#JO YEONG AND JO EUN SUP BETTER NOT DIE

[shinkoxyagami]

I stared watching it with my parents. We watched 2 episodes and while we were watching the third one we dropped it cause it didn't catch our interest.

The story is all over the place and is so confusing to follow.

The romance was completely out of nowhere? Like when Lee Gon told her you're my queen. And the episode ended, my mother and I both said "where did that come from?"

Cause for real their scenes together were way too long, meaningless and flat. Just what the hell.. Romance is always important to us (I usually watch kdramas with my family) and this was the poorest we saw

The only good thing about it was the visuals. Heck this garbage didn't deserve those amazing visuals.

Didn't like the soundtracks

So many unnecessary moments just to fill the episode.

Boring main leads. One dimensionals

The King: Eternal Monarch is halfway over and to say these past eight episodes have been a struggle would be an understatement. Am I keeping up with this drama week-by-week, watching as soon as a new episode is uploaded? No. Even watching an entire episode all the way through was difficult. So I stopped. 

The only way I am even keeping halfway interested in this drama is skipping over any scenes featuring Lee Gon and Tae Eul together and Lee Gon and Tae Eul individually. Not surprisingly, the watch time is more than cut in half as a result but is way more palatable.

The drama is at its halfway mark so in the traditional (and logical) sense of drama pacing, the “foundations” have long been developed. How a drama lays the foundations for the plot and for each of the characters determines not only audience interest in the show in general but for each character. You screw up the foundations of the drama, it is hard if not impossible to recover.

And that is what TKEM did which is probably why so many people have dropped it and why the ratings keep falling.

The foundations they most ruined were the foundations of the main characters and the main relationship.

First and foremost, THIS PLOT DID NOT NEED A ROMANCE. It can stand on its own without one. The drama could stand on its own if they could also FOCUS ON ONE PLOTLINE instead of a million and five.

Second, this romance is perhaps the most lackluster romance I have seen on a drama in quite some time. The leads possess absolutely no chemistry whatsoever and it really drags the entire drama down (especially considering they take up a ridiculous amount of the runtime). What the successful kdramas with out of this world premises had in common was phenomenal chemistry- the chemistry really carried the show. TKEM lacks main lead chemistry which makes the romance they try to shove down the audience’s throats considerably more forced and really unenjoyable to watch (every second is GAG-WORTHY). As a result I don’t give a whit about this “romance” and take glee in skipping every scene they have together.

Did the actors not participate in a chemistry test? Because chemistry tests need to be a thing to avoid dumpster fires like this one.

Moving on to the main characters themselves- Lee Gon and Tae Eul. Neither of them are likeable.

Lee Gon looked promising for 0.00005 seconds (his initial scenes with Jo Yeong) and then my perception of him soured. He has approximately 2 facial expressions and wears a consistent smirk on his face with a “I know everything already” attitude. He consistently talks down to everyone around him and chases after this girl who he is infatuated with simply because he had her photo for 25 years. NO. He is a terrible king and an asshole of a person. He also seems to have had zero character development in eight episodes. Also would it kill him to care about the people who have been there since the start (Court Lady Noh, Jo Yeong) and put them above a girl he barely knows.

Tae Eul is the female lead that I was cautiously optimistic about. Safe to say the optimism is gone. Her personality seems straight out of a early 2000s female lead catalog where being a consistent bitch and overall unpleasant was the only way a woman could be strong and being callous was “spunky”.It was enjoyable when she took out the criminal with a roundhouse kick to the head in the beginning episode but it became seriously annoying after eight straight episodes. Not only that, she treats the people around her terribly and she consistently has the air about her that everybody is just wasting her time. Her attitude just rubs me wrong and every scene with her in it is currently rendered unwatchable. 

They chose the actors for Lee Gon and Tae Eul based upon their star factor and the hype that both of them being paired in their comeback drama would receive and it was a MISTAKE. Having the plot centered around these lackluster annoying one dimensional characters and flat acting when the supporting cast had so much talent was a lost opportunity.

