#/ Fairy Tale Prince who escaped their story spectrum

[tweeds-rp-hub]

Opposite Ends of a Spectrum

Opposite Ends of a Different Spectrum

[coreymichaelsmithson]

When I Was A Princess

Ever since I was a little boy, the role of royalty in fairy tales has always confused me. My grasping young mind seized upon princesses ... their beautiful costumes, their perfect hair, how they always seemed to get the happy ending they wished for (whether or not they really deserved it). But my mental picture of life as a medieval princess had been mostly formed by Disney movies and treacly storybooks, and these cotton-candy fantasies were, of course, way out of whack with the harsh actualities of the Middle Ages: stinking gutters, festering sores, tooth decay, mass starvation. In fact, being a real princess probably sucked, day-to-day, though I'm sure it was still substantially nicer to be a princess than a peasant. I'd reckon that it still is.

I’ve come to realize that my fascination with princesses was due more to the aesthetic and romantic awakening such tales ushered into my imagination than any real admiration for wealth. Growing up as a queer kid, in every sense of the word, and trying to figure out my place on the gender spectrum, I had to admit that I often identified more with princesses than princes. Princesses had better outfits, for starters, and simpler narrative arcs; they basically had to just wait around for a handsome prince to come along, and he would whisk them away to an enchanting castle, which presumably had good ventilation and abundant fireplaces, and life would forever after be perfect.

The messages us kids got from these stories were of dubious morality. Cinderella married out of her class by virtue of her comeliness, an impractical shoe, and a little magical trickery. Sleeping Beauty was a princess disguised as a peasant, who could only be rescued from her coma by a wealthy and apparently none-too-picky heir. Snow White married a would-be necrophile. Rapunzel was a captive virgin with good shampoo.

An observant friend of mine once said about Disney movies that it was “better to not look under the hood.” These are the shitty takeaways I got from watching Disney tales: “Girlfriend Be Trippin’ If She Thinks She Can Marry Into Wealth And Escape From Her Lowly Social Strata ... But Oh Wait, Here Comes Drunk Magic Grandma, Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, Have A Hoopskirt And Some Pearls, There, Problem Solved”; “Girlfriend Better Not Turn Sixteen Because She Already Pissed Off The Green Sorceress Just By Being Born An Attractive Female And Now She’s Gotta Watch Out For Dragons And Country Antiques, Oops, Well, Shit, She Pricked Her Finger And Now She's In A Coma, What A Bummer, Hope A Horny Prince Shows Up”; “Girlfriend Better Not Eat That Drugged Apple After Getting High As Balls On Mushrooms And Singing To Wildlife And Shacking Up With Seven Random Dudes She Met In The Woods Because Sleep-Rape Is Apparently An Acceptable Practice In This Moral Landscape, And By The Way, Her Stepmother Is A Murderous Witch Who Asked A Hunter To Bring Her Bloody Heart Back In A Box”; “Girlfriend Better Stop Singing About Freedom And Mobility And Start Reinforcing The Patriarchal Order Through A Sad Regime Of Self-Denial Or Else She’ll Be Cursed By The Scary Octopus Drag Queen Into Having A Body That Probably Menstruates”; “Girlfriend Better Not Try To Educate Herself Through Reading But Should Instead Cave In To Stockholm Syndrome So She Can Come To Love Her Hairy And Violent Captor Who's Really Deep Down A Sensitive Guy, Honestly, Despite His Animal Rages And Dangerous Possessive Behaviors And Obvious Psychological Instability”; “Girlfriend Better Cooperate With Racist Colonialists If She Knows What’s Good For Her”; “Girlfriend Better Dress Like A Dude And Wield A Sword To Get Anywhere In Life”; and so on.

Why did the storytellers of yore aggrandize the aristocracy? Weren't kings and princes and dukes, at least historically speaking, usually the oppressors? When many of these popular fables were being formed, the peasants were still suffering under the rule of the fortunate few. The real history of royalty is rife with incest, inbreeding, religious persecution, torture, suppression of dissent, excessive taxation. So why, then, were the rich and powerful so often made into the centers of our fairy tales? Why do we cheer for the “charming” prince, who rides into the scene and sweeps our poor lady protagonist up and away to a better life? Why do we lionize the merciful king who throws lavish balls and stays executions, or thrill to the plots of the wicked queen? Why do we confuse true love with economic agency?

We do this because power makes for a seductive escape. It's easier to imagine being rescued. The prince just showed up, with white teeth and a white carriage ... what could possibly go wrong?

But when I went to college and studied history and actually got a chance to view images of real royalty in action, I had to admit my disappointment. What I saw looked nothing like what Disney and company had prepared me for. All those tapestries and etchings revealed a much sadder, grimier life.

Poor princess. I see her in her lonely tower, wearing a dumb conical hennin and a heavy-lidded, somewhat dopey expression. She has the double chin, pouty mouth, and baggy eyes of a medieval woodcut, and she always looks like she’s suffering from a bad cold. She's attended by maids and a homely matron and maybe a unicorn, and she’s pretty much resigned to a lifetime of making bad embroidery and mooning over dreamy brigands. Her “entertainment” mostly consists of watching sad syphilitic jesters or doing that lame limpwristed dancing courtiers used to do. You know the kind I mean ... twirling about and hopping with hands upheld, bowing to one another, prancing back and forth across the flagstones, making uneventful circles, all to a namby-pamby melody of sackbuts and flutes. Blech. Given that I'm a homosexual with a crinoline in his closet, you'd probably think that I'd be gleefully clapping my hands for all this cutesy curtseying and jangling of tambourines and such ... but insipid pageantry totally turns me off.

It's really no different today. We have become so removed from the primary objectives of survival that we seek to derive meaning from media depictions, from virtual representations, rather than through our own direct experiences. We talk about movies now rather than myths, celebrities instead of heroes, plots instead of legends. We are encouraged to define ourselves by the roles we occupy within businesses, by our placements within economic taxonomies, and not by our vocations or passions. We accept the narrative that hard work and fair play will get us to a place of stability and harmony, to a land of plenty, and are disappointed when we don't get the expected results. The American Dream itself is a form of fairy tale, one in which each of us will get the castle we so richly deserve. For some, the handsome prince is a one-way ticket past the moat.

Reality television is so popular because it perfectly reflects the boredom and spiritual vacuity of our culture. We get off on rehab redemptions, ugly duckling makeovers, riches-to-rags stories. We obsess over famous trainwrecks, simultaneously envying and scolding those who are richer and more reckless than we'll ever get to be. In watching their lives unfold before us, we want to feel an attendant rush of adrenaline, while avoiding actual discomfort or injury. We ridicule celebrities for their failings, while aping their influence and purchasing the products they endorse. We gravitate towards images of the rich and powerful, yet we relish every reminder of their human frailty. Our grocery store aisles are filled with shame and schadenfreude. The next time you’re at the market, just take a look at the tabloids glaring at you. Look at all those princes and princesses, publicly flayed for real or imagined sins.

We used to slay dragons; now we covet expensive sneakers. We used to tell tall tales of royalty; now we tell tall tales of supermodels and gangsters. Not much has changed ... just the bling.

I remember learning as a kid how important brands had become. One's identity was tied to adherence to a brand strategy. Of course, being a nervous adolescent, I got just as caught up in the horseshit as everybody else. In middle school, I once threw a hissy fit because a pair of cool girls two grades above me suggested I wear a particular sweater/collared shirt combo, and my parents simply couldn’t afford it. I stamped my feet and howled and wished that I could be more like the princesses, who dressed smartly and had lots of money and who seemed to wield some kind of power that the rest of us didn’t have.

Since then, though, I've learned a thing or two about class. I discovered, with a mixture of surprise and relief, that it's been the same since the days of Versailles: your class and your economic prospects can often be determined by the costumes you wear. Sometimes a person's character is not described so much by their own interests, their strengths, their morality, but by their adherence to (or outright rejection of) a quickly changing code of fashion.

That said, people who actively transform themselves to better reflect their inner lives really move me. I am stirred by self-actualization, especially in the face of stifling conformity. One day in downtown Seattle, I saw a transwoman in what was obviously an early stage of public interfacing, walking out of a building for what may have been the very first time. And I say this without a drop of condescension or snark, but rather with the deepest admiration ... I was impressed. I could see her nervousness, the shaky breath she took before stepping out of the vestibule. I could tell that this was a giant leap of faith she was taking. It would have been wildly inappropriate for me to approach her, but I so desperately wanted to. I felt such a strong urge to cheer her on that tears came to my eyes; instead, I just gave her the biggest smile I could, which was returned with some visible relief. So I’ll say now what I wanted to say to her then.

“I see you, sister, taking your first tentative steps out in public. I see that you are making an artwork of yourself, revealing the sculpture of your femininity with a chisel. Okay, maybe at this point it's more like you’re using a jackhammer, but still … you’re working to define yourself aesthetically and conceptually. You're becoming who you were always meant to be. Maybe you’re just beginning this transformative work, armed with only with a tube of shitty dimestore lipstick, an ill-fitting dress, some awkward heels, a crooked wig … but the results, for all their sincerity and pluck, are beautiful. You are so much more a real princess in my eyes than Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty or any of those other doe-eyed confections Disney sold us on. I see your courage and your commitment. I see your grace revealing itself in stages. I see your majesty, your majesty. You don’t need a prince to rescue you. You’re rescuing yourself. You go, girl.”

