#both are not the male lead fyi

[hp-hcs]

(Fine, I’ll do it my damn self: part 10 of my silly lil mlm stories <3)

luna (Chapter Two of Watercolors) — tom riddle x male! artistic! hufflepuff! reader

there’s no romantic relationship between luna and tom just fyi <33

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The next thing the wonderful watercolor boy made Tom was a lake. There was no way to tell time inside the diary—it might’ve been an hour since the Watercolor Boy painted Tom the little hut, it might’ve been a year, who’s to say?

But eventually, the color maker returned. Tom sat back against the low stone fence surrounding his hut, watching with rapt fascination as the paintbrush reappeared, moving with wide, confident sweeps as it created a small lake just at the bottom of the hill. He watched, mouth slightly agape, as the brush hesitated, before slowly painting in a wisteria tree that wept dusty lilac petals all over the ground. A petal fell onto the surface of the lake, staying stationary for a moment before sinking below the surface.

It was beautiful.

Tom laughed, loudly and genuinely, as he sprinted down the hill towards the newest treasure, barely stopping to kick off his shoes before leaping into the lake.

It was freezing. As Tom resurfaced, his teeth clacked and chattered. His robes were heavy with water (real water!) and he had to slowly drag himself out of the depths. He laid on the bank, breathing heavily and shivering.

As he looked up at the never-changing paper sky, he wondered (not for the first time) what would happen if he asked the Watercolor boy to paint him something specific.

What if he got scared off?

What if he stopped painting?

No, Tom couldn’t risk that.

So he kept silent.

~~~

The first living thing the Watercolor Boy painted in the diary was a girl. Barely reaching his shoulder in height, she had long, wavy blonde hair and a perpetually faraway look in her eyes. At first, Tom had wondered if Watercolor Boy had made a mistake while painting her to get such a dreamy look on her face, but then she’d introduced herself as a Lovegood. It all made sense then.

Luna.

Her name was Luna.

Tom thought that was the most beautiful name in the world.

Or at least he did.

“Luna?” Tom whispered, his voice cracking from decades of disuse.

“Yes, Thomas?”

They both laid on their backs underneath the wisteria tree, watching the petals fall and the stars glimmer.

(Stars. Stars! Watercolor Boy had gifted them with stars.)

“The Artist. The Creator. Who is it?”

“Who made me?”

“Yes.”

“Y/N,” Luna trailed off, her voice a comforting dreamy sound. Thick like honey, but too light to touch.

(Tom should ask Watercolor Boy to paint him honey. It would go well with the biscuits from the painted feast.)

“Y/N?”

“Oh, he’s lovely. You would quite well get along,” Luna murmured, closing her eyes and humming some unknown song.

“Y/N…” Tom mumbled under his breath.

~~~

“Thomas,” Luna sings, spinning around barefoot in the center of his hut. Her wand (that doesn’t work inside the diary, as it turns out) is tucked behind her ear, threatening to fall with every movement.

“Yes, Luna?” Tom looks up from his copy of the Quibbler. (The issue was from 1997. 1997!)

“There’s a door.”

Tom blinked. “A door?”

“Yes,” Luna murmured, her earrings swinging as she spun around again. “It’s not painted. It just appeared. Right there,” she slows her spin to point at the wall, where sure enough, there is a door. It’s not a true door, though. It looks cut, like someone took scissors to his beautiful hut and left a jagged doorway.

Tom stood. “Do we- should we go in?”

“I can’t leave, Thomas,” Luna smiles. “I already know. I can see it. I’m not real, so I can’t leave. But you’re real.”

“You- it leads to outside the diary?”

“Yes. I’m just a painting, so I am afraid I cannot accompany you. It was lovely meeting you, Thomas. I’ve much appreciated our friendship, however short lived.”

Tom touched the jagged edge of the door and gasped when the paper cut his fingertips. “I can’t just leave you, Luna. I’ll- I’ll miss you.”

“I won’t be truly gone,” she smiles again, that lovely dreamy smile. “If I never existed, then I can’t ever really be gone.”

Her words hit him hard.

“I’ll miss you anyways,” he said stubbornly, feeling a bit like a child again.

Luna stopped spinning entirely, stepping forward to grab ahold of Tom’s hand, and maneuvering it palm up in front of them.

Tom gasped.

His palm and fingers were streaked with blood from the paper cuts.

Red.

Blood.

Not ink. Blood.

Tom was alive.

[swampstew]

Day 31 ~ Raven's Halloween Party

Title: Raven's Halloween Party CW: Spicy, orgy, multiple partners, one female, four males, edging, nipple play, humiliation, oral (male receiving), size kink, penetration, consent strongly established, breeding kink, bdsm, rough and soft sex, creampie, Eustass Kid, Rob Lucci, Killer, Charlotte Katakuri, Izou. M!n0rs DNI WC: 3.6 K

Congratulations to @xxmistressofflamexx for winning my Kinktober Halloween Bingo Board! Sorry for the late posting, nothing kills your spirit faster than an unsaved draft post that glitches and crashes at 2.3K words and having to start over on Word.

Special shoutout to @rowan-rites for the Hina Pot Brownie Queen HC, bow down to our edibles queen

Last DNI warning

“Y/N! I am so happy you came and you look so hot! Come inside,” Raven shrieked as she ushered you into the decorated mansion. You had felt a little anxious, coming separate from the rest of your friends. You had known Raven since childhood, the same group of school friends even as life drove you to vastly different places in your adult lives. She looked like royalty, dressed in a gorgeous gown and veiled cape; a crown on her head.

“What’s your costume?” you inquire as you both walk down the decorated hallway, three doors leading to different places stood in front of you and a table of three choices for you to consume.

“I’m Queen of the Pirates!” she exclaimed with a wide berth, pulling you to the table. You could see three inscriptions on each door: TRICK OR TREAT.

“On the left is TRICK – it’s a haunted house maze with pretty scary and gory animatronics. Once you complete it, the exit will lead you to the main party. To the right is TREAT - it’s where the food buffet is. Tons of scary, spoopy, and cute treats to eat only by the finest, Chef Zeff and his staff from the Baratie. You can eat to your hearts content and then follow the path to the party. OR – you can skip straight to the party. It’s getting filled up as we speak and I think I saw at least some of our friends in there. At least, they should be by now or they’re stuck in the maze still!” her head tilted back as she cackled.

“Wow this is amazing! How did you set up a haunted maze that’s so cool!” you had stars in your eyes, you LOVED being scared shitless.

“Have you heard of Eustass Kid?” you nod, stars still in your eyes and a flutter in your stomach. “He did it all himself. Absolutely refused help or input from anyone else,” Raven laughed again.

“Oh shit that’s really cool! How did you get him to agree?” you shyly inquired.

“Kid seems big and scary and he definitely is but even he can be bought, if the price is right.”

“Oh really? How big was the price tag for this project?”

Raven grabbed one of the table objects before turning back to you, a neutral smile on her face. “A hefty one but don’t worry about it, nothing I can’t handle!” she winked at you. “Never hurts to have a scary and hot ass acquaintance on your side if you’re in a pinch.”

“Haha no kidding! So what are those?” pointing to the wrapped objects.

“Pick your poison!” you present the three types. A liquid in a vial, a small brownie with pumpkin sprinkles, and what looked like a hardened gummy bear with a vampire costume. “A shot of our best house alcohol to get the buzz going thanks to Shanks; a very strong pot brownie to ease any horror jitters and anxieties thanks to Hina and an MDMA gummy thanks to someone who wishes to be anonymous.” She looked around for prying ears before leaning close to you, “it’s Queen and it’ll be fucking potent, just FYI,” winking at you.

Before you could even answer, Eustass FUCKING CAPTAIN Kid burst through OR with an annoyed scowl. He looked mouthwatering in person. In leather clad pants and shirtless, he really was a hulking monster of a man. Scarred and muscled body absolutely bursting in his tight barely an outfit. His biceps sported spiked cuffs and he wore a matching spiked collar. Standing even taller in his heeled and spiked boots, the outfit was complimented with a crown on his head.

“Raven your friends are fucking idiots!” he stomped up to the two of you, he looked you up and down multiple times before giving you a smirk. “Who are you?”

“One of Raven’s friends,” you squeak out.

“You’ll have to be more specific Kid. What happened?”

“Can’t handle a little horror or appreciation for art,” his scowl was back. “I don’t know you have a shitton friends. Anyways three are crying, deal with it.”

Raven glared at him, “gee thanks for killing the vibe King of the Pirates.” Looking apologetically at you, “sorry can I leave you in his hands and go calm down whatever he started?” she was already heading for the door as you nod shakily. “Thanks see you inside! Kid don’t be mean to her!” a gave him a final look before disappearing.

Smirk back on his face, “pick your poison,” he egged you on. “The brownies are pretty good, just saying,” he leered.

You eyed the three choices again, sweating. “I’ll take the shot,” you quickly say, reaching for it. He snatched it first, rolling it around in his hands for a moment before stepping in front of you.

“You didn’t tell me what your name is,” he glared.

“Y/N,” you peer up at him, he was a giant compared to you. That made you shiver, as you wondered if there would be other massive and handsome men like him inside.

“Y/N,” he hummed, smirk back on his face. He handed you the vial. “I’m not doing the stupid riddle, drink up.” As you licked your lips from the strong liquor, Kid held out his elbow for you and grabbed more vials. “C’mon let’s go. Lest another one of Raven’s friends piss their pants all lost and shit.”

You take his arm, not at all about to offer up that you would be completely fine. Knowing what to expect, you were able to truly appreciate the haunted maze for the vision Kid made. It was a mixture of classic horror monsters and truly visceral remains. A ton of jump scare, like way too many but that was ok because it let you jump into him and hold him tighter, and he liked it.

After you made it through the exit, all the shots had been drunk and you were no longer anxious, gushing praise at him for the brilliant mechanics and truly scary vibes. Chest puffed out, he led you to the drink bar where he introduced you to Thee Massacre Soldier. Who was dressed as a slutty cowboy, assless chaps showing off his toned ass, and his vest showed off everything else toned about him.

They led you to the dancefloor, Kid grabbed you and began grinding on your ass. Killer took you from the front and did the same. Dancing between the two muscled men, you were between a rock and a hard place. Your heat beating fast as a feeling gnawed inside you, a dampness spreading under your costume.

A feeling, like you were being hunted. You look to the wall and see the face of Rob Lucci. Raven didn’t tell you a lot about her adventures but you had heard one of him and he was…magnificent to look at. Still as a statue, dressed as a slutty Michael Jackson wearing the famous white suit and hat, shirtless underneath. He was watching you with sharp eyes, a small smirk on his lips when you made eye contact.

Kid growled in your ear as he turned and saw the heated look. Lucci looked at him and then kicked off the wall. Luffy danced in front of them, dressed as himself only wearing a crown on his head as he laughed loudly. Kid’s eyes narrowed and he snapped, “that’s so fucking played out!”

“He’s dressed like the other King of the Pirates. Go to Raven for some demon horns and a tail you brat,” Killer chuckled.

Darkly sputtering, Kid stalked off to find the hostess while Killer danced with you, switching to behind you and grinding your ass down on him. It was getting a little heated as Apoo played remixes and turned the lights down. You were practically dry humping Killer’s thigh in the dark lighting. You weren’t sure if the alcohol was finally getting to you, but you felt a light tingling. Maybe it was just your horniness, wetness spreading in your underwear. If you weren’t careful, it would run down your bare thighs and stain his chaps.

They heard Kid coming before he dragged Raven up to them. “The invite specifically said don’t dress up as King or Queen of the Pirates, the ONE thing,” he snarled at Killer as Raven secured the demon tail to his back belt loop. His crown slightly off kilter with the demon horn headband.

“Too many damn people, especially people we did not invite,” Kid growled as Lucci made a second appearance, leering at you from a wall.

“That’s not my fault,” Raven said through clenched teeth and a smile. “Fucking Shanks,” they both groaned. And as if summoned…

“HI GUYS!” Shanks, dressed as the Devil in a red tuxedo. “Are you having a good time? My name is Shanks, and who would this lovely lady be?” he literally snatched you from Killer and into a hug as you introduced yourself. “Let’s grab a drink and let me introduce you to some people. No one would have half the fun if I didn’t intervene randomly for no reason at all.”

Being whirled around by an Emperor sure meant you made a lot of cool connections and acquaintances that night, he made sure of it. You had made an impression on Charlotte Katakuri who was dressed as a very slutty fireman, a fuzzy “hose” scarf wrapped around his face while the firetruck box on his groin was the only other part of him covered. You heart fluttered after your introduction to Izou who was dressed so dashing in his prince charming costume, tight pants hugging his cute bubble butt, vest ripped open, in passion – he explained. Shanks got you close enough to finally have a conversation with Rob Lucci, and it had left you wanting for more. The way you felt so…inferior to him.

Kid shook you out of your trance, finally freeing you from Shank’s possession. He and Killer made quick work getting you back on the dancefloor, drinks in hand and enjoying the grinding once more when Izou decided to cut in. Then fucking Katakuri was taking a turn, gently twirling you around to the beat of the music, not at all doing it so your short dress would lift and expose the tight hugging panties on your delicious ass. At that point, Lucci decided he wanted to grab a drink with you.

Following him to the bar, he was straight to the point. “I think you’re a vision and if you’d like to go somewhere more private, I know a place.”

You gulp, you were not expecting to A) be around so many of your fantasy men, and B) actually sleep with anyone that night. You didn’t do one night stands often and maybe you were feeling braver than normal, but you found yourself nodding your head.

Killer was on your side in a second though, placing himself between you and Lucci. “Whatcha talking about Y/N?” he intruded, expression unreadable through his mask. Kid came up behind you, possessively grabbing your waist and pulling you into him.

“Private business,” Lucci hissed.

“This is a party, no business allowed,” Kid hissed back.

Katakuri came up just then, arms crossed. “Boys don’t start a fight on the dance floor. Y/N, let me take you somewhere else, they’re being so crude and immature.”

Izou popped up too, “Y/N are these guys bothering you? Do you need me to save you?”

Feeling dizzy and unsure, you rush through the throngs of people and out to the main entry hall. Taking deep breaths and trying to rationalize. The men were squabbling as they spilled out into the hall after you.

“STOP!” you hold out a hand, desperate for them to end their bickering. Then an idea formed in your perverted little brain. Looking them all up and down, you decided. “I want to fuck you all.”

That was how you found yourself on the ground surrounded by the pirates, completely naked and soaking underneath them, a blubbering mess of sweat and fluids thrashing around.

Lucci watched from the couch and every time your eyes met he would focus on the head of his cock, twisting his wrist and licking his lips at you. You moaned on Kid’s thick cock as he rutted into your throat, the vibrations of your moaning sending electricity down his back.

“Fuck Y/N your throat is…ngh…fucking great,” he grunted, sweat on his brow.

Panting behind you as Killer leaned his mask against your naked back, hips jutting against yours as he fucked your sopping core, both your legs spread open to accommodate Katakuri who was naked underneath you; slowly jerking his tip and fondling your body as Killer fucking into you pushed your core and clit against the giant man’s hardened length, you were gushing on him and he used your slick to lubricate his fisting.

You fondled Kid’s balls and he thrusted further into your throat, letting out another guttural growl. You squeal at the nearly suffocating gesture and he pulled out allowing you to breath. Gasping, you could finally voice your pleasure as Izou fondled your breasts with his skilled tongue. You’d never felt so edged out by having someone simply lick and stimulate your nipples but Izou had a unique touch, as kind as the man he turned out to be.

It was for that you decided to tighten your grip on his cock in your hand, jerking him up the curve of his length and thumbing the frenulum furiously. Izou’s breath hitched and he came undone in seconds, hot cum spurting out and landing on your boob and stomach, running down your body. He bent over, trying to catch his breath and the sudden orgasm you pulled from him, dizzy in fact.

Kid gave you a lecherous grin and before you could react, his cock was back in your mouth, muffling your cries and Killer picked up his pace. You bent over some more, applying more pressure to your clit on Katakuri’s cock and allowing Killer in deeper, hitting your g-spot and making you tremble. Thighs beginning to burn as you stayed in your position, allowing the pleasure to wash over you as you gagged on Kid’s length, praying you’d make it out of this mansion alive and in one piece.

“Fuck, ahhh,” Kid’s hips jerked and he grabbed the back of your head, shoving you roughly down his stiff cock, his hot seed spurting down your throat. You gasped at his salty flavor at the same time your clit, puffy and overstimulated gushed with your fluids, squirting once more on Katakuri’s cock, to his delight.

“Ahh what a good girl you are,” his giant hands rubbing and massaging your small thighs, fisting himself faster with your wetness. You squirmed on him, edged on by Killer’s sloppy thrusts as he also came. Coming deep inside you, his hips sharply rutting as he bent over your back again, burying himself deep in you.

“She’s a very good girl indeed,” Killer huffed out, keeping you plugged up with his cock.

“A good, beautiful girl who deserves a real man,” Lucci finally rose from the couch, angry red tip of his cock bobbing angrily. “I can’t wait to defile you in the way you deserve, hunched over like that, looking so good, like you’re meant to be bred,” his eyes zeroed in on you, hand back on his cock and fisting faster as his eyes widened with each word, slowly walking to you and between the other men.

“FUCK YOU LOSER!”

“Damn it Lucci you dick!”

“Oh fuck off Lucci!”

“Fuck you!”

The four pirates jeered at the assassin who scowled back, still jerking his cock. “Don’t listen to them, Y/N, they’re just pirate scum, Lucci sneered.

“FUCK THIS I’M OUT! Sorry Y/N but I ain’t crossing cocks with that dickwad. Kid gave you a final kiss as he pulled his spent cock out of your mouth with a pop. He zipped his pants and with a final middle finger to Lucci, slammed the door close.

“Rude ass,” Katakuri clicked his tongue. “But valid concern. I’m going to sit back on this one and watch from the couch, if you don’t mind Y/N. It’s the only safe space from Lucci’s ego.” He picked you up – disrupting the others – and set you back on the floor. You whined, you already missed having his humongous cock to grind on, grateful you had cum on it three times in a row and covered in your juices as he stroked himself. He licked your face and with a large kiss, he sat on the couch.

Killer and Izou glared at Lucci, who glared right back, before they turned to each other.

“I’m fine to keep going, if anything to not leave Y/N alone to be subjected to this asshole’s insanity. Y/N,” he leaned down, cock brushing against your face as he reached for you. “Do you mind if I cover your eyes?”

Trembling, “I don’t mind.” The thought of having your senses disrupted while being ravaged by two lethal pirates and one government ASSASSIN had you aching and soaked.

“Enough with the kink shaming, we’re all consenting adults here right?” Lucci scowled, all heads nodded. “That let me get off how I want without raining on my fucking parade.”

Killer came back and began to blindfold you. You whimpered, “try not take out your aggressions on me?”

Izou knelt down beside you and kissed you softly, trailing down your neck while he began tweaking your nipples again. Was it possible to cum from nipple stimulation? You hoped to find out. The tall presence of Lucci knelt down to your other side as he too began to suck and kiss your neck, leaving precise nips on your skin. You thought you might have felt him lick up a droplet of blood from one of the nastier bites he left you. Not even Kid had broken your skin like Lucci was doing.

“Stop trying to intimidate me,” Lucci hissed as he got behind you, without warning he inserted a thick finger inside you and began fingering you, while also scooping out the remains of Killer from inside you.

“Don’t need to try a damn thing,” Killer muttered darkly, the sound of his heavy mask falling to the floor made you gush. Lucci gasped at that, and without waiting any longer stuffed his cock inside you.

