#gil is perfect

[softquietsteadylove]

Thena loves watching Gil and sprite interact with each other. Falling in love more and more with him. Write something for the actor au?

"Enjoying?"

Thena smiled as Sersi came up beside her, extending a glass of something more suited to her palette. Whatever it was it was more sweet than don perignon. "Thanks--everyone's having a lovely time."

Sersi often hosted in her expansive London penthouse after an awards ceremony. It was quite the place to be, and it excused her from having to go to a much riskier party just for the sake of networking and brushing elbows with the industry.

"Especially those two," Sersi tipped her glass in the direction of the outside patio, where plenty of people were enjoying the night air, but especially Gil and Sprite, roasting marshmallows over her fire pit.

Thena just laughed. Sprite was repeatedly trying to set hers aflame while Gil attempted to fend her off while also achieving a perfect golden brown for himself. "She really is just happy she got to come to one of these, finally."

As much as Sprite was not a people person, or interested in her sister's - or cousin's - level of fame, she had always wanted to see what happened at an afterparty. Thena had always insisted they were boring and drab, but Sprite wanted to see the boring and drabness for herself.

"I'm glad she's enjoying herself," Sersi joined in Thena's laughter as Sprite attempted to sabotage the both of them, pushing both their marshmallows closer to the flame. "Whose idea was this?"

"Gil's," Thena sighed, watching as the small game turned into an all out fencing match until Gil finally took both their marshmallows for himself as a way of ending things. Sprite looked appalled before he offered another, visibly telling her to keep it out of the fire. "I think she was actually a bit bored, lurking around on her phone. But he found them in your cupboard and took her out there."

"He has a way with her, doesn't he?"

Thena just nodded. She was sufficient enough at reading lips to tell that Sprite was demanding to know why she couldn't eat the charred marshmallow. Gil was explaining something about how it wasn't good for her. As her primary guardian, Thena had attempted to do that with many things, just to get a positively scathing remark in reply.

But Sprite yielded to Gilgamesh, rolling her eyes but roasting her marshmallow pleasantly, like a law abiding citizen, instead of a teen who wanted to wave around a flaming marshmallow in the middle of a party.

"He certainly does," Thena sighed again. Sprite did seem to enjoy the nicely toasted confection. She continued to watch them until Sersi cleared her throat deliberately. "Hm?"

Sersi merely gave her a look, her eyes bouncing between her and the two outside now staking multiple marshmallows per stick. Thena continued to stare at her expectantly until Sersi laughed. "I'll have to memorise this expression for my next role as a loving wife and mother."

Thena nearly choked on the sugary drink Sersi had brought her. She licked her lips, blaming her faint coughing on the heat suddenly in her cheeks. She set down the fancy stemless crystal flute. "I beg your pardon."

"Please," Sersi easily dodged her cousin's toothsome comment, though. "I know very well what that look means."

"I did not catch your baby fever, if that is to what you are referring," Thena attempted to hiss at her, but again, Sersi let it roll right off her. They had grown up together, after all; she was entirely too accustomed to it."

"I'm not saying you want a baby," Sersi shrugged, very deliberately leaving the rest of her accusation in tact. She took a sip of her own drink, so innocent and demure. "I'm saying you look at Gilgamesh and Sprite like you're imagining living in a three bedroom cottage on the seaside."

Thena sniffed, "I hate the sea, too humid."

"Ah, yes, of course, that's the problem," Sersi snickered.

Thena leaned off her marble kitchen island to glare at her more fully. "Shall I find your costar, Mister Whitman, and ask what he thinks of a seaside cottage?"

Sersi didn't rise to bait nearly as voraciously as Thena did, but she did flick her cousin's earring. "That is different."

"I do not see how," Thena growled at her, both women more invested in drinking away the other's teasing.

Sersi pursed her lips as she finished her champagne. "Dane and I know how the other feels."

That did make Thena pause. She furrowed her brows, "when did this happen?"

Sersi shrugged, looking down at her countertop and tracing her fingers along the ripples of marble. "We were at another party like this, we simply talked and talked and...somehow we ended up on the subject of what life we would lead if not for all this."

Thena admittedly listened with rapt attention.

"I always wanted to be a teacher," Sersi smiled at her own nostalgia. "He said he used to imagine the same thing. One thing led to another and I suppose... "

Thena raised a brow.

