#Plus I struggled a bit with the dialogue bc I didn't really know where I wanted this to go rip

[citrusdyke]

EdLing A

Thank you for the prompt :) It took me some time to figure out what I wanted to write, and this is pre-established relationship, so I hope that’s not too disappointing!

Ed visits Xing, promptly gets sick, and is checked on by a royal friend

A: Fire, flames, or excessive heat

A cold flush moved through his body, and Ed shuddered.  He was lying on his back in bed—not his own bed, but a bed in one of the doubtless many guest rooms of the Imperial Palace in Xing. The room was nice, Ed had to admit.  Since becoming a state alchemist, he hadn’t had any real problems with money, and he’d seen no need to deny Al and himself comfort he could afford when they travelled; he was thus no stranger to nice accommodation. Still, the room was lavish even by Ed’s standards. The design was opulent yet tasteful: rich reds, vibrant golds and pale creams were set against deep browns that in the low, dancing light of the fire in the fireplace seemed almost black. Not even two days into his trip to Xing and he’d already fallen ill; Ed silently cursed the unfamiliar climate, his immune system, and Ling for good measure.

I could have stayed in Rush Valley, or visited any number of other places. I hear Briggs is nice this time of year… But noooo, I just had to cross a desert. Damn you, Ling Yao, with your, ‘It’d be good to see you, Ed’, and your, ‘You’re of course very welcome to stay at the palace while you research whatever you like’. How dare you make such a tempting offer?  You and your… your… hospitality!

Ed groaned as he began to feel warm again, more sweat beading on the back of his neck and on his forehead and sticking his hair to his skin. It was uncomfortable, but with what with the way Ed’s body was aching and his head was swimming, it barely registered as annoying.

It took Ed a second to realise that the knocking sound was coming from the door and wasn’t just his head pounding.  Maybe it was Al back—after staying by his side all night, his brother had finally retreated to his own room a couple of hours ago once the Xingese doctors had informed them that Ed just needed water and rest, but Al had never been very good at not fretting.  Ed hoped it wasn’t Al though; his brother deserved rest too.

“Ed?” a voice called out as the knocking came again. “It’s me. May I come in?”

That… wasn’t Al.

“Yeah,” Ed called back, his voice rough. He coughed twice, which made his throat feel worse, and reached for the glass of water on the small table beside his bed. As he carefully sat up enough to drink, the door on the far side of the room opened, and Ling Yao slipped inside.

“Hey,” Ed croaked.  Ling, walking closer, shot him an amused look.

“Drink your water, Ed.”

Ed scowled—he didn’t appreciate being told what to do—but fixed his focus back on the glass in his shaky hands and took a couple of slow sips of water, relishing the soothing feeling on his throat.  As Ed shifted to place the glass back on the table, it was plucked from his hands.  Ling refilled the glass from the pitcher that had been left there, and replaced both items.  He then met Ed’s gaze and smiled.

“Better?”

Ed scowled harder.

“I could’ve done that myself,” he mumbled.

“You could have,” Ling agreed amicably.  “How are you feeling?”

Ed gave a small shrug and looked away, suddenly oddly self-conscious.  He was starting to feel cold again now that he was propped up rather than burrowed under sheets and blankets, and he suppressed a shiver.

“Sore. Tired,” Ed admitted.

Ed saw Ling frown. “Do you want me to leave so you can sleep? I don’t want to wear you out, I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

Ed shook his head.  “No, it’s fine—”  Ed was hit by a wave of shivers he wasn’t able to suppress, and he visibly shuddered.

Ling’s face became sharp with concern.  “You should lie down.”

Ed set his jaw stubbornly, even as his head throbbed in protest. “No, I don’t want to.”

Ling met Ed’s eyes with a serious expression, and for a few moments said nothing, but he must’ve come to some sort of conclusion because he relaxed and let out a small sigh, appearing to relent.

“Just don’t die in my palace, Edward Elric. I don’t think Mustang would forgive me if his precious ex-subordinate died under my roof. The fate of our diplomatic relationship with Amestris lies in your hands,” he joked.

Ed rolled his eyes.  “Yeah, yeah.”

Ling’s lips twitched.

“That’s the spirit! Anyway, if you refuse to lie down, I’m going to build the fire up so you don’t shake yourself to death. I hope there are no objections,” Ling spoke cheerfully, the unspoken because I’m doing it either way implied in his tone.

