#ive been watching more recently but i havent seen a lot of classics

[flow2024]

Hi! Bothering you again with unwanted opinions and questions.

#1- I know it's not cool to say after the whole Armie Hammer affair, but I really like "Call me by your name", I don't find it creepy, and I think Hammer did a great job in it. Sure, he looks older than 24 as the character is supposed to be, but he acted the part well.

#2- Did you watch "The Return"? I did, and boy oh boy the things I do for the actors I love. Loving Fiennes and Kenzari, I watched it yesterday; imho it was boring, overtly descriptive, and I'm really sorry to say this but Kenzari only had ONE expression during the whole movie. Considering his microacting in TOG, I almost couldn't believe he was the same actor.

The only thing I appreciated, as a small act of patriotism, was the screentime Santamaria got in the movie.

not bothering at all i love questions and opinions!!!! i dont always have the spoons to answer but i love gettin em and i love to talk about stuff!!! @ everyone here please feel free to send questions and opinions

havent seen the return yet!!! answering this bit first bc i have a lot to say about call me by your name but anyway im waiting for it to come out here (april :() for the Cinema Experience and also i can drag my classics student ralph fiennes fan beloved roommate to go see it as a mixture of enrichment and psychological torment (she doesn't enjoy adaptations that take out the gods). everything ive heard about it has been aggressively mediocre. i'm sure i'm overhyping it to myself but i'm excited nonetheless (i love art that is kinda mid)

disappointing abt mr kenzari's performance tho im not nearly as familiar with his work as i Should be (working on it) but i was so excited for marwan kenzari antinous :( oh well. the world goes on hollywood keeps making movies. maybe we still have any other night or maybe we don't i haven't checked on how that's doing in a while

On Call Me By Your Name: i know in the abstract abt the armie hammer thing i just choose not to think about it. he's pretty good in the movie. i didn't realise he was only supposed to be 24 though i thought he was like. 30.

the creepiness aspect is an interesting one to think abt!!! the reason i watched it was a) class and b) like, all of the annoying film people i know have been watching/rewatching recently, so you know, wanted to join in. almost none of them ever talk about that aspect of it, but it was also the first thing i learned about the movie as an impressionable teenager on tumblr. interesting case study.

BUT, i think it's one of those things where different people are always gonna have varying degrees of comfort with stuff, and this is probably one of them. can't speak for the book because i haven't read it, but the movie is less about their relationship than it is about elio figuring himself and his sexuality out, in a few different ways (marzia plays a major part in this too!). and some of that happens to be through his relationship with oliver. which you can side eye if you want. but in the context of the movie it's more of a narrative device to explore the idea of discovering your sexuality, growing up, changing, and also the impermanence of relationships, romantic or otherwise, that felt like they changed your life at 17. which is compelling as all hell!!!! besides elio is such a good character. he COULD have been really annoying, but chalamet is a hell of a performer, and i was warned abt one specific shot at the very end by someone else's review but if i hadn't been it probably wouldve given me a Fucjing Heart Attack.

did i find it particularly romantic? no not really i spent a lot of time side-eyeing oliver particularly hard. but did i find it interesting? absolutely. i have to hand this one to guadagnino it's a good movie . which very much snuck up on me with the emotional intensity. i did not relate personally to like, 90% of it for asexual reasons, but like i said the idea of changing etc was resonant. the MOST relatable part for me, however, was olivers reaction to love my way by the psychedelic furs. i also feel that way about love my way by the psychedelic furs

[otterplusharchive]

rey! do you have any recs for kdramas? i have never watched any, but i like lovable characters and romance ? thank you in advance!

I DO IN FACT HAVE DRAMA RECS HII not all of these will be kdramas, but ill start with the kdramas ive watched and enjoyed and ill include all the warnings for them that i can remember off the top of my head and a brief synopsis for u!

kdramas-

1. weight lifting fairy kim bok joo

this was probably one of the first kdramas i saw people post about in like 2015 and i watched a little bit of it in 2016 but then only just got around to finishing it last year. the basic gist of it is its about a young sports college weight lifter, kim bok joo, centering around her navigating through her life and trying to figure out who she is and what she wants in life and what she wants to be. her romantic interest in the show is a swimmer and they have a sort of rivals to friends to lovers, he is SO in love with her and its adorable. i absolutely loved the side characters in this show theyre all so fun and kim bok joos best friends and weight lifting team are especially delightful. my main warning would be that this show addresses eating disorders and theres a lot of mention of both weight gain and weight loss, theres also a plot point early on where kim bok joo has a crush on her eventual love interests older brother but it gets resolved and the older brother literally goes "i didnt realize you had a crush on me and if i knew that i wouldnt have been so friendly with you, it would be completely innapropriate for us to be in a relationship". overall its a really sweet and emotional fun show but if you have issues with weight talk id skip this one

2. tale of the nine tailed

this one is really recent from last year and i didnt expect to be so hooked by it but boy howdy did i get attached to all the characters and the wild plot. it feels hard to explain the plot but basically a nine tailed fox named lee yeon is living in modern day seoul and is working for the underworld finding paranormal spirits/creatures/other rogue foxes that are causing havoc on the world, hes resigned himself to living this life while waiting for his girlfriend who died tragically 600 years ago to come back to life because he traded his status as a mountain god in order to ensure that her soul would one day be reincarnated. a plucky investigative journalist named nam ji ah figures out that hes not human and shenanagins ensue because she looks exactly like his dead girlfriend oooooo whatll happen. the plot beyond that gets really wild and its hard to explain and is easier to just watch. if u enjoy paranormal adventures this one is good. my one big complaint and issue with this is that the immortal mountain spirit meets his original girlfriend when shes a child and she continues to visit him off and on as she grows up which is Hm I Dont Like That! but thankfully the present time romance our female lead meets him when shes about 30 if im remembering right. also warnings for general fantasy violence, references to child abuse, animal death, and abandonment issues