Sersi sighed, her shoulders dropping. "We agreed we can't right now. The medical show got picked up so we'll be on that until one of us gets fired or written off."

Thena looked down as well. She had to admit, Sersi wasn't nearly as timid as she could let herself appear to be when she was playing the darling of the United Kingdom.

"But perhaps in the future," she shrugged, feigned a smile. "We'll see."

Thena had to admit, Sersi had made more of a move for her future than she could remember making in a hell of a long time. She looked outside again, to where Sprite was teaching Gil how to make a s'more. "We work together too much. The risk is too high."

Sersi gave her a pointed look, "too high for your own happiness?"

Thena sighed again, watching Gil secretly blow on Sprite's marshmallow for her as she rooted in the graham cracker box. "I'm happy right where I am, Sersi."

"Admiring from afar?" Sersi felt the need to put a name to it as she too watched Sprite smash the melted marshmallow between two graham crackers and way too big a section of chocolate.

Thena also finished off her drink before pushing the glass to the side. "I think love is best from afar, like art, or stage makeup."

Sersi offered a mild laugh before bumping her shoulder against Thena's. "I never said anything about love, but I can see your point."

Thena whipped around, prepared to snarl at her needlessly nosy cousin. But all she saw was Sersi flitting over to Mister Whitman himself, the two of them smiling at each other like schoolchildren in puppy love. Thena rolled her eyes.

"Hey," Gil looked up, smiling at her as she ventured outside and over to them. "There you are."

"Here I am," she sufficed to say, eager to put her conversation with Sersi from her mind. "What are you up to?"

"S'mores!" Sprite sufficed with the single word, swinging her melting marshmallow in her sister's direction.

Thena nearly flinched but Gil caught it at a perfectly safe distance from her.

"Easy," he both chided and laughed off as he apprehended the offending confection.

"Dude," Sprite sighed, but accepted the pilfering, instead reaching for a new one.

"I do hope you're not eating yourself sick on those," Thena felt the need to add, only for her very lovely young lady of a sister to give her the finger for it. "Right."

"Here," Gil whispered, offering the toasty marshmallow from between his fingers.

Thena let him deposit it into her palm. She hated marshmallows, but she had to admit, it was cooked to perfection. "Hm, they taste better when they're toasted."

"You should try real, homemade marshmallow sometime," Gil chuckled as he reached to roast another one, either for her or for himself. "It's a totally different experience."

"Don't tell me you know how to make that too," Thena groaned. As if she needed another ridiculous reason to be infatuated with him.

"You can come over to my place and try it," he nudged her gently.

"Party at Gil's!"

"Sprite!" Thena hissed at her, catching the disgusting vision of her sister's completely full mouth. "Honestly!"

Sprite rolled her eyes but tossed another marshmallow at her.

Again, it didn't reach her, as Gil caught it in midair and added it to his roasting spit. Thena watched the confections achieve their perfectly golden state, using the excuse as a way to lean against him by the warmth of the fire.

[royaltea000]

This man has no idea how close he is at all times to being attic wifed

[theaestheticmodels]

[stunning10s]

[jinhogae]

Why do you help others return to their peaceful places while you try to return to a painful place? I'm not returning anywhere. I've always been in that place.

THE FIERY PRIEST / 열혈사제 (2019) dir. Lee Myung-woo, Park Bo-ram

[16sydd16]

More beautiful @miqyi doodles from Chapter 4 of my fic "Get in, Loser! We're going... to fall in love?" Chapter 21 is up now, so go give it a read!!

[beachyserasims]

Geneva Island Legacy┃Chapter five┃Brainstorm

~ Transcript ~

Beginning / Previous / Next

[simulantion]

Random Stardew Valley moments

There are spoilers for version 1.6 so beware

I didn't know other characters could have different dialogues for when dating :D

I didn't read patch note or any spoiler so when this event occurred I was a bit creeped out and scared

I was astonished by the mutated trees and ran around chopping them that I didn't talk much to other villagers. Some times later I was informed that the NPCs only have special dialogue on the first green rain, the years after that they will react normally to it 😔

Why hold the art show in the pouring rain?

