Thoughts about what's to happen next...possible spoilers...
From wall collage in Tam's room.....
Those pages behind the pictures are from book "From Liverpool with Love".
Quick search to give this summary:
Putting that together with what we know....
Maybe when they did that drug case at the uni, Tam ran into his sibling who is involved with drug dealing some how. Threats were made and Tam had to leave Phi. Maybe Tam's sibling is a true crime member, maybe they are working undercover. Maybe Tam's helping bring down the drug ring, thus cannot yet tell Phi about it.
(btw... I really hate plots where I'm doing XYZ to protect you and not tell you about it... and come to find out if only they talked it out, there would've been better solution than one person trying to carry all the burden)
Also if Tam's life is like Jane, then he grew up in a struggling family, his mom was always working so he had to take care of himself. That's why he was looking so longingly at Phi's mom, and their relationship.
The house that Tam lives in looks really nice. How would a struggling single mom afford the place? Maybe that was left behind from the dad/inheritance from some relative?
Hello, Tumblr. Today I hope not to be simply another Tumblrina with opinions but also a neurodivergent Tumblrina with hyperspecific interests and life history that come in handy for this particular purpose.
What interests and what history, you ask? Ah, but, of course! My deep knowledge of the Cartier Love Collection from, obviously, being a HunHan conspirationist in 2014 at the ripe age of 12.
Now, if I've satisfied your curiosity, let us begin.
So I was watching episode 5 today (don't blame me, I wanted to watch it sooner but I was on vacation bc my sister gave me a trip to Sevilla as a birthday gift) and one thing caught my attention during the argument scene.
That bad boy I very carefully (not really) identified for you is one of the most iconic Cartier products ever: A Love Bracelet™.
"Ok. Cool. But why does that matter?"
Well, for once it proves Rak is rich as fuck. Those bracelets go for THOUSANDS of euro. Like... The cheapest bracelet in the Love Collection is the intertwined rings bracelet in gold and rose gold (the white gold one is more expensive)
And it sells rn for 2120€ (2300$).
And that's for sure NOT the version Rak has!
From what I can tell, he's wearing this version:
Which is the classic Love Bracelet design in white gold.
This one is selling rn for 8750€ (9490$).
I think there can be an argument that he's actually wearing either the brushed version (left photo) or the small version (right photo)
which, respectively, are being sold for 8750€ (9490$) and 5650€ (6121$) but I think the version Rak has is
too shiny to be the brushed version;
too thick to be the small version.
Either way, it's a fucking expensive bracelet.
But this is not even why I wanted to point this out, I mean, yeah, of course Rak is rich, we are all well-aware of that.
The point here is that this bracelet is not just famous for being pretty (which, as far as my judgement goes, it really isn't, sorry not sorry). It is famous, more than anything else, bc of its meaning, which I'll let the brand tell you all about:
Which is why it caught my attention that Rak, of all people, is wearing one of these. Like... What the hell does this mean???
So I decided to investigate when did this bracelet first appear in order to have a feel whether or not this could potentially be plot-relevant, a character descriptor or simply a fashion choice. And what I found, my dear friends, is that this bracelet first appeared right at the beginning of ep.4.
Which is very suspicious because ep.3, we all recall, ended with Rak promising Mut that he'd stay on the island for a bit more.
BUT, before we start jumping to conclusions, I decided to check whether this bracelet stands the trial of ep.5 and remains until the very end which, big and revelant surprise, it does NOT.
It gets replaced, in the scene of the day after the fight by this one:
Which, I get it, it might be hard to see and identify but it's actually an old friend. In fact, it's the only other bracelet Rak has ever worn:
This has been on his wrist from the beginning of ep.1 to the end of ep.3 (excluding times when Rak was showering, sleeping or doing other activities where having a metal bracelet in the shape of a sharp nail would be impractical). And, would you look at that, if it isn't indeed: another Cartier bracelet. This time, a Juste Un Clou Collection bracelet.
Now, Juste Un Clou (literally Just a Nail), which is also fucking expensive (9500€ - 10292$ for the model he is wearing) has a bit of a different concept than Love, which is:
So what does it mean?