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a princess, sort of … though I secretly and more fervently envied the starchy villainesses, with their high eyebrows and pointy shoulders and severe hair. They had more glamor, and power, and there was something satisfying about their unremitting bitchiness, something that spoke to my own nascent and unsatisfied cruelty. But I grew out of it. So now this is what I want to say to the younger me, the one who wanted to be a princess, or a queen: forget about the damnable royals. There's no time to waste in aping them bitches. Become yourself. Your youth is going to pass so swiftly. Focus on your family, your best friends. Ignore the cool kids, the shiny popular ones with good hair and good clothes, because they will peak early, and unremarkably. It'll be the outcasts who matter to you in the long run. Stick with the lonely ones, the nerds and the misfits and the dark mysterious ones with hooded eyes, because you will spend decades adoring them, because they'll become your most loyal friends, the ones who will see you and accept you for who you really are. Focus on your real wealth: the people you love, the people who will love you back. The fake princesses will die a thousand daily deaths, suffocated by their peroxide and pearls, humiliated by their own vanities … while you will remain surrounded by jewels, your genuine ones, your flawed and pitted and perfect treasures, your heroes, your royalty.

[ariel-seagull-wings]

TOP 12 PORTRAYALS OF RAPUNZEL

@princesssarisa​ @sunlit-music​ @superkingofpriderock​ @mademoiselle-princesse​ @amalthea9​ @theancientvaleofsoulmaking​ @astrangechoiceoffavourites​ @notyouraveragejulie​ @tilthenextbluemoon​ @giuliettaluce​

Rapunzel, Rapunzel: lay down your hair so i can climb the golden stair! 

These are the words to call the lady named after a vegetable, so one can climb her hair and visit the tower where she is kept prisoner. At the same time that she is known for her exotic name and very long hair, personality wise Rapunzel tends to get very underestimated. Some adaptations gaved her a pretty passive role, and pop culture parodies would usually paint her as “just a girl who cries for the Prince to save her”, downplaying the inteligence and resilience to adapt into harsh situations that she showed in the original Brothers Grimm’s tale. So today, i will share my twelve favorite portrayals of the long haired heroine, that showed respect to her, gaved her carisma and made justice to her strenghts.

12º The version from ‘The Story of Rapunzel’ (1951)

At the start of his career as a stop motion animator, Ray Harryhausen made, with the collaboration of his relatives, a series of shorts based on fairy tales. Those shorts were ‘The Mother Goose Stories’, ‘The Tortoise and The Hare’, ‘The Story of Rapunzel’, ‘The Story of Hansel and Gretel’, ‘The Story of Little Red Riding Hood’ and ‘The Story of King Midas’ (when this tale started to be taken out of greek mythology and be perceived as a medieval fairy tale in the public conscience), where the characters were silent and the voice was given to a narrator. This encarnation of Rapunzel is more on the naive and passive spectrum, but i like her design and the fact she is animated in stop motion, plus the short is historically significant for being one of the early atempts to adapt her tale , and that’s why she has a place on this ranking.

11º The version from Simsala Grimm (1999)

In this german-french, two plushies, Yoyo and Doc Croc, receive life from a magic book to have adventures inside the Brother’s Grimm tales. They go to the tale of Rapunzel and help her and Prince Egmond get together. This encarnation of Rapunzel is kept as both prisoner and apprentice of Frau Gothel, who wants to turn the young woman into a mean spirited sorceress like her. But Rapunzel can only make spells that create pretty and merry things, like squirrels and birds. It’s a nice touch of humour, and that grants her the Eleventh Place at this ranking.

10º Mackenzie Mauzy in Disney’s Into the Woods (2014)

This movie as a whole is a weak adaptation of the now classic Broadway stage musical. But it had some enjoyable elements, one of them being Mackenzie Mauzy’s performance as Rapunzel. Mauzy has a short time on screen, but in that short time she brings beauty, grace, melancholy and anger to the role, and this makes it stand out enough to be the Tenth Place in this ranking.

09º Linda Purl in Timeless Tales from Hallmark (1990-91)

Timeless Tales from Hallmark was a direct to video series that had a live action hosted by Olivia Newton John and animated segments showing the fairy tale of the day, animated by the Hannah-Barbera studio. Purl’s Rapunzel is the romantic dreamer archetype, who sings her wish to be free. She has two encounters with the Prince before getting caught by the Witch Scarlotta, having her hair cutted and exiled to the distant woods. She reunites with the Prince, who has been turned into a blue bird (i see what you did there, screenwriters), and breaks the spell over him with her tears. She should smell more onions to cry and bottle those tears, that can be very usefull.

08º Tisha Campbell in Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (1995)

In the bayous of Louisiana, Rapunzel is taken from her parents by Zenobia the Hoodoo Diva (played by Whoopi Goldberg, by the way), who seeks to make her a protege and shows her such neat tricks as voodoo dolls and shrinking her head down. Rapunzel is reluctant to do this when she sees Zenobia is hurting innocent creatures. Rapunzel soon attracts a handsome Creole prince, who must rescue Rapunzel and reunite her with her parents, but Zenobia seeks to thwart the interloper. One of the first african-american portrayals, this kind yet rebellious encarnation is a refreshing take on the character, and that is why she takes the Eight Place here.

07º Mandy Moore in Disney’s Tangled (2010)

After her mother dranked a tea made of a magical flower, Rapunzel was born with a magical hair that is able to heal any desease and rejuvenate anyone who touches it. Because of that, she was kidnapped and emprisoned in a Tower by Gothel, who raises Rapunzel to be insecure and afrayed of the outside world. But her curiosity is more powerfull, and with the guidance of a thief named Flinn Rider, the young lady escapes the Tower and goes on a journey to discover both what is scary and what is beautifull on the outside world with her own eyes, along the way captivating people with her merry and spontaneous personality, wich gives her the Seventh Place on this list.

06º Pamela Winslow Kashani in American Playhouse: Into the Woods (1991)

The lady who originated the role in the Broadway stage musical. Like Mackenzie Mauzy, Pamela Winslow Kashani brings the beauty, the grance, the melancholy and the anger to the role, but with an extra touch of energetic humour, taking advantage of the fact that she is in a stage show and getting intense as possible. That humour in the First Act  is what makes her PTSD and tragic death in the Second Act all the more heartbreaking. Plus, she probably has the most beautifull singing voice ever gaved to a Rapunzel encarnation, and sometimes that is enough to earn a place in my rankings.

05º Mitsuko Horie/Lara Cody in Grimm’s Fairy Tale Classics (1988-89)

This encarnation has a tragic backstory, having been forgotten by her parents after they received a memory spell from the Witch and they had three more kids after her. She is raised in the Tower as the Witch’s granddaughter, and develops a great talent to play the harp. Is the sound of that harp that attracts the atention of the Prince, who comes to the tower and conquers Rapunzel’s love. Sadly, when they are making plans on how to take her away from the Tower, the Witch sees the Prince climbing down, so she cuts Rapunzel’s hair and beats her till unconsciousness before exiling the poor young woman in the desert, where she learns to survive while raising the son that she conceived with the Prince, who searches for Rapunzel despite being blinded by thorns.

04º Luisa Wietzorek in Sechs Auf Einen Streich (2009)

This adaptation gives some interesting touches to Rapunzel’s story and character: until age 12, she lived a nomadic life, travelling in Gothel’s donkey pulled cart. But one day Gothel spots Rapunzel talking with a young boy, and decides to lock her in the Tower, where there is a magic golden haircomb that makes Rapunzel’s hair grow to be used as a ladder by her adoptive mother. Years pass, and the destiny brings the Prince, who was the young boy of the pass, to the Tower where the now grown up Rapunzel lives, and she has to face a dilema: continuing to live in the Tower, that brings the feel of comfort and safety, or taking risks and running away to freedom with the Prince she fell in love with.

03º Kelly Sheridan in Barbie as Rapunzel (2002)

This was my first animated adaptation of the fairy tale, and still is my favorite. In this movie, while giving some painting lessons to her little sister, Barbie tells a version of the Rapunzel story to encourage her creativity: kidnapped as a baby by the Witch Gothel, Rapunzel was raised as a house maid, receiving constant verbal mistreatments. But, thanks to her friendship with a rabbit named Hobie and a dragon cub (who still needs to learn how to fly) called Penelope, and her love of painting, the young long haired lady never lets her spirit be broken, always dreaming of someday go to live free in a castle by the sea. One night, she is surprised to find a haircomb that turns into a magic paint brush, wich can make a portal where she can escape and explore the ouside world, and in her first journey, she meets and falls in love with the dashing Prince Stefan, while asking him to not his name to her, because she is afrayed of being forced to tell it to Gothel. And she doesn’t stay long, because she fears that Gothel will get revenge on Hugo, Penelope’s father, for her escape. Talk about having a great sense of altruism, who wouldn’t want to have this lady as their best friend?!

02º Sylvia Wolff  in Rapunzel oder Der Zauber der Tränen (1988)

This german TV Movie combines the tale of Rapunzel with another, more obscure tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, called Maid Maleen. In this version, Rapunzel growed up very acustomed to the comfort and rich life provided by the Old Witch, using a magic reel to roll her hair in and make it grow to be used as a latter. Even tough she is in love with Prince Mathias, she is afrayed of going to the outside world. Later, not being enough that the Old Witch discovers her secret, cuts of her hair and blinds Prince Mathias, the King, after learning the existence of a maiden in the tower who becamed the love of his son, orders his troops to search the tower and seal its window, because he wants Mathias to marry another neighbour princess he arranged for him! Fortunally one of the soldiers takes enough pity to let a loose brick so Rapunzel can breath. She tries to use the point reel to scratch the clay that glues the bricks, and after cutting herself in the reel and crying over it, the reel regains magic, floating, opening the bricks, helping her to escape  to the outside world and search for her beloved Mathias...

