#also chung-ah is so hot

[achiara]

i've just watched the newest my dearest trailer and i can't wait to be mentally ill again

[a-moth-to-the-light]

Join Me: Summer of K-pop Tag!

dates: July 1 - July 31

Intro:

when i reference specific songs in these questions, i'm only including songs released in june, july, or august of whatever year! in questions where you bring in songs of your own, though, you're welcome to reference songs released in any season (i reserve the right to do that too, hehe)!

songs that are not k-pop or are not korean are also welcome for the open-answer questions, though i’ll be sticking to k-pop myself (otherwise i would be WAY too overwhelmed by choices)! i listen to music in a whole bunch of languages, so your recs in any language (and any genre!) are welcome!

i'll be (hopefully) doing a post every day in july, answering the one or two questions i've chosen (see below)! you're welcome to join in on any days you'd like to, whether you just pick a few questions that sound fun or join in every day :) post your answers under #summer of kpop 2023 so we can find you!

Questions:

one:

- what song sounds like the last day of school?

two:

- what was your song of the summer last year? (this can be your favorite song released in the summer of 2022, or just the one you associate most with that summer!)

three: summer queens :)

- brave girls: "rollin'", "chi mat ba ram", or "after we ride"?

- what's your favorite sistar song?

four:

- what do you think of hyolyn’s “see sea”? do you still listen to it?

five:

- what's your favorite summer album?

six: holy trinity, part 1

- twice: "dance the night away", "more & more", or "talk that talk"?

- what's your favorite song from twice's taste of love?

seven: holy trinity, part 2

- what’s your red velvet summer song?

eight: holy trinity, part 3

- "whistle" or "boombayah"?

- what's your favorite song from blackpink's square up?

nine: more blackpink because i said so

- what do you think of "as if it's your last"? do you still listen to it?

- do you like "pink venom"? do you still listen to it?

ten: oh yeah men exist

- what’s your go-to summer song by a boy group?

- exo: "love me right", "lucky one", or "the eve"?

eleven: does this make me seem old?

- f(x): "hot summer", "electric shock", or "red light"?

- what's your favorite song from f(x)'s pink tape?

twelve: i'm not THAT old, right?

- aoa: "moya", "short hair", or "heart attack"?

thirteen: wave best ateez era go away !!

- what's your favorite song from treasure ep.3: one to all by ateez?

fourteen: ah, fourth gen.

- what do you think of itzy's "icy"? do you still listen to it?

fifteen:

- give us a summer song that isn't k-pop! (it doesn't need to be western tho! anything that's not k-pop is welcome--go wild, anime ost enjoyers!)

sixteen: halfway point!

- what's your 2023 song of the summer so far? (i'm going to pick from songs that were released in june or july 2023, but you don't have to!)

seventeen: kindly allow me to pretend that you can't sit with us doesn't exist!

- what do you think of sunmi's “gashina”? do you still listen to it?

- sunmi: "pporappippam", "1/6", or "heart burn"?

eighteen: b-side queens.

- what's your favorite song from dreamcatcher's summer holiday?

nineteen:

- what song sounds like a vacation?

twenty: YESSSS FREEDOM !!!!!!!

- what do you think of loona's "flip that"? do you still listen to it?

- what about loona's "pose"?

twenty-one: i miss them :(

- what's your gfriend summer song?

- what's your favorite song from summer vibe by viviz?

twenty-two: and them.

- what's your iz*one summer song?

- what do you think of yena's "smartphone"? do you still listen to it?

twenty-three: this is me trying to figure out if anyone actually likes dark-concept songs released during the summer...

- what's your favorite concept to see during the summer?

twenty-four: YESS TIME FOR ONE OF MY ULTS !!

- chung ha: "love u", "play", or "demente"?

twenty-five:

- snsd: "genie", "lion heart", or "forever 1"?

twenty-six: yeah fine here's one for the bg stans

- what's your astro summer song?

- what’s your favorite song from shinee’s married to the music?

twenty-seven:

- give us a summer memory associated with a song!

twenty-eight:

- what do you think of mamamoo’s “egotistic"? do you still listen to it?

twenty-nine:

- what’s your favorite song from thrill-ing by the boyz?

thirty:

- what’s your favorite song with the word ‘summer’ in the title?

thirty-one:

- what’s your favorite song released this month?

- what’s your favorite question from this challenge?

BONUS (AUG 1): share your most-streamed songs of july 2023!

[thepersona]

5 K-drama supporting actresses who deserve more love

The title speaks for itself. "No small roles, only small actors" they say. Here are some of my favorite actresses known for playing supporting / guest roles and where you might have seen them. List created in no particular order. Gifs not mine!

Potential spoilers for the following series: Extraordinary Attorney Woo; Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha; and Hotel Del Luna.

Lee Bong-ryun

I was inspired to write this post because of her recent stint as feminist-activist Attorney Ryu in Extraordinary Attorney Woo (ep. 12), but I first noticed her in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, where she plays the warm but no-nonsense zone chief Yeo Hwa Jeong.

Other incredible work can be seen in Sweet Home (her eerie-vibe in the trailer alone was enough to make me give it a shot) and Run On.

Yeom Hye-ran

With her recent Best Supporting Actress win at this year's Baeksang Awards for The Uncanny Counter, offers should be pouring in for Yeom Hye-ran. I'm not even surprised anymore when I see her in a show since she can fit in practically anywhere. From the annoying aunt in Goblin and the battered wife in Dear My Friends, to the ruler of the underworld in Mystic Pop-Up bar and the superpowered healer from The Uncanny Counter, she definitely has the range.

Jin Kyung

I always mix up Jin Kyung with Lee El (whom I also love) because they carry a certain elegance and mystery that make them stand out no matter how little screen time they have. Currently featured as Tae Su-mi in Extraordinary Attorney Woo, she has been effective in making viewers speculate, sympathize, admire, and dislike her with the brief appearances she has made.

I've also enjoyed her work in Melancholia as Noh Jung-ah, Dr. Romantic as Nurse Oh Myung-shim, and Pinocchio as Song Cha-ok.

Seo Yi-sook

I paid more attention to Hotel Del Luna because I was constantly on the lookout for the next Mago shin sister. She plays six of them in this drama and they are so distinct from each other that you may forget they're played by the same person. Due to her charisma, gravelly voice, and amazing diction, she often gets cast as the CEO's antagonistic wife or a competent authority figure whom you're not too sure whose side she's on. Whatever it may be, she always makes it count. One hell of a singing voice too (watch her sing on JTBC's Hot Singers).

Other notable credits: Terius Behind Me; The World of the Married; Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol.

Cha Chung-hwa

Known to many fans as Court Lady Choi in Mr. Queen and one of the North Korean ahjummas in Crash Landing On You, I've come to appreciate not only Cha Chung-hwa's comedic timing but also her immense talent in subtle dramatic acting. While I initially wasn't the biggest fan of Nam-suk the town gossip in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, I was impressed by her heartfelt portrayal of a grieving mother who uses gossip and humor as therapy. Other wonderful roles and guest appearances include: Hospital Playlist 2; Hotel Del Luna; and On the Verge of Insanity.

[obsessivelollipoplalala]

Hi celebrity crush anon here! dw your choices are all valid and not even that embarrassing! YES Robin Hood is a fox in that film but hey he’s still hot af and I was like 9 or something when I watched it 😂 I forgot to mention Disney’s 1953 Peter Pan, Prince Naveen, Gerard Butler from the 2004 Phantom film (guilty as charged), Rachel York in Kiss Me Kate, Colin Firth (basicccc), Amy Adams, Jenna Coleman, 70s Cher, Cherie Chung - a local Hong Kong actress in the 80-90s who will forever be the epitome of beauty to me and yeah Andrew Garfield is cute! I never watched Sherlock but I am/was a Doctor Who fan so I had a short Matt Smith phase lmao. I was also obsessed with the singer JJ Lin when I was 16. But Brian!!! Hoo I actually got a horrible start with him because back when I didn’t know much of anything about Queen my friend made me read this RPF as a joke - basically an extensive epic-novel piece of Brian-centric porn with plot that involves Roger, Brian, Adam (yes it’s present day) and a freakishly young Y/N doing… stuff (i feel like if you’ve even caught a glimpse of this fic’s summary you’ll KNOW this is what I’m talking about). it TRAUMATIZED me, and I couldn’t even bear to look at him without nauseating images flashing in my mind lmao. But um yeah I did see that photo you linked, also that other low angle shot of him playing guitar in 1974 and just the entire Music Life 1976 photoshoot and my world was ✨forever changed✨ BUT um your next sentence… that never crossed my mind😭✋ I personally don’t really have a specific limit but it sort of ends somewhere in the mid 1990s although I do understand how some people thirst for him beyond that,, to a certain extent 😃

Another question: what are your favourite musicals?

Dang, you sure have liked a lot of people! Nothing wrong with that, though. It’s normal for our brains to go “ooo pretty face.” My friend had a huge crush on Gerard Butler in her Phantom phase. The women you picked are pretty, too. Cher is an icon lol

*sigh* I absolutely know the fic you’re talking about. I hate to speak negatively about fics publicly but I think that one is a little infamous in the fandom lol. It’s definitely not the only old man smut out there, though. I enjoy reading posts and fics lusting over current Brian to my mom lmao. I wish I’d recorded some of her reactions. I’ve done it to some friends too and they’re like 🤯 Now you have a new mental image for that ‘74 pic ;) We all get that moment with Brian like *Squidward voice* oh no he’s hot!!!!

Ah, favorite musicals! My all time favorite is Sweeney Todd. I do prefer the movie adaptation and think it’s the most cohesive version of the show, but I still like the stage show. I can go on about that one for a long time. Others, in no particular order, are: Into the Woods, Les Misérables, Hamilton, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Book of Mormon, Company, Fiddler on the Roof, and Avenue Q. I’d say Into the Woods to JCS are in my top 5 with Sweeney Todd and the others are ones I really enjoy.

[rebelliouslala]

It’s In The Stars

(soulmate au, reincarnation au, namjoon x reader, fluff, language, 2.3k words)

song suggestion: “we’ve never met but can we have a cup of coffee or something?” by In Love With a Ghost yes that was my inspiration

The royal palace buzzed like a hive once the doors shut behind the Kim family. It practically was, the worker bees had been tending to the Kim Prince all morning. Even as they cooked for the Prince and his family, even if they clothed him, they still buzzed the rumors of his new and arranged bride.

“She has such beautiful hair!”

“Her skin glows whenever she smiles!”

“They will have such talented children!”

Even if the workers did have a crush on the prince, they couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed in excitement. The one who could not spread such rumor, but only hear, was Kim Seok-Jin. He had been wrapping the robes around the Prince however, humming and tending to his cleanliness for the big day.

That was until the Prince flinched. He stepped away from his servant and instead sat down on the pedestal, head in his hands.

“Your Highness?” the servant said, piqued at the sudden movement.

“Forgive my, curious behavior, but I am just, so worried.” the Prince looked at the reflecting glass across from him, biting his lip. “I do not know this bride.”

“According to the stars, sire, we have found she is your soulmate.”

“Oh don’t bother with that, Seok-Jin. You and I both know Father and Mother-,”

“It is true! Have you not heard of my bride? She and I will be wed soon, privately.” The Prince looked over with a frown, “How could you not tell me? I would love to attend.”

“You shall, with your new wife.”

With a groan he looked at the wood ceiling above. “Seok-Jin I do not want to marry a girl I have never met.”

“But you have!”

“Children do not count. I hardly remember my childhood.” The young Prince mumbled, “Nor do I remember even being a child.”

Seok-Jin sat down next to the Prince, a growing frown being painted on his lips, “Well, your Highness, you cannot judge her. Besides, you will also have your concubines to love. In other ways as-,”

“Seok-Jin.” Time froze, and the servant could only hear the young man’s shaky breath as he whispered, “I hate it here.”

“I know you do, sire.” Seok-Jin mumbled back.

“When will it end? The facade I must live?” Seok-Jin backhugged his Prince. Luckily no one else of the Royal Court or family was here, to see them hug, to see them show affection and care. They would’ve had the man’s head.

“You know, when I first met my fiance—,”

“Seok-Jin please—,”

“Let me finish, Nam-Joon! Aish, you never let me finish my stories!” He pouted. The Prince pursed his lips at his name, clinging onto the other man’s tight and securing arms, “Sorry.”

“Now where was I- ah! My lovely Chung-ae. Oh, when I first saw her at the market, from your bride’s kingdom, Time stopped when I saw the red string on my finger glow. I had almost tripped over myself trying to win her heart.” The servant chuckled, nearly cuddling the Prince with the memories, “She slapped me once, called me a buffoon for trying to boast with her.”

“Your flirtatious actions are conceded, Seok-Jin.” Prince Nam-Joon smiled softly, his dimples gleaming a little, like shining water in the summer.

“Did you know I met her when your father and mother were fighting? Your parents had threatened to use me as their beating stick. Your father ad struck me multiple times because his temper was, not at it’s best.” Nam-Joon faintly nodded, his eyes nearly shutting, “I do remember.”

“But it was Chung-ae. My darling, beloved angel Chung-ae who brought the light. She had made me smile, made me love something even if life, and your father, had struck me down so many times. I do not know if you will like your bride, that it it’s own mystery, Nam-Joon. But give this Princess a chance. This is your soulmate. You both will be happy. The stars of this universe never lie.”

The Prince heaves another heavy sigh, his face contorting, “That is just Royalty propaganda. You have not seen the royal soulmate marriages like I have. Cruel, meaningless marriages. I know my parents do not love each other. Like I will never find someone to love as well,”

A knock resounds throughout the room, and Nam-Joon scrambled up, standing regal, with his arms open. Like his mother had once said, a prince is not a prince without his godly stance.

“Ah, sorry I must’ve stepped into the wrong room.”

Nam-Joon turned but his servant had already rushed to the doorway. “Princess! This is the Prince’s quarter!”

“Oh! Pardon me, I was only looking for my future in-laws’ room. I wanted to greet them.” Seok-Jin pointed, somewhere where the Prince could not see, “They’re across the court.”