Well, there are some options but I'll tell you what I think makes the most sense:
Throughout the first episodes we see Rak being this person who's different from everyone else on the island. He's from the city, he's rich, he has a desk job, he even looks different from the people in the island, from what Muk says! (which, I get it, it's colourist and has it own set of issues and I don't love it at all but hey, I don't make canon, I just comment on it, so that's what we got and that's what I'll be doing)
He's also independent, he has his own money, pays for his own stuff, doesn't rely on other people. He wants to do everything alone, without Mut, even when it makes his life harder, when it's impractical, when it would be better to have help.
He also tries to be fearless, put on a front. He argues with Mut, wants to cast a shadow way bigger than himself to assert his place, wants to seem untouchable, like nothing could bring him down. We know, of course, it's not true, both us as the audience and Mut learn that through prolongued contact with Rak and exposure to his weaknesses and traumas but he still tries to uphold that image.
And, of course, he tries to be free in the sense that he tries not to create emotional attachments. ESPECIALLY not to Mut. Because he doesn't believe in love and doesn't think he can fall in love and he tries so, so hard not to let himself want and need people, he likes to act like he has no strings attached, like he can go about the world without thinking of anyone that gives sense to the word "home".
So, by making Rak wear this bracelet, what the show is telling us is essentially who Rak is or who he tries to be. These are the values that Rak upholds. In this sense, the Juste Un Clou bracelet is a character descriptor.
HOWEVER, after the most vulnerable, most beautiful post sex conversation in the history of Thai BL, Rak begins wearing the Love Bracelet. And this indicates a shift.
Now, the shift is not so much a change in Rak's personality (although there is some, he's been slowly changing since ep.1) but rather in what the narrative wants us to know now. Because, by now, we know Rak. We can discern all these characteristics, we don't need the bracelet as an identifier. What we need, rather, is to know that Rak means what he told Mut. Because he feels it.
See, contrary to the Juste Un Clou bracelet which is a bit more remarkable because of its unusual shape, the Love Bracelet seems fairly common, especially if you're not staring at Peat's people's dainty wrists. So you, much like the people around Mut and Rak, could miss the way in which Rak cares for Mut, because that love is unconventional, not bound by those traditional ways in which people demonstrate that sort of feeling (like Mut does, for example). Some could say... Free-spirited. Or, as well, because Rak himself is trying his hardest not to take note of it, burying it away and dismissing it. To no avail, however, because it is still there, as all of us can see (just like the bracelet). And, by the looks of it, will be locked there forever.
"Okay, Dante, but then why does Rak go back to the other bracelet? Is he no longer in love?"
Please have object permanence, darling, not all that exists can be seen at all times. Kkdkddjsjsks /j
Or, in other words: no, that's not it.
What it is, though, is that the narrative, once again, wants us to focus on other stuff.
As Mut tells Rak this episode (ep.5, for those in the future), he's been away, doing other stuff, buried in work... He's been complying to his duties and going back to the bad habits that cast a shadow over Rak's personality and who he really is, what he really wants.
So, that's why, when he chooses to indulge Mut and pay attention to him on his own (unlike what happens earlier in the episode, where Mut has to ask for this attention), he is back to wearing the Juste Un Clou bracelet. He's showing his colours again, of that independent person who's not just another city guy in the city but special in his own way.
It also serves to show us the subtle ways in which Rak is chaging. That free quality, for example, is slowly starting to mean not free from attachments but rather free from the chains of the trauma that is holding Rak back from forming and indulging in those attachments.
And, to top it all off, I have one smaller notice to add which is refering to the colour of the bracelets.
Now, for those who aren't familiar with jewelry metal, white gold is not white, it's silverish. And I say silverish because I mean exactly that: it is NOT silver, it's silverish. It still retains a warmish yellow undertone to it.
But I know, if you have a good eye, you can tell neither of the bracelets I showed you have a warmish yellow undertone to it. Good spot! That is because Cartier's bracelets have something that is actually pretty common: a rhodium-finish. This is what makes them so silver. And precisely why I think the colour matters.
You see... To the average person, who has no idea about Cartier bracelts and whatnot, both the bracelets might seem like a common metal bracelet. Not very valuable. And yet, they are white gold and worth a considerable amount of money.
If we translate that into the meanings I just explained, that would mean that people see Rak, this brat, spoiled, cold man and think him annoying, heartless, not worth their time. Same as I explained with Rak's kind of love: weak, barely even there, not real. Or even, if you want to interpret the Love Bracelet as a representation of Mut himself, then him as well. Judged as a simple person, boring, with nothing to offer but that is actually worth a lot. At least to Rak, who bought both the bracelet and Mut.