IYKWIM ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

I look like Soos in Gravity Falls 🤣

Always happy to see how Pierre is such a sore loser

Didn't expect to see Morris chilling when paying for the parrots to get all the golden walnuts

By "honorable way" he means lots and lots of bombs

Also why aren't there any special dialogue from Qi when paying the parrots vs. when looking for 100 walnuts all by yourself? Like in the level 100th of Skull Cavern he can either say "honorable" or "clever" for using staircases, but no other dialogue in Qi's Walnut Room

lol his reaction xD

I'm sorry I'm a Haley simp

Yay wedding ❤️

All the bachelorettes except Haley, it's not like I imprisoned her by married her 😔

That was rude

Other dialogues after married

None of this makes sense

Reactions to green rain

The color variety is so pretty ✨❤️ I must collect them all

perfect 10 million

Perfection reached in Winter 2, Year 2!

[ornithorynquerouge]

Gil Elvgren - "Marylou Moon", Charcoal Sketch. 1970

[best-enemies]

I've reached season 5 on my CSI rewatch and I'm a few episodes past "Swap Meet", where a woman is murdered after attending a swing party with other couples from the neighbourhood. Near the end of the episode there's a moment that made me jump from my seat:

(Grissom walks up to Sara and takes the seat next to her. He's holding two cups. He hands her a cup of tea.)

[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - BRASS' OFFICE]

Erin Brady: Everybody fantasizes about other people. (She glances at Grissom.)

Even you, Mr. Grissom. A neighbor, a friend ... girl at the office.

[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - HALLWAY]

(The door opens. Paul Brady walks out of the hallway. Erin Brady walks out into the hallway. Sara is sitting in the hallway chair watching them. She watches as they meet and kiss.)

(Grissom walks up to Sara and takes the seat next to her. He's holding two culps. He hands her a cup of tea.)

LIKE!!!!!!!

Right after Erin ends her sentence with 'girl at the office', the first time Sara and Grissom meet again, he brings her tea. This might be an innocent interaction but to me it seemed like a nod to this relationship they have where both are into each other, know about the other's feelings, but can't/won't do anything about it (although Sara has kind of given Grissom an ultimatum). I don't know if it was intentional - I'm guessing it is, because I picked it up immediately. I might or might not have squealed in delight.

[softquietsteadylove]

Hiii!!

Can I request another part for the human Thena/eternal Gil Au but this time Thena sees Gil’s in action? You described his powers briefly yet so beautifully in the last part!

Thank you so much and please keep going I love to read your work!

The walk was quiet.

They had gathered at Sersi's flat to discuss what would have to happen from this point forward. Sersi and Gil - the Eternals - had whispered between themselves in the kitchen. Occasionally, they would glance out at their humans--herself and Mister Whitman.

Dane was still there, talking with Sersi. He lived close, and would also return when the rest of their plan was in motion. For now, all they could do was wait for the rest of the Eternals to arrive, and aside from one, that would take very real time to make happen.

Apparently, the only one who could fly was Ikaris.

Thena looked beside her. Gil had insisted that if she wasn't going to stay safely inside at Sersi's for an indeterminate amount of time, then he had to walk her home personally. And probably escort her back, now that she thought of it.

Gil's hand was warm around hers.

The first time he'd held her hand was after he had helped her out of a taxi she had taken to get to their second dinner date after work. In all her eagerness not to be late she had opted not to walk instead of just letting Gil know she would have to be ten minutes late at most. Because those ten minutes had seemed irrevocably important, at the time.

He had stood outside the restaurant, waiting for her like a gentleman. He paid her fare before she could protest and by the time she had the door open he was grasping her hand and helping her out. She had worn somewhat less comfortable shoes to work to have ones for their date. Gil had kissed her hand and complimented her.

He'd held her hand the rest of the way to their table, too. They talked all through dinner, then through the multiple desserts Gil had ordered so as to try as many as possible. They talked through coffee and then it eventually became clear that the restaurant was attempting to close, and they were the last patrons taking up their space. He'd held her hand when they walked home, too.

Gil felt her staring at him and turned his head. "You okay?"

It was a loaded question. She had survived her first real Deviant attack. It was possibly the first of many, if she intended on sticking around. Even if she didn't, that thing had known her name. It was doubtful she could be rid of the experience even if she did decide to abandon ship and try to forget she ever knew Gilgamesh.

And how could she do that? It would be simply impossible for her to forget the whirlwind love she had met not even a few months ago.

"Thena?"