3. extraordinary you

HUGE unreality warning for this. if you have issues with feeling unreal or have paranoia/delusions about not being a real person id avoid this one just because of its premise

ok i know i said tale of the nine tailed was a hard plot to explain but BOY extraordinary you is even HARDER to explain. because its so wild but so good. its about a girl who realizes that she is literally a side character in a comic book, and the story becomes her trying to change the story to save her character from dying but it becomes a lot more than that. the romance in this is literally tooth achingly sweet and the show itself is very pretty, i loved the side characters in this one and the show was engaging and interesting to watch it became really layered and meta. super reccomend this one honestly. my main issues/warnings that i can remember off the top of my head were just one character being the classic controlling boyfriend stereotype, bullying someone specifically for being poor, unreality like i mentioned before, and then at the very end there was this love interest for a side character who got reincarnated from a past piece of writing that they had been in and put in the comic but she was a student and he was the school cook which is weird but thankfully they like barely interact at all and theres no real romance he just like recognizes her and its barely a thing at the end of the show but its still weird

4. mystic pop up bar

big warning for suicide, sexual harrasment (which is framed as being bad and the guy whos harrassing the girl literally gets thrown off a roof)

i havent finished this one yet and thats mainly because im not emotionally ready because this one makes me soooo emotional. if you like found family this is a good one. its about a pop up bar run by a woman whos been tasked with solving the problems of a certain amount of people in order to atone for her crimes in the past before dying, shes able to enter the dreams of people and solve their issues using the information she gets in the dreams. paranormal shenanagins ensue, she acquires a son and a husband and it kills me its so fun and quirky and fun despite handling dark themes and peoples problems. also very sweet the found family murders me

5. kingdom (netflix original)

i literally am not going to be able to watch any other zombie media because kingdom and train to busan are the best pieces of zombie media ive ever seen. warnings for gore and violence and just general horror aspects.

i absolutely love this one its so thrilling and well done, i love the acting and the way that this show looks its absolutely gorgeous. a zombie plague breaks out in joseon period korea where the emperor has died and then was brought back to life by the queen and her father in a ploy to try and keep their family in political power, the crown prince must find answers. a lot more happens and its very dramatic and good i love the characters in this one

cdramas

1. the untamed. if you follow me and you havent watched the untamed im begging you to watch the untamed. literally one of the most beautiful stories ive experienced in my life i am not joking when i say i cried multiple times over it. the main characters are canonically gay in love and have a son together please watch the untamed. handles a lot of dark themes, heres a tw guide

2. the sleuth of the ming dynasty

this is another one i havent finished but its fun so far, very gay, found family, food, and solving murder mysteries during the ming dynasty

3. hikaru no go (also known as qi hun)

havent finished this one, there is some propaganda about hong kong in the first episode but as far as i know thats the only instance of something like that in the show

this ones about the game go and so far its very sweet and fun, local boy awakens a ghost who was a master of the game of go hundreds of years ago and eventually is persuaded to learn how to play go with the aid of the ghost. im really liking this one so far its very cute and i love the characters in it. if youve watched the untamed nie huaisangs actor ji li is in this one!

4. the legend of yunqian

this ones very short and on youtube, all the episodes are about 5 minutes long and its a lesbian time travel fantasy adventure with a happy ending! funny and cute

jdramas

1. cherry magic

please please please watch cherry magic. the premise sounds very much like a weird yaoi kind of thing but trust me on this. trust me. it is so heart warming and sweet and i was so emotional about it and the growth of the main character.

adachi gains the power to read peoples minds on his 30th birthday based off a urban legend that if youre a 30 year old virgin that youll become a wizard. after gaining this power he accidentally finds out that his extremely popular and handsome coworker has a crush on him, and shenanagins ensue along with adachi having blossoming feelings in return. this show was really refreshing in a lot of ways, adachi is a main character who like.. is unsure of himself and insecure in a very kind of realistic way, he closes himself off and is afraid to reach out to people and through the course of the show we see him slowly come out of his shell and realize that hes likeable and lovable and that people want to be around him and its so nice to see. my main complaint about this show is that i dont really like the background couple, but otherwise this is a very sweet and refreshing gay romance that has a happy ending!

some others that i myself havent seen but that ive seen people talk about a lot and that i want to watch eventually:

- the legend of fei (cdrama)

- the wolf (cdrama)

- gaurdian (cdrama, not the kdrama one called goblin)

- healer (kdrama, i did watch some of this one but it was in 2016 and i never finished it so i barely remember any of it but i do remember liking it)

- nobody knows (kdrama)

- its ok to not be ok (kdrama)

sorry this is so long but i hope youll be able to find a drama u enjoy!!

[poloniumsgrace]

im jus... gonna answer them all because i wanna :)

1: grian... little crecher...

2: i don t really remember, i think i just wanted to watch a minecraft series

3: dont do this to mee..... i luve all of the hermits!! but if you insist... its deffinatly scar, but closly tied with bdubs 

4: i didnt NOT LIKE xisuma, but i just wasnt all that interested in his videos but now i watch him w/ my brother 

5: most times, yeah.. it’s usually mumbo and grian’s vids, but i used to religously watch keralis’s classic build tutorials aaaages ago.

6: yep!! its not too bad, i dont wathc EVRY hermit atm so its not too hard to keep up with the videos.

7: i’ve only actually seen season 7! although, once i’m caught up, i have been debating wathcing season 4 where gtwscar, and cub both joined! or maybe season 5.. i hear its really good! idk who i’d watch though. probably scar ngl

8: how could i chose!! iskall mistaking mumbo for a new mob, any of scar’s deaths (especcially the recent creeper/elytra fail, lol poor guy), not a single moment, but keralis’s isessent “wanna buy a book?” to every hermit

9: i cany really think of any :/

10: yeah, i do! on twitter i follow doc, bdubs, scar, xisuma, ‘n others :)

11: nopes! but, wels in ep 4 brought up a lot of good points, doc on twitter sharing important messages, and the holy grail, iskall on stream saying nb rights lmao

12: like, 3 months LOL im baby 

13: i havent watched s6, but id probably be on star team becus doc 

14:  ive played minecraft since 2011, so loooong before i watched hermitcraft!

15: huh, i havent acually been building much recently, but if i was, im sure alot of my build would be influenced by both scar and bdub’s style!