“Thank you—,”

“Kim Seok-Jin, at your service.” The servant bowed, deeply. “Ah, are you related to the Prince?”

“Not entirely, little warning, he’s a brat.” Nam-Joon retorted, clearing his throat. But he heard the Princess’ giggle, “I’ll keep it in mind. Thank you Seok-Jin.”

“Take care, Princess.” The doors close, and Nam-Joon slouched, “Seok-Jin!”

“She has to know!”

The Prince sighed, and he muttered quietly, “She sounded sweet.”

“AH HA!” the servant pulled away from his duty of clothing him. “SEE?”

“First impressions often are the opposite.”

“You felt something, didn’t you sire?” Nam-Joon glared at him, “Just fix me up!” Seok-Jin chuckled, humming with pride at his tiny victory.

ꕥ

The entire Kim family stood as they see the tall man walk down the aisle. King Kim Kyu-Hwang stiffened as his son’s face was barely covered by the veil, muttering at his wife, Queen Kim Ho-Sook, “Can you fucking believe our son?”

“It’s his wedding day. Let him.”

“He is becoming king right now! You would’ve thought he would come in with grace.”

Ho-Sook looks up with a frown at her husband, “At least his stance is well.”

“Son,” the King said gruffly to his son, hitting his back. Nam-Joon’s eyes almost bulge out as he nodded back, “Father.”

“Are you ready to see your bride? Your mother and I searched the entire land for your soulmate.” Nam-Joon turned slowly, muttering, “You searched until you found a king you could fool into away his daughter and his kingdom’s resources against the wars.”

Kyu-Hwang’s grip against his son became insane to ignore, “Such harsh words to your father, especially one who is giving you the crown, young man.” Nam-Joon scowled back at his father one last time. He stiffly turned back, to witness his bride walking down the aisle.

Even if the robes of crimson you wore reminded him of his stay in the wars. Even if the purple makeup you wore reminded him of the bruises bloomed by his father’s touch. Even when the servants yelled your name like his mother did to him.

He never fell in love with someone as fast.

For years he only felt himself shrivel in agony.

Look at the looking glass only to find blurriness because of the tears.

He could not even love himself.

Yet when he looked at the Princess, with her beautiful hair hidden underneath a crown; her figure disguised by the wedding robes, her heart stopping smile masked by a stern face.

Even if you had to hide; Nam-Joon still found the beauty you were gifted with.

Not only were you walking down the aisle, hesitantly looking up to meet his eyes, you smiled. At a man you did not know.

Lovingly he took your hands, and his dimples shine a little as he tries to talk, “Princess-,”

“Y/N. My name is Y/N.”

He held your hands close, not letting his father brush him off as his teeth shone like the sun behind him, “Y/N, I know we only met, but would you like to kiss?” Nam-Joon cringed slightly at using Seok-Jin’s line, but you laughed quietly, covering your smile.

He took your hand down, looking at you with care.

“Well, isn’t that why we’re here, Prince?” you said sweetly, letting his hands down to your waist, and your hands towards his neck as your lips connect.

ꕥ

You woke up, holding your head.

“Y/N?”

You look at your roommate, Seokjin. His pink lips frowned, and held your throbbing head. “Y/N you were having that dream again, weren’t you?”

The details of his face had been much too realistic. His dimples. His shining brown eyes creasing as his light caramel skin flushed with a pretty red.

You knew that face like you knew how to mix an Iced Americano, and to be honest;

He seemed so real.

“No, I’m fine, thanks. I didn’t scare you, did I?”

Seokjin shook his head, “No, but Y/N please—,” You brush his hand off your shoulder with a smile, “I’m fine, thanks.”

While your best, and only friend really did know couldn’t help dreaming about him, he let you go to the restroom, the romantic glint in your eyes passing by his instinct.

Luckily Seokjin had woken you up so you could go to work. Fixing your hair up and such, you hug your roommate goodbye.

Seoul always made you feel, weird. Like this was not your home. Yes you were born and raised, like many others, but still you wanted more than the smell of the River Han.

It’s like you were unsatisfied.

That and the new hot tricks on finding soulmates quickly. Your hint was unknown, doctors said you would know immediately when you met them. You assumed, the man in your dreams. He had been with you his whole life, being the shadow on everything you’ve done.

Even when you tried to apply to art college, your head full of images of him smiling, near you, crying, in a telephone booth, they wouldn’t take it.

They didn’t believe your sappy soulmate tale.

But you didn’t mind, right now you were the manager of one of the hottest cafes in downtown Seoul. And not only were you manager, you made your own coffee recipes, grinding foreign beans, making new designs in coffees that have never been heard before. Even crazy tea mixtures. Tourists paid to go to Korea for your cafe.

Yet still, emptiness always paved way in your mind. You were hungry, but for what? Was it love? Companionship?

No matter, today you felt different. Every day usually you drove, but on this beautiful spring day, you walked. After all, you did have to greet your subjects.

Kim Namjoon however was working under his father. He watches his father blackmail on his workers, chest on his mother, just be an all around asshole.

Thankfully today he had an excuse to quiet work in his own private office. One of the only perks he got.

But the stench of soju always got to his nose before the words could to his ears.

“Son,”

Namjoon looks up from his thin framed black spectacles and forces a smile, “Father.”

Drumming his fingers on Namjoon’s desk, the CEO of the record label, Kim Kyu-hwang bares his front teeth with a grin, exhaling out more of his grotesque stench, “You’re working late, I see.”

Namjoon continues to type on his computer silently, his eyes darting to his relative then his technology, “Yes Father, last night you went out partying again, and anther woman claims you’ve gotten her pregnant.”

“Did you pay her off?”

Namjoon looks up, staring coldly. “No. I haven’t. I’m not planning to.” Taking off his glasses, he leans on his desk, “Why are you here?”

“I thought you could go out on a walk with me, son! Go find a new model for the company. Plus I wanted to check out that new cafe.”

After 26 years, Namjoon’s father now wanted to bond?

“I’m fine, thank you Father.”

“Come on, we can try to find your soulmate.” he punches Namjoon’s forearm, more roughhousing like a sibling than a dad.

Namjoon inhales deeply, holding the bridge of his nose. “Jesus- fine. After I’m still going to work late, because of you.”

“I know, now get your jacket. Can’t let my son look like a son of a bitch.”

As his father strutted out, humming one of his group’s new Kpop songs, Namjoon boils.

“I have a macchiato with caramel and cream?” A hand pokes out of the crowd, which you hand and rush back to fill the other orders.

Even if the cafe was always crowded, with the scent of all kinds of people, your favorite always popped out.

Green tea.

That scent had always made you flutter your eyes, like you were transported into another life, long ago.

Mysteriously, like your dream.

The doors open, letting some of the tea smell escape.

Usually you didn’t mind who came through. But some sort of force made you look up, a tall, handsome man stepped through.

Light reflected off his skin, making him almost glow. His sweet eyes stared back at yours, and the little shimmer in his eyes told you enough.

It was him.

Transported all the way from Dreamland.

From your kingdom.

From your other life.

Not only was he your Prince, you recall, he was your soulmate.

You go to the cashier immediately, throwing off the stupid apron you wore as you wore your biggest grin.

But the older man, that bastard of a King-, no, CEO. He smirks at you, moving in front of the young man, “My, what a pretty girl.”

You stare back at him grimly, sighing. “Hello, may I take your order sir?”

“Perhaps you can. If you meet my son, pretty girl.” Your face contorts at his sickening words. This man hardly knew you.

But you knew him.

“Father,” his voice is deep, and stern.

He pushes in front with a stressful sigh as he pushes a card towards you.

You didn’t care what it said. Nor what it even meant. You instead took his hands and look at him. He looks at you, his dimples almost showing like they did when in your dreams, like when you and he had your first kiss.

The emptiness was filled to the brim, almost overflowing when he held your hands back with one large hand, “Uh—?”

With a sweet smile to stop his heart, and his words, you whisper, “Hey, we never met but can we maybe get a coffee sometime?”

[malaysiankpopfans]

7 NEW KOREAN FILMS AND SERIES TO LOOK FORWARD TO ON NETFLIX

There’s so much amazing content to look forward to!

It’s an exciting time for K-content fans! In addition to currently airing popular shows Start-Up, Private Lives, and Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol, new must-watch titles will be coming soon to Netflix. The impressive lineup includes movies like The Call, Space Sweepers, and dramas like Run On and Lovestruck in the City. Check out more details below.

UPCOMING K-FILMS

Netflix is continuing to introduce best-in-class films made by Korean creators to the world. Minyoung Kim, Vice President of Content (Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia & New Zealand) at Netflix said, “This year marked an incredible milestone for Korean filmmakers with the triumphant of Director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite winning the Oscars, positive reviews around Netflix film Time to Hunt, and the global popularity of #Alive via Netflix across the world. Netflix is at the forefront of changing the way entertainment is enjoyed throughout the world. We believe that great stories can come from anywhere and travel everywhere. We’re bringing Korean storytelling with the goal to entertain our members around the world.”

The Call

Popular actress Park Shin-hye and rising actress Jun Jong-seo team up in a mystery thriller that will have you guessing until the very end. When 28-year-old Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye) loses her cell phone on her way to visit her sick, estranged mother in a rural area, she digs up a decade-old cordless phone from the junk closet of her childhood home. She suddenly gets a call from a woman named Young-sook (Jun Jong-seo) asking for her friend. Seo-yeon hangs up thinking the woman has the wrong number, but later learns that the call was coming from the same house 20 years ago.

Premiere Date: November 27, 2020

Cast & Creators: Director Lee Chung-hyun, Park Shin hye, Jun Jong-seo

Genre: Mystery thriller, Crime

Space Sweepers

Song Joong-ki and Kim Tae-ri star in this fun, space blockbuster set in 2092. Earth has become a bleak planet and 95% of the human race struggle to survive. The main crew work on the Spaceship Victory and live off salvaging space debris. It’s extremely risky, but with a genius space pilot Tae-ho (Song Joong-ki), a mysterious ex-space pirate Captain Jang (Kim Tae-ri), an ex-con spaceship engineer Tiger Park (Jin Sun-kyu), and a reprogrammed military robot Bubs (Yoo Hai-jin), Spaceship Victory surpasses all other space sweepers. After successfully snatching a crashed space shuttle in their latest debris chase, Victory’s crew find a 7-year-old girl inside. They realize that she’s a wanted humanlike robot, and decide to demand ransom in exchange.

Premiere Date: Q1 2021

Cast & Creators: Director Jo Sung-hee, Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri, Jin Sun-kyu, Yoo Hai-jin

Genre: Sci-fi action, Space blockbuster

What Happened to Mr. Cha

Famous actor Cha In-pyo portrays himself in this tongue-in-cheek comedy. With the image of a gentle and perfect man, Mr. Cha enjoyed immense popularity in the 90s. However, he is now a has-been who reminisces about his glory days and waits for someone to cast him again. One day, Mr. Cha visits a gym to take a shower after a stroll. The building suddenly begins to crumble and he gets stuck in the pile of rubble. Will he be able to get rescued while maintaining his immaculate image?

Premiere Date: January 1, 2021

Cast & Creators: Director Kim Dong-kyu, Cha In-pyo, Cho Dal-hwan

Genre: Comedy

UPCOMING K-DRAMA

The Uncanny Counter

Featuring hot young talent like Cho Byeong-gyu and Kim Se-jeong, webtoon-based The Uncanny Counter is a satisfying tale of superheroes who hunt down evil spirits and also toil in a noodle shop. The dynamic story depicts the struggle between the evil spirits who come to Earth from the afterworld in order to become immortal and the Counters, each endowed with a special gift such as brute strength, psychometry and healing, who chase them down.

Jo Byeong-gyu plays the uncanny So Mun, a Counter unlike any other in history. So Mun is a hero-in-training who musters the courage to combat evil spirits after seeing a friend suffer injustice. Ga Mo-tak, a Counter with unrivaled brawn, is brought to life by Yu Jun-sang’s characteristic wit and acting skills. Kim Se-jeong plays the role of Do Ha-na, the human radar among the Counters with an infallible record of evil spirit detection. Her character exudes a detached vibe and shows serious action chops.

Premiere Date: November 28, 2020

Cast & Creators: Director You Sun-dong, Writer Yeoh Gee-na, Cho Byeong-gyu, Yu Jun-sang, Kim Se-jeong

Run On

Run On brings the highly awaited comebacks of young stars Yim Si-wan, Shin Sae-kyung, Choi Soo-young, and Kang Tae-oh. The series is a romantic drama about the intermingling of people who have trouble communicating, even while speaking the same language. It features people from different backgrounds who nurture relationships using their own languages.

Yim Si-wan plays the lead role of Ki Seon-gyeom, a former popular sprinter on the national team who is forced to retire due to a fateful event. Shin Sae-kyeong portrays Oh Mi-joo, who constantly has to retrace her steps being like a bridge between different languages as a movie translator. Choi Soo-young takes on the role of a sports agency CEO Seo Dan-ah, who is the only true heir of the Seomyeong Group by birthright, but on the account of being female, is forced out of the line of succession. Kang Tae-oh transforms into the role of Lee Yeong-hwa, a popular art student who likes movies and croquis drawings.

Premiere Date: December 16, 2020

Cast & Creators: Director Lee Jae-hun, Writer Park Si-hyeon, Yim Si-wan, Shin Sae-kyung, Choi Soo-young, Kang Tae-oh

Lovestruck in the City

Lovestruck in the City comes from Director Park Shin-woo of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay and writer Jung Hyun-jung who penned the In Need of Romance series and Romance is a Bonus Book, while starring popular actors Ji Chang-wook and Kim Ji-won. The romance drama is a realistic portrayal of young people who pursue love and happiness while struggling to get by in a busy, competitive urban environment.