And my Number One favorite portrayal of Rapunzel is:

01º Shelley Duvall in Faerie Tale Theatre (1983)

There were some small changes made in some detailles of the story (radishes replacing rampion to be more familiar with international, non german audiences,  insinuation that the Peasants Wife’s craving of the vegetal was a spell purposefully cast by the Witch, Rapunzel being traped in the Tower at adulthood instead of age twelve and a talking parrot/macaw that tells the Witch of the Prince’s visits), but as a whole, this is probably the most faithfull adaptation of the Brothers Grimm tale, and is all the more benefited for it, specially Rapunzel’s character, portrayed by the shows herself, Shelley Duvall. Duvall presented a very sincere passion for the source material, and in her performance, she showed a deep understanding of Rapunzel’s character and why she resonates with so many people: her rebeliousness, her curiosity, her romanticism, her inteligence, her quiet strenght, her resilience and her sense of hope, all of those qualities that the Grimm’s described in their heroine, are all there! When i watch this episode of Faerie Tale Theatre, i don’t see an actress playing a role, i see an icon of my childhood coming to life!

And that is why Shelley Duvall in Faerie Tale Theatre is whom i consider my definitive Rapunzel.

[princesssarisa]

Character ask: Snow White

Tagged by @ariel-seagull-wings.

Favorite thing about them: Her kind, affectionate nature, and even more so, the fact that she's so beloved by everyone around her. This makes her a wonderful wish-fulfillment character. No matter how much the Queen hates her, all the other people and animals she meets instantly become her allies and help her, protect her, deeply mourn her "death" and are overjoyed when she revives. This is probably the main reason why her story has always been one of my favorite fairy tales – because I'd like to be loved that way.

Least favorite about them: The fact that within her own story, who she is and what she wants matter less than how other people feel about her. In the original Grimms' tale, the Queen is really the protagonist, albeit an evil one – the focus is always more on her emotions and her actions than on any other character's – and even though Snow White herself is more of a real protagonist in the Disney version, the story still consists more of the other characters reacting to her and making things happen to her than anything else. Contrast her with Cinderella, for example, who in all versions of her story is the character whose feelings and desires we follow. By comparison, Snow White teeters dangerously close to failing the Sexy Lamp Test.

Three things I have in common with them:

I love animals.

I'm a good cook.

I can be naïve and too trusting.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

I don't like to clean.

I would never take food from a stranger if I knew someone was out there wanting to kill me.

I hate combing my hair, so I wouldn't have taken the poisoned comb either.

Favorite line: From the Disney version:

"Oh, you must be Grumpy!" and "Why, Grumpy! You do care!"

brOTP: The Seven Dwarfs.

OTP: The Prince.

nOTP: The Queen.

Random headcanon: She's on the autism spectrum. I can't take credit for this, someone suggested it on TVTropes' YMMV page for the Disney movie, but I like it, especially for Disney's Snow White. She's a mild case, obviously. But this would help to explain why she's so innocent, overly trusting, a bit out of touch with social rules (e.g. entering a house uninvited, cleaning it or eating the food and then going to sleep in the bedroom without permission), slightly obsessive about cleanliness (in the Disney version), sometimes a bit controlling (again, in Disney, the way she plays "mother" to the Dwarfs), yet also (namely in the Disney version) very empathic and gentle, prone to escapism through daydreams, and especially fond of animals and good at relating to them. These are all common traits of females on the spectrum.

Unpopular opinion: Even though she's hardly a "modern" woman and her story is undoubtedly a "problematic fave" from a feminist viewpoint, she still deserves to have her story told to children and be loved by them. There's no wrong way to be female and her traditional, domestic way is as good as any other. She just shouldn't be held up as the only example of what a "good girl" is like.

Songs I associate with them:

These probably go without saying.

"I'm Wishing."

"With a Smile and a Song."

"Whistle While You Work."

"Someday My Prince Will Come."

Favorite pictures of them:

This old German illustration:

These illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman (I wish I could include them all, though – her Snow White is stunning!):

This book cover image by Nancy Ekholm Burkert:

This illustration by Angela Barrett:

This one by Charles Santore:

Disney's iconic Snow White (it was hard to choose my favorite picture of her, but I finally settled on this one):

From the anime The Legend of Snow White:

Sarah Patterson in the Cannon Movie Tales version:

Lily Collins in Mirror, Mirror. (I never really liked this retelling and I'll almost definitely never watch it again, but there's no denying that Lily was perfectly cast.)

I would have liked to share a picture of Elizabeth McGovern in the Faerie Tale Theatre adaptation too, she's adorable in that version, but I couldn't find any good ones online.

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

So, I finished the audio book “Persuasion,” yesterday afternoon. And I have THOUGHTS

One: It’s about someone who has sunk under depression, not someone who’s an “old maid”

Austen often refers to the protagonist, Anne Elliot (At least, in the earlier parts of the novel), as having “lost the bloom of youth” at 27. I’ve most often seen this interpreted as “Back then, they thought all  women of 27 years to be old (OMG, can you believe it?!)”

But even though Jane Austen didn’t have the same terminology that we do to describe clinical depression, I’ve come away with the clear idea that that is precisely what she meant. Because Austen also writes that Anne lost her bloom of youth after seven an a half years being stuck at home with a family that didn’t love her, and no sign of any way to escape.

And Anne begins to recover her “bloom of youth” during their visit to Lyme, when she has still given up all hope of Captain Wentworth overcoming his resentment and anger, and loving her again -- so, unlike with a fairy tale “Prince Charming,” it is not his love that saves her.  What happens at Lyme (just before her “recovery”)?

Captain Harville, though not equalling Captain Wentworth in manners, was a perfect gentleman, unaffected, warm, and obliging. Mrs Harville, a degree less polished than her husband, seemed, however, to have the same good feelings; and nothing could be more pleasant than their desire of considering the whole party as friends of their own, because the friends of Captain Wentworth, or more kindly hospitable than their entreaties for their all promising to dine with them. The dinner, already ordered at the inn, was at last, though unwillingly, accepted as a excuse; but they seemed almost hurt that Captain Wentworth should have brought any such party to Lyme, without considering it as a thing of course that they should dine with them.

There was so much attachment to Captain Wentworth in all this, and such a bewitching charm in a degree of hospitality so uncommon, so unlike the usual style of give-and-take invitations, and dinners of formality and display, that Anne felt her spirits not likely to be benefited by an increasing acquaintance among his brother-officers. "These would have been all my friends," was her thought; and she had to struggle against a great tendency to lowness.

She meets and befriends people who are warm, kind, and generous. Who don’t (unlike the people of her home village) know her primarily as the middle daughter of that Baronet that nobody likes.

Two: This is a love story of “Found Family”

Not only does Anne get her happy ending with Captain Wentworth (and thus cements her connection with the Harvilles, and the Crofts, and Captain Benwick), she also reconnects with an old school friend from when she was a teenager.

Three: Anne Elliot is an Unreliable Narrator.

And the person she’s narrating to, throughout the whole story, is herself. Jane Austen pretty much deconstructs the idea that relying on logic over emotions will lead to the best outcomes. And then, she leaves the various pieces scattered across the floor.

Four (my headcanon): Anne Elliot is Demisexual/Demiromantic.

And Captain Wentworth is, too, probably. They formed an emotional bond to each other 7 years and change before the start of the novel, became romantically and sexually attracted to each other. And neither of them had any attraction juice left over for anyone else, ever since (even though Captain Wentworth admits to trying to be attracted to other people, and is just unable to manage it).

Note: if you have to make a conscious effort to feel attraction, you’re probably somewhere on the ace spectrum.

[aion-rsa]

The Best Korean Dramas on Netflix to Watch Right Now

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South Korea is one of the world’s biggest exporters of popular culture. From K-pop to K-dramas, Parasite to BTS, the East Asian country knows how to reach an international audience. Korean TV, especially K-dramas, have long been of interest to western markets, but it’s no longer just the Korean diaspora or romance drama fans underserved by western markets checking out K-dramas, international watchers of Korean dramas have become much more “mainstream” in the last few years, especially with Netflix’s increased focus and investment in the region.

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Netflix has played a major role in this expansion of Korean TV into the global market. The streamer has not only scooped up an impressive backlog of Korean originals as a global distributor, but, since 2016, has been investing in the Korean TV industry at the production level. At the beginning of 2021, Netflix released an official statement announcing the leasing of two production facilities outside of Seoul, citing the move as “another important example of our continued commitment to investing in Korea’s creative ecosystem.” According to the release, from 2015 to 2020, Netflix invested over 700 million dollars in Korean content. The company also has multi-year content partnerships with CJ ENM/Studio Dragon and JTBC.

Suffice to say, Netflix has a solid Korean TV section, filled with some of the best K-dramas around, both new and old. If you’re new to the world of Korean TV or if you’re simply looking for your next watch, why not try out one of the following…

Crash Landing On You (2019)

The absolute top secret love story of a chaebol heiress who made an emergency landing in North Korea because of a paragliding accident and a North Korean special officer who falls in love with her and who is hiding and protecting her.

If you’re at all tapped into the K-drama scene, then you have at least heard of Crash Landing on You if not binged it multiple times. An original production from Netflix, Crash Landing On You pairs rom-com and character drama elements with an exploration of the cultural pain inherent in the separation between North and South Korea. With charismatic and vulnerable performances from veteran K-drama leads Son Ye-jin as South Korean heiress Yoon Se-ri and Hyun Bin as North Korean soldier Ri Jeong-hyeok; some gorgeous production values; and a memorably melodramatic soundtrack, Crash Landing On You is a whirlwind action-romance that was one of the best shows of 2020, full stop.

Kingdom (2019-present)

In a kingdom defeated by corruption and famine, a mysterious plague spreads to turn the infected into monsters. The crown prince, framed for treason and desperate to save his people, sets out on a journey to unveil what evil lurks in the dark.