“Such a perfect pussy,” Lucci gasped, lips anchoring to your back as he continued nipping and licking your skin and you bucked your hips back against him. Killer kissed your lips before opening your mouth with his weeping tip. Licking his tip, you swallow him up, eagerly bobbing on him, and he wasn’t as rough as Kid had been, allowing you to be in control. Izou’s fingers began rubbing your clit and you choked out a sob, you couldn’t take much more of this!

“Don’t worry love, cum all you want, enjoy them all you want, but know that I’ll be the one finishing inside you from now on,” he mumbled in the shell of your ear.

“Stop covering her up, angle her towards me so I can see,” commanded Katakuri from the couch. “There, perfect. Look at her. Such an eager, tiny woman, amongst such titans,” he growled deeply.

“Killer, I can’t!” your eyes leaked tears caught in the cloth.

“You can Y/N. Can you give me one more delicious wail?” bobbing only his cockhead past your lips, his balls immediately raising to his shaft.

Izou increased his pace on your clit and you were done, scream bubbling from your throat as the orgasm was ripped from you. You heard Killer curse loudly as he came, holding you by the column of your throat as you choked down his thick cum.

You hadn’t heard Katakuri get up but he must have as suddenly his massive presence was next to you and you heard him give out a restrained moan, and then his seed landed on your body. It was very sticky and thick, you weakly raised a finger to the drops on your breast and dragged through it, it felt like icing on a pastry. Another hot spurt of seed landing on your body and Izou’s ragged breath was in your ear, his cock hitting your side as his cock gushed out the last of his cum.

Lucci pushed you down on all fours and began jackhammering into you, a hand on the back of your neck and the other holding your plush hip in a bruising hold. “Fuck your perfect cunt is milking me dry, I knew you wanted it,” Lucci hissed as he buried himself deep in you, hitting your cervix and spurting forth his cum. Angled just right, his seed swam directly to your womb and you began to feel a warmth, suddenly a little too full. His swollen cock stayed inside you as he undid your blindfold.

Exhausted and on the cusp of collapse, Katakuri gathered you in his arms and cradled you to his chest. Sweaty, covered in filth and cum, but looking so satisfied. The others picked themselves off the floor and dressed in silence.

“I’m going to wash her off and take her home, unless anyone else objects?”

Hearing none, Katakuri dropped his scarf over your body until he could get you clean. Washing you down and taking gentle care of you, as if you were a frail doll, he clutched your clean body to his chest.

“So little and cute. If you’d like I can stay with you and keep taking care of you. I can only imagine the hangover you’ll have,” he muttered to you.

Heavy lids opening, you could only nod at him and drag his massive hand to cover your body as you clung to him. His cock stirring again, he snuck you out of the mansion discreetly to take you home and take care of you, just like he wanted.

[otame]

Raimon Eldritch Chronicles; AU Timeline; PART ONE

Post-Ina11OG/Pre-Ina11GO-Season 1: (Fyi, instead of 10 years, the gap between FFIs are 15 years in this AU, just so that some things make sense.) After graduation, Gouenji decided to go to senior high in Okinawa, where he pursued his studies. There, he eventually met Higan Bana, a red haired female with red eyes, and you know where this leads, but for the sake of it, I’ll say it; they basically fell in love, and ended up in a relationship. At 17 years old, Bana became pregnant, and, mixed emotions swell in; they haven’t even gotten to college yet, she’s 17 years old, they’re about to graduate. But one thing’s for sure, they’re keeping the child, it wasn’t the kid’s fault anyways. But that kid will feel otherwise once she’s older. 7 months pregnant, and turns out, the pregnancy had rendered Bana to become terminal, meaning that she could die if she kept the baby until birth. Gouenji pleaded and pleaded to the doctors to find a way to save both Bana and the baby, but unfortunately, there was none. This caused Gouenji to swirl in a haze of depression for the next two months, and it was only on July 24th, that he had realized and learnt his lesson. Bana was in labor, and in the last two hours that she and Gouenji had, they were able to clear some things out. One hour left, she smiled sadly and said “Sorry that I hurt you like this...”, while Gouenji shook his head; it wasn’t Higan’s fault that she’s terminally pregnant.

“At least name our baby girl, hold her before you breathe your last breath...”

“Shuuya...her...name...is Arazen.” And the flatline beeped while the baby was snuggled in her arms, cooing in slumber. For the next hour, Gouenji was crying, both in loneliness and happiness, as he cradles the baby in his arms. For the next two years, he had been joining in part-time rackets to earn money for taking care of Arazen, often coming home tired from both studying and working, but nonetheless was happy to see Arazen giggle and chuckle as she started to learn how to walk. “Papa?” the little toddler chirped while Gouenji was writing on his notes. He dropped his pen and notebook, and blinked on his stupor. “Papa!” Arazen happily repeated. He sobbed and cradled her for the next two hours. Kidou was blinking in surprise when he decided to visit Gouenji to check on him. “What the hell?” he said while watching Gouenji fix Arazen’s diaper. “I can explain.” “Um, I don’t think you need to...I already get the gist.” For the next year, Gouenji was able to finish high school, graduate, yet he decided to keep on taking care of Arazen. Kidou, unknowingly to him, slowly developed attachment to the kid, and maybe feelings for the toddler’s father. But those feelings can wait. Now, he is content with helping Gouenji and Arazen. But things are about to escalate quickly to a scale and angle they never thought could happen. Objects were floating around Arazen’s room while she was giggling because she bumped her head on the wall, and activated her psychokinetic abilities for the first time. “What the fuck.” the two males thought when they saw Arazen floating around like it’s zero gravity in her room, the kid now 3 years old, happily giggling. “Look Papa! Father!” Arazen smiled. It was even more surprising when she made her first Molotov cocktail, and exploded a teddy bear that she was annoyed at, solved radicals at the age of four, already knew how to cook pancakes, and was able to differentiate metonymy from synecdoche. “An unstable genius...” Kidou smirked, while Gouenji sighed and smiled, knowing that raising Arazen was going to be anything but normal. He didn’t need it to escalate to this. His daughter, his only remaining link to Bana, was kidnapped. Seething in rage and blinded by hysteria, he and Kidou traced her to a secret facility, which the tracking itself took a year. Planning to break in and actually doing it was another story, another year for both segments. But hell as if they’re not going to do a suicide mission to save Arazen. Apparently, Arazen...or her being labled as G-007 ALEPOU...a psychokinetic Nine-Tails...Hysteria... wasn’t the only one needed to be rescued. A-001 PIGASOS...an aerokinetic pegasus...Tenma? Aero? B-002 ELAFIA...a harmony-based deer and peacock hybrid...Takuto?Harmonia? C-003 LYKOS...a pyrokinetic wolf...Kyousuke?Pyro? D-004 GRYPAS...a phytokinetic and gyrokinetic gryphon...Shinsuke?Flora?Gyro? E-005 HIPOGRY...an electrokinetic hippogriff...Aoi?Electro? F-006 FIDI...a hydrokinetic serpent...Ranmaru?Hyrdro? He recognized PIGASOS...wasn’t he the kid he saved with a puppy from falling planks?

His eyes shook in horror as he realized what this facility was for...Kidou was repulsed, though he tried to remain calm, but the mere thought of mutating young children with their already pre-existing abilities to turn them into bloodthirsty killing machines for war made him very nauseated. The kids technically did become what they were experimented for, but it backfired onto the damned scientists who had the balls to mingle and tamper with the kids. One scary thing about kids is that they’ll act on emotion. Meaning, if you give a kid a chance to kill someone they hate, they will do so without hesitation. And damn, with the amount of bloodshed happening in the facility because of seven kids, it was fucking genocide. Man, are they gonna have to hide for a year or two before returning the kids to society once they find a way to sedate their abilities.

[hirazuki]

nonetheless, i want also to ask you something on a character that you are a fan of lmao

♦ - quirks/hobbies headcanon for Eol? I am wondering what would move him outside of smithing, but he must have had other quirks

I appreciate it 🤣

Oooh I actually have so many for him!

Stargazing for sure, and alongside that: learning/knowing constellations; being able to read the night sky as a map/navigating by the stars; mapping out the stars/creating star charts that are just as much intricate works of art of ink and paper as they are practical guides.

Related to that and to smithing as well in terms of drafting up designs, I see him enjoying drawing and printmaking: both also use materials of the earth like smithing (paper, tree bark for textures, ink, stones, minerals for colors, etc.). I can see him making himself a printing press, in particular enjoying lithography or etching (reusing the scraps of metal from his smithing as plates; developing acids etc. from his knowledge of poisons). His favorite subjects would be detailed forest scenes, studies of the creatures living in Nan Elmoth; portraits of Aredhel and Maeglin.

Which leads me to: poisons and enchantments. I read him as possessing a very witch of the wilds type vibe, so knowing and enjoying a lot about all the different plants, berries, bones and other animal parts, etc. and developing tinctures/salves/potions that run the entire gamut from healing to harming. I headcanon that he has a cabinet with vials and phials and small pots and jars filled with things for every occasion. And being able to read bones/entrails/etc. Also, "spell books": both ones that he has acquired from elsewhere (given to him by Melian when he still lived in Doriath; gifted to him by the dwarves on his visits to their cities; stolen from Angband on his way out) and ones that he has compiled himself to record all the things he has learned and to keep track of things he is still experimenting with. Like, think Flemeth vibes, if you're familiar with Dragon Age. (It's so rare imo to come across a male character who is so very masculine (as in, he doesn't come across as queer-coded to me in the way, say, Sauron does) in a role that possesses such a strong traditional connection with women -- Circe, Calypso, Morgan le fey, La belle dame sans merci, to name a few -- so it's an aspect of his character that I go feral about XD)

I can also see him having an interest in runes, stemming from his strong friendship with the dwarves. Runes both in the sense of as a language but also as related to spell craft (oracle stones, for scrying, etc.)

(fyi I typed this out on phone, so apologies for any mistakes or sentences that are poorly/weirdly worded lol 😆)

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Hi! I saw your tags in that post about identifying skeletal remains, and what is the book you mentioned about gender? Do you have any other you recommend about gender marks in burials or gender in history? This sounds amazing, now I want to read more about it!

Hey!

 Yeah, I was referring to Neil Price's Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings. I believe he also gets into it a little bit in his The Viking Way: Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia, but it's been a while since I've read it (still recommend as an overall text on magic in the time - also for anyone who has read my Grima stuff and thought: huh, that seidr shit sure is interesting). He's very good at saying archeologists can, at best, determine the sex of remains but gendering them is beyond the reach of science.

A small excerpt from Children of Ash and Elm to give you a flavour of his approach (any grammar or punctuations errors are mine):

However, in many cases the deceased were created an the resulting ashes are hard to sex reliably. More often, presercation conditions in the soil are unfavourable for the survival of bone in any state, and there are many graves without human remains at all (although they were evidently originally present). In these cases, for centuries archeologists have resorted to determining the sex of the dead through associated with supposedly gendered objects--this weapons in a grave are held to suggest a man, jewellery sets donate a woman, and so on. Beyond the obvious problem of conflating sex and gender, and also effectively sexing metal, these readings risk simply piling one set of assumptions on another in what forensic-decision-makers call a 'bias snowball' of cumulatively questionable interpretations. Clearly this is unsatisfactory, and at worst can lead to a potentially vast misreadying of Viking-Age gender from the literally tens of thousands of burials that have been analysed in this way over the years.

[...]

At Vivallen in Swedish Harjedalen, there was even a male-bodied person buried according to Sami rituals, in a Sami settlement, but wearing conventional Sami man's equipment over a Nordic woman's linen dress, complete with jewellery to match--a crossing of both gender and cultural norms.

Some additional resources to consider (there are more Neil Price pieces in this list since early medieval Scandinavian burial practices are a cornerstone of his research). It's a mix of books and journal articles as well as a mix of more "layman" friendly and more true-academic texts. For the journal articles, I'm not sure if you're associated with a secondary educational institution, but some local libraries will grant access to online academic journals, as an FYI.

(Apologies in advance for the lack of correct accents and other things on names (e.g., Th instead of the proper thorne), I'm working with a north American keyboard and doing this off the corner of my desk at work, so to speak)

---

Stfean Brink, Neil Price, The Viking World

Hilda Ellis, The Road to Hel: A Study in the Conception of the Dead in Old Norse Literature (this is a broad study of death rituals in the era, not really gender-archeology focused, but it's 100% worth the read and very thorough)

Anders Andren, Jens-Peter Schjodt, and John Lidow, Pre-Christian Religions of the North: Histories and Structures (Neil Price has a good essay/chapter contribution in here on death & mortuary behaviour)

Howard Williams, Death and Memory in Early Medieval Britain

Marianne Moen, Matthew J. Walsh, "Agents of Death: Reassessing Social Agency and Gendered Narratives of Human Sacrifice in the Viking Age," Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 2021

Leszek Slupecki, Rudolf Simek, Conversions: Looking for Ideological Change in Early Middle Ages (has some stuff of "deviant" burial customs and concepts of the "dangerous dead" - stuff I fucking wet myself over, honestly)

Andrew Reynolds, Anglo-Saxon Deviant Burial Customs

Joanne O’Sullivan, "Strung Along: Re-evaluating Gendered Views of Viking-Age Beads," Medieval Archaeology, 2015

Judtih Jesch, Women in the Viking Age (note: it's from the early 90's and very much reflects academic gender and feminist work at that time - still always worth reading older texts for the sake of good historiography alone. Also to see what has been explored before and why we might have new approaches, or to see wher current views originated etc)

Sarah Tralow and Liv Nilsson Stutz, The Oxford Handbook of the Archeology of Death and Burial

Duncan Sayer, Howard Williams, Mortuary Practices and Social Identities in the Middle Ages

Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, Anna Kjellström, Torun Zachrisson, Maja Krzewińska, Veronica Sobrado, Neil Price, Torsten Günther, Mattias Jakobsson, Anders Götherström, Jan Storå, "A female Viking warrior confirmed by genomics," Wily Online (link to article, it's open access)

Jacob Bell, "Magic, Genderfluidity, and queer Vikings, ca. 750‐1050," History Compass, 2021

Isabelle Algrain, "Gender and diversity in archaeological contexts," Revista Arqueologia Pública, 2021

Thora Petursdottir, "Icelandic Viking Age graves: Lack in material--lack of interpretations?", Archeologia Islandica, 2009

Anna Wessman, "Death, Destruction and Commemoration: Tracing Ritual Activities in Finnish Late Iron Age Cemeteries," Finnish Antiquarian Society, 2010

Ahmad ibn Fadlan was a 10th century Muslim traveler/explorer who visited these areas and wrote about it. You can find various translations of his works around. He has a description of at least one burial and related practices. Also some fun descriptions of sexual/fertility rituals though he sadly "fades to black" before the good stuff starts.

----

I hope this helps! I am always very excited to talk about anything related to early medieval Scandinavia (also early modern Europe) and so always happy to get these asks <3 <3

[pyrenaengipfeln]

Love Between Fairy and Devil- my review

(fyi: my reviews are always based on my own liking and thoughts of a good drama... your preferences could always be different)

I gotta say though for a cdrama, the cgi compared to so many other cdramas is definitely sooo much better. Seeing that makes me look forward to future xianxia dramas with good cgi like this one. The concept of this drama I find it interesting, and I like the idea that both of the characters are powerful individuals. However...

I didn't find this drama to be my favorite. I believe part of it may be the male lead's personality that I just didn't like. I'm kind of tired of the whole cold hearted male lead and the bubbly cute female lead, especially if they both mistreat each other a lot. I know that later the female lead does get better and you get to see more of her powerful and brave side, but for the most part I couldn't get myself to be happy with her decisions and actions, especially in the last eps. I couldn't get myself to really like any of the characters, and that's usually a deal breaker for me when it comes to watching dramas.

For the most part it seems that a lot of people really liked this drama, so don't take this review to heart since it might be for you! Aside from that, the cinematography was great and the acting imo was really good. It's still a well made drama nonetheless, hence why many people enjoy it. It's not my favorite, but its a well made cdrama soooooo watch it if you think its for you :]

Enjoyment: 8/10

Plot: 8/10

Characters: 8/10

Music/Cinematography: 9.5/10

Acting: 9.5/10

Overall: 8.5/10

[helpsitespeed]

Which order to watch doctor who specials

I enjoy sci-fi, am a bit of an Anglophile, and like shows charming yet not-totally-well-adjusted male leads.

) As I read reports from the show's Comic-Con panel something told me I would like it. (Though I did reach out on Twitter, and heard a similar suggestion.

I started my own personal Doctor Who adventure before consulting with any of these experts. One such example that both Edwards and Thomas recommended is "Blink." The episode features a pre-fame Carey Mulligan as a girl who has to defeat terrifying monsters knowing as the Weeping Angels with clues from the Doctor who is stuck in 1969. Edwards also noted you can just watch the most recent season to acquaint yourself, and that there are individual episodes that standalone as great examples of storytelling that may get a viewer hooked. Both she and Graeme Burk, co-author of two books on the Doctor, suggested starting with either the first season of the updated show, wherein Christopher Eccleston plays the ninth Doctor, or the fifth season, the start of Smith's run as the eleventh. Lynne Thomas, the editor of the book Chicks Dig Time Lords, wrote in a separate email that she usually explains that since "it's a show about time travel, so there's no way to do it wrong so long as you start at the beginning of a given story as that's less confusing." She said you can wait for Capaldi, but that would leave you waiting. Soon, I'll be recommending starting with the new Doctor's first episode and then going back if you like it." Matthew Dow Smith, a comic book artist behind Doctor Who titles, explained in an email that until Matt Smith, who currently plays the doctor, announced that he was leaving Smith (the other one) " always recommended his first episode, and told people if they liked that to go back and watch the rest of the new show." He added: " I'm surprised how many people then come back interested in a good starting point for the old show. Update: a commenter rightly points out that the classic series is available under a different title on Netflix.) (FYI Netflix only has the rebooted series so that in itself is self-containing. But there are different ways to enter even the series even when you just contain yourself to those seven (yes, seven) seasons. The original series, which began in 1963, experts aid can be tougher to get into just because it's an older model of television, which is paced more slowly and, in England, resembled a theatrical production. All four of the Doctor Who fans I spoke with told me to start within the context of the modern series, which rebooted in 2005. When a Doctor encounters something fatal, he regenerates, which explains why different actors with different personalities can have played him over time.īut where on Earth do you get started? Well, first off: no one is asking that much of you. As Edwards noted, you can sum up the premise in "a sentence:" The Doctor is an alien known as a Time Lord who travel in time around the universe in a spaceship known as the TARDIS with a (usually female) companion. And in the age of Netflix you don't need to feel pressured to watch every single episode available.

Unlike, say, Lost or Breaking Bad, you don't need to have watched every episode to know what's happening most of the time. Yes, there may be 50 years of history, but as Barnaby Edwards of the New York Doctor Who fan group explained to us in a telephone call, "that 50 years of history isn't that intimidating." That is, when you actually look deeper.ĭoctor Who is an example of something we don't see much of outside of police procedurals these days: it's an anthology show. (ducks)."īut jumping into Doctor Who is rather easy. I guess this is where I confess that I've never watched an episode of Doctor Who. During BBC America's presentation at the Television Critics Association, The Hollywood Reporter's Tim Goodman tweeted: "I will just dutifully type Doctor comments w/o comment since that's a show I never watched, felt intimidated by the history, stayed away." The Daily Beast's Jason Lynch wrote: " Doctor Who is first up. Contending with 50 years of history is an intimidating thing even for season television critics.