Ji Chang-wook plays Park Jae-won who is an honest man, a passionate architect, and a lover of city alleyways. A romantic at heart, he cannot forget a certain woman. This thief of his heart and his camera had disappeared like a fleeting midsummer night’s dream. Kim Ji-won plays the freelance marketer Lee Eun-o, an ordinary woman who temporarily reinvents herself as the spontaneous and free-spirited Yun Seon-a. She takes off to a remote place on an impulse and falls in love with Jae-won under this new identity.

Premiere Date: December 2020

Cast & Creators: Director Park Shin-woo, Writer Jung Hyun-jung, Ji Chang-wook, Kim Ji-won

Recently Launched & Currently Streaming

Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol

Service Cadence: 10PM MYT, every Wednesday & Thursday, For Japan, all episodes will be available from December 3

No. Episodes: 16 episodes

Genre: Romance / Comedy / Drama

Creators: Kim Min-kyoung (Director), Oh Ji-young (Writer)

Cast: Go A-ra, Lee Jae-wook, Kim Ju-hun

Private Lives

Service Cadence: 10PM MYT, every Wednesday & Thursday. For Japan, all episodes will be available from December 3.

No. Episodes: 16 episodes

Genre: Romance / Comedy /Drama

Creators: Nam-Gun (Director) / Yoo Sung Yeol (Writer, My beautiful bride)

Cast: Seo Hyun, Go Kyung-Pyo, Kim Hyo-Jin, Kim Young-Min, Lee Hak-Joo

Start-Up

Service Cadence: 10PM SGT, every Sat & Sun

No. Episodes: 16 episodes

Genre: Romance / Youth / Drama

Creators: Oh Choong-hwan (Director), Park Hye-ryun (Writer)

Cast: Bae Suzy, Nam Joo-hyuk, Kim Seon-ho, Kang Han-na

[whirlybirbs]

“Shit!” with Poe?

» PRE-FLIGHT CHECK, THREE.

summary: cadet!reader & poe dameron run into some technical problems day one into the mission. neither of you can catch a break. 3/5. companion piece to risks. a/n: i put this story up on ao3 so you can read there if you’d like! click here!

Neither of you speak a word to each another for an entire day.

And -- listen, that’s hard work, because the Corellian VCX-100 light freighter is not meant to be operated nor inhabited by two stubborn, reckless pilots trying to ignore one another completely. The cockpit is small and the hallways are even smaller -- the two bunks in the back of the cabin sit adjacent and unused. You’d opted to dozing in the swivel gun’s reclined seat in the belly of the freighter while Poe claimed the captain’s seat.

It’s also hard to not speak a word to your co-pilot when the Corellian VCX-100 light freighter is essentially falling apart. 

On the second day of travel towards Voss, you’re startled awake by Poe’s loud exclamation followed by a dangerous tremor that rocks the entire freighter. 

“Shit!”

You spring up immediately, eyes pulled wide as you vault up the steep stairs, two at a time, to the second level of the ship -- another hard shake vibrates through the cabin and you lose your balance, hands hitting the wall as your try to regain your balance. You curse.

“Poe!”

He’s in the cockpit, eyes wide as he tries the trigger switch for the gears -- the hyper-drive is locked up, power readings escalating fast; the Resistance Commander flicks the switch up and down and up and down and then drives his fist into the dashboard. He hears you call his name. Pushing a hand through his curls, Poe shoulders raise as he throws his hands.

“I didn’t do anything!”

“What is going on?!”

Another mournful wail. And, then, the light freighter falls out of hyper-space with three jagged stalls. CHUG, CHUNG CHUG. You fall forward again, throwing yourself through the threshold of the cockpit and catching yourself on Poe’s captain’s chair.

The back boosters make this horrible sound, tied between a choke and a cough, before cutting completely. Poe’s frozen, hands raised from the controls in the cockpit.

There’s a single beat of a moment where you both exhale, thinking maybe that was the end of it. Just a faulty hyper-drive. An easy fix. As long as you don’t lose power, then it’s probably nothing --

And then the entire ship goes dark and you’re bathed in the dim glow of the emergency lights. 

“Son of a bitch.”

And then the alarms start. 

Part of you wonder if this was part of Leia’s plan.

You both throw yourselves down the catwalk, boots clamoring against the metal grates and skidding into the engine room with BB-8 and A3-C8 in tow.

The power-conductor is cracked, high-grade battery acid leaking from the container and creating a sparking concoction all along the hyper-drive’s transmission. Essentially, it’s eating away at the container making sure you and Poe don’t get stuck in a never-ending quantum leap. 

(Honestly, you’d rather throw yourself out the airlock than get stuck on this ship with him for the rest of eternity.)

So, yeah, you’re panicking.

And the AANG AANG AANG of the alarms over-head aren’t helping. 

“I need rags,” you say from underneath the engine’s main component, eyes wide as the hyper-drive whines and shakes, core glowing at white blue. Not good. Not good at all. Your voice is strained, “Like now, Poe --”

“Where the pit do I find rags?!” he yells, tearing through the toolboxes scattered along the far wall. He’s no better, panic biting at his nerves as he curses and trips over the piping for the exhaust port.

“I don’t know,” you snap, fingers moving fast to detach the wiring to the corroded battery. A drop of acid sizzle hot on the transmission, “But, could you just hurry up?”

“Ah!” he cheers, securing a rag from one of the far bins. He slides to his knees by your side, offering the tattered fabric covered in grease, “Here, take this --”

You’re fast to snatch and cover the battery in said rag, proceeding to unceremoniously yank it from it’s spot above the now burning hyper-drive transmission. You chuck the engine battery across the room, ignoring the wide-eyed look Poe gives you as it flies by his head. You then proceed to jam your hand in the new opening between the belt mechanisms and manually cut the hyper-drive off with a hard yank of a bundle of wires. 

The hot blue glow dies nearly instantly and so do the alarms overhead. 

You deflate. 

And then Poe speaks slowly.

“Did... you just throw our engine battery across the room...?”

From your spot on the floor, you raise your head and give him an incredulous look.

“What, did you want me to let it eat away at the hyper-drive?”

“We... oh my god... we needed that!” 

“It was corroded, Poe -- maybe if you’d done a pre-flight check, then you would have noticed --”

“Oh, so this is my fault now?”

You ungracefully wiggle out from under the engine then, huffing and ignoring how your hair goes wild. You’re sweating, grease smeared across your forehead. He watches from his spot on his knees, brows set in annoyance. Despite the circumstances, he’s still typical Poe.

Poster-boy.

Handsome.

“I’m just saying,” you chirp, “This whole thing could have been avoided --”

Oh, god, you grind his gears. And press his buttons... jam his buttons. Punch them. And just... kriff, you’re so irritating -- his jaw sets back in annoyance, arms crossing as he tries to ignore the grease smear across your jaw. 

“Why didn’t you do the pre-flight check, then, huh?”

"That’s the commanding officer’s job, Poe!”

A pause.

“... It is?”

“Yes!” you throw your hands, “Oh my god! You didn’t... you didn’t know that?”

“I don’t fly freighters --”

“Do you even do pre-flight checks?”

“Yes!” he cries, “Sometimes!”

“Oh my god.”

You’re standing then, moving across the engine room and wiping your hands on the fabric of your pants. Your boots rattle the grate underfoot. Poe follows as you begin to rummage through the supply cabinets surrounded the dimly lit engine room. There isn’t much here, but with a little luck, maybe there’s enough to hop you to the next planet and get you surface-side for some repairs. 

“Alright, Miss I can fix anything, what’s your plan now?”

“I’ve never said that --”

“Yeah, well, whatever,” Poe yelps, throwing his hands. By his foot, BB-8 gives and affirmative whir, “I mean, you just lobbed half our engine across the room -- you gunna just... tape it back together?”

“Maybe.”

Poe scoffs, jamming his thumb your way. “Maybe, hear her BB-8 -- ‘maybe’. Yeah, okay --”

You shove a roll of electrical tape his way, face screwed in annoyance as you lean into the deep set locker and rummage with a set of wires and wire cutters. Poe’s eyes narrow under thick lashes.

“Poe,” you chirp, “Keep talking and I will tape your mouth shut.”

“Not gunna deck me?”

“No,” you bite back, “My knuckles hurt.”

He gives you a look -- if you weren’t so annoyed, you might have laughed.

“Your... right. Your knuckles hurt... What about my face?!”

The bundle of here-and-there’s in your arms drags his attention to the astro-droid by your ankles. A3-C8 rolls back and forth, beeping happily as you side step around Poe and move towards the engine. You plop the repair parts down and Poe is actually a bit impressed -- tape and wires and a bundle of putty? 

You move, tugging a pair of gloves from your pile and wiggling them on. You pick up a small wrench and flip it once, eyes trained on the pile around you. 

“If we get this thing working,” you pause, motioning between you and your purple and yellow droid. Your wrench taps the discarded battery, “Can you fly it?”

In a second, his irritation melts away.

“I can fly anything.”

Utapau, from above, doesn’t look like much.

The age old Separatist hide-out hadn’t changed much since the final days of the war; it now operates mostly as a go-between from the mid-rim to the outer-rim. 

Lucky for you and Poe and your two little astro-droids, it’s the perfect place to land and try and square away repairs.

That is, until a little Utai named Grol, laughs in your face when you ask if they have any spare Corellian VCX-100 light freighter parts laying around for purchase.

“He’s laughing,” Poe deadpans, “Why is he laughing?”

You lean, muttering a quick: “I don’t think they make VCX-100′s anymore.”

“Stopped making 30 years ago,” Grol points, shoulders shaking, “Better off buying new ship! Grol give you good price, yes? Trade in -- give us parts. Grol and Grog give you good price.”

"What’s the catch, pal?” Poe jumps in, “You and your brother gunna rip us off?”

“Grog not brother.”

Your eyes wide, mouth snapping shut. You reach, grip digging into Poe’s arm through his flight jacket. You whisper. “I think that’s --”

Grog, beside Grol, crosses her arms. 

���Wife and I give you good deal --” Grol sneers, “And Grol not kick your ass.”

Poe just freezes before speaking quickly.

“...Yeah, you know, I think that’s fair. Totally fair.”

The Allanar N3 light freighter you trade for has a ghastly paint-job but it’s in good enough condition that you’re not afraid it’s going to fall apart on take off. 

While Poe exchanges credits with Grol and Grog, you venture through the cab and into the underside of the ship -- you’re mid-way through the flight pre-check, humming contently, when Poe clears his throat and scares the living daylights out of you.

You jump half a mile in the air, yelp strangled when your forehead collides hard with the plating under the engine belt. You roll then, gloved hands flying to grip the site of impact as your curse.

From your spot under the engine, you can hear Poe laughing. 

If you weren’t busy worrying over a potential concussion you might have enjoyed the sound of it.

“Sorry -- sorry, I just...” he snorts, smothering it with the back of his hand, “Sorry, I was going to say we’re all set to roll, but I think what just happened is called karma, Punchy.”

“Yeah,” you grit out, “Yeah, I think so.”

Rolling out from under the engine, you huff. You rub the spot with your palm, blinking up at him with squinted eyes. You’re honestly surprised the transaction went so quickly. And Poe came out unscathed. 

“Grog didn’t castrate you?” 

There’s only a hint of surprise in your voice.

“No,” Poe says, offering a hand. You accept it, leveraging your weight and pulling yourself up, “She’s really at the perfect height, though --”

“Shame,” you chirp, pulling your hand from your head and blinking at your palm, “Am I bleeding?”

“No,” Poe says, eyeing you over his shoulder as he ascends the engine room steps, “Only wounded your pride, Punchy, I promise.”

You huff, trying to shake the laugh that’s creeping up your chest.

Poe freezes.

“You’re laughing --”

“I’m not --” you sneer, pushing past him and moving through the -- thankfully -- wider hallway to the cockpit.

“You are,” Poe grins, hands in the air as he widens his strides to catch up, “It’s okay. Go ahead, laugh it up --”

“Shut up.”

“Was it the castration joke? Or the wounded pride that got you? Combo hit?”

You don’t even try to smother the smile on your face. Instead, you drop into the co-pilot’s seat and chuck your gloves his way when he follows suit. 

“C’mon, flyboy,” you jab, “Prove it that you can fly anything.”

“Is that a challenge I hear?”

You lean back, kicking your boots up on the dash. You motion across the dash, brows pulled upwards. “You’re the one who said it... My name’s Poe Dameron, I can fly anything.”

You imitate him on the last part. It’s not very good. You make a mental note to practice that a bit more.

His eyes don’t break from yours when he flicks the ignition on, happily priming the hyper-drive and leaning back into the Captain’s seat. “One, I don’t sound like that --”

You shrug.

“Two, I did, didn’t I?”

And he can fly it. Take off is a little rough, but after only hitting one platform on the way up -- “Oh, jeez, yeah, BB-8, I see it now. Sorry! Sorry.” -- Poe gets you both into the sky with relative ease. 

You won’t lie when you say you’re a little thankful to leave that rust bucket behind on Utapau -- the vomit colored Allanar N3 you’d traded it in for not only smells better, but it’s a bit lighter on it’s boosters. There’s no immediate defensive precautions and even though you will miss your little gunner position a bit, your happy to be cruising a bit faster. Nothing sucks like a slow freighter, especially when you’re used to speed runs in an X-Wing.

And, I mean, all of that aside, you were barely a day away from Voss.

No one would want to jack this ship. You didn’t even have any cargo.

Once out of the atmosphere, you’re fast to doze off -- Poe doesn’t say anything, just silently wonders if maybe you are concussed. He can’t remember the last time you two sat closer than three feet and didn’t wanna kill each other the entire time. It’s nice, he thinks. 

Within the hour, he too is clocking out; BB-8 and autopilot take over and for a cycle or two, you both actually get some decent sleep.

And then. you wake up to the warning wail of another set of alarms.

This time, the shadow that looms over takes the cockpit tells you that you spoke too soon.

No one would want to jack this ship, your ass.

[overanalyzingelswordiswhatido]

12 to 1 Chapter 7

Add followed Elesis to the window next to the front door. When she pushed the curtains aside everything was white. He blinked a few times. Snow covered the ground and was still falling. Heavy clouds blocked out any trace of the sky. The ambient light was much brighter than the last time he looked outside and the snow reflected it. He touched the glass of the window and quickly pulled away. It was icy cold.