If you prefer your TV more horror-driven, Korean TV has some notable shows for you. One of the most internationally popular is Kingdom, a historical zombie drama about a 17th century crown prince who has to fight against a mysterious plague of flesh-eating zombies that threatens to overtake his kingdom. Most K-dramas are structured to tell their entire story in one season, but Kingdom has already had two seasons with a third predicted to be on the way, as well as a one-off special that just premiered on Netflix called Kingdom: Ashin of the North. If you’re looking to get into a longer-running K-drama that favors horror over romance, this could be the one for you.

Squid Game (2021)

45.6 billion won. 456 contestants stake their lives on childhood games.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably already heard of Squid Game, which is on track to become Netflix’s most popular series ever. The Korean social thriller tells the story of a group of 456 desperate contestants who agree to compete in a deadly competition for the chance to win the kind of money that could change their lives forever. Socially relevant and compulsively watchable, Squid Game takes a familiar premise and makes it new again with compelling characters, exquisite visual style, and cultural specificity.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha (2021)

When things go awry in the city, a dentist decides to go back to her quiet seaside hometown for a fresh start. There, she finds herself at odds with the village go-to handyman who’s always up to help and fix what’s broken—perhaps even matters of the heart.

If you’re looking for something a little chiller after the horrors of Squid Game, try Hometown Cha Cha Cha, which is basically a Hallmark Christmas movie in series form (which is to say a cozy romance). The series, which is currently “airing” weekly on Netflix, sees a big city dentist named Hye-jin decide to open an office in the small seaside town of Gongjin, where she once visited with her family as a child. It all happens on a bit of a whim, with Hye-jin not fully prepared for the transition to rural life in a town where everyone knows everyone’s business. Enter Du-sik, the town’s darling jack-of-all-trades, who helps the townspeople by doing any and every job they might need. The two couldn’t be more different, but fate seems to have brought them together. You probably have an idea of what happens next…

When the Camellia Blooms (2019)

Dong-baek (Kong Hyo-jin) is the owner of a small-town bar called Camellia. Her ordinary life turns topsy-turvy when three men enter her life — a good guy, a bad guy, and a miserly guy. What kind of stories will unfold in this sleepy town full of colorful characters? 

If you’re looking for another K-drama set outside of Seoul, When the Camellia Blooms is the story of a single mom Dong-baek, who moves to the fictional town of Ongsan where she opens a bar called Camellia. When local police officer Yong-sik declares his love for Dong-baek, she is initially not interested, but the two become closer the more time they spend together. Thrown in a solid supporting cast and a serial killer subplot and you’ve got yourself one of the most popular K-dramas in recent years.

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)

Desperate to escape from his emotional baggage and the heavy responsibility he’s had all his life, a psychiatric ward worker begins to heal with help from the unexpected—a woman who writes fairy tales but doesn’t believe in them.

There’s still a taboo around addressing mental illness in Korea, which is one of the many reasons why this 2020 drama about Gang-tae, a young man who is a caregiver at a psychiatric hospital, and Moon-young, a children’s author living with antisocial personality disorder, made such a splash. While the romance at its center is great, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay really shines in its exploration of Gang-tae’s relationship with his brother, Sang-tae, who is on the autism spectrum. In a press conference promoting the show (via Metro Style), Sang-tae actor Oh Jung-se said of the character: “If you meet someone like Sang-tae, who is on the autism spectrum, on the street, I think it would be nice if people could think ‘I would like to be with that person’ instead of ‘I would like to help that person.’”

Boys Over Flowers (2009)

Unassuming high school girl Jan-di stands up to — and eventually falls for — a spoiled rich kid who belongs to the school’s most powerful clique.

A K-drama classic, Boys Over Flowers follows working class student Geum Jan-di as she arrives at the elite Shinhwa High School on scholarship, only to meet and be unimpressed by a group of privileged boys known collectively as F4 who rule the school. The drama follows Jan-di as she goes from bullying target of F4 leader Jun-pyo to the object of his obsession. It’s a classic enemies-to-lovers set-up, and one that while cliche, is still worth a watch over a decade later, especially if you’re interested in checking out one of the most iconic K-dramas of all time.

Itaewon Class (2020)

On the vibrant streets of Itaewon, something is about to shake up the local food scene. Going up against the most powerful conglomerate in the industry, underdog Park Sae-ro-yi and his band of determined misfits seek to take over Itaewon and turn their ambitious dreams into reality.

Korean TV knows how to melodrama, and this story of revenge and romance set in Seoul’s popular Itaewon area leans into intense catharsis. Itaewon Class follows Park Sae-Ro-Yi, the owner of an up-and-coming Itaewon restaurant called DanBam that becomes a refuge for a group of social outcasts. Together, they work to take down the same business mogul responsible for the death of Sae-Ro-Yi’s father years earlier. Itaewon Class was extremely popular both in South Korea and internationally, and featured the first transgender character in a mainstream K-drama. Added bonus: the Itaewon Class soundtrack includes an original song from BTS’ V.

Mr Sunshine (2018)

In 1905, a Korean American U.S. marine officer returns to his homeland on a diplomatic assignment. Coping with his painful past in Korea as an orphaned servant boy, he finds himself in a complicated relationship with an aristocrat’s daughter.

If you’re into historically-driven period drama, then check out the beautifully-shot Mr. Sunshine. The K-drama is set in the late 19th and early 20th century in Hanseong, the city that would become Seoul and follows activists fighting for Korea’s independence. The story follows Go Ae-shin, an orphaned noblewoman who trains to be a sniper in the Righteous Army, the civilian militia that fought against the occupying Japanese forces, and Eugene Choi, a man who escaped slavery in Korea to become a U.S. marine, only to return to his homeland where he falls in love with Ae-shin. The series uses real-life history, including Shinmiyangyo, the Spanish-American War, the assassination of Empress Myeongseong, the Russo-Japanese War, Gojong’s forced abdication, and the Battle of Namdaemun as a backdrop for its epic story.

Signal (2016)

A cold-case profiler in 2015 and a detective in 1989 work together to solve a series of related murders spanning three decades using a special walkie-talkie to communicate with each other.

This premise has been used a lot—from 2000 Dennis Quaid/Jim Caviezel thriller Frequency to the 2016 CW TV adaptation of the same name—and for good reason. An analog device allows two people to communicate across time, and they must work to solve a murder together. It not only makes for compelling character drama, as two people become closer but are separated by years, but also is a fresh twist on the serial killer narrative. In K-drama Signal, the analog device is a walkie-talkie, and the characters on either temporal side of it are contemporary criminal profiler Park Hae-young and 1989-based Detective Cha Soo-hyun. If you’re looking for a good crime thriller, Signal could be it.

Hospital Playlist (2020-present)

Friends since undergrad school, five doctors remain close and share a love for music while working at the same hospital.

Like Kingdom, Hospital Playlist is the rare K-drama that tells its story across multiple seasons. The hospital drama just finished airing its second season weekly on Netflix, continuing its story about a group of doctors in their 40s who have been best friends since medical school. A true ensemble drama, Hospital Playlist is perfect for fans of Grey’s Anatomy but feels unique in its centering of a friend-group with a such a long history.

Vincenzo (2021)

Bringing his mafia past back with him to South Korea, Song Joong-ki stars as notorious Italian lawyer Vincenzo who isn’t afraid to lend his bloodstained hands to beat the untouchable conglomerates in their own game.

If you just watched the dramatic opening of Vincenzo, set in Italy days after the death of a mafia boss, you might think you’re in for a self-serious organized crime drama. But the Netflix K-drama quickly shifts into a story much more tonally complex. Part romance, part drama, part action thriller, Vincenzo has something for everyone. It follows Vincenzo (Space Sweepers‘ Song Joong-ki), a Korean lawyer raised by an Italian mafia family who must flee the country following his father’s death. As part of his plan of escape, Vincenzo travels to Korea to recover a stash of hidden gold under an old apartment building set for demolition by a corrupt corporation called the Babel Group. Because of this dilemma, Vincenzo becomes unlikely allies with the group of eccentric citizens who live in the building, as well as with a passionate and moral lawyer who has a vendetta against the Babel Group for his own reasons.

The “Reply” Series (2012-2016)

Take a nostalgic trip back to the late 1980s through the lives of five families and their five teenage kids living in a small neighborhood in Seoul.

The Reply series is one of the most popular cable dramas in Korean TV history. It launched in 2012 with Reply 1997 before continuing with Reply 1994 in 2013 and Reply 1988 in 2015. The ambitiously-structured series follows a group of friends and their kids, telling the story in present-day in addition to flashbacks. Featuring a fun soundtrack, as well as some incredibly performances, the Reply series is well worth a watch for anyone who loves character drama with a nostalgic twist.

Prison Playbook (2017)

With only days before his major league baseball debut, pitcher Kim Je-hyeok unexpectedly lands himself behind bars. He must learn to navigate his new world with its own rules if he wants to survive.

Prison Playbook is much more slow-paced than many of the selections on the list, but this character drama is worth the dedication. Though it’s often touted as a “black comedy,” it’s much more tonally light than that suggests, despite the subject matter. The story follows baseball pitcher Kim Je Hyeok, who is incarcerated days before his major league debut for assaulting the attempted rapist of his sister. It follows his life within prison, along with the lives of some of the other inmates and guards, including his old best friend, Lt. Lee Joon Ho, who is a correctors officer. Created by Lee Woo-jung, who also made the aforementioned Reply series, Prison Playbook is one of the most popular K-dramas in Korean cable history ever.

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Sweet Home (2020)

As humans turn into savage monsters, one troubled teenager and his neighbors fight to survive and to hold onto their humanity.