“How are you so obnoxious,” Ed grumbled, but didn’t argue, and tugged a blanket up to wrap around his shoulders.  The blanket was red and warm and Ed allowed himself to take comfort in the familiar colour as Ling barked a laugh.  Ed bristled slightly, and waited for Ling to say something, a retort already on the tip of his tongue, but Ling moved over to the fireplace without another word, simply shaking his head and chuckling to himself.

Temporarily placated, or at least too tired to push the issue, Ed relaxed against the head of the bed as Ling began to stoke the fire.  Ling had a nice laugh, Ed noted.  Ling’s voice was clear and resonant, and hearing it loosened something in Ed’s chest.  Ling was obnoxious—some of the things he said and did made Ed want to shake him, to interrogate him, to look deep into his soul and learn why, why, why—but it was damned good to see him again.

As Ling worked on the fire, humming quietly to himself, Ed let himself look at him properly.  He’d seen Ling briefly the previous day, but there had been a lot of other people around, and he’d been too distracted taking in the sights to truly focus on his friend.

It had been nearly five years since Ed had seen Ling on that day, the day that homunculus had dubbed the Promised Day.  They had of course kept in touch, but it was one thing to exchange letters and phone calls and quite another to see Ling again in person.  Unsurprisingly, he looked older: he was taller, and his shoulders were broader, his face a little less rounded.  Less tangibly, there was something in his air that had changed.  He held himself with a fraction more poise than Ed remembered, and his movements seemed more considered, more decisive.

He holds himself like a ruler, Ed noted with some surprise.  Ed knew of Ling’s position, of course, and even back on that day he had believed that Ling would accomplish what he promised to do, and yet somehow the proof of it still caught him off-guard, made him feel almost flustered.

Ed eyed Ling again, noting his shiny dark hair, his deft hands, the way that the glow of the fireplace played across his striking features.  Ling was so interesting.  Ed found he would’ve been content to stare longer; he felt a little disappointed when Ling finished with the fire and turned back to him.

Ling met Ed’s stare—and oh, whoops, he’d forgotten to stop before Ling noticed—and gave him a curious look.  “Penny for your thoughts?”

The heat in Ed’s cheeks probably couldn’t be attributed to his fever.

“Uh. I wanted to say thanks. For the fire,” Ed rushed.  Ling smiled widely, and for a second Ed’s breath caught.  An effect of the illness? He hoped not; he felt miserable enough without adding respiratory issues on top.

“It’s no problem,” Ling replied, seemingly oblivious to Ed’s inner turmoil.  “You are an important guest, after all!”

“Yeah,” Ed muttered distractedly as Ling moved to sit on the side of the bed.  Ling’s hair looked so soft in the flickering golden light; Ed wondered what it would feel like if he were to stroke it.

Ling chuckled softly, and something in Ed’s chest fluttered.

“So, Ed,” Ling began, his voice soft and bright. “Tell me about what you’re planning on studying while you’re here.”

[dramayeoja]

Goblin ❣︎ 도깨비

Kim Shin, an undefeated war general, is ultimately killed by a jealous young king named Wang Yeo. After death, Shin is revived by the gods—but his revival is by no means miraculous. He becomes a 도깨비 (dokkaebi, goblin), and is cursed. He will have to pay for all the lives he took in battle by living alone in immortality, witnessing everyone he's ever loved, die. Remaining lodged in his chest is the very sword that killed him. There is only person who can see that sword, and draw from his heart so that he can finally rest in peace: his bride... whom he's yet to meet.

Things get spoilery under the cut—you've been warned! ;)

Chipper, yeah? Haha so, right off the bat, the premises of Goblin remind me of like, a much more morbid version of the legend of King Arthur. You know, a man draws a sword from stone to prove himself the greatest king in all of Britain? Yeah. Just to be clear: this is a good thing (imo). Like, I personally think this is just such a cool idea for a drama 😍

Let's jump right in. I'm gonna be honest and say that, at first, I felt a little turned off at the female lead, Eun Tak, being nineteen (in the beginning of the show), meanwhile the male lead, Shin, is 900+ years old (but physically looks to be in his thirties). It just... rubbed me weird. But hey, the Twilight series (both the books and the movies) is exactly the same—high school girl, century-old man, bananas yet somehow romantic storyline... And I loved me some Twilight as a young adult. So I mean, I have no right to judge, really. Plus, Eun Tak soon turns twenty anyway. So that's an improvement I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️ We follow her character into her late twenties, nearly thirty. So things are definitely fine by then haha! 👍