Elesis gasped, “It’s the first snow!” She grinned and turned to Add, “You know what that means, buddy?”

Add frowned, “But it’s not even December.”

“It will be in two days,” Elesis held up two fingers before excitedly half-jogging toward the kitchen.

“That’s still two days.” Add followed her. If the redhead heard him she didn’t acknowledge it.

“Hey Rena, we still have last year’s Christmas decorations right?”

Rena paused in cooking breakfast long enough to think. “I think so…” Her attention returned to the food, “Raven probably knows where they are. If we didn’t keep them then we can get some more later.”

Elesis nodded, “Alright.” She left the kitchen and headed for the stairs, calling to Add over her shoulder, “C'mon, Add. Let’s go get the Christmas decorations from Raven.”

Add glared but he stomped after her. “But it’s not December!”

“It’s the first snow. Winter time is Christmas time,” Elesis skipped up the stairs.

“It’s not even winter! It’s still autumn!”

“It’s the first snow.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Add whined insistently.

Elesis ruffled his hair, “Cheer up, buddy. It’ll be fun. We’ll decorate the house and the Christmas tree and,” she grinned and leaned in closer to him. “Christmas time is also the perfect time for sweets. Ciel will be making a bunch of cookies.”

Add remained silent. He looked away from her and crossed his arms over his chest, “Fine.” He let Elesis lead him to Raven’s room. The door was wide open. Add could hear Raven rummaging through stuff, presumably in his closet, but couldn’t see him. The bed was covered in Christmas decorations.

“Oh sweet!” Elesis laughed, “You were expecting me to ask, huh?”

Raven chuckled, “You and Elsword always do after the first snow.”

“It’s dumb,” Add muttered under his breath.

“We’re gonna need a new tree before we start decorating, so we’ll do that later,” Raven told them.

“Ah damn. Alright,” Elesis led the way back down the stairs.

“What was the point of asking, if we aren’t going to decorate right now anyway?” Add muttered under his breath. He followed Elesis back to the kitchen. The kitchen smelled like some combination of cinnamon, eggs, and sausage. Add stuck his tongue out. Eggs were disgusting. “How long until breakfast?”

“It’s still going to be a while,” Rena answered.

Elesis smiled, “How about we go outside and play in the snow?”

“But it’s cold outside,” Add argued.

“Hot chocolate is better when you’re cold,” Elesis told him.

Rena raised an eyebrow but remained focused on breakfast.

Add’s eyes narrowed, “That’s not true.”

“It is,” Elesis insisted.

“It’s not.”

“Is too.”

“Is not.”

“Is too.”

“Is not.”

“Have you ever had hot chocolate after playing in the snow?” Elesis asked.

Add frowned, “No.” He never actually bothered to play in snow before. Why would he when he had better things to be doing? Inside. In his room. Where he could wrap himself in as many blankets as he saw fit. It didn’t make sense that hot chocolate would taste better when he was cold. “Temperature doesn’t affect taste.”

“It does,” Elesis argued. She chuckled, “But that’s not what makes hot chocolate so good after playing in the snow all day. The best way to find out is to test it yourself.”

“Test it myself? Why?” Add demanded. “Why can’t you just tell me?”

“Cuz there isn’t really a way to describe it,” Elesis shrugged.

“This is stupid. Why would I play in the snow all day just to figure out what you’re talking about.”

“But we won’t be. It’ll just be until breakfast is ready.” Elesis grinned, “And then we’ll have both hot chocolate and a nice warm breakfast.”

“You can’t have two variables in an experiment,” Add snapped. “If we’re testing the hot chocolate then we can’t have breakfast too.”

“We’ll test the hot chocolate first. Then we’ll eat breakfast.”

“That’s not what you just said,” Add reminded her angrily.

“I know,” Elesis nodded. “But I’m changing what I said because you’re right. There can’t be two variables in an experiment so we have test the hot chocolate before we can eat breakfast.”

Add studied her for a moment, trying to see if she was serious. She seemed to be. “It’s cold outside,” he looked away. Elesis was most likely trying to bribe him into going outside and he wasn’t going to fall for it. Besides, hot chocolate was just fine when he spent all day inside. He didn’t need to test it.

Add really hoped the snow stopped falling before the warmest part of the day. Otherwise Ciel wasn’t going to get the first Kingdom Hearts game for him. Well, more like Lu wasn’t going to let Ciel get the game for him.

“I promise it’ll be fun. We’ll get all the others to come with us and we’ll make snowmen and have snowball fights and all that stuff,” Elesis told him cheerfully.

“How are you supposed to make anything out of snow when it’s all…” Add trailed off. He struggled to find the right word to describe the texture of snow. “Crumbly…? And loose?” He shook his head and growled in frustration, “It doesn’t have a good texture to make stuff with!”

A question popped randomly into Add’s head and he glanced at Elesis, “Water conducts electricity right?” He didn’t pay attention to her answer. He knew it did. Something to do with the minerals that were present in it. Could snow conduct electricity? With the immobility of the molecules in a state that was more solid than liquid, it was likely a negligible amount, but it would be fascinating to see either way. If he altered the make-up of the snow, he might be able to increase or decrease that amount as well. Every mineral conducted electricity differently after all.

Add paused then whined. He didn’t want to go outside!

“What are you whining about?” Elesis asked.

“I don’t want to go outside,” Add complained.

“If you really-”

“I’m going to,” Add interrupted irritably. “I just don’t want to.”

Elesis looked confused, “This has something to do with your question about water, huh?”

Add pouted and refused to look at her.

Elesis shrugged, “Welp. We still gotta see if the others will come out to play with us.”

Add stuck his tongue out at her, “You can do that, can’t you? I’m getting Snowball.”

“Why…?” Elesis stared after him as he zipped across the room toward the stairs on Dynamo.

Add stopped and turned around, “She was really excited about the snow. It seems unfair to keep her inside all day.” He continued up the stairs but didn’t miss Elesis’ comment on how he was nicer to a cat than he was to his friends. He snorted and waited for her to reach the top of the stairs before he responded, making sure to have a bright smile on his face, “If it makes you feel any better, I’m nicer to cats than I am to everyone. Besides! It’s not like I’ve threatened to torture any of you guys!”

Add turned on his heel, stepped back onto Dynamo, and zipped down the hall and up the stairs to the third floor where his room was. He opened the door and Sunshine took the opportunity to slip out of his room. He didn’t chase her. She was likely going to give Chung a belated good morning, since he was her favorite.

[kpopshitposter]

Are these actual people or characters?

ayo ayo ayo

The people on my blog are kpop/cpop/vpop idols, so they’re actual people who just be looking and acting like fictional characters bc they’re so beautiful it doesn’t feel real

Since it really be seeming like you’re in the wrong part of town I thought I’d compile a lil playlist for you… it’s a #-Z of Korean artists I personally listen to on the regular. Complete with song recs! I had a lot of fun putting it together so even if you only bother to listen to one song on it I hope you enjoy it!!

uhhhhhhh it’s a lot (this list should explain why it took me so long to reply to your ask i’m so sorry I hope this is helpful)

Casual disclaimer that if you feel like theres any problematic people mentioned please be aware that i dont pay attention to scandals so this is just about the songs

Also I guess people should feel free to add their faves to the list if they wanna recommend it and I haven’t included them

Alsox2 if any links are wrong im sorry i love u

Feel free to ask me to order them by genre, male/female, or mood or anything like that too if you’d like!! K-pop in general is a really fun and comforting music genre and you should totally give it a chance

#

2NE1 - I am the best3racha - Matryoshka (MaaAaaAAAAA)4Minute - Whatcha doin’ today

A

AB6IX - BreatheA.C.E. - Under Cover (I also really recommend Take Me Higher but rlly all of their songs)Agust D - Agust D (TONGUE TECHNOLOGY!! ICONIC. But also The Last and all of his solos)AOA - Bingle BangleASTRO - Moonwalk ATEEZ - Promise and Wave and HALA HALA all of their songs again lmao wow so many talented people in one list

B

B1A4 - Rollin’BASTARZ - Help Me and omg just take the albumB.A.P - Wake Me Up B-BOMB - Give & Take BIGBANG - LAST DANCE and FANTASTIC BABYBLACKPINK - Kick It they have a lot of good songs tho!!Block B - Be The Light and Don’t Leave and Dreams Come True and No Joke and Toy dkfjghjsw Block B are my ultimate group and I love every single one of their songs - they’re kings of genre varietyBolbbalgan4 - Some and Travel and Ring they have loads of good songs!!!BTS - Blood Sweat & Tears and Dope and Just One Day and Home picking is rlly rlly hard because they have a crazy amount of songs lmao I went with songs where they all have lines

C

CHUNG HA - Roller CoasterCL - Hello BitchesCLC - Hobgoblin and NoCrush - None also Cereal ft. Zico

D

Day6 - I Need Somebody and Shoot Me don’t forget to dance to Shoot Me like this (but we’ll get to Stray Kids later)DEAN - The Unknown Guest and Bonnie & Clyde and D (Half Moon) ft Gaeko

E

Eric Nam - Honestly EXID - Up & Down and I Love YouEXO - Damage and Wait and EL DORADO and Universe and yknow ALL OF THEM they do a lot of different genres!EXO-CBX - Hey Mama!EXO-K - Overdose

F

F(x) - Rum Pum Pum PumFANXY CHILD - Y

G

GFRIEND - Me Gustas Tu and Time for the moon night and RoughG(I)-DLE - LATATAGirl’s Day - Something Girls’ Generation - Lion Heart GOT7 - MiracleGRAY - TMI and Late Night with Loco

H

HEIZE - Don’t Know You and Shut Up & Groove with Dean and Jenga with GaekoHOA - LongingHoody - Like You and Golden with Jay ParkHYUKOH - LOVE YA!

I

iKON - Love Scenario (this might as well be Korea’s national anthem at this point)INFINITE - AIR and Bad (they don’t have a bad song)I.O.I - Very Very Very ITZY - DALLA DALLA and ICYIU - BBIBBI and Palette ft G-Dragon (she’s ridiculously good)

J

Jay Park - Me Like Yuh and Solo ft Hoody and Upside Down ft Simon Dominic and Loco and GRAY I really like Mommae ft Ugly Duck tooJENNIE - SOLO J-Hope - Daydream Ji Chang Wook (fight ME LMAO IM SORRY I HAVE TO INCLUDE HIM) - To a Butterfly he’s done a lot of good songs and has a really beautiful voice!! You can listen hereJimin - PromiseJimin Park - April FoolsJin - EpiphanyJJ Project - Tomorrow, Today and Find You (I think all of their lil subunit songs are good)JONGHYUN - MoonJUNNY - Handle You and Magnet TELL ME WHY EVERYONE IS SLEEPING ON JUNNY BC IDK

KKang Daniel - What are you up toKARD - Oh NaNa and Don’t RecallKevin Oh - LoverKEY - Show Me but really NOT A SINGLE BAD SONG IN DIS BITCHKNK - Love You

L

Lee Hyun - You Are Here (i know it’s random bc it’s from the BTS game album but this song is so so beautiful)Loco - to be completely honest I don’t know if Loco has any solo music but I really like Still ft Crush and Don’t ft Hwasa

M

Mamamoo - Open Your Mind MOMOLAND - BBoom BBoom Monsta X - No Reason and Ready or Not and Be Quiet yet another one who physically can’t do bad songsMINHO - I’m Home

N

NCT - Baby Don’t Stop and Highway to Heaven and Simon Says and Jet Lag and Candle Light and Boom (I couldn’t with all the subunits so JSIJFGUH) also I’m gonna include WayV even though they’re not k-pop (they’re an NCT subunit) Come Back and Regular (my most listened to song on spotify) and Let me love u and Take Off and Dream LaunchN.Flying - Hot Potato and Rooftop NU'EST - Where You At

O

ONE - HeyaheONEUS - Twilight Orange Caramel - Abing abing and Dream of Clara and So Sorry and Cookies, Cream and Mint and Superwoman (they’re my favourite girl group im OC trash even tho they’ve disbanded :]]]]]]] )O.WHEN - Picture

P

PARK JI HOON - L.O.V.EPENTAGON - Shine P.O - Comme des Garcons

Q

????????? I GENUINELY HAVE NO IDEA NAN MOLLA

R

Red Velvet - Red Flavor and Aitai-taiRM - Forever rain and Change ft Wale (tbh I only like mono. - his other solo stuff just isn’t for me but feel free to check it out he’s got MVs and stuff on YT!)

S

Sam Kim - Scent and Make Up ft Crush and It’s You ft ZicoSEVENTEEN - Pretty U and HIGHLIGHT and HOME and THANKS and ALL OF THEM ARE BOPSSSF9 - RPM SHAUN - Way Back Home SHINee - Get The Treasure and Diamond Sky and View they have a lot of songs and a lot of rlly good stuffSimon Dominic - ullah and Simon Dominic and Comfortable with Gray and ONE and WON & ONLY ft Jay Park and Cheerz …….. I like all of his songs as well sofjhrSISTAR - Touch my bodyStray Kids - 4419 and GLOW and My Pace and Chronosaurus and MRIOH anduhh one more time everything they do is worth listening to at least once!! Stray Kids are really all such sweet people and my ultimate bias is Chan from this group so I hope you like them!!SUNMI - Siren and ADDICTSuper Junior - MamacitaSURAN - WINE ft Changmo (produced by SUGA odfjgh)

TT2U - Ososugiruouni and Goodbye TAEMIN - Famous and Tease and Slave and I’m Crying and Thirsty and MOVE TAEYEON - WhyTHE BOYZ - No Air and Giddy Up and Walkin’ in TimeThe Rose - sorry and with you and Like We Used to Do and She’s In The Rain and BABY wow really all of their songs thanks for coming to my ted talkTXT - Nap of a Star and CROWNTriple H - GIRL GIRL GIRLTWICE - Heart Shaker

U

U-KWON - Let’s Ride also whatever you don’t should definitely NOT check THIS performance out

VV - Winter Bear (not a dry eye in dis bitch)VAV - Give me more and SenoritaVIXX - Chained UpVERIVERY - Tag Tag Tag

WWanna One - Energetic WINNER - AH YEAH and REALLY REALLYWoosung - FACE and MOON

X

X1 - everything is just teasers right now really but X1-MA IS EPIC SO

Y

Yerin Baek - Blue and As I am (her voice is really incredible and unique)Yoon Jisung - In the RainYoon Jong Shin - Like It and Wi-Fi ft Zico

Z

Zico - I am you, you are me and She’s a Baby and Eureka ft Zion.T and Bermuda Triangle ft Crush and Dean and Artist and ANTI ft G.Soul and Fanxy Child ft FANXY CHILD Zico is CRAZY talented and he’s done a lot with a lot of people and he’s really out here saving the whole hiphop industry Zion.T - Eat and Hello Tutorial ft Seulgi

[mysageukinbio]

Some Jang Hee Bin trivia bullet points

Movies Jang Hee Bin (1961) and Femme Fatale, Jang Hee Bin (1968)

Lee Seo Gu was approached to write the 1961 movie because of the success of his radio drama Jang Hee Bin in the same year.

