#drivingsideways

[candlewinds]

MY DEAREST (2023) Ep. 2

[michyeosseo]

savoring <queenmaker> and its unreal main ladies mean i go about making a mood-setting doheekyungsook playlist, cheers ♕♛

[vernalagnia-blog]

I read Terms of Surrender in one sitting, devouring the chapters, laugh often and cry sometimes, absolutely floored by the characters...I can’t believe this master piece is inspired from an soy source ad, y’all, life is weirdly beautiful

[drivingsideways]

Chapters: 13/13 Fandom: Original Work Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Jang Do-chul/Kang Hong-gi Characters: Jang Do-chul, Kang Hong-gi, Original Characters Additional Tags: Romance, Melodrama, Mental Health Issues, Suicidal thoughts (non graphic), Grief, Depression, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary:

“Life is all choices honey bun”, she’d said, over and over, “You have to learn to make good ones.”

[elderflowergin]

3 K-drama moments (January edition)

1. Kim Hae-sook expressing her rage at a young Japanese officer in full satoori and banmal in Gyeongseong Creature. Until this point she has been a capable right hand to Park Seo-joon, restrained, deadly efficient and completely unshakeable. But long-simmering fears and frustrations are boiling over everywhere in Gyeongseong and elsewhere, resulting in this atypical, shocking conversation with a junior officer who sympathises with them but cannot bridge the colonial gap. Language is so significant in this genre, and it’s so visceral when Kim Hae-sook openly vents to this man in her own language, in her own dialect.

Gyeongseong Creature is a pretty dark take on human experimentation, the last gasp of colonial horrors in a dying empire and the endurance of community. Park Seo-joon (and Han So-hee to a lesser extent) have to be the heroes; nonetheless the story understands that liberation is won not by strong-jawed men who talk pretty, but by community, by ordinary people doing extraordinary things together.

Kdrama has a wealth of supporting actors and it's no different here, with Jo Han-cheol, Kang Mal-geum, the aforementioned Kim Hae-sook, Claudia Kim and lovely, lovely Kim Yoon-woo in an affecting subplot (you might have seen him as Ryang Eum in My Dearest). Hate that Netflix made this one a cliffhanger, but they got me. Now, please give us a grown up romance with Jo Han-cheol in it. Our man's earned it.

2. Jung Jin-young’s vividly joyous sex life with his partner played by Yang Mal-bok in LTNS. The astonishing tenderness of their meeting, their love story and the joy he has brought to her arid, parched life are all so well-done that I had a lump in my throat throughout the episode.

This show took atypical love and affair stories, the sort we tend to mock or criticise - the plain girl sleeping with the married colleague, the fiftysomethings rediscovering their zest for life in each other’s bodies, the married lipstick lesbian who keeps coming back into her ex’s life - and offered so much kindness and love in the writing and the framing of those stories. @drivingsideways remarked that it was so different from anything Kdrama has given us, and that is completely correct.

Esom and Ahn Jae-hong were beyond excellent as a troubled couple that maybe shouldn't have married all those years ago - people who were maybe always a little too different, and then papered over their differences with the routines of matrimony. I suspect this was all too real to appeal to the general audience and I don't think this is going to be nomination-heavy. But it deserves to be.

3. Hwa-rok running from the handsome Officer Jeong in the brilliantly written The Matchmakers. The youngest sister in the famously unmarried trio of Namsan, Hwa-rok is a very relatable babe who really wants to get married! Get a husband! Have SEX! - and manifests this through her popular erotica series. The bond between Hwa-rok and the shy, upright officer whose first introduction to her is all the erotica she writes is one of the most adorable plots on this incredibly cute show.

I have several feelings about The Matchmakers, namely that it is the rare romance I respect despite the minimal chemistry between the leads. The writing was top-notch and the lead acting didn't quite live up to it - this is not a criticism of Cho Yi-hyun or Rowoon, but rather a testament to the sheer wealth of talent in Kdrama and how accustomed we've become to actors elevating material. Rowoon surprisingly grew on me in this, with his physicality and his looks somehow making Gyeongwoonjae indelible despite his iPhone-knowing face. I might do a separate post on this yet, but it was absolutely worth the watch, and all of you were right, especially @haraxvati who bravely advocated for Rowoon's talents.

[cupofteaandstars]

Twenty Questions

Thank you @drivingsideways and @elderflowergin for tagging me!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 3

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 20,968

What fandoms do you write for? currently exclusively Kdramas

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

These Two, It Seems As If They Share Everything (Stranger/Because This is My First Life) - my beloved fully finished fic.