She managed a smile for him, although it didn't seem to comfort him any. It was an unconvincing as she thought it was. She gave his hand a squeeze though, "I should be asking you that."

He scoffed, waving his other hand in front of him dismissively. "We've been fighting these things for ages."

She looked towards the river on the other side of the street. She might never look at it the same way again, she realised. "Not that one, though."

She heard Gil sigh through his nose before looking at him again. "No, I guess not."

Thena slowed their pace until they were stopped. It was late enough, plus all the chaos downtown left them the street to themselves. She faced Gil head on, taking both his hands in hers. "I realise you can't get nearly as hurt as I can. But I don't think anyone would be unaffected by facing a monster like that."

Gil's face turned somber. Melancholy didn't suit his cheerful features, but he stroked her hand with his thumb again. "I really am sorry, Thena."

"It's not your fault."

"But-" he argued and nearly tripped over his words to do so. "That-that...thing!--it knew you because of me. If I had known-"

"Gil-"

"I never would have let it live." His tone grew dark, and she really believed the anger behind it. She hadn't seen him mad much either, but his words were fierce as he grasped her hands. "I would have hunted it down and made sure it was dead."

"Gil," she attempted to soothe him. The concern was for her, but all she could think was that it didn't suit him to seem so unhappy. She liked seeing him smile and hearing him laugh more. She raised her hand to his cheek, "you may not get that luxury, you realise."

He put his hand over hers, turning his head so he could kiss her palm. "I've got nothing but time, Thena."

Her stomach twisted as the massive - truly infinite - gap between them was brought to the forefront of her mind again. It felt almost trivial; she had no business fretting over the status of her relationship while that beast still walked the earth. But she leaned closer. "Well, I don't."

Gil looked startled by what she said, but he leaned down to accept her kiss. She had seen his strength earlier tonight, but he was so incredibly gentle with her.

She tilted her head at him, his fingertips in her hair from holding her cheeks. "I want more time with you, Gil. So, we'll figure out a way to make that happen."

His eyes flickered for a moment, and she could almost swear she could see those little glowing specs of gold within his eyes. He leaned in and kissed her again. "I want eternity with you, Thena."

It was the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to her, and on probably the worst night of her life, too. But she grasped the edges of his brown leather jacket as they parted. If golden energy lived in his eyes then surely a painfully obvious love lived in hers. "Gil-"

"Thena!"

Gil pulled her behind him instantly. The spray from the river didn't quite reach them, but that thing landed heavily. Gil raised his fist. That funny compression of air happened, her ears felt the change and a sound like the air caving in on itself fell over them.

Gil didn't wait for that creature to come over to them. He didn't leave it room to escape, either. He held the vines emerging from its neck and landed his hit. It was like canon fire--if not by sound, then by impact.

Thena looked away, wind rushing purely from the force being exerted and traded through kinetic energy. Those gold flecks that looked like sparks floated by her again. She forced herself to look as Gil landed another two hits. "Gil!"

"You're not getting away this time!" he roared at his enemy, holding it with one hand. He didn't need both to do the damage he could. Sometimes his fist would raise and hold for just a second before coming down again, heavier than before.

Thena watched, seeing lines of gold tracing through the air as Gil moved. It was like a constellation moving, it was mesmerising, in a terrifying way. His fist would fly, sometimes double and triple layered with that energy. Then it would come down and that vacuum of sound would pop again.

The creature wrestled itself free from him, holding its disgusting claw hand over its own injuries.

Gil held his ground, not pursuing too far away from her but not retreating either. "I see what you are."

"Ay...jack...A-Jax...Ajak..." it was haunting to hear the thing speak. It sounded out words like it was learning them in real time. The maw of teeth it had shuffled around as it adapted to speech instead of primitive growls. "Ajak...pow...er...Ajak's...power!"

"Move!"

Gil could move quickly if he propelled himself with his own powers. He destroyed the cobblestones under his feet again as he launched himself at her. He scooped her up, narrowly avoiding the thing launching itself at them.

Thena shuddered, although it was Gil's body that made impact with the side of the building. She heard a crack, and she hoped it was the concrete and plaster instead of anything in Gil's body.

Gil held up his arm, keeping the thing at bay like a dog that was latching onto his forearm. He held it out as far as he could, but the thing's teeth were right there, its breath rustling her hair while she was tucked between Gil's defending arm and the safety of burying herself in his chest.

