Trope Tuesday: Ear Touches
When I first received an ask by @abstractelysium about whether I had explored ear touches for Trope Tuesday, I was super excited. Because ear touches? They're adorable. This simple move screams familiarity and intimacy.
Ballboy Tactics
I will fully admit to being on board with ANYTHING involving the ear. Ear kisses, whispering in the ear, blowing on the ear, nibbling, an ear grab - I love them all.
Actually, no ->
Stay With Me
Wake me up like this and meet your death.
But all the rest? I'm on board. Ears are erogenous zones thanks to their thin skin and numerous nerve endings, and that fun in real life often translates well to screen too.
Plus to get to the ear, one must get close. Allowing anyone near your face is a sign of trust in my book. You can immediately tell when a character isn't sure they should allow it (even if they might want it). The neck scrunch is an instant tell.
The Heart of Tsukuyomi
But all of those more sultry ear-focused actions carry a different connotation than their more affectionate cousin. Yeah, we'll go with that word. In simple terms, ear touches are more likely to be sweet and "aww" inducing rather than hot and steamy. While they can lead to other things, most of the time they are just a casual touch.
Now that doesn't mean all of our casually touchy people tend to do it! Even characters that are extremely touchy and casual about physical affection may not do it.
Perfect 10 Liners
(Disclaimer: Faifa might do it at some point, but he's far more likely to do a head grab. I didn't find a casual ear touch for him. I lost that bet.)
Ear touching is a fairly personal habit (even if scripted). So it's not unusual to see the SAME character do it on more than one occasion.
Ballboy Tactics
And sometimes, we have to wonder...how much of that is the personal habit of the actor themselves leaking in?
Revenged Love
Especially when it starts showing up in the BTS videos.
In Chi Cheng's case, TXN is doing it all the time in both the BTS and series.
I almost think the crew just decided to roll with it 😂. Just call it another Chi Cheng staple. If he's not picking Suowei up or putting his hand around his throat, then his hand is probably somewhere near his ear. And I'll let you decide how many of those were initially scripted.
In any case, it's a gesture that says "I see you. I'm here with you. I WANT you....and everything that comes with you."
Monster Next Door
That said, there's no rule that it can't happen simultaneously with other actions.
You are Mine
But despite the action's adorable nature, I did run into a slight problem writing this post. It appears that ear touches, like hand holding, are something that just doesn't stick in my brain. So after the (mostly recent) ones above, I had nothing. I couldn't remember any. So I had to outsource this time.
Thanks to the mutuals who helped me track the following down. You all are rock stars!
Kiseki: Dear to Me
Secrets Happened on Litchi Island
Not Me
Jun and Jun (guests in ep 5)
There are definitely more, but my time for today is up. I'll be on the lookout in the future - a new column has been added to the spreadsheet. 🫶