16: yes, pretty much all the time! the mumbo jumbo ad video is the most recently

17: i’ve heard them, me and my brother (who likes hermitcraft too) like to joke and sing ‘mumbo jumbo you are afk,; im gonna take that mustache away!’

18:  i havnt watch etho’s videos, but from what i’ve seen i really like it! also, of course, grian’s mansion is epic

19: would i press the button? green team best team! i wouldnt camp at it though, but i would snype it at green

20: no, i havent acually. i will deffinatly like to check out season 7 once its over, though :0

21: i dont like playing on servers acually, i prefere singleplayre lol

22: i only really know of jellie, 11/10, amazing baby.also mumbos fluffy dogs?? spectacular.

23: its kinda basic, grian=red, doc=green, scar=orange, but bdubs is deffinatly purple. idk why. but purple.

24. uhh, not really? i dont usually mess around with redstone (thouhg i like it, its cool)

25: no, but i really like both the boomers tee and the mumbo for mayor tee!

26: lollll.. not really. i’ve made a handful of memes but thats it. i want to put my crappy art skills to use, but im rusty as heck and dont know where to start :/

27: i havent had the chance! though, im not good at streams (cant really hold my focus)

28: rarely do i ever, but i really would like to more often, especially scar

29: if i do watch the streams, im literally just ‘watching’ them, im not doing anything else like drawing, i cant multitask

30: nope! havent had the chance to, im still catching up on all the hermits i wanna watch this season

31: cerantly doing that rn... w/ xisuma, keralis, and tango rn! but id like to also watch beef’s videos or maybe false

32: not entirly, but this has made it a lot better! :)

Hermitcraft Ask Game

Because I haven’t seen one yet : )

1 - First Hermit you watched?

2 - How did you first get into Hermitcraft?

3 - Favorite/a few favorite Hermits?

4 - Is there a Hermit you didn’t like too much at first but grew to like?

5 - Do you watch any of the Hermits’ videos besides Hermitcraft?

6 - Do you try to keep up with all of the Hermits at once?

7 - Favorite season?

8 - Favorite moment from the current season?

9 - Favorite moment from a previous season?

10 - Do you follow any Hermits on social media?

11 - Has your view on a topic ever changed because of something a Hermit has said?

12 - How long have you been watching Hermitcraft?

13 - If you’ve watched S6, which side were you on for the Civil War?

14 - If you play Minecraft, did you start before or after you discovered Hermitcraft?

15 - If you’re a builder, has your style been influenced by any of the Hermits?

16 - Have you ever laughed so hard at a Hermitcraft moment that it hurt?

17 - Do you listen to any of elybeatmaker’s remixes?

18 - Favorite base from this season or previous seasons?

19 - Would you press the button? Would you camp out for a high ranked color?

20 - Have you ever explored or played on a season’s world download?

21 - Do you play on any of the Hermits’ fan servers?

22 - Rate any of the Hermits’ pets out of 10

23 - What color do you assosciate (insert Hermit) with?

24 - Did you get into redstone (or at least experiment with it a a little) because of a Hermit?

25 - Do you have any of the Hermits’ merch?

26 - Are you a creator within the fandom? (writer, edit maker, fanartist, meme connoisseur, etc. literally anything)

27 - Have you ever watched the stream weekends all day?

28 - Do you watch the Hermits stream?

29 - If you like watching the streams, do you have a set activity you like to do while you watch/listen?

30 - Have you ever binged a previous season?

31 - Have you ever had to play catch-up and binge a bunch of episodes of a current season?

32 - Are you having a good day? <3

[stimyulus]

INTRO TO ANIME: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

want to get into anime? well, you’ve come to the right place BUD. below, i have some personal recommendations for people who don’t know where to start/wondering where to go from x, y, or z

ESSENTIALS (these shows are classics/must-watches in order to be ‘initiated’ into anime. once u watch these, u can start branching off into ur personal taste more):

COWBOY BEBOP - a space odyssey. beautiful, tragic, and groovy as hell -inspired by jazz, specifically bebop (hence the name) as well as western culture, bebop is a perfect entry level anime for someone not fully used to anime tropes and whatnot. i would recommend the english dub for THIS anime and only a handful of others, mostly because of stephen blum’s amazing job at voicing spike. if you really dig this anime and want more like it, i would watch samurai champloo. it is bebop’s spiritual successor in some sense. both have a trio of misfits each on their own individual journey, and both are inspired by western culture and music. champloo has more of a hip-hop spin, which is pretty cool. 

AKIRA - this is a movie, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a classic. it actually inspired 2012′s chronicle. this movie is important in multiple aspects, one of them being the animation, which was insanely impressive given the time period it was made in. they also spent hella money making it, so ig thats the tradeoff. i dont rly wanna say much about the movie, just go watch it for yourself. (i watched the sub for this)

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD - this one is kind of an investment. clocking in at around 64 episodes, its pretty daunting, especially for someone just getting into anime. however, i promise you, it is most definitely worth its time. an expansive, yet intimate story, fma:b is the perfect blend of action/adventure and all the warm & fuzzy shit that makes u wanna listen to blonde while laying on ur bed. it also has significantly more “anime” tropes than the first two i’ve mentioned, but it’s not to the point where it is overpowering or annoying, which can be the case for some recent shows dropping these days. fma:b is set in a world where alchemy is the main form of science. it’s basically magic, though. the way the uncover the story is really interesting and the payoff is really great. this one is a keeper, and a great gateway drug to “real” anime.

also, i would just watch a handful of ghibli movies. princess mononoke, castle in the sky, kiki’s delivery service, spirited away, nausica valley of the wind, howl’s moving castle

---------

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (this is the stuff you want to start watching once u finish the essentials. some of them might be a bit lower quality than the essentials, but MOST of them are AS good, or if not better than some of the essentials. the only reason i have them in here is because they usually are more enjoyable after getting ur feet kinda wet in the anime world first.)

JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE - i don’t even know where to start with jojo. just do yourself a favor and watch it. part 5 never.