There wasn't much that he could do in this position. He was doing his best to protect her, but he couldn't make any advancement either.

Thena forced herself to look. That nightmare was right there, gnashing its teeth around the illusion of Gil's arm. His powers were absorbing the blow, but she had to wonder if there was a limit to his stamina.

"Thena?" Gil blinked as her hands moved.

She didn't know what she was doing. Maybe she was just making things harder for him. But she pushed Gil's arm with everything she had in her. Gil was the strong one, but maybe even he could use what little support her human arms could offer.

It was fascinating. It really felt like Gil's arm, but she could see the outline of his powers layered around him. It was humbling to witness something so powerful - so ageless - so close.

Gil wrapped his other arm around her waist. He leaned his shoulders forward and dug his feet in. "Hold onto me, sweetheart."

She squeezed her eyes shut as Gil spun them all. He had the strength, and it didn't take much to build momentum. They all moved as one, and on the second turn he threw the thing away.

Its massive, wiry body demolished the car it hit, sounding the alarm.

"Shit," he cursed, although his hold on her remained. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, although already upstairs lights in flats were being turned on. People would be out here and on their phones any second. "Gil, we should go."

"But that thing is-"

"You can kill it later," she hissed at him, already trying to usher him away from the street and down a darker alley. "You'll get another chance. But not if people see you and plaster your face everywhere!"

"I'm not letting that thing live," he growled through his teeth. But ultimately, he let her lead him away and into the shadows. "I can't let it find you again."

"Gil-"

Maybe all Eternals' powers had a sound to them. A high pitched rumbling sounded as a beam of light fired directly into the thing. Whichever Eternal that was, they certainly had no problems being found out by the modern age.

"Gil," Thena attempted to urge him away again, tugging at his jacket. But she also looked as the laser cut straight through the thing's neck. She moved closer to Gil as a figure floated down directly in view of their alley. It turned towards them.

"I'm surprised Gil," the man chuckled, "thought that thing would be easy pickin's for you."

"I was distracted," Gil scowled in his direction, keeping his hold on her all the while. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to help."

"I doubt that."

Thena looked between the two of them. She could only guess, but by context clues alone, she already knew the man was an Eternal, could fly, had laser eyes like some sort of comic book hero, and the accent was more anecdotal than anything. But still, she felt reasonably confident when she asked, "Ikaris?"

[anotherfanaccount]

My dearest is going to the hall of fame of dramas. It's just so good.

Gil Chae and Jang Hyun are soulmates. Truly. They both are so strong and so silly even in these times. Gil Chae still dreaming about her dearest and sulking that it's not him when she woke up. Girl, you are the finest thing on that timeline and I love you for that. And Jang Hyun forgetting about the injury and straight up starting the teasing because she said "my dear". My dear. MY DEAR. MY DEAREST.

I can't talk about them anymore before I combust. Knowing that they survive at least till the penultimate episode is my solace because they're just so adorable together. All their little flirtations and teasings while surviving. It makes it more tragical actually. But it is just so good.

[starcrossed591]

KDrama Year in Review 2023

While I watched more KDramas this year than CDramas, none of them consumed my heart and soul quite like this year's crop of CDramas did (CDrama review post here). And I dropped KDramas more readily than I have in years past, in part because there were so many more things to watch than I had time for (also I had to finish my dissertation and graduate, etc etc). Still, there were definitely some that I really, really enjoyed, so here's this year's KDrama round up:

16. My Lovely Liar: Started strong, got boring real quick. Dropped for homophobic murder plot. Still, glad to see that Hwang Min Hyn can actually act (although full disclosure, I did still enjoy him in Alchemy of Souls, wooden as that performance may be). Hoping Kim So Hyun can catch a break and get a role in a drama more worthy of her in the near future.

15. Crash Course in Romance: Excellent performances and chemistry by the ML and FL. Romance between two middle aged people instead of youths is also a treat. Dropped around ep 12 because of the unnecessary, homophobic murder plot. Pass.

14. A Good Day to Be a Dog: Surprisingly stronger than the goofy premise suggests, largely on the basis of Park Gyu-Young's performance as the FL who turns into a dog upon being kissed. Pacing problems in the third act around the origins of the whole dog curse thing. Can't say I recommend unless you're really in the mood for some shenanigans, but largely inoffensive if a little silly. (Also it turns out Cha Eun Woo *really* leveled up his kiss game for this one!)

