#I need more people to fall for him like me he’s so underrated it’s insane

[ashchoo]

I’m so crazy for him hehehe

[thebirdsareafterme]

maxiel, galex, scaniel, brocedes!

OOOH OK I am ready.

Maxiel: makes sense, compels the FUCK out of me

I genuinely don’t think there’s been a ship that has compelled me like Maxiel. They make me so insane and I’ve spent the last 8 months of my life going up and down all 200ish AO3 pages in the tag like some kind of deranged possum, searching for more Maxiel content. They just make so much sense in my mind. You have Max, who has been taught his entire life that his only purpose in life is to win races, who is this angry, strung up little kid when he first joins F1…and then he meets Daniel, who is so kind and charismatic and has always been taught to enjoy the moment and the process of it all and just treats him with so much love even when he’s not winning or when he’s getting criticized by the media…and Max finally learns how to enjoy life outside of racing for the first time. Even outside of the general RPF scene of it all, the absolute pivotal Maxiel moments are so important and have so much significance in the grand scheme of the sport. Daniel leaving Red Bull because of Max (to an extent) which then caused a ripple effect on a whole bunch of people’s careers and ultimately led to the Horrors that we are currently living through, but at the end of the day, it’s about “If it can’t be me, I’m glad it’s him” and that fastest lap into “Thank you, Daniel.” Yeah, I could talk about them for DAYS if given the chance.

Galex: makes sense, compels me

They’re everythingggg to me. I love the childhood friends to lovers thing they have going on. The Galex lore is so interesting, like the throat infection incident, the collarbone biking accident, the whole thing about George being Alex’s hype man/personal photographer as a kid… underrated ship fr. They have the best chemistry and their sense of humour actually work so well together, and I NEED more content from them. I also CANNOT ship either of them with anyone else because it just does! Not! Work! In my head. They are each other’s ride or die and I love that for them.

Scaniel: makes sense, does not compel me

I love their friendship a lot and I think they have so much weird gay energy between them, but unfortunately my day one Daniel ship is still Maxiel. I think Scaniel has potential for growth, but unfortunately they do kinda give off besties to me. I will admit they have had some good, shippable moments, but Scotty just feels like a straight man in my mind. I think it’s just the DR effect (every man within a 5 mile radius falls in love with him) that drives this ship forward tbh.

Brocedes: makes sense, compels me A LOT

THIS is THE SHIP of all ships. The lore goes so hard and it’s so devastating to me. I’m a sucker for a good childhood friends to lovers to enemies storyline, so they are right up my alley. It’s just the most insane story that when I tried explaining it to my casual F1 fan friend, they asked me if it was from a movie and I was like NO! This is irl!!! The way that they have a 6 hour, 3 part YouTube docuseries about their relationship is crazy. No other ship has as much angst as them, and no one will ever come close to being them. It’s the way that they fundamentally are a part of each other’s careers and that you cannot mention one without the other, it’s the way that Nico talks about that era of his life and how he could only stomach their childhood favourite cereal on the weekend before cinching the championship, how he ruined his body and soul to beat Lewis and how his retirement changed Lewis’ whole outlook on the sport!!! And through it all, there is an awkward third-wheel in the form of either Daniel Ricciardo or Sebastian Vettel just smiling through the most disgusting vibes a room could ever have, which, in my opinion, adds to the whole drama of the ship. This ship has so much narrative and character and it is so so devastating to think about, I need to see or make a Brocedes movie before I die.

[pagannatural]

2.17 Heart

- this episode can’t really be called underrated but it makes me insane in a special and specific way that needs airing

-Dean is cleaning their guns and geeking out about how cool werewolves are, how they haven’t seen one since they were kids, and how good it is to know how to handle the situation, and Sam is teasing him. This callback to their shared childhood is important.

-Dean asks Sam their next step the way a teacher asks their student because Sam is still learning hunting from Dean. Sam answers correctly, looking like he’s trying not to smile and looks down and then up at Dean. He looks like he’s flirting. He loves seeing Dean happy.

- Madison tells the brothers that the victim was the kind of guy to hit on everyone in a five mile radius after a few scotches, you know the type, and Sam at first smiles knowingly. But then he looks over at Dean, who’s smiling his fuck-me smile at Madison, and his face falls. “Yeah, I do, actually,” he says.

Dean’s interest in Madison (and other women in general) really bothers him in this moment.

- Dean tells Madison someone needs to stay with her in case the werewolf shows up. The moment she leaves the room Sam tells Dean “you go, I’ll stay” with this expression that seems very serious, not like he’s just wanting to be the one who spends time with the pretty woman.

They decide to settle this the old fashioned way which is rock-paper-scissors (ro-sham-bo). Another callback to their childhood. Sam wins because Dean always chooses scissors which is honestly fascinating to me— I would have guessed Dean would pick rock because it’s the solid strong masculine option and because Sam would choose paper, but of course Dean chooses the tool, the blades. Sam grasps Dean’s arm after and his hand lingers. Again, he does not seem to have done this out of any interest in Madison, it seems like he just doesn’t want to witness Dean with her.

-This is not the face of a man who likes this woman

It reminds me of how he acted around Sarah In Provenance. He has to perform liking her for Dean, but he never shows any signs of genuine interest. Madison even dumps a basket of delicates onto the table in front of him to fold and he scrunches up his face and moves to the couch.

- Sam observes that Madison is smart and independent and asks her why she was with a stalker, and she answers that it’s not like he introduced himself like Hi I’m possessive and controlling and I like to punch people. She also says he’s wanted by the police, and that she was too insecure to leave until she realized she could take control of her life.

Madison and Sam are set up as direct parallels. She ends up being a monster without even knowing and without intending any harm, which is what Sam fears. Also, the way she’s describing her ex-boyfriend sounds a lot like Dean: possessive, controlling, likes punching people, wanted by the police. I think Dean has a lot of very redeemable qualities and for the most part he treats Sam very kindly, but he is all those things. It’s also how Sam would describe John, who he got away from by taking control of his life. The difference is that Sam actually wants to be with Dean.

- Dean kills the first werewolf in this episode. The werewolf is dying in the street and Dean stands over him and watches him turn back into a scared and confused man right before he dies. Dean obviously doesn’t enjoy seeing a man lose his life, and it complicates his earlier excitement over hunting a werewolf. The grown-up version of this hunt isn’t fun any more.

- Dean can see how Sam cares about Madison because he relates to her, and the way he watches Sam is so tender and protective. When Madison hugs Sam, Dean watches them with such bittersweet understanding

and then excuses himself very obviously so that Sam and Madison can fuck. Which they do. Which is just wild.

Because Sam decides to have sex with the first woman since Jessica because 1) Dean tells him to and 2) he sees this woman as the version of himself that gets to live without becoming a monster

- when Sam knocks frantically on his door, Dean opens up, knowing right away something is wrong and reassuring Sam that they’ll find her. The way that Sam runs straight to Dean’s door when he’s scared and needs help and Dean is right there without another thought is very romantic tropey.

-Sam yells at Dean because Dean’s willing to kill Madison without question but unwilling to kill Sam no matter what he does including murder. Dean looks a little jostled to be confronted by this, but I think to him it’s just so clear that Sam is a special and specific category from the rest of humanity and creation that he doesn’t see or doesn’t care about the hypocrisy. Sam is the center of his universe and his entire system of values. Everyone on earth or in hell is either Sam or Not Sam. It’s funny because Sam is like this about Dean too, but he just accepts it.

-Dean explains the situation to Madison calmly and honestly. It’s the decent thing to do, and also the difficult thing. He’s not cold or numb to the work, but he is able to handle it and keep his head as long as it’s not about Sam.

-Madison asks Sam to be the one to kill her and Dean watches Sam struggle. He’s been watching Sam carefully and protectively this entire episode.

-She uses language so similar to the language Sam uses to beg Dean to kill him—asking for help, saying she wants it to be him who does it, “I’m asking you to save me.” She tries to hand Sam the gun.

Dean gets up at this point and stands behind Madison, his eyes on Sam as he moves, and slowly takes the gun out of her hands. This shifts the focus off Madison and solely onto the brothers for the remainder of the episode.

His eyes stay on Sam’s as he does this, and Sam is somehow looking up at Dean pleadingly. His romantic interest is begging him for help with tears in her eyes in what will be the last moments of her life and Sam is staring at Dean behind her.

The sexual relationship between Sam and Madison is explicitly compared to Dean and Sam’s relationship. It wasn’t necessary for the werewolf character to be a woman who Sam sleeps with—the very first woman that he is with since Jessica. She’s the stand-in for Sam in this case, and Sam is put in Dean’s shoes.

The brothers go into the other room and Dean assures Sam he doesn’t have to do this, that he’ll handle it. He wants to take care of Sam and spare him this, just like he has since they were children, but he can’t this time. Sam feels he has to because she asked him, and asks Dean for the gun.

It’s a very intentional choice that Sam won’t do this for Madison until he has to ask Dean, and that in the end it’s a conversation between the brothers that forms the emotional tension and climax of the episode. Dean did what Sam needed him to do by being the one to give him the choice: let me protect you from this or do it yourself. Before, the choice was more about Madison. Now it’s about Sam and Dean’s relationship.

- Sam looks back at Dean before he walks away, like a frightened child who needs help because he really doesn’t want to do this, but he knows it’s the right thing to do as a hunter. In doing this, Sam has played out the two things from Madison that he wants from Dean, that Dean can never give him— Dean will never let their relationship become physical, and he will never kill Sam.

The camera stays on Dean’s face as the gun goes off and the episode ends. Dean can’t save Sam from this, he can’t protect him from one of the responsibilities that comes with their lives as hunters. He’s terrified that he won’t be able to save Sam at all. The days when he could take care of Sam and shield him are over, and they both have to leave that part of their childhood behind. It’s not that Dean can’t save Sam in the end, because at the end of all of this their love for each other is what saves the world. It’s that their innocence can’t survive what’s coming. They have to grow up and face the realities of their lives. Their incestuous love for each other is one of those realities, but they aren’t there yet.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPP what is your honest view on Jimin biases?

***

A lot of y'all are down bad for that man. Down something horrendous my goodness.

Not that I blame you though.

*

Btw, I was watching fancams with friends again last night and we played this one:

How does he move the way he does? /gen. You can see the strength he infuses into every move, down to his fingertips when he dances.

Do you see that form?

(???)

There are many dancers in k-pop who impress me, some I'd place in the best dancers globally, but Jimin is easily the top ranked in nearly every category IMO, no matter the context. He's a real artist. It's not in him to half-ass a performance, no matter his condition. He gives his all and that's something that both inspires and troubles me about him.

I don't even bias him and Jimin induces some insanity in me from time to time. It's just what he is. Nobody who pays attention to him can react normally to him, everyone gets drawn disproportionately to him. Imagine how tiring that must be for him to know sometimes. And no offense to Jimin biases but I genuinely believe you have to be a little bit off kilter to be able to commit to being chosen by him.

Because Jimin is the sort of person you need... space to love.

Jimin is..

Jimin uses whatever misalignment is in you, eases his way into you to fix that offset, remove that imbalance. The way he is... when you fall under his effect it's like he takes up space inside you. As though he deserves and will take nothing less. In my honest opinion that's one way I perceive him. But then you open your eyes and realize the man is the softest marshmallow, a kind and truly measured person with exceptional emotional and practical intelligence. A Slytherin to the bone, a living shape-shifter, so attuned and sensitive to everything.

And he doesn't really demand anything. He's just so loved people want to commit to supporting him. His charismatic idol persona is just as attractive as his naturally shy but mischievous personality off the clock. It really doesn't get much more perfect than this for any celebrity ever.

Like, sometimes I wonder if Jimin goes to bed at night fearing he might one day destroy k-pop. In real practical terms. I wonder if Jimin agonizes over the fact that he's the most dangerous person in the industry. Knowing him, he probably doesn't but it's still something that as I've said before, needs to be said.

(Between you and me, I think he's yet to come to terms with it. Poor lad.)

Anyway, Jimin biases are actually in love with the man and I'd like to present some evidence both as a self-confession, and in support.

Exhibits

(...)

*

(Do you remember where you were the first time you noticed he has a dimple?)

*

(His look for this shoot is criminally underrated. He had easily the best chic styling for any idol in 2021.)

*

(Orange, yellow, and bright mustard are all good colours on him.)

*

(Yeah.... he's something else.)

*

Alright, now that I've answered this one, that's enough of the Jimin bias asks for now. I'll be ignoring all the rest for the next while.

Remember to keep streaming. :)

[the-daiz]

Speed-o’-sound sonic, falling inlove?