Because Tae Eul, Lee Gon, and their relationship rubbed me wrong during the foundational development of the drama, I can’t like them. The emotional attachment and interest is gone, that bridge is burned.

Then we have Prime Minister Koo. Who had SO MUCH POTENTIAL. But we again are going all stereotypical early 2000s where women in power were simply power hungry evil witches. Ulgh.

Part of me wonders when exactly this script was written because these characters are very dated in their characterization and it just is not enjoyable to watch.

Woo Do Hwan and Kim Kyung Nam are carrying this drama on their backs and if this drama gets any awards- it should go to them.

Currently I watch primarily for Jo Yeong and Jo Eun Sup (IF EITHER OF THEM DIE I WILL RIOT).

This drama was certainly overhyped with absolutely terrible pacing and is on the verge of being dropped every week.

Maybe, when enough time is passed I will actually properly watch this drama. Maybe not.

[convenientalias]

I Rate Kdramas I've Watched Based On How Much They Would Be Improved By the Addition of a Cat

only including kdramas I've finished, and remember well enough to judge.

If I'm forgetting existing cats, that's on me, but have you considered we could add more cats anyway? just a thought.

Beyond Evil--If Dong-sik owned a cat he could pet it whenever he was feeling angsty. If Ju-won owned a cat he would have cat fur on his clothes all the time and everyone would be like "perfectionist germophobe how??" Also, imagine the power struggle when it turns out that Dong-sik's cat actually Really Likes Ju-won, or vice versa. The chaos. The trauma. The UST. Idek if it's better to give just one a cat or both. Anyway, 10/10.

Circle: Two Worlds Connected--Rare show that would be made worse by a cat because it would probably die during the time skip, emotionally destroying me forever. It would be comforting to Kim Woo-jin in part one but ultimately not worth it. 0/10.

The Devil Judge--Already has a cat so this is irrelevant. I feel the cat could have been made more of but it is there and this is a good thing.

Extraordinary You--I like the concept of a cat slinking around in the background, and no one can tell if it is or is not affected by the author's intentions. But it's not especially needed. 2/10.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay--Ko Moon-young already has a whole character-softening arc going on. Adding a cat to it would be fun but it's not really necessary. On the other hand, imagine if she had a cat from the beginning that she fiercely loves, and it's just as temperamental as her, scrawny and black and full of scratches. Also it probably cameos in some of her picture books. I would Like To See It. 5/10.

The King: Eternal Monarch--I specifically want Jo Eun-sup to have a cat that really likes Jo Yeong. And Yeong to be shameless in liking it back. Like, does he say anything about it, no, but does he restrain himself from picking it up and petting it during a serious conversation, also no. Lee Gon thinks this is adorable but already knows Yeong likes cats so it's no surprise to him. Kang Sin-jae also thinks this is adorable and Hilarious and flirts with him about it. 10/10.

Mine--Any cat in Mine would probably be extremely spoiled and subject to a custody battle at some point, aka either a peacock fate or another point of contention between Hi-soo and Ji-yong. I think the latter would be more interesting than the former but imagine just a big fat cat lolling around in the background and everyone grumpily giving it scratches in the aftermath of yet another family argument. Actually I think the family of Seo-hyun and Jin-ho should own it, bc they both are lonely ppl and would appreciate a cat, and Soo-hyuk would get to hang out with it too. 7/10.

Mr. Sunshine--I feel the cat in this drama should be some sort of communal cat. Maybe the American Embassy has a cat, or maybe Kudo Hina's hotel does. Either way, Mr. Sunshine is so much about finding connections with strangers and building community and finding one's place, and a cat would not go amiss. It would help to build common ground between ppl, temporary truces (you can't tell me Dong-mae would kill Eugene or Hui-seong in front of the hotel cat! It wouldn't be Right!) and so on. Anyway I just want to see any of the leads with a cat in their lap. I say any but I mean Eugene. 10/10.