MOB PSYCHO 100 - this one is fire too. made by the same artist as one punch man, this anime is short and sweet. art style is hella dope

GARDEN OF WORDS (KOTONOHA NO NIWA) - same studio who made kimi no na wa. the animation is suuuuuuuper fucking sexy. it’s classified as a “movie”, but its only like 40 something minutes long. its a pretty relaxing watch, although i will admit its more shine than substance, at least in terms of story. 

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (AND THE END OF EVANGELION, MAKE SURE TO WATCH THE EOE RIGHT AFTER THE SHOW) - nge is another anime for the CULTURE. this show shaped many character archetypes still seen today, and is highly praised for its topics and dark, psychological tone, mostly seen in the second half of the show, which hits the fucking rails. ive also noticed this show is quite polarizing, but you’ll find more people in the love camp than cynical camp on this one. also, do not watch this unless ur depressed or want to be depressed, bc it will fuck u up 

BOKU NO HERO ACADEMIA (MY HERO ACADEMY) - this is a rather recent show (actually, probably the most recent one on this list), and despite the large amount of garbage being put out these days, this one is something really special. think anime sky high. or anime harry potter for kids w superpowers. that’s pretty much all you need to know. there’s two seasons and they are currently making a 3rd one i believe. this anime gets me hella fucking hyped, so if u like fights, check this one out. fighting isnt a main aspect of the show, but when they do it, they fucking execute it really well.

PARASYTE - i havent seen this one in a while, but i remember really enjoying it. its about these parasites than land on earth, one of which infects the main character, who manages to isolate it to his right hand. he then goes on a bloody rampage.  its also kinda creepy but the payoff is pretty decent iirc

THE TATAMI GALAXY - i watched this one a couple months ago. its 11 episodes long, but it packs in a lot of content, mainly due to the supersonic dialogue. seriously, you’ll need to get used to how fast everyone talks. once u do though, it’s decently manageable. tatami galaxy is about a 3rd yr college student who wonders what his life would’ve been like if he joined x y or z club during freshman year. its a great coming of age story, and also really fucking quirky. the art style is unique and really dope. soundtrack is fire too. 

STEINS;GATE - this is a TIME TRAVEL ANIME. and its a giant mindfuck. iirc, it was based off of a visual novel. the main character is hit or miss in terms of tolerability. main girl is a super queen. some people i’ve talked to dropped this show before getting to the second half, which is kinda understandable, but i promise you, keep sticking with this anime. once shit hits the fan, its really hard to put this one down.

YOUR LIE IN APRIL (SHIGATSU WA KIMI NO USO) - your lie in april i watched pretty early on in my “anime career”. its inspirational and heartbreaking. watch if it u want something different from action/adventure. obviously, the music in this show is really on point. i dont know much about classical, but they were playing some slaps

HAIKYUU - SPORTS!!!!! haikyuu is about a high school volleyball team trying to get to nationals. seems like a simple story, but the games get hella fucking hype and all the characters are super likeable in their own way. watch this one if u want some mega bromance vibes

well, that’s all i have to offer. i hope you got at least a decent idea of where you want to start. if you have any other questions/recommendation requests, pls feel free to msg me

[smengus]

favorite kpop songs of 2017 from a fan who got into kpop the beginning of this year

aye!! 2018 is almost here, and i have been DYING to make a favorite songs/mvs in kpop of this year thing. it has been a fucking ride let me tell you.... first things first, just to celebrate this year and give myself some leeway, there will be 17 songs!! and they are in no particular order!! i am not a favorites person, i have too much love in my pitiful heart.... anyway, lets start!!

17. movie - btob (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42A-rFdralM)     there are many things i love about this song. i got into kpop quite literally the very beginning of this year, and thats wild, but this song was one of the first of many i had heard, and didnt know much about then but love now. i specifically remember going through that one hot 100 kpop song playlist on youtube and finding this one, and instantly love it. its one of the classics of this years, and def opened my mind to a lot more. 

love’s like a movie~

16. really really - winner (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tBnF46ybZk)    ohhhhh my god i could go on and on about this song. out of all the wonderful kpop songs weve been blessed with this year, this is the one that’s consistently stuck, and everyone knows it. its just that song. the music video is gorgeous and diverse but so simplistic with the black and white. dare i say its iconic; all of it.

널 좋아해~

15. rookie/red flavor/peek-a-boo - red velvet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0h8-OTC38I) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyiIGEHQP8o) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uJf2IT2Zh8)    ok, so yall are gonna hate me for literally putting all of their 2017 title tracks but oh my god... every single comeback they had this year was amazing, and id feel like id be playing someone if i just chose one or the other. like most sm groups, its not hard to absolutely love all of their songs. but in terms of aesthetic, sound, and all around look, red velvet killed it this year. so there. hope yall are satisfied with this.

peek a booooo~

14. fine - taeyeon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHXUM-6a3dU)    to keep this b/b/g/g pattern going, im choosing this one next and dear lord. this is another song id heard in the very beginning, and i was... frankly i was shocked. like, btob was surprising, but it was what i expected it be: boy group, fun, catchy, etc., but with taeyeon... god, her voice and the whole video... i was tearing up, not gonna lie. the lyrics especially got to me. its been in most of my playlists consistently this year, and i cant say the rest of the album isnt a must listen, just a recommendation from me personally.

its not fine~

13. dramarama - monsta x (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1afdZk0qcI)

 ok, i had a hard time on this one. its common knowledge they went through 3 major comebacks this year, all of which were amazing, but originally, beautiful is what stuck with me. i love the heck out of that song. then dramarama dropped a little over a month ago and... lets just say thats what convinced me to finally start stanning them for real. i have a thing for story driven music videos (bonus points if the story is actually mad good), so combine that with the absolutely amazing song and choreography, and you get their best comeback yet. honestly, it was so good, i urge yall to check it out if you havent.

dramama ramama ramama hey~

12. cherry bomb - nct 127 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkuHLzMMTZM)

 this song... THIS SONG... oh my god. i dont have an in depth discussion over the music video or the song or any of it but good lord... if youve heard it you know what im talking about. its another one of THOSE songs. its too bad it was generally slept on, but god... can i add i also love the choreography??? like a lot???? im the biggest hit on this stage~