SO, what are the conclusions? Well...
Rak is FUCKING LOADED (and if he wants to provide for me as well, I'd gladly accept the offer, thank you);
Rak is an extremely complex character whose secrets are very much fun to uncover;
This series pays a lot of attention to small details and I love it for it!
And that's it.
It was a long post, I know so I'm sorry but I had to share my thoughts sdjkdjdkdjskdj
I'll keep an eye on this for the next episodes and if I have anything to add I'll let you guys know.
Also if you wanna add to this discussion feel free to, I'd love to hear it!!
I just am so proud of them like this wasn't an easy process at all, and yet they pulled it off so well and along with the crew there as well to be there in case of emergencies. Mame really stepped up with her cinematography, which was already good but really for Love Sea since a lot of it is based on the ocean and the location and beach shots are stunning. I hope they see how much their hard work paid off!
Disclaimer: not a native speaker, still learning 🙏
The besties' phone call
Vi and Rak use rude, familiar pronouns กู /guu/ (=I) and มึง /meung/ (=you) with each other, considering they've been friends for like half their lives:
As for Vi's scandal -
Just cozying up already gets [her] the lead role - celeb with the initial V.
Rumored! Mixed starlet with the initial V. slept with* famous director to land role as leading lady
[rest is too small and blurry for me to read; headline on the right just repeats]
*the expression used is ใช้เต้าไต่ /chai dtao dtai/ = lit. use breasts to climb (up the career ladder), which is a reversal of ไต่เต้า /dtai dtao/ = go slowly or, idiomatically, gradually climb up the career ladder, hence the choice to sub it as:
I also love that Mook later gets mad on Vi's behalf and gives a little meta-commentary on hate commenters 👏
P'Frost
Vi then mentions Frost and his boyfriend, from MAME's Love Director novels, as the friends she's going out with:
Frost, or in the novel Uncle Frost (อาฟรอส /aa Frost/), is Prapai from Love in the Air's uncle, a famous director and actor, and starts off his novel freshly divorced from his wife, being around 38. He's also the actor whose interview Sky says inspired him, in ep. 13 of LITA:
The boyfriend is Paint (เพ้นท์ /pehn/), who in the novel is in his third year of college, so around 20, and is friends with Prapai's younger brother Praplerng (or just Plerng) aka this guy:
Info about Love Director and the characters taken from this video review here (in Thai) 🙏
Vi's advice
โดดลงทะเลแล้วลืมแม่งให้หมด /doht long taleh laaeo leuum maaeng hai moht/
It actually ends up being exactly what Rak does - both literally in the sea as well as metaphorically, he gets lost in Mahasamut (มหาสมุทร = ocean):
Rak's family
Pronouns between Rak and his sister:
- Rak calls himself by his name and Kwan พี่(ขวัญ) /phi (Kwan)/
- Kwan calls herself พี่ /phi/ and Rak by his name or แก /gae/ (=you; informal, familiar)
เชื่อใจน้องนะ /cheuua jai nong na/ = Trust your younger brother/me.
Rak keeps asking Mut for a price because transaction is all he knows of romance and love, from his parents. But I'm scared to find out why both Rak and his sister are afraid of their father and worried for his niece's safety:
Mut's age
As Peat said in the bts, this episode really does show how young Mut actually is.
1. He has the same playfully annoying dynamic with this auntie as Palm does with his P'Mut, for example:
2. He looks so much like a mischievous pupper when Rak sends him to bed:
3. He also opens up about defying his father and making it on his own ever since, and ends up unveiling a layer of vulnerability that's so far been covered up by his boldness, autonomy and outgoing nature:
Some more language details from this scene
คนอย่างผม ใครจะไปกล้าขอคุณต้องรัก /khohn yaang pom, khrai ja bpai glaa khaaw khun dtaawng rak/ = Someone like me, who would dare to ask Khun Tongrak (/you).
This is already a crushing reflection on Mut's self-esteem but it gave me pause because you could also read it like- (and again, reminder that Khun Tongrak can both mean 'Mr. Tongrak' and also 'You have to love')
= Someone like me, who would dare to ask you to love [me?].
