#lady ae-shin

[winepresswrath]

After spending NiF listening to my girlfriend explain how Lin Shu should die, she is now spending Mr. Sunshine listening to me explain how Lady Ae-shin is femmephobic because she will not marry Hui-seong and have threesomes and/or a protracted emotional affair with Eugene.

[sexlovelitpodcast]

Sex Love Lit girlies! I watched Crash Landing On You (my first k-drama) and now I have a conundrum: A) I want to watch more k-dramas, and B) No k-drama can seem to measure up to CLOY 😭 Could you put together a playlist of entry-level k-dramas for new fans that capture the CLOY magic? Bonus points if they’re on Netflix

@sliceoflifegirl thanks for the ask!

(Corinne here) First of all, welcome to KDrama land! Crash Landing on You was my second ever KDrama, and the one that really got me hooked. I’m gonna be honest, it’s a hard one to top when you’re mid emotional hangover! That said, I love this ask and recommending KDramas to people, so I’m more than happy to recommend some. My strategy here, rather than recommend something that exactly mimics CLoY (because imo, there’s nothing exactly like it), is to recommend dramas that I think are some of the best of their genre—with some aspect that might help scratch that CLOY itch ;) So, without further ado, here is your KDrama Starter Pack: 

Goblin aka Guardian: The Lonely and Great God—This fantasy romance is a classic for a reason. The set-up: 900+ year old goblin Kim Shin is on a quest to find the goblin bride to pull the sword out of his chest and finally let him die. The catch: when he finds goblin bride Eun-tak and starts to fall in love with her, he wonders if there might be something to this whole “life” thing after all. Also featured: a glum Grim Reaper, with whom Kim Shin has a top tier bromance, who has a doomed romance of his own. Goblin gave me one of the biggest emotional hangovers post-CLOY in my early KDrama days. One caveat: Kim Shin meets Eun Tak when she’s in high school, so if huge age gaps in fantasy romances give you the ick, maybe give this one a pass (in which case the fantasy romances I recommend checking out instead are Alchemy of Souls and Doom at Your Service, both on Netflix atm). (On Viki)

Mr. Sunshine—My pick for one of the best historical (aka sageuk) KDramas out there. Set in early 1900’s Joseon, just before/in the early days of Japanese occupation, this drama follows the lives of five equally compelling characters as they navigate the political turmoil of the time. At the center are Lady Ae-sin, an aristocratic lady with a tendency for dressing up as a man and sneaking around at night on missions for the rebels, and Eugene Choi, an American Marine now stationed in Joseon who escaped enslavement there as a child and has mixed feelings about the land of his birth. This one resonates with the forbidden/doomed love of people from different classes and cultures from CLOY. (On Netflix)

Reply 1988—This slice of live drama set in Seoul in 1988 follows five families who live in the same neighborhood, and especially five of their high school aged children as they grow up during a particularly vibrant time in South Korea’s recent history. Like the other installments in the Reply series, the series uses two of the main characters in the present day (or present to when it was released, anyway) looking back—which means that viewers know the Deok-sun ends up married to one of her four besties, but which one?? Still, while the love triangle mystery is fun, at its heart, this story is about community. It’ll scratch the CLoY itch for the North Korean market lady shenanigans, and a few others as well (especially if you like intense yearning in your dramas). (On Netflix)

Business Proposal—If you’d like romance of a completely different genre than CLOY, look no further than Business Proposal! In this KDrama, Shin Ha-ri goes on a blind date in place of her friend as a favor only find out that the date is with her boss. This tightly plotted romantic comedy plays with more rom com tropes than you can shake a stick at, but never sits with one so long that it gets old. The B couple is also fire, and helps move things along whenever the A couple gets into a rut. This drama also features some chaebol (rich business family) shenanigans a la CLOY.  (On Netflix)

Extraordinary Attorney Woo–If you’re in the mood for a workplace comedy/drama, look no further than Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Featuring the incandescent Park Eun Bin as rookie attorney Woo Young Woo, this legal drama features about a case per episode as Attorney Woo finds her way in the world alongside a delightful main cast of characters. (On Netflix)