It’s been well-documented that Song Kang is a K-drama darling. The actor has appeared in many a romantic K-drama, including Netflix’s Nevertheless and Love Alarm. Sweet Home, however, is his rare horror appearance, and it’s well worth a watch just to see Song in a completely different context. Of course, this apocalyptic horror story has other qualities too, and holds the honor of being the first Korean series to enter the U.S. Netflix Top Ten. Based on a Naver (aka Korean Google) webcomic of the same name, Sweet Home follows Cha Hyun-soo (Song), a high school student who moves into an apartment building after the deaths of his parents, only to discover that the building also happens to be the home of a species of monsters set on world domination.

Nevertheless (2021)

Like a butterfly hopelessly attracted to a flower, this art student can’t seem to resist the mysterious young man who captures her attention. But the more they get romantically involved, the sooner she will have to decide—will getting close be worth it, when he doesn’t believe in relationships?

Speaking of Song Kang… Nevertheless is the latest K-drama to star the 27-year-old actor. The romantic drama stars Han So-hee as Yoo Na-bi, university art student who no longer believes in love following discovering her boyfriend has been cheating on her. When she meets Song’s Park Jae-eon, she is immediately intrigued. Though the two share an immediate attraction, they resist entering into a relationship due to their respective uncertainties about love. Based on a popular webcomic of the same name, Nevertheless feels unique in its treatment of modern dating life in Korea, depicting some of the more realistic, often internal struggles of what its like to date in your 20s.

My Mister (2018)

In a world that is less than kind, a young woman and a middle-aged man develop a sense of kinship as they find warmth and comfort in one another.

If you’re in the mood to cry, try My Mister, a drama about a financially-disadvantaged young woman just trying to stay afloat as she takes care of her sick grandmother amid mounting debt and a much more financially-privileged middle-aged man who is also being crushed by the weight of his life. The two work together, and form a (mostly) platonic relationship that helps both of them heal. Understated and deeply emotional at the same time, My Mister will subvert so many K-drama expectations in clever ways.

Memories of the Alhambra (2018)

While looking for the cryptic creator of an innovative augmented-reality game, an investment firm executive meets a woman who runs a hostel in Spain.

If you’re looking for another K-drama starring Crash Landing on You‘s Hyun Bin (and of course you are), then look no further than Memories of the Alhambra, a 2018 K-drama with an absolutely batshit (read: amazing) premise. Hyun stars as Yoo Jin-woo, a CEO who travels to Spain in search of the creator of an AR game set in the Spanish medieval fortress Alhambra. Once there, Jin-woo is pulled into a reality-bending mystery with life-or-death stakes and some unpredictable twists that I don’t want to spoil for you.

Romance is a Bonus Book (2019)

A gifted writer who’s the youngest editor-in-chief ever at his publishing company gets enmeshed in the life of a former copywriter desperate for a job.

Ostensibly based on the TV series Younger, Romance is a Bonus Book is a rom-com set in the publishing industry world. It follows single mom Kang Dan Yi as she struggles to reenter the workforce following her divorce. When he lies about her background to get a job, her life becomes tangled up with childhood friend and publishing phenom Cha Eun Ho.

I began watching this series to see how it compared to the U.S. version of the show, of which I am a fan. Honestly, these two series have only the most superficial details of their plots in common, which is par for the course in many adaptations. Romance is a Bonus Book is much more romance-centric than Younger, which balances the love life of its central protagonist with the many other relationships and concerns she has in her life. But that isn’t a bad thing. They are two very different shows with their own interests and strengths, but if you’re a fan of both rom-coms and the publishing industry, then both Romance is a Bonus Book and Younger are worth a watch.

Black (2017)

A man possessed by death. A woman who can see death. The earthly and the afterworld collide dangerously.

One character is possessed by the Grim Reaper. The other can see deadly spirits. Only Korean can turn this premise into a heartbreaking romance, as the two work together to save people marked for death. If you’re looking for a spooky season watch, you can’t go wrong with Black, which is a delightful (and, honestly, pretty complex) hodgepodge of Korean horror all wrapped up in a rom-com package.

What is your favorite K-drama on Netflix? And what upcoming Netflix K-dramas are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below?

The post The Best Korean Dramas on Netflix to Watch Right Now appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: Malice by Heather Walter

A dark, thorny, more malicious retelling of Sleeping Beauty. And a good one at that! In fact, one of the things this book does well is twist conventional fairy tale arcs in compelling ways. That makes the characters fresh, complex; it keeps the plot itself dynamic in addition to giving a familiar story a brand new guise, a whole new perspective. Plus, there's a forbidden sapphic romance and what's not delicious about that? Malice enchants readers with its wickedness by capitalizing on the ostracism and revulsion Alyce experiences on account of her "ugly, vicious" powers. Part human, part Vila, she is branded a "mongrel" and a "beast" because of her spidery green veins, as well as for her ability to curse, to kill with her tinctures, and is relegated to the shadows. A monster. A lonely outcast. Shame has been her constant companion, keeping her hidden, obscure, from the other Graces; building her anger and hurt and resentment. Her biggest developments come when she learns to acknowledge her self-worth, when she demands better treatment for herself, and I couldn't help but cheer any time she wrested back power from those who had made it their life's mission to make her feel subpar. Basically it was only a matter of time before she EXPLODED. Over the course of the story, Alyce also comes into contact with Aurora, a princess who will die within the year unless she can break her curse with True Love's kiss. She is determined to find an alternate route, however. (No future prince or husband for her, thank you very much!) She wants to forge a new and better Briar, believing only the Dark Grace has the skillset to help her. The two of them connect, an attraction forms, both Alyce and Aurora desperate to escape their respective cages. Their romance is not the stuff of instantaneous love lightning (thank the dragon's teeth!) and takes time, takes trust, to form. They're two unlikely people brought together by a similar purpose: a yearning to be free. A desire to be really, truly seen by somebody. I couldn't help but root for them because of that. Longing to be understood by at least one person seems to be a rather universal human feeling, after all. Good and evil exist on a spectrum in this book. Ruthlessness, compassion; villainy, heroism; sympathy, vengeance--they're all spokes on the same spinning wheel. Layered motivations are the standard here, which I prefer anyway, but I require them in order to champion characters who operate in the gray, and these ones certainly do. All in all this was an inventive, entertaining character-driven fantasy. I'm delighted to know a sequel is already in the works, because I need more Vila-Shifter-Alyce wreaking love and havoc ASAP!

Thank you to Random House, Ballantine, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. 3.5/5 stars

**Goodreads

[monstersarealwayshungryrpg-blog]

Congratulations Emily! You have been accepted as The Lover! (FC: Lily James)

Our competition for The Lovers came to two amazing apps, but Emily, your application absolutely blew us away. Celeste is beautifully developed - from her name to her history - but still with so much room for growth and exploration, and she’s just absolutely perfect for this role! Make sure to follow the checklist and send us your account within 48 hours! WELCOME TO THE ARCANA RING, EMILY. WE HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR STAY.

Name: Emily

Pronouns: She/her

Age: 21

In Character Information

Skeleton Applying for: The Lovers.

The two figures in the Lovers card are blessed and protected by the angel in the clouds above them. Angels, in general, represent the refinement of earthly desires. This angel, in particular, is Raphael, the angel of Air. One of the associations of Air is communication, necessary for a healthy relationship. The purple cloak on the angel represents royalty, a symbol of how important communication is. The sun shines brightly over the couple, bringing warmth and security. The earth at their feet is green and fertile and suggests life and happiness. The snake in the fruit-laden tree behind the woman suggests the story of Adam and Eve, the fall of humanity from grace, and the temptations of the world. The snake is also a symbol of the senses. The flames behind the man represent the flames of passion, indicating the primary concern of the man. There are twelve flames, representing the twelve zodiac signs, the symbol of time and eternity. The man looks to the woman, who looks to the angel, indicating the path of the conscious to the subconscious to the super-conscious, or from physical desire to emotional needs to spiritual concerns. The mountain is a phallic symbol, while the water is a feminine symbol, indicating balance between the two. (X)

Faceclaim: Lily James, Margot Robbie

Character’s Full Name: Celeste Lucie Fontaine

CELESTE: This French name is based on the Latin caelestis meaning ‘heavenly’. She’s often been compared to an Angel, a creature floating down from the stars, shining just as bright. Someone who occasionally appears to be not of this world – or at least, not fading into the background of the one she does inhabit – it is wholly appropriate that Celeste’s middle name speaks to the skies up above and all the weight that they carry. Although she laughs when people call her an Angel or ask when she fell from heaven (she’s always had a weakness for cheesy, corny chat up lines), such a comparison is enough to make her heart dance. It was her clients who first began the trend, but it has quickly spread to the mob members she calls family – who perceive her to be a slip of relative innocence among their ranks and someone to be cherished. Made pure by her desires (to love and be loved in return, to have sanctuary, to be happy and blessed and beautiful) she truly represents a heavenly creature. But Celeste doesn’t know to be wary. She doesn’t know to be afraid. She doesn’t know that even Angels can fall.

LUCIE: In French the meaning of the name Lucie is: Light; illumination. There’s a serenity to Celeste, a brightness that refuses to be dimmed – in spite of the darkness’s of her childhood, in rebellion against her endless heartbreaks or the chaos and destruction of the mob that surrounds her. It would be easier, simpler, to become swept up in said darkness’s – to give into the most carnal of desires and become a tragic parody of herself. It takes a certain strength to remain resilient despite that and an even brighter light to keep shining through the seemingly never ending darkness, chaos and destruction. The world can change, circumstances can change – but the most fundamental parts of herself, her desires, dreams and hopes – they remain the same, all fuelled by the same internal light that shines bright enough for anyone. There have been too many times in her life when Celeste was forced to become her own beacon of hope, her own lighthouse calling out to the ships in the bay. From a young age, she learnt to find the light inside of herself – and believed in it wholeheartedly, never giving up, for lack of other options. But, likewise, she has become that light for everyone else – or whatever they have needed from her, shifting and giving a little into their desires. Hardship might make it dim, but it will never fade, not completely. These days, in the solace in the arms of a soul mate, it shines brighter than ever.