Genre; fluff, hcs

pairing; Speed-o’-sound sonic x reader

A/N: THIS IS VERY LONG, I REPEAT, VERY LONG HEADCANONS!!! Anyhow no joke I’ve been obsessed with sonic for like 2 years now. Like non stop, its actually insane, I HATE THAT HE’S SO UNDERRATED MAN, i need more content of him 😞

There are only 2 possible answers: protective OR full blown unhealthy obsession (aka yandere)

me personally, I’m more leaning into the Protective maybe stalker-y instead of the obsessive sonic. Sonic in the show honestly navigates his emotions better than most of the people in my life so…

He’s hesitant at first, almost unsure of what the hell he’s feeling. That little flutter in his chest, that almost ghostly force that pulls his gaze towards you, that sharp yet gentle impale that strikes him in the chest whenever you catch him staring. It almost irritates him.

perhaps he was sick. Or maybe his subconscious was picking up on something dangerous emitting from you that he couldn’t sense…? Whatever it was, it kept pulling him back to you, whether it was to watch you walk through the streets as he hid in the shadows, (he convinced himself that you were up to something and planning for his downfall so he must keep an eye on you.) Or “bumping” into you while you’re grocery shopping. (He blushes when you wave at him) or even pass by your house and watch you as you sleep (wtf??? Well in his defense he only watches you for a minute or two then leaves haha)

When he picks up nothing weird about you, or nothing that would point to you being a threat to him, he starts becoming increasingly frustrated by these new set of emotions. He honestly takes a moment to himself to think, maybe while he’s training or taking a bath in a lake.

Sonic may have lived most of his life isolated in a ninja village, but it wasn’t like he never heard of romance (though he does detest it and deem it a waste of time, space, effort, strength, anything you could think of, really…) and he’s definitely seen it with how comfortable people are with PDA in the outside world.

but when he realizes… DENY AVOID DENY AVOUD, well, only for awhile, when he realizes that denying these feelings weren’t going to do anything but intensify them and even interfere with his day-to-day life. He decided he had to accept those feelings, and inturn, overcome them!

In order to overcome these feelings, he needed to understand why he had them to begin with. So he stalks you. Ten times more than he used to. Watching your every move, every decision, EVERY TURN. Picking up on every little quirk and action you did, the good ones, the bad ones, the embarrassing/awkward ones… and he found he was infatuated by all of them.

“why am I getting so much goosebumps these days… It’s like someones breathing against my ear.” -Y/N

Those minute-or-two stares at you while uou were sleeping, became longer as he memorized every smooth end, bump and feature on your enchanting face.

he tried to approach you after he realized his feelings, but oh, no, he did not expect his heart to be beating this fast, or his face to feel this hot, or his hands to feel this sweaty. When you spot him and give him a very normal greeting. He’s frozen in place and so incredibly hot. He dashes off with no further explanation, leaving you confused, but not questioning too much since he wasn’t the most normal individual from the start anyway.

Everytime he tries to say anything to you, he just stumbles and stutters, then quickly disappears in sheer humiliation.

He decides to just avoid you, but he can’t even do that with the way his mind keeps nagging at him about you. Constantly making everything he sees somehow trail right back to you. Oh do you see that? It’s a black bird! Y/N wore a black coat that one day. Is that a shoe? Mannn Y/N loves [shoe brand name]. *Sonic staring down at his hands* …Y/N has real nice hands- FUCK

One thing tho is that his interest in you doesn’t completely consume the rest of his life, he still can manage his life as normal as possible along with his training and rivalry with Saitama, it’s just a lot more of his time is spent thinking about/stalking you.

after lots and lots of trying , he found that he couldn’t get rid of the constricting feelings in his heart. And he didn’t even want to anymore, he almost adored how it made him feel. How you made him feel.

his love language is acts of service, he’s not good with physical touch or words of affirmation. So instead of trying to have a conversation with you, he starts doing more stuff for you. Watering your flowers when you forget (how does he know you forgot?? Creepy.) sweeping the dust away from your balcony with his speed. Or maybe help you with grocery shopping once he finally stops stumbling over his words as much.

How I’d imagine he’d confess, is if you confronted him first, considering his over all personality and lifestyle, the way he acts towards youis definitely not normal, its not hard to pick up on that. He denies it at first, just for a little while cause he is kind of embarrassed, but after realizing this might be the only way to successfully confront his feelings, he does confess to you, but isnt really romantic about it. More like “Yeah, I’m interested in you.” And just looks elsewhere with his brows arched downwards as usual, waiting for whatever your response might be.

OR

If he stays stuck with his feelings for you to the point he can’t handle not really engaging with them (and I mean like holding hands or being close to you in general…) he’ll confess, again with the same blunt attitude but he’ll be more awkward about it like, I kinda wanna hold your hand sometimes, or stand next to you, or stare at your face, I think?

or he just kills you (and falls into a deep state of depression, Ill write about that scenario later, maybe)

ANYWAY, when his feelings are reciprocated, he’s just like “why??” not because he’s actually confused on why you like him, well, he is a little confused, as he is not the typical lover boy… but he mainly just wants his ego to be stroked by the person he’s been crazy over for the past few weeks.

again, his love language is acts of service, (and quality time now that he can be as close to you as he wants to be), so he’ll mostly do stuff for you, get your handmade gifts, and little stuff like that. He’ll always sneak into your house through your window, even if there was no problem with him coming thriugh the door. And he just stays there with you. Whatever you’re doing, he’ll just sit there and watch you do it, as you talk to him about your day. It makes him feel at ease, and the warmth he feels sprout in his chest when your voice reaches his ears, or when your bewitching eyes gaze lovingly into his, it makes him feel like he’s about to melt at the spot.

one thing you notice is that he often gets a bit sleepy or dozes off when he’s with you, even if its the middle of the day. It shows how at peace and how off-guard he is around you.

He’s not the romantic type so don’t expect him to give you nicknames, unless they’re insults.

as unexpected as it may seem, he rarely ever hurts your feelings. He’s very vigilant, and has stalked you long enough to know what upsets you and what doesn’t. So although he may be protective and slightly possessive over you, your relationship isn’t really “toxic” or even unhealthy.

if you’re a yapper, then you’re in luck, he LOVES listening to uou talk or gossip or info dump, and he actually listens very well. He doesn’t talk much on his own, you guys can have long conversations though, that’s no issue. But long, solemn silences aren’t a foreign thing in your relationship

but also, when he does talk its mostly about himself, his improvements, and stuff, he lovess when you acknowledge his achievements, especially if he didn’t point them out. I told you, he loves having his ego stroked, especially by you.

as for physical affection…no PDA, lets just get that out of the way, but away from prying eyes… He’s desperate, rough, aggressive and so so needyyyy. His kisses make you feel like he’s searching for something in there istg, you have to tap him aggressively a few times on the shoulder to get him to pull away before you suffocate to death. A lot of the time, your kisses don’t just end at short, simple, cute “kisses”, they lead to makeout sessions quite quickly.

He’s the cockiest, most narcissistic bastard alive btw, loves teasing you like crazy… but that’s all I’m gonna say.

anyway he love love loves you and would kill for you, very very literally.

him from one of the latest chapters omg he’s so pretty im kicking my feet and twirling my HAIIRIIRIRIRID

[leenaur143]

Happy 27th Birthday to the man who deserves a list of 27 reasons (he actually deserves billions) why I love him so much 💖

1. Chris is the most caring person alive. I don't mean this lightly either because to be as selfless and understanding as him takes more than just effort and time, it takes heart and patience (even though he says he has none - we all know he does, in bucketloads). It's weird when even though you don't know the person, you can see their character shine through so well by how they interact with others.

2. He is so kind to others. Being caring doesn't always equal being kind to people but Channie bridges that gap so well through how even when things go wrong or he isn't happy about something, he respects others enough to not let his emotions dictate his actions. He says he is impulsive but when it comes to serious business, he is calm and collected.

3. "Best father of 7 kids" "Oh yeah, who's mum?" "JYP"

4. Can we take a moment to appreciate how insane of a dancer he is??? Sure he isn't part of danceracha nor does he have a burning passion for dance for his solo stuff but WOW. CHRIS TAKE A BOW. I remember seeing Superbowl live and I have no idea what it was about that performance that made me go CHRISTOPHER CHAN. but it did and I've been reliving that moment for months.

5. His songs are too overpowered. WE NEED MORE CHAN POP PLEASE!!!! People hate on Connected and I hate to admit wayyy too much man but like SLUMP??? LEVANTER??? DRIVE??? RED LIGHTS??? 0325???? BLACK HOLE?????? ETERNITY????????????? The list goes on. Insanity.

6. The audacity of this man to say that his voice doesn't sound good- CHRIS! If I had to list my hobbies, I'm pretty sure 'listening to Railways' is high up that list, just so I can hear his voice.

7. Ummmm Bang Chan rapping??? Underrated.

8. We all know how amazing of a composer and producer he is but the fact that he urges non-3racha members to produce more and more is just so beautiful cause you can really see his influence on them and how they trust him to allow them to shine.

9. Him staring at the members from afar in surreal moments. That's it. That's the thing I love.

10. Bang Chansan speaking/singing in Japanese. When he did that cover of LiSA's Gurenge in SKZ Toy World fanmeet BROOOOOO I ASCENDEDDDD

11. He is so loved. This isn't even like a mild thing either because everyone who has the pleasure of meeting him always waxes poetic about how amazing he is: from people who have met him loads of times like Ryan Reynolds who said Chris is his bias since so so so long, to others who meet him once and fall in love like Chris Hemsworth and Nicholas Galitzine at the Fendi Show, his aura is crazy.

12. He is cute. As much as we all crinkle up into a ball when he acts like he is actually foive, LOWKEY LIKE REALLYYYYY LOWKEY he is adorable.

13. That interview with Young K is my comfort interview fr and I know that isn't a thing but now it is. He is truly the maknae of third gen idols and being a fourth gen leader can make him seem older than he is but he truly did 'give up his youth for his future' 🥹 I'm glad it paid off - It's my favourite lyric cause it hits home so so much but I'm sure to him and the boys, it hits even harder - seeing that circle choreo for that 😭 chills literal chills

14. His smile 🥹 Whenever I'm having a bad day, I have one Channie gif that I always come back to and it turns my day around, no matter how tough it is

15. He is so fashionable! Okay, black clothes only is fine, I'm not a hater or I'd be such a hypocrite but when he is dressed up for events or shoots or even music shows, you see how he inputs his own decisions into what he wears and how he wears it and it always EATSSSSS. Can't wait to see him at the next Fendi fashion show!!! Bring him back Riri!!!!

16. He does need to love himself more but I know that he knows how much we love him. It is insurmountable when you think about how many peoples lives he has changed just by being himself 🥹 Okay I can't think about this too much or I'm going to start crying on the train rn (ha railway joke???) no but fr I will weep.

17. His words. The way he says things to inspire us, I still go back to watch his Channies room episode where he talks about anger management because the advice he gives is really impactful. That could just be me because I know I get the best advice from people I admire so much but that can differ for different people

18. Would it be a Chris post if I didn't talk about how much Chan's room helped me? 🥹 I understand and have made my peace but it was amazing. That's all I'll say on the matter because I know he misses it and he knows how much we do too.

19. His interactions with other idols. Whenever you hear an interview about other groups or idols meeting SKZ, they never fail to mention Channie because of how much of a welcoming and kind person he is, to everyone. Of course as Atiny, I would remember Hongjoong's words the most but to inspire people is a talent and Channie has that skill in the bag. (Also number 19 hehe 19 is such a bangerrrr)

20. His presence is such a comfort. I remember I was on Holiday abroad and that was the day he went live on Instagram, showing us his room and his hat collection and everything, and despite the time difference (hehe what's new?) me and my friends tuned in and it was so so amazing. Should I mention Channies room here again.... 👀🥲🤣

21. He is very dependable. Watching the behind the scenes for this summer's festivals was testament to how reliable he is and how not only the members but the staff and the band members trust him to the extent that he was the main port of call if there were decisions to be made or if something went wrong.

22. He is so so so so so gosh darn handsome and I'm never gonna stop saying it, even after he believes it himself. I hope he knows we legit love him for him and we're not just here for his body or whatever else he jokes about. CHRIS WE LOVE YOUUUUU

23. His dad jokes. Need I say more.

24. His selfies! I don't care how infrequent they are or how he just drops them on us at the most bonkers times (always. literally ALWAYS. You have like a pivotal moment in your life and BAM channie selca drop ding ding ding announcement panic panic jaw is dropped)

25. We all know how insecure he is about his hair but I know that we all love him, his hair and all and I definitely don't think he knows that. I truly hope he doesn't feel any pressure from us to change himself because he literally is perfect just the way he is.