Little Women—My choice for the makjang to include on this list (a genre in which extreme storylines are treated very seriously), this drama focuses on the three Oh sisters as the oldest finds that her friend who died under mysterious circumstances has left her 70 billion that a powerful political family will stop at nothing to get their hands on. Will the story always make complete sense? No. But will the stellar performances, fast-paced, genre-mixing drama, and wild cliffhangers keep you on the edge of your seat as you binge the whole thing? Absolutely. (On Netflix)

Extraordinary You—Youth dramas may or may not be your thing, but if you have the patience for the shenanigans of high schools, Extraordinary You is my top pick. In this fantasy romance, Eun Dan-Oh discovers that she is actually a character in a comic–and she’s not even the main one! While still high school appropriate, Eun Dan-oh’s literally doomed-by-the-narrative and impossible circumstances romance with Haru, another side character, is another one from my early KDrama days to stick with me just as much as Yoon Se-ri and Ri Jeong-hyeokk’s. (On Viki)

Search: WWW—Ayanni’s particular contribution to this list, this modern romantic drama focuses on intersecting lives of three women working in the fast-paced tech industry at the top two competing web portal companies. Just as interesting as each woman’s various romantic entanglement are their entanglements with each other as they put their careers ahead of just about everything else. Ayanni says she especially appreciates this one because it focuses specifically on three women (also in this genre are Be Melodramatic and Because this is My First Life). 

Happy watching--and do let us know if you pick any of these up!

[brujitaadinbo]

I continue with this segment that I started weeks ago; enemies then lovers. The cliché resource that has been used to give a lot of power to romances and that if you know how to use it; It gives you a spectacular romance within the material you are handling (films, writings, series)

Taking Din and Bo Katan's parallels with iconic couples within this dynamic, there is one in particular that I think has a lot of similarities. I'm not a fan of kdramas, but there is some very good Korean visual material.

If you have the opportunity to see this kdrama that is so good, so realistic and so sad at the same time, I promise you that you will love it but hey, try not to get attached to the characters. "Mr. Sunshine" can be found on Netflix. It touches on topics about Korea in its most difficult moment, when they were a country at war, occupied by Japan, suffering the inclemencies of these conflicts and how they had to survive and seek the independence of their country.

The main couple behave like the typical "enemies then lovers" Eugene and Ae Shine, being an exile from his country, mistreated by everyone and taking refuge in the United States, growing up in an unknown country, being adopted by a priest and being part of the army American to earn a place and be able to avenge his parents murdered in Korea because of a wealthy family.

Ae shin is a girl from a wealthy family, forced to behave like a society lady, who is outraged with the situation in her country, with what her people are living. He secretly joins rebellion groups, against the invaders and in search of independence. This is where the parallel between Din and Bo begins.

Eugene is a hurt man, alone, destroyed by the world, he believes that his life only has meaning for revenge, until this conflict makes him return to his land, where he meets Ae Shin and the causes of his people, the search for freedom, to recover his country, that is when he marries these ideas and when he understands Ae Shin's way of acting, when he begins to look for her, take care of her, hide her and give her support, until he falls in love with her and gives his life for Ae Shin if necessary (spoiler…if it happens) He understands that his purpose in life is greater than just hating.

We have a cold and methodical Din Djarin, a lonely man locked in his own rules, who when he understands that life is not just about "surviving"… that green boy arrives to change his destiny and begins to understand that loneliness It is not her path, then more allies come, then friends, then a woman comes to offer a greater purpose, take back your planet, give a new life to your people, find a decent way to live, that is when it becomes your center , He admires her. . he protects her, takes care of her and somehow marries Bo Katan's ideas to fulfill that purpose.

Then mutual feelings begin to play out and the bonds already created are strengthened. Love comes out and despite being in a war; They let themselves be carried away by it. The problem is that in this kdrama, everyone is destined to sacrifice themselves and the ending is very sad.

At least in Star Wars there is minimal hope for everyone.

Ae shin is a tough girl, she knows what she wants and she is a woman of action. But her heart begins to fall into Eugene's hands, so she begins to feel the need to have him close, as more than an ally, and she dreams of him, living a normal life.

Bo katan is a born warrior; a woman wounded by the war, with frustrations, lost in her own path to help her people, desperate and with all those burdens and regrets. But when she meets that man in the silver beskar and his green child, she begins to feel at home, she begins to know that part of herself that she didn't know. She begins to protect them, she begins to walk a different path that takes her to better places, she is part of a new clan and understands that perhaps this path is the right one. Despite war and conflict, she feels supported.