Age: Twenty-six

Gender and Sexuality: Cis-gender female (She/her pronouns) + Pansexual/Panromantic.

To Celeste, sex and gender are fluid and without meaning, fading in significance when held in comparison to the person themselves. She has loved people who identify as men and those who identify as women – and those who don’t see themselves on the spectrum at all. Labels are such silly, limiting, affairs – and she has no time for them. Besides, labels do not matter as much as what is inside of a person – the measure of them, the way that they cherish her and whether they whisper I love you as they tangle between the sheets. It’s for this reason that Celeste firmly identifies as pansexual/panromantic – and does so with pride.

Character Bio:

(Tw: Abuse, Neglect, Prostitution)

PAST:

Some children are counted as blessings, cherished from their first breath and held close to their parent’s chests. Some children fulfil legacies, or fill an aching hole. And some, a tragic few, are born without a second thought, hardly wanted and forced aside as if they are a burden of their own making. Without being given a choice, Celeste was assigned the second category. Even the circumstances of her birth hinted at the struggle to come. She was born early, learning to howl through fragile lungs, limbs as delicate as a lambs as they shook for attention. She was to learn that such a kindness would not be easily granted – and would have to be sought out. In the beginning, there was only one parent (whose repeated absences would convince Celeste she had no parents), a mother who had no right to the title, who carried a child she had little love for and who paid far more attention to a throng of boyfriends, neither of which treated her very nicely either. Brought home and raised in a poky little flat in central Lyon, Celeste soon learnt that there was very little love to be had. It was an absence that caused agony and one that would define the years to come.

Growing up, she hungered for three things – affection, attention and escape. The first two were hard to come by – and would defy her grasp for many years to come. But the third was remarkably easy to find, among the pages of books at the Public Library. In the hours after school and on weekends when she was old enough to remember the route, Celeste could be found tucked into the corner between two shelves, fingers tracing the outlines of the beautiful princesses and repeating their stories under her breath. Their lives appeared to follow a journey similar to her own. They faced adversity as a child – Snow White was tormented by a wicked Step-mother, Cinderella’s father died, leaving her in the clutches of evil and Rapunzel was locked high in a tower. Then, they escaped. They found happiness – and they found it in the arms of a Prince. Young and impressionable, with nothing else to base her fantasies on, Celeste quickly became enamoured with the idea of a fairy tale ending. She imagined herself to be Snow White and brought to life by true loves kiss, to be Rapunzel and torn down from her prison by the love of her life and to find a glass slipper that fitted. Internalising fantasies, they quickly became a sort of reality, a safe place to go to in the midst of chaos – whenever her apartment was shook by shouting or the doors slammed enough to shake the entire building.

Her life became fixated on the idea of something better. From the time she could go to school, she noticed the gaps in her own life and those of her peers. They had parents, in various shapes and forms, who loved them. They had big houses with multiple bedrooms and a well-stocked fridge. They were warm and safe and loved. Was it so wrong for her to want that for herself? Sat hunched over drawings, she imagined a palace of her own – a big house with an endless wardrobe (sat in tatted second-hand clothes with holes in, was it really so horrible for her to dream of gilded possessions?) – and someone to come home to her. They would sweep her up unto their arms and caress her until she was safe, worshipping her as Goddess. Some days, those ambitions were the only things that kept her alive – nourishing her until the dream figure found a face.

As a child she had been too tall and a little too slender. But as the girl became a woman, so she grew to fit her features – blossoming into a natural beauty. Suddenly, people began to notice her. Eyes would follow her when she walked across a room. People began to leave notes in her locker. She was asked to dances. They saw her. An invisible girl was beginning to come to life. Believing that her beauty was her ticket out of a life of desperation and poverty, she began to fixate on the ideals – waking up at five AM to get ready before school, pilfering through unsuspecting friends closets to sell their hand-me-downs, even occasionally shoplifting for make-up. It was vanity – but for the purest of intentions – and Celeste remained proud of her actions. If this was what it took to get her out of this life, then she would do it all.

Eventually, her work paid off. The first person who truly noticed her was an older boy at school, eighteen to her tender sixteen. At first, he was charming. He carried her books to class, gave her a corsage at prom – even held her as she fell asleep in his arms. And when she asked him to take care of her, he said he always would. Besotted and eager to impress, Celeste quickly shaped herself in his desired image – believing that if she succeeded, he would never hurt her. One day, about four months after they had started dating, he asked her if they could have sex. She told him that she loved him – and asked if he felt the same. When he nodded, she inclined her head too, giving him permission. The sex had been sweet – but it was his words she fixated on the most. He loves you. He loves you. You won’t have to be alone now. Unfortunately, people lie. Three days later, he told her that they were done. He was the first to break her heart – but he wouldn’t be the last. In the aftermath, some people might have turned bitter, or darkened their heart against the possibility of love. But Celeste, more resilient than even she knew, was determined not to let him define her.

The next three followed in a similar suit – she gave her heart to people who were reckless with it. Perhaps that was why she failed to see a future in Lyon – and that when she graduated, given control of her freedom for the first time in her life – she left, bound for Paris. In her imagination, Paris was the city of romance, the place where dreams came true and the most beautiful city in the world. If she couldn’t make it there, then there would be nowhere else to go. Taking a low-paid job as a waitress at high-value and exclusive events, she felt more like Cinderella than ever before. Life was not kind to the poor pretty girl. It gave her a tiny, rat-infested, apartment. And unlike in the fairy tales, they did not befriend her. But, like Cinderella, she found her break. It was a Tuesday night – and she had been working for hours. But somehow, she caught the attention of an older woman, dripped in jewels, who liked to collect treasures of her own. Approaching her at the end of her shift, she offered a cheek in greeting – and a generous offer. Come and live with me. You won’t ever want for anything. They were the words she had been waiting a lifetime to hear. Greedy for a different lifestyle – and throwing caution to the wind – she accepted.

After that, her life became unrecognisable. She immediately moved into the woman’s apartment and was showered with indulgent fabrics and jewels, all for the very small price of indulging her as an intimate girlfriend. It was every fantasy she had ever imagined. It was her happily ever after. In time, what was initially a business arrangement began to feel very much like true love and she learnt to blind herself to the inequalities in their relationship. In time, any boundaries began to erode, as Celeste learnt everything there was to know about the woman she called her soul-mate. Her wealth came from a number of places – some unsavoury. There is a ring called the Arcana, she had said, three years into their tryst, I would like you very much to meet them.

Agreeing, Celeste was the beautiful girl on her arm the night she was taken to L’Empire Rogue. It was there that she first became inducted into the ring – meeting the Empress for the first time. Beautiful, but deadly, Celeste was immediately intrigued – drawn towards the world she promised. Given a tour around L’Empire Rogue, Lucienne surprised her by offering her a job, curling her lip and saying she could be a stripper or an escort, whichever she preferred. Staunchly loyal towards her benefactor, Celeste shook her head – Merci, but I could not possibly leave my love. Lucienne had smiled, the sort that inspires, as well as terrifies you. Pointing down towards the main floor, Celeste blinked back tears as she watched her beloved being taken back to a private room by a beautiful girl. And in that moment, her heart broke for the fourth time. Comforting her, Lucienne said that she didn’t have to rely on one person, that she could have an entire family – filled with people who cherished her. Clients will fall at your feet, they will worship you. Nothing bad can ever happen to you here. Seeing little other option – and truly wishing to buy into the life she painted with her words – Celeste agreed.

The next night, there was a new girl in the club – one with the eyes of the world upon her. Where other workers changed their names and became Star, Bunny and Rose, Celeste opted to keep her own, looking for honesty from the clients who would pay for her pleasures. There are those who would look down upon her and her profession, but for Celeste, the entire experience was one of empowerment. The gaze of desire in their eyes sparked a new sense of life inside of her. They ravished her with their tongue and bodies. They attended to her, touching her intimately, as if they would never let go. She was being worshipped. Each night, she would fall a little more in love with them. Within a few months, Celeste had climbed up the ranks and become of Lucienne’s top earning girls – and a personal favourite. Whilst people, usually her fellow workers, assume it is ambition and greed that drives her, they hit far from the mark. Although she would never deny how good being at the top feels, it isn’t cutthroat ambition that drove her journey there – but the constant need for approval. Having never been the best at anything, never particularly sharp with intellect, or loved the way she deserved to be (heart and soul), it felt good to be at the top, to know there was nowhere further to go. The Queen at the top of her power, she won’t allow anyone to knock her down.

In time, what began as a profession quickly became a life – and one worth living. True to her word, Lucienne introduced Celeste to the rest of the Arcana Ring. Initially nervous (fearful that they might despise her, judge her or simply hate her), Celeste quickly found her place within their ranks – and distant strangers became treasured friends – and then family. It was the only sort she had ever known, a different sort of love than one to be found between the sheets, but one just as pure. They all came from different walks of life, with different talents, expectations and goals, but were drawn together by a common thread. Throwing herself head first into the relationships she cultivated with them, they each hold a treasured place in her heart, never to be torn out or replaced. She grew to cherish the monthly dinners at the estate and in time, the life she had chosen for herself. Finally, she thought, I am safe. There were smiles. And there was laughter. But to be truly happy, she knew she needed one more thing.

Love.