26. Hands. Stop I am so normal about him but his hands... the Jeong Yunho level of feral-ness is SO REAL

27. Our Channie is the best leader we could ever ask for.

[shockersalvage]

Salvage Showcase - Monokuma Maid

Back to Danganronpa Zero - the first light novel of this franchise. Last time on this Showcase saga we got a look into the eight in one Naruto case that was Madarai. So for this time, I chose someone who, while not as well known as others in her class, serves the theme of Danganronpa Zero pretty well and gives sight into another underrated aspect of the series.

...Well, that and I also want to talk about the only other prominent original female in that light novel. Look at her! Can you blame me? Presenting Zero’s representation in the Mono department: Monokuma Maid!

Summary

Not much is known about this girl’s past prior to joining the Reserve Course, but she must come from a decently well off family, since she could afford to pay the Course tuition to attend the Academy.

Things changed for her after the Tragedy of Hope’s Peak Academy – where the Student Council were forced to kill each other. Junko would send out a mass email that put the blame on Izuru Kamukura the school’s Ultimate Hope. This would anger the Reserve Course who started to riot. One for their mistreatment and the other for the funds they spent being used to, apparently, make a mass murderer. Junko would then use the footage of the massacre and edited with the knowledge of Ryota Mitarai’s brainwashing methods. Creating the Despair Video, this girl would fall prey to it and be driven insane with despair. Like with the rest of the Reserve Course, she became an underling to the Ultimate Despair.

During the events of Zero, Ryoko would wake up to find herself in the Reserve Course’s secret society and be welcomed by the girl, this time wearing her maid dress and Monokuma mask. Monokuma Maid would guide Ryoko about the base, assuming that Ryoko was testing her, and delve into the Reserve Course’s goal of getting their hands on Izuru. Notably, her own blatant insanity, creepyed Ryoko out so much that she used the excuse of needing to use the restroom to quickly leave her. But, in doing so, Ryoko would learn more about the society’s secrets as well. From how they watched the DV on repeat for thousands of times, to even holding two of the Steering Committee hostage (albeit, one dead and the other tortured before eventually being killed as well).

When Junko finally regained command in the finale, the reason the girl became Monokuma Maid was because Junko was just trying out mascot ideas, but decided that people in costumes wasn’t going to work for her next killing game.

Eventually, like with the rest of the Reserve Course that hadn’t died yet in DR3 or became Izuru, Monokuma Maid would meet her on end on the day the Reserve Course invaded the Main Course side, slaughtering every student that wasn’t in Class 78 or apart of the Ultimate Despair. The RC students would commit suicide after Junko would send them Monokuma’s Gloomy Sunday, otherwise known as the Suicide Video. Be it jumping out of the Main Course building or running into its burning wreckage, Monomaid would have killed herself. The Reserve Course mass suicide would go onto the catalyst for the Tragedy that would end the world.

While polite, quirky and eager to please at first, Monokuma Maid is a girl that’s utterly insane, being prone to violent ranting  and cursing over her plight as a Resrve Course student. She is bitter and disdainful to the school she’s affiliated with it, being utterly disillusioned with it. She holds fierce loyalty to Junko, but laments that she feels that she isn’t capable of truly being Monokuma.

Rundown

I mentioned that Danganronpa Zero’s theme is one of ‘identity’ or, rather, a ‘lack of identity’. Yuto’s whole thing is that he lacks so much presence that people don’t notice him, the Madarai are octuplets that make an effort to be completely indistinguishable from each other to the point people could mistake them as being one person. Monokuma Maid serves this theme from the get-go by way of her own design and name...or lack of it. She is only known as the Monokuma Maid, with her real name being unknown. Her face is complete obscured by her Monokuma mask and her own identity as a maid hammers in the point that she is but a servant. Someone that lives to assist someone else’s life instead of their own. Monomaid’s status compared to the other Reserve Course (that aren’t the Trio most are aware of) is also something to take note of. Sure, while her identity that we know of is literally just a Monokuma Maid, it still marks her as unique compared to the other members of the Reserve Course who get no names, nothing to make them stand out and, in the anime, are depicted as being transparent, near faceless, nobodies. She is unique from the metaphorical faceless crowd solely because she took up a mask to become a literal faceless henchman.

Monokuma Maid easiest point of comparison would be to Mukuro Ikusaba herself. Similarity wise, both are devoted followers of Junko that done disguises or other forms on behalf of their boss. They are also more than willing to go about illegal or immoral actions for the sake of Junko’s plans being completed, with an eagerness to serve her. Though, how they differ, is in their motivations which, strangely enough, Monomaid is more of the autonomous of the two (despite, you know, being brainwashed).

Mukuro’s whole life desire is to serve Junko and make her happy, no matter what, even if it costs the world. Her entire identity is wrapped up in that one desire. Monokuma Maid on the other hand, while essentially being nameless and apart of the masses of underlings involved with Junko, her desire (and by extension the Reserve Courses’s main desire) is to get their hand on the Ultimate Hope and ‘crush him’ as payback, which is why they’re rioting and working with Junko (with video shenanigans for good measure). It's a nice reminder that, despite probably being the least regarded people both in and out of universe in Danganronpa, the Reserve Course’s goal prior to their mass suicide did come from a genuine independent grudge beyond Junko and persists even as they became her underlings.

Personal Thoughts

I really loved Monokuma Maid in terms of design and what aspect she brought to the prequel to the original game. The idea that concept of Monokuma needing to go through stages before becoming the bear that we all knows and, probably, love is a great addition to the world.

Monokuma Maid also serves as a great gateway to a rather undertalked about aspect of Danganronpa, that being the Reserve Course. It’s easy to dismiss them as just ‘Junko’s brainwashed puppets’ ( + three named others of varying importance) and call it a day (DR3 certainly chalks it up to just that), but Zero’s inclusion of Monomaid, and really the other RC students that get depicted in it, really helps flesh out that aspect of them.

Monomaid isn’t a bluefaced nobody that Junko can chuck at a repressed boxer, she’s a perky, unstable, girl with a clear chip on her shoulder in face of an actual injustice. She’s passionate about taking down Hope’s Peak and (while Junko wasn’t herself), this maid actually had the gall to go right up in Junko’s face to yell at her about her grievances. Sure, her being so crazy is due to watching the video, but its an exaggeration of her very real issue with the system.The same goes for the other minor students that got some page time. One of the talking Monohead students (in a very depressed and bitter state) is able to wax philosophical about the mutual killing that transpired in Zero and, when Ryoko runs to the old school building, one of the students disguised as a guard, smirks at her and let’s her in.

They’re proof that even the ‘talentless’ crowd had personality and charm to them just as much as the Ultimates that we all love. Even with the knowledge of them being brainwashed in Zero, you get the feeling these aren’t just zombies Junko can order about and treat willy-nilly, but thinking people that you have to take into consideration. Heck, even Junko and Mukuro talk about them in the end as if they were your regular minions that one needs to work with and around if you want stuff done (which makes DR3′s usage of the DV more annoying but that’s neither here nor there at the moment) It’s characters like the Monokuma Maid that really helps make the DR world message and themes come alive, and why I do wish she got remembered more. Kind of makes me sad that, despite being the sole survivor of the original DR0 cast, DR2 just has the Reserve Course kill themselves without any utilization of her. Makes me sort of wish she took the place of AI!Junko in a way, but what can you do.

With that, DR0 is down once more! Next up is back to the detective side of things with Danganronpa: Kirigiri!

[longtallglasses]

Heaven (Let My Love Open The Door) fic mixtape songs

Mike’s sappy cheesy lovey valentine’s mixtape he made for Will and all the lyrics and reasons why I think he added them and enjoys them. I feel absolutely insane for writing all this and posting it. I don’t think you have had to read the fic to get the vibes and the gist, it’s pretty much just byler through songs, but I do recommend. 

Let My Love Open The Door by Pete Townshend (1980) - 

A song that when Mike first heard it when he was younger thought it was just a fun song, but now it feels like everything he wants to say to Will. 

When people keep repeating that you’ll never fall in love, when everybody keeps retreating, but you can’t seem to get enough. 

He feels this about himself - you can’t fall in love with a boy - and feeling like he’s at arms length with everyone because of how he feels so different. But also about Will, knowing that he turned on him in some way. 

When everything feels all over, Everybody seems unkind, I’ll give you a Four Leaf Clover, Take all worry out of your mind. 

Growing up in Hawkins has not been the best, especially for Will (his Dad, bullies), Mike wants to make that all better, better for both of them.

Take My Breath Away by Berlin (1986) - 

On this endless ocean finally lovers know no shame, turning and returning to some secret place inside - 

through everything they’ve been through, all the unimaginable horrible things they’ve experienced, falling in love with your best friend can’t be the worst thing now can it? Maybe they can return to how close they used to be, and maybe it won’t turn out wrong.

Through the hourglass I saw you, in time you slipped away, when the mirror crashed I called you, and turned to hear you say, If only for today I am unafraid.

Losing Will in the way he did, all at once and then slowly over time, because he was scared of what he felt. Now after everything, he feels maybe he can finally be— maybe not brave—but at least not be afraid of what he feels for Will.

Can’t Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon (1984) - 

Is there ANY song more them ?? (yes, there is, because I will say this numerous times throughout this list) 

What started out as friendship has grown stronger, I only wish I had the strength to let it show. Tell me Mike didn’t combust when he listened to that. 

I said there is no reason for my fear, ‘Cause I feel so secure when we’re together, You give my life direction, you make everything so clear.

It’s so clear and seems so simple to be with Will but it’s scary!! 

And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might. The months leading up to this Valentine’s day they’ve been closer than ever, more than Mike could ever think he would let himself.

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) by James Taylor (1975) -

This song is just so sweet and I imagine this also being a song that Mike heard on the radio growing up and thinking, hm I wonder if I’ll ever feel like this when/if I fall in love and now the song holds a whole new meaning. 

I needed someone to understand my ups and down, There you were, with sweet love and devotion, deeply touching my emotion. You were better to me than I was to myself, For me there’s you and there ain’t nobody else. 

Somewhere I hear Mike groan at these words, tossing and turning, Called Out!!

Head Over Heels by Tears For Fears (1985) - 

Is there ANY song more them??? No actually this is the most them song I’ve ever heard. Turn it up, and scream and cry bc my god there is no cure, no chance for recovery.

I wanted to be with you alone, and talk about the weather, But tradition I can trace AGAINST THE CHILD IN YOUR FACE, WON’T ESCAPE MY ATTENTION. YOU KEEP YOUR DISTANCE VIA THE SYSTEM OF TOUCH I’M LOST IN ADMIRATION, COULD I NEED YOU THIS MUCH?  Let That Sink In. Tears for fears is so underrated (or maybe so overexposed that they’ve become so) the poetry that haunts me.

And the most Mike Wheeler string of lyrics ever uttered, 

Something happens and I’m head over heels, I never find out until I’m head over heels. And this is my Four Leaf Clover, I’m on the line, one open mind, This is my four leaf clover. He is MAKING that wish.

You’re the Inspiration by Chicago (1984) - 

This is that song, that if Mike and Will were some cheesy rom com, when Will walks through the door and everything starts going in slow-mo, stars in their eyes when they lock eyes, this song would play, the chorus 

You’re the meaning in my life, you’re the inspiration, You bring feeling to my life, You’re the inspiration. 

A line that makes Mike feel very called out, And I know, yes I know that it’s plain to see, So in love when we’re together, Now I know (Now I know) that I need you here with me, From tonight until the end of time. 

And my favorite part of this song, just the little added nuance with the phrase YOU SHOULD KNOW, everywhere I go, always on my mind, you’re in my heart added at every bridge and then at The Culmination, Wanna have you near me, I wanna have YOU HEAR ME SAYIN’. Mike knows Will deserves to hear it, he’s scared to tell him, but that doesn’t matter as much when Will deserves to know that someone loves him that much.

Space Age Love Song by A Flock Of Seagulls (1982) - 

I saw your eyes, and you made me smile, for a little while, I was falling in love

I saw your eyes, and you touched my mind, although it took a while, I was falling in love

I saw your eyes, and you made cry, and for a little while, I was falling in love

I don’t think it needs any explanation. Will’s a snobby hater and when he listens to it he won’t think a flock of seagulls are that bad. ;) 

Hungry Eyes by Eric Carmen (1987) - 

I’ve been meaning to tell you, I‘ve got this feeling that won’t subside

One look at you and I can’t disguise, I’ve got hungry eyes

I feel the magic between you and I

He’s been meaning to say, he’s been MEANING TO. He CANNOT disguise this desire!!!! It will Not go away. He’s fantasizing he’s fantasizing :) 

Open Arms by Journey (1981) - 

How could our love be so blind? We sailed on together, we drifted apart, and here you are by my side. I meannn. But now that you’ve come back, turned night into day, I need you to stay. With open arms, nothing to hide, BELIEVE WHAT I SAY… Hoping you’ll see what your love means to me. 

Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac (1987) - 

this song just makes me blush when I hear it, the vibe of this song has never been topped. Can you hear me calling out your name? You know that I’m falling and I don't know what to say. You know that I’m proud and I can’t get the words out. Will’s been picking up on his weird signals, he thinks he knows what’s going on but he’s not sure. and Mike just wants to be with him everywhere :’)

Father Figure by George Michael (1987) - 

This song is now officially in my byler multi-verse of madness. In every universe I see Will loving this song, for what it represents and also bc he has a crush on George Michael. Like in my blair witch fic I see this as Will playing this song and album all the time and Mike being like, “ugh, why? girls like him, it’s so cheesy and weird,” but on close reinspection he discovers a lot to love about it and wants to let Will know that he gets it now. 

That’s all I wanted, something special, something sacred in your eyes. For just one moment to be bold and naked at your side. 

They’ve toed this line for so long, being so special to each other, but erring just on that side of caution, not fully letting their guards down to be completely uninhibited in their desire and be able to lay it all out on the table. But something tells me together we’d be happy. 

This is one of George Michael’s most “controversial” songs because of the lines I will be your father figure, put your tiny hand in mind (it apparently is about a relationship between an older/younger person) wanting to teach them things, guide them, 

I will be your preacher teacher, anything you had in mind.

I think Mike and Will both want to teach each other things, learn things together, learn and grow into whatever they want to be together. 

I will be your father figure, I have had enough of crime… That’s all I wanted, but sometimes love can be mistaken for a crime. currently shedding my skin. 

Historically Mike and Will have not been shown that who they love/being gay is a good thing. The aids crisis at this point in time is in the trenches, they are told good things do not happen to gay people, bad things, death, suffering that’s what this kind of love means but, If we have faith in each other, we can be strong… I will be your father figure… I will be the one who loves you ‘til the end of time. 

Society might not like it, parents might not like it, but I’ll be that person for you, that unconditional support you need, if you so need it. And just another line to kick you down So when you remember the ones who have lied, Who said that they cared but then laughed as you cried, beautiful darling don't think of me…because all I ever wanted it’s in your eyes… 

Mike may have run away, maybe Will thought he lied when he said they’d always be friends, but Mike doesn’t want Will to think of him that way, he wants to change that, tell him the real truth.

Everything I Own by Bread (1971) - 

Another song from the childhood years, so I’m projecting onto Mike saying this was one of his favorite albums growing up because it was one of mine, every song on this album, it’s just so good (Bread was my jam, no pun intended sry). I imagine it playing in the Wheeler living room, it’s just classic rock sounding enough and in-offensive (besides that one government song, but I believe ted would purposefully misunderstand what it means) that I think it would be acceptable for the whole family to find something they liked on it. 

And THIS SONG, again is there ANY song more them???

The finest years I ever knew, Were all the years I had with you

You taught me how to love, What it’s of, what it’s of, You never said too much, 

But still, you showed me the way. 

Mike didn’t know what loving someone felt like before Will. He learned what it meant to really care for someone, because of how he wanted to care for Will. He learned this through the rest of the party as well, all his values, “friends don’t lie,” “a friend is someone you would do anything for,” “you tell them stuff you don’t tell your parents,” Those innocent years were the best he’s ever known because he let himself practice those, and he just wants to get that back!

And I knew from watching you, Nobody else could ever know, The part of me that can’t let go

he just can’t let him go, and no one can know :( 

And he would Give anything I own, Would give up my life, my heart, my home, Just to have you back again. FUCK OFF!

In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel (1986) - 

I get so lost sometimes, days pass, and this emptiness fills my heart. 

All the time Mike spent running away, feeling so lost. 

When I want to run away, I drive off in my car, but whichever way I go I come back to the place you are. 

He tried to fight it, but he can’t help that he feels most at peace with Will. 

All my instincts, they return. The grand facade, so soon will burn. 

When he’s with Will he can’t help but be himself, Will lets him be himself. It feels so good not to pretend!! 

I get so tired, working so hard for our survival, I look to the time with you, to keep me awake and alive. 

I mean Come On! Mike might as well have written this song, facing the possibility of the end of the world, always looking to each other to help keep them going.

The Lady in My Life by Michael Jackson (1982) - 

It’s on the biggest selling album of all time, almost every household had a copy in the 80s. And Mike is BOLD for including it. He likes it for reasons. He knows it's a sexy song but he thinks the sweet aspects of the song overpower all of that. 

Let me fill you with my dreams, I can make you feel alright

And baby through the years, (even when we’re old and gray) gonna love you more each day

So I’ll promise you tonight, that you will always be the lady in my life.

I also think Mike would enjoy the ‘nighttime’ aspect of this song, so much of their bonding recently being sleeping together, as well as when Will’s (and his) nightmares come.

There’ll be no darkness tonight…Our love will shine, lighting the night…And I will keep you warm through the shadows of the night… 

Forever Young by Alphaville (1984) - 

I feel like I could write a paper on this one. Not just about Mike and Will, but the whole party growing up, the time period they live in (cold war, reagan, aids) it’s just…

But for Mike, Will is so tied to his childhood, and so tied to his dreams of the future.

Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. Are you gonna drop the bomb or not? 

Again this song is about the cold war, referring to an actual bomb, but I see Mike thinking of wondering if he’s gonna take that plunge, dropping this bomb onto Will (and also perhaps in the future having to do the same with his family and friends), going back and forth on whether that’s going to be received well.

Let us die young or let us live forever, We don’t have the power but we never say never.

Silence = Death. I have to wonder if part of Mike thinks that accepting that he’s gay, or that living a gay lifestyle he might have to accept a young death if he’s unlucky. I assume he knows as much as what most of middle america knew about aids at the time (which wasn’t the full breadth of the situation and definitely wasn’t all true, they were still discovering new things at the time) - and should he let himself do that or should he continue on as he is, even if maybe he’s not strong enough.

It’s so hard to live without a cause, I don’t want to perish like a fading horse.

Nope that’s why he can’t continue on as is. How could he when he knows what it is to live to fight for something, for someone, for all the people he’s cared about.

Heaven by Bryan Adams (1984) - 

Ok whew back to the sappy shit. Is there ANY song more them???? NO! This is The One!!

Oh thinkin’ about all our younger years, there was only you and me, we were young and wild and free

Now nothing can take you away from me, we’ve been down that road before, but that’s over now.

They had it all, but lost it over and over again. All the things that had taken Will away are gone, now the only thing in their way is them.

Yeah nothing can change what you mean to me, Oh there’s lots that I could say, but just hold me now.

Oh does Mike have things to say, oh does he have things to share, so much, finding those words are hard for him though, that’s why he’s saying it through all these songs. They can say it all in time, he just wants them to come together now.

And love is all that I need, and I found it there in your heart, 

isn’t too hard to see, we’re in heaven.

:) :) 

AAAHHH thank you for your time.

[beanghostprincess]

HiyorixKuina anon again!

I was thinking about Kuina more than average and I came up with this concuction.

So you often see that in many Modern AUs you have Perona and Zoro being Mihawk's adoptive children, and while I like this what if Kuina 2as also his adoptive daughter???

Imagine, you have Zoro being an orphan from a young age so he gets taken in by his relatives. But then something horrible happens (could be Kuina's mom dying or Koushiro kills her since everybody seems to agree he is murder coded) so Kuina and Zoro are taken away by CPS and are assigned to Mihawk, who had already adopted Perona. (I hc that Moria would be her bio dad, and he lost custidy due to his experiments on corpses and other stuff)

What we get is a sit-com like dinamic of middle aged single parent swordsman with 3 kids: one is goth, one is insane, one is bith and they are all gay.

I think that Kuina would really like Mihawk since he would teach her and not discriminate (as far as we know) and he would also reconize that Kuina is a better pupil than Zoro, which would add another layer to their rivarly and relationship.

Plus Perona and Kuina being vastly different older sister who are the two opposing extemes on the lesbian spectrum but still come togheter for each other when they need it and to annoy their dumb little brother would be so funny to me. I think Kuina would protect Perona from bullies and general pricks and they would both do wierd shit togheter like mutilate their Barbies to scare people.

I think Kuina would really get along with Zoro's friends siblings, obviously Ace and maybe also Sabo since they both reject the bigoted values that some people impose, but I think she would like Nojiko as well. The two of them both know the horrors of the real world so I think they would use some of the darkest humor ever with each other. And all of them would obviously keep talking about their siblings, that can't be avoided.

I also think Kuina might be Sanji's rival too. After all he treats women vastly different from men (even if its with benevolent intentions) and Kuina woukd interprete thus as Sanji thinking women are weak. So its Zoro and Kuina coming togheter against their shared rival: swirly eyebrowed dumb cook. But ironically Kuina would be fond of the dumb cook's boyfriend, after all Usopp is also a very underrated genious who defyes people's expectation to prove himself as strong and worthy.

Bonus headcanon: Yamace and Hiyoku double dates. Wlw and mlm solidariety at its finest.

HEY BESTIE!!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAA I love all of this. It's awesome. I just know Kuina and Perona would be complete opposites but would love and protect each other a lot. Like, they're weird in their own ways. People don't like Perona because she's all dark and creepy and with a very princess-like personality and people don't like Kuina much because she doesn't fall in the standard men have for women and swordsmen. So they fit together perfectly even though they're different. And they'd take care of Zoro and also make fun of him 24/7. This is great. Also, Mihawk be adopting children every fucking where. I don't know if I should be sorry for him or not. At least his family is cool. Perona is his princess <3 Kuina is his fav pupil!! And Zoro is Zoro. He's just Zoro.

This is basically the situation:

(He does care btw, he's just shitty when it comes to feelings and Zoro isn't as cute as his girls)

And yes, Kuina would definitely not stand Sanji but love Usopp. I agree completely. Their views don't match at all but well, Sanji can live with it (he can't. He's crying).

AND YAMACE AND HIYOKU DOUBLE DATES!!!!!!!! CUTE!!!!!!!!! It'd be a bit chaotic, honestly. Both couples have such a different energy 😭😭 Ace might seem a bit more relaxed but the second Yamato goes insane about something, he probably does too if he likes it. So I can definitely imagine Kuina like "I wanted this to be an actual date,, I am sorry, I should've thought about this better-" and Hiyori would just laugh softly at Yamace's shenanigans because she's having the time of her life.

[vintagepresley]

I’ve only seen a few Elvis movies so far, but I was curious how you would rank them? From best to worst. :)

Oooh.. Which ones have you seen? Also, I'd love to rank his movies! This will be fun. 😂

These are how I rank them personally. But I'd love to hear everyone else's rankings! I will be ranking the movies from the 50's first and then do the 60's, because his movies in the 50's are honestly my favorite because the stories actually made sense and weren't rushed and you can tell he actually cared.

The 50's - From best to worst

King Creole (Baby acted his ass off in this and the story was great!)

Jailhouse Rock (I really loved this because I could hope that he would've taken charge of his career the way Vince did without the asshole part. Another where the story was great.)

Loving you (He was just too darn cute in this movie with his little stuttering and I love that his parents were in it. Deke has my heart.)

Love Me Tender (Spoiler: this gets worst because he dies 😭)

The 60's - From best to worst

1. Follow That Dream (Does this even need an explanation? You guys know how much I love this movie and not even for the story. It's my comfort movie)

2. Girls! Girls! Girls! (This was the very first Elvis movie I saw and I hold it dear to my heart. I would play Return to Sender on repeat, lol)

3. Wild in the Country (I know this is like 50/50 for people but I really loved this movie. The story was great and his acting was amazing.)

4. G.I Blues (God.. This movie.. He.. Yeah, he looked fine as hell. Story was okay. The songs are my fave.)

5. Live a Little, Love a Little (This was the second Elvis movie I saw and honestly is a favorite!! Bernice is insane BUT I STAN. Greg Nolan is my baby.)

6. It Happened at the World's Fair (This movie was so cute and funny. I always love him in movies with kids! 😭)

7. The Trouble with Girls (DO I EVEN NEED TO EXPLAIN?!!? HIS EYES WERE SPARKLING. THE SUITS)

8. Change of Habit (Okay, I feel like this movie is incredibly underrated and AE made it seem like it was so terrible. But I personally loved this movie because of its serious story and plot. It was also a different character we've seen Elvis play. I think had there been no songs at all, this would've been taken more seriously. He also looked good af.)