ลองทำตัวให้สมวัยและอ้อนขอฉันดู /laawng tham dtua hai som wai lae aawn khaaw chan duu/
I'm not big on the translation choice here. Yes, อ้อน /aawn/ means to beg, implore, plead but how would the average interfan know that อ้อน /aawn/ is a behavior associated with kids, pets and people acting clingy/needy with their partner?
Mut even used it to describe Rak earlier:
ส่วนคุณก็รอผมหลับ แล้วเข้ามาอ้อน แมวชัดๆ /suuan khun gaaw raaw pom lap, laaeo khao maa aawn. maaeo chat chat/ = As for you, you waited for me to be asleep, then approached me to ask for affection. So clearly a cat.
Misc. bits from the NC scene
ท่าทางวันนี้ผมจะแต้มบุญสูง /thaa thaang wan nee pom ja dtaaem boon suung/ = Looks like I scored a high amount of merit today.
เอาฉันสิ เอาสิ เอาเลย /ao chan si. ao si. ao loei/
-> the subs are perfect, I just wanted to illustrate that the first use of the word เอา /ao/, makes the rest of them sound like a string of 'Take me/Fuck me's tbh 🫠
เก็บกดมาจากไหนเนี่ย /gep goht maa jaak nai niia/ = Where'd all this pent-up [energy, feeling] come from?
I finally (!!) finished translating the articles Mut found in ep.2, as promised
Disclaimer: not a native Thai speaker, still learning 🙏
Introducing "Tongrak", the famous young author all the girls are crazy about
After releasing just a few works, it's been a constant stream of hits for the writer with the pen name "TR". These works have made readers want to get to know the real person and to dig into the identity of the owner of this pen name until finding out that the famous author's name is "Tongrak". The young man is a passionate new writer, good-looking, and has all the girls and others raving about him and falling head over heels for him after photos of him leaked on social media and got reposted over a hundred-thousand times just overnight.
For anyone who wants to get to know young "Tongrak" better
[click to read more]
"Tongrak" elated after his works 'go international' in several countries throughout Asia
His continuous release of works has made the name of young writer "Tongrak", or pen name "TR", become widely known. No matter how many works he's released, the response by readers exceeds expectations and makes every novel he writes worth keeping an eye on - even abroad and, more so, his novels are able to 'go international'! The rights were bought to have them translated and printed in several languages while also having producers and distributors for a TV series in various countries throughout Asia. He remains happy to have his novels adapted as dramas in the future which is another level of success for this handsome young author, indeed.
[click to read more]
Prepare to swoon!!! Revealing an exciting new BL series, a work by the good-looking writer "Tongrak" (TR)
For handsome, talented young author "Tongrak", the time is just right for a new release! He has already published countless hit novels so on trend among readers that multiple producers have bought the rights to turn them into series for fujoshis to fangirl over to their heart's content. This time the novel by "Tongrak" being adapted for TV again is "The Boy Next World The Series". The show is about love and a relationship that lots of people may actually have experienced in real life.
[click to read more]
"Tongrak", the author with the golden touch, out with new book among the Top 5 bestselling novels
For young "Tongrak", the passionate author, it's been a constant string of releases. With writing that has a distinct character, beautiful evocative prose, and transports readers into the fictional world of his novels, he most recently released a new novel for fans to read: "Love Director", which is already such a hit to be the bestseller in the Top 5! Young "Tongrak" is overjoyed and encouraged to keep writing great works.
[click to read more]
Finally here with the in-depth version of my rambles plain reactions from the other day. Title brought to you by @jeffsatyr cause I love that turn of phrase in his post here so much!
Disclaimer: not a native Thai speaker, still learning 🙏
color-coding characters again: Mut, Rak, Prin, Meena
Rak's lovely relatives
คุณเพิ่งด่าไอ้เด็กเหี้ยนั่นว่า เอาเวลาว่างไปหาอะไรใส่หัว ดีกว่าเสือกเรื่องของคนอื่น ผมไม่อยากเป็นคนเหี้ยครับ
/khun pheerng daa ai dek hiia nan waa ao wehlaa waang bpai haa a rai sai hua dee gwaa seuuak reuuang khaawng khohn euun. pom mai yaak bpen khohn hiia khrap/
= You just told off that nasty brat, that [she should] use her free time to find and put something in her head instead of prying into other people's business. I don't want to be someone nasty.