This is when I actually say; the one that uses "conflict or wars" as a way to separate the characters; it's ridiculous. In this life, every day is a problem and a war even against yourself. We live in constant conflict all the time and what people need most now is a home, it is a refuge, it is prudence; What we need most is love. And not as a false flag of cheap romanticism; if not as a way to love freely without having to fall into clichés, just as these characters need it. This is the way…

[butterflydm]

wot on prime rewatch: 1x7 the dark along the ways (part 2)

spoilers through the end of season one of the wheel of time. I will do a reblog of this soon after I post it, with additional book-related spoilers.

1. And now we are introduced to Min Farshaw, a bartender in Fal Dara, and the Seer spoken of by Moiraine and Lady Amalisa. You can tell that she just Knows why Moiraine is here with this group of people lol.

2. She delivers drinks to their table and Egwene thanks her while Rand is involved in a conversation with Perrin about the Tuatha’an (though from what he says to Moiraine later, he’s partly paying attention to what Moiraine is doing here). Perrin is trying to explain their overall philosophy, but Rand is stuck on the idea that they don’t eat any meat at all (because it does harm). Now that he’s away from them, Perrin is very admiring of their ways. Egwene teases Rand about him being a bad cook.

3. Nynaeve, though, is paying attention to Moiraine over at the bar, and wondering what she’s up to and why she’s brought them here. Moiraine, of course, is grilling Min on whether or not she’s ‘seen’ anything. Min tells Moiraine that what she does is very invasive and that she doesn’t do it lightly, and Moiraine essentially blackmails her into talking when she balks at the idea of telling Moiraine what she sees (she ‘reminds’ Min that the Aes Sedai are keeping her a secret and that, if her talent were revealed, her life would get much harder and more complicated). 

4. Much like how Rand’s Machin Shin whispers reveal part of but not all of what he hears, we don’t find out everything that Min knows yet either. But I like that, as we find out when Rand goes to speak to Min at the end of the episode, she really felt that he deserved to hear the truth first on his own, and when he was ready, rather than her spilling his personal secrets to Moiraine. 

5. Min tells Moiraine a handful of vague things about what she sees -- a gold ring, a white flame, yellow eyes and blood, a baby, and all four of them linked together as sparks fight a shadow -- but when Moiraine tries to press her about if one of the visions is clearer, she says no. And instead tells Moiraine a viewing about herself -- the Amrylin Seat in full regalia, being her downfall. Definitely emotionally impactful for Moiraine! 

6. Later that night, Moiraine comes and tells the group that they will be leaving for the Eye of the World at sunrise. And that’s it. She turns to leave at that point. Then Rand challenges her -- who was that bartender that she spent so much time talking to earlier? Again, continuing a pattern of Rand challenging Moiraine and of how him doing so gets them answers that she otherwise was not willing to give them. I feel like a lot of the people I saw who disliked Rand challenging Moiraine just straight-up don’t acknowledge how little information Moiraine was willing to give them without being challenged. Moiraine tries to deflect, and Nynaeve backs Rand’s play. And Moiraine bends, and tells them about Min’s gift. She tells them that she was hoping Min could say who the Dragon was but, since she couldn’t, Moiraine just has to bring all of them, sacrificing the lives of the ones who aren’t the Dragon.

7. Setting dressing & blocking note. I LOVE that there is a prominent empty chair every time we go to the group shot of Perrin, Egwene, and Rand. Constant reminder that one of the group isn’t there.

8. I also love, and we know this from the next episode, that this is a great illustration of Moiraine just being wrong. She didn’t die at the Eye of the World. The Eye of the World wasn’t what they thought it was at all. “Ground to dust between two forces of nature” isn’t what happened at all. But Moiraine believes it or she couldn’t say it! And it’s a great illustration of how Moiraine not being able to lie doesn’t mean that Moiraine is always right, even when she speaks plainly. She can be wrong as long as she’s honestly wrong.