11. palette - iu (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9IxdwEFk1c)

 yall KNOW i wasnt gonna put this one off any longer. this is also the song that got me to start stanning this wonderful, amazing, beautiful, spectacularly awesome woman. she’s great. and this comeback?? ive easily listened to the whole album about 50+ times. i was going to put ending scene instead since i adore that one too, but this is the one that really stuck out to everyone. aesthetics?? on point. lyrics?? poetic. voice?? like an angel. lmao, i really love iu...

i like it, im 25~

10. as if its your last - blackpink (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amq-qlqbjYA)

 ok the best part about this one was... since i was a new baby fan, at the time, the only group i really like, stanned, was bts. but i wasnt shut off from the rest of the music community tho, ofc. thats what im truly into kpop for: the music. so duh, i knew about blackpink and their bops (whistle was a personal favorite of mine). but for some reason, over time, they casually just became another group i was into? like, i knew the names, voices, roles, songs, etc.. so when i heard they were having a summer comeback, while i was free from school no less, i was ecstatic. i rewatched the teaser several times, stayed up and hyped with people online. and it finally dropped and instantly became my favorite song by them. its so goooood. my wife lisa, like, yas baby slay that rap while looking cute af. i love it very much, and im sure other blinks do too.

blackpink in your area~

9. dont wanna cry - seventeen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97cx53Tpp6g)

 yeahhh, im not gonna choose their most recent comeback for this one, sorry guys... its a good song, dont get me wrong but! this one is the one lmao. its so fucking beautiful. when i watched the mv for the first time, i was in awe cause the choreo was so good, and so different from what i had seen before, but it went with the song so well. its a very good listen.

울고 싶지 않아~

8. move - taemin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcEyUNeZqmY)

 yes. yes. yes. this song??? yes. oh my god. so, this next bit is gonna be a bit sad (to read and to write), but just because an explanation is needed for each of these... im a shawol. i was the second i watched 1 of 1. and god, it still hurts so much to think of what happened? but, this explanation is taemin. so, i was into shinee, period. i knew taemin was a solo artist. i dont know why i wasnt paying close attention to it, but one day move just like, dropped. out of nowhere. and i went ‘where tf...?’ and watched it and OH MY GOD. i cant convey on here well enough, but bitch, i rewatched that shit repeatedly. the song was constantly replayed, and it finally pushed me to take the step and go back and listen to all his other stuff (which i love). its just so... androgynous and he dont give a flying fuck how he looks, dances, or sounds, and i adore it. definitely another THAT song of this year, dear lord.

youve got got the rhythm~

7. 1+1=0 - suran (ft. dean) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA6G74gk6R8)

 ok, i was torn over this one. i bet everyone and their mother knows her for her “collab” with my boy suga, if i get drunk today. and YES!! THAT IS AN AMAZING SONG AND IM STILL SO PROUD OF BOTH OF THEM. but bitch, this had dropped sometime whenever, idk when since i dont stan and her, and i saw it on youtube and thought  ‘shes the suga girl, i wonder if thisll be good’. i was so surprised when i listened to it. the music video?? snatched. the song?? snatched. wig?? bitch its gone. lets just say, first listen, i had already loved it way more than the song i originally knew her by. 

1 plus 1은 0~

6. ddd - exid (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axVvZrDz60k)

 i put this one off long enough too. and this is obviously a very split opinion. they also dropped night rather than day which i am also 100% over the moon for. but god, i love sexy exid. and that is exactly what this comeback was. sexy, powerful, and aesthetically catchy as hell. (btw, exid is another group i actually stan, so i had been anticipating this one; i watched it while i was at school dusbgukg). so sad solji couldnt physically make it this comeback, but she was in the album, and that was enough for us. still wishing her the best recovery!

덜덜덜덜~

5. dont recall - kard (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Dp7Q-SM1Y)

 oh kard. the group that had millions of fans before they even debuted... they gave us many tasty treats this year, all of which were total bops, but dont recall... bruh, its just stuck with me. i still know all the others, but when i think kard i immdiately think the of the legendary beat drop tied with the beautiful mv of dont recall. also another THAT song, no doubt. sorry i dont have much for this one, i dont know much about kard, but this song has personally been a go to of mine for the past many months. 

그만해 i dont recall~

4. ko ko bop - exo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdssuxDdqKk)

 lmao, you will not catch me in a 10 mile radius even THINKING about power. i drink to forget. its cute and all but... mmmm.... ANYWAY. im gonna be totally honest, i really love their 2016 year in terms of music more than i did this one (lotto, lucky one, monster, etc., etc., etc.,) BUT! out of the comebacks they had this year, i am 100% 10x more into ko ko bop. not gonna lie, i didnt dig it at first listen. but a little later, i tried it again and... hooo boy, what a good song. i dont know anything knowledge based about music or music production, but i know that ko ko bop is a good song. very good.

shimmy shimmy ko ko bop~

3. gashina - sunmi (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur0hCdne2-s)

 ok. OK! so... yall gonna hate me, but i intentionally put off listening to this for the longest time. why?? i have no clue, its a great song. but i did. so by the time mama 2017 (IK THAT LATE) came around and i found out my boy taemin would be doing a collab stage with sunmi i was like... ‘ok i need to know who this girl is...’ i FINALLY sat my butt down and watched it and BITCH. okokokok, scroll back up, skim that taemin one, and imagine all those feelings, except like, gay. like, instead of thinking it was inspiring, i was just thirsting and being absolutely in love because holy shit everything about the song and the video are perfect????? THE LYRICS THOUGH TOO??? absolute women power i was 100% there for jesus christ.  왜 예쁜 날 두고 가시나~ 2. snow - zion.t (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiGSDywrX1Y)    this song made me cry :( straight up, when i first watched it, i cried so much. it got even worse the second go round when i knew the lyrics. its so.... beautiful. im a big fan of zion.t as well, so this was no disappoint for me. i luv it... and fun fact, its my favorite music video ever, kpop or not. im very into cinematography and photography so it was such a treat to watch it. youd have to watch it for yourself to know what i was talking about. 