[notesnahas]

Gangsters paradise song download

#Gangsters paradise song download movie#

#Gangsters paradise song download download#

#Gangsters paradise song freeload#

being the relatively-obscure artist who sings the hook on “Gangsta’s Paradise”. It should also be noted that the rendition featured on his album does not feature Coolio. The second album would be Coolio’s own sophomore effort, which was also entitled “Gangsta’s Paradise”.Īnd the third would be L.V.’s debut album, “I Am L.V.”, with L.V. It proved to be such a hit that it actually served as the lead single from three different albums. Foremost would perhaps be the “Dangerous Minds: Music from the Motion Picture”. That is because the music video to the song was heavily influenced by the film, in fact even co-starring Michelle Pfeiffer, the lead actress from “Dangerous Minds”, alongside Coolio. “Gangsta’s Paradise” was released by Tommy Boy Records on 8 August 1995. He focuses on the general sense of hopelessness many people who reside in such areas are actually afflicted with. And why is this the case? Simply because instead of going out of his way to depict the street as an enjoyable place or himself as someone who is relishing the life of a violent criminal, Coolio rather focuses on a very important topic. So for all intents and purposes, at least in the mind of the public, “Gangsta Paradise” is one of the more-authentic gangsta rap songs ever. And FYI, California is the place where “Dangerous Minds” is set and which also happens to be where Coolio grew up.īut we can also see that this way of life leaves much to be desired, as there is little to no hope in the mind of the individual (who adopts it) for a long, prosperous future. That is to say that this song represents the type of ‘gangsta’ lifestyle young men actually strive to live up to on the mean streets of say California. Rather the term paradise, as presented in the title, is more or less synonymous with the word ideology. So conclusively, the titular “gangsta’s paradise” would actually be an alternative name for the ghetto, if you will. And the title of this song is indeed sarcastic. For there is nothing contained within the lyrics which point to the idea of the ‘hood being enjoyable.

#Gangsters paradise song download movie#

wrote the lyrics specifically within the context of a film entitled “ Dangerous Minds” (1995). Said movie centers largely on a group of high school students from the depths of the ‘hood.Īnd accordingly Coolio sets out to capture the sense of pessimism which is part and parcel of growing up in such an environment. That’s why for instance in the second verse he doubts if he will even be alive a year from now. Such is a common way of thinking amongst shall we say young minority males who come from inner-city American communities. For as is brought to light throughout the song, such environments are plagued by gun violence. Gangsta Rap with a Differenceīut this is not your average gangsta rap whose primary purpose is to depict the vocalist as a tough, uncompromising individual. Our website uses 256-big SSL encryption to ensure your privacy and safety.In other words, Coolio, who portrays the role of such an individual, makes it perfectly clear that if he is crossed the wrong way, the death of the person who offended him could very well be the result. You will be make as much profit as you want from the beat and not have to credit us or pay us any royalties.Ī: We accept both PayPal and credit card. This means you will become the legal copyright owner by law. This means no one in the world will have the beat that you own.Ī: You own all the rights to the beat after purchase. Unlike other stores that offer both multiple and trackout options for the same beat, all beats listed on Gemtracks are trackout. Q: How many times will each beat be sold?Ī: Each beat will only be sold to one customer and then removed from the website.

#Gangsters paradise song freeload#

Q: Will the voice tag be removed after I purchase a beat?Ī: Yes, all voice tags and watermarks that you hear in the free preview will be removed when you get the beat delivered to you after purchase. Q: When will I receive my purchased beat?Ī: Once you have made your payment, the beat will be delivered to your email immediately. When you have found a beat that you like, simple click the BUY NOW link and you will be transferred to the checkout page.

#Gangsters paradise song download download#

You are able to listen to the free previews or download them onto your device. A: Gemtracks is an international music industry marketplace for artists to buy and sell beats, book music studios, and submit music to playlist curators.Ī: Simply browse through the beats listed on Gemtracks.

[filontinpolis]

Just to be clear, the nickname thingy is just for people in their universe, in the other universe ( where the isekai girl lives ) people have actual name, like :

Akron : the isekai girl who was born in the wrong body, this name is her male counterpart

Eniora : the younger sister of Akron

Terra : an anímale tribe important figure, she was one of the leading heads who set a war on filontinpolis (they all went back to their dimension after the fight btw)

Tox : also from the animals tribe people, she works at a brothel ( and is a part of a rebellious organization who want to overthrow the current government in the name of equality for all )

V : a human artificer who was raised by a dwarf. She is really good at her work and is magicless

Roy : a homeless magicless boy born after the (for now nameless) organization made their intentions clear, will grow up and lead the ‘soulles strays’ group with his friend against both the kingdom government and the organization

Fyi : Roy friend, was born magicless in a noble family, thus they threw her out once it was clear she won’t develop magic

Treg : an unclear being? Not entirely human, maybe some kind of animal tribe mutations? (if only they knew…) treg gender isn’t clear and Akron refuse to misgender them, while V just call them an it. Btw they always wear some weird fur that cover most of them

And that’s just few that are actually named

[veeeehan]

Endless Love \ The battle of birthday presents

[rainbowsky]

I'm a relatively new turtle, and I'm wondering: if China is cracking down on "effeminate" looking male artists / LGBTQ content in their media... Then how come GG and DD don't seem to have a problem endorsing products/clothes traditionally considered as "for women". Examples: GG endorsing NARS make-up, and DD appearing on Vogue and at events wearing outfits designed for women? It's confusing for me.

Hi, I'm the anon who asked about GG and DD promoting "feminine" merchandise. I ran out of characters 😔 I was gonna add that I love how DD rocks both masculine and feminine outfits with such confidence. It's one of the things I love about him 😍

Yes, there is such a policy. I wrote a bit about it back when the updated regulations were released. Just FYI, this policy isn't really 'new', it just seems that it's being more heavily regulated and promoted, and more strictly enforced.

To answer your question about why male artists are still endorsing women's products in China (pretty much all major male artists do, not just GG and DD), it's quite simple: women are their primary audience/fan base, and brands want to access those audiences in their marketing. All marketing strives to appeal to the target market, and what could be more appealing to the average affluent woman than a beautiful man?

It's understandable that you find it confusing. You aren't alone. There has been quite a bit of confusion and uncertainty, likely even among brands and artists and producers of media. The rules are somewhat vague and ambiguous, and open to interpretation.

Which seems to be part of the regime's MO with such things. By hinting at what they want in vague terms rather than specifics, they leave more latitude and flexibility in how they can enforce it, and upon who. Moreover, they leave the responsibility (and the blame) in terms of how and where the boundaries are set in the hands of producers, artists and creators rather than with the regime.

This can lead to over-interpretation and more extreme restraint than was even initially intended by the regime, as producers scramble to ensure they are being compliant.

So I think it's made things a bit awkward for brands, and we've seen a massive shift in how some of this advertising has been handled. In the past with Shu Uemura, for example, we used to see DD getting beautiful eye color looks, and now we just see him holding products or wearing much more restrained looks.

As for the feminine styling, that sadly appears to have gone the way of the dinosaur. We won't see DD in that styling again anytime soon. He still wears Chanel clothing, but it's styled in a distinctly more masculine way than in the past.

I agree, it was always nice to see DD's genderbending fashion. It's sad that lately he has been so limited in what he's able to do with it. Unfortunately there's nothing anyone can do to change that, so there's not much use in getting too worked up about it. He's always stunning regardless of what he wears.

In that post I linked to, from back when the tightening regulations were first announced, I had a list of things there that I said I planned to keep an eye on. We definitely have more information now on how those items have been affected:

SDOC4 and people like AC - He ended up having to cut his hair, although he was at least able to continue in the competition and went quite far. He has even had some endorsement work since then, with Red Bull and Martell Rum.

Male celebrity endorsements with 'women’s' brands such as Shu Uemura and Chanel - As I mentioned above, yes, they were heavily impacted in terms of the types of ads and product placement they've been able to do with men. But at least the endorsements have been able to continue rather than being cancelled.

DD’s fashion for red carpet events - Tragically, he's been decidedly masculine in all of his styling since this crackdown.

BL dramas - It's still unclear what will air and what won't. Nothing new has aired since the crackdown. Projects are still being filmed and worked on, but it's unclear whether they'll ever see the light of day.

If you're interested, there was an excellent article about this topic a while back, discussing why this ban on 'effeminate men' is likely to backfire. A great read. (If you come across a paywall, disabling javascript will take you to the full text of the article.)

Also @exitchasedbyawookie's response to my previous post provides more interesting, valuable insight on this topic.

Hope that helps, Anon!

[mrinafria]

K-Drama Master List [to be continued]

DISCLAIMER: This is mostly for my own reference purposes since I like to rewatch some of the dramas I've watched in the past, and then often can't remember anything about the title or the actors or the show. All opinions are only and only my own, and no offense is intended to anyone who has different views on any of these. Again, this rec list is more for me and probably a few of my friends and less for others, so please ignore if it bothers you. Peace!

List of Chinese (mostly) and other East Asian dramas here.

Rough ratings (which could change at any point of time):

Recommend/Strongly recommend: ranging from 'Well this is a pretty good show although not sth I'll obsess over' to 'This was REALLY good' to 'OML HOW DOES THIS PERFECTION EXIST'. As you might notice, the latter happens very rarely.

Worth a try: I like it (but not a 'fan') and I wouldn't mind rewatching a couple of episodes.

Watch if you have time: Self-explanatory. Only watch if you're on a binge-marathon, have plenty of time to kill and would watch anything as long as it's a K drama.

p.s. : There are dramas I've watched but won't include here because they're either very dated (like Boys over Flowers) or I watched so long back I don't even remember anymore.

p.p.s.: ratings may or may not change after a rewatch.

----

1. Vincenzo: Crime, action, slow burn-ish romance, dark comedy; love the FL-ML dynamic. Psycho villain 5/5. This needs a second season, seriously, and not just for the romance but I LOVE the whole plaza gang+kickass (albeit cringe-y) FL+ intelligent ML trope going on in here without any unnecessary toxicity+ great storyline which is an extreeeeemely rare combination to find. Recommend.

2. Suspicious Partner/Love in Trouble: Truth be told I watched this much, MUCH later in this list but there is NO WAY I'd not mention it at the top. Crime thriller, slightly rom-com, legal drama. Gripping enough to have kept me hooked throughout. Thoroughly enjoyed the twists. I know it wasn't the focus of the show but I really really loved the FL reflecting on the line between love and obsession/stalking in one of the earlier episodes. Also glad to see that the show didn't shy away from normal intimacy and skinship. The ex doesn't turn vamp which was a relief. NEVER saw a male actor looking so devastatingly good in reading glasses. I usually like actors based on their acting skills and do not fall in love with them but Ji Chang-Wook has completely destroyed me for life and there's no going back. Man has a killer smile which perfectly conveys specific emotions in specific scenes. I don't know how to get over it. Also FYI: I haven't checked on Viki but at the end of almost every episode (the original episodes are longer which are then divided in halves so if that's how you're watching it, it's often every other episode, after the end screen and precap scenes) there's a prologue kinda clip that shows how Bong Hee became a lawyer and additional gush worthy footage between Ji Wook and Bong Hee. I found this out during my second watch on a different platform. Recommend.

3. What's Wrong with Secretary Kim: Rom-com, childhood trauma. ML is a self-assured, narcissistic DQ ass (LOL) who you can't help but love as he navigates romance and love. Also found the PTSD thing quite original and refreshing. Recommend.

4. Healer: Romance, thriller, action. Plot = 5 dazzling stars. Acting by both the lead actors = 5 dazzling stars, again. No noble idiot trope that I've seen in many such secret identity shows which I LOVEDDD. The romance is ALL SORTS OF ADOOOORBSSSS. Pacing, execution, dialogue, chemistry of the leads, EVERYTHING about this drama (except for some tiny plot holes and some overdramatic BG music that I could overlook)= 5 to the power 500 dazzling stars. JCW = SLAY. RECOMMENDDDD.

5. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon: Rom-com with a dash of psycho serial killer. LOVE the ML, who is practically an adorable combination of a puppy and a kitty in love. Park Hyung-sik's looks and acting makes him the PERFECT Min-Min. Love how the ML is okay/learns to be okay with FL being far stronger and more capable than him and never feels threatened by her/ is not a jerk. Psycho killer track could've been a bit more crisp. Can rewatch any day because the ML is a friggin ADORABLE meme. Recommend.

6. Abyss: Rom-com, fantasy, emotional. LOVE the friendship between FL-ML. The ML is never salty about the FL rejecting him over and over again and handles the FL very maturely. Not a fan of the whole physical appearance being a big deal thing (I mean, the FL didn't really develop any feelings/realize it until the ML became good-looking if I got it right, wut? and her logic for not saying yes earlier didn't make sense to me either). Love how the ending was written. Recommend.

7. A Business Proposal: Rom-com, ADORBS. ML is the same as the one in Abyss, Ahn Hyo-Seop. GREAT for comic relief and light-hearted fun. ADORBS secondary leads, the secondary ML gives off legit Clark Kent vibes. Recommend.

8. The Innocent Man: Revenge drama. I always love me a good revenge drama so even though this one is not heavy on the romance I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wish the subs were better in some scenes. First half- LOVE it. Second half- some episodes feel a bit dragging and bit too dramatic, maybe cause I'm not a fan of the makjang/'drama' genre in general. MUST mention: The expressionless face and distant eyes that emote all the right things in the right scenes - Idk what's the right word for it but SJK does such a PHENOMENAL job at pulling that off. Also, all the scenes where he acts like he never felt anything for the FL are done so convincingly, I too got confused at times lol. Strongly recommend.

9. Her Private Life: Rom-com. FL is the same as What's Wrong WSK, Park Min-Young. Concept is interesting. Enjoyed the first couple of episodes. Overall an okay watch. Like how FL-ML past connection is revealed. Watch if you have time.

10. So I Married an Anti-Fan: Rom-com. WAY better than the movie. Like the story but writing wasn't very crisp, and didn't feel seamless. Chansung tried his best with the character he was given here as the 2nd ML. Watch if you have time.

11. Doom at Your Service: Romance, terminal illness, emotional, quirky, end-of-the-world. Seo In Guk is good no doubt, and the jealous-throwing-daggers Doom was an absolute treat to watch. The OST of this drama = GAH. Some of the cinematography = Killer. Maybe it's just me but I didn't feel the chemistry between the leads as much as it was hyped. Love the concept of 'Doom' falling in love with a human. Definitely worth a try.

12. Romance is a Bonus Book: Romance, motivational, slice of life, noona love. Tried watching but gave up after a while. The age-gap theme really interested me and I wanted to finish this but the story was too slow and felt like something was missing. ***EDIT: Gave it another try after, a year??? It's a bit slow at the start (the first 6-7 epis imo) and the pacing there is what initially put me off. What I liked most after this attempt is the way most things are handled so realistically and maturely in the drama, including the romance, cohabitation, third angles, separation of a supporting couple and relationships in general. Nothing over the top as a whole, and I love how the leads don't fuss over proximity or say exaggerated things like 'my world will stop without you' and all. The mature storytelling is quite refreshing and I honestly just love the fact that it's most likely the only drama out there with books as the main theme, leads who are into reading/books/publishing and that the office setup is a publishing house (I so badly needed a break from chaebol storylines for once). Recommend/Worth a try.

13. The Secret Life of My Secretary: Rom-com, chronic illness. I heard the term face-blindness only once before and didn't know this was a real medical condition called prosopagnosia. Not sure if the portrayal here is authentic or not but I'm glad it was such a different concept and storyline. Really sweet and not overly dramatic. Love that the ML actually cries on multiple occasions and is so emotional. Recommend.

14. Marriage, Not Dating: Rom-com, some drama. Wasn't expecting much from it since I don't think I knew any of the cast in here. The writing is nice, the FL really got on my nerves initially but she has some character development so that was fun to watch. For a 2014 drama, this is actually pretty well-written. Worth a try.

15. Cinderella and the Four Knights: Rom-com, hate-to-love. Again, didn't expect much from it but I was surprised to see the balance given that it is a 2016 drama. Love how the MLs got almost equal screen space and attention and how well each of their unique dynamic with the FL was fleshed out. Recommend.

16. My Secret Romance: Rom-com, light hearted. I like the storyline, not something I've seen in a while. The writing could have been better, same goes for the acting. Liked how the secondary leads/one-sided love interests didn't turn 100% negative and started planning revenge and stuff. Worth a try.

17. Because This Is My First Life: Rom-com, quirky. Started watching with no plans to follow through but really liked how the relationship progression was shown, not just for the leads but the secondary characters too. The guy playing the ML did a good job with that dead-inside face. Not extraordinary or anything but still a decent watch. Worth a try.

18. 18 Again: Sentimental, paranormal/supernatural/surreal, second chance, mature, age gap (kinda?), family bonds. If you've watched Efron's movie 17 Again, you already know what this is about: the plot is pretty much the same. However, because it's a series and because it's a K-drama, they did an AMAZING job with the storyline as there was more scope here. Seriously. If you could watch only one of the two, I'd hands down recommend this one. It's MUCH more nuanced (cuz let's be honest 'nuanced' isn't the word I'd use for Hollywood in general). The emotions, the pain, happiness, struggles, regrets, resentments, love are just perfect. Lee Do Hyun does a FANTASTIC job being his character in the most convincing way possible. Fun to watch. Really like how they covered so many things and explored the emotions of the characters. Still not entirely sure how the reverse/back-transformation happened but it's supposed to be one of those supernatural things I guess. The ending was quite well-done and very, VERY realistic. 100% rewatch value (done it so many times) Strongly recommend.

19. Touch Your Heart: Rom-com, law-themed. I really like the format of the show, and the FL character seems shallow and annoying at first but her being able to solve the cases/help the ML redeemed her to me. I personally didn't feel much chemistry between the leads, and I finished it mostly because I liked the storyline way more than the leads and their romance. Worth a try.

20. Oh My Ghost/Ghostess: Supernatural, romance, quirky, body swap. The actor playing the FL is the same as Strong Woman DBS (I think I see a pattern in the type of characters she portrays). I absolutely loved her 'possessed' version because she was a complete firecracker, and polar opposite of what typical FLs are like in K Dramas. Not a fan of the human version as much, although I was glad to see some character development later on in the drama. Halfway through, I felt like it started dragging a bit and got repetitive for me. Recommend (mainly because of the ghost version).

21. My ID is Gangnam Beauty: College, appearance/body shaming, self-love. Boy this hit me right in the face while I was least expecting it. Tbh I don't particularly like the drama title here and was not planning on watching it either. Started watching on a whim and really enjoyed till the end. I'm never fully happy with shows addressing body image and beauty because it's hard to handle such themes but this one was not bad. What truly kept me hooked was the ML, he has a great stoic face imo, and the epic flying kicks, oh my! It was so fun to watch throughout! Recommend.

22. Good Manager/Manager Kim: Office, comedy, antihero, idol drama, (implied?) romance, uplifting. Okay *breathe* long story short here: I am a sucker for all things Lee Junho and somehow I didn't know it was HIM who was in this drama as the gluttonous bad guy; I know the ML here is quite popular but for some reason his character didn't intrigue me enough BUT I still decided to give this one a try so imagine me going all dizzy and gasping for breath when I saw JUNHOOO in there like whaaaa *breathe* To be frank, he and the FL are the only reason I stuck to this drama and finished it (and enjoyed it so FRIGGIN MUCH). The character sketch and development in this drama is *chef's kiss* to the power n. I frankly didn't care about Manager Kim most of the times- he never grew on me and I found his habits and dialogue delivery quite meh tbh (could be wrong but I guess the character just didn't suit Namkoong Min well). LOVE EVERYTHING ELSE. And this is probably the only drama where the second ML is given so much importance (romance and otherwise) and all credits go to 우리 준호 aaahahhh. Totally for those who are looking for something different to keep them hooked. ^Recommend always, everywhere.