9. Flaming Star (Despite the stereotypes and well everything else that would get this movie canceled.. I actually enjoyed it a lot. It was certainly different for Elvis. If I remember correctly, Tarantino said this was his favorite Elvis western because it was the most violent.)

10. Kid Galahad (This movie was good and another different character for him. But I'm not into boxing so it was kind of boring to me)

11. Blue Hawaii (I really enjoyed this movie, but I don't love it as much as everyone does. I don't get the hype and I also think Can't Help Falling In Love is overplayed and overrated. He's got so many better love songs. But that's just my opinion! This movie still gets a good ranking though.)

12. Viva Las Vegas (I enjoyed this movie! But much like Blue Hawaii I don't get the hype. It's not my favorite but definitely not the worst)

Now let's get into the movies that in my personal opinion were the worst. Now that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy them. Even with the stories not being great; some of them were funny!

13. Fun in Acapulco (This movie was enjoyable but the story could've been better and I didn't really like a lot of the songs.)

14. Roustabout (I just found this movie so boring and I'm not surprised the colonel loved it. But Elvis looked HOT.)

15. Girl Happy (I really enjoyed this but again the story wasn't great and his character wasn't anything special. But if you want a few laughs this is a good one. ALSO ELVIS IN A DRESS!!!) 16. Tickle Me (this movie was so funny and Elvis always has perfect comedic timing. It reminded me of Scooby Doo. But unfortunately the story was meh they also used songs from one of his old albums because they had nothing written for the film)

17. Spinout (This movie was okay, a few laughs. But nothing too special besides him threatening to spank someone, lol. Basic Elvis character.)

18. Speedway (A few good songs, but kinda boring to me)

19. Frankie and Johnny (I really liked the aesthetic of this film and some of the songs, but it certainly wasn't the best. He looked horrid in that yellow sweater lmfao)

20. Paradise, Hawaiian Style (I enjoyed the songs and his interaction with the little girl. It was too cute! A few good laughs, but nothing to rave about)

21. Stay Away, Joe (This movie was so ridiculous and stupid, but also funny as hell to me because of how ridiculous it was. Another one that would be cancelled. But Elvis looked so good lol)

22. Clambake (SNOOZE FEST. Stupid story also Elvis tried to get out of making this movie. So much drama behind the scenes of this, lol. He was fat shamed. His character.. I don't even know.)

23. Charro! (This movie could've been great since they weren't really any songs, Elvis' acting was great and he looked good with a beard. But the story was just so boring.)

24. Double Trouble (This movie was funny but that's about it. Story was eh)

25. Kissin' Cousins (Jesus Christ.. Where do I even begin with this movie? We should not be hooking up with our cousins first off, LMFAO. The only good thing was Jodie. 😂)

26. Harum Scrum (I DONT EVEN NEED TO EXPLAIN THIS DUMPSTER FIRE. I hate this movie, lol. 2.99 WASTED. Like wtf was this?? It was so bad Elvis gave up acting in the middle of it lol.)

Now let's rank the concert docs for funsies!

Elvis on Tour (THIS IS MY BABY. The amount of times I watch this is unhealthy. He's so fucking sexy in it and just watching him at all these shows doing what he loves. Ugh. The shot of him staring out the window and kind of just lost in thought.. It just makes me want to hold him.)

That's The Way It Is (The first concert doc I watched. This is just amazing. The album alone is my favorite. But seeing him up on that stage giving it his all and having so much fun doing it warms my heart.)

Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite (I know this technically isn't a concert doc but it belongs on this list. Do I even need to say how amazing this was??? How good he looked?? This certainly is underrated.)

Honorable mention

Elvis In Concert - (I wish they would release this because it only aired once I believe on October 3rd, 1977. But that was it. You can watch it on YouTube because someone remastered it and fixed the audio as best as they could. But It'd be nice if EPE would just release the actual footage and have CBS or RCA remaster it. Despite how ill he was he still put on a performance no matter what. He still wanted to make the fans happy. But I understand why they don't really want it out there.)

Sorry this was so long and I don't know if you wanted my actual opinions on them. But I felt I might as well give them, lol. Thanks for the question, bestie!

[kar1nsworldx]

And top 5 football players

Again, thanks for the ask Ash! 🫶

Oof..top 5 football players you say? Ight.

Kevin De Bruyne - honestly hes the second player that I fell inlove with and that made me appriciate football even more. As a player hes so good, I swear to god he needs an Ballon D'or ASAP. What he dose on the pitch is insane. How he passes the ball, how he scores - cheff kiss 💋 And as a person he is so kind and sweet. AND HES PRETTY. That ginger/strawberry blond hair - MUAH - his eyes 🥹🥹🥹 - and his body >>>>> I love him

Ivan Rakitić - my croatian underrated goat. This man is so talanted, so humble and so nice. His ball knowladge is cheffs kiss 💋 and he as a player and a person - MWUAH 💋 - he is the first player that made me fall inlove with football amd I love him to death. Plus, HES SO PRETTY 🥹 His hair, his eyes, his body, his tattoos - oh mama

Dominik Livaković - our goat of a goalie - our icon - naša duša - hes an amazing goalie and I think his performence at the world cup just showed how good he is - hes also very adorable

Jack Grealish - THAT MAN AAAH - i think Jack is an perfect example that if you give someone a bit of time to adjust they will show world class levels. His first year with City so many people shat on him, but now? Hes fucking fantastic - as a player and as a person. As a person hes soo nice. I love how kind he is, and how lovable he is too. You've probally seen atleast one of his IG post where he has wearing something designer but thats perfectly fine. He dosent flash it off, or brags about it like a spoiled brat - he genuenly wears it because he likes it (AND HE PULLS IT OFF 😻😻😻😻) ALSO - HIM WITH KIDS - AAAHHHHH - hes so sweet with kids and hes so good with them and i love him so much 🫶🫶🫶

And my number 5. favourite player - i cant decide - its all the City players honestly and i coudnt choose - I love them all to death and they all mean so so mucn to me 🥹 The players, the club as a whole helped me thru so so much, thru some of my darkest times their games and posts helped me and I love them all so so much 🩵

Oof, this was hard, but I did it! Also everyone pls send me asks/requests or anything I would love to talk with you lot/answer your questions or just write fanfiction for you lot :))

[kimbapmmbapbap]

More k-dramas y'all should watch

So, at the end of 2017, I created a post going through my favourite dramas of all time. Obviously, I have watched more dramas since then so I have a few more dramas that everyone needs to watch!!

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

This is an obvious one, so if you haven't watched it, have you been living under a rock?? When I first heard of it just before it came out, I thought it was going to be a rip off of weightlifting fairy Kim bok joo. But boy, was I wrong!! This drama has the perfect amount of romance, comedy, thriller and crime, so it is a good all rounder drama!! The whole cast (not just the leads) had amazing chemistry. The only flaw with this drama is that it does queerbait a little. I wish they either didn't add it in the story or fully went with that the main lead is Bi.

The story surrounds a girl with superhuman strength who wants to be a video game designer. She has always hid her strength due to fear if hurting others and losing her power. She in a unrequited love with her childhood friend who is now a police officer. She then crosses the path of a CEO of a video game company and her starts to become more chaotic. With a serial killer on the loose, Do Bong Soon needs to decide if she will keep a low profile or use her powers for the better good while also falling in love on the way.

While You Were Sleeping

Again, an obvious one, but it has to be watched!! Like strong woman, I was a little apprehensive of this one. Mainly because I hadn't heard good things about Suzy's acting before this came out. But it really surprised me and I really loved it! I'm a sucker for anything crime related, so with a really cute love story as well, it was amazing!! It has really good chemistry and likable characters. The second male lead is also amazing!! I usually don't get second male lead syndrome, but damn I felt it even though I also really loved the main lead. I can't really find any faults with it.

The story surrounds two people who can see the future through dreaming. This includes good and bad things. When the female reporter about dying while on the job, she quite her job to try and changes her fate. A prosecuter move across the street from her, initially they do not get on and their bond starts to grow. Together, they use both of their skills and their power to help change the future and solve crimes along the way. They also soon realise that this is not the first time they have crossed paths.

Psychopath Diary

I cannot recommend this drama enough!! Honestly, it is so underrated!!! Yoon Shi Yoon's performance is incredible, he really embodies the role here. It is so funny, and sweet. You also see a serial killer low key but high key fall in love with the male lead, so there is major gay vibes. The only issue I have with it is, I wish there was a little romance involved. But it is a not a major want.

The story surrounds a pushover who is working at a stocks company. After a major issue arises, he becomes the Scapegoat of the company and is being blamed for it, even though he tried to prevent it. Due to this, he decides that he will end his life. On the way to do this, he witnesses a murder and accidentally picks up the serial killer's diary. While trying to escape, he gets hit by a car and gets amnesia. When he wakes up and reads the diary, he believes that he is the serial killer.

Honestly, please watch this drama, it is so so so funny, the chemistry of the whole cast is incredible. It also possibly has one of my favourite villians in any drama.

Your Honor / Dear Judge

Yes, I am a simp Yoon Shi Yoon. He is just so good and thus role just confirms it! His acting is incredible, king of the double roles! He plays twins and you really tell when either pop up on screen which one he is. This is a really wholesome drama that makes you cry. It has some really sweet moments in it, the leads have such good chemistry. This only issues with this one is that the ending felt rushed. I hate that the TV company changed it from 20 eps to 16 eps.

The story follows a set of twins. Twin A is a top judge in Korea, who is incredibly smart and is living a rich life. Twin B is a criminal who has been screwed over multiple times by the justice system and Twin A. Their mother always sides with A and will tell B not to bother him. When A goes missing, B goes undercover and takes his brothers place. He soon learns about the corrupt world of the court system and his brother. B meets a law student who is meant to be shadowing A. Like B, she has also been affected by the corrupt system and is wanting to be a judge to convict those who have wronged her. Together they fight the system while also falling in love.

Because This is Our First Life

This is a slice of life drama so will have some heavy moments in it. But on the whole, it is just so lovely and cute. The acting is incredible, they really take on the role. It also has one of the best female friendships which is not toxic, they all genuinely care for eachother and want eachother to achieve their dreams. It also has some true badass moments in it as well! I feel like all slice of life dramas have this, but it does have some frustrating moments where the characters are almost purposely making their life's difficult

The story focuses on a woman who is a drama script writer. Due to her patriarchal family who always favour her brother and being let down by her crush, she wants to move out. She ends up moving in with a friend of a friend of a friend. It is to her surprise that the person who she is moving in with is a man who is very much stuck in his own ways and likes to stick to routine. Due to their own desires to be on their own, they decide to get married to relieve the pressure that their families are giving them. This (of course) causes issues and both have to learn about their new feelings for eachother while trying to get through the struggles of life.

Thirty but Seventeen

This drama is the definition of wholesome and cute. I feel that while I was watching it, it went by so quickly and I always had a smile on my face. The romance is so cute and lovely and you could tell they really cared about eachother. The side characters were also amazing and sweet. Honestly, the acting is incredible. The female lead does an amazing job.

The story follows woman who as a child was involved in a bus accident and fell into a coma. She wakes up over ten years later and learns that her family have stopped coming to see her. While on the search for her family, she resides with a man and his brother who are now living in her old family home. The two soon learn that there are more connected than they thought. With the man trying to push her away, the more his feelings grow for her.

Introverted Boss

This is a revenge to love story. It on the whole is a really cute drama where you get to see the leads grow for the better. The acting is incredible and you really fall in love with the leads and the support cast (except for the second lead). It is not a perfect drama, but it is a really easy watch with an interesting story.

The female lead is a stage actress who quits her job to work at a marketing firm. This firm happens to be where her sister used to work. She is out to get revenge against the CEO of the company who she blames for her sister's death. She learns that the CEO is extremely introverted and becomes confused by how he was responsible for her sister's death. As the story goes by, she becomes more intrigued by him and focuses less on revenge and more on helping him open up.

Vincenzo

Ahhhhh, how do express my love for this one!! It is just amazing!! The story was so well thought out and the actors did a fantastic job. It was so satisfying to watch, I wanted to be a member of the mafia lol. The villians were also incredible, like I just love this drama so much. Like Your Honor, the only issue with this one is that the ending felt rushed.

The story surrounds a Korean man who was adopted into an Italian family and became the consiglerie of the mafia. After an issue with his adoptive family, he travels back to Korea in search an insane amount of gold bars which happens to be underneath an unsuspecting block of flats. He then gets involved with a major legal court case with a pharmaceutical company. As he delves deeper into the case, dark secrets start to get revealed.

[valorxdrive]

Why do you hold Sora's light in such a high regard compared to his darkness? What is the appeal?

AIGHT SO, I held onto this one for a minute. Mulled it over (to find a way to describe it) and really see if I can get my thoughts printed from my perspective to e-paper. So! Here we go.