It was a lesson that she had failed to learn time and time again. But a heart that bled as heavily as hers could never truly be stilled. In the arms of every lover she took, she was always searching for something more. She longed for a relationship that lasted longer than a night, for someone who took the time to get to know her, that would cherish her the way she believed she deserved. Was it so much to ask? She would think, tears rolling down her cheek. But, although she left a piece of herself in each client she took, she failed to find the one – and it was all so temporary. Some were ashamed of her. Some objected to the crime ring she counted herself a part of. In the end, she hadn’t figured out that the person she was looking for had been under her nose the entire time. It was late one night – and Remy was a surprise guest. Celeste had begged the last one to stay, swearing they could make it work, but had been left alone anyway. It was Remy who had caught her, with that damned smile of theirs. No one can understand this life. Not like you or I. I would never be ashamed of you. Celeste had raised her eyes to meet theirs – and found herself falling.

The rest, as they say, is history.

PRESENT:

Happiness has been a long time coming – but finally, it has fallen within Celeste’s grip, never to be surrendered. You cannot call her a Queen, but she’s something of a Princess within the Arcana Ring, adored by the masses, occupying the top rung at L’Empire Rouge and blushing with the flush of true love. They say that beauty fades, but Celeste’s is blossoming. She is magnificent – and she knows it. Vanity and pride are ugly, but they look appealing splashed across her features. Blissfully ignorant to the stirrings of war at her side, her focus is consumed wholly by the woman who occupies her bed and holds her as she falls asleep – a loyalty that no one – and nothing – could ever break, which is probably why no one has even tried. Although currently blind to the rumblings of change around her, she cannot remain ignorant forever and soon, war will find a place at her doorstep. Should that happen, no one would even need to question her stance – for her heart will always win. Despite that, the Arcana Ring is her family – and she would never wish to see them fractured. To Celeste, sticking together – and uniting behind Remy – is the best course of action. In the midst of war, she would be the white flag, a little naïve as she advocates for peace and reconciliation. But should fighting break out, should she be forced to gear up and smudge paint across her cheeks, she knows what side she’s on.

PERSONALITY:

So much of who Celeste is has been shaped by her past experiences. She is very much a product of her childhood and the legacies that it has carved out upon her body. She strives for safety and security, investing so much of who she is in people and putting stock in them – because those are the things that were denied to her as a child, so have become what she craves. It’s a little naïve of her at times – but is very much an active choice – fulfilling the promises she made to herself when she was just a little girl – and didn’t know any better. Despite that, Celeste is a myriad of complications. She is something of an idealistic dreamer, the girl who believes in soulmates and happy endings, who wants nothing more than to impress everyone, under pressure from their expectations, but possesses something of a hidden edge too – a desire to remain on top, as well as being a little vain – craving the comfort of beautiful material goods. And yet, ultimately, those flaws stem from her childhood experiences, from the denial of things and forever desiring denied attention and affection. Ultimately, Celeste is someone who wants the simplest pleasures in life, a family to adore, to love and be loved in return. And in that sense, she is the most human of us all.

Extra:

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Personality Analysis: X

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http://time.com/5253199/royal-obsession-psychology/

By now, you likely know that Prince William and Kate Middleton had their third child, joining older siblings George and Charlotte. You likely also know that Prince Harry is set to marry American actor Meghan Markle next month. Perhaps you even know that the royal wedding will be held at St. George’s Chapel, and will include a lemon- and elderflower-flavored cake and a teenage cellist.

In short: The royals have infiltrated our collective consciousness. The question is, why?

“We’re social animals,” says Dr. Frank Farley, a professor and psychologist at Temple University and a former American Psychological Association president. “With famous media figures, people we learn about, celebrities, et cetera, we often live some of our lives through them.”

Farley says this falls under the label of “parasocial behavior,” which can create a one-sided relationship in which someone becomes attached to a person without actually interacting with them in any meaningful way. Parasocial behavior could include becoming emotionally invested in your favorite television show or sports team — or, say, in the lives and dramas of the royal family.

Celebrities, in particular, may capture this sort of attention because they illustrate the things we’ve been taught to covet, however subconsciously. “We all have dreams of wealth and fame and happiness and style and social influence and so on, which starts early with fairy tales and the way we raise our kids,” Farley says, adding that it plays into our deep-seated attraction to heroism. “That stays with us, to some extent, through our lives. Royals and other people, like Hollywood figures and Kardashian types, keep that phenomenon alive.”

Constant media exposure also creates a feedback loop. Because people are interested in celebrities, media outlets keep covering them. And because celebrities are constantly in the media, people take notice. The cycle repeats, over and over again.

“We live in a media-saturated time,” Farley says. “In a sense, there’s no escape. Some people will become interested in the details.”

While social media has likely only exacerbated this effect, the concept of celebrity worship is a long-standing one. Lynn McCutcheon, editor of the North American Journal of Psychology, began researching the phenomenon in 2001, and since then more than 50 studies have been dedicated to the topic.

In McCutcheon’s seminal paper on celebrity worship, published in 2002 by the British Journal of Psychology, he and his colleagues sorted fans into four categories, based on their responses to a 23-point Celebrity Attitude Scale. Those on the lowest end of the spectrum, according to the research, merely watched or read about celebrities on their own. Those in the first category of true celebrity worship turned the activity into a social pursuit, sharing and discussing it with others. This type of behavior is usually harmless, McCutcheon says, and “most of the people that we call celebrity worshippers never get beyond this.”

Some, however, cross into more concerning territory. In the second category, people may become obsessed with a particular person, or begin to believe that they’re soulmates or have a close, personal relationship. In the third category — which is both the rarest and most dangerous — they may even perform extreme behaviors such as stalking, McCutcheon says.

Certain traits may predispose people to higher levels of celebrity worship, including anxiety, general irresponsibility and difficulty forming close relationships, McCutcheon says. (Loneliness and lower intelligence may also be related, albeit to a lesser extent.) Evidence also suggests that gambling addicts are more likely to be celebrity worshippers, McCutcheon says.

The media also plays a part. “All the latest media have contributed to [celebrity worship],” McCutcheon says. “It makes it easier for people to feel like they are really attached to somebody, other than a mere parasocial attachment.”

But why have the royals, in particular, captured the eyes and hearts of the public — and why are Americans arguably more captivated than Brits?

The language and history shared by the U.S. and the U.K. is important. “The very fact that [the monarchy] has continued [in Britain] is a curiosity for us: That’s the royal family we got rid of, in a sense,” Farley says.

But unlike in Farley’s native Canada — a former British colony where monarchical influence is still present, if largely symbolic — Americans, who “threw the bums out a long time ago,” are able to look back on this history purely with curiosity, he says. “You can view it as entertainment, an interesting story we’ve got going here” — especially now, as Markle, a divorced American and a woman of color, marries into the British monarchy.

And even though Farley argues that the royals, by virtue of their inherited status, stand in opposition to self-made American values, he says there’s something alluring about following the lives of a family that makes it look easy.

“Life is hard, and becoming a success is difficult,” Farley says. “Look at these people: They inherited wealth, and social influence, and style, and fame, and they live this fairy tale life in castles — all the stuff that we grow up on.”

There’s nothing wrong with getting caught up in the details of a wedding you’ll never attend, or holding your breath as you wait for the royal baby’s name to be announced, McCutcheon says, so long as you keep perspective.

The post New story in Health from Time: Why People Are Obsessed With the Royals, According to Psychologists appeared first on OMNI POP MAG.

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The Best Korean Dramas on Netflix to Watch Right Now

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South Korea is one of the world’s biggest exporters of popular culture. From K-pop to K-dramas, Parasite to BTS, the East Asian country knows how to reach an international audience. Korean TV, especially K-dramas, have long been of interest to western markets, but it’s no longer just the Korean diaspora or romance drama fans underserved by western markets checking out K-dramas, international watchers of Korean dramas have become much more “mainstream” in the last few years, especially with Netflix’s increased focus and investment in the region.

Netflix has played a major role in this expansion of Korean TV into the global market. The streamer has not only scooped up an impressive backlog of Korean originals as a global distributor, but, since 2016, has been investing in the Korean TV industry at the production level. At the beginning of 2021, Netflix released an official statement announcing the leasing of two production facilities outside of Seoul, citing the move as “another important example of our continued commitment to investing in Korea’s creative ecosystem.” According to the release, from 2015 to 2020, Netflix invested over 700 million dollars in Korean content. The company also has multi-year content partnerships with CJ ENM/Studio Dragon and JTBC.

Suffice to say, Netflix has a solid Korean TV section, filled with some of the best K-dramas around, both new and old. If you’re new to the world of Korean TV or if you’re simply looking for your next watch, why not try out one of the following…

Crash Landing On You (2019)

The absolute top secret love story of a chaebol heiress who made an emergency landing in North Korea because of a paragliding accident and a North Korean special officer who falls in love with her and who is hiding and protecting her.

If you’re at all tapped into the K-drama scene, then you have at least heard of Crash Landing on You if not binged it multiple times. An original production from Netflix, Crash Landing On You pairs rom-com and character drama elements with an exploration of the cultural pain inherent in the separation between North and South Korea. With charismatic and vulnerable performances from veteran K-drama leads Son Ye-jin as South Korean heiress Yoon Se-ri and Hyun Bin as North Korean soldier Ri Jeong-hyeok; some gorgeous production values; and a memorably melodramatic soundtrack, Crash Landing On You is a whirlwind action-romance that was one of the best shows of 2020, full stop.

Kingdom (2019-present)

In a kingdom defeated by corruption and famine, a mysterious plague spreads to turn the infected into monsters. The crown prince, framed for treason and desperate to save his people, sets out on a journey to unveil what evil lurks in the dark.

If you prefer your TV more horror-driven, Korean TV has some notable shows for you. One of the most internationally popular is Kingdom, a historical zombie drama about a 17th century crown prince who has to fight against a mysterious plague of flesh-eating zombies that threatens to overtake his kingdom. Most K-dramas are structured to tell their entire story in one season, but Kingdom has already had two seasons with a third on the way, as well as a one-off special that just premiered on Netflix called Kingdom: Ashin of the North. If you’re looking to get into a longer-running K-drama that favors horror over romance, this could be the one for you.