At 21 years old at the time of filming, Kim Ji Mi is tied with Lee Mi Suk as the youngest actor to portray Jang Hee Bin.

Jang Hee Bin (MBC, 1971)

There was a ‘lead actor famine’ for this drama, and so a 300,000-won prize (worth 5,984,227 won today) was offered at first for the lead role, before a vote was called.

Yun Yeo Jeong was voted to become Jang Hee Bin amidst candidates Yun Jeong Hee and Kim Ji Mi, who previously portrayed Jang Hee Bin in 1961.

Though MBC’s 1971 adaptation was wildly popular, lead actress Yun Yeo Jeong received major backlash for her role. She was even removed from CFs for Yunina Shampoo and Oransshi Soda because ‘her image as Jang Hee Bin was not good for the product’.

While filming the 1971 adaptation, MBC reported many threatening calls to end the network, pressure from the audience to bring Queen Inhyeon back to life, and an incident on set where an actor playing the role of Jang Hee Bin’s court lady was given a bowl of hot water instead of room temperature in an attempt to sabotage filming.

Eventually, the drama was rewritten so that Queen Inhyeon was reinstated sooner than expected.

Actress Kim Min Jeong (Queen Inhyeon) was cast for the role in the 1971 adaptation on a stairwell by writer Lee Seo Gu.

This adaptation is the first to portray a dramatic poison scene, a plot point that would become the climax of many more adaptations to come, with various embellishments.

No known footage of this adaptation remains. MBC only began archiving drama broadcasts from the mid-’70s.

At 154 daily episodes, this remains the longest adaptation of Jang Hee Bin by episode count.

A special was aired on January 31st, 1972 - two days after broadcast had concluded.

Women of Legend: Jang Hee Bin (MBC, 1981)

The first season of Women of Legend (MBC, 1981~1982) was actually going to be another adaption of the Hanjungrok, but the production was scrapped and Jang Hee Bin became the first season instead. Series writer Im Chung would later on write two adaptations of the Hanjungrok (Oh, Heaven! for KBS in 1988, and the King’s Pathway for MBC in 1998).

This adaptation became MBC’s highest rated drama during its broadcast.

The late Kim Mu Saeng played the role of Jo Sa Seok both in this version and Jang Hee Bin (SBS, 1995).

During broadcast, Lee Mi Suk, Lee Hye Suk (Queen Inhyeon) and Lee Miji (Queen Ingyeong) were referred to as the Three Beautiful Musketeers (미녀 삼총사).

Director Yu Gil Chon’s brother Yu In Chon was selected to play the role of Sukjong. Yu In Chon is currently South Korea’s Minister of Culture.

In 1986, Lee Mi Suk admitted that mixed reactions were given to her portrayal. She elaborated that older people hated her character, while younger women related to and empathized with the character.

This adaptation broadcasted on Mondays and Tuesdays at first, but was moved to Wednesdays and Thursdays from Episode 37.

Lee Mi Suk’s portrayal of Jang Hee Bin was popular with men at the time, as the way she acted in front of Sukjong was considered to be cute.

This adaptation and SBS’ 1995 remake are loosely based on the Records of Queen Inhyeon, a compilation of memoirs by Lady Lee, one of Queen Inhyeon’s court ladies.

500 Years of Joseon: Queen Inhyeon (MBC, 1988)

Actor Kim Seok Ok played the role of Queen Inhyeon’s stepmother both in 500 Years of Joseon: Queen Inhyeon (MBC, 1988) and Jang Hee Bin (KBS, 2002)

Kim Myeong Hee played the role of Ok Jeong’s shaman here as well as in KBS’ adaptation, for which she is more famous.

Jeon In Hwa and Lee Deok Hwa took up the roles of Jang Ok Jeong and Jang Hee Jae respectively. They would become brother and sister once more in SBS’ 2001 drama Ladies in the Palace.

Jeon In Hwa’s portrayal of Jang Hee Bin was not initially popular until her reentry into the Palace in Episode 27, as her graceful and elegant aura was seen as too in contrast to the conniving characters of MBC’s previous portrayals.

This adaptation is heavily based on the Joseon Annals, as opposed to the Records of Queen Inhyeon.

The poison scene in this adaptation was famous for Sukjong ordering that one of the doors be used to restrain Ok Jeong as she was fed the poison. This portrayal would be repeated in KBS’ 2002 adaptation.

Jang Hee Bin (SBS, 1995)

SBS’ 1995 adaptation uses the same script as MBC’s 1981 adaptation, written by Im Chung.

Im Chung’s son Im Ho took the role of Sukjong. Im Ho is world famous for his role as Jungjong in Dae Jang Geum (MBC, 2003).

Eom Yu Shin played the role of Prince Sungseon’s wife both in the 1995 and 2002 adaptations of Jang Hee Bin. She also played the role of Jang Hee Bin’s mother in MBC’s 1988 adaptation.

The 1995 adaptation was supposed to be broadcast after SBS’ 1994 drama Auld Lang Syne, but was delayed because of trouble finding a lead actor. Sandglass was broadcasted instead.

Jeong Seon Gyeong was only casted after refusals from Lee Young Ae, Kang Su Yeon and Shin Eun Jeong. Lee Young Ae would soon after become the lead actor of KBS’ West Palace.

This adaptation achieved ratings of up to 43%, but began to suffer during the broadcasts of KBS’ West Palace and Jang Nok Su.

Child actor Lee Jeong Hu played Queen Inhyeon in her first three years after entering the Palace. Kim Won Hee replaced her when Queen Inhyeon turned 18. Lee Jeong Hu died of cancer on December 10, 2016, at the age of 30.

The poison scene in Episode 63 is considered to be the closest in historical dramas to an accurate portrayal of what actually happens when someone drinks Joseon’s government arsenic poison.

The scene is also reputed for Jeong Seon Gyeong’s sudden retaliation in kicking the bowl of poison from a court lady’s hands.

Jang Hee Bin (KBS, 2002)

The lead role was first offered to Lee Young Ae, Song Yun Ah, Kang Su Yeon, Chae Shi Ra and Kim Hyeon Ju before Kim Hye Su took up the role.

Even so, audience reactions were not initially positive to her being chosen, saying that she was too glamorous for the role. Public opinion began to change once Ok Jeong gained the rank of Suk Won in Episode 24.

With 16 previous years of acting experience, Kim Hye Su is the most experienced actor to take the role of Jang Hee Bin.

Kim Hye Su’s casting also broke the tradition of casting young rookies for the role of Jang Hee Bin.

The ratings once dropped to as low as 6%, but its final episode garnered a 31.1% rating.

The show’s original writer Kim Seon Young is not only the first woman to write a televised adaptation of Jang Hee Bin, but also the first woman to write an authentic historical drama (정통사극). The format has been dominated by male writers since its import to Korea in 1981 through KBS’ The Grand Order.

A rivalry was brewing between production manager Kim Sang Hun and Outdoor Filming Director Han Cheol Gyeong, which escalated into an assault incident.

The show’s latter half was written by Kang Tae Wan, rumored to be 1st-generation TV writer Shin Bong Seung under a pseudonym. Shin wrote the 500 Years of Joseon adaptation in 1988.

Kim Eul Dong, portraying Court Lady Kwon (Hee Bin’s court lady) is the mother of Song Il Guk, who portrayed Western Faction activist Kim Chun Taek.

The role of Choi Suk Bin was offered to Kim Gyu Ri, Choi Yu Jeong and Hong Eun Hee before being given to Park Ye Jin from April 9th, 2003. The first three potential candidates happened to be filming for movies when the role was offered.

At 100 hour-long episodes, this remains the longest adaptation by runtime.

Dong Yi (MBC, 2010)

Some of the State Tribunal’s clothes were previously worn in Queen Seondeok (MBC, 2009).

Jang Hee Bin’s character was written much differently than in previous dramas. Her character was meant to be more mature, driven to her decisions out of support for her family and faction. However, while the show itself was successful, Lee So Yeon’s portrayal was often referred to as ‘uninteresting’.

Extra Choi Na Gyeong (not to be confused with flautist Jasmine Choi) gained much popularity after the broadcast of Episode 36 on July 28th, 2010, featuring as a Court Inspector during the Head Inspector's arrest. Referred to as the Tibetan Court Lady (티벳 궁녀) due to her perceived resemblance to the Tibetan fox, she would later on feature in a daily drama and a sitcom. Choi Na Gyeong also became the model for a character in mobile game Master Asia, and is an avid arcade game player herself. Her cameo in Dong Yi can be seen below.

Because of how differently Jang Hee Bin was written in comparison to previous adaptations, this adaptation is the first since 1968 to portray Jang Hee Bin as willingly drinking the poison that would lead to her death.

Jang Ok Jeong, Living in Love (SBS, 2013)

Despite Jang Ok Jeong’s portrayal in the drama as a fashion designer, viewers were displeased at the use of high heels and fashion mannequins, both anachronic to Joseon.

At 33 years old at the time of broadcast, Kim Tae Hee is the oldest actor to play the role of Jang Hee Bin.

The show is unfortunately considered a failure for SBS, with an average rating of only 11.3%. This puts the show behind its contemporaries Queen of Office (KBS, 13.2%) and Gu Family Book (MBC, 18.7%).

At 24 episodes, this is the shortest adaptation of Jang Hee Bin.

A historical accuracy dispute arose over the portrayal of Queen Inhyeon’s father Min Yu Jung. This led to the show being derided as a ‘fantasy drama’ by political drama fans.

[mingyus-noona]

My niece renames Kpop groups

**With my notes, because sometimes they’re needed to make sense of what’s going through her mind. She definitely repeats things, so there are a few people with the same name (but that already happens in Kpop, so it fits) or part of the same name, even within the same group. Twice has two members named Pool in my niece’s version. She also asked several times afterward if the name she said was Korean lol. She switches between saying random sounds and objects after I asked her to do shorter names so I could write them down and to say actual names, so she started naming objects. FIRST UP: Some Highlights: Big Bang Taeyang: Bowl of Soup Twice Tzuyu: Mulberry Bush (f)x Luna: Kiss the Beach A.C.E. Wow: Sunny Side Animal Got7 Jinyoung: Trashcan Monsta X Minhyuk: Skeleton Winner Taehyun: Bedroom Mamamoo Hwasa: I am your favorite star of the world Rose 24k Kiyong: Aw, Bad Words 2PM Wooyoung: Do you remember me? Block B P.O.: Drinking Boyfriend Kwangmin: Oh hi Onion BTOB Sungjae: I’m lemoned out B.I.G. Benji: Logo Beast Junhyung: I want Treasure And then she kind of just gave some names to other idols: Shinee Key>>B1A4 Gongchan Astro Sanha>> Block B Kyung Some of the names she chose weren’t that bad and I could actually see them as idol names, given that some are a little odd: Big Bang G Dragon: Song K Monsta X Shownu: Zucka Za Red Velvet Wendy: A-talk Red Velvet Yeri: Boxy A.cian Seulgi: Taeko The full list: BTS: Jin: Chun-gu [this is a character from the Lion Guard] Suga: Chung-who J-hope: Kissy [she said like a Hershey Kiss] RM: Huggy Jimin: Hat [Jimin was wearing a hat] V: Hershey Kiss Jungkook: Lovey Lovey

EXO: Xiumin: I Pig Luhan: Passa Pass a Suey Butt Kris: A Koosa Koosa Wah Suho: Eye Coo Soak Lay: Paper Paper Color Snow [there was snow in the picture] Baekhyun: So Kay Chen: Coal Kah Kushe Chanyeok: Hairy Hair Hair D.O.: Kissy Kissy So Tao: Silly Butt Eye Kai: Koko is a Bobby a So Su Sehun: Koko Ih Ih E A Chacha

Seventeen: S.coups: Steppy Jeonghan: Coosy Joshua: Here We Go Again Jun: Phoney Hoshi: Grass [grass in the picture] Wonwoo: Cuppy Closewa Woozi: Laying Down in Grass [grass in this picture too] DK: Sleepy Sleepy Slook Mingyu: Wordy Cosa The8: Icy Koos Seungkwan: Standy Call Vernon: Heart [she saw a gif of him holding a cut-out heart] Dino: Coosy Got (funny that this goes with Jeonghan's name: Coosy Got is the equivalent of Dino being Jeonghan's aegi 😂)

Got7: Mark: Silly JB: Silly Butt Soup Jackson: Mouthy Kahs Jinyoung: Trashcan Youngjae: Rotten Fish Filled with Trashcan [and not the other way around] BamBam: Pirate Kite Yugyeom: Eye Lip [she was trying to say eyelid lol]

Astro: MJ: Huh? JinJin: Kooka Wappu Deh Eunwoo: Sorry Moonbin: Fan Rocky: Light Sanha: Koosa