Don't let that previous bit make you think I didn't enjoy Goblin—I LOVED it. That detail is just a lil funky to me, is all. Back during my Twilight obsession days, I was nearly twenty myself, and the thought of being pursued by an older man was exciting. Hell, I mean, it still is! But now that I'm two years shy of my 30th Birthday, I feel differently sometimes. I think, LAWD get that girl away from that man, she too young for him LOL. I am definitely getting old... Enough about Twilight now, apologies! I'm only using it for the sake of conveying similarities seen in Goblin 🙏 Let's talk cast!

Kim Go Eun as Ji Eun Tak and Gong Yoo as Kim Shin

Eun Tak is a bubbly young woman with limitless energy! While still in her mother's womb, Mama Ji was involved in a hit-and-run incident which, sadly, took her life. During Mama Ji's dying moments, she prayed to anyone above that her child's life be spared. Sat on a rooftop from afar, beer in hand (lol), Shin hears her prayers, as he is a god of sorts. He appears before Mama Ji, and shows mercy to her unborn baby. Eun Tak grows up with the ability to see/speak to ghosts. Said ghosts tell her constantly that she is the goblin's bride. How do they know? A strange birthmark on the back of Eun Tak's neck tips them off. Eun Tak unfortunately was taken in by her abusive bitch of an aunt, who jabs Eun Tak every chance she gets. Her cousins are assholes. Eun Tak's aunt really only keeps her around in hopes of collecting Mama Ji's savings (intended for Eun Tak) one day. Sad, right? I mean, isn't Eun Tak being born without her mother enough as it is? Life can be so cruel 😔

Lee Dong Wook as Grim Reaper/Reaper/Wang Yeo

This is Grim Reaper (or Reaper for short), portrayed by the handsome Lee Dong Wook. His character is just this strange, not at all tech-savvy man with a constant deadpan facial expression. Said facial expression provokes so many giggles during funny moments, and drives home the longing and desperation during sad times. We learn quite a ways in that he, in his previous life (again, just in case: spoiler), was Wang Yeo G A S P ! The young king that is essentially responsible for Shin's death, as well as all the misdeeds that were done to Shin's family. Again, this is something I don't want to spoil. Well, more, anyway 😆 You gotta see it!

Yoo In Na as Kim Sun/Sunny

Kim Sun, or simply, Sunny (she loves to spell her name for people lol, S-U-N-N-Y!) is the second female lead. Yoo In Na is so gorgeous that one look at her makes you feel like such a potato hahhah. 🥔 This fact about her beauty bleeds over into the show itself—every time another character meets Sunny, the camera does this slow motion pan into her lmao. She really is that pretty! Sunny's personality comes across so odd at first... Having watched all of the episodes now, I feel the intention of Goblin's creators was to make her seem like a soul searching for something it has lost in a previous life. idk if that makes sense, but yeah. She has this way about her, like she's disconnected from others, and is sifting through the haziness to find this thing she feels she's lost.

Yook Sungjae (my BtoB bias 😍) as Yoo Deok Hwa

Sungjaeeee ahhhh 💘💘💘 I had to gush, sorry! Hehe. Meet Deok Hwa: unofficial nephew of Shin. Deok Hwa is a third-generation chaebol (heir to a family-owned corporation) and spoiled man-child, always seeking his credit card hahaha 🤣 But I love him so much. Between Gong Yoo, Lee Dong Wook, and BtoB Sungjae? Man, I'm dying over here! Deok Hwa's true identity is revealed later in the show, which if you haven't seen it yet, I won't spoil it. Just watch. But his ending sucked. Like where did he go? Everyone else's endings got tied up neatly except for his. What gives, man? 🤔 Edit: I was actually reading an online conversation about what happened to Deok Hwa online—someone jokingly said he was reincarnated as BtoB Sungjae LOL 💯

Other various comments

AMAZING OST 😍😍😍

Good pace, episodes drag at times. A little confusing in the beginning, but you get there eventually. Maybe this is just me though, viewers who are a little more keen than I will likely catch on sooner ;) My mom was a little confused as well, and actually said at one point, "This should be called the 'what-the-hell-is-going-on' show," hahaha. Like I said though, we quickly moved on from this, and loved all the things. There are actually, I think, three (?) specials that were made to aid viewers in making sure they understand the complex events and relationships clearly. I haven't watched them yet, but want to!