A Warm Hug (Through the Darkness) - why this series is a mental safe space I have no idea.

The Forgiven (Stranger/The Cursed), my dear WIP, I am working day and night to return to you.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to keep up with responses, the idea that someone has read my writing and enjoyed it is so amazing to me I always want to connect. And of course I live for my long-form reviewers.

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

None of mine have angsty endings (yet, heehee).

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Those Two, I wrote the ending first and then the rest of the story bent to its will.

Do you get hate on fics?

No, happily not.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

N/A, but, if I did, it would have all the charm of an AI-driven bot trying to approximate meaning and sincerity.

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I write almost exclusively in crossover, something about my brain works best that way, I love lining up similarities in narratives and characters. Craziest attempt? Star Trek/Twilight.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I would love that so much and would demand translator notes!

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Hwang Si-mok and Han Yeo-jin as platonic but very married partners.

What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

A Stranger/Designated Survivor: 60 Days crossover AU that is far darker than I can bear.

What are your writing strengths?

Narrative structuring, descriptive sentences.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Word repetition! Getting stuck on procedural descriptions.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I have thought about this in terms of Kdramas, because some words don't translate well, like oppa for instance, and "gosh" will just never be as good as "aigoo" and why not say "appa" instead of "dad"? On the other hand Romanization has its own issues, and I stumble over the longer and more complex words when reading them, so I have reservations about incorporating more into a fic than I already do.

First fandom you wrote for?

Red Dwarf, sight unseen I might add, I just thought it sounded neat.

Favorite fic you've written?

My WIP, when it's finished.

Tagging @theaggresivepacifist, @ohyangchon, @mangobone, @olfactoryventriloquism, @titheinironside if you want to!

[rosyfingered-moon]

Thanks for tagging me @comfect ! 💓

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

I typically publish each draft as I go for the instant gratification serotonin, so there’s no wip folder on the stickypearls harddrive per se… But here are the cloudlike wip:s in my head that I hope to write when life is less Work Baby Sleep Repeat:

1. A little johnlock oneshot (for the sake of my 17 year old self and because it would be a fun fandom to dive back into)

2. My Blooming Youth femslash casefic

3. Sejong/So-yi angst

4. Sejak smut!! Depending on how satisfied I am with the canon ending it could be a fix-it or something more AU

5. Past Lives fix-it (not that the film needs fixing, but my heart does)

Tagging @drivingsideways , @haraxvati , @elderflowergin , @angryteapott , and @solrosan if you want to share!

[gottagobuycheese]

Last Line Tag

Tagged FOREVER AGO by @demonlikejudgeoffire​, thank you!! (And sorry for taking ages to respond :P astoundingly, I actually did not forget this this time, it just took literally this long before I could write a single word skdjfhsk)

Ahem, anyway:

“All right,” she says eventually, once she can trust her voice not to waver, “drinks next time.” 

“Only if they’re on you.” 

“No way, you’re the tenured university professor.” 

“Yeah, and you’re like — a superhero or something? Or a security firm boss thing, whatever. What is it you do these days, actually?”

“Security firm boss thing,” Jung Heewon repeats slowly. “Wow.”

Absolutely ZERO pressure, plus I’ve no idea how many of y’all are actually writing these days, but in case you would like to share the (approximately) last line you wrote (even if it was years ago! seeing how hard it was to even write two sentences these past few months, I will open the temporal net wide lol): @imperiousphasmid, @theaggresivepacifist, @diminished-fish, @rain-hat, @drivingsideways and genuinely anybody else who wants to share what you’ve got! I am simply greedy and would like to read all of them :D

[nubreed73]

Tagged by @bienmoreau - please pals always tag me in music memes!

Rules: shuffle your ‘on repeat’ playlist and post the first ten tracks, then tag ten people 🎶

(Really really need to complete the Lee Sung-hoon vid WiP I have for this)

Tagging (no pressure though!) using whatever music player you like):  @idrilka @seriouslydidijustdothat @rain-hat @drivingsidewayseways @elderflowergin @roncheg @rhysiana @rhea314 @godotismissingx @peppersandcreamsicle

Nine more below the cut - I have a very eclectic library! I blame vidding but also I am just That Bitch

Tagging (no pressure though!) using whatever music player you like):  @idrilka @seriouslydidijustdothat @rain-hat @drivingsideways @elderflowergin @roncheg @rhysiana @rhea314 @godotismissingx @peppersandcreamsicle

[radialarch]

obviously this was coming: tkem recs for @idrilka

The Amnesiac King's Time-Travelling Husband by rainhat (G | 7936 | Lee Gon/Jo Yeong)

“Your husband’s been at your bedside without a break for nine days. You’ve given us all the biggest scare of our lives, sir.”

if you're like, jo yeong suffers so pretty, i wonder if i can have more then boy have i got the fic for you. lovingly constructed, truly excellent.