23. The Uncanny Counter: Fantasy, supernatural, thriller. It took me about 3-4 episodes to get used to the tone and pace of the drama because it's different than what I am used to watching. I still had to watch most episodes on 1.25/1.5x speed because the pace felt slow in general. The story has a few loopholes and stuff I wish they'd taken the time to explain but it wasn't bad overall. Worth a try.

24. W: Two Worlds: Fantasy, romance. The first time I started watching it, I put it on hold after 2/3 episodes because it didn't really interest me as much but the second time around wasn't that bad. The concept of real vs the comic (manhwa) world was pretty intriguing, and the whole series felt like a roller coaster ride with me trying to understand everything that was being introduced and explained. Worth a try.

25. Mr. Queen: Time travel, historical, court intrigue, slightly rom-com. Probably because I have already watched the C drama Eternal Love that has a slightly similar plot, this one didn't seem as novel to me. Plus side: this one was far more detailed and well-written than EL. I also love how the romance was well paced, developing slowly on both sides and not insta-love. I just wasn't as invested in this one as I'd hoped. If you haven't watched EL, it might be different for you. Worth a try.

26. Empress Ki: Period drama, romance, court intrigue, tragedy. If you notice, I don't have many dramas with a sad ending on this list. Yes I have a weak heart and bawl like the world's ending when I watch sad endings. JCW made me do this. True story. It's a long drama so don't start unless you have the time. Quality-wise, I wasn't very impressed tbh. Again, I tried this because of JCW. It's very difficult to play a male lead role who has little to no conventional ML traits. JCW did a killer job of playing a character who I had a hard time liking on more than just a couple of occasions. Like, I hated him on most occasions, that's how good he was lol. His scene with the "real traitor" and the very last scenes with his Empress, his Yangya, makes me feel a pain too real, TOO. REAL. FL looks pretty but her reactions could've been better imo. Still liked the scenes where she acted like the strong 'Empress' she was destined to be. The OST music in the last scenes made me feel like it was me who lost something. GAHHH. Story-wise, I thought the first half (roughly until the inner palace politics begin) and the last couple of episodes were better than the rest. Everything in between, I just glossed over. It was still worth it given how wonderful the selected scenes between the leads were. Worth a try.

27. Oh My Venus: Rom com, drama, chronic illness. It's a more mature drama compared to most of other k dramas I've watched. When I first read the summary I thought this was going to be yet another makeover series where the FL becomes pretty overnight and because of that, everything gets sorted out. I am so glad to be wrong. This is the first series (k drama and otherwise) that connects being beautiful to being healthy and highlights leads who both struggle with illnesses. I've NEVER seen hypothyroidism being represented on television and it was so, SO refreshing to see that here, respect! There are things I didn't like of course but I really like how this drama, despite its flaws, has substance and meaning without going preachy or overboard. Wish we had more such television series. It doesn't have much physical romance but has a ton of banter, flirting and innuendos. And the ending, MY FAVORITE. Recommend.

28. It's Okay to Not Be Okay: Thriller, romance, mental health. It takes a while to get used to the tone of the show but if you are someone who struggles with mental health issues on a regular basis or know someone close to you who does, you might find this relatable. Enjoyed the comic scenes between ML-FL and like how ML struggles with his issues. Worth a try (since mental health is not everyone's thing).

29. Birth of a Beauty: I started this because I always love me a good revenge drama. This had so much promise but it all went down the drain because BAD. WRITING. BAD. EXECUTION. Throughout the whole drama, I found myself sighing over the lost potential of the storyline. Why would you come up with a decent script and do this? Watch if you have time. Or better yet, don't.

30. Secret Garden: Rom-com, supernatural, quirky. It's a pretty a old drama compared to the ones I watched. Maybe it had its appeal back in the time but I didn't get the hype around it. I was invested in the story for the last 6 or 7 episodes and they're pretty good but the first half is a dud imo. Watch if you have time.

31. Tale of the Nine Tailed: Fantasy/supernatural, romance, folktale. I wasn't invested in the story for the first half or so because I don't really like the ML's acting and the chemistry between the leads was lacking too imo. What kept me hooked throughout though is the storyline, and how the ML was able to outsmart the villain/s every time, which is extreeeemely rare to see, be it K dramas or other movies/shows. Normally, dramas would show these super smart super powerful leads who are pretty much invincible but then the villains come along and somehow they always beat the leads who keep making plans after plans that consistently keep going down the drain. I really, really, really loved how the ML, as a former deity, always had something up his sleeve and never let the baddies outwit him even when his plans failed and problems kept piling up. It was very refreshing to see a powerful ML who was, you know, powerful. Recommend.

32. Legend of the Blue Sea: Fantasy/supernatural, romance. I saw Lee Min Ho's drama after ages with this one. The story isn't too original or anything and the first half didn't feel all that special but I really enjoyed the last half, especially the last 4-5 episodes. Can be an emotional rollercoaster but some of the humor here is classic, and you'd prolly find these references in many YT kdrama humor vids too. Chemistry was okay. Really liked the parallel storytelling and how everything including the plot twists were revealed gradually and at the right times. Recommend.

33. Backstreet Rookie: Rom-com, quirky, off-beat, slice of life?, feel good. With this one, I think you'll either really like it or not care about it at all. I probably wouldn't have continued watching if it weren't for JCW but the story is pretty nice imo if you're into slice of life kinda dramas. It's nothing too fancy, just average people living an average life and finding happiness in things that some might see as average. It could've done without the unnecessary racial jokes. I loved the simplicity of the story and the characters. It doesn't have an ML who can land a punch, or one who goes out of his way to show his care or his love for the FL. The FL kicks asses (I mean, literally). It took me a while to get used to the age difference because the drama seems to keep hinting at that quite often at the beginning (that flashback scene with an adult JCW was hella weird) and I did find the chemistry a bit lacking but the scenes and the characterization made up for that for me. I found the lead characters quite relatable at times and it was so refreshing to see a slice-of-life story that wasn't over the top with anything (no prolonged plotting by a vengeful ex AND no psycho stalker? Whoa). It's a very clean drama iykwim and left me feeling light. Worth a try.

34. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo: Rom com, feel good. This is a lighthearted, feel-good drama through and through. It doesn't have any big reveal, or conflicts, or drama or misunderstandings. I haven't watched any of the other dramas by these leads so I didn't go in with any expectations. It's a cute college romance and pretty fun to watch if you're looking for something light and relaxing. Worth a try.

35. The Bride of Habaek: Fantasy, rom-com, slightly sentimental. The title of the drama sounds fancier than the story if I'm being honest. I wasn't too invested in the story but it was a good watch overall. Liked the idea of ML being a god without power on earth because the risk factor kept things interesting. Love how ML's name (Habaek) sounds. Didn't care too much about the FL character but she did grow on me to an extent. Liked the second half of the drama more, although things that bothered me here: FL's wish didn't make much sense to me cause to be fair it sounded a bit selfish, like she didn't really care how Habaek lived with his heartache and loneliness after that wish was fulfilled. I also wanted to know if Habaek does end up with a kid because the FL kept referring to it on multiple occasions. It felt as if they suddenly realized it was the last episode and tried to rush through everything, such a bummer. Still, worth a try.

36. Fight for My Way: Rom-com, quirky, feel good, motivational. Very, very cute story. I can see why this is so hyped. LOVE the friendship between the leads since childhood, and how they loved each other all along without ever realizing the emotion. Some of the earlier episodes are my favorite because it's evident there what they mean to each other. I really love dramas with end of epi prologues/bonus clips that are included in this one too. It's about fighting for your dreams and being reckless when it comes to chasing them, so none of the other conflicts are given much focus (FL's missing parent story, FL-ML's conflict over boxing, ML's ex angle etc.). Not too intense or anything. Recommend.

37. Twenty Five Twenty One: Nostalgic rom-com, bittersweet. Confession: I had to fast-forward several scenes in this drama because stories like these make me extremely sad and upset. The ending isn't my favorite at all but the last episode is hands down one of my most favorite ones in the drama if that makes sense. Writing, execution, dialogues, acting, aesthetics - everything EVERYTHING in this is top notch. [I mean: "I've kept you standing for long...this time, you leave first." Whaaaaa??? DEDDDDD.] The story, the struggles of the leads, the heartache and how they grow from it, even the supporting characters- I cannot commend it enough so good SO GOOD. Also, wait until the VERRRRY last of the final episode to see a heart warming snippet/epilogue (ML in his old office trying something) which made me smile. Strongly, strongly recommend.

38. A Witch's Romance/A Witch's Love: Rom com, drama, age-gap. Wasn't planning to follow through this one because the starting was a bit meh imo, and wasn't entirely invested in the story either since I took a break in the middle of watching this drama. Regardless, it's pretty good. Park Seo Joon always does justice to the characters he plays so I wasn't surprised. Didn't know the FL actor before but she did a good job too. I wish they explored the age-gap issue more since I was more interested about that. Like the ending and how FL learns to love again. [SPOILER AHEAD:] Didn't really get her dialogue on how their relationship may not end in marriage and it was okay, because I wasn't sure what the issue was (other than the age gap). Worth a try.

39. Coffee Prince: Rom com, light-hearted, gender bender/hidden identity. I can see why this is a favorite to many: some of the things addressed/shown here could be seen as risqué I guess, considering it's a 2007 drama. Unpopular opinion: Can't exactly pinpoint why but I just didn't find it as entertaining, perhaps cause I'm not fond of the kind of character the FL is? Characters who have a problem with everything and flip out at others when things don't go their way? IDK I was just trying my best to not get ticked off by her throughout lol. Watch if you have time.

40. The School Nurse Files: Quirky, supernatural, slightly rom-com. You will probably either like it or get bored out of your mind and drop it halfway through. I'm usually not a fan of dramas that leave so much up to the audience to figure out but this is an exception (maybe because it wasn't that long of a drama?) I really, REALLY liked how the ML has a disability and is shown to be self-conscious about it, and wasn't the typical popular guy but rather someone who finds the 'weird' more interesting and likable as long as that weird isn't something bad. The drama doesn't waste much time setting up the plot or explaining what is what and gets straight into the story which is why it can seem hella confusing at times as a viewer with little to no background to make sense of things (I know I had to pause several times too). I like how it's sort of an open-ended drama, leaving room for a renewed season perhaps. Surely worth a try.

41. Crazy Love: Rom-com, thriller. I like a good enemies-to-lovers story so I enjoyed this one too. Really liked the premise of it and the fact that the ML wasn't some great guy who only acted tough but was truly an a** to everyone, and was someone many people actually wanted dead. There was no insta-love and the hate to love progression felt quite natural (as natural as you can have in 16 episodes). [SPOILER: The pacing was good too, and I was relieved to see that the ex didn't turn psycho to the point of no return. It felt a little funny how the ML went around apologizing to everyone at one point but it's fiction after all]. Worth a try.

42. Crash Landing on You: Romantic, political/cross-border, comedy, action. Why had I put this off for so long? I remember seeing it on the streaming platform back in 2019 when it was released, and somehow thought that this would be too somber for my taste so I kept overlooking it ALL the times it appeared on my feed until now. This is so good, and the hype is truly well-deserved. I love how it handles both intense and funny moments, never felt like they were overdoing it. Strikes a really nice balance between happy, lighthearted and thoughtful, sad/painful narrative. The ending is not a typical one and I still love it to bits because it makes the story even more worthwhile. Cherry on top is Hyun Bin and Son Ye-Jin's acting and chemistry, muahhhh, man their eyes alone speak volumes. Strongly recommend.

43. The K2: Action, thriller, romance, politics. Needless to say I loved it because JCW was mind-blowing as always. I read that he underwent professional training to get the fight scenes right, and it was quite evident in all his actions tbh, they looked so difficult to pull off but he did an amaze-tastic job. I wanted to like the romance more but I wasn't TOO invested in it unlike his other dramas, partly because while Yoona did a great job with the role, the FL character itself felt very flat to me. I thoroughly enjoyed the 'spark' Je-ha (JCW's character) had with the antagonist/antiheroine (woman did a fantastic job there), would have loved to see more if the drama were longer. Could be just me but it felt like the creatives focused too much on JCW's expertise with action-thriller scenes and wasn't as smooth with other aspects of the story. I still enjoyed it. Worth a try.

44. Lovestruck in the City: Rom-com, slice of life, self-love, off beat. One of my favorite things about this Netflix series is how casual and 'meta' it is. They keep breaking the fourth wall with all the product placements all the time and just the overall format itself is so, SO refreshing to watch. I don't think I've watched anything after the English sitcom The Office that did something similar, and dare I say that I loved this format here way more than in The Office (gasp). JCW and Kim Ji-won did a great job, a pairing that seemed very unlikely to me and one I didn't think I'd enjoy. I also loved how it wasn't all sunshine and roses for all the characters and how the makers were still thoughtful enough to end it in a way that made people like me happy and not heartbroken (Looking at you, 25 21). Recommend/Worth a try.

45. Goblin-The Lonely and Great God: Supernatural, reincarnation, rom-com, emotional, age-gap. Started watching this after procrastinating for a looong time. Had to slog through the first half of the show. While I wasn't really invested in the drama for the most part, I enjoyed the premise and thought the plot was intriguing to have kept me watching. I enjoyed the bromance bickering more than the romance, and the rom-com scenes felt funny mostly because of the Goblin imo. Last 5 episodes or so are my favorite out of all, and that's when I was actually drawn to the drama (some parts also made me cry). The ending felt a bit abrupt, as if they suddenly realized they had to wrap up the drama so hurriedly tied up the loose ends. I really wanted to see MORE there and still think they could've cut down on a lot of redundant scenes. Regardless, overall, recommend.

46. Hyde, Jekyll and Me: Mental health, romance, suspense. I liked it for the same reason I liked What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?- it also deals with childhood trauma, mental health and illness alongside romance on the side. I can't speak for the authenticity of the portrayal of DID or MPD but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it on screen. Hyun Bin, with his dimples and stares and acting skills, is a treat to watch as always. I watched the FL in another drama before and didn't like that one much but she did a pretty good job here imo. Recommend.

47. Master's Sun: Supernatural, rom-com, ghost/horror. I debated for a long time whether I should watch this or not since I'm really not into ghost stories. The horror parts aren't my favorite but liked the story itself and how the main plot unraveled with a dash of crime-solving/salvation thing happening on the side. I could kiiinda predict the plot twist near the end but I still liked it very, very much. It's an older drama and I don't really find the FL very interesting but it was fun to watch the leads bickering and slowly falling in love. Worth a try.

48. The Light in Your Eyes/Dazzling/Radiant: Chronic disease, sentimental, tearjerker, romance, offbeat. It's a little unconventional and no one should watch this unless they are mentally strong enough to handle loss and painful stories. The storytelling is very different imo and one of the main reasons why this stands out. Refraining from giving spoilers (also because I don't want to go through those emotions again) but it's a pretty solid series. Worth a try (only if you are not triggered by such content).

49. My Roommate is a Gumiho: Rom-com, fantasy, supernatural, feel good. I'm getting repetitive here but I really didn't think I'd actually be invested in this one as much as I was. Fun fact, the FL did a supporting role in Hyde, Jekyll and Me and I didn't know she is in the k drama Reply 1988 which is so hyped. She did a great job providing meme-worthy reactions and I really like how straight-forward she was for the most part. I like leads who communicate and except for a few times, both the leads had that in here. ML: didn't find him attractive initially but boy has a my-heart-has-melted-and-is-butter-now smile (with dimples too!) and I kept looking forward to seeing him smile basically. Secondary couple with the ex-gumiho girl and an overly emotional guy: Adorable. The plot development felt a tad bit slow at times and quite fast in the last episode: wish they had a balance there. Overall, thoroughly enjoyed it. Recommend.

50. You're Beautiful: Rom-com, hidden identity. Mostly a time-pass watch. Not sure if it's the FL or what but so far I've watched two dramas with Park Shin Hye as the FL and I didn't like either. The story was like the usual rom-com, hidden identity ones, reminded me a little of the HW movie She's the Man. Watch if you have (plenty of) time.

51. Dare to Dream/Jealousy Incarnate: Rom-com, chronic illness, office romance. Had to struggle with this one, finished it after several attempts. The premise is good and I like how it took a slightly unconventional turn at times. It reeeeeally dragged for the most part and I actually wasn't even interested until the last 8 or so episodes. Watch if you have time.

52. Couple on Backtrack: Feel good, rom-com, sentimental, time-travel. Very cute. Love the two navigating marriage, love that got lost somewhere down the line and college once again. There are some loopholes imo but overall really enjoyable. Worth a try.

53. Flower of Evil: Legal, romance, mental illness, thriller, murder mystery with a dash of psycho killer. LOVE LOVE LOVE the chemistry between the leads. It's hard to do good romance between leads who are married in the show but the drama did a phenomenal job. I didn't like the FL much in Innocent Man but she was great in this one, and Lee Joon Gi undoubtedly was fabulous in portraying the ML's character traits to the T. Strongly recommend.

54. Lawless Lawyer: Legal, action, romance. I was on the fence with this one but after watching LJG in Flower of Evil, there's prolly nothing I wouldn't watch with him as the ML lol. The humor and the romance is quite weak and the chemistry felt off to me but of course I was comparing with FOE and the bar there is simply too high hah. It gave me strong Vincenzo vibes, and tbh if I'd watched this before Vincenzo, I don't think I would've found the latter so unique (imo Vincenzo has a better execution). Watch it for LJG though. A morally questionable, gangster turned lawyer ML is totally LJG's thing. Strongly recommend.

55. Start-Up: Mature, rom-com, corporate. Still don't know what exactly I feel about this one. I like NJH and Bae Suzy's chemistry and performance, and the story was interesting too. It didn't hit in all the right spots but it was an enjoyable watch throughout. Worth a try.

56. Annarasumanara: Fantasy, psychological, mental health, college, coming of age, sentimental. This one gave me serious Alice in Wonderland vibes, especially a retelling I'd read a few years back that had an ML as charming and mysterious (with similar wardrobe) as JCW. The ending left me with more questions than answers, and while I know it's unlikely, I wish we got a season 2. Worth a try (especially if you are a book/comic to screen fan).

57. Another Oh Hae Young/Another Miss Oh: Rom-com, fun, quirky, slightly emotional and supernatural. Put this off for SO long mainly because the title didn't sound interesting. Didn't like the FL much for the most part of the drama but she did grow on me to an extent. Really enjoyed the overall plot and characters. Liked how the ML wasn't a jerk and had a valid reason for not opening up to people. Also liked how the 'pretty' Hae Young saw 'ordinary' Hae Young, going against the pretty but nasty girl stereotypes. Last few episodes are my most favorite. Recommend.

58. Sh**ting Stars/Shooting Stars: Rom-com, slight mystery, celebrity/idol, lighthearted. One of the reasons I put off watching this was the FL actor who'd starred in WFKBJ. Nothing personal, just that her acting isn't my favorite and pretty much for the first half of this drama too, she seemed like a grown up version of Kim Bok Joo which was hard to ignore imo. Apart from that I really really enjoyed this one. The ML did a great job with the humor and expressions. I usually skip the secondary plots/couples for most dramas but was invested in ALL of the characters here because their arcs and development were really well done. No unnecessary MUs and separation for the heck of it, and although there are like 10 different plots with a LOT happening, I liked the storytelling, the pacing and enjoyed how it didn't drag on and on for an eternity. There are conflicts and a bit of mystery element thrown in with ML's hater club plus an Ahjumma who really should've sought help but it never got too much to wear me down. Enjoyed the cameos 5/5. A cute drama with a good storyline (that might take some getting used to for some folks). Recommend.