13. Love to Hate You: Perfectly serviceable rom com. Nothing too special, but a nice weekend binge if you're in the mood for that. Also a good way to see Kim Ji-Hoon's v handsome face and that *hair* without having to deal with everything involved with his rather murderous run in Flower of Evil.

12. Joseon Attorney: A Morality: Perfectly serviceable law procedural/Joseon historical. If you don't like either of those genres your mileage may vary, but I had missed having Bona on my screen, so it worked well enough for me.

11. Welcome to Samdal-ri: I seem to like this one more than literally everyone else I know, and I fully admit that my enjoyment of this drama is more vibes-based than plot-based. I guess I have a soft spot for Shin Hye Sun yelling at people at Ji Chang Wook going a bit unhinged over a woman who ran away from him (see also: Lovestruck in the City).

10. My Demon: Very much enjoying Song Kang as a cranky demon falling in love with a human. Very tropey in the best way, and feels like a return to form for the supernatural romance genre. Remains to be seen if they'll land the ending as of this writing, but enjoying as it goes.

9. Doctor Cha: A contribution to the slate of divorce comedies I watched this year (see also: Strangers Again (KDrama) and Let's Get Divorced (JDrama)), a surprisingly touching story about growing older when you've devoted your life to someone who has not done the same for you.

8. Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow (Part 2): While Ko Joon-Yung never quite managed to replace Jung So-Min as the FL for me, I definitely still enjoyed the closer to this fun fantasy series. Special shout out to Shin Seung-Ho as Prince Go Won and his pet turtle

7. Strangers Again: I didn't see a ton about this one on tumblr as it was airing, but I found this rom com? melodrama? divorce procedural? makjang? story about relationships and why they end unexpectedly profound. I tuned in expecting mindless makjang hot mess, and instead got a thoughtful meditation on divorce. Left me feeling unexpectedly melancholy at the end, but glad I watched it.

6. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse: Very fun sageuk! Probably won't knock your socks off, but it does what it does very well. Bonus points for a B couple as compelling as the A couple. I've also been a big Kang Hoon fan since Little Women, and there are a couple of other actors in here that I'm always glad to see working.

5. Perfect Marriage Revenge: Tour de force makjang. Came out of nowhere and blew me away. Hits all the right beats, and unexpectedly fun (and was a nice break from the heaviness of My Dearest for me). This was a good year for jaded and slightly unhinged transmigrated FL's back for their #revenge (see also: Story of Kunning Palace in CDrama land), and I was here for it. Also features one of the spiciest make-out scenes of the year, 10/10 recommend

4. See You in My 19th Life: Absolutely loved this haunting, melancholy, and sometimes unexpectedly goofy reincarnation drama. I loved the webtoon and had high expectations, and this drama largely met them! The continuing relationship between sisters Ji-Eum (Shin Hye Sun) and Cho-Won (Ha Yoon Kyung) was a special highlight for me, and while Shin Hye Sun is already a never-miss for me, I'm especially looking forward to whatever Ha Yoon Kyung does next. I prefer the ending of the Webtoon to the KDrama, but I'm still delighted this drama exists and am glad I watched it.

3. The Interest of Love: Look, I loved this drama. Even though it seemed on the surface like nothing but *mess* in the interpersonal lives of these characters working at a bank on the border between a rich and poor neighborhood in Seoul, it nonetheless had some of the most searing class commentary of the year for me. I also love an FL who will (spoiler) pack up her things and disappear at the drop of a hat, even if no one else will understand her decision to do so, because she just cannot deal anymore (see also: the FL in Lovestruck in the City, whom I also love but everyone else hated). This drama kept me gleefully coming back every week in a year where not a lot of others did.

2. Call It Love: A revenge slice of life melodrama that I found unexpectedly touching in its deep melancholy. Loved not only the main couple, but the relationship between the siblings and their pharmacist bestie. A lovely character study. (Also I somehow ended up watching this at the same time as Till the End of the Moon and Li Susu as Ye Xiwu's hidden identity/revenge plot, which was unexpectedly stressful! Had a very "it's the same picture" moment despite two dramas in two genres that could not be further apart.) If you missed this one (and since it aired on Disney+, you might have--Disney+'s effects on the KDrama streaming ecosystem will be the death of me), it's worth seeking out!