Monsta X: Wonho: Eye Sooka Soak a Soaka Shownu: Zucka Za Minhyuk: Skeleton Kihyun: Soaka Soaka a Bassa Hyungwon: So Bae Jooheon: Cossa Cossa Oh Bae Doo Doo Wah I.M.: Kiss the Go Bae Soap Ooh Wah

Winner: Yoon: Table Jinu: Bottle Hoony: Ice Water Minho: Floor Taehyun: Bedroom

Pentagon: Jinho: High Hui: Low Hongseok: Right E'Dawn: Left [creative, huh?] Shinwon: Koos Yeo One: Took Yanan: Keet Yuto: Keep Kino: Eye Wooseok: Love [if there was another member, she definitely would have named him You because the last three would be that Eye Love You gesture people show kids]

Blackpink: Jennie: Kussah Jisoo: Kass Bwi Bway Rose: Bob Wah Lisa: Toosedah

(f)x: Victoria: Pizza Amber: Kayswah Luna: Kiss the Beach [I don’t know if it’s what she said, but it sounded like it and I asked her and she said yes] Krystal: A Kassa Wah Sulli: Jees

Mamamoo: Solar: Peesagwa Moonbyul: Blah Blah Blah Wheein: Bowl Hwasa: I am your favorite star of the world Rose [I think she was trying to sing nursery rhymes and then saw the rose in the picture]

Girls’ Generation: Taeyeon: Um, I don’t know Sunny: I don’t saw Tiffany: Dress [she had a dress on] Hyohyeon: Plug Yuri: Spoon Sooyoung: Call Yuna: Blah Blah Blah, I get it Seohyun: Hairy Jessica: Hug Kiss

Big Bang: G Dragon: Song K T.O.P.: Cooshy Coosh [close enough to kush, and we all know what he was caught with lol] Taeyang: Bowl of Soup Daesung: Hairy Hair Coso Seungri: Jerry Sook [this just sounds like someone’s American name]

Red Velvet: Irene: The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round, the wheels on the bus go round and round all through the town Seulgi: The horn on the bus goes bing bing bing, bing bing bing, bing bing bing, the horn on the bus goes bing bing bing all through the town Wendy: A-talk Joy: Bubblegum Yeri: Boxy

I.O.I.: Nayoung: Hi Goodbye Chungha: The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout, down came the rain and washed the spider out, out came the sun and dried up all the rain, and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again Sejeong: Light Cult [I found out later she tried to say lightbulb, but this is funnier] Chaeyeon: Good Bye Bye Kyulkyung: Toe Sohye: Hair Yeonjung: Bobobo Yoojung: Smiley Face Mina: Hershey Kiss Smiley Doyeon: I don’t know Suh Somi: Wall

Twice: Jihyo: Pool Nayeon: Water Jeongyeon: Fill Momo: Up Sana: Pool Mina: Pineapple [she was holding one in the picture] Dahyun: Flower Flower Chaeyoung: Happy Happy the Hop Tzuyu: Mulberry Bush [nursery rhymes again] [you can tell in this one that she was swimming at the time since she said pool water fill up lol]

Super Junior: Leeteuk: Polka Dot Heechul: Triangle Yesung: Square Kangin: Rectangle Shindong: Heart Sungmin: Circle Eunhyuk: Splash [she was in the pool] Siwon: Fly [she saw a bee] Donghae: Umbrella [same] Ryeowook: Porch [we were on the porch] Khyuhyun: Butterfly Zhoumi: I see butterfly, I like butterfly [she likes butterflies] Henry: I love you Hangeng: Coo Say Kibum: Bubbly a Way So Eh

24K: Cory: Emmy E [her nickname is Emmy] Kisu: Boolooloo Jeunguk: Ma Ba Ba Ba Ba Changsun:  Chair Jinhong: Pooly Pool Pool Pool Pool Pool Hongseob: Sun-who Kiyong: Aw, Bad Words Sungoh: Woo-ah Hui: Vacation [she was pretending we were on vacation] Daeil: Flamingo Seokjun: Water Water Byungho: Snow

2PM: Jun. K: Fish Nichkhun: Bird Taecyeon: Heart Lovey Wooyoung: Do you remember me? Junho: I We Oh We Chansung: I love bathing suits all day long in the pool [she really likes swimming] Jay Park: Ha Ha Ha

2AM: Jo Kwon: 444 Wa Changmin: Florida [she knows it’s a place that’s hot lol] Seulong: Sunny Wa Jinwoon: Wha’s that?

A.C.E.: Jun: Rolly Uh Gaygay Donghun: Bubble Bubble Floating in the Pool Wow: Sunny Side Animal Kim Byeongkwan: Haha Chan: Muh Muh Muh [she said this to the tune of Got7′s Just Right, as in ma ma ma ma ma]

A.cian: Jungsang: Pot Hyukjin: Dah Sanghyeon: D Jin.O: Ma UTae: Me Seulgi: Taeko Chanhee: Susu Waya Crooge: Highway Hidden: O Lo-J: Heh Heh Heh Sehee: I’m a PoPoPuh [she was being cute naming one person Dah and the next D (like daddy) and then Ma/Me (mommy)]

B1A4: Jinyoung: Pee CNU: Facey Bath Sandeul: Buh Baro: Goo goo Ga ga Gongchan: Key [she has no idea who he is]

B.A.P.: Yongguk: I love you E Ah Himchan: Helicopter [there was one outside] Daehyun: Plane Youngjae: Bathing Suit Jongup: Iwosa Zelo: Incredibles [she is into the movie right now]

Block B: Zico: Little Taeil: Bump Bump Bump B-bomb: Aisle Jaehyo:  Bubble Bubble Wawa U-Kwon: Boo Boo Kyung: Sanha [as in from Astro] P.O.: Drinking

Boyfriend: Donghyun: Bath Hyunseong: Water Jeongmin: Poggy Youngmin: Eggy Eggy Ah Gaygay Kwangmin: Oh hi Onion [I have no idea with this one] Minwoo: Armpit [the names carry over from Block B to Boyfriend: as in Drinking Bath Water]

Boys Republic: Onejunn: Mall Bah Sunwoo: Star Sungjun: Eggy Eggy Gosowah Minsu: San Hahaha [I got her to remember her “boyfriend” Sanha’s (from Astro) name by saying it sounds like San haha] Suwoong: I love you for the time

BTOB: Eunkwang: Here we go again Minhyuk: Dirty Changsub: Clean Hyunsik: Paper Peniel: Couples 2 Ilhoon: Water Out [someone let water out of the pool] Sungjae: I’m lemoned out [no idea?]

B.I.G.: J-Hoon: Incredibles I Benji: Logo Gunmin: I Woo-eh Minpyo: Robot Heedo: Sun tea Gah [my sister just made some sun tea] [Incredibles I Logo: I told you that’s her movie right now]

Beast: Doojoon: Treasure [we were playing pirate/buried treasure earlier and she agreed to name these if I gave her more stuff to use for the treasure lol] Junhyung: I want Treasure Yoseob: Sangha Kikwang: Em Look [I told her this right before] Dongwoon: I don’t know [she couldn’t think of any more names] Hyunseung: Okay [I told her this was the last one]

[justforbooks]

The Book of Tea (茶の本 Cha no Hon) by Okakura Kakuzō (1906) is a long essay linking the role of chadō (teaism) to the aesthetic and cultural aspects of Japanese life.

Tea is a work of art and needs a master hand to bring out its noblest qualities.

We have good and bad tea, as we have good and bad paintings--generally the latter.  There is no single recipe for making the perfect tea, as there are no rules for producing a Titian or a Sesson.  Each preparation of the leaves has its individuality, its special affinity with water and heat, its own method of telling a story.  The truly beautiful must always be in it.  How much do we not suffer through the constant failure of society to recognise this simple and fundamental law of art and life; Lichilai, a Sung poet, has sadly remarked that there were three most deplorable things in the world: the spoiling of fine youths through false education, the degradation of fine art through vulgar admiration, and the utter waste of fine tea through incompetent manipulation.

Like Art, Tea has its periods and its schools.  Its evolution may be roughly divided into three main stages: the Boiled Tea, the Whipped Tea, and the Steeped Tea.  We moderns belong to the last school.  These several methods of appreciating the beverage are indicative of the spirit of the age in which they prevailed.  For life is an expression, our unconscious actions the constant betrayal of our innermost thought. Confucius said that "man hideth not." Perhaps we reveal ourselves too much in small things because we have so little of the great to conceal.  The tiny incidents of daily routine are as much a commentary of racial ideals as the highest flight of philosophy or poetry.  Even as the difference in favorite vintage marks the separate idiosyncrasies of different periods and nationalities of Europe, so the Tea-ideals characterise the various moods of Oriental culture.  The Cake-tea which was boiled, the Powdered-tea which was whipped, the Leaf-tea which was steeped, mark the distinct emotional impulses of the Tang, the Sung, and the Ming dynasties of China.  If we were inclined to borrow the much-abused terminology of art-classification, we might designate them respectively, the Classic, the Romantic, and the Naturalistic schools of Tea.

The tea-plant, a native of southern China, was known from very early times to Chinese botany and medicine.  It is alluded to in the classics under the various names of Tou, Tseh, Chung, Kha, and Ming, and was highly prized for possessing the virtues of relieving fatigue, delighting the soul, strengthening the will, and repairing the eyesight. It was not only administered as an internal dose, but often applied externally in form of paste to alleviate rheumatic pains.  The Taoists claimed it as an important ingredient of the elixir of immortality.  The Buddhists used it extensively to prevent drowsiness during their long hours of meditation.

By the fourth and fifth centuries Tea became a favourite beverage among the inhabitants of the Yangtse-Kiang valley. It was about this time that modern ideograph Cha was coined, evidently a corruption of the classic Tou. The poets of the southern dynasties have left some fragments of their fervent adoration of the "froth of the liquid jade." Then emperors used to bestow some rare preparation of the leaves on their high ministers as a reward for eminent services. Yet the method of drinking tea at this stage was primitive in the extreme.  The leaves were steamed, crushed in a mortar, made into a cake, and boiled together with rice, ginger, salt, orange peel, spices, milk, and sometimes with onions! The custom obtains at the present day among the Thibetans and various Mongolian tribes, who make a curious syrup of these ingredients.  The use of lemon slices by the Russians, who learned to take tea from the Chinese caravansaries, points to the survival of the ancient method.

It needed the genius of the Tang dynasty to emancipate Tea from its crude state and lead to its final idealization.  With Luwuh in the middle of the eighth century we have our first apostle of tea. He was born in an age when Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism were seeking mutual synthesis. The pantheistic symbolism of the time was urging one to mirror the Universal in the Particular.  Luwuh, a poet, saw in the Tea-service the same harmony and order which reigned through all things.  In his celebrated work, the "Chaking" (The Holy Scripture of Tea) he formulated the Code of Tea. He has since been worshipped as the tutelary god of the Chinese tea merchants.

The "Chaking" consists of three volumes and ten chapters. In the first chapter Luwuh treats of the nature of the tea-plant, in the second of the implements for gathering the leaves, in the third of the selection of the leaves.  According to him the best quality of the leaves must have "creases like the leathern boot of Tartar horsemen, curl like the dewlap of a mighty bullock, unfold like a mist rising out of a ravine, gleam like a lake touched by a zephyr, and be wet and soft like fine earth newly swept by rain."

The fourth chapter is devoted to the enumeration and description of the twenty-four members of the tea-equipage, beginning with the tripod brazier and ending with the bamboo cabinet for containing all these utensils.  Here we notice Luwuh's predilection for Taoist symbolism. Also it is interesting to observe in this connection the influence of tea on Chinese ceramics.  The Celestial porcelain, as is well known, had its origin in an attempt to reproduce the exquisite shade of jade, resulting, in the Tang dynasty, in the blue glaze of the south, and the white glaze of the north.  Luwuh considered the blue as the ideal colour for the tea-cup, as it lent additional greenness to the beverage, whereas the white made it look pinkish and distasteful.  It was because he used cake-tea.  Later on, when the tea masters of Sung took to the powdered tea, they preferred heavy bowls of blue-black and dark brown.  The Mings, with their steeped tea, rejoiced in light ware of white porcelain.

In the fifth chapter Luwuh describes the method of making tea. He eliminates all ingredients except salt.  He dwells also on the much-discussed question of the choice of water and the degree of boiling it.  According to him, the mountain spring is the best, the river water and the spring water come next in the order of excellence.  There are three stages of boiling: the first boil is when the little bubbles like the eye of fishes swim on the surface; the second boil is when the bubbles are like crystal beads rolling in a fountain; the third boil is when the billows surge wildly in the kettle.  The Cake-tea is roasted before the fire until it becomes soft like a baby's arm and is shredded into powder between pieces of fine paper.  Salt is put in the first boil, the tea in the second. At the third boil, a dipperful of cold water is poured into the kettle to settle the tea and revive the "youth of the water."  Then the beverage was poured into cups and drunk.  O nectar!  The filmy leaflet hung like scaly clouds in a serene sky or floated like waterlilies on emerald streams.  It was of such a beverage that Lotung, a Tang poet, wrote: "The first cup moistens my lips and throat, the second cup breaks my loneliness, the third cup searches my barren entrail but to find therein some five thousand volumes of odd ideographs.  The fourth cup raises a slight perspiration,--all the wrong of life passes away through my pores.  At the fifth cup I am purified; the sixth cup calls me to the realms of the immortals.  The seventh cup--ah, but I could take no more!  I only feel the breath of cool wind that rises in my sleeves.  Where is Horaisan?  Let me ride on this sweet breeze and waft away thither."

The remaining chapters of the "Chaking" treat of the vulgarity of the ordinary methods of tea-drinking, a historical summary of illustrious tea-drinkers, the famous tea plantations of China, the possible variations of the tea-service and illustrations of the tea-utensils.  The last is unfortunately lost.

The appearance of the "Chaking" must have created considerable sensation at the time.  Luwuh was befriended by the Emperor Taisung (763-779), and his fame attracted many followers.  Some exquisites were said to have been able to detect the tea made by Luwuh from that of his disciples. One mandarin has his name immortalised by his failure to appreciate the tea of this great master.