My Country the New Age--Seon-ho needs more connection and warmth in his life but I feel he can't really be trusted with a pet, and also this is the kind of show where if he happens to feed a stray now and again, eventually Nam Jeon's going to kill the stray just so Seon-ho will be more traumatized. Hwi could take care of a cat, but he doesn't really seem like a cat person to me; maybe Bang-won could have one? Bang-won, fan up, cat in lap, staring at someone imperiously. Not a bad image. 3/10 don't give it to Seon-ho, I'm sorry dude.

Psychopath Diary--Is there a cat in this show that Dong-sik and/or In-woo respects for being a predator?? I feel like there might be. If not, there should be. 8/10, it's only logical.

Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung--If Yi Rim had a cat, it could sit on top of him while he slept and ward off nightmares. But eh, I don't get the sense he's really a cat person, or Hae-ryung either. (Don't ask me how my catdar works, it's a tenuous art. I could be convinced.) 2/10.

Save Me--Guseonwon having a communal cat would feel very natural to me. Maybe the Holy Father or Apostle Jo would be stroking it all the time so it would seem like an evil accessory. But it would actually be a very good cat. I think it would kind of spook Sang-mi due to her associating it with the villains, but when Dong-chul infiltrates Guseonwon he really gets along with it, which is taken as another sign that he's got great disciple potential. 10/10.

White Christmas--It makes no sense for the school to have a cat bc Susin must be much too strict. However, if Kang Mi-reu or Yoon Su had been secretly hiding a cat in the dorms all along, it would be completely hilarious. Out of place in the serious scenes (which is most of them!) but hilarious. 6/10.

That's it, that's all my cat thoughts, good night.

[maculate-mango]

TKEM Episode 12

I actually really liked this episode. I’m glad they showed how LG found out about JTL in the beginning. Also man I LOVE EUN-SUP. He’s the babiest baby and just how do you not have a smile on your face just watching him?? Him with not-Nari and him when he reunited with JTL!! That was PRECIOUS I love the friendship between JTL and ES.

Okay ALL of JTL-LG scenes today were TOP TIER 🥺 Everything from when he saves her, to the conversation right after she wakes up, him making her food in his navy uniform, her picking clothes and him giving her a necklace, their trip to where she was kidnapped, their conversations at the church!!, him crying because of the very likely possibility that they don’t have a “forever”, and the KISSESS (baby time??). Damn we were so well fed in this episode. There’s 4 episodes left and this has me worried.

Lady Noh...there’s a lot packed in her. Also did she asked JTL the question about the war to see if she really was from KOC or what? I was a little confused about why she asked but I have to go back rewatch.

What is Lee Lim trying with LG’s mom from ROK? LG himself said he doesn’t care much to see his ROK mom’s face because it’s not his real mom. So I would think if LL is trying to use her against LG it wouldn’t work the best? But also LG wouldn’t let an innocent die, but most definitely he won’t give up the flute. I’m terrified for the day LG has to pick between the Manpasikjeok and JTL 😩😩😩

Jo Yeong talking about when he first became LG’s bodyguard 🥺 “I just wanted him to be happy.” MAN I ship both JTL and JY with LG. Also I love that they addressed that there are rumors of them dating LMAO.

Okay now I need to go in depth about JTL and LG because how can I not ship them more and more each episode at this rate? The neck kiss? Excuse me?? Aksbdbdkslsl. It’s sad they can’t dream of a future of them as a family with mini them running around. I also love how LG still gets scared everytime JTL puts her hair in a ponytail lmao. I love all the angst but hate it at the same time 😭 I need more than 16 episodes.

Um PM Koo wtf? I hate you?? I really thought they wouldn’t make her so bitchy and let her actually have a purpose but so far she just seems like a bitch. How can you wish despair upon someone you want to marry? I hope her characterization gets better.

As usual I’ll have more to say soon but I’ll end it for now with this. I love absolutely EVERYTHING about this scene. The way she misses him. His worry. How he shoots the gun (why is that so hot??). Just everything.

[drivingsideways]

ok, ok, post-finale sin jae hyung verse, different year 1.

yo, @rain-hat​ this is for you because you’re a diligent goblin who’s gonna give me everything i want in this ‘verse.

