felt during this episode - empty, cold and way too quiet. When Arman first came by, that's all he could hear - the screaming silence, instead of the warmth he may have expected (and maybe hoped) to find there.

Something else to remember: Thony is in this situation because she wanted to help Arman - and this is maybe also partially why he felt so out of place. He knows how much her family - Luca - means to her, and yet, because of that choice, she has to stay away from them. I wish we would see more of it on screen - but we shouldn't forget about the guilt Arman could be feeling for dragging her into this mess. (and yes, she made her own decision, but still.)

Also. Arman had already lost it all - his power, his money, his wife/family. For Thony, her only treasure has always been her family - the only thing that truly mattered, the light she came home to when everything else was dark. But this was the first time she was left with nothing, and no one.

I can hear you - 'but she has Arman.' Yes. And no.

When Arman and Thony were together, they had nothing but each other - and they chose to be alone together. Arman offered to stay, and she didn't even hesitate one second - because he represented safety, comfort, but also, to some extent, family.

She still had to come to terms with the fact that every move she takes to keep her family safe is painting a target on their backs - and that she had to stay away from them to protect them.

And then, she had to push Arman into Nadia's arms in an attempt to keep both their families safe. But in doing so - to some extent (send help. I'm reading way too much into all of this and I'm turning in circles.) - she had to watch Arman get back to his family, and to what she sees as his home. More than that, him being with Nadia meant that he was able to protect her - while she's all by herself, has no control, and has to stay as far as possible from her family to keep them safe.

When he comes back to give her the key card, this is also what Arman feels guilty about - to have to leave her alone while he has someone to go home to - even if it's just a lie.

Am I making any sense? Or am I just inflicting myself more pain unnecessarily by trying to turn my thoughts into words? 🤧

As to where I see things going in the next episodes - careful spoilers incoming in 3.....2......1.......

*************spoilers*************

after reading the synopsis for 2x09, I guess Arman won't have to play pretend much longer....But with everything going on - Bosco (rip), finding a new supplier, Luca getting worse, Thony going to Manila with Kamdar (🤧) I guess there won't be much time any of that. But I might still be over here hoping that they're together when Fiona takes Luca home. I think Chris and Jaz will be staying at JD's while Fi looks over Luca whenever Thony has to be away - so maybe there's a chance we could see him back there. But after that, Luca is at the hospital...so....🤧 Can you all feel the pain coming?!

Okaaaay, thank you for forcing me to verbalize my thoughts anon, and I hope I somewhat answered your questions! ❤️

[missusplum]

What did you think of the latest episode ? I need to hear your thoughts because wtf was that

haha hello anon 👀 as usual i have a jumbled mess of thoughts under the cut:

so like every other week, i have some criticism and some positives too. i mean obviously i didn’t find the episode that ~enjoyable~ lol but there were some good moments. i liked seeing fiona and the kids so happy and smiley and i didn’t totally disagree with JD re: his pov on thony. it almost doesn’t matter if he’s being hypocritical, his concern is the safety and well-being of jaz and if he sees thony as a threat to that, i think he’s justified in wanting to protect her by any means. and it was actually kind of refreshing to hear a different perspective on thony from a character who isn’t like knee-deep involved in her life.

the shipping of it all aside, i think what i’ve come to struggle with the most this season is just how goddamn miserable everyone is lol 😭 this show keeps writing itself into darker and darker corners so that moments of levity almost seem unearned and out of place (i.e. the interview scenes in episode 5), even though more than anything i just want to see my favs get wins. like i think coming out of season 1, i was really hoping that thony would have more agency into her descent into the crime world, but really it’s been more of the same, which is she keeps being forced into situations that she seemingly can’t get out of and is absolutely miserable all the time. to me the writers seem to be stuck on making sure thony is still a relatable ‘good’ character who is just forced into criminal activity by circumstance… which did work well for season 1 since the focus was saving luca by any means. but with this second season there was an opportunity to tell different stories, i.e. stories about thony that don’t involve her carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders; instead it seems the show has just leaned heavier into that. i was hoping we would be able to see a grayer thony this season, more of her purposefully leaning into the criminal activity because it’s convenient or simply because she can (i think this is why i liked ep 4 so much lol). instead, it’s the world around her that keeps getting darker and darker and she’s just being further suffocated. and not to mention, on top of that, arman who was more or less her lifeline in season 1 is now also just as miserable as she is 💀 like it’s infinitely more satisfying to see characters we love do bad things but do them willingly vs them being forced to do bad things and are constantly suffering. it becomes too much after a while!

pacing-wise i do think ep 7 and 8 have been probably the best paced episodes this season? these episodes have at least felt like they’re building towards something and riding some sort of momentum. i guess the payoff this season is taking down kamdar, which is very meh to me. again i don’t think i’m a big fan of introducing a cartoonish villain for the express purpose of making characters suffer so that he becomes a lightning rod/excuse for everything terrible in these peoples’ lives. like even if he does get taken down by the end of the season, it doesn’t strike me as super satisfying because it seems like that’s the only reason he’s here? the issue with making a new character the sole focus of the season is that once he’s out of the way, where does that leave our main characters? if it’s in the exact same place they were pre-kamdar, then i think it’s kind of pointless storytelling haha. but idk lol, we’re still in the thick of it so it’s hard to say right now whether the conclusion will be a good one or not. one last thing on pacing — something i have noticed is that a lot of episodes this season have ended on cliffhangers which i’m personally a little allergic to; imo cliffhangers are effective when deployed sparingly or else they just feel overused and narratively repetitive which is how i’ve often felt about the episodes this season unfortunately.