1. My Dearest (Parts 1 and 2): Kind of feels like everyone has said everything there is to say about sageuk of truly epic proportions, but it blew me away as well. Epic romance? Check. Twisty political machinations? Check. Heartwarming friendships between women? Check. Strong ensemble cast? And my top FL of the year, Lady Gil-Chae, played to perfection by Ahn Eun-Jin. I've adored her since Hospital Playlist, and am delighted that she's getting the attention and the roles she deserves. Namkoong Min also a top contender for ML of the year as Lee Jang-Hyun. Part 2 dragged for me a bit in places after a nearly perfect Part 1, but such a great drama overall.

Favorite Drama of the Year: My Dearest. See above.

Favorite Female Character: I mean, it's gotta be Gil Chae from My Dearest, right? She starts out as such a spiteful, spoiled noblewoman, and then turns out to have a core of pure steel. Turns out all her conniving and strategizing, which went towards causing mischief in the village, really just needed a proper outlet. While I would never want to be in the circumstances in which she found herself, if I did, she's exactly who I would want on my side.

Favorite Male Character: Everything's coming up My Dearest this year, because this one is Lee Jang-Hyun in My Dearest as well. Checks the box for my competence kink, and has a knack for showing up just when Gil-Chae needs him, even at great personal cost. Also a smart-ass, which I probably like a bit too much in a man.

Favorite Secondary Female Character: Cho-Won from See You in My 19th Life. Her relationship with her reincarnated older sister was almost more compelling to me than the main romance sometimes, and really helped develop how the ties that bind us are not just romantic ones. Also she was just super cute

Favorite Secondary Male Character: Could have picked anyone from Team Himbo in Alchemy of Souls, but gonna have to give this one to Go Won, himbo prince of my heart

Favorite Ship: Again, it's gotta be Gil-Chae and Lee Jang-Hyun in My Dearest. Sometimes, there are drama couples that nearly cause me pain when they are apart, and these two quickly became one of them. Though their relationships is hardly functional for much of it, through all that push and pull, they ultimately learn how to show up for each other. Also, their *chemistry* is insane!

Favorite Secondary Ship: I loved Hye-Seong and Sung Joon, the B couple in Call it Love. Seeing the SFL grow more comfortable with herself after a truly shitty ending to her previous relationship was a nice respite from the hidden identity stress of the A couple in this one. I'm also a sucker for a good romance where you start to see someone you've long taken for granted differently. (Close Runner Up: Cho Won and Do-Yun in See You in My 19th Life)

Favorite Platonic Relationship: Gil-Chae, Eun-Ae, and their maids, Jong Jong and Bong Doo, in My Dearest. I loved loved loved the relationship between these women in this drama, and part of the reason the second half of the drama suffered a bit for me is because of how far it moved away from this core relationship. They were ride or die for each other more than the majority of the men in their lives, and I loved that for them.

Trope that Needs to Die: While I find murder plots in rom coms tedious at the best of times, homophobic murder plots are really not it. Quit it, y'all. It's not cute.

Dramas I Missed: Moon in the Day, The Story of Park's Marriage Contract, and Tell Me That You Love Me (grrr Disney+ on this one) are on the list for next year. I'm probably missing others.

Non-2023 Drama Spotlight: Finally went back and watched Do You Like Brahms? for a hit of Park Eun-Bin. A lovely, if also melancholy, slice of life romance that's just as much about what to do when a (career related) dream that you've worked really, really hard for just isn't going to come through as it is about the main romance. Also made me fall in love with Kim Min-Jae and his lovely deep voice, enough so that I also then went back and finally watched Dali and the Cocky Prince, which was also a treat. Recommend both.

Most Looking Forward To: I continue to yearn for a Yumi's Cells 3, and who's to say if that one will ever come through, but I'm putting it out into the universe anyway. More realistically, I'm looking forward to the surprisingly stacked line-up of sageuks coming up, including Captivating the King and Love Song for Illusion.

[danidrawsstuff]

happy pride month i am going goo goo gaga over buff she/theys

[ commissions ] [ instagram ]

[zodiacsea]

saw some lights

[michyeosseo]

yoonhaeyoung0105: movie <Miss Fortune> vip premiere 🎬 Choi Myung Gil sunbaenim 🤩