- so like, yeong remembers, ok. he remembers the man who once took him apart in a hotel room and who mixed his drinks, and stood in a street with the snow falling on his jacket and Yeong, like the fool he was, didn’t say, kiss me, let me take you home, stay the night.

- but that Sin Jae doesn’t exist, that was what yeong sacrificed that night to keep his Gon, his king, and yes, he would do it all over again, no question.

(he also sacrificed eun-sup, and eun-bi and kka-bi and that is something he still wonders whether he would do, another time)

-but Gon is happy now, Gon isn’t walking around with a scar on his neck and a piece of his heart missing. Gon comes back from his weekends with a bounce in his step and a light in his eyes, and he’s trying to be a better king these days, he actually listens to PM Mo’s reports, and makes notes and asks questions, good questions.  So: Gon is happy now, and the tug in his navel that is the umbilical cord between him and Gon is still there, but not so tight, not so painful.

- He resists the temptation to find out what happened to Sin Jae. But then Gon says, find out for me, and he can’t disobey. When he hands over the file to Gon, he doesn’t tell him of the hours he spent, finding out. Once the restraints were off- taken off- he’d caved in, completely. Not only does he know the outlines of Kang Hyeon-Min’s career, he knows his favourite brand of ice cream, he knows his Academy scores, he knows the names of the kids at the foster home where Hyeon-min spends his weekends, playing basketball with troubled teens and he knows the name of the therapist Hyeon-Min sees professionally, at least once a month, because he wants to do his job well. He knows that Luna and Hyeon-min have a thing - or maybe Luna has a thing- but he thinks that Hyeon-min won’t date his junior, because his work is too important to him. He still takes care of her though, the way he takes care of everyone in his squad- quietly, without fuss. He’s seen the reports he writes to his boss, outlining the ways that the PD should improve, advocating community policing and fewer guns out there. He knows that Hyeon-Min is careful about his money, though never stingy. He just prefers to spend it on other people, not himself. He sends his mother flowers on the regular, just to make her smile; and he buys the kids at the foster home new sneakers, brand new, not hand-me-downs. He knows that Hyeon-Min goes for the occasional date- both men and women, though more of the latter. The longest relationship had lasted only about a month though- a young Naval officer, whom he’d met while the latter was on shore leave. It had petered out quickly enough when the officer returned to his base in the north; the separation hadn’t caused heartache on either side.

- Yeong stares at cctv footage, and old videos from his college festival (Kang Hyeon-min played bass guitar in his college band, their repertoire almost entirely music that gives Yeong a migraine), and at the recording from the ceremony where Hyeon-Min had received a medal for outstanding bravery in the line of duty, his mother looking proud in the front row, and his squad beaming and clapping wildly, and he looks at the smile in Hyeon-Min’s eyes that aren’t wounded, and the curve of lips that aren’t pressed thin to keep a scream inside, and he tries not to miss his Sin Jae.

- It becomes an addiction, a necessity: knowing. He can allow himself this one thing, can’t he?

-One day, eight months down the line, finds himself following Hyeon-Min into a coffee shop- well, he had followed him in, but Hyeon-Min is nowhere to be seen; perhaps he’s taking a bathroom break? Yeong hesitates a minute, and then orders an espresso, no sugar, finds a corner seat to wait.

It happens because he got distracted by the purple glitter on the menu- he’s trying to puzzle it out- when someone slides into the seat opposite, and he looks up, startled, into Kang Hyeon-Min’s quizzical eyes.

“Captain Jo Yeong” says Hyeon-Min, his voice studiedly casual, “Perhaps you would care to explain why I deserve the honour of being stalked for months by the Captain of the Royal Guard in person? I don’t recall committing any acts of major or minor treason.”

His tone is casual, but there’s a glint in his eyes.

“Uh” says Jo Yeong, mind racing and coming up with- nothing.

“Would you go out for dinner with me?”

Hyeon-min blinks at him.

“What?” he says, bewildered.