59. Thirty but Seventeen/Still 17: Rom-com, quirky, found family trope, slight childhood trauma/guilt. I started this on a whim but like many others, ended up enjoying this thoroughly. I really like how different the FL's character is in this one, o/w it usually takes me some getting used to in typical kdramas because the FLs in general can...get on your nerves ig? Not the case here. Also, the distant-because-of-guilt but still utterly dorky ML = 1000000 stars. LOVED the found family trope and how ALL the characters make the drama so much more worthwhile (Jennifer is a national treasure), even the FL's ex-schoolmate/semi-rival and her childhood guy friend/the doctor (I was sad seeing how he sacrificed and invested so much for the FL :(). Recommend.

60. Good Job: Mystery, lighthearted, rom-com. This drama is a great example of what happens when you have good actors and a good plot but extremely below average storytelling skills. The direction, execution and plot holes (are they even 'holes' if they are that big? idk) is so painfully bad even the actors and the premise couldn't save it. I almost didn't want to list this here because it felt like such a waste of time tbh. I really wanted to like this drama because I dig such lighthearted, quirky (Sherlock-like) and cute stories where leads work together on solving something big but this was such a wasted opportunity ugh. Watch if you have time (or idk, don't).

61. Love in the Moonlight: Romance, court intrigue, period drama, emotional, rom-com. Well, whoever called this a rom com needs to be haunted down pronto. Sure, it had a ton of lighthearted fun moments where I was cracking up or just giggling shamelessly but the latter half of this drama had me tearing up in almost every episode with Park Bo Gum and Kim Yoo Jung's terrific expressions and acting along with those killer OSTs. "Your Highness, from this moment onwards, don't love me...I don't want to give you the devastating torment of loving a woman you couldn't protect" when FL is about to be beheaded NO I WAS DEFINITELY NOT CRYING ROMCOM MY A**. Legit got a headache trying to survive the latter half of the drama. I don't even like watching Sageuk and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The only thing that bothered me at times was the fact that the FL was weak most of the times and the drama often gave in to the typical noble idiot trope but then, it makes sense for a period drama I guess? Strongly recommend.

62. Splash Splash Love: Rom-com, lighthearted, period drama, time travel, coming of age. Okay so this is a mini-series compiled in two episodes and Idk how a 2 hour long drama can manage to entertain me so much but this totally did. I'm always skeptical about shorter dramas/mini dramas cuz the scope is very limited to show proper plot progression and character development. This did a pretty good job at that within a 2 hr time frame. Love how feel-good and meaningful it was, making the FL realize her worth. Time travel sageuk often end in a tragic or bitter-sweet manner but I love how they ended this one. Recommend.

63. Shopping King Louis/Shopaholic Louis: Rom-com, quirky, found family trope, slight mystery. Honestly I wish some kdramas came up with better names/translated names cuz the only reason I put off watching this for the loongest time was its name. It simply doesn't do justice to how amazing the drama is. It's cute, adorable, a little annoying and emotional at times but absolutely a worthwhile experience, seeing the leads coming from two extremes, helping each other grow and finding shelter in one another. I didn't like Doom at Your Service as much, so wasn't entirely excited about Seo In Guk as the ML here but portraying someone who has the best intentions at heart despite being a clueless puppy 99% of the time, this was a perfect role for him. Same goes for NJH who pulls off that clueless country girl role so well. For once, I was really glad to see the absence of a BIG childhood trauma (which happens in like 90% of kdramas). Even the bad guys aren't shown as the ultimate evil masterminds who never falter in their plans, which I liked. This drama left me feeling refreshed and light and happy. Strongly recommend.

64. Hello, Me: Self-worth, uplifting, rom-com (noona romance), supernatural. So glad my recommendations had this showing cuz I didn't even know this drama existed. Really sweet, a midlife-coming-of-age sort (if you can call it that) of drama with cutesy romance thrown in. I love anything with a Freaky Friday or Secret Garden kinda storyline but this one was even better. Despite a couple plot holes here and there, enjoyed how the story is more FL-centric and is so encouraging overall. Worth a try.

65. Dear M.: Romance, coming of age, college setting, feel-good, uplifting. Okay so this is really, REALLY, REALLY good, like butterflies-in-my-stomach kinda good. I'd say this is Gossip Girl but a little less dramatic and a more wholesome version if that makes sense. Also, Jaehyun, this guy, I never would've guessed this was his debut as a lead actor. Like, how do these kpop idols manage to sing AND act so well? Beyond me for real. Also, Jaehyun's dimples and eyes and smile and lips = VERY distracting. It's criminal how perfectly he played his part with just the right emotions for the right scenes UGHHH. Although I was of course the most invested in the leads' story, I loved ALL the couples in this drama (which is so rare of me for an ensemble cast drama like this). All the characters grow so well by the end of the drama, even the ones who are supposedly negative characters. Also, the hidden identity thing was a really nice twist. I know it's highly unlikely but I wish we got a second season for this drama but then I guess the controversy is not going to let that happen, plus a lot of these renewed seasons for college dramas show the leads breaking up on good terms or sth as a part of adulting (I'm looking at you, most hollywood TV series) which I'm not at all a fan of so I'd rather not lol. For some reason, the pacing of the drama felt very slow to me (reminded me of the pace of Hospital Playlist) and it took me a loooooong time to actually feel any significant interest in the story but the vibe of the drama was just great and left me with a nice and cozy and happy feeling. Strongly recommend.

66. Strongest Deliveryman: Quirky, motivational, slice of life, rom-com. I started this in the middle of watching another drama that got too heavy for me lol so this was a nice distraction. I didn't really see what the hype was about though. It's a good drama with a nice storyline that is quite motivating but that's about it imo. I really like the first 2/3 of the drama, and also how they didn't make the romance predictable from the get-go but rather built it up gradually for both the couples. The conflicts were nice but I felt it could've been better portrayed, so with the ending, it felt quite abrupt. Still, a good, lighthearted but hopeful drama. Worth a try.

67. The Great Seduction/Tempted: Romance, revenge, college/high school, mental health, drama, action. It's been a while since I saw a bad-boy-turned-good drama because they'd all started to look the same to me. This one was quite refreshing though. I read somewhere it's very loosely based on Cruel Intentions but I avoided that too cuz clichés lol. I love how it has everything: leads' struggle, cute moments, romance, action, angst, drama and craziness -all of it. The fact that leads managed to make me hate them when we were supposed to hate them shows how successful the characterization and acting was. Strongly recommend.

68. Kill Me, Heal Me: Romance, mental health, personality disorder, mystery, drama, emotional, quirky. First time watching Ji Sung in a drama, loved how he was able to pull off all his personalities to the t. Got attached to them so much I felt bad bidding them goodbye afterwards. His Yo-Na will be my forever favorite btw, that girl = five dazzling stars. The drama gets quite heavy at times, so much so that I had to take a break and watch other stuff in between. FL's acting isn't my favorite but it works for this drama. The plot twists are really, really good. Strongly recommend.

69. Be My Boyfriend: Mini series, school romance, idol drama, contract relationship. Just wanted to watch some fluff and randomly picked this. It's apparently a spin-off of another drama series Best Mistake, with a different cast and story, and I read it was very popular, so guess I'll try that one sometime too. [ETA: Tried this one. Meh.] This one was a trope-y drama and miniseries so things got resolved fairly quickly. The leads were in Sh**ting Stars too as supporting cast if I'm not wrong? Nothing remarkable but cute as a time-pass drama. Watch if you have time.

70. I Remember You/Hello Monster: Murder mystery, crime, thriller, romance. I vaguely remember the drama name from somewhere but didn't know it was this one. It has that typical crime-solving US show feel but PBG as the suspicious guy? Never thought I'd see this day, totally impressed with his mind-blowing performance. Even the slightest twitch of his eyebrow or eye or lips and the shift in facial features was done SO SO well. I wish the FL didn't start off as a clueless officer character but it was nice to see how the writers developed her character. The ending is still not totally clear to me because what even did Min finally decide to do? SIG was good as usual. Very less romance but it also felt realistic since they were solving such serious cases I can't imagine them stopping in the midst to have lovey-dovey time lol. Worth a try.

71. I Am Not A Robot/She Is Not a Robot: Quirky, fake identity, found family, romance, bit of a mystery. Really cute. First time watching the ML actor Yoo Seung Ho and imo he is so far the only ML who is able to pull off aegyo in a cute, non-cringey way. All his expressions and emotions in different scenes came out SO. WELL. Loved the premise, everyone's performance, execution- everything. Also, it was very refreshing to see an ex in the drama who didn't go all psycho and behaved so sensibly and maturely unlike most dramas. FL did an amazing job as well. The found family trope was excellently portrayed. Would have loved a more smooth ending, not to mention more exposition on the mysterious character. Sigh, the last epi felt too abrupt. Recommend.

72. The Witch's Diner: Mini series, female centric, supernatural, quirky, sentimental, noona love, found family trope. Best. Mini series. Ever. Each episode is crisp, well paced and each story is so significant and contributes to character development. Love how they managed to pull it off in such a short span. The romance is pretty much non existent and still so wholesome to watch. Both main FL characters are well written and take the center stage while the men work mostly behind the scenes (literally called 'Shadow' and 'Supporter' <3) and it never feels forced or done just for the sake of doing it. It's not a perfect drama of course but I love the premise, acting, execution--everything about this show. SO badly 'wish' to have a second season lol, this still has room for more stories but sigh, seems very very unlikely. Strongly, strongly recommend.

73. While You Were Sleeping: Crime/Legal drama, emotional/intense, rom-com, paranormal, fate. Okay I'm in love with this drama. The fact that this had Suspicious Partner vibes was already enough for me to enjoy this but SUCH AMAZEBALLS WRITING AND ACTING?? This is probably what perfection looks like. Well I'm sure you could find tiny holes here and there but I didn't and I'm elated to have watched this drama. Not a fan of Suzy's acting but all three leads (and the supporting cast) together did a PHENOMENAL job. Lee Jong Suk pulled off like 100 different emotions like the boss actor he is, Jung Hae In was ALL SORTS OF WHOLESOME and Lee Sang Yeob who plays the ultimate baddie (sorta) did a wonderful job too. LOVED the storytelling and how they drew connections. LOVED how every single episode had me fully invested in the story and all the cases they had to handle (something that rarely happens). LOVED the intensity and the OST of the drama. LOVE it. Recommend to the power n, forever and ever.

74. Ending Again: Mini series, romantic, contract marriage. Short and easy watch. The acting could've been a lot better but ig they are all new actors? Like the story but execution wasn't the best. The OST is pretty nice to listen to (esp. Rothy's Annyeong) and also liked the way art is used to depict their memories. Watch if you have time.

75. Rich Man, Poor Woman: Friendship, workplace, rom-com??. It's not right to call it rom-com I feel, since it has literally nothing I'd actually call romance up until the final episode maybe. This is the least romantic rom com lol. Has a Start-Up vibe but mostly focuses on the ML and SML who is his friend. Liked how SML and SFL both are not outright evil geniuses out to ruin everything and everyone, unlike most dramas. Good watch if you are bored but nothing too fancy. Still like how the FL decides to pursue her career. Would've liked a proper closure to the prosopagnosia track. Watch if you have time.

76. Madam Antoine: Rom-com, psychological, quirky, trauma/mental health. Well this is one interesting drama. I thought this would be like other dramas with case-solving with romance on the side but this was...different, that's all I can think of. Romance definitely takes the center stage and the FL has such enjoyable dynamic with all 2.5 MLs (not counting the flower boy as the ML lol) I more or less liked it. The latter half is WAY more interesting with the cat and mouse chase although the games and deception felt too much to me at times. Some scenes and some of the fights istg felt so immature and absurd given how both of them were adults, mature people. Watched the FL in multiple dramas now and for some unknown reason, I don't like her acting as much, not sure if it's the characters she plays or sth else. The only thing I liked about her character here is how she could still put 2 and 2 together most of the times in this drama, staying true to her perceptive character arc. Worth a try.

77. Kiss Goblin: Fantasy, mini series, feel-good, romance, cute. Wanted to watch this for time-pass but bruh this was amazing! I don't go into miniseries dramas expecting too much so this was unexpected. Except for one thing that didn't make any sense to me (ML's fight with the exorcist like it was so abrupt and boy why didn't you do that before lol), everything in this drama was enjoyable. I wish this was a full-length drama instead. Reminded me of Roommate is a Gumiho cuz the ML was the 2nd ML in that one (guy got a great baritone btw). I still wouldn't mind a second season to see what happens because it's like a new beginning of sorts and with fantasy, you can ALWAYS come up with a plot twist to keep going lol. Recommend.

78. The Devil Judge: Crime, dystopian, legal, thriller, bromance, anti-hero. OHMYLORDTHISDRAMAGAH. Take all the stars there are. The cinematography = chef's kiss. The music = perfect. The writing = magnificent. I had to rewind so many scenes cuz I couldn't believe what was happening. Love how strong the central characters are, even the antagonists. HOW COME people don't talk about this drama more often this is SO GOOD GAH. Strongly recommend.

79. He is Psychometric: Murder mystery, psychological thriller, supernatural, romance, found family?. Took me a while to get used to the drama, were not too invested in the initial episodes. The story was handled quite realistically and not everything was a simple happily ever after, which was both a good and a bad thing I guess? I got mixed feelings hah. Won't call the brother a 2ML cuz this is one of those dramas where both MLs play equally important characters imo and I loved it. The brother does a phenomenal job at portraying emotions in a non-emotional way if that makes sense. Didn't like how things ended for some characters but maybe it makes for a more impactful ending. Still wondering how the younger brother ML gets to live with psychometry after this, won't things be, difficult? lol. Pretty solid drama, a lot of it was unpredictable and well-executed. Recommend.

80. Secret/Secret Love: Melodrama, revenge, romance, hate to love, sentimental, murder. I'd forgotten how most pre-2015 dramas were like but this reminded me once again lol. Has SO many melodrama clichés you'd find in a kdrama and sometimes I had to remind myself this is an old drama. Despite all that, I thoroughly enjoyed it for the leads and the FL's bffs. It's on the mature side and has a lot of crying and other intense stuff. Love how I legit hated the ML at the beginning (to the point where I thought of quitting the drama lol). Personally not a fan of the FL but she did a great job here. Not a big theme but I like how she ends up with what people think of as a physical 'flaw' and the ML doesn't give two hoots about that. Wish the last episode was executed better, the story felt all over the place as if they were hurrying to tie up loose ends: badly needed more scenes with the leads and how things end up for them both. KMHM has the same leads and that is still my favorite compared to this. Glad to have a sorta redemption track but wish they fleshed it out more. Worth a try.

81. Law Café: Legal, quirky, webcomic adaptation, rom-com. First things first. The FL is one of my favorite things in the drama because of the way she screams, throws expletives when pissed and goes YAAAAAAA, lmao. Nobody (except for maybe their bestie cop FL who was a lead in Oh My Ghostess and Splash Splash Love) dares to breathe when she is unleashed, including the ML and the whole building/cafe gang. Truth be told it took me some getting used to cuz am not a fan of screaming FLs in kdramas but this was somehow different because her anger was directed at valid people and valid things for most of the times. Not that I liked everything about her (sometimes she was just being overly sensitive about a couple things imo) but it was her throwing fits was what made me enjoy watching. Also Lee Seung Gi = gem of an actor and this character was meant for him. He has the kind of face that complimented the whole genius-but-idgaf about it personality for his character, SO GOOD. Love love LOVE how the FL leads in majority of these situations, isn't shy and the ML is more than happy to oblige. Also, the way consent is stressed time and again, FAN of it. The FL even draws up a contract for intercourse LMAAO WAAT. What bothered me: although the FL is shown as strong and she says stuff like "trust me and lemme handle this", it's the ML taking care of of her things at least 98% of the times. There are times where the love feels slightly imbalanced and one-sided (makes sense ig given their history but still) and as if the ML was making ALL the sacrifices and adjustments to make the FL happy. Showing strong female characters doesn't mean showing women who refuse to adjust or find a middle ground imo. I love me a strong FL but the hypocrisy at times here just, ugh. Felt this quite heavily while watching, it was tiring. Side note: the café gang = MOOD. I won't say the writing is top notch, last two epis are particularly absurd, but the acting and storyline is decent overall. Recommend/Worth a try.

82. Love in Contract: Rom-com, contract marriage, love triangle. Frankly speaking, this is by far my least favorite drama of Park Min Young. Had to physically force myself to finish this and that says something since I pretty much like ANY drama with the contract trope and a half-decent storyline. The love triangle did not work for me AT ALL since I could see who she would choose from miles away, and it seemed like the writers also didn't care at all about the dynamic of trio. I really liked her roommate/ex-hubby's character and he was probably the only thing why I kept going back since I wanted to see what happens to him by the end. I almost never skip episodes even if a drama isn't as interesting but skipped several scenes and also two whole-ass episodes (or was it three?) in the last half and STILL understood everything that had happened that far. Had to take so many breaks I even forgot I was watching this once. Sadly it felt like an attempt to cash in on the popularity of the leads but there's only so much they can do. Also, I miss how PMY looked earlier in her other dramas, she's lost so much weight, it was hard at times for me personally while watching this. I don't have a favorite per se for kdrama female artists so this is an unbiased view. Was relieved to have finished the drama. Watch if you have time.

83. Pinocchio: Newsroom, found family, rom-com, sentimental. Put this off for a looong time since it's a quite old drama and wasn't sure if I'd like this since I didn't enjoy another drama (Heirs) with the same FL. Her acting isn't great but it seems definitely better here compared to that one. Love the premise of the drama, the execution, dialogues, acting- everything. Love how each episode title is taken from popular fairytale/story titles. Also LOVE how well-balanced it is imo, like you have serious, intense scenes as well as fun, light hearted scenes so as not to make you feel too overwhelmed. Being an older drama, it has its dramatic moments and few shortcomings, it's not another While You Were Sleeping for sure but is still thoroughly enjoyable. I also loved how most characters in the show develop in gradual, satisfying ways, including the ML who learns to be a reporter above everything else. Again, it's a satisfying watch imo. Strongly recommend.

84. Familiar Wife: Time-travel, supernatural, rom-com. Wasn't into it tbh but wanted to watch something that didn't take too much effort so this worked. The plot is like any other time-traveling-to-change-fate story. I didn't like the FL in her other dramas as much but in this one she was quite good. Also loved the bank setup and all the supporting characters. ML's bestie looks so much like JCW from different angles it can be quite distracting lol. There is a nice balance of scenes so it didn't feel too overwhelming (I did take breaks in between though). Like how all the supporting characters get their different kinds of endings as well, and how ML realizes why things might have gone wrong the first time around. Also liked how the FL in the different timeline refuses to give up because she is not like the other version of herself. SFL's character in the alternate timeline didn't feel that great to me even though the ML felt like he failed her. It's not a remarkable drama and you won't miss anything tbf, just an easy watch with a decent story. Watch if you have time.