In my angle one of the MOST underrated aspects I come to find in the Kingdom Hearts series of Light, and the more positive influences of what it stands for. Agony is a really popular trend and this I while I understand, isn’t the aspect I’m always a fan of. I don’t enjoy the wallowing aspect too much. While seeing it important in the narrative of a story for man characters, what I find equally important are people who can endure that very storm, who carry their respective crosses while keeping on in the way that they do.

This in itself holds important to the aspect of Sora’s character to me. He’s someone who is embracing the destiny of having his growth come through a wide scope of super natural circumstances. Places, scenarios, situations that would promote to crush someone of more fragile qualities a thousand times over. In that aspect, it really speaks to me that he’s someone who the Keyblade found itself calling towards in the name of having a Strong Heart.

Where this surrounds Sora is a realm of being a force that’s going to handle the countless branches of insanity. To be a civil edge where all else fell either to temptation or the makings of their own dark branches.

And this I don’t find a bad thing! Comparing to the real world momentarily, someone like him would be EXTREMELY hard to come by, and in that same root, which makes him so invaluable in my eyes. Someone who can whether the storm and bit by bit, become that ‘cheat code’ that extends better futures to what at ‘best’ would be broken people finding no hope, only battles leading to sad tales.

So on that vein? I heard it’s OFTEN spoke about how Sora’s life is say to be ‘the joke’, the ignorant, a ‘Happy go lucky’ adventurer that seems to be ignorant to the bigger strands of chaos at large. I consider that a flanderized take to it all at best. It’s ‘happier’ because it’s an outcome made to weave a good ending, where the struggles at hand are going to the empowerment of those surrounding him. Yet somehow, I see this is often mischaracterized as if nothing remotely bad happens in these routes?

It’s why people always have a simplified view (in my book) of the Sora vs Riku dichotomy in their branching paths. In the simplified way, it’s external growth (Sora) vs internal (Riku.) Learning to operate with the masses vs finding inner strength initially, which in short, they both face their high challenges and low falls. Though, just because you have people by your side doesn’t make it any less dangerous or ‘hellish.’ It’s just different flavors where Sora’s in particular needs a proper look from how I see it. Someone growing up as a Keyblade Wielder outside of this circle of strife, as someone who’s in a position of helping to uplift others, it brings the challenges of facing those that struggle, to learn well in how not only to approach situations, with kindness or the blade, and to be a positive reflection of a Keyblade Wielder vs the teachings that bred a lot of this mess to begin with.

It was a instrumental part of Sora that had to be learned to cultivate. To face these very demons that can come to tall and dangerous life, to endure his agonies of being busted, beaten up, and many other forms of hurt through travails.

This in tune is why I REALLY come to enjoy KH3 and all that it comes to represent. For me, it’s truly a tale about Sora and the dynamic of internal vs external being flipped on his head. No longer can he ignore his faults, his worries, his flaws. That self-doubt that becomes a debilitating factor in the Keyblade war, how he views himself as worthless due to being outside the circle of the chosen, that he comes to see his power of Connections threaded into a toxic fashion. (I’m only strong because they LET ME feed off their strength), thus, with the chapter of the Final World and needing to carry his hurt in the line of duty, it’s due to people close to him that he sees how many come to view him all this time.

How they viewed Sora as a respective legend.

Within this newest turn of direction, we’re getting a firm look at how Sora perceives the world. How he’s someone when the calls truly matter, he’s fighting, set to help make things right in order to carve that peaceful future. One significant difference however is that now we’re seeing the starting bloom of Sora truly recognizing what Sora brings to the table all this time. What all of his journeys, his challenges, heights and lows cultivated as a growing force combat against these threats that held literal eons in terms of planning.

It’s growth in a front that he’ll truly come to need. Right now, he’s someone in a position to step into the Legacy of Keyblade Wielders as a combative power vs a person who would get swept into the storm. The Dark Seeker Saga at large was the breeding grounds for his potential for the Lost Master’s Saga, to take the torch from Xehanort and really get to see just how wide this pit of suffering truly is.

So at his current point, KH3 is by no means the game where I saw him getting the penultimate development. It’s to show him as someone who carries that strong Light of Heart (key dif there) that will be pivotal for what’s to come.

Where this comes to lead Sora? Hell who truly knows! Right now, he’s in a position of letting his journeys continue to help shape him while he carries on with the circumstances at hand, all while gathering pains that he’ll come to properly shoulder.

In a position where he carries this strong heart, and in turn, has many precious people at hand? I believe he’ll come to develop his own routes to handle the pain that’s been built and carried over the years.

[starfire-s]

here’s a list of the best, mediocre and worst kdramas i watched in 2020

no one asked for this but it’s happening because i have thoughts (also all opinions are my own if you disagree then get well soon i guess... no i’m kidding make your own posts about it don’t hate me please) ahsjsj anyways click to read a lengthy post and if you actually read the whole thing then thank you i hope you enjoy this wild ride! 

THE BEST KDRAMAS -

mystic pop up bar - this show had everything i ask from a kdrama literally i can name it all found family (to real family), well thought out characters, a mystery plot, special effects, soft romances that were well written, a happy ending! no show in 2020 even comes close to how good this one was! the writers literally guided you throughout the whole thing so you could come up with theories and didn’t do a ‘aha! gotcha’ thing where they want to prove the audience wrong but they wanted us to be right and satisfied! the worst part about the drama is that it’s still so underrated and people just brush it off as some random fantasy show but it’s so much more than that! 1000/10

flower of evil - who doesn’t want to see lee joon gi being the son of a serial killer, living with the name of a man who is in a coma, and hiding his real identity from his wife who is a detective? this show constantly had me at the edge of my seat on a weekly basis so the emotions i went through while watching this are unparalleled! the writers also did such a good job on writing a coherent story that made sense and tied up all the plot points in the end. just a really satisfying show to watch! 10/10

where your eyes linger - i literally bought a $8 viki pass to watch this show so it should tell you everything you need to know about how i feel ahsjsj the episodes were 10 minutes long but we got a good story with well written characters who got character development in a total of 80 minutes it’s insane! honestly it’s still hard to believe this show had rookie actors because they were just so emotive that you could feel all the happiness, sadness, yearning and pining! probably one of my fave kdramas this year because of the acting that i always constantly rewatch! would recommend 10/10

crash landing on you - okay so this drama was actually released on my birthday last year and it was a time in my life when i was going through a lot so maybe it’s the comfort this show provided me through that time this is why i have such a soft spot for it? like the romance was good, it was funny, there was found family, the nk soldiers were all softies, there were strong female leads, soft male leads!!! ahh!! no other show on this list made me think about the unification of south korea and north korea irl because i wanted se ri and jeong hyeok to be together 4ever! but the only issue i had with this show was the ending they gave seung jun if they didn’t do that i’d give this show a 10/10 but just for that they get a 9/10

psycho but it’s okay - this was one of those shows where you’re literally like ‘wow everyone here needs therapy’ but this show was amazing i loved the story telling and how each episode related to children’s book/fairytales! the writers also did a good job with how carefully they talked about mental health in depth without villainising their characters but actually tried to make the audience understand why they were this way which included all the side characters too who had a well thought out story in each episode! also the dynamic between moon young, kang tae and sang tae was everything to me the actors all did an amazing job portraying their characters, it truly was a healing drama. the only thing i didn’t like about this show was the whole plastic surgery plot with the mother like that was very far fetched but it provided drama so i’ll let it slide because the rest was amazing. this show is a solid 8.5/10

18 again - another underrated gem! who would’ve thought a remake of that zac efron movie could be this good!! lee do hyun stole this show for sure the way he portrayed his character and gave heart eyes to his kids (when he’s only 25 irl was the best thing i saw this year ahsjs) i loved the family dynamics in this show, i loved how it talked about what it’s like to be young parents and how society still think it’s taboo to be divorced! it’s a show that makes you laugh and cry at the same time and that’s why everyone should watch it! however, the biggest clown thing this show did to me though was that i got sls for the first time while watching a kdrama... hwang in yeop if u’re reading this i love u and u deserved better 🤡 that aside this show was a 8/10

itaewon class - i actually didn’t watch this drama as it was airing because i thought i wouldn’t enjoy the plot but when i watched it i binged the whole thing in 2 days and my biggest regret is i didn’t watch it sooner! everyone knows i have a soft spot for park seo joon since he’s my favourite actor i’ve literally watched all his dramas like he could star in the trashiest drama out there and i’d still watch it and be like wow (looking at she was pretty 👀) this show aside from the acting had one of the best revenge plots in a kdrama! just watching a character realistically hustle his way to reach the top while fighting the corrupt man whose son killed his father was so so satisfying to watch! however, the love triangle in this show was questionable idk what they were trying to do with that but it personally annoyed me! but still i’ll give this show a 7.5/10 because i enjoyed it a lot!

do you like brahms? - kim min jae and park eun bin.. that’s all you need to know about why this is a good kdrama! i’m usually not a big fan of melodramas and everyone knows i prefer rom coms but this show was just so perfectly melo that i loved all the angst and pain we got!! also just watching two introverted people awkwardly fall in love was amazing! the characters story arcs were also handled pretty well with song ah finally learning to speak up for herself and joon young learning to express how he truly feels! but... the love square? was probably the most annoying thing the rest in my opinion was nicely done! i know people had mixed feelings about the ending but i loved that after all the pain joon young and song ah went through they got a happy ending together! 7/10

find me in your memory - okay this show started off very slow and it was confusing at the start but as it progressed everything in the plot started to fall into place! i mean this show really took opposites attract to a new level where the male lead could remember every single detail from his life but the female lead had to forget some of her traumatic memories to help her cope with her life! they were also tied together through a mutual character who was a big part of their lives in a different way! just an interesting melodrama with interesting characters i liked it! and moon ga young... i love you queen!!! 7/10

THE MEDIOCRE KDRAMAS -

more than friends - was the storytelling in this show groundbreaking? no. was the acting decent? yes. also probably the main reason i stuck with this show until the end! i think we can all agree lee soo had the best character development on this show he started off as a bad boy who wore one ear stud to actually becoming a well liked character... who else did it like him? no one. also the chemistry between the mains was 🔥 but the second male lead was so annoying is there a opposite word for second lead syndrome because i had that for sure! i think the best part about this show was the people i watched it with on here... shoutout to the five of us ahsjsj also this show introduced me to a talented actor/singer like ong seong wu (y’all know my kpop knowledge is nonexistent so no i didn’t know he was in a band called wanna one) all in all a predictable show but i had fun watching it so 6.5/10

tale of the nine tailed - i didn’t actually watch this show i watched it through gifs and instagram posts ahsjsjs so am i qualified to talk about my opinion definitely no... will I talk about it anyways yes lmao. lee rang deserved better that’s all goodbye and take care. 5.5/10

start up - probably one of the most awaited opinions. y’all thought this would be in the worst kdramas section but i decided to give this show some rights. the show started off strong, lost it’s way after episode 6 and then the last episode gave me what i wanted so i have mixed feelings. the writing was not the best i think we can all agree, love triangle as a plot device? wow so groundbreaking 🤡 the characters on the other hand... i loved every single one of them i mean ship wars? i don’t know her. the show had a lot of potential that was wasted but we also got some cute moments between the characters so there was really no winning or losing with this show? but in all honesty you can’t put a talented cast together like this and then just decide to give the audience a mediocre plot but the writers did exactly that! i think i can redirect y’all to my ‘crimes this show committed’ post for a in-depth analysis. lastly nam do san was a GOOD and REFRESHING male lead and ji pyeong was also a GOOD and FUN second male lead!!! this show gave me the ugliest ship war ever that i was transported back to my high school tvd days so thank you for that!! but the cast was loveable and all had a lot of chemistry together so here’s a 5/10 maybe that's too generous but... i think the reason why i didn't enjoy watching this show as much was definitely because of the tag on here lmao