ok to the armony: i mean obviously the shipper in me was watching ep 8 like 🫣 haha. though i mean honestly i don’t think it was out of character for anyone with how everything spun out — thony has really rarely shown any outward desire for arman (aside from 1x06 which one could argue was a moment of weakness) or any desire to want to see his marriage end on her behalf. and arman not being able to definitively decide between the two sides of his heart only to have thony literally decide for him. it sucked but like it didn’t not make sense i guess? nevertheless, it was still so so frustrating to watch and it’s annoying because it feels like what happened was just narratively manufactured to get people riled up lol. but getting people riled up and talking about it is likely exactly what the writers wanted? we got major baited by arman offering to stay with thony (the potential of seeing them comfort each other and emotionally leaning on one another!) only to have that immediately ripped away by thony basically pushing him back towards nadia. literally no one is happy watching this unfold lmao i’m tired! end this triangle from hell 😩 like it’s not bad storytelling imo, i’m just annoyed! personally i believe that the way to get fans to stop clamoring about a ship and focus on the core story is to stop throwing endless angst at them 🥲 they shouldn’t need to be canonized immediately but continued progression and bits of payoff go a long way. but that’s just me!

i keep harping on about this but my greatest, greatest fear is that this show doesn’t get another season. i really would not mind the slowburning of thony’s descent into the darkness or armony progressing past like 2 seconds of physical contact if there was a guarantee that the show would have the longevity to tell this long slow story. but yknow, my anxiety gets the best of me and i become concerned that we’re wasting precious episodes on more ping ponging and drawn-out suffering for the sake of having conflict instead of making sure that a complete satisfying story is being told with the episodes we do have. it’s neither here or there lol, the show is ultimately the writers’ and they should absolutely write the stories they want to tell. i’m just along for the ride and can only hope for the best lol and pls @ fox renew tcl for season 3 i beg

[gabyoficial3]

ask The Dead Speaker Boxes[BFHC AU]

inspiration:caramel_candy

i have no ideas so i made this:3...but...why they are dead?

Flower speaker box(FLSB)

cause of death:murdered

culprit:flower

info:This death is canonical,basically at the beginning of BFDI 23,Firey speaker was trying to break the TCL,only he was making noise and distracting Flower,making her get angry and pick up a bowling ball to throw at him,Firey speaker box manages dodge the ball,but unfortunately flower speaker box was behind him,so the bowling ball crushed her,dying instantly;what changed about this death is how flower reacted when she saw what she did.

puffball speaker box(PSB)

cause of death:murdered

culprit:pin

info:the event of BFDIA 5a in the pin accidentally throws a knife at puffball speaker for me is not really a death,because in BFDIA 8 just by removing the knife he reappears,so in my AU he would die otherwise and intentionally;at the end of BFDIA and before IDFB,thanks to the power of the script everything returns to normal,so Pin would have his face and limbs back(the reasons why he lost them are in BFDIA 5a and BFDIA 11)and as revenge he decides to kill PSB,she convinces him to go to a forest that was quiet,PSB began to suspect this, but before fully realizing it,Pin with an ax in a rapid movement makes her an medium cut,causing a fatal wound PSB,while bleeding,Pin takes her to a nearby tree and she runs quickly,abandoning PSB while she slowly leaves this world...later puffball while looking for PSB,she finds him dead and puffball would cry for the death of his speaker box,causing depression,his mental health to deteriorate little by little and sometimes suicidal thoughts.

by the way:before TPOT 7 I think,puffball decided to commit suicide to be with PSB forever

Firey speaker box(FSB)

cause of death,murdered and dismembered culprit:donut

info:This death is also canonical,it can be deduced that Donut was the one who dismembered FSB,in BFB 8 in the part where it is revealed to us who will be eliminated,FSB appears dismembered and its parts are used for the contestants who were not eliminated(or who from me)indeed Firey was not happy with this and lamented the death of his speaker box(which he considered his son),what they changed is to increase the tension of that scene by making it really clear what the crash is like,from that moment on Firey He would go through the duel,which in the end he manages to overcome.

Announcer(speaker box)

causes of death:crushed and killed

culprits:spongey and kat

Info:Curiously,Announcer has two deaths,one canonical(which I consider that way)and another that I create for this AU,the first occurs at the beginning of BFDI 22,when he is crushed by Spongy due to the tremendous butterfly effect caused by Firey and Flower,due to What this one knew was heaven and was there before they made him a recovery center;and the second one,which is part of my AU,happens near the end of BFB 30,when with an argument with Kat(a friend's oc)he gets desperate and grabs a kind of tool and the announcer was baffled as to what was happening,and before finishing asking him what was happening,Kat attacks him with the tool and does so until they literally kills him,when Kat regains consciousness a little,they is terrified and escapes from the place as soon as possible,then some characters find him and mourn his loss,even his best friend VR headset.