My translation is probably too mild but I wanted to highlight these two aspects: 1) He continues to call her a child (เด็ก /dek/), even though Rak told him last episode that Prin is older than Mut lol and 2) he uses the same curse word twice (เหี้ย /hiia/), once to describe her despicable behavior and then to distance himself from it - and hilariously ends that statement with a polite ครับ /khrap/!
-> เหี้ย /hiia/ is used as a curse word but originally refers to a type of lizard
แมงดา /maaeng daa/ = can mean pimp or (male) prostitute or gigolo; lit. a horseshoe crab
It comes from how male horseshoe crabs will cling onto a female's back during mating season, taking advantage of its mate, and is therefore used to disparage men who benefit off of women financially.
Pronouns galore!
Connor and Rak use ฉัน /chan/ and นาย /naai/ in both directions -
Kom uses ผม /pom/ and apparently just คอนเนอร์ /Connor/ -> polite formal 1st pers. pronoun as Kom is younger but he seems to call his older boyfriend just by name which could indicate familiarity, equal standing in their relationship, or maybe it's just because Connor is a foreigner and thus prefers having his name used??
with Rak, Kom uses ผม /pom/ and พี่รัก /phi Rak/ -> polite yet familiar
Mut and Kom use กู /guu/ and มึง /meung/ in both directions, same as Vi and Rak -> rude, familiar pronouns; they're around the same age and have been friends for ages
Mut calls the girls คุณ(ไข่)มุก /khun (Khai)Mook/ and พี่วี /phi Vi/ -> really shows the difference in closeness!
Special interlude
I've seen enough people talk about this inspired subbing choice here to figure it might be interesting to read about:
โคตรพ่อโคตรแม่รู้สึกดีเลย /khoht por khoht mae ruu seuk dee loei/ = It feels fanfuckingtastically good [...]
-> โคตร /khoht/ refers to one's ancestors or lineage but is used as a vulgar intensifier. Adding พ่อ /por/ = father, and แม่ /mae/ = mother, onto that just makes it stronger by swearing on both sides of the family tree I guess lol
(A translation in the same vein might then yield you something like 'It feels so motherfucking good' but I love what MMY's translator went with!)
Rak's actually-lovely relative
ตาเค้าเอง /dtaa khao eng/
-> เค้า /khao/ is a cute informal 1st pers. pronoun, her friend Ing-Ing uses it as well
For context, it's most often used in Thai QL by 1) characters who wanna be cutesy with their partner, like Sun once or twice in 23.5 or Tan, consistently lol, in We Are, or 2) by characters who are sweet and cute to begin with (mostly women tbh). Anueng in Blank or Pleng and Wan in the upcoming GL Affair also come to mind.
ว่าไง สาวน้อยของน้า /waa ngai, saao noi khaawng naa/
-> น้า /naa/ = uncle or aunt, specifically the mother's younger sibling
'Uncle' only shows up in the subs here but he always uses it as a 1st pers. pronoun with Meena. Also spot the sweet and soft tone he uses here with his niece uwu
แต่น้ารักห้ามเอาน้ารักตอนที่น้ารักอายุ 13 มาเทียบกับมีนาตอนนี้ /dtaae naa Rak haam ao naa Rak dtaawn thee naa Rak aayu 13 maa thiiap gap Meena dtaawn nee/
For her age, she is quite perceptive and clever and it seems her mom and/or uncle (and maybe grandma too?) made sure she understands the full scope of their family drama. Nina, the actress, is a few years younger than that and looks it too tbh so I'm glad she mentions Meena's age for us.
She calls herself by name and him uncle Rak น้ารัก /naa Rak/ which, adorably, sounds close to น่ารัก /naa rak/ = cute/lovable, there's a difference in tone though!
พี่จะทำให้เขา ต้องรัก พี่ /phi ja tham hai khao 'dtaawng rak' phi/
-> ต้องรัก /dtaawng rak/ = must/have to love; Tongrak's name
He's said this several times in previous episodes but it specifically threw me back to this scene from ep. 3 🥺
คนอย่างผม ใครจะไปกล้าขอคุณต้องรัก /khohn yaang pom, khrai ja bpai glaa khaaw khun dtaawng rak/
= Someone like me, who would dare to ask Khun Tongrak (/you).