85. Wok of Love/Greasy Melo: Rom-com, workplace, noona romance, mature, motivational. Kept putting this off until I fell in love with Junho's acting skills in other dramas, not to mention his deep baritone that makes me want to make him narrate audiobooks which I could listen to all day. The first 6-7 episodes hardly make any sense and the writing and execution is at its weakest there imo. Love triangles usually bore me but they did a good job making it slightly unpredictable at the beginning so I couldn't guess at all who the FL might fall for and I liked it. One thing I really love about this drama is how the leads are already heartbroken and jarred and are in unsuccessful marriages that lead to divorces. Probably the first time (can't remember if there's any other like this rn) I saw a kdrama where leads are divorcees (as it's so frowned upon based on what I've seen), and I totally dig such storylines. It's not romance heavy imo, and is more about everyone trying to keep that damned restaurant business open with all the adversities and bad guys around BUTBUT every time they did do romance, it left me all flustered and swooning. That kitchen jump scene in 32 GHAA. LOVE the food p*** and all dem cooking scenes, might come in handy if you're learning to cook hah. You might also end up gaining a few pounds after watching ALL that food and the second-hand satisfaction of watching people eat lmao. I really like the maturity of the romance and not to mention the bond between the two male leads, both were FAB in pulling that off (even the FL was jealous of their love lol). Some things were unnecessary, like the absolutely pointless arrogance and cluelessness of FL's snowflake delusional mother (made my blood boil, why would anyone write such a frustrating character anyway?), FL not being able to do the right or the sensible thing (like knocking some goddamn sense into her mother) and not having a spine most of the times and many more. The story has several issues that went unaddressed (what about the two timing wife? the vet? the cat ffs?) and the last few episodes seem like the writer had an amnesia and forgot how to write but all said and done, I was happy watching Junho lmao. He and the second ML and their bond was the saving grace for me. (Especially if you like dramas with professional settings) Recommend.

86. Rain or Shine/Just Between Lovers: Romance, trauma, grief, heavy, childhood connection, healing. Not suitable for all for sure, since the whole drama has a somber mood to it. The romance is hella adorable, I even enjoyed it every time the leads were on my screen, romance or no romance. The bond between the leads feels very organic, not much trope-y stuff. Had to get through the dead fish kissing after a long time in this one because the FL actor simply never cooperated it seems lmao. Also like the ML-2FL dynamic. No stupid misunderstanding that got dragged unnecessarily. Everyone in the drama is struggling in some way and trying to cope however they can, and it's beautiful to see some of them finding ways to heal by the end. Great writing and Junho's performance *chef's kiss* Strongly recommend.

87. Tomorrow: Fantasy, afterlife, mental health, self-harm, uplifting, sentimental, quirky. Whoa, had no idea this would get so intense. After IOTNBO, this is perhaps the only other drama I've seen that deals with mental health so heavily, and it does a pretty good job at that. There are several loopholes and and a lot of things stopped making sense (for me at least) near the end, I still liked the whole thing overall. The way it deals with self-harm and suicidal tendencies can be thought provoking and has given me so much to reflect on, glad I watched it. Content warning for self-harm, abuse and suicide. Worth a try.

88. Twenty: Quirky, coming of age, teenage, friendship. This is a movie but idrc because I really enjoyed it and this deserves to be on this list. I rarely watch k movies and truth be told, the only thing that made me watch this was Junho's hairstyle near the end (진짜 궁금했다) and one of the FL character So Hee's convo with him about *stuff* in the class lmao. Not disappointed. It's one of those movies that made me wish it was longer; in fact, would've LOVED a drama on this. Sigh. It's not serious, it's not sentimental, it's sometimes sad but it doesn't let you linger on it much because that kind of reflection doesn't generally come when you're 20. It's absurd and nonsensical, but it all makes sense because they're all 20, that's an absurd time anyway lol. Worth a try.

89. Memory: Legal drama, chronic illness, office romance, idol drama. Really, really, REALLY liked how well-balanced, well-written this drama is. I'm into legal drama these days and this one perfectly fits that bill. Love how a chronic illness is addressed as an overarching theme and cherry on top is the Lawyer and Junho's dynamic, and the bonding these two and the FL share with each other. Worth a try.

90. Secret Royal Inspector & Joy: Period drama, rom-com, court intrigue. Ideal for a fluffy, lighthearted watch. Had to ff several scenes and the story isn't unique or anything but overall enjoyable. It's evident that the drama itself doesn't take itself too seriously, with reenactments of the red light, green light game from the Squid Game, meta jokes and references and 2PM song references, so it was definitely different than traditional period dramas I watched. Gave Mr. Queen vibes at times, and I like how the plotting/dramatic/sentimental moments made sense and still didn't overshadow the overall vibe of the drama. Worth a try.

91. 1% of Something: I guess this was popular and different back in 2016 when it aired, I just didn't get what the hype is about. It was decent at best, and I somewhat liked the first and the last few episodes but wasn't hooked or anything. REWATCH UPDATE/RATING CHANGE: Rewatched it after a long while because couldn't remember at all what this was about. Must say this drama has one of the best couple intimacy scenes that's very normal to have if two people are into each other. The relationship felt slightly toxic at times but was also portrayed maturely. Worth a try.

92. The Forbidden Marriage: Period drama, rom-com, court intrigue. See period dramas/sageuks aren't my thing and I keep saying this so I kinda thought I'd be quitting this drama after an episode or two because it simply didn't intrigue me as much. Finished the whole thing as it was airing, and it's probably because it's not your typical sageuk, there are meta jokes and references (like that spotlight when the leads were having a moment or references to pop culture like the tiktok proposals): it's more like a modernized period drama and what helped more I think is that it wasn't based on a real person or something (unlike The Red Sleeve which I refuse to talk about) so they could go into any direction to create humor while still handling serious stuff. Women being kidnapped and sold off was something I don't recall seeing in other dramas so liked the newness of it. Overall, worth a try.

93. Angry Mom: School violence, bullying, abuse/exploitation, self-harm, corruption, light-hearted humor, hidden identity. I'm thankful to the YouTube MV that had a clip from this drama which made me want to look it up and binge the whole thing. Thought this would be a funny school drama but bullying and exploitation is the driving theme here so might not be good for everyone. It was way more intense at times than I thought, and loved how the humor was balanced, although their song/bgm choice made me go errrmmm most of the times. Also like how it doesn't show ALL the bad guys getting caught iykyk. Worth a try.

94. Taxi Driver: Action, thriller, crime, found family, revenge. There are certain things that felt like plot holes to me for a drama as hyped as this one but must say I LOVE the overall vibe of the whole thing. Very few dramas can hook me with a good storyline AND a good OST, and Taxi Driver has both. I'm not against romance but it was refreshing to see no romance for once and just camaraderie amongst the characters. Season 2 (now airing) also seems intriguing so far and really hoping they don't mess this up. Strongly recommend.

95. Signal: Crime, thriller/mystery, paranormal/time-travel (sorta?), sentimental. Honestly started watching because of the ML cuz I had to drop every drama I watched previously with this FL. I still have questions lol but it's definitely very well-written and executed drama. A couple things might not make sense initially but they become clear near the second half/end. Like how the ended the drama too, wasn't your textbook HEA. Strongly recommend.

96. Crash Course in Romance: Mature, slice of life (kinda), societal pressure, mental health. Like the premise and how the story is handled but it got a little dragging and boring halfway through, so much so that I had to ff through the last half of it. Really liked how the FL's niece (adopted daughter) wasn't a tantrum throwing brat unlike how most teenagers in dramas are portrayed. Worth a try.

97. Love to Hate You: Rom-com, feel good, mature, feminist (in a good way!), quirky, celebrity life. Reminded me of Netflix holiday originals with that feel good vibe. Love the premise, the execution and how refreshingly different it is despite being a trope-y romcom. Unlike so many dramas out there that take the theme of feminism to extreeeeme trying to portray a strong FL who pretty much treats the ML as a doormat (hence falling prey to misandry), this one has a nice balance of things. The FL is strong and questions things like why a girl has to play the damsel in distress all the time, an ML who pukes at the sight of aegyo and whose heart skips a beat seeing a boomerang-throwing, ass-kicking FL and these two still behaving like lovestruck cuties when they fall in love. Although, tbf, the FL character does seem unrelatable on occasions, I chose to ignore it for the greater good lol. There are times when I felt they were trying to almost force it to be feminist without it being relevant which didn't sit well with me. The ML being blown by how capable the FL is reminded me of the CEO ML in SWDBS (Hyungsik was perfect in that role btw). This show has its serious moments but it's supposed to be a lighthearted but mature rom-com afaik and I think it pulled it off perfectly. Worth a try.

98. 100 Days My Prince: Rom-com, period drama/sageuk, hidden identity, fake marriage. Swiped past this one SO many times until I was bored one day and decided to give it a go (expecting to drop it after FFing some of it). But man. D.O. (Kyungsoo) serves again. I watched him in Hello, Monster and still get chills thinking about that role he played. There's just something about his face that makes these stoic-not-moving-a-muscle roles really work for him. Loved how it was a nice balance of everything and didn't go overboard. Jealous Won Deuk (D.O) is a darling lol and Nam Ji Hyun does a good job too, though I'm starting to think that's originally how she talks and acts and it isn't just her role (Suspicious Partner had me thinking otherwise). Of course this is fictional because of how it ends (I couldn't have handled another The Red Sleeve T___T). Overall, pretty good and definitely recommend.

99. Clean with Passion for Now: Rom-com, psychological disorder (OCD), workplace. Probably one of the rarest romcom kdramas with no stalker, psycho killer or a mysterious figure with a vendetta lol. This was refreshing for sure also because the leads don't get together in the last two episodes like many others. They are overall cute and it's an enjoyable watch. The storyline isn't epic or anything, and I think they could've done a better job tying up the loose ends in the episode finale, some things felt forced and abrupt. Worth a try.

100. Bad and Crazy: Unconventional, mental health, disorder, bromance. Wish they delayed the 'big reveal' but I can see that wouldn't have helped the plot so nvm. Love the casting, I think both the MLs do a great job pulling off their roles. The twists in this drama is *chef's kiss* and some of those I didn't see coming so yes this was a wonderful watching experience. Recommend. [p.s. btw this is not technically my 100th kdrama so not really celebrating lol].

101. Romance by Romance: Rom-com, miniseries, webseries, contract. It was fun. Predictable storyline and characters but it's still cute. I found an uncanny resemblance between the ML and Choi Woo Shik. Worth a try.

102. Mad Dog: Crime and corruption, corporate, revenge, found family, action thriller, comedy. I coincidentally stumbled upon this drama thanks to its OST and so glad I did. It's not the perfect drama but it's surely one of the good ones out there imo. The beginning feels a bit random and it took me a while to actually get what exactly were the 'Mad Dogs' about but it does pick up after a while. My BIGEEST issue with this: everyone TALKS.SO.MUCH. I assume they were addressing the audience to explain everything but I kept wishing they didn't at times because it was starting to feel like an audiobook with all the dialogue delivery. What made it worse for me was that some of these dialogues were forced attempts at cockiness and flex which were not necessary at all (like I could SEE, I didn't need additional exposition). That being said, I really enjoyed the connections that were made to show how it wasn't just a one person crime. I also loved the found family trope and the fact that they were quite subtle with the romance which suited the theme of the drama imo. Recommend.

103. Durian's Affair/Mrs. Durian: Paranormal, absurd, time travel. Not sure how I feel about this but it's probably mostly positive. The narrative style can be confusing at times, esp since they don't always do a good job doing it but it was what made my viewing more enjoyable. Wanted more on Durian-Dol Soe 2.0 and So Jeo-Deung Myung instead of a lot other fillers that really didn't interest me as much. I'm on the fence about asking for a S2, because while it'd be lovely to see what the characters did after that ending, I think we all left it at a good place and the ending doesn't indicate the need for a second season either. I won't rewatch it maybe but it's a nice one time watch if you want something slightly different. Worth a try.

104. Gaus Electronics: Office drama, rom-com, adaptation. I like the overall vibe of the drama: it's nothing extraordinary and I won't rewatch it but it's fun if you're into office dramas and sitcoms in general. I like how they tried to be inclusive without being offensive because that's an EA drama practice that ticks me off lol. I like how not ALL the problems are solved by the end because that's life, and how not all characters have some sort of enlightenment either. Worth a try.

105. She Would Never Know: Mature, office setting, age gap, second chance, slice of life (kinda), cute. One of those impulse-watch dramas I ended up loving. Was on my watchlist but the title somehow never interested me enough I guess? Have seen the FL's works before and think she does a good job playing bothered and occasionally-snappy characters. Tbf tho, I kept watching because how unbelievably considerate and honest the ML is. The idea of going all out? That's him, and not in the typical cheesy, showy way but something that is still realistic and looks feasible for people who are busy running around and getting things done in a busy urban life. The way he giggles and that occasional shaking of the legs like kids when he's thinking about/talking to the FL is adorable. Rowoon is such a good actor. The mom can seem difficult in the beginning but again, pretty realistic, and a cutie. Love the friends, love the sibling energy the ML and his sisters have, love the sisters' stories (and the niece giving the ML valuable life advice at times lol). Also refreshing to see how the older gen/parents don't play a major part in their lives (not that I mind it but it was nice to see sth new). Recommend.

106. My Lovely Liar: Paranormal, rom-com, cute. This is a bit too cute at times but overall a good watch. It's not a bad thing but just that there's only so much cuteness and cheesiness I can handle lol. Really like the premise of the drama, and although it isn't explored in as much detail as I'd like, the FL's realization about where and why people sometimes lie is nice to see. Like the twist and how the mystery element is handled for the most part. Really nice second male lead, hope to see the guy more in future. Good acting from the second female lead, she should get more meaty roles too. Good if you want a drama that's fluffy but has a proper storyline. Recommend.

107. Extra-Ordinary You: Fantasy, different dimension/world/reincarnation/different roles, high school setting, mystery, quirky, fated love. This has been on the list since forever, and never got to watching this because, idk, the thumbnail didn't look interesting enough I guess? It's pretty good actually, esp given that I now rarely enjoy dramas set in high school/college. The suspense/mystery aspect is well-done since I kept guessing and anticipating well after the first half. Rowoon does an incredible job as a budding actor. The FL does get on the nerves in the beginning but I suppose that's how she is supposed to behave then and she does mature over the course of the story. Really, really, really enjoy the quirky take on BOF and F4 (it was so obvious lol) and the violin-ML with his monologues and antics lmao. The casting for this drama is *chef's kiss*. Some of the twists are really well executed 5/5. Love how the drama takes you on a rollercoaster ride, showing fun, lighthearted, cutesy moments with a constant sense of impending doom on the horizon. Might need some getting used to first because the 'stage' vs the 'shadow' thing may not seem as obvious at the beginning. Strongly recommend.

108. The Good Bad Mother: Sentimental, strong women, corruption, terminal illness/chronic disease, amnesia. Let me think why I never thought of watching this sooner. Guess I thought this would be one of those too somber, too heavy dramas that will leave me depressed which is not what I usually look for. I was wrong. Oh boy. SO WRONG. It's sentimental and sad and left me bawling several times, don't get me wrong. BUT. It does a PHENOMENAL job of handling the heavier themes and balance it out with lighthearted moments in a way I couldn't even. Never thought I'd put a sentimental drama in my top-watch list but here we are, this one SO deserves to be in my top kdramas list. 100% rewatch value. What I love THE MOST THE MOSTEST MOSTESTTTT is how the Lee Do Hyun's and his mother's characters aren't one dimensional. You start by seeing how 'bad' the bad mother is but you also see what makes her that way, and although you can't condone her actions, you start to feel sorry as the plot progresses. See I never questioned the ML's actions as we see it at the beginning but I was curious how the drama will show him coming back from all that, and I was satisfied with it. The moment you start to think the son-mother dynamic is doomed for good, you can see there is more to that picture. Yes, there's resentment. But there's a desperation too. There is regret, and there's the obsession for revenge, and the way these two characters feel about these things had me surprised, ugly crying and screaming all at the same time because they are SO SO NUANCED I LOVE IT. All in all, excellent, excellent drama. Strongly, strongly, STRONGLY RECOMMEND.

109. The Glory: Bullying, harassment, trauma/ptsd, dysfucntional relationships, revenge, second chance, mature heartwarming romance, content warnings (bullying, swearing, violence, drugs, murder, self harm, blood, s*x, **dity). Boy this drama should be called 'The Glory: The Content Warning'. I can't think of a major content warning that it does NOT have. One of the reasons I like Asian drama is because it usually does not show heavy content unless it's relevant to the story. As much as I LOVE this drama, I think there are stuff that this drama could have done without. I get that the bullies are all messed up and dysfunctional in all 360 ways and the goal was to show what kind of lifestyle they had and why they had it coming, but I would have gotten the message without the drama showing stuff that didn't add much to the story imo. I was interested in the FL's struggle, her trauma, her and the ML, the ML's trauma, the ML's struggle, but on (many, many) occasions, it felt like I was learning more about the bullies than the main characters. I didn't care enough about them (even as baddies) to learn about them. SHK and LDH did a TERRIFIC job playing their characters. I'm honestly in awe of how Lee Do Hyun always plays these mature, older characters, and how well he nails it, EVERY. TIME. SHK- what a comeback. Should I be frank and say I kept watching solely because of the two? TRUE STORY THO. There's not way to escape from the content warnings in this drama so I won't recommend it right away. I'd just say the two leads made the experience worthwhile for me. So. Watch at your own risk cuz plenty of trigger/content warnings but worth a try.

110. Beyond Evil: Murder, suspense, thriller, intense, love-hate bromance, nutcase protagonists. It's a bit harder to get into imo. It also has a slightly back and forth storytelling which might take a little getting used to. I like how the drama never lost its focus and was true to its genre till the end. The two MLs play their roles to the t. It feels like a roller coaster ride of emotions at times and does get pretty intense on several occasions so you need to be on the right frame of mind to enjoy this. I wouldn't rewatch this on a regular day (or even on most non-regular days) because of the somber, heavy tone. Recommend.

111. Alchemy of Souls (S1 and S2): Fantasy, prophecy, powerful leads, coming back from dead, rom-com. Tbf, I didn't follow S1 as closely as S2 so take this with a grain of salt. It was harder for me to follow S1 in general, most probably because the emotions and the foreshadowing of the ominous was a bit too much for me to handle. S2 is easier to follow and feels muuuch more lighthearted and I really like all the character growth, how they changed over the years in the story and the way the plot progressed. I didn't like how the FL character was portrayed. The FL actor did a good job and while I can see why she is not the same as the FL in S1, it felt like she was, how to say it, over-softened? She reminded me of typical kdrama FLs and that's not my favorite type. Still, if you watch binge the seasons together, this might be more enjoyable as a whole. Recommend.

112. Scripting Your Destiny: Fantasy, supernatural, fate and destiny, romance, mini series. This is a quick watch and kept giving me the Goblin vibes. The ML also has a similar vibe. Not saying he is Gong Woo but his bromance with the other guy and the overall theme have a resemblance. I really, really like the storyline. The acting could have been better in some parts but I suppose the focus was more on to have eye candy MLs. I have mixed feelings about the ending but I can see why it makes the most sense. Recommend.

113. Happiness: Apocalyptic, survival, intense, pandemic, horror, supernatural, very slow build romance. For some strange reason, it took me months to finish this drama, because of the number of loooong breaks I took while watching this. Just that, horror ain't my cup of tea and although this isn't horror in the typical sense, it's intense enough. Both the leads did an incredible job with their roles and the script. Execution is well done, with perfect timing for the suspense moments. Great storytelling, feels very timely with the pandemic irl and all. These storylines don't seem so far-fetched at all at this point. Strongly recommend.

114. Heartbeat: Supernatural, vampires, rom-com, rebirth, emotional. Kdramas need to stop doing this. Start nicely, with perfect comic timing and lighthearted moments, only to end unexpectedly with a finale that you don't know how to interpret. Taecyeon does an amazing job and the FL (first time seeing her) does too. The last half of the drama somehow left a bad taste in my mouth, maybe cuz I was expecting a lighthearted kdrama throughout. Regardless, good drama to watch. Worth a try.