Self-praise is no recommendation by hastybusiness (G | 4235 | one-sided Jo Yeong/Lee Gon, brief Jo Yeong/Kang Sinjae)

Three conversations Yeong has about Gon, with three different people.

the sword that was broken by gulpsofoxygen (G | 4295 | one-sided Jo Yeong/Lee Gon)

Jo Yeong loves by giving up everything, one day at a time.

the thing about jo yeong is that a character study is just him pining for lee gon. two fics, deft, vivid, with details i immediately adopted into my heart.

let us flow stream by stream by Teaotter (T | 12024 | poly-v Jo Yeong/Lee Gon/Jeong Tae-eul)

The king’s weekly absences can’t go unnoticed for long.

obviously the way to hide that the king is in love with an unsuitable foreigner is to have him fake date the other person he's in love with. a delight.

Every Door in the Universe by oliviacirce (M | 2899 | poly-v Jo Yeong/Lee Gon/Jeong Tae-eul)

Captain Jo Yeong to Lieutenant Jeong Taeeul, greetings.

epistolary communications about the stupid stupid man you both love: extremely good. one letter in particular that made me scream.

Destiny's Child by drivingsideways (M | 16943 | Lee Gon/Jo Yeong)

Lee Gon grew up well. Didn't he?

the inevitable post-canon falling-together. sometimes i stare up into the sky and think about: "It's just that it took me a long time," [Yeong] says, "to stop being in love with you. I had to work very hard at it." it's a lot.

[sadviper]

WIP Game

Rules: In a new post, show the last line you wrote and tag as many people as there are words.

Thanks to @drivingsideways, @rain-hat, and all my TKEM friends for waiting forever for my Shin-jae cult fic. It’s still far from finished. ;__; But maybe 2023 will be the year that I get over myself and work on this story again!

--------

For the first time in my life, I touched evil. Don't know how else to call it. In an instant, I went from feeling nothing to feeling absolutely everything, every splinter, the fracture that must have cracked in my forearm, the knee in my stomach, the weight pressing on me as we rolled on the floor, ringing in my ears from the awful screaming. And the fingers! Thick man hands clawed for my eyes. I shoved my fist into his face to push him back. 

His teeth scraped my knuckles. Terror gripped me. He was going to eat my hand. Yes, I was absolutely sure that a middle aged supermarket worker and lover of Christ was going to gnaw on my hand like a zombie. It was straight up Train to Busan.

No time for shock; I found my inner Ma Dong Seok and punched first.

[phant0m-l0rd]

🎶✨when u get this u have to put 5 songs u actually listen to, publish. then, send this ask/tag 10 of your favourite followers✨️🎶

thank you for the tag @braceletofteeth , I love your blog!! :D

I'm going to try doing 5 different artists or else it'll be very predictable 😅 And this way it'll be more representative of my music taste I guess!

1) Oboro by Dir En Grey

I've listened to this one more than 100 times, which isn't as much as my all-time diru faves, but I truly hold this song very dear to my heart. I love its lyrics, its atmosphere, its soaring melodies and symphonic quality. I thought of it rn because I've been listening to it a lot lately again.

2) Í Tokuni by Eivør Pálsdóttir

Listen I've been obsessed with this song for close to 2 years now and it'll never get old for me. It's legitimately entrancing.

3) Retrospection by Jinjer

One of my all-time favourite Jinjer songs- it's so incredibly catchy in terms of riffs, and as per usual with Jinjer Tatiana's vocals transition seamlessly from clean to harsh sections.

4) Rich Folks Hoax by Rodriguez

I've loved Rodriguez's music for years now and this is one of the songs I always go back to first when I feel like listening to him. Something about it is just so compelling.

5) Sybelius by Blut Aus Nord

One of my favourite songs of all-time because of its otherworldly quality. Listening to it makes me feel like I'm travelling through time and space. I go back to it every so often.