Oh.GOD.

He doesn’t think he can say it again.

He going to make a run for it, he is, just as- just as soon as Hyeon-min stops looking at him like that, like he’s just met an-an- alien or something--

“There are dating apps for this, y’know” says Hyeon-min, and oh, shit, Yeong wants to lean across the table and press his mouth to the corner of that slowly curving mouth.

“I can’t risk it, with my job” he says, when he can trust his voice.

“Huh” says Hyeon-min. “So you just creepy-serial-killer-stalk all potential dates for months before you ask them out?”

“No” he says, “Just you.”

And now he has to leave, and insist that Gon please, please, please send him to another universe where he can die in his shame alone.

He’s already at the door when a hand clamps down on his wrist.

What happens next is pure reflex, and really, Kang Hyeon-min ought to know better than lay a hand on the Captain of the Royal Guard.

He stares down at Hyeon-min, lying winded on the floor, a dazed expression on his face, as he clutches his solar plexus.

Opens his mouth to apologize, when Hyeon-min wheezes, “I was going to say yes, asshole.”

Oh, thinks Yeong, caught between terror and something close to joy.

“Ok” he says, “Good”.

And he reaches down to haul Kang Hyeon-min to his feet, and then finds their fingers tangling, already, and there’s somebody snapping excuse me you’re blocking the door, and Hyeon-min grins, sheepish, and says, “Do you want get out of here?”

They do.

[convenientalias]

Opening Lines Meme :)

I've been tagged by @staidwaters, @rain-hat, and @smylealong. So I guess I better actually do it lols.

Rules: List the first lines of your last 8 stories (if you have less than 8, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 authors!

Going backwards:

The Unmatchable Luck of the Unbreakable Sword (MCTNA and TKEM crossover, Jo Yeong & Nam Seon-ho):

Jo Yeong has the best worst luck.

august sipped away like a bottle of time travel juice (MCTNA, Seon-ho/Sung-rok):

It said something about Seon-ho’s increasingly frightening reputation as a harsh and influential official that he had started to receive social calls from various nobles, despite being only a sixth-rank inspector and his father’s bastard son.

metaphorically i'm the man (but literally i don't know what i'd do) (MCTNA, Hwi/Seon-ho/Bang-won):

Hwi had been sick for days now.

Warmth and Life (MCTNA, Seon-ho/Hwi):

Seon-ho would have died for Hwi any number of times.

pinprick (Nirvana in Fire, MCS-centric):

Lin Shu’s body was covered in soulmarks.

necessity (MCTNA, Seon-ho & Bang-won):

Nam Seon-ho was a mongrel, a rat, one of those vermin that sneaks in the cracks of a house and eats everything to rot.

i'd live for you and that's hard to do (MCTNA, Seon-ho/Bang-won):

Seon-ho didn’t fully realize he wanted to die until he decided to live.

we're just busy tempting (like fate's on the nod) (TKEM, Jo Yeong/Jo Eun-sup):

Eun-sup, Yeong said, had done a good job playing the role of Unbreakable Sword for Lee Gon during his time in the Kingdom of Corea.

--

So, patterns... I think I have a tendency to start with a short sentence. Not always, but a lot of the time. I particularly love to start with a short sentence and then leave it on its own and start a new paragraph, or go into a long, convoluted sentence immediately after. The idea is generally to start with an abrupt, blunt statement, and expand from there. Of course jumping in with something long and convoluted (like august, lols) is also fun sometimes.

My favorite opening sentence is a tie between "necessity", which is just fun for me, starting out by dissing Seon-ho, and "i'd live for you and that's hard to do", which I think is a sentence that does a good job of introducing the general theme of the piece, struggling to find reasons to live and all that. That said, I'm arrogant enough to love all my opening lines <3

Tagging ten authors...... uh.... @trifoliate-undergrowth @general-sleepy @inrainprose @flo-nelja ? If you want? I think a lot of my mutuals have already been tagged tbh. If anyone else wants to do it, count this as me tagging you if you need an excuse.