115. King the Land: Rom com, broody ML, strong FL, workplace. Was really excited for this drama, since I heard its announcement. And I do like it. In fact, love the first half of the drama. Also really love how it handles the trope-y conflicts. So refreshing. Also like how consent and respect is given importance in here. Can't exactly pinpoint what, but I kind of lost interest near the end. LOVE how they communicated throughout tho, and the fact that they didn't have MUs or breakups over things that are SO.OVERDONE. in kdramas. Love the besties' subplots, and also how the married one handled it. Maybe because the sweetness was a bit too much (not being bitter or anything lol) but the second half didn't feel as intriguing as the first half. Still, really good drama to watch overall if you're into well-written rom-com and don't want any other plot/subplot in it. Worth a try.

116. The King's Affection: Period/costume drama, romance, emotional, childhood, cross-dressing, misunderstood identity. This wasn't even on my watchlist but Rowoon made me give it a try. Great performance by the leads, great execution and a solid drama overall. If you are okay watching period dramas, this is definitely worth the try. I love the way it handles certain plot points, such as the realizations, revelation and some of the separation moments. The ending is so cute gah, left me feeling all warm and giggly. Recommend.

117. Destined with You: Supernatural, past lives, romance. Took a while to get used to the FL character. First half was pretty good, kept me hooked. Really like the ending too, although second half's storytelling leaves much to be desired imo. Worth a try.

118. Castaway Diva: Found family, sentimental, motivational/inspiring, domestic abuse. ***SPOILERS AHEAD. I have so many questions about FL's life in the island but nvm. Feels like the drama tried to have too many plots at once so I am not entirely sure what the central plot is supposed to be. It's about the FL and her dreams I suppose? Also, while I like the domestic abuse angle the most, I seriously wonder what is this obsession kdrama creatives have with psycho characters. There'll be (almost always without a fail) either a stalker, a psycho killer, an abuser or a combination of of these in every kdrama it seems. At this point, I'm more shocked when I don't see any such character in a drama. LOVE the brothers, how natural and real-sibling like their dynamic looked, and the amazing bond the older one shared with the FL. I almost had a second lead syndrome for a moment there. The shares and the ent agency and the competitor subplot could have been better, it felt disjointed. Like that the song success near the end didn't come rightaway to the FL. Not happy with that psycho leaving the world thinking he won, wdf. Guess it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things but still. I was momentarily mad. Recommend.

119. Twinkling Watermelon: School, found family, time travel, sentimental, supernatural, mental health, special needs (sign language). Favorite drama of 2023. Didn't really think I'd have one for the year but this hit AAALLLL the right spots. It made me giggle, cringe, cry, scream and fangirl over so many things, and the wave of nostalgia gah. Wish they put in a bit more work for the post-time travel storyline because it felt very rushed and abrupt. Still, best one, and also has rewatch value imo. Strongly recommend.

120. Perfect Marriage Revenge: Revenge, time travel, second chance romance, melodrama. This was such a shocker tbf. Not a fan of the makjang-ish dramas so thought I'd end up dropping it but this was GOOD. Ofc there are loopholes and as mentioned, melodrama, it was enjoyable regardless. Love LOVE the FL. Saw the ML in other dramas before and not particularly a fan but this character suited him well. Was not at all convinced how the issues with the FL's father were while the mother had to wait for her to come around like uh? Strongly recommend.

121. Marry My Husband: Comic/book to screen, adaptation, revenge, time travel, second chance romance. Tbf PMY's last drama didn't leave a good impression on me, and the ML ain't a personal favorite so the only reason for trying this is because it's an adaptation. Most importantly, a well-executed revenge? WITH time travel? YES PLEASE. Reminded me of Perfect Marriage Revenge but glad to see these two are able to show distinct things despite having almost the same premise. Liked that the second chance came with its specicf do's and don'ts. First half is DEFINITELY executed better imo. the breakup episode especially doesn't make ANY sense because that is SO ANNOYINGLY OUT OF CHARACTER for the FL. You can't pull that off after showing the understanding that is developed between the leads by that point NOPE. Second half feels rushed although really like the ending. Worth a try/recommend.

122. Behind Your Touch: Supernatural, serial killer, romance, idol, quirky, small town. *** SPOILERS AHEAD. Psycho serial killer runs amok in a small town, aka more or less the plot of so many kdramas Idek. Once you adjust to its quirkiness, it's not half bad. Problem is, one should know when to stop killing characters off. I was already upset by the time the other superpower guy died, then they go ahead and kill off the second male lead too. I can see why him being out of the picture is necessary to make the ML and the FL happen but seriously, there are TONS of other ways to make that happen. AND iirc, it is never explained if the killer had killing instincts pre-vision too or not. Like, that isn't sth that happens overnight ig? Keeping the suspense is done well but it feels like the writers themselves didn't know how they wanted to wrap it up so they just went with whatever. Worth a try.

123. Dear X Who Doesn't Love Me: Supernatural, college romance, bff to lovers. When it comes to mini webseries like this, I set my bar pretty low. However, this seems way better than many other shorter dramas I've tried in the past. Ofc there are loopholes, the writing isn't top class and the execution feels weird at times, but I like the overall vibe. Also LOVE the underlying message, I don't think I've seen other dramas take this route to convey the same theme? Worth a try.

124. Our Blooming Youth: Costume, hidden identity, supernatural, court intrigue. The pacing is slow, the storytelling drags further in places and if you're a PHS fan then he might be the only thing you'll enjoy here. The FL character isn't a traditional costume drama FL and tbf, I LOVE how different the character and the actor herself looks (would call her unconventionally beautiful ig by kdrama standards?) Anyway, it's still a good story overall, albeit I did find getting lost in the information flood at times. I was just happy to see the kind of ending they showed given kdrama writes and their obsession with unexpected trauma-inducing endings. Recommend.

125. The Story of Park's Marriage Contract: Time travel, past lives, fated, strong FL, mystery. Still trying to understand the logic behind the MLs being different in the two lives, like I get it and still don't. GREAT to see that the FL's dreams are ACTUALLY reflected on her lifestyle (clothing, ideas etc.) unlike many other FLs. Love the younger brother and the secretary-FL's help. Music is pretty nice. Recommend.

126. Love Song for Illusion: Romance, mental health, dissociative identity disorder, trauma/PTSD, costume, fantasy/supernatural. Liking it so far but somehow I don't feel as invested as I'd like to? Will try to resume after a break.

127. Moon in the Day: Costume, reincarnation, revenge, supernatural, star-crossed/doomed, romance. Started off intriguing but somewhere down the road lost its charm ig? Halfway through the drama, I stopped being as invested. The ending is realistic and I usually don't mind these but maybe due to my lack of interest afterward it didn't have as much an impact. Still not bad. Watch if you have time.

128. She was Pretty: Childhood friends, physical appearance, workplace romance, rom-com. This was long due but tbf the main thing that kept me away (aside from the old-ish look of it) is the FL's makeup. I've seen her in several dramas already; she ain't bad but for some weird-ass reason her makeup and the way all her characters behave make me cringe. Kdrama FLs tend to overact on most occasions (and that's fine) but it doesn't suit her at all imo. Anyhoo, it was a fun watch, with the ML, SML and the bestie. Has many loopholes and I wasn't really sure at times what was even going on but not bas overall. Worth a try.

129. Unlock My Boss: Quirky, surreal, found family, mystery (ish). Took me almost two years to finish this. Why? Nothing major, just the first half is quite weak imo and the story felt all over the place. The mystery was there, but didn't feel well written. Second half (and the plot twist) is WAYYY better and made the struggle worth it. There are loopholes ofc, and I wish they didn't kill off that one character (makes sense but still. Isn't too heavy on the romance and suits the tone of the drama perfectly. Worth a try.

130. Doctor Stranger: Romance, lost love, medical drama, political intrigue/cross-border, hidden identities, revenge (?). This felt like a mix of everything with also a huge dollop of unconditional love. I love the medical aspects of it and how each case was handled, although there were SO many things that didn't seem realistic or make sense. The whole "grand" political scheme in the second half made very little sense imo, given how things were resolved in the end. I like the drama in parts, as well as some of the morals which truly gave me food for thought. Recommend.

131. Ghost Doctor: Supernatural, medical drama, bromance, plotting, swapped identities, found family, inspirational/emotional. Tried watching this last year and gave up cuz the beginning felt meh. Second time try thoughts: second half is WAY engaging and interesting once you get used to the first few episodes. There are plot holes ofc but I didn't mind because it was fun to watch the story unfold. Bromance in this one >>>>> romance for both the couples. Supporting cast did a great job. Recommend.

132. My Perfect Stranger: Supernatural, time travel, hidden identity, murder mystery, suspense. Pacing feels a bit dragging at times. Strange but fun to see how the drama doesn't take the time traveling do's and don't's too seriously, and keeps messing up (RIP Back to the Future). The drama does an amazing job of building up and keeping up the suspense but what killed it for me was the "big" reveal. It feels like the makers didn't know where to go with the plot and just went with anything through process of elimination. The reasoning was very weak (not that psycho baddies need a strong one), nothing that actually made proper sense. Had many questions left unanswered and not in a good way. Worth a try.

133. A Good Day to be a Dog: Supernatural, past lives/reincarnation, workplace romance, hidden identities, quirky. Not sure if it's the source material (never read the webtoon) or the direction/execution that is bad but the story, especially in the last half is all over the place. Bummer since the second half has WAY more things happening and had so much potential. Everything just conveniently got resolved. Still liked ML's acting, Eunwoo has improved a lot. Didn't care much about anyone by the time it ended and I blame poor storytelling for that. Worth a try.

134. Adult Trainee: Mini web series, high school, puberty, coming of age. Revolves around three different pairs and three individual stories, each taking about 2-3 episodes. Saw 2/3 stories. Tried it only because of a YT MV of the second couple whose chemistry I think is FIRE, absolute FIRE, like clutching-dem-pearls fire. Short series so don't expect a lot of exposition or character/plot development. Watch if you have time.

135. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse: Costume/period drama, hidden identity, mistaken identity, romance, comedy, palace intrigue, plotting, sentimental. Kinda really dislike how so many kdramas have these weird English titles, because it took me a year to try this drama solely because a) the title, b)costume kdramas aren't usually a favorite, c) again, the title. Gotta admit thought, REALLY REALLY love how the suspense around the identities are portrayed. The creatives went as far as to swap the ML sequences during the intro OST #respect lol. Seriously though, for around 2/3 of the drama it leaves you wondering who is who and it's a treat to try to figure out imo. BIGGEST issue: once the audience is in the know, nobody seems to care about the secrets anymore? It's like the main characters assume everyone around them is a non playable character so they keep meeting/exposing themselves and talking about massive secrets just casually out there like it's nothing. As if once the audience was made aware, the makers stopped trying altogether and were like 'yup the suspense part is where all our braincells went so bye now'. Even the watchman, who I was liking more than the ML throughout, loses his edge somewhere along the way. What makes mad (real, real mad) is the double standards with which his actions are treated, esp by FL's sis: ik she's in grief but COME ON, your fiancé was gonna MURDER A LITTLE BOY during the hostile takeover woman are you fr? what do you think he was doing as a soldier, playing sword sword? if the watchman didn't do what he did, the love of your SISTER'S life would be dead, DEAD. GAH. Not even gonna bring up the watchman-obsessed father who behaves as if the world has wronged him, and tries to gaslight the watchman even as he meets his end pfft what was that. That aside, really like how the courtesan girl doesn't take the typical jealous route unlike other kdramas. Love the bromance between the three MLs, and just the overall dynamic of the trio and the FL, it's so fun and gives the necessary comic relief without bordering on slapstick. Worth a try.

136. Dr. Slump: Mental health, depression, ptsd, mature romance, revenge/plotting, healing, slice of life?, medical drama, enemies to lovers, comedy. There is a distinct type of physical comedy that PHS does SO well, and it's visible in almost every character I've seen him play (as long as the character has room to do comedy). It's too extraaa, too dramatic and over the top, and it still is funny kind of? This works really well in here given how intense and somber the general tone of the drama is supposed to be. Ofc, mental health issues don't always get cured as easily but overall, the drama still does a pretty good job. Love the balance between the FL vs the ML's mental health portrayal, healthy communication, boundaries, slow healing and the quite realistic portrayal of family/emotional support systems handling these issues. Recommend.

137. Reborn Rich: Time travel/time slip/body swap/transmigration/rebirth, revenge, bittersweet, plotting, betrayal, mind games, romance, fantasy. It took me 2 years to finish this. Put on hiatus halfway through, was starting to get a whiplash on who double-crossed who to eventually betray whom, the games got too much lol. Love the trip down the memory lane with the initial episodes where we can see why the ML makes certain choices leading to certain future outcomes. It's not a bad drama per se, because the latter half gets more intense when everyone drops their facade and starts to openly fight for power and the "throne" if you'd say so. What turns me off the most (trying to stay spoiler free here so bear with me) is the fact that the audience are given the most exposure to 4.2's character; yes, we know 4.2 is not really 4.2 but also is, at least in the timeline we witness as an audience. If anything, 4.2 is the true and only rightful successor of the founder. You allow for us to emotionally connect to 4.2, root for them to win this war against a power so big, relate to them and feel happy when everything seems to fall in place...all for what, THAT?? Yes, we all know that's probably going to happen sooner or later, but it feels such an, insignificant way to be done with the character? They deserve more? On the other hand, we're given seconds to come back to where it all started and be able to connect to this character which tbh never happens for me, at all. If anything, I connected with this original character better when it's shown parallelly in 4.2's timeline compared to their actual timeline (go figure). That jump left me reeling and made me realize that I really didn't care much what happened to the original character anymore. It was a bummer that the FL's life took such an unexpected turn (but love how that explains her whole "S's Grim reaper" nickname from the earlier episodes). What's worse is that the original character now has memories of both timelines and somehow has to be okay and, move on? Yes it's fiction but still doesn't sit well with how difficult that can be for a person. Wish we had more time and exposure to the original character to be able to care more about what happens (still can't get over the fact that all their achievements and progress just went pooofff with that one incident, like what was even the point T_T). Recommend but also watch at your own risk.

138. See You in My 19th Life: Fantasy, romance, quirky, reincarnation/past lives, trauma, sentimental. Another example of a not so good drama title. The leads aren't a particular favorite but another reason it took so long to watch is the title. Pretty good drama tbf. Like how it has so much romance without actually showing a ton of romance such as kisses etc., makes it more impactful imo. Also the fact that comedy doesn't feel overpowering. The pacing for the most part is good but the ending feels a bit rushed. Still love that there was no typical MU or breakup trope with reunion in the last epi, LOVE it. Great acting, nice storytelling, haven't read the original text so dk if it's true to that or not. Recommend.

139. Wedding Impossible: Romcom, contract relationship/marriage, coming out, enemies to lovers. Held off watching this because the leads and the plot didn't intrigue me enough. The premise is not bad, and the progression is decent too. Writing and execution leaves much to be desired, as much as the lack of chemistry between the FL and the ML imo. Not sure what concept they have going for the FL but her character just looks tired and done with it all (KS's Bella Swan vibes). The ML does a nice job in the first half but somehow that goes south in the final half imo. I didn't find myself looking forward to their romance (or the lack of it) because that 'zing' was missing and even during the most romantic or most emotional moments, I couldn't feel invested. Pretty unrealistic climax, with all that the male leads do, as well as how FL ends up professionally after everything that happens. Watch if you have time.

140. Welcome to Samdal-ri: Mental health, healing, childhood friends to lovers, romcom, suburb. I can't pinpoint exactly what, but I like this drama overall. It's not amazing or anything but it stays true to showing how Samdal gradually heals and owns her self and her roots. Very real and relatable for anyone who's ever felt like a fish out of water in this hustle culture. JCW's comic timing is a treat to watch too. Recommend.

141. Lovely Runner: Romcom, time travel, idol, pining, loser men in love. Ah. The fact that it took me several months after the show ended to even write this because in my head writing this means it's over and I still don't feel like it is. All I'd say is: please check out the 'Lovely Runner' tag on my blog. That's all you need to know how I feel about this drama. This blog has become 90% Lovely Runner/Wooseok/Hyeyoon brainrot thanks to this show. It even made me introduce the whole 'loser men in love' category to categorize a drama in here. It has many typical kdrama tropes and if you're expecting some totally out of the ordinary show, this might not be for you. However, the beauty of this show is it does what it's supposed to do exceptionally well, with the acting, the execution, all adlibs, the OST, everything. It has changed my kdrama viewing experience so much that it took me solid 3+ months to finally start another drama. I seem to have invested all my fangirling energy with this one, since I can't bring myself to fangirl as hard no matter how much I like any other show. Let's not forget the OG platforms, Viki and Viu and the days of them throwing shades at Netflix because of the hilarious stunts the latter pulled to cash in on the fame of Wooseok and Hyeyoon. Let's not forget Netflix bagged the streaming right only a few months after the show ended because of the major FOMO lol. Lovely Runner the legend you are. STRONGLY RECOMMEND.

141. Miss Night and Day: Supernatural, hidden identity, quirky, motivational, legal, thriller/mystery. This was a fun ride. Had put it off earlier to binge and I'm glad I did because don't think I'd have had the patience to wait for the episodes regularly. The story feels really balanced, with the case, Mi Jin's issues, "Lim Sun" and her kickassery, humor, mystery criminal as well as the supporting characters. LOVE Mi Jin's bestie, as well as the investigator and the other male lead. Love Mi Jin's dad and her mom and her aunt (sob). Love how the other male lead's story was wrapped up. Love how the ex-detectives are connected to the case. I did have my hunch about the criminal being that one person, and glad it wasn't wrong. Would've loved to see more of their Seoul life (no season 2 for this T_T). Strongly recommend.

142. Hometown Cha Cha Cha: Slice of life/feel good, idyllic, sentimental/ptsd, bittersweet, romcom, motivational. This is my least liked character played by Shin Min Ah. For about 85% of the show I had a hard time liking her as a character. She grew on me yes but not a character I might look back to often. Kim Seon Ho did an incredible job as Du Sik. Guy balanced the humor, lighthearted, intense, raw emotions so very well I often went back to repeat some of the scenes. Everything else about this show also gives off such a positive vibe, even the one loss near the end. Strongly recommend.

On-hold/Just started/To watch:

Soundtrack

Thirty nine (dropped)

Dali and the Cocky Prince (dropped)

Find Me in Your Memory (dropped)

Melting Me Softly

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Café Minamdang (on and off)

Tomorrow with You

Kairos

Imitation

Graceful Family

Good Detective?

20th Century Girl (review on hold)

The Penthouse 1, 2, 3?

Mouse (pending, also the movie?)

Again My Life

Rookie Historian (dropped)

Strong Girl Nam Soon (dropped, my Ryu Shi Oh T_T)

Wanted (maybe?)

Lovers of the Red Sky

Tracer (1,2)

Link: Eat, Love, Kill (maybe drop?)

Heavenly Idol (maybe drop)

Welcome to Waikiki (maybe drop)

Queen of Tears (on hiatus)

My Demon (on indefinite hiatus)

Lovely Runner (obsessed, hooked, going to die on this hill) [may not edit this name out of this list cuz I keep rewatching like a SeolJae junkie]

My Sweet Mobster (on hiatus)

Serendipity's Embrace (on hiatus)

Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale (on hiatus)

Love Next Door (the LOVELY RUNNER PARALLELS??? ugh.)

Cinderella at 2AM

Bad Memory Eraser (liking this so far)

No Gain No Love

[Will be updated as I go]

[builder051]

Whumpmas in July 2022 Day 1: (Re)introduce Yourself

Hey, it's your good and long standing friend Laur. I hopped on this site in 2017, and I've been doing weekly open hours (Starbucks Sunday) and holiday card giveaways for the solid several years I've had my feet on the ground. Even though I'm autistic and have nightmarish social skills in real life, I pride myself on being open and friendly online, as well as striking a balance between writing what I want to write and writing what I know my same-interest peers will want to read.