THE WORST KDRAMAS -

the king eternal monarch - i miss clowning this show so much. the amount of braincells i lost while trying to understand this plot... i should be compensated by the writers. however, woo do hwan was a treat to look at on a weekly basis... however the writers kept decreasing his screen time even though he had a dual role... make it make sense? and i cannot comment on the plot of this show because i still don’t understand anything? also in my opinion tae eul and lee gon were the most bland couple of 2020, there was no chemistry between them and there was just a random kiss in episode 5 and they randomly said i love you... where was the development? also lee gon was soooo boring and such a one dimensional male lead! literally all the side characters were so much more interesting and the cast was good... but this plot. 2/10

do do sol sol la la sol - i wanna fight the writer who decided that the plot twist on the show would be that jun is a minor? i had no expectations from this show but it looked cute and nonsensical but that plot twist made me run the other way so fast that i never looked back! just because jun is a boy they really thought this would be excused like lmao we all have critical thinking skills???? the clown behaviour. a solid 1/10

record of youth - i hate this show so much. imagine not utilising park so dam who just starred in the biggest oscar winning movie to her full potential. imagine just making her a love interest to park bo gum’s character in the year 2020. i watched it up until episode 6 and i kept waiting for her character to get development... but it never happened so i dropped this show. also this show featured the MOST useless love triangle i have ever seen in my life like what was the point? also park bo gum’s characters family was straight up annoying (minus the grandpa) but they got so much screen time like that should’ve been given to park so dam... also villainising a gay side character for no reason at all in the year 2020? this show was a waste of my time i want the 6 hours i spent watching this back. -100/10 

backstreet rookie - i watched one episode of this and literally wanted to rip my eyeballs out of my head. idk what ji chang wook was thinking when he signed this drama i think he lost his ability to read because that's the only reasonable explanation for why he chose to star in such a dumpster fire show! this show had a racist character... had a high schooler kiss an adult... sexist jokes... just the worst things you can think of in a drama... this show had it. i still can’t believe so many people watched this show to the point where it had better ratings than pbio... really made me question everyone’s taste? but sorry can’t relate my taste is excellent so here’s the rating this show actually deserves -1000/10

if you made it this far... thank you for reading. let’s continue to love some kdramas together and get clowned by others in 2021! looking forward to it 😅

[jaesvelvet]

what your father says — park jihoon

words: 1.6k words

warnings: mention of cigeratte,racing(once!), swearing, grammatical errors

pairing: jihoon+fem!reader

notes: inspired by the vamps what your father says! idk why the vamps are so underrated😫 but anyway i hope you enjoys this story as i enjoy writting it!

you gone.

the girl he truly loves walks away from him. he admits, he never falls in love with anyone since he thought love is for the weak, he never got the love from his parents who's treat him like a stranger. he never relies on anybody and he likes to be alone, with his empty mind and cigarette.

but you, you're the only one who changed his obstinate mind. you're the only one who cares and affirm him with love. you don't care about his bad reputation— some kind of bad boy student in university. you love him just the way he is, you just love how he is such an awkward person when you guys are together and the way he loves language is the act of service that made you fall for him more since you hate all those cringy i love you.

but when your father heard about him, he goes insane. he heard bad news from him. he is a party boy, he loves racing, he is a smoker, he got anger issue, he is bad at studying– in short, your father see he's a person with no future and there's no way he wants him to be with his only daughter.

of course, you're not that stupid to break up with him because of your father's 'concern'. he's not like your father thought. he never goes to any party, quit racing, never smoke, never raise his voice at you and he's now started studying with you. all of the rumors your father heard are total bullshit.

notwithstanding, your father starts to threaten you to send him away from you if you not breaking up with him. with all the money he had, he can do everything he wants. he thought he rule the world with his money.

the next morning when he thought he's gonna see your pretty smile, he's wrong. he could feel all the blues in you. and when you tell him to break up, he didn't feel angry or sad. he dumbstruck by how stupid your father is to judge him too early. nevertheless, he agreed to break up after seeing you full of tears and you scared of losing him because of your father's words.

but of course, he can't give up on you so easily

after all, he is park jihoon, he never listens to anybody besides himself and you of course.

that night, you were busy studying for your upcoming exam until you heard a tap on your window. you frown but still getting up from your study table and walk towards your window, you gasped as you saw park jihoon in front of your house, throwing stones at your windowpane. you quickly open your window and put your index finger to your mouth gesturing him to quiet. he smirks and climbs to your window smoothly likes he has done this before, you don't wanna ask, you're too nervous if your father heard him. as he steps into your room, he grabs your arms, pull you closer to him, and kiss you passionately— he wants you to know that he will never give up on you just because of your father's threat.

you lost with his soft lips against yours, you feel like you on another world, the world filled with only you and him. his hand down to your waist and your fingers start caressing the back of his hair. both of you panting hard after the kiss, you smile at him, you miss his kiss, you miss his face. you regret breaking up with him but knowing your father, you had no choice.

"i'm sorry ji"

"no, it's okay baby. forget about what your father said about me."

you shook your head.

"i can't.. he would do anything if i—"

"and i will change his mind towards me. i'm not like the rumors he heard anymore" he said, caressing your cheek. he wants to kiss you again, but he holds himself, both of you would be in trouble if your father suddenly enters your room.

"ji, even his daughter can't make him change his mind, how you're gonna do that?"

"trust me, love," he said

"i trust you," you said, making he smile and once again he leans to kiss you

+.*

it's a saturday morning, you wake up early than usual because of jihoon. yesterday both of you plan on how he would impress your father, you grinned as you thought how much he changes after he met you. he would come to your house at 8 am sharp, just to meet your father.

the doorbell ringing making you nervous, you look at your father who frowns while putting his morning coffee on his coffee table, who is the crazy person who would come to someone's house early on saturday morning?

you bite your lips when your father opens the door, showing jihoon with his usual outfit, black band shirt layered with a black leather jacket and black skinny jeans, with his cocky smile, he politely greets your father.

he turns around to look at you who's acting like you don't even know what's going on.

"come on in," he said

jihoon enters your house and wink at you, you smile at him and mouthing him good luck before entering the kitchen, making a peach tea for jihoon.

"so you're the famous park jihoon? the one who's clinging around my daughter?" your father asked. eyeing jihoon from head to toe. how dare he come here with this kind of outfit?

"yes, i am sir."

"what's your intention?"

"i want you to know that i'm nothing from all of the rumors you heard sir. i am not that kind of person anymore" he said

your father arched his eyebrow

"do you have any proof to show that you're not the kind of person i heard about?" he asked, leaning on his expensive leather couch.

jihoon smirks at your father's words

"do you have any proof to show me that you're you?"

"excuse me?"

"why do i need proof to show you who i am?"

"because you're some street rat that doesn't belong with my daughter"

"i changed"

"yeah you changed, but the fact that everyone thinks you're street rats doesn't change a thing. you may give y/n troubles if you ended up with her" he said

jihoon not surprised at your father's word. what would he expect from a rich family? a nice behavior? how funny before anyone can say anything, you approach them with a cup of peach tea. you put the cup on the table and take a seat beside jihoon making your father glare at you

"trouble? what kind of trouble do you think i'm gonna give to your precious daughter sir?" he asked

"you will ruin her perfect life. she will suffer every minute with you and you have no works and no money, do you think my daughter would end up with you?" he asked

jihoon lick his lips and put his hand on your waist

"well your daughter made my favorite tea and sit beside me. do you still think she doesn't want to end up with me? she can't resist me sir" he smirks

"if you could change than she could too. i can make her forget about you, disgusting street rat"

"dad!" you raised your voice, you are very angry at your father right now, he's crossing the line.

"you see sir? she defended me. i'm sorry to tell you this but she can't forget me" he said

"and don't you see you turn her to a bad girl. she never raised her voice at me before, clearly, you giving her a bad influence, now get the hell out from my house before i'm losing it"

"if he leaves,i'm leaving too," you said making your father looks at you

"what?"

"i don't want you to decide my choice anymore, all this time i listen to your words, do what you want me to do. you never care if i'm okay with it or not! you selfish dad! and this is the first time i chose for myself, i love him and i don't regret it. i would leave if you don't respect him as my boyfriend"

your dad didn't seem to care about your words. his heart is made by stone

"you crazy girl, don't you see he has no future! don't you want to be with him in his rented small apartment?"

you scoff, you don't surprise at your father's behavior but you're disappointed with him, he thought very low of people like jihoon.

"i rather be with him than you dad" you said

"oh, did you hear her well sir? do you still think she's doesn't want me?" jihoon asked in a teasing way, he's never want to impress your dad, he's just want to show him how his daughter can't resist him.

your father exhale angrily

"go, go with him i can't change your mind, sooner or later i know, you would kneel in front of me for this kind of life again," he said, standing up, he would rather be in his office room than facing you and jihoon.

"no. i won't" you said and he doesn't turn around, and that is the last time you see him.

you both love each other too much to care about what others think about you both.

"i love you, baby, i'm so proud of you for standing for yourself" jihoon hugs you tightly, you could feel his soft lips land on your head.

"well just say, i forget about what my father said and trust you,"

[dangermousie]

2020 End of Year Post - cdrama edition

This is only going to cover cdramas that aired in 2020; if I had to make a post about all the cdramas I watched this year, I would still be doing it in three months...

Overall it’s been a fairly decent cdrama year (certainly better than the very lacklustre kdrama year.) It’s no miracle that 2019 was (so many excellent dramas!) but overall pretty solid.

DRAMAS WATCHED

(In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality; I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list)

44 The Legend of Jing Yan - the worst cdrama I have seen this year, and possibly the worst drama of 2020, period. The hero and heroine were both uncharismatic, incapable of acting and saddled with such shrilly moronic characters, the only suspense was how they haven’t both perished long since from forgetting to breathe. Nor was anyone in the rest of the cast much better; the screenplay was written by a lower mammal and the cinematography was the best a third-rate wedding cinematographer could offer. Stay the HELL away from this one.

43 Unicorn Girl - the only unicorn about this bland yet irritating piece of pap was the fact that I was supposed to believe the leads are hockey players.

42 Autumn Cicada - I like spy stories, Allen Ren, and Republican Era settings. I can tune out Communist propaganda with the best of them. Yet, the propaganda ate the story to such a degree that there was nothing left; pre magic change Pinocchio was less wooden then this narrative.

41 You Complete Me - no you do not.

40 Skate into Love - the only positive thing I can say about this is that at least it’s better than Unicorn Girl, if for no other reason that only one of them is supposed to be a hockey player.

39 Irreplaceable Love - how do you make a story about fake siblings with a mad mother falling for each other boring? I don’t know, ask the makers of this.

38 Eternal Love Rain - I hate to rain on their parade, but these two actors cannot act, have about as much chemistry as a piece of bread, and are trapped in a story perfect for entertaining the mental abilities of the leads of Jin Yan.

37 For Married Doctoress - ummmm, you could do worse I guess. It only made me break out in mild hives. The sadistic ending did make me laugh though.

36 Dance of the Sky Empire - why you get Xu Kai and waste him in this insipid mess of a story is beyond me.

35 Love Designer - it’s inoffensive except to my sense of entertainment. There is nothing wrong with it but oh God is it bland.

34 Love a Lifetime - It felt like a lifetime watching this, but I didn’t love it. The story is incoherent, the actors have no chemistry and it’s all an epic waste of time.

33 Love is Sweet - so sweet it gave me diabetes. I like Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu, but there is literally no plot. I don’t need to sink into a plotless morass to watch pretty people engage in PG-rated make-outs. I am an adult with access to stronger stuff if I am thus inclined, though to be fair they could get x-rated and I still wouldn’t be able to sit through so many episodes of plotlessness for that.

32 Fake Princess - I love Zhao Yi Qin, but the guy needs to pick better projects. The female lead in this one has the voice and personality that can strip paint but the story is also doing nobody any favors.

31 The Changan Youth - I lost my brain checking this out. I had to go and read a dense treatise on medieval coinage or Mayan farming to try to recover it.

30 My Dear Destiny - kinda cheesy fun. It honestly shouldn’t be as low except it really feels like community theater.

29 Handsome Siblings - why is the Nic Tse version so good and this one so bad? True mystery for the ages. Chen Zhe Yuan is the sole reason this isn’t lower, because that kid tries SO HARD to make this drama bearable and almost succeeds. I can’t wait to see him in Sha Po Lang which actually will give him something to do.

28 In a Class of Her Own - see my comment on The Changan Youth. But at least Song Weilong is gorgeous to look at.

27 General’s Lady - inoffensive, pretty and so utterly pointless.

26 The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion - those two leading actors are a no go to me but at least they considerately acted with each other instead of ruining two dramas for me. It’s very pretty though.

25 Jiu Liu Overlord - it’s a mess and I bailed, but I placed it this high merely due to the fact that Lai Yi finally gets a leading role and he’s sexy as fuck and I am shallow. Whoever styled Bai Lu should never work again except at a circus, however.

24 Cross Fire - not my genre and Luhan will always look too much like my cousin for comfort, but it’s a surprisingly gripping and dark drama. I liked it!

23 God of Lost Fantasy - if you want to watch a mediocre wuxia/xianxia, this is not a bad choice. Probably better than Legend of Fei actually, because at least it doesn’t have an A-list cast to waste and gives us Sheng Yilun himbo and shirtless.