In the Sung dynasty the whipped tea came into fashion and created the second school of Tea.  The leaves were ground to fine powder in a small stone mill, and the preparation was whipped in hot water by a delicate whisk made of split bamboo. The new process led to some change in the tea-equippage of Luwuh, as well as in the choice of leaves.  Salt was discarded forever.  The enthusiasm of the Sung people for tea knew no bounds.  Epicures vied with each other in discovering new varieties, and regular tournaments were held to decide their superiority.  The Emperor Kiasung (1101-1124), who was too great an artist to be a well-behaved monarch, lavished his treasures on the attainment of rare species.  He himself wrote a dissertation on the twenty kinds of tea, among which he prizes the "white tea" as of the rarest and finest quality.

The tea-ideal of the Sungs differed from the Tangs even as their notion of life differed.  They sought to actualize what their predecessors tried to symbolise. To the Neo-Confucian mind the cosmic law was not reflected in the phenomenal world, but the phenomenal world was the cosmic law itself.  Aeons were but moments--Nirvana always within grasp.  The Taoist conception that immortality lay in the eternal change permeated all their modes of thought.  It was the process, not the deed, which was interesting.  It was the completing, not the completion, which was really vital.  Man came thus at once face to face with nature.  A new meaning grew into the art of life.  The tea began to be not a poetical pastime, but one of the methods of self-realisation.  Wangyucheng eulogised tea as "flooding his soul like a direct appeal, that its delicate bitterness reminded him of the aftertaste of a good counsel."  Sotumpa wrote of the strength of the immaculate purity in tea which defied corruption as a truly virtuous man.  Among the Buddhists, the southern Zen sect, which incorporated so much of Taoist doctrines, formulated an elaborate ritual of tea.  The monks gathered before the image of Bodhi Dharma and drank tea out of a single bowl with the profound formality of a holy sacrament.  It was this Zen ritual which finally developed into the Tea-ceremony of Japan in the fifteenth century.

Unfortunately the sudden outburst of the Mongol tribes in the thirteenth century which resulted in the devastation and conquest of China under the barbaric rule of the Yuen Emperors, destroyed all the fruits of Sung culture.  The native dynasty of the Mings which attempted re-nationalisation in the middle of the fifteenth century was harassed by internal troubles, and China again fell under the alien rule of the Manchus in the seventeenth century.  Manners and customs changed to leave no vestige of the former times.  The powdered tea is entirely forgotten.  We find a Ming commentator at loss to recall the shape of the tea whisk mentioned in one of the Sung classics.  Tea is now taken by steeping the leaves in hot water in a bowl or cup.  The reason why the Western world is innocent of the older method of drinking tea is explained by the fact that Europe knew it only at the close of the Ming dynasty.

To the latter-day Chinese tea is a delicious beverage, but not an ideal.  The long woes of his country have robbed him of the zest for the meaning of life.  He has become modern, that is to say, old and disenchanted.  He has lost that sublime faith in illusions which constitutes the eternal youth and vigour of the poets and ancients.  He is an eclectic and politely accepts the traditions of the universe. He toys with Nature, but does not condescend to conquer or worship her.  His Leaf-tea is often wonderful with its flower-like aroma, but the romance of the Tang and Sung ceremonials are not to be found in his cup.

Japan, which followed closely on the footsteps of Chinese civilisation, has known the tea in all its three stages.  As early as the year 729 we read of the Emperor Shomu giving tea to one hundred monks at his palace in Nara.  The leaves were probably imported by our ambassadors to the Tang Court and prepared in the way then in fashion.  In 801 the monk Saicho brought back some seeds and planted them in Yeisan.   Many tea-gardens are heard of in succeeding centuries, as well as the delight of the aristocracy and priesthood in the beverage.  The Sung tea reached us in 1191 with the return of Yeisai-zenji, who went there to study the southern Zen school.  The new seeds which he carried home were successfully planted in three places, one of which, the Uji district near Kioto, bears still the name of producing the best tea in the world. The southern Zen spread with marvellous rapidity, and with it the tea-ritual and the tea-ideal of the Sung.  By the fifteenth century, under the patronage of the Shogun, Ashikaga-Voshinasa, the tea ceremony is fully constituted and made into an independent and secular performance. Since then Teaism is fully established in Japan.  The use of the steeped tea of the later China is comparatively recent among us, being only known since the middle of the seventeenth century.  It has replaced the powdered tea in ordinary consumption, though the latter still continues to hold its place as the tea of teas.

It is in the Japanese tea ceremony that we see the culmination of tea-ideals. Our successful resistance of the Mongol invasion in 1281 had enabled us to carry on the Sung movement so disastrously cut off in China itself through the nomadic inroad.  Tea with us became more than an idealisation of the form of drinking; it is a religion of the art of life.  The beverage grew to be an excuse for the worship of purity and refinement, a sacred function at which the host and guest joined to produce for that occasion the utmost beatitude of the mundane.  The tea-room was an oasis in the dreary waste of existence where weary travellers could meet to drink from the common spring of art- appreciation.  The ceremony was an improvised drama whose plot was woven about the tea, the flowers, and the paintings.  Not a colour to disturb the tone of the room, not a sound to mar the rhythm of things, not a gesture to obtrude on the harmony, not a word to break the unity of the surroundings, all movements to be performed simply and naturally--such were the aims of the tea- ceremony.  And strangely enough it was often successful. A subtle philosophy lay behind it all.  Teaism was Taoism in disguise.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[lyricalt]

[integrate] got a feel for you

Fandom: Integrate by Thea Hayworth Pairing: Gavin/Sezin Rating: T (implied sexual content) Note: hey so i’ve read Integrate like three times over and it’s a real sweet short story about a buddy cop alien/human romance. There’s also tentacles? Tentacles. You can buy the ebook for like $2 at smashwords. :’) (post-canon, relationship navigation, no spoilers)

The call for them comes in just when Gavin gets a good grip on Sezin’s shoulders and Sezin starts looking a little less fully in control of himself.  The comm gives two alerts before either of them notice.  Gavin lets out a groan and then a little laugh of resigned exasperation.  His skin hasn’t even worked up a sweat yet, but he feels hot and giddy, hand clutching one of Sezin’s wrists before he scoots off Sezin’s lap to reach over for his comm.  He isn’t surprised to hear the sound of Lieutenant Chung’s voice with something no less than a bombshell reveal about their latest case.  She wouldn’t have called them otherwise.

“Sounds like hell, lieutenant,” Gavin says, forgetting for a moment where his hands are.

It isn’t going to be the first or last time they’re going to be interrupted, stumbling back to Sezin’s apartment in the early mornings after a long night shift.  Listening to Chung’s next set of orders, Gavin glances around the room, still inwardly thrilled by the novelty of knowing the ins and outs of his partner’s bedroom, but he keeps his eyes off mostly because he can feel Sezin still heaving for air, the shaky drawn breaths as he tries to settle back down. If Gavin looks, he know it’s going to be even harder to roll off and get dressed again.  

The gentle drop of Sezin’s dorsal arms from Gavin’s thighs is a good enough indicator that Sezin’s got a better hold of himself.  Thumbing his comm off, Gavin repeats the information Lieutenant Chung has given him, heroically leaving out the omission of her additional comment; ‘Is Sezin with you? Of course he is.  Save Rosser the trouble of making the extra call and let him know.’

“Ngh,” Sezin says, sounding less eloquent than what Gavin is used to hearing.

Shaking his head, Gavin hops off from the couch—couch, Sezin had been pretty eager to get things started—and starts toeing around the floor for his pants.  It doesn’t take long.  They hadn’t made it very far. Hence the couch.  Gavin’s already got both his legs through the necessary parts of his pants when he looks back over his shoulder.

“Sezin, you coming or what?” he asks, the last word of his question trailing off.  He catches Sezin furrowing his blunted talons over the couch before Sezin meets his eyes with a blank look.

“What?” Sezin says, like he’s heard absolutely nothing the past thirty seconds Gavin has been telling him about the case.  

“Gotta hustle back to the station.  Forensics has something to tell us,” Gavin says, sparing Sezin the details for now.  He can just repeat it in their cruiser on the way.  He grins, a little smug.  “You good to go?”

His teasing tone seems to kick Sezin back into action out of sheer habit of being contrary.  Sezin bolts up from the couch, grabbing his own comm and shoving it into his pocket.  He has the virtue of having most of his clothes still on, if not a little rumpled and unbuttoned in a few key places.    For the most part, Gavin is unrepentant about their abrupt stop.  He assumes Sezin understands as well, and knowing the serious way Sezin regards their work, his partner would likely appreciate it in the long run.

“Sorry, yeah, I’m good,” Sezin says, rolling his shoulders back. His dorsal arms slip back beneath his sleeves.  He hurriedly buckles his belt.

By that time Gavin has his suit jacket on, smoothing out his collar.  A quick glance at his reflection in one of Sezin’s decorative wall mirrors shows him more or less presentable for work, though he isn’t quite sure if he could say the same about his scent.  No doubt he’d smell like Sezin to their hirsa coworkers, but just how much like Sezin makes him pause.  The hirsa have different notions of being discreet, he supposes.

Sezin brushes past him to get the front door, not even bothering with the mirror.  His normally impassive expression looks a tiny bit flustered, eyes darting back to Gavin every so often before he sets his jaw and turns away.  Gavin stares, hands stilling over the cuffs of his jacket before he tugs them straight.  Barring work circumstances, it’s the most disheveled he’s ever seen Sezin—shirt tucked in the loosest sense, the top two buttons undone, tie missing—but at least the jacket’s made it across Sezin’s shoulders, if barely.  

Sezin looks like half a wreck, a very attractive wreck, but still a mess all the same.

“Need some help?” Gavin asks, concerned.  He brushes a crinkled fold on the back of Sezin’s dress shirt.

“I, ah—” Seizin glances down at him, seems to consider the offer for longer than necessary, then ducks his head to the side.  He sways from Gavin’s outstretched hand, an automatic habit Gavin has grown used to without taking offense. “No?  Just a moment, I need to find—”

Gavin takes a polite step back, allowing Sezin some space.  He bites his bottom lip, amazed.

I did this to him, Gavin thinks, watching as Sezin fumbles to clip his badge to his belt, mumbling something in hirsan.  The heat rises to Gavin’s face.

He’s fantasized about this—having Sezin so undone to notice what everyone might see, reduced to incoherent words when asked the simplest questions. It must come with wanting to compensate for being unable to make his own mark on Sezin, the way Sezin does on him.  No bite marks to hide beneath shirt sleeves or reddened skin under upturned collars, and Sezin has no hair to leave in disarray or brush privately back into place.  

For a moment, Gavin is given in by the selfish thought of letting Sezin out in public like this, all messed up and bedraggled from all the wicked things he has done to him.   Let the world see how he’s left his mark on Sezin—that he can be as territorial as any hirsa.

Sezin puts his hand on the front door, the control panel beeping.

“Alright,” he says, breathing a wear sigh.  He shoots Gavin a bashful smile, his countenance a little embarrassed.

The thought passes.  Gavin says, “Hang on.”  

He rushes back to the living room, snagging the tie Sezin’s left on the floor—that he’d dropped, while they were fooling around—and loops it through his own neck.  Gavin’s got quick enough hands to do up a passable half-windsor, guessing the length as best he can.  He walks back to Sezin with the tie, pulling it off and holding it out.

“Forgot your tie,” Gavin says.

Sezin’s hand comes up to pats his own chest, confirming that he has.  At Gavin’s hurried insistence, he bends his head, letting Gavin pull the tie around his neck.  And then, on his own accord, he tips his chin up, allowing Gavin to tuck it beneath his collar and adjust it at his throat.

Gavin brushes his fingers over Sezin’s neck, unable to help himself this time.  

“Better?’ Sezin asks, looking wry.  It wouldn’t have been the end of the world if he had gone to the precinct without a tie, but the grateful way he leans towards Gavin’s hands is telling enough.  

Gavin grins, but he steps out of the apartment.  “Honestly, I’d rather have you back on the couch.”

Sezin rolls his eyes, planting a kiss on Gavin’s cheek as he does, and shuts the door behind them.

[junker-town]

So, uh, can anything stop the Patriots?

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

New England’s offense and defense shined in a Week 1 win. But can its pass rush stand up under scrutiny?

On Sunday night, the Patriots did two things they’ve gotten exceedingly good at since 2001. They unveiled a new NFL championship banner at Gillette Stadium, then dismantled the Steelers on their home turf.

Week 1’s 33-3 thrashing of Pittsburgh was a statement game from the defending champs. A smothering defense held a typically explosive Steelers offense to zero touchdowns and only 5.0 yards per play. Tom Brady looked as solid as ever on the other side of the ball, throwing for 341 yards and three touchdowns the week before Antonio Brown is set to join the team.

It was business as usual for Brady, who improved to 6-0 at home against Pittsburgh with 21 touchdowns and zero interceptions in that span. It was also business as usual for a reloaded defense, which has now given up six total points in its last two games dating back to Super Bowl 53.

New England came into its title defense with problems at wideout, along the offensive line, and with a defensive front that lost several key playmakers. Then the team went out and thrashed the Steelers in a game that was effectively finished by halftime. But even after Sunday’s display of dominance, there’s one question that may define the NFL’s 2019 season:

Have the Patriots fixed their fatal flaws?

Based on Week 1, here are the areas the Patriots have patched up.

The passing game showed no signs of slowing down with a 42-year-old QB

It was only August when it appeared New England may have a dearth of targets for Brady on its roster. Rob Gronkowski had retired, Josh Gordon was suspended indefinitely, and Julian Edelman was out for a big chunk of the preseason with a broken thumb.

Then, by the end of the first week of September, both Gordon and Edelman were back in the lineup. Another veteran All-Pro, the soon-to-debut Brown, is capable of replacing some of the third-and-long magic Gronkowski provided when his team needed him most.