...which could also be read as:
= Someone like me, who would dare ask you to have to love [me?].
The word she uses is หน้าด้าน /naa daan/ = boldfaced, shameless, which is surprisingly rude lmaooo
The พี่ /phi/ came and went and now she addresses him exactly the same way as her uncle Rak - น้าหมุด /naa Mut/ hehe
Oh and hey, here's a crazy thought-- Mut and Meena have about the same age gap as Mut and Rak, he might even be closer in age to her than to Rak! In the novel, Rak is 30 going on 31 and judging by Kom being 19 in Love Sand, Mut can't be much older than 20, maybe early 20s.
Submission
วันนี้คุณว่าง่ายกว่าปกตินะ /wan nee, khun waa ngaai gwaa bohk-ga-dti na/ = Today you're more docile than usual.
-> ว่าง่าย /waa ngaai/ = docile, obedient, submissive, compliant, to listen
If you've seen more than one Thai drama, I expect you've encountered the word ดื้อ /deuu/ before which is most often subbed as 'stubborn' but can mean 'to not listen, disobedient, obstinate, defiant, resistant' so this word here is just about the opposite of it!
อยากทำก็ทำ ผมเป็นของคุณอยู่แล้ว /yaak tham gaaw tham. pom bpen khaawng khun yuu laaeo/ = [If you] want to do it then do it. I'm all yours.
-> อยู่แล้ว /yuu laaeo/ at the end there can express certainty or completion so this could also be translated as 'I'm already yours' if that makes any difference to anyone but me lol
That Tamtawan thought (thinks?) Padthapi liked him mainly because Tamtawan helped him a lot might be another reason why Tamtawan didn't think leaving would affect Padthapi that much.
The first interview Padthapi did without Tamtawan launched him into fame, and before the coffee incident as far as anyone who didn't work directly with him knew Padthapi was a sunny guy who probably had a vibrant social life.
Tamtawan also knew that Padthapi has his mother and childhood home to fall back on if the pressure of the public eye got too much. So he was probably like "at this stage of his life, Padthapi surely doesn't *need* me."
Padthapi can be a bit self centred and Mr self-esteemless isn't going bring up any problem going on in his own life (seriously did our man just spawn in university? We don't know anything about him) unless directly prompted. Maybe. So there wouldn't be much opportunity or cause for Padthapi to reciprocate with attending to Tamtawan's needs.
So I'm wondering if Tamtawan was like, me leaving the country and our relationship with not much more than the clothes on my back is rude, but I can kind of cash in all the times I needed help and couldn't ask.
Also makes sense why he thought they could just kind of pick up where they left on the physical intimacy side. If Tamtawan sees himself as basically Padthapi's favourite PA/rebound with benefits, and Padthapi is currently single... why not.
Yesssss see this is an internal conflict I’d be REEEEALLY into because the series effectively explored how Pathapi emotionally shut down after Tamtawan left. And in episode 4 we got the memory of how they got together being facilitated by Pathapi pivoting on a dime from failed crush to asking Tamtawan to be his boyfriend the next day using his own mother as proxy.
Like, regardless of how much Pathapi loved him then, regardless of how sincere his epiphany that it was always Tamtawan for him, I can see how Tamtawan could think, “Well, I was his second choice anyway. I might be emotionally ruined by this, but he’ll have his dream and I’ll go parasailing into the sun.” (Or whatever he left for.)
The show’s gonna make them talk to each other, but I’m enjoying the pacing we’re getting all the information at. :>
All the love and respect to Top Form's casting director and their team, for not only hiring the perfect Jin and Akin in Smart and Boom, but also--
Why Toey Pongsakorn is the perfect Jade:
I'm not BS-ing here, I knew Toey long before I ever heard of either Smart or Boom, because Toey is a famous lakorn (drama/soap opera) actor under Channel 3 in Thailand. I'm not Thai, but as a neighboring Asian we often receive shows from there as part of our airing rotation. Just before Top Form, I watched Toey in A Cunning Destiny, a het series with his very own branded pair, Cheer Thikumporn:
And just last year, I saw him again as the lead in the lakorn Invincible:
And of course, in the movie Paradise of Thorns by and with resident BL superstar Jeff Satur.
In Top Form specifically, Jade is portrayed as a producer with a special pulse on entertainment politics: knowing what sells and what doesn't, hiring the perfect cast and crew for projects, harnessing the power of fan culture, and successfully establishing brands for artists.