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)

Desperate to escape from his emotional baggage and the heavy responsibility he’s had all his life, a psychiatric ward worker begins to heal with help from the unexpected—a woman who writes fairy tales but doesn’t believe in them.

There’s still a taboo around addressing mental illness in Korea, which is one of the many reasons why this 2020 drama about Gang-tae, a young man who is a caregiver at a psychiatric hospital, and Moon-young, a children’s author living with antisocial personality disorder, made such a splash. While the romance at its center is great, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay really shines in its exploration of Gang-tae’s relationship with his brother, Sang-tae, who is on the autism spectrum. In a press conference promoting the show (via Metro Style), Sang-tae actor Oh Jung-se said of the character: “If you meet someone like Sang-tae, who is on the autism spectrum, on the street, I think it would be nice if people could think ‘I would like to be with that person’ instead of ‘I would like to help that person.’”

Boys Over Flowers (2009)

Unassuming high school girl Jan-di stands up to — and eventually falls for — a spoiled rich kid who belongs to the school’s most powerful clique.

A K-drama classic, Boys Over Flowers follows working class student Geum Jan-di as she arrives at the elite Shinhwa High School on scholarship, only to meet and be unimpressed by a group of privileged boys known collectively as F4 who rule the school. The drama follows Jan-di as she goes from bullying target of F4 leader Jun-pyo to the object of his obsession. It’s a classic enemies-to-lovers set-up, and one that while cliche, is still worth a watch over a decade later.

Itaewon Class (2020)

On the vibrant streets of Itaewon, something is about to shake up the local food scene. Going up against the most powerful conglomerate in the industry, underdog Park Sae-ro-yi and his band of determined misfits seek to take over Itaewon and turn their ambitious dreams into reality.

Korean TV knows how to melodrama, and this story of revenge and romance set in Seoul’s popular Itaewon area leans into intense catharsis. Itaewon Class follows Park Sae-Ro-Yi, the owner of an up-and-coming Itaewon restaurant called DanBam that becomes a refuge for a group of social outcasts. Together, they work to take down the same business mogul responsible for the death of Sae-Ro-Yi’s father years earlier. Itaewon Class was extremely popular both in South Korea and internationally, and featured the first transgender character in a mainstream K-drama. Added bonus: the Itaewon Class soundtrack includes an original song from BTS’ V.

Mr Sunshine (2018)

In 1905, a Korean American U.S. marine officer returns to his homeland on a diplomatic assignment. Coping with his painful past in Korea as an orphaned servant boy, he finds himself in a complicated relationship with an aristocrat’s daughter.

If you’re into historically-driven period drama, then check out the beautifully-shot Mr. Sunshine. The K-drama is set in the late 19th and early 20th century in Hanseong, the city that would become Seoul and follows activists fighting for Korea’s independence. The story follows Go Ae-shin, an orphaned noblewoman who trains to be a sniper in the Righteous Army, the civilian militia that fought against the occupying Japanese forces, and Eugene Choi, a man who escaped slavery in Korea to become a U.S. marine, only to return to his homeland where he falls in love with Ae-shin. The series uses real-life history, including Shinmiyangyo, the Spanish-American War, the assassination of Empress Myeongseong, the Russo-Japanese War, Gojong’s forced abdication, and the Battle of Namdaemun as a backdrop for its epic story.

Signal (2016)

A cold-case profiler in 2015 and a detective in 1989 work together to solve a series of related murders spanning three decades using a special walkie-talkie to communicate with each other.

This premise has been used a lot—from 2000 Dennis Quaid/Jim Caviezel thriller Frequency to the 2016 CW TV adaptation of the same name—and for good reason. An analog device allows two people to communicate across time, and they must work to solve a murder together. It not only makes for compelling character drama, as two people become closer but are separated by years, but also is a fresh twist on the serial killer narrative. In K-drama Signal, the analog device is a walkie-talkie, and the characters on either temporal side of it are contemporary criminal profiler Park Hae-young and 1989-based Detective Cha Soo-hyun. If you’re looking for a good crime thriller, Signal could be it.

Hospital Playlist (2020-present)

Friends since undergrad school, five doctors remain close and share a love for music while working at the same hospital.

Like Kingdom, Hospital Playlist is the rare K-drama that tells its story across multiple seasons. The hospital drama is currently airing its second season weekly on Netflix, continuing its story about a group of doctors in their 40s who have been best friends since medical school. A true ensemble drama, Hospital Playlist is perfect for fans of Grey’s Anatomy but feels unique in its centering of a friend-group with a such a long history.

Vincenzo (2021)

If you just watched the dramatic opening of Vincenzo, set in Italy days after the death of a mafia boss, you might think you’re in for a self-serious organized crime drama. But the Netflix K-drama quickly shifts into a story much more tonally complex. Part romance, part drama, part action thriller, Vincenzo has something for everyone. It follows Vincenzo (Space Sweepers‘ Song Joong-ki), a Korean lawyer raised by an Italian mafia family who must flee the country following his father’s death. As part of his plan of escape, Vincenzo travels to Korea to recover a stash of hidden gold under an old apartment building set for demolition by a corrupt corporation called the Babel Group. Because of this dilemma, Vincenzo becomes unlikely allies with the group of eccentric citizens who live in the building, as well as with a passionate and moral lawyer who has a vendetta against the Babel Group for his own reasons.

The “Reply” Series (2012-2016)

Take a nostalgic trip back to the late 1980s through the lives of five families and their five teenage kids living in a small neighborhood in Seoul.

The Reply series is one of the most popular cable dramas in Korean TV history. It launched in 2012 with Reply 1997 before continuing with Reply 1994 in 2013 and Reply 1988 in 2015. The ambitiously-structured series follows a group of friends and their kids, telling the story in present-day in addition to flashbacks. Featuring a fun soundtrack, as well as some incredibly performances, the Reply series is well worth a watch for anyone who loves character drama with a nostalgic twist.

Prison Playbook (2017)

With only days before his major league baseball debut, pitcher Kim Je-hyeok unexpectedly lands himself behind bars. He must learn to navigate his new world with its own rules if he wants to survive.

Prison Playbook is much more slow-paced than many of the selections on the list, but this character drama is worth the dedication. Though it’s often touted as a “black comedy,” it’s much more tonally light than that suggests, despite the subject matter. The story follows baseball pitcher Kim Je Hyeok, who is incarcerated days before his major league debut for assaulting the attempted rapist of his sister. It follows his life within prison, along with the lives of some of the other inmates and guards, including his old best friend, Lt. Lee Joon Ho, who is a correctors officer. Created by Lee Woo-jung, who also made the aforementioned Reply series, Prison Playbook is one of the most popular K-dramas in Korean cable history ever.

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Sweet Home (2020)

As humans turn into savage monsters, one troubled teenager and his neighbors fight to survive and to hold onto their humanity.

It’s been well-documented that Song Kang is a K-drama darling. The actor has appeared in many a romantic K-drama, including Netflix’s Nevertheless and Love Alarm. Sweet Home, however, is his rare horror appearance, and it’s well worth a watch just to see Song in a completely different context. Of course, this apocalyptic horror story has other qualities too, and holds the honor of being the first Korean series to enter the U.S. Netflix Top Ten. Based on a Naver (aka Korean Google) webcomic of the same name, Sweet Home follows Cha Hyun-soo (Song), a high school student who moves into an apartment building after the deaths of his parents, only to discover that the building also happens to be the home of a species of monsters set on world domination.

Nevertheless (2021)

Speaking of Song Kang… At the time of this writing, Netflix is currently airing Nevertheless, the latest K-drama to star the 27-year-old actor. The romantic drama stars Han So-hee as Yoo Na-bi, university art student who no longer believes in love following discovering her boyfriend has been cheating on her. When she meets Song’s Park Jae-eon, she is immediately intrigued. Though the two share an immediate attraction, they resist entering into a relationship due to their respective uncertainties about love. Based on a popular webcomic of the same name, Nevertheless feels unique in its treatment of modern dating life in Korea, depicting some of the more realistic, often internal struggles of what its like to date in your 20s.

Memories of the Alhambra (2018)

If you’re looking for another K-drama starring Crash Landing on You‘s Hyun Bin (and of course you are), then look no further than Memories of the Alhambra, a 2018 K-drama with an absolutely batshit (read: amazing) premise. Hyun stars as Yoo Jin-woo, a CEO who travels to Spain in search of the creator of an AR game set in the Spanish medieval fortress Alhambra. Once there, Jin-woo is pulled into a reality-bending mystery with life-or-death stakes and some unpredictable twists that I don’t want to spoil for you.

Romance is a Bonus Book (2019)

A gifted writer who’s the youngest editor-in-chief ever at his publishing company gets enmeshed in the life of a former copywriter desperate for a job.

Ostensibly based on the TV series Younger, Romance is a Bonus Book is a rom-com set in the publishing industry world. It follows single mom Kang Dan Yi as she struggles to reenter the workforce following her divorce. When he lies about her background to get a job, her life becomes tangled up with childhood friend and publishing phenom Cha Eun Ho.

I began watching this series to see how it compared to the U.S. version of the show, of which I am a fan. Honestly, these two series have only the most superficial details of their plots in common, which is par for the course in many adaptations. Romance is a Bonus Book is much more romance-centric than Younger, which balances the love life of its central protagonist with the many other relationships and concerns she has in her life. But that isn’t a bad thing. They are two very different shows with their own interests and strengths, but if you’re a fan of both rom-coms and the publishing industry, then both Romance is a Bonus Book and Younger are worth a watch.

What is your favorite K-drama on Netflix? And what upcoming Netflix K-dramas are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below?

The post The Best Korean Dramas on Netflix to Watch Right Now appeared first on Den of Geek.

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