A bio in bullets:

Barely hanging onto my 20s

College grad +

Professional writer--former engineering tech writer and published fiction author

Also independent artist/art teacher and therapist for young ones (usually those who flourish using unconventional methods/tools.)

male, queer, ace. In a committed relationship. Flags are confusing. Rainbow is fine.

Chronically ill/disabled. I'm cool with talking about most of my Dx's, and my blog for med talk is @the-guy-in-the-chair. Most relevant to daily life are total gastroparesis (J fed, G drained, port hydrated, etc.), severe chronic migraine disorder, and mobility issues leading to use of various mobility devices. Also, fyi, autistic, immunocompromised (IVIG dependent), BPII diagnosis.

What I write on Tumblr:

(Hurt/Comfort -> sickfic ->emeto) was the first plane I entered upon, using both OCs and fanfic characters (MCU and others). Now I run in pretty much every direction, though H/C, angst, emeto, sickfic, flashback, mental health, night terror, previous/current trauma, other dark stuff almost always shows up. MCU is pretty much the only fandom. My OCs have stalled out.

What I write professionally:

I have a novel; it's available on Amazon. Battle of Troy by L. L. Cupp.

It's a YA level 400ish pager coming-of-age novel bringing together the emergence of queer, disabled, and independent identities in a boy raised in a sheltered, conservative family. At this moment, his crises are writing his life story. Read to see Troy take the pen back into his own hand.

I also write on Kindle Vella. I have 5 stories/collections available now, and I expect more to come. Search for me, L. L. Cupp, on Kindle Vella's website or app.

[thesibfiles]

Courtney going on tour right after?

Theres a misconception that after Kurts death, Courtney went straight on tour right away. This is false. The album was already set to release a few days after and they couldnt change that on such a short notice. Promotion for the album was cancelled and she pushed back the tour 4 months.

“Live Through This was supposed to provide Love an opportunity to step out from her famous husband’s shadow. “It’s annoying now, and it’s been annoying for nine years, Love said in a 1999 Jane Magazine interview of always being connected to Cobain. Released four days after Cobain’s body was found, the album’s promotion was put on hold. Rather than retreat from the public eye, Love openly mourned and helped fans of Cobain and Nirvana make sense of the singer’s death. She sat with grieving teenagers gathered outside the couple’s Seattle home and recorded a reading of parts of his suicide note that was played at the singer’s memorial that gathered near the Space Needle. In the days following his death, Love showed a very raw and emotional side and admitted that, like many fans, she didn’t have all the answers. 

It was, and still is, impossible for people to discuss Live Through This without noting the irony of the album’s title. Love has said the name was not a prediction at all, but instead a reflection of all she had endured in the months leading up to its release, including a very public custody fight with the Los Angeles Department of Family Services over daughter Frances Bean. Rumors suggested that Cobain had written much of Live Through This (it’s Miss World, not Mister, just FYI). “I’d be proud as hell to say that he wrote something on it, but I wouldn’t let him. It was too Yoko for me. It’s like, ‘No fucking way, man! I’ve got a good band, I don’t fucking need your help,’” was Love’s response to critics in Spin’s oral history of Live Through This. Love and Cobain often shared notebooks and lyrics with each other, and while there is talk of Cobain’s influence on Love’s work, or the writing of all of it, less is mentioned in the press of her impact on his lyrics and music. Rather than sucking all the life out of Nirvana or threatening the success of the band, like many assumed she would do, she inspired Cobain. Fun fact: In Utero, Nirvana’s last album, was named after a line from one of Love’s poems.

Sadly, songwriting rumors would be replaced by other rumors. Women are often vilified and condemned for the deaths of their male partners. Love, like all women, was supposed to save her partner from death and addiction. Fans of Cobain projected all their anger and resentment over the loss of the Nirvana front man onto Love, and soon she was blamed for not only his addiction but also his death. There are even two movies devoted to the theory that Courtney killed Kurt: the awful Soaked in Bleach (2015) and the equally awful Kurt & Courtney (1998). If you think we’ve come a long way, baby, sadly we haven’t. 

One year after Anthony Bourdain’s death, Asia Argento is still being blamed, and in September 2018, Ariana Grande had to take a break from social media after fans blamed her for the death of her ex Mac Miller. A few months later, she would be blamed for new beau Pete Davidson’s mental health and addiction issues. It’s amazing she finds the time to write hit songs what with all the dude destruction she has going on. When women are not being blamed for the deaths of the men in their lives, they are being attacked for not grieving properly. “She wasn’t crying. She’s got $30 million coming to her. Do you blame her for being so cool?” a hospital staffer said of Yoko Ono following John Lennon’s murder in 1980. 

About four months after Cobain’s death, Love went on tour to promote her new album. Some questioned and judged why she would go on tour so soon, but Love has said it was a necessity. She had a young daughter to support. She needed to work. She also, sadly, still needed to prove herself. “I would like to think that I’m not getting the sympathy vote, and the only way to do that is to prove that what I’ve got is real,” Love told Rolling Stone in 1994.

Twenty-five years later, Cobain’s death still hangs over Live Through This. In the days leading up to the anniversary of Cobain’s death, former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur wrote an open letter to music magazine Kerrang saying she “would not stand for Kurt’s death overshadowing the life and work of the women he left behind this year.”

“We were extremely well designed for each other,” Love has said of her relationship with Cobain. In a letter reprinted in Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney Love, she calls him “my everything. the top half on my fraction.” The two had similar upbringings, both came from broken homes and spent childhoods shuttling between relatives and friends. They both grew up longing for love and acceptance. When we tell the story of Kurt and Courtney we talk about drugs and destruction, but we don’t talk enough about love.

The two also shared an intense drive and ambition. “I didn’t want to marry a rock star, I wanted to be one,” Love said in a 1992 Sassy interview. Evidence of her drive can be found in the many notes and to-do lists she kept, some of which are collected in Dirty Blonde. There are reminders to send her acting résumé to agencies, to write three to four new songs a week, to “achieve L.A. visibility.” A scene in the documentary Kurt & Courtney features an ex of Love’s reading from one of her to-do lists, which has “become friends with Michael Stipe” as the number one task to complete (not only did Love do this, but he is her daughter’s godfather). This ambition is not surprising from a woman who, when she was younger, mailed a tape of herself singing to Neil Sedaka in hopes of getting signed. Love knew what she wanted at an early age, and what she wanted was fame.

She was certainly living by the “do not hurt yourself, destroy yourself, mangle yourself to get the football captain. Be the football captain!” motto she championed in the 1995 documentary Not Bad for a Girl. Ambition is often a dirty word when it is used to describe women and Love is no exception. She has been repeatedly described as calculating and controlling when she should be rewarded for her blond ambition and viewed as an inspiration. Critics and the press often call her a gold digger who only married Cobain for fame and money. They fail to mention that when the two met Pretty on the Inside was actually selling more copies than Bleach, Nirvana’s debut album. Even post-Kurt, Love’s intentions were always under scrutiny. On the Today Show to do press for The People vs. Larry Flynt, Love refused to talk about her past drug use, despite the host’s repeated questions, saying the topic was not an appropriate fit for the show’s demographic. She was right, but it didn’t stop a writer from describing the move as “calculating” in a 1998 Spin piece.

Cobain was ambitious too; he was just much slyer and more secretive about it. He was known to call his manager and complain when MTV didn’t play Nirvana’s videos enough, and he would correct journalists who misquoted the band’s sales figures in interviews. While success is typically celebrated and rewarded for men and it certainly was for Cobain, he also had to be mindful of the slacker generation that loved Nirvana and greeted success — and especially mainstream success —

While female celebrities like Love are criticized for their rebellion, male celebrities, like Cobain for example, are celebrated and mythologized for it. Cobain and Love both struggled with addiction, but it is Love who is repeatedly vilified for her drug use. “She was vilified for being a mess, for being a drug addict, for not being a great parent — in other words, all of the things we expect in a male rock star,” said Bust magazine in a piece in the magazine’s 20th anniversary issue, which featured Love on the cover.

We make jokes about the drug antics of male celebrities from Keith Richards to Charlie Sheen, idolizing their debauchery and depravity. The new Netflix/Lifetime movie by Jack Daniels, The Dirt, about Mötley Crüe, takes the band’s excesses to almost comic levels. Check out crazy tourmate Ozzy Osbourne snorting a line of ants by a hotel pool! Such zany antics! I would love to see Lindsay Lohan try to get away with that. We never allow women to live down their arrests and their addictions, but we repeatedly allow men to have a redemption arc. Robert Downey Jr. was in and out of jail and on and off drugs for much of the mid to late ’90s, but we rarely, if ever, talk about his past.

When Love isn’t being attacked for her addiction issues, she is being judged for her parenting. Love’s first unflattering press was “Strange Love,” the much publicized 1992 Vanity Fair profile by Lynn Hirschberg. While the piece talks at length about Love’s drug use and constantly questions her parenting ability, it doesn’t paint Cobain in the same light. “It is appalling to think that she would be taking drugs when she knew she was pregnant,” says one close friend in the piece. Hirschberg relies on many unnamed sources and focuses often on the tabloid-like aspects of Love’s life and addictions. “Courtney has a long history with drugs. She loves Percodans (‘They make me vacuum’), and has dabbled with heroin off and on since she was eighteen, once even snorting it in Room 101 of the Chelsea Hotel, where Nancy Spungen died,” she writes. “Reportedly, Kurt didn’t do much more than drink until he met Courtney.” (Even when it is reported by Kurt and Krist that Kurt tried heroin in 1989, way before Courtney, It was also known that he smoked weed and used caugh syrup to get high in 1989 and 1990.)

This double standard was common in coverage of the couple. In Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the 2015 documentary by Brett Morgen, Love asks her husband, “Why does everyone think you’re the good one and I’m the bad one?” Later in the film we see a scene of Frances Bean’s first haircut. The child sits on Cobain’s lap while Love searches for a comb and scissors. The camera shows Cobain nodding off, and while he maintains that he is just tired, it’s clear he’s not. The scene is painful to watch, especially because those around Cobain carry on like nothing in wrong, giving the feeling this is just like any other day in the Love-Cobain household. The scene is a reminder of how the press treated Cobain’s addiction when he was alive. They just carried on like nothing was wrong, instead directing all their judgement at Love.

[lucymontero]

Love Alarm, Lovestruck In The City, and a woman’s right to break up with a man

I didn’t think I would have to say this in the Year of Beyonce 2021 but here we are: Women have every right to break up with their boyfriends. Or their girlfriends, but since this post is about the portrayal of relationships in Kdramas, 99% of which are cis-men with cis-women, and all the patriarchal assumptions about gender roles that those entail, that’s what I’m going to focus on.

Fictional Reasons for Breaking Up, a Primer: People initiate break ups for all sorts of reasons in Korean dramas. Often there is a noble idiot element at play, where one party is being coerced into breaking up against their will to protect the other party. Sometimes different family expectations intercede so they break up out of not wanting to destroy the other’s relationships with their parents. Sometimes the return of an old flame, from the dead or from America, causes one member to doubt their new love and they break-up in order to go back to the safety of their old relationship. Sometimes they find out that one of their parents killed the other’s parents and they break up out of guilt. The last one happens with rather alarming frequency.

The common thread here is that most of these break-ups are prompted by outside forces, and that is also why most of them do not stick. They couple always ends up back together once the obstacle is surmounted, the miscommunication cleared up.

Rarest are the breakups that come from someone who genuinely doesn’t want to be in the relationship anymore, because being in the relationship makes them unhappy. We don’t see these very often- understandable as they aren’t traditionally conducive to the normal drama narrative. A female lead that doesn’t want to be in the arms of the male lead is anathema to many drama viewers. And, worse still, a female lead that actively prioritizes something other than the male lead, to the point of leaving him, particularly if that thing she is most worried about is her own mental health, is considered to be nothing more than a selfish bitch.

It is sad that most viewers, and male leads, don't respect that a woman can choose to break up because she wants to and that saying "I do not want to date you anymore" is, in fact, all the information a man needs, if he respects his partner.

But two dramas in the past year featured these break-ups prominently and sympathetically: Love Alarm and Lovestruck In The City. In Love Alarm, a teenager breaks up with her boyfriend of one month (although, to be fair, he has been in a hospital and then homebound for weeks so the actual time they dated is somewhere between 5 and 10 days) because being in the relationship makes her feel sad and small and fearful, despite the fact that she likes the boy. In LoveStruck in The City, a grown woman ghosts her vacation boyfriend of 2 months because, although she loves him, she met him while acting radically differently to her old self (who she loathes) and doesn’t believe his love for her can be real because she was pretending to be a different person the whole time.

In both cases, neither break-up is prompted by poor behavior on the part of the men. They haven’t behaved badly (ok, the teenager in Love Alarm has been objectively awful but he was awful in that way that dramas intend to look romantic, and there is no sign the girl thought the bad behavior was bad). The break-ups are, instead, 100% about the women not wanting to date anymore because of internal conflict about their own self-worth or struggles with their own identity.

In Lovestruck in the City, the breakup happens when the woman fails to turn up for the prearranged meeting in Seoul after the two lovers were separated, and then leaves him a cryptic phone message implying that she had really just been dating him to steal his cameras.

In Love Alarm the breakup happens face to face by the girl telling the boy “I can’t do this anymore, I am exhausted.” She also uses the excuse that senior year is coming and she doesn’t want to date. And she artificially blocks the demon-tech that people have started using to affirm their love so that the boy can no longer use it to spy on if she likes him. They have several conversations in which she affirms she does not want to date him.

Neither of the men take this news well.

In both dramas, the eventual reunion post-breakup is dominated by the men's feelings about said break-up, accusations, bitter reprisals, and the women apologizing. In one case the police are involved.

In both dramas, the women don’t regret breaking up, nor do they waver after the fact, which I appreciate. They had valid reasons to break up, and just because the men don’t like it, don’t approve, doesn’t mean those decisions were not the right ones at the time. Dramas in the past tend to focus on the pain of the male characters but give the inner lives of their female leads short shrift. This imbalance tends to give audiences unreasonable expectations of what is acceptable behavior. Both of these dramas spent considerable time exploring the women’s journey’s towards loving themselves and becoming more confidant and less fearful. And ultimately it is their ability to grow on their own that allows them to be able to start relationships later.

As for the men, it takes two seasons in the case of the teenager from Love Alarm, but he does eventually come to respect the decision of his ex, which allows him to move on. This comes only after his mother reaches out and tries to repair the damage she did to him with her abusive behavior while he was growing up. The lead in Lovestruck In The City after a lot of struggle on his own (which the audience witnesses, hilariously, via the “Office” like documentary feature of the drama) he comes to accept, and appreciate his ex-girlfriend’s focus on learning who she is and loving herself. His decision to let go of his bitterness and support her, his honestly wishing her the best, is what leads them back to each other.

I think these stories are actually a touch more realistic, most people who break up don’t do it because they found out their father killed their lover’s father 20 years ago. Most couples break up because the relationship isn’t working for one of them, even if their partner did nothing wrong. Normalizing respect for someone’s choice, even if you disagree with it, is a good thing.

FYI: If you haven't seen Lovestruck In the City, it gives Ji Chang-wook some of his best material to date. He does a great job, especially with the interview bits that are just him talking to the camera, I feel like they let them improvise here and it is really natural like. You should watch it.

[haleviyah]

It's been a Decade...

Did another “Draw this again meme” this time with our main guy here. 

Just an FYI "Rose of Sharon" did officially turn six years old this past Passover/Easter Sunday. However, Joshua (or "Yeshua") as a character has been scribbled by me since I was roughly sixteen years of age.

(Compared to Michael and Gabriel who both have been around for a record 16-17 years - hot damn!)

All I can say is… WOW. 

Just, wow. Almost a decade and here we are. As I have stated before, Joshua has been through one hell of a metamorphosis  that mirrored my personal growth and struggles. Wether that can be taken in a positive or negative stance is completely up to you and what you want to see here. 

With that being said, art-wise it's obvious where the improvement is and how much it has changed dramatically since 2013 or 2012 (the before drawing) compared to now (2022).

I want to keep this short, so let's look at the improvements for Yehoshua design shall we?

=========

Before (2012-2013)

So what was Yeshua like in 2012-2013 originally? Well, let's see:

Majority of the personality traits that Yehoshua had a decade ago was rooted mainly in Baptist Christian beliefs. Here’s a list: 

Omnipotent

Idle

Incapable of learning

G-d-complex

Independant 

Sovereign King (makes all the decisions)

Somewhat the “Straight-man” of the group.

Kingdom first

Entitlement based Judgement

Not very athletic

Hermitic

“Straight-edge”

Loves the Worship

Knowledgable most of the time.

Personification of a Lion.

Other: 

Jewish/Hebraic/Middle Eastern heritage is nonexistent and has no impression on his design or personality. 

This is mainly due to my lack of access to the Jewish community at the time and being over saturated in Christian based-doctrines only. 

For some reason he had a scars all across his head. I guess it’s because everything else including his hands and feet were covered and it bugged little “fanatical” me. 

Originally he was a only meant to reside in Heaven and was forbidden to leave.

Unmarried bachelor. 

Fancy curtains for robes. 

Almost never interacts with other people, unless the person is picked by him.

Angel’s automatically liked and obeyed him without a second thought. 

No soft spots or quirks I can think of. 

In short, unkosher and SEVERELY detached from his Jewish background and culture. But he damn well road on that "G-d-king" coat tail like it was the white horse everyone talked about. Everything he ever learned growing up (if any)... be damned.

=========

Now (2022)

So who is Yeshua now in "Rose of Sharon" ? The polar opposite now ever since I started hitting those Judaism books like they were the last supper and completely separated from the Christian church for good due to personal fallouts.

After years and YEARS of studying and discussing with others over how life was like back then and now for the Jewish people and Israel as a whole, affectively moulded our male lead into something a lot more than just a name and face.

And because of that cultural baptism, Joshua is now:

Empathetic 

Active

Capable of learning 

Fixer-complex 

Josh does have a habit of thinking if he broke it, he can fix it again and this is where his most stubborn side comes out.

Team player

Congressional Legislature (needs to find a compromise among peers)

Slick Smart Ass of the group

Loved ones first

Incentive/Character based Judgement

Athletic 

Social and curious. 

Drinks [wine] and smokes [hookah]

Hates being worshipped. 

Clueless at times.

Personification of a lamb… or ram, if you piss him off. 

Other: 

Married man.

Prostitutes, Widows and Orphans have a soft spot in his heart. 

Jewish/Hebraic/Middle Eastern heritage is a huge influence his design or personality to the point he respects cultures in the region.  

Heavily interacts with other people native or not native to Israel. 

Very simple, mundane wardrobe that would have you mistake he’s a lumberjack as a side hustle. Hunting gear is based off military and athletic-wear. 

A wanderer. Joshua travels from place to place until someone decides to host him for a time, because... what is this “kingdom come” you speak of? 

Angels (or Malakim) are skeptical of him unless given a reason otherwise (Michael is a prime example).

In short, more attached to his cultural background and is very open personality-wise and communication wise. I suppose you can say Josh's a lot more conscientious this time around; at least to the point he doesn't give a shit if he's patted on the back or not in the end.

All I can say is the change is quite stark in contrast. One minute he is a G-d-King who can command angels with a flick of his finger, the next an exiled soul trying to understand his worth and such angels only listen to his host rather than him.

I will not say which is better, but I will leave the judgement up to you wether this progress is headed in a solid direction or not. Regardless if you like the Christian Jesus or the Hebrew Yehoshua, this progression for me as a creator is more than a 90º turn... it's a 180 and it's going somewhere.