Jade is also Akin's oldest friend, and is the true key to Akin's successful branding. He vets prestigious projects for Akin so the latter can court critics' praise, only hires directors and castmates guaranteed to help frame Akin as a serious artist, and allows him freedom to refuse regular celebrity PR and fanservice activities without damage to his fanbase. Jade's here to ensure Akin's longevity in the business. But best of all, Jade gives Akin the freedom and privacy to love who he wants to -- a luxury in the entertainment industry, where actors are often dictated by their producers and managers to debut celebrity lovers in public, to sell more merchandise (e.g. Jin and Judy from Sigma).
Toey as a person and artist relates to this in many ways. He's an advertising communication graduate of Bangkok University. He worked on promoting channel dramas before formally joining Ch. 3 as an artist himself, after he won the reality talent show "Idol Project 2". Toey actually put his degree to good use when he joined Idol Project 2, as he was able to create his own brand and fanbase organically (he had no family/industry backing. Just himself and a dream to join showbiz). He didn't just create a brand-- he's been working non-stop as a lakorn lead since 2011. I'm sure WeTV hired Toey for Top Form specifically because he had the following neither Boom nor Smart had. Toey is the Akin in this scenario.
But most of all, Toey relates to Akin's story in a specific way:
Back in late 2018, paparazzi caught Toey out and about with his non-showbiz girlfriend. At the time he was promoting a series with a koo-jin (celebrity branded pair). In the nasty tradition of branded pairs, Toey was selling the idea of being in a relationship with his acting partner, before the fantasy came crashing down.
Toey laid low in the media for a couple of weeks, before doing an interview in February 2019 where he admitted that he broke up with his non-showbiz girlfriend already. He didn't cite any reason-- just that something happened that "changed" their relationship forever.
Toey hasn't been seen with anyone ever since, nor admitted to being in any new relationship. Surprisingly, he also tries to avoid any koo-jin promotions that go beyond his current projects.
So yeah, Toey is the perfect Jade. He's the only one, real or reel, who could understand what Akin needs in the industry.
(Disclaimer: I got this from some very basic research of poor-to-mid-quality English-translations of Thai articles. I remember watching this story on TV years back, but I never knew it would come back to me for this specific purpose. Any Thai natives here, I'll be super happy to hear your feedback/corrections)
So you know those videos where Yinwar plays rock-paper-scissors and somehow stays in sync?
Here’s a clip that’s slowed down and might have caught whats actually going on- turns out, the very last moment, War switches his move to match Yins’s.
Yinwar pranking us as always
I used to think they just memorized the sequence in advance to stay in sync- maybe that still plays a part. But after watching this clip? War is just that fast. His precision and hand eye coordination feels superhuman- I’m adding this to the ever growing list of his talents.
Someone needs to ask them about this in an interview. I need to know how they pull it off
So...... I'm rewatching Kiseki: Dear to me and noticed that once Ai Di found out that Chen Yi's been lying about ZT and when to question CY. I thought injuries Chen Yi had were from resisting Ai Di. This is NOT So!!!
CY's lip was already cut when Ai Di came in with the knife.
That means CY was in a battle right before he went to bed and Ai Di came to find him. On first watch, I though Chen Yi was injured while resisting Ai Di but the way he he was looking at Ai Di, he wouldn'tve put up much of a fight.
So all these injuries on his hand and arms were from before.
The in gang fighting was happening more than I thought and the urgency for Ai Di to come back makes more sense. That's why Xiao Jie was begging for Ai Di to come back even if it part time. Chen Yi needs Ai Di to watch his back.
sad reality of the fanfic-to-published work economy is that the weirdest people are willing to do it. that's why there's now hundreds of shitty no plot cishet hate-to-love enemies-to-lovers books that are ex reylo fanfic. and it's not even good. that's because the people who wrote book-quality steve/bucky and kirk/spock fic are too normal to think to themselves "i should get this porn published". they're too busy working in local government offices
#imo the writers who write insanely good fanfic can’t file the serial numbers off because they grasped the canon so thoroughly #the shitty stuff is publishable because once you change the names you can’t recognize these people
annaxmalina
romaincrisis
janainaart
izzy806
yousharknotpass
origamiaround