눈이 올까요~

1. anything from bts this year (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBdVXkSdhwU << this is dna just cause i dont wanna post 3 songs lol)

 yall honest to god probably hate me. ‘we just read this whole list to get a biased, lazy ass answer?!?!’ but hear me out... lmao thats all i got. bts is my ult group, but ult group or not, every single thing they dropped this year was spectacular. truly honest to god, its probably been their best year yet. jk, idk about that, 2015 and 2016 were pretty good. BUT STILL. spring day, not today, dna (lots of ayes), ALL OF IT SO FUCKING GOOD. gosh, i love them...

 dna~

well, thats all of them! keep in mind, this is a personal opinion thing, and there many, many, MANY songs of this year i loved, but this is a list and its gotta end somewhere, so i chose the ones that really stood out to ME. this was probably a waste of time, and bet this gets no notes, but in my heart, it was worth it. i love writing and ranting out my thoughts. this was my first year in kpop, and while yes, there were a few devastating and heart breaking moments that im still not fine about, it was good. my friends are gonna hate me, but this is just one of many years to come of me being into this shit. hope next year delivers as good as this one did. happy new years kpop fans!

[wickymicky]

in some ways, kpop being based around singles more than around albums is good, cause like it makes it really easily accessible. like, if i wanna know what a group i’ve heard a lot about is really like, i can just find a playlist of all their title tracks (or all their music videos, cause non-title track mvs are great too) and spend like 20 minutes to a half hour watching them and that’ll give me most of everything i need to know about their sound haha. cause, like, as great as a lot of bsides are, the title tracks are obviously the biggest deals, and theyre what people talk about most anyway. there are groups i like where i havent heard many of their bsides, if any at all. i do wanna get around to listening to them though, but you know. but like thats really quick haha. if a group has five title tracks, it’ll only take you like fifteen minutes to listen to them and watch the videos and see for yourself what theyre about. of course, a group like loona or bts has quite a bit more, but like ive listened to albums that are longer than the runtime of all the loona music videos lol

it’s fun to do it in one sitting too, i feel like a real Music Critic haha. cause like i’ll be like “oh hmm that was interesting, i wonder whats up next. oh woahhhh this is really different from that last one, woahh” haha idk. ive seen people do streams on youtube of them watching all the loona music videos or at least just solo singles in a row, and like i havent watched those all the way through lmao, but i like the idea of doing that myself haha. 

so far i’ve done that with Loona (obviously, pretty early on in my kpop exploration), Dreamcatcher, BTS, Gugudan, Weki Meki (before Picky Picky lmao so they only had three lol), WJSN (though i ended up with only a couple i was into, i might wanna do it again cause i barely remember most of their songs now, and i like them as a group and as an idea more than i did back then, so maybe i’ll like those songs more too), and most recently with Twice. I never did that with Red Velvet, i just kinda heard all of their title tracks eventually, super out of order and stuff, but if I had done it this way I’m sure that would be a really wild ride haha. I’m about to start that with GFriend cause I’m intrigued. is there another group I should do this with? I’ve been putting off SNSD and f(x) because they aren’t still active and I wanna be up to date on the active stuff first before I jump back to previous groups, but then again, it’d give me a hell of a lot of like “kpop literacy” haha, they’re obviously referenced a lot and all the songs I’ve heard from both groups I’ve really liked. I didn’t hear Red Light until the Fromis 9 cover, and I didn’t watch that until last week. 

groups/artists I’m thinking of doing that with: “classic” stuff like SNSD, f(x), and Hyuna (more than just her solo stuff tho, just like kinda everything she’s done), but also more current-ish stuff like Chungha, April, Oh My Girl, DIA, Elris, Exid, Mamamoo, idk I cant think of any others but yeah. I guess also some boygroups, but I dont have any in mind for that lol

[missjackil]

The Not-So-Bitter Sam Girl

Let me first establish that I love Sam Winchester with everything in me. I eat, sleep, drink,and dream Sam Winchester. Often times, like many Sam girls, I feel like he is treated unfairly, and that makes me bitter, but I read a lot of the meta from other Sam girls, but I don’t agree with a lot of what you all are bitter about. Let me also say, that I love Dean too. The brother’s relationship is the only reason I am addicted to this show. I couldn't care less about the monsters and most side characters to be honest, but I definitely favor Sam. I have only been watching the show, via Netflix, for just under a year, but I am a CHRONIC re-watcher. There isn’t an episode or season I havent watched at least 15 times, and some more than 40 times (yes its a sickness) the only episodes I dont watch much are Bitten and Bloodlines.  I will try to explain my view on some of the most common things I see bitter Sam girls write about, and hopefully give a new perspective. WARNING: This is indeed long, you may scroll through and read topics of interest, and feel free to send me an ask or a message about anything you would like to debate or discuss further :)