9. Perrin -- who has been quiet through so much of this and who hasn’t ever challenged Moiraine before -- is the one who speaks up here, which I really like. He basically points out every possible flaw in Moiraine’s argument! What if Mat’s the Dragon (and then we all die)? What if we live because you’re just wrong and it’s not actually the case that the ones who aren’t the Dragon die? I love this so much because it actually really makes Perrin feel like he genuinely is The Thoughtful One. He’s just been keeping his own council all this time, thinking thing over, and now he’s coming out with specific questions that poke holes in Moiraine’s train of thought. (Moiraine is able to answer exactly none of his questions, by the way. She just deflects)

10. And Nynaeve tells Moiraine, straight-out, yes, you’ve chosen to follow this path. And now it’s our turn to make a choice. You don’t get to harry us along and make it for us. So that’s three of the four currently united against Moiraine. And Nynaeve has been standing off on her own during the rest of this conversation but now she goes and stands with the rest of the Two Rivers’ people. And I love the shot after Moiraine (and Lan) leave because we now have all four of the Two Rivers’ people... and that prominent emptiness opposite Egwene (because there are other empty chairs as well, but the actual  head of the table is empty).

11. Egwene is generally a pretty vocal character but she sat out that entire conversation which is very interesting. She didn’t ‘pick a side’, essentially. But she didn’t argue on Moiraine’s behalf against the others, as she’s done before.

12. Now the Two Rivers’ folk are alone, and we get to see them clash against each other. All four of them have recently suffered a pretty big trauma (going through the Ways) and now they’ve been told that three of them are likely to die soon. Rand is edging towards fatalism, once Moiraine is gone -- “Nothing an Aes Sedai says is optional. She’ll force us if she wants to.” But Nynaeve is just... a very firm bulwark here -- “Let her try.”

13. I actually really liked this fight. It starts with Egwene saying “we need to do this to protect our families” while Nynaeve comes back with “so Moiraine says.” It’s essentially the same argument that Egwene and Rand had in 1x2, where part of the reason there’s a fight at all is because of how widely the level of trust in Moiraine differs between the two parties. “She can’t lie,” Egwene argues, and Rand comes in now with “She can mislead.” And Nynaeve says (which goes back to Perrin’s point) that even if Moiraine absolutely believes what she’s saying, she still could be wrong. But Egwene says (roughly) that she’s willing to sacrifice her own life on the chance that Moiraine is right, because if she is, then it would be a worthy sacrifice. And Egwene bringing this up after Moiraine has left also brings me back to 1x2, where she didn’t challenge Moiraine when the others were present but did challenge her in private. 

14. Rand, of course, has been struggling with his identity all season, keeping a secret from everyone (about what his dad told him, that we get to see in a flashback later on). And he’s coming to a realization. “I can’t lose anyone else in this room,” he says. He doesn’t fully admit it to himself here, but he’s beginning to. Perrin momentarily deflects everyone off of this point by bringing up Mat again -- what if Mat is the Dragon? Egwene scoffs and Rand reacts immediately, incredibly protective even though Mat isn’t present. Which builds off of the way we saw their dynamic in the last episode too, how Rand tilted instantly into protective mode over Mat. Rand launches into an incredibly passionate defense of Mat here.

15. Nynaeve tries to calm down them down before the fight gets worse, but Egwene defends her position, saying that Mat was the one who stayed behind and that he’s probably gone after the dagger, and when she says that Mat left them (the group), Rand makes it personal with, “Well, I guess you’re the expert on that, aren’t you? ... you’re the only one that’s ever really left me,” and Perrin immediately jumps in to defend Egwene. The entire fight helped illustrate how the Rand-Mat and Egwene-Perrin pairs further bonded in their journeys together. Perrin’s protectiveness over Egwene mirrors Rand’s protectiveness over Mat. Rand takes an attack against Mat as if it were an attack against himself.

16. Then Nynaeve basically single-handedly derails the brewing fight into something that was between Egwene and Rand but still about Mat, into a fight between Rand and Perrin about Egwene instead. Nynaeve made a bunch of assumptions based on old information and instantly regretted it (you can see the “yikes, wish I hadn’t said that” on her face right after the words come out and stop literally all other conversation in its tracks). And their internal fears that Machin Shin to fed them helps lead into the fight, a hundred percent. Everyone is affected by what the Black Wind said, very much including Moiraine, despite her warnings.