22 Renascence - the insane cuts (it went from 70 eps to 36!!!) made a fairly cheesy story into a total mess. But I had a good time until I finally bailed mainly because of the male lead (Chen Zhe Yuan yet again carrying a not-good 2020 drama on his shoulders; the guy should be nicknamed Atlas) and the insane but in a fun way story. The female lead (both the character and the actress) were not up to par but oh well.

21 Legend of Fei - only this high because objectively there is nothing I disliked it. But there is nothing I liked either. The most uninspired drama on the list. If you could eat cardboard, this is what it would taste like.

20 Ever Night 2 - compared to EN1, it’s a waste of film. On its own merits, it’s not very good (the cast replacements are uniformly inferior and Dylan Wang is so wrong for Ning Que I cannot even put it into words; the script is useless.) But it had some parts I loved so very VERY much (all the shippy stuff was perfection) so I don’t feel too bitter.

19 Castle in the Sky 2 - a lovely if not too complex fairy tale. It is inferior to its prequel because it doesn’t have Zhang Ruo Yun who elevated it, but it’s still a solid bit of fun.

18 The Great Ruler - it’s very high fantasy, very pretty, and surprisingly involving.

17 (tie) Legend of Two Sisters in the Chaos - the secondary couple steals the show but the rest is not too bad if not too involving.

17 Legend of Awakening - a solid bit of fun with a seriously BDSM streak (theme this year apparently - but come on, the lead’s powers only activate when he’s in extreme pain!) It’s a bit generic and the costuming is done by a blind person, not to mention the OTP is a NOTP, but the rest of relationships (romantic and platonic) are wonderful (I live for the found siblings story in this one) and I like most of the characters.

16 Consummation - a rare modern cdrama I liked; a sweet coming of age story (and love story) even if wrapped in a pretty weird virtual reality concept.

15 Oops the King is in Love - this is how you do a low budget, sweet, silly piece of fluff. Our heroine pretends to be a eunuch and crosses paths with a powerless young king and they are adorable, even more so than the drama.

14 Song of Glory - pretty solid, though draggy and I didn’t love the toothpaste filter. But A+ cast, excellent leading couple chemistry, Li Qin being a BAMF and a leading man (Qin Hao) who is actually an adult.

13 And the Winner is love - objectively kind of a mess (and the heroine has the brainpower of a gnat), but the OTP chemistry is excellent and Luo Yunxi fighting and flirting with a fan as finally a leading man is worth the price of admission.

12 Miss S - snazzy and snappy and stylish and whatever else starts with S.

11 Eternal Love of Dream - I don’t know if it would work for you as well if you weren’t a hardcore shipper for this OTP in Three Lives but I was and this was such a darling, wonderful, shippy delight; plus I love this type of high fantasy.

10 (tie) Maiden Holmes - solid and sweet and a wonderful OTP. Proves that functional doesn’t have to mean boring. If you watch one cross-dressing drama this year make it this one.

10 Qin Dynasty Epic - srs bsns history epic. I am not far into it but it’s so good and smart and visually stunning (if you love battles, this one is for you.)

9 Love Lasts Two Minds - I adored this so much more than I should objectively have, but it’s so beautiful (and no I am not just referring to Alan Yu’s face) and the OTP has wonderful chemistry and the story is solid, and the whole trope of her memory being wiped but falling for him all over again while he’s constantly and utterly devoted is a fave; plus he’s in pain and semi-dyng for most of it so sluuuurp (happy ending, don’t worry)

8 To Love - yes, a modern drama is this high! But it involves intensity, tragedy, genuine adults and sexiness that is Lin Gengxin. And there is an actual plot and darkness OMG!

7 Legend of Xiao Chuo - so beautiful, so fun, so full of gorgeousness of Shawn Dou. Plus, Liao is a rare setting for a cdrama and there are a lot of characters and stories I liked a LOT. Less ship content than I wanted but more than I expected.

6 The Romance of Tiger and Rose - so so delightful. I was literally laughing out loud. I have no idea if it will work as well if one isn’t a seasoned watcher of period cdrama/reader of web novels, with bonus for watching/reading Goodbye My Princess, but it was a complete delight for me (and yes, I shipped for real, as well. Best of both worlds.)

5 Twisted Fate of Love - Jin Han gets a leading period drama role! And he’s enjoying it to the hilt, excellent as a smart, twisty bastard who is also charming and so madly in love with heroine. Sun Yi is beautiful and tough and her chemistry with JH is on fire, the story never drags, and it’s so twisty and fun and just awesome.

4 Love In Between - the most underrated drama on this list. It has no big names or big budget, but it’s wuxia that’s clever, driven, tragic, hopeful and so beautifully shot. Three separate (amazing) OTPs, a leading man who is so not typical (a doctor who cannot fight and who never acquires this ability) and who is intense and smart and damaged, a heroine who puts her quest ahead of her emotions, an unhealthy degree of involvement by yours truly. This is a drama Fei should have been.

3 Love and Redemption - such a lovely, addictive, utterly romantic fairy tale. I was obsessed with it for a reason. All the tropes you love and some you didn’t know you did, a star-crossed OTP to the nth power (and a secondary OTP I hardcore love), a twisty yet coherent plot, some insane chemistry and so much whump and hurt/comfort they must have bought blood packets in bulk.

2 Go Ahead - yes, I can’t believe it either. A contemporary slice of life cdrama made it this high on my list. But the way it feels so real, the found family perfection, the characters I love and loathe, the perfect cherry of a wonderful OTP that hits my narrative kinks on top, and just a perfect storm of loveliness all around with this one.

1 The Wolf - is that any surprise to anyone who’s checked out this tumblr for the last couple of months? Tragic, intense and gorgeous; so romantic and angsty and passionate it made me lose my mind (though some of it was gone the moment the camera panned to Darren Wang) - all my favorite tropes and then some; this is a drama that may not be perfect but it is 100% and then beyond perfect for ME.

FAVORITE DRAMA

The Wolf - I have seen objectively better cdramas; even this year. But it has been literal years since I have been this hardcore obsessed, this utterly pleased, this emotionally catered to and devastated at once. A beautiful dark fairy tale that manages to own me despite the storytelling gaps due to censorship, it took me for one of the biggest emotional roller coaster rides of my drama watching career. Visually gorgeous, poetic, intense, and so romantic it took my breath away, this is not just my favorite cdrama of 2020, it’s my favorite drama this year period, and the one cdrama this year to make it into my permanent Top 10 cdramas list.

WORST DRAMA

Legend of Jin Yan - see my write up for it for why as I refuse to waste more time on this stupid mess.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Wolfie, The Wolf - he is such a haunted, tormented, complex, dark mess; loving and violent, severely damaged and with a hidden yearning softness, longing and aloof. And the amount of charisma and sheer masculine sex appeal Darren Wang brings to the role is insane and not something I see much of in a cdrama. Plus, that character arc with its rapid fall and slow painful redemption is A++++

Runner Up:  Sifeng, Love and Redemption - has a male lead ever loved more utterly and selflessly, suffered more thoroughly and beautifully, and managed to have such chemistry with both his leading lady and his leading man (that his leading lady temporarily turned into) at once? The answer is no.

Almost made the cut - Feng Xi, Twisted Fate of Love, Han Shuo, The Romance of Tiger and Rose, Qing Ci, Love in Between.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Xiao Qian, The Romance of Tiger and Rose - so funny, so much the reason this drama was such a delight. I adore her beyond words.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

Murder Daddy, The Wolf - I am sad the censors robbed us of seeing him die on screen. He was fully human but nonetheless managed to be the worst monster in a drama full of literal ones.

Ling Xiao’s Mom, Go Ahead - I hate her so much I don’t want to look up her name. She abused the kid, the disappeared and came back to abuse him some more. I mean she literally gave her child mental health issues. She is the WORST.

FAVORITE SHIP

Xing’er x Wolfie, The Wolf - are you kidding me? Who else could it ever be for me? They destroyed each other and saved each other, sworn enemies and childhood lovers, soulmates and epic messes, they couldn’t live with or without each other. The longing, the passion, the intensity, the angst, the epicness. LIKE THERE ARE NO WORDS!!!!

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Si Yuan, Shen Manqing, Love in Between - I loved them as much and often more than the main OTP. So much angst and passion and a happy ending! She is a seeming sect darling (except the sect is horrible and also sexist so her only worth is as a marriage candidate) and he’s an information broker who is actually one of the members of a destroyed sect that’s blamed for the massacre of her family. That chemistry and yearning is insane. The scene where she touches his face when he’s unconscious was in serious running for my favorite scene of 2020.

NOTP

Legend of Awakening - I have never seen a couple that didn’t just have no chemistry but exhibited actual revulsion towards each other before watching Chen Feiyu and Cheng Xiao try to act as lovers in this one. It was almost entertaining to be honest.

FAVORITE SCENE

It’s a tie and both are from The Wolf. One is a sequence where Wolfie marches to the walls alone, seeking death at Xing’er’s hands and the whole sequence with the battle and rescue follows. The other is the intercut between Xing’er going to her wedding and Wolfie going to his execution, and the auto-da-fe being intercut with her wedding.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Wolfie, The Wolf - Ummm have you seen this tumblr lately, it’s basically a drool shrine to the man.

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Yelü Yansage, The Legend of Xiao Chuo - I have loved this actor since The Myth and he continued to competently steal every scene he was in.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

To Love - come out of the coma, dammit!!!!!!!

NEEDS A DIRECTOR’S CUT

The Wolf - duh. It started out as 59 eps and got cut to 49. I reaiize some stuff is never gonna get put in due to censorship, but some of the stuff that got cut got for time reasons because they were deluded and hoping to get a TV broadcast so ep count had to be under 50. I mean I doubt the censors would care if they kept scenes of Wolfie building her a swing or whatever. I really really want a director’s cut the way Goodbye My Princess did even if like with GMP it’s only three extra eps. Hell, I will take extra three minutes, as long as those three minutes are Darren Wang shirtless or with a sword. Ahem.

NEEDS SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

The Song of Glory - it’s a fairly solid drama but honestly it didn’t need to be as long as it was and kind of got draggy and I got lost interest. (I could have gotten snarky and said all the dramas I didn’t like needed scissors taken to them in their entirety but decided to play nice.)

TOO MANY SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

There are a number of dramas I could complain about with regard to this (hi there, darling The Wolf!) but this award goes to Renascence - poor Renascence was never going to be a masterpiece, but it had the potential to be a bit of good cheesy fun until it had its run time cut by more than half and became an incoherent piece of insanity.

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

Dumb shrill innocent heroine who can’t tie her shoes - see basically all the cdramas I didn’t like this year.

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

Male lead torture - I mean it’s always open season on that in cdramas, but between Love and Redemption, The Wolf, Love Lasts Two Minds, Love in Between and so on, it was a banner year!

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Legend of Fei - what a waste of that cast; what a waste of our finite time on this Earth. What a waste of my intelligence to hope for something better and stick with it for a dozen eps. I have had stale wonderbread that had more personality than this drama.There is absolutely nothing that stands out about this drama in any way,  from half-dimensional characters, to actors who are sleepwalking, to a plot that moves at the speed of an arthritic snail, to uninspired cinematography and direction, to lack of any chemistry between anyone in the cast. If paint-by-numbers was done by a group of particularly linear robots, it might come across the same way as this drama.

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

The Wolf - honestly, I did not expect it to come out AT ALL EVER let alone to become my favorite drama of 2020. I was not familiar with the leading man (hahah), I liked Li Qin but wasn’t yet obsessed with her, and Xiao Zhan was excellent in The Untamed but I was hardly going to follow him from drama to drama (and I don’t do SLS any way.) And the trailer was enjoyable but unlike seemingly everyone, I didn’t think it was going to be some epic masterpiece. And then it came out and while it wasn’t objectively an epic masterpiece, it pulled out all the favorite tropes, shippy and narrative kinks from the deepest darkest recesses of my id. And I fell harder than I have in years. 

2020 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

None. Covid Year gave me PLENTY of time

BEST NON-2020 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2020

Novoland Eagle Flag and Joy of Life - they are in my Top 10 dramas from anywhere now. They are quite different except being smart and giving me protagonists to obsess over.

ETA: Also The Untamed because @idlewilds3 pointed out I actually watched it in 2020 even though I didn’t think so because this hellyear has lasted about three decades.

MOST ANTICIPATED IN 2021

I am gonna limit it to dozen and leaving out ones that aren’t necesarily supposed to air next year (Joy of Life 2, Love in Flames of War, Novoland Princess from Plateau.)

Monarch Industry, Novoland Pearl Eclipse, Silk Washing Stream, Dream of Changan, Sword Snow Stride, Wu Xing Shi Jia, Ancient Love Poetry, Immortality, The Long Ballad, Mirror Twin Cities, The Imperial Age, Fall In Love