Dean gets more air time! From my point of view, I will agree this is the case, but not throughout the whole series. A prime example is the S4 episode In The Beginning, when Sam is only in the first 45 seconds of the episode. I dont consider this the show favoring Dean, but the knowledge that it was in a time when no one was sure if Jared could continue do to his mental health. He had a breakdown during the filming of Mystery Spot, and things were rocky for a while. I don’t know what was going on during the time of In The Beginning, but it’s quite possible that Jared needed time off. Granted there are no episodes were Dean is only in 45 seconds of, but they probably don’t like do episodes that the boys dont share time, after all, the show is about them both.  The Panic Room! Yes, definitely the panic room! It might be the first time I felt my bitter Sam girl come out. How DARE they lock him in a room to detox alone??? It tore my heart out! But on one hand, it was an extremely Sam heavy episode. We got to see inside his head through his hallucinations, which up till then, we’d only see glimpses. It was hard for me to piece together what exactly was going on with Sam in S4 until this episode. It was confusing. On one hand he had been his normal, cute, nerdy, sensitive self, but hiding his baddass, sexy, dark side. Up till then i thought he just didn’t want Dean to be angry with him for what he was doing, but then I realized, he was genuinely addicted to the demon blood, and didn’t want Dean to know because he’d want him (make him) stop, and he also feared Dean would hate him like a monster. He felt like he disappointed everyone he loved, even himself, and coming off felt like torture. (hence the Alistair hallucination) So story wise, we needed for him to be alone this time so WE the viewers would see what all he felt, which he may not have, if Dean sat with him to comfort him. And having dealt with addicted people personally, I know that sometimes, an addict will use their addiction for the sole purpose of having someone sit and suffer with them, which sometimes makes the addiction worse. However, the second time Sam was left to suffer alone in the panic room was 100% uncalled for (S5 My Bloody Valentine) If the writers wanted to show how bad Sam’s problem was affecting Dean, which Im sure it was... he could have prayed that prayer while holding Sam through the detox, and it would have been 1000 times more powerful. So this one, I am bitter as well.  Soulless Sam wasn’t that bad!! No, he wasn’t. I actually really enjoyed him! He was definitely hornier than our normal Sam, less inhibited,  snarkier, funnier, but still, not quite Sam. Why would Dean be so freaked out? Well, we’ll overlook Sam allowing him to be turned by the vamps, because Dean felt creeped out before then. So consider the fact that dozens of years, Sam and Dean were glued to each others hips for the most part. Especially when John left them alone as children, and since Sam was back from Stanford, and now, he was back from Hell, no one knew how, and not his normal self at all. Dean, being Sam’s soulmate, knew something was wrong, and at first was scared that maybe it was still Lucifer in Sam’s vessel. That to me, sounds like it could be scary. Think just for a moment, if the person you love the most, that you thought was dead, is suddenly back but not anything like they used to be. This would be terrible, especially if you thought there was a good chance they were actually Satan wearing their body.  Once Dean knew it was actually Sam, but without a soul, he could have lightened up a bit. Yes, I think so too, BUT Sam was still not anything like what Dean loved about his brother. Sam didnt love him back, didnt even care about him, he was Sam otherwise, but i dont blame Dean for wanting to get Sam’s soul back, especially with the knowledge that he could be fine, so long as he doesn’t regain the memories. And even if he did, there’s a good chance he could fix him.  Dean did act irrationally, wont argue, but we know they are both irrationally co dependent on each other, and if the tables were turned, Sam would have done something equally irrational to get Dean back. (As we see in About a Boy when Sam wasnt in favor of Dean being 14 so that the Mark was gone. He’d be willing to take Dean back, Mark included, so long as Dean was the Dean he knew and loved today) The narrative is heavily in Dean’s Favor! No, I dont think so. Occasionally yes, but for the most part no. When bitter Sam girls see Dean scolding or berating Sam for being wrong about something, most of the time Sam isn’t wrong about the thing. We see it, and most people see it, so the narrative makes Dean look like a douche. Yes, there are Dean girls that throw Sam hate all the time, but they’re not the majority. They’re just loud on Tumblr. Honestly, in real life, Dean girls, just like Dean’s looks, or personality better than Sam’s and thats simply taste. Tall, long haired, sweet, intelligent, badass, nerds arent everyone’s favorite flavor (dont know how that’s possible but....) thats fine, but ive yet to come across a real life Sam hater.  Theres some on tumblr and occasionally some might give Jared grief at a conference, but again, thats not the majority. And I see bitter Sam girls also throw the same hate Dean’s way too. But anyway, getting off point. Dean has always been “its not what you do but who you are” and Sam has always been “its not who you are but what you do” from early on. And we all know Sam’s view is better. Sam is always willing to talk, and give people/monsters a chance to choose good. Dean has only recently agreed to go that route too, but will still think “monster” first and then bend Sam’s direction. killing Sam’s friend Amy in S7 just because she was a monster, was a huge douche move on Dean’s part and everyone thought so Im sure. It was also the last time Dean killed someone for just that reason. Sam’s view of situations like that have always been to give the monster the benefit of the doubt if they wanted to be good, from the beginning, so that narrative has always been in Sam’s favor.  Dean was mad that Sam’s happy memories didn’t include him!! Not true. Dean may have been disappointed that Sam’s happy Thanksgiving memory was at someone elses house, but after that, Sam’s best memories were Deans worst. That’s what upset him. Not that Dean wasnt in them, but they were terrible times for him. When Sam was alone in Flagstaff with his dog, Dean was home worried sick that Sam was dead because he ran off while he was watching him. “And when Dad got home....” Dean probably got his ass beat. When Sam went off to Stanford, Dean says it was one of the worst nights of his life. Zachariah was manipulating their memories so it could appear they were happier without each other. Sam didnt get to see the part when he and Dean shot off the fireworks, only the part of Dean’s life when he was happy with Mom. I am sure that if they got to explore more of their heaven, they would have found plenty of memories that were just those two.  The writers feminize Sam and make him the Damsel in Distress!! Lord, I have seen HUGE meta on this and I disagree with so much. The male/female formula when there are two protagonists is a common formula to use. This is true, but it is not the only formula to use and its not always Sam that is feminized. Other formulas are the classic comedic/tragic, the big one/the small one, the smart one/the dumb one, light/dark, good cop/ bad cop and so on. The brother have fallen into all these formulas at different times. Sam has a few feminine qualities, it’s true, he cries sometimes and he’s generally nicer than Dean, he has long hair, compassionate and empathetic, he isnt as “butch” as Dean and is conscious of his diet. Dean also has feminine qualities, he cooks, cleans, and irons their clothes. He is very much a nurturer, not only to Sam but to Kevin, Garth and Charlie as well. Dean is much more physical than Sam is. Dean is usually the one initiating the bro hugs, and its not likely that the “Dean is bisexual” thing, would be a thing, if he initiated as many manhugs as Sam has. He cries more than Sam does, he admitted to have enjoyed wearing women’s underwear, loves chick flicks, and said “All women lie about their age” and Sam said “Wait, you told our waitress you’re 29″ and Dean said “Yes”. Often times Sam and Dean are paralleled with married couples, but not always, sometimes its siblings, sometimes best friends, sometimes Rocky and Bullwinkle LOL... but not always male/female, in fact, in the parallel of John and Mary Winchester, Sam is John and Dean is mom. Sam was named after their grandfather, and Dean after their grandmother.