Tagging @ranuunculus @minuutti @cupofteaandstars @kurumeki @japanese-zombie-heroez @inkingtwice @kr-cube @24kocylinder @drivingsideways and as a 10th person I'm tagging any other follower who want to do this, love u all!! (also no pressure ofc)

[michyeosseo]

tag 9 people you want to get to know better

thanks to @somewhatavidreader i enjoyed reading your list ^^

ship

three ships

jin hwayoung & choi changje - by now, you've probably seen evidence of ~my hwachang fixation~ teehee just no use resisting the epitome of sunshine: she's •᷅ࡇ•᷄ while he's o̴̶̷̥᷅ ̫ o̴̶̷̥᷅ and later down the line, a dash of 'reversal'. their solid marriage thoroughly catered to me. oh, and finally made me understood the girlboss/malewife concept ha ha ha

chen ran & xu jie - trying to get into the semi-sequel and the attempt furthered the sensation of missing partner goodness so much? peak characters-who-aren't-canonically-gay-but-whose-behavior-just-makes-no-sense-unless-you-read-them-as-gay energy. do not be surprised if i circle back and complete a fanedit idea from last year in time for valentines

yoon nanyoung & park chakyeong & yuriko - yet to see the korean adaptation of 风声, my most anticipated new chungmuro work thanks to that one early review that puts the experience succintly: "레즈의 사랑은 애국심보다 강하다." insane how honey lee romancing both esom and park sodam somehow flopped the box office

first ship

han baekyoung & park myeongyi - had a hard think about this one... the names are probably not familiar because these are the full names of lady han and jang geum's mom. yes, from jewel in the palace. deep dive hours here hehe remember when sageuks have this long running thread that pays off beyond death?

last

last song

leebada’s siren. been sampling her latest album, heaven, though there was also a phase where i was very into her song fox (the ocean, 2019).

last movie

black panther: wakanda forever or as i call it in my ltrbxd, bereavement. a shame i was too preoccupied when it was in the cinemas last year. angela bassett mothered so hard (thought the same even during the first film).

currently

currently reading

halfway through the left-handed woman by peter handke. actress kim shinrok made an homage which prompted me to grab a copy immediately.

currently watching

strictly speaking, only dirty linen fits this bill since i log it faithfully on tvtime app since it started. that said, ntflx does provide ease in streaming crash course in romance for jdy as nam haengseon-sshi week in, week out (behind compared to everyone else).

our blooming youth started airing and i made three sets out of the pilot alone so i'll give that at least another week to gauge whether the piqued curiosity fizzles.......

currently craving

butter cookies ♡

tagging @drivingsideways @rain-hat @elderflowergin @rosyfingered-moon @fromthedepthsandbeyond @stillaskew @dramateaque @iexbie @anyawatchestv

[local-ethernet]

tagged by @kafkasmjjw ty :)

three ships: mjjw (strangers from hell), inwoo/dongsik (psychopath diary), gerri/roman (succession)

first ship: starfire/robin from teen titans probably.....

last song: simple & clean - hikaru utada

last movie: killers of the flower moon!!!

currently reading: the hundred years' war on palestine by rashid khalidi

currently watching: rewatching The Guest before its n*tflix license runs out

currently consuming: nothing

currently craving: water, which i will go get right now

tagging (if you feel like it): @heartbreakmosh, @drivingsideways, @konakatomo, @taxonomist

[elderflowergin]

Thanks for the tag, @rosyfingered-moon !

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

For context, the Vincenzo fic was started October 29, 2021, so imagine how optimistic I am that it still sits in my WIPs.

Tagging @drivingsideways @haraxvati @cupofteaandstars if you are so inclined!

[cupofteaandstars]

Last line tag

Tagged by @theaggresivepacifist and @rain-hat, thank you both 😘

Here are the last line(s) I wrote for my current WIP, a dark-ish AU for Stranger/Secret Forest.

.............

Yeo-jin lit a stick of incense and tucked in with the others. The portrait of Park Moo-sung, smug and resplendent among the flowers, looked back at her as she straightened up, his self-satisfaction out of place in the bare and empty room. Yeo-jin folded her hands and bowed solemnly, bobbing a moment in place as she took the opportunity to scan the funeral guests behind her, the circle of church women praying, the younger person asleep in a corner who might have been dragged along to help out. Turning her head, Yeo-jin exchanged glances with Detective Lee as she bowed beside her. It’s worse than I thought, indicated Yeo-jin’s raised brow. Even fewer answers than before, returned Detective Lee’s own expressively thick eyebrows, the envy of any pop idol.

.............

Tagging @elderflowergin, @olfactoryventriloquism, @titheinironside, @drivingsideways, @mangobone only if you want to but I am eager as always to peek.