But if Brown fails to pan out, it probably won’t matter. New England’s passing offense was stacked even before coming to terms with 2018’s receiving touchdowns leader.

Sunday night was proof, as Brady spread the ball to a long list of WR and RB targets to obliterate Pittsburgh’s single coverage downfield. Edelman reeled off six catches for 83 yards. Gordon showed he’s still a dynamic weapon, taking a short drag route 20 yards to the end zone for the game’s first score and later adding a 44-yard catch on a deep ball in traffic over the middle.

No one benefitted more from New England’s explosive passing attack than former Colts first-round pick Phillip Dorsett. The fifth-year receiver, acquired in 2017 in exchange for Jacoby Brissett, was left to thrive as the Steelers turned their defensive attention elsewhere, creating windows in single coverage Brady was eager to exploit.

Brady hits the man who will be either his 4th, 5th, or 6th wideout once Antonio Brown is activated for a gorgeous touchdown. 17-0, Patriots pic.twitter.com/HZgTp2NfTk

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) September 9, 2019

Dorsett also added a 58-yard touchdown on a play where the secondary seemed to forget he existed. If that’s happening now, imagine how overloaded opponents are going to be when Brown and Demaryius Thomas, who missed Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, are in the lineup.

And this was all made possible because Pittsburgh’s pass rush struggled to keep plays from developing in the season opener.

The blocking, even without David Andrews and Trent Brown, remained tight

Brown, Brady’s 2018 blindside protector, signed the richest deal an offensive lineman’s ever seen to take part in the Raiders’ traveling circus this offseason. Four-year starting center Andrews is on injured reserve as he battles blood clots in his lungs and will likely miss the entire season. These two major departures, paired with injuries to 2019 draft picks Yodny Cajuste and Hjalte Froholdt, sent the Patriots scrambling to add three different linemen — center Russell Bodine, guard Jermaine Eluemunor, and tackle Korey Cunningham — via trade in the waning stages of the preseason.

Bodine lasted a week with the team before earning his release. Cunningham was inactive in Week 1. Eluemunor played only eight snaps on the line Sunday night, all of which came after Marcus Cannon left the game with an upper body injury.

This was not a problem for the Patriots.

Brady was only sacked once on 37 dropbacks and hit five times total. Isaiah Wynn, the 2018 first-round pick slated to replace Nate Solder last fall before tearing his Achilles, neutralized the Pittsburgh pass rush at left tackle, giving up only one quarterback pressure all night. Ted Karras, starting in place of Andrews, directed traffic for a New England offensive line that won the land battle all evening against a bitter rival.

It wasn’t all good. Sony Michel was bottled up for a meager 14 yards on 15 carries, which is concerning. But Rex Burkhead ran for 44 yards on eight touches, which is sort of like having your Mercedes stall out while your Honda Civic drives like a dream. That flexibility was a strength the Pats showcased throughout Week 1.

New England supplemented its limitations on the line by incorporating a bevy of non-lineman blockers to clear space outside the tackles. So while Michel struggled to find space between the hashmarks, Burkhead and James White bounced toward the sideline to move the chains with regularity.

Here, Gordon neutralizes Pro Bowl linebacker T.J. Watt to give White the space to create an early first down:

Full game isn't on GP yet, so I'm gonna break down highlights for now and come back to any that need All-22. White showed flashes as a 3rd down rusher late last season, and his hot streak continued tn. Another headache for defenses. Flash cracks Watt and Cannon blocks two guys pic.twitter.com/0dK6xKYg72

— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) September 9, 2019

In the fourth quarter, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels took advantage of his line’s athleticism and his receivers’ ability to seal off running lanes to spring Burkhead for a 10-yard gain:

ANOTHER 3-WIDE I-FORMATION! This time NE with one of its bread-and-butter runs, a toss with the I/s-most play-side receiver cracking the ED and the OT pulling. Mason, Cannon, Meyers and Edelman all pick up critical blocks pic.twitter.com/2WIsImXmzX

— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) September 9, 2019

(Aside: if you’re looking for excellent Patriots film breakdown, Taylor is a must-follow.)

While offensive line depth may be worrisome, it’s clear New England can address that weakness with pulling guards and off-tackle runs that allow one of the league’s better blocking WR groups to pick up the slack.

The defense proved it’s strong from the trenches to the backfield

New England’s defensive plan Sunday night was simple. Bill Belichick trusted his secondary enough to roll with the single coverage that allowed the Pats to throw an extra man into their pass rush when needed. The club currently has a wealth of cornerbacks, led by Stephon Gilmore and ranging down to former undrafted free agents J.C. Jackson and the recently extended Jonathan Jones.

ah, so that's why the Patriots extended Jonathan Jones right before the season started pic.twitter.com/mWNu661BGl

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) September 9, 2019

The aging safety duo of Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung helped limit the Steelers’ over-the-middle passing game, leaving tight end Vance McDonald without a reception until late in the fourth quarter.

These were all known strengths coming into the season, but the real question the Pats had to answer was whether a defensive front that lost Trey Flowers, Malcom Brown, and Adrian Clayborn could provide enough penetration up front to help a defense that was mediocre in pass-rushing situations and often awful against the rush last year.

It was only one game, but so far the answer is yes. New England held Pittsburgh’s tailbacks to 25 rushing yards on 12 carries. The Patriots stopped James Conner on third-and-1 runs on back-to-back drives in the first half. This was enough to convince Mike Tomlin to call a pass play on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line later in the game, then kick a 19-yard field goal once that failed.

So the rich seem to have gotten richer, turning three of their biggest weaknesses (run stuffing, passing targets, and offensive line departures) into strengths.

What can still go wrong for the Patriots?

Let’s run down the list.

It could be the Pats’ lack of tight end depth

The Patriots only dressed two tight ends Sunday night. Thanks to Matt LaCosse’s lingering ankle injury, Ryan Izzo was the only one who played.

The 2018 seventh-round pick didn’t have much of an impact as a receiver in his first regular season game, but demonstrated his value as a linebacker-nullifying blocker in the running game. That’s the role he’ll be counted on to fill even after Ben Watson returns to boost the passing game.

The Watson-Izzo-LaCosse trio is far from a sure thing. Watson will come back to the lineup in Week 5 after a PED suspension. He’ll also turn 39 years old this December and only had 35 catches in the Saints’ pass-happy offense in 2018. LaCosse may be due for a breakout, or he may be the guy Denver didn’t fight to retain after last year’s 24-catch performance. Other stopgap measures — Lance Kendricks, Eric Saubert, Austin Seferian-Jenkins — have already been expunged from the roster.

This won’t be too drastic a problem as long as whomever hits the starting lineup can block and add a safety valve presence as a receiver. If Brown can return to form in the lineup, Thomas and Dorsett currently stand to be fourth and fifth (though not in that order) in the team’s pecking order for targets. That means a below-average tight end rotation won’t be a problem as long as the guys they do have can block.

But the bigger concern is a lack of dominant pass rusher

The Patriots pressured Pittsburgh into rough situations by leaving their defensive backs on an island and bringing an extra pass rusher to overload the Steelers’ line. While this didn’t lead to many sacks Sunday night, it still kept Ben Roethlisberger from getting comfortable in the pocket in a poor performance.

That can work against a wideout corps that features JuJu Smith-Schuster, a drop-heavy Donte Moncrief, and a handful of unproven targets. It will be harder to pull off against the Chiefs’ three-headed monster of Tyreek Hill (once healthy), Sammy Watkins, and Travis Kelce or the Texans’ potent passing attack, two teams they’ll play during the regular season and potentially again in the playoffs. If New England needs to focus more on padding its defensive backfield, it will have to create pressure with a four-man front instead of the five- and six-man units that hassled Roethlisberger.

This could be an issue. Michael Bennett remains a versatile force on the defensive line, but the Steelers’ blockers were able to keep him off the box score Sunday night. Shilique Calhoun, who turned an impressive preseason into some solid plays early and played more snaps than anyone else in the front seven, has 0.5 career sacks. Other names like John Simon, Deatrich Wise Jr., and rookie Chase Winovich are dependable supporting cast members, though none is a proven down-to-down pass-rushing threat.

The Patriots relied on their defensive backs to provide the coverage that allowed their defensive line more time to get upfield, but there will be games where that’s not a viable option. Giving a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson extra time to find targets downfield or the room to break contain and run upfield is a recipe for disaster — and it may be the most likely way an opponent exploits New England in 2019.

The defending champs don’t have many weaknesses. Even their big-ticket problems — Gronkowski’s retirement, Andrews’ blood clots — seem to have successful solutions. That doesn’t mean they’re invulnerable. New England was able to keep the Steelers out of the end zone, but there’s evidence to believe a more complete offense can carve out space against what looks like the league’s top secondary.

Will that be enough to derail a franchise that planted its flag atop the way-too-early power rankings by thrashing a familiar AFC foe? It’s too soon to tell — but at least coaches across the league have an idea of how they can topple Belichick and Brady in 2019.

[taiwanhero]

Eat Taiwan

Breakfast

Spring onion pastries fresh out of the oven

https://goo.gl/maps/oy7pok5VheNN59jq7

Shuanglian Morning Market. Mostly fresh produce but has a lot of breakfast street stalls that are very good.

https://goo.gl/maps/7zqgZKQUBuvXmWq8A

Temple Breakfast Market. Lots of traditional breakfast dishes

https://goo.gl/maps/W8pGTYvieEqw6Nji7

Yong He Soy Milk. There a lot of these around so find one closest to you. Really big breakfast selection and great soy milk of all kinds savoury and sweet.

https://goo.gl/maps/A2sztxY8kMRDHrxh9

Night Markets

Raohe Street Night Market. Always our first stop. The Black Pepper Bun is incredible. Must try. Also very good fried chicken shops

https://goo.gl/maps/ZEcN5MmKYcKQeqMa9

Shilin Night Market. One of the biggest. Oyster Pancake here is very good. Also home to original Hot Star Chicken. Fried Buns is also must try.

https://goo.gl/maps/i1TV5b13gfjwSzof8

Ningxia Night Market. Bit smaller but has lots of classic local favourites like Cuttlefish Stew 

https://goo.gl/maps/UNiJh7HdcQY8M82v7

Liaoning Street Night Market. Not so much an outdoor market but has lots of Beer Food restaurants where you order fresh dishes and have with lots of beer. Salt and Pepper fried oysters, Vinegar ginger intestines are local classics

https://goo.gl/maps/LpdpR9ZK47R4nq1i9

Ah Chung Noodles. Very traditional taiwanese snack. In the middle of Ximen Shopping district.

https://goo.gl/maps/Ce68jCas3ABTzped8

Keelung Night Market. Lots of seafood

https://goo.gl/maps/xVNsci4pjYDHLZwv9

Gongguan Night Market. Favourite of students. Lots of weird eats you dont see anywhere else

https://goo.gl/maps/KKubKo9zVJ6qMuZ26

Shi Da Night Market. Also a student place with unique eats

https://goo.gl/maps/Aa7Qr33Rz51nGRA76

Beef Noodles

Yong Kang Beef Noodle. Arguably the best in Taiwan.

https://goo.gl/maps/VFUuyGQ7FTX6myaJ6

Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodle. Classic flavour in lighter style

https://goo.gl/maps/Eh94Q3SEkKvGopTM8

Chang Kee Beef Noodle. Very good

https://goo.gl/maps/pBsnLNt9pkWiMcbMA

Braised Pork Rice

Jing Feng Braised Pork Rice. Line up to get in, but considered best in Taiwan

https://goo.gl/maps/HwV4eKvJk3iAubC9A

Cold Noodles. Open really late for late night snacks

Chen Family Cold Noodles

https://goo.gl/maps/RnnCfF3cLJ66BWtJA

Liu Mama Cold Noodles

https://goo.gl/maps/VEFkWtfc5zDin8xs9

Dumplings

Zhou Panzi. Huge steamed and boiled dumplings and classic taiwanese dishes. Beef in pastry is also very good. Decent Beef Noodle soup

https://goo.gl/maps/XWsMB9SgxTDYpPe56

Hot Pot

Civic Blvd Hot Pot. Good solid hot pot place

https://goo.gl/maps/ubH1wRpqPLmpiHRt5

Desserts

Smoothie House. Our favourite Mango Ice place

https://goo.gl/maps/Cv4DzahUNbJuGUC38

Belle Epoque. Great souffle pancakes

https://goo.gl/maps/LR3h2LeUv4RRpEvk6

Taro Balls. If you take the bus to Jiufen Old Street, try this classic snack

https://goo.gl/maps/dhy3ePvdUGvBGK7v9

[imagineelrios]

Can I have Elgang making the habanero challenge??

Elsword: “Pff, it’s just a little pepper.  How hot can it be- OH MY EL THAT’S HOT SOMEONE HELP MY MOUTH IS ON FIRE”

Aisha: “I read about this pepper.  It’s way too hot.  Pass.”

Rena, chewing thoughtfully: “It’s not too bad.  The Eldrasil fruits are spicier when they’re unripe.”

Raven: “Owen dared me to eat one of these before. I… don’t think I’m going to repeat that.”

Eve: “This is… quite a taste.  I think it would be unpleasant for humans.  It’s tingling my mouth.”

Chung cannot speak, as he is frantically sucking down water.  Nobody told him that bread or milk does a better job at cutting the heat.

Ara: “EUN HELP MY MOUTH BURNS WHAT DO I DO”

(Eun: “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA told you so”)

Elesis, chewing through her tears: “A Red Knight never shies away from a challenge!  Someone get me water…”

Add also cannot speak.  He is too busy screeching and seeing if he can breathe fire.

Lu: “Oooh, I like it!  It’s got a bit of kick!  Ciel, can you put it in a cookie?”

Ciel, after taking a tiny bite: “No, no, and no.  Also, I’m not eating the rest of that.”

Rose: “Zero, get me a cracker or something.  My mouth hurts.”

(Zero: “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA your fault”)

Ain: “Ah, a human challenge.  How cute- OH HOLY FUCK DEAR ISHMAEL HELP ME WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS PAIN”