Also, Sam is NOT a Damsel in Distress! My friend went through S1 thru 11 and counted how many times each saved the other, and Dean only beats Sam by 3 saves. Ahead by 3 out of 240 (some episodes have more than one salvation scene, some have none or they save each other) episodes is well within the margin of error and it means neither one is a damsel in distress. HOWEVER Tumblr makes Sam overly feminine! But that’s a whole other rant.  Season 8 was a horror fest of Sam hate! Omg is so was NOT! i felt there was more love from Dean towards Sam than any season before it. This season was an emotional roller coaster between the boys, its by far one of my favorite seasons (5 and 11 are my other faves) but i think all the meta written about being a Carver catastrophe and trying to explain WHY it wasnt OOC for Sam to not look for Dean, made some of you not watch the season, or at least, not all of the season, or watched it after reading the meta and thus missed the whole point. However I will agree, like even Jared did, that Sam not looking for Dean definitely was OOC for Sam, especially only knowing what we knew in the beginning. Sam went right away to the promise the boys made not to look for each other, even though he knew Dean looked for him when he went to Hell. It was very OOC for Sam to at least try to make sure Dean was dead first, he had no idea where he was, there was no blood or body, just black goo. Take into consideration that 1) It has been said that S8 was going a different route, but the producers decided to change it, so it’s likely there was more to that story than we actually got. 2) it was the beginning of the season and neither we, nor Jared knew that Sam would later say “I lost my brother a few months back, and my world imploded and everything rained down on me, and i ran” None of us knew that before hand, and Dean was never even told. All he was really told was that Sam was alone, and didnt know what to do so he fixed up the Impala, and just drove. Took time to enjoy the good things, and get a dog and a girlfriend and a home in Texas. Will I will agree that Dean didnt have the right to berate Sam, but he had every right to be hurt and feel betrayed. Sam later turned the table and berated Dean for having Benny. Again, Sam had the right to feel hurt and betrayed, but had no right to berate him, but since they both griefed each other about how they spent the last year, Ill call them both even. This fight that was nothing less than watching a married couple fighting over each other cheating, but once Sam decides to stay with Dean, and Dean cuts ties with Benny, the boys relationship is beautiful again. I say there was so much love shown even in their fighting because we learned part of the depth in which they love each other. Not unlike a married couple.” Don’t ever let someone be more important than me” And though I know, at the end of S8 when Sam was reminded of his “failure” by Dean, Sam was ready to die, but in the middle when the trails are about to start, Dean recalls what kind of life Sam wanted, and was ready to die so Sam could have it. Watch Trial and Error, I think its a great place to see where the boy’s heads are at, at that point in the season.  Dean had no right to trick Sam into letting Gadreel possess him! Absolutely true, he had no right to do that, but Dean knew it too. He knew Sam would never agree to such a thing, and he would rather die. But Dean JUST saved his life back at the church, despite that good that would come of if it Sam finished the trials. This didnt matter to Dean anymore if he didn’t have Sam beside him. It wasn’t like Swan Song... now he KNEW what life without Sam was like and didnt want to do it again. Now he sees that Sam is moments from dying, and has an option... a bad option, but an option. He acted in sheer panic. I cant honestly say I wouldnt do that either. But immediately after, Dean had regrets and fears. Did he make the right call? Was this angel gonna take Sam over or tear him apart? Dean wrestled with this every episode till they finally got Gadreel out. He knew Gadreel taking over and killing Kevin was his own fault and whatever backlash was coming from Sam, he deserved. Now after this I fully understand Sam’s hurt 100% and I think he was even hurt that Dean chose to leave afterwards, but his words at the end of The Purge hurt me for Dean’s sake. Not “Same circumstances, I wouldnt” because of course he wouldnt do the same thing. But telling Dean theres no upside to him being alive, and how Dean tells himself that he does more good than bad, but he doesnt, and “Ill hand it you, you;re willing to do the sacrificing, as long as you’re not the one being hurt” was crushing. Dean has always been hurt in his sacrificing, it was like Sam forgot Dean sacrificing his soul for Sam to live and spending 40 years in hell. So, where I will agree Dean says some crappy things, Sam has been guilty of that too. Both have every right to feel what they feel, but that doesnt give them the right to do or say whatever they want.  Dean always gets friends and Sam doesnt! Now this I think is basically their make up, not a narrative bias. Sam learned in S1, Skin that friends are a liability and having them in their line of work, puts them in danger. Sam is kind and compassionate and the one who talks to the victims and witnesses with care so they trust him, but he doesnt try to pull them closer, to be friends, because he knows its dangerous for them, as he explained to Adam in Jump the Shark. Dean knows this too, but he needs people. He makes friends and tried to have a family outside the job... it never works out, but he still tries. I think Jody is more drawn to Sam, and probably even Rowena, it also looks like Mary is more drawn to Sam,  but Sam is still leary of being close to people. I dont think this has anything to do with the writers wanting us to think Dean is more likable, but to see that the boys need different things. Like Dean has a lot of sex, he needs physical, Sam doesn’t he needs verbal. This is why he has conversations with everyone.  Dean has more dialogue than Sam! He does, often times, I guess if its measured, Dean has probably had more onscreen lines than Sam, but I think they make up for that by giving Sam the bigger story arcs. They give Jared the harder roles to act. Dean’s arcs are almost always the same, he is either more violent, or less violent, whereas Sam has been possessed numerous times, went through addiction and withdrawal, Soullessness, fighting against himself, and acting along side his own different personas, insanity, twice, hallucinations,severe physical illness, loss of loved ones,  sexual assault, and torture, torture, and more torture. He’s been as weak as a child and yet the biggest badass on the show ever. Dont think because Dean says more that Sam doesnt impact the show just as much, if not more. If both shared the same character arcs, it would be monotonous, if Dean didnt have more dialogue than Sam, compared to Sam’s story lines, Dean would look like the antagonist. Oh trust me, I wish every episode was Sam centric, but its not, thats not how the show works, and I have accepted that.  I know I missed many more, but I tried to hit all the ones I see the most meta on. i just want all you Sam girls (Bitter or not) to know that not every Sam girl has gotten as negative of a view as many of you have. Feel free to add to this if you want to, I welcome opposing view points too :)