Quite repetitive tbh, as there are unnecessary flashbacks often. Probably for two reasons: the obvious of reminding you what's what, but also to create suspense. Typical duration of most tvN dramas seems to be about 16 episodes, so it's possible these flashbacks and things are, for lack of a better word, filler. I don't know how rigid or lax tvN is about having a drama set at 16 eps, but I get the idea this is their preference. Seeing as so many of their programs on average last that long, I feel this must be what they want. Such has the potential to affect the writing, either positively or negatively.

A continuation of the previous bullet: I think Goblin's creators oversimplified the plot at times. I'm unsure if this is due to possible pressures to meet a specific requirement(s), or what. I'd rather forgo ALL restrictions and let creativity flow, let the story be told without pressure to fill a specific amount of time, etc. but TV production is weird. And contracts are weird. tvN might not to blame for these issues, could simply be that storytelling isn't always easy, man. I'm a writer myself, it's hard! I'M being redundant now lmfao! Anyway, yeah ~

Absolutely LOVED all the scenes that were filmed on location in beautiful Québec City, Canada 🍁 Tall, romantic trees, the fall foliage, historic buildings... sigh. Now all I need is Gong Yoo chasing me and we're all set! ;D

In addition to Shin being revived, my crush on Gong Yoo has been revived as well LOL. He fine 🔥 A classic K drama crush, can't go wrong with GY👌

Gong Yoo is always stellar at doing kiseu (kiss) scenes, and in Goblin, he does not disappoint. He really goes at it 🙈 which is preferred vs. the typical person kissing a stone statue that you see so often. He even did a lift kiss with Kim Go Eun that was reminiscent of THEE Coffee Prince kiss he did with actress Yoon Eun Hye! 😍

I never saw it coming, how the sword would wind up being removed from Shin's chest. I worried what the writers were going to do, how would they approach this, and just wow. The way things turned out is such a relief. It also told me that Shin's love for Eun Tak is true. I mean, I didn't need that scene to occur for me to know that, rather it just adds extra oomph that yes, Shin really does love Eun Tak. He didn't want her to suffer knowing she was responsible for his "death," so he thought quick and used her hands WITH his hands asdfghjkl. How dumb (bc noooo now you're gonna die) and amazing he is at the same time 💜

I love how Shin made his way back to Eun Tak after passing away, it was such a powerful scene. I could really feel his struggle, and kept yelling at my TV for him to stand up lol!

Devastated that Eun Tak died 😭 I really thought as many times as she'd cheated death before, she would somehow continue cheating death again and again for the rest of her days. But no... What a selfless person, Ji Eun Tak. Her being reincarnated as Park So Min gave me some closure. Not the closure I wanted, but closure.

The relationship between Shin and Reaper is ADORABLE. Whenever they interact with each other, they just have this great dialogue. Shin pings, Reaper pongs, Reaper pings, Shin pongs. It's great 😄 I still laugh about the slow-mo scene of them returning from the market with green onions HAHAHA 😂

I love Sunny & Reaper ~ However, their history as Kim Sun & Wang Yeo in their past lives is so very sad. I don't even know where to start RE: my feelings on this 💔 imo, their ending kinda sucked. I just wasn't satisfied with them having had this complicated, tragic story, only to be reincarnated in this fashion that I ultimately found to be just... idk, disappointing 😩 Again, closure, but not the closure I wanted.

I thought Reaper, the other grim reapers, the name cards, the depiction of what happens immediately following death with the brewing of the tea, the afterlife, etc. was all very creative. We really don't know what awaits us when our time comes—it's interesting to wonder if it's anything like it is in Goblin 🍵

Can't stop thinking about Goblin, even though I'm now watching Thirty but Seventeen & Mr. Sunshine! I'm emotionally cheating lol halp.

Photo credits: tvN & AsianWiki

Yo yo! I'm sorry I took so long to watch + write up this review! It's been a long couple of weeks for me, I wasn't always able to watch when I wanted. It was maddening 😆 But I have finally watched, and feel like the most accomplished person on the planet hahaha. xoxo 💜