17. Rand is just so completely ??? at the idea that Perrin might have been fighting with him “over” Egwene when Nynaeve brings it up, then he starts doing mental math on a subject that he has very obviously never considered before in his life. Egwene ALSO looks very startled at this idea. But this fight does also lead to a moment of Perrin having Vibes with Rand as he gets super close and says the only woman he loved was his wife while he stares at Rand’s mouth; lol, A+. Here’s another question I have, though - was Rand willing to let this fight happen once it started because he was already making his decision that he was going to sneak off to Moiraine and go to the Eye together? Rand picking fights with his friends to try to get them to like him less so that he can go risk his life alone is a canon thing from the early books. Poor Nynaeve is so upset that she made all that happen (from her PoV).

18. Lan tries to reassure Moiraine over the situation, as she broods at the balcony. This conversation between the two of them is great. “I feel like I’ve taken everything from you. And more.” Moiraine is seeing that Lan is capable of having a life after this mission and so, just like Rand does, Moiraine leaves Lan behind at the end of this episode as well. I also wonder if this version of Moiraine perhaps feels like she’s been more selfish than the book version, because she has had romantic love all these years, though she and Siuan have needed to spend time apart as well.

19. The dinner scene is cute. It definitely does soften Lan’s character beyond what we normally got in the books, but it’s implied that Nynaeve DOES see a softer Lan than pretty much everyone else, and this is a way for the audience to see what she sees. She gets to see him in the context of his culture and also gets to see the way he behaves around children. I feel like all that (plus their potential impending deaths) makes them sleeping together feel pretty earned, given that we already know from Rand and Egwene’s relationship that Two Rivers’ folks don’t have the same hang-ups around sex outside of marriage that they did in the books. 

20. Rand is still struggling here. We can see that he lacks focus by his inability to hit the bullseye with any of his arrows. Egwene comes out, mad at him because he didn’t come apologize to her, which gives us more information about their relationship dynamic back in the Two Rivers, probably. I actually wonder if Rand was hoping that she would stay away entirely (though once she does come, he engages with her mostly sincerely) to make it easier for him to make his choice and come to terms with himself. I do note that though Rand apologizes to her (for letting himself take the whole Perrin x Egwene thing seriously), Egwene doesn’t apologize for attacking Mat’s character. She just tells Rand that he should have known that she cared about Mat anyway. Like, sure, maybe she would fight and die for him... but she also doesn’t seem to like him much as a person or think very highly of him. One does not necessarily imply the other. And she’s certainly not obligated to like Mat! But it does strike me as interesting that the characters are talking past each other again -- Rand apologizes for something that Egwene doesn’t care about (him taking the Perrin x Egwene thing seriously for a moment), while Egwene doesn’t really address the thing that was bothering Rand about how she was talking about Mat. 

21. But Rand is definitely in “make my goodbyes” mode here -- he tells Egwene that he doesn’t want to lose her, and urges her to go to the White Tower to make the most of her abilities. Egwene says here that she doesn’t want to go without Rand - “I’ve already made that mistake once” (about breaking up with him to get a job, essentially; again, I am so baffled that anyone watched the first season and came out of believing that Rand was being clingy to a girl who wasn’t interested in him anymore -- Egwene has shown several times that she still cares about Rand romantically at this point in time). But obviously hearing this means a lot to Rand, because she did break up with him very abruptly in the first episode. ...and then he lies to her. “I’ll come with you to the White Tower. Every Aes Sedai needs a Warder.” They kiss and Egwene promises Rand that if he’s the Dragon, she’ll stand by him.

22. I am so curious about how long the show/Moiraine will keep the secret of Rand’s survival from the others. I’ve going to do a bit of speculation in the spoiler reblog.

23. After Nynaeve and Lan have slept together, they talk about responsibilities and obligations that they have. She finds out that Lan is the uncrowned king of a lost country, and she feels like that gives her some insight into why Lan and Moiraine are bonded together -- that Moiraine gives him a ‘home’, essentially. Lan turns that around on her and points out that she also has obligations (that she has chosen) to the Two Rivers’ kids. And he asks her to stay the rest of the night. <3 (I feel like Moiraine and Siuan having a current relationship also makes Lan making this choice more likely).

24. From one post-coital room to another -- Egwene has fallen asleep but Rand is having flashbacks to the night of the attack, when he found out that his father found him and then took him home to raise as his own. And he admits to himself that he knows the truth about himself. But he still wants to confirm it further, and he goes to speak with Min, the Seer.

25. I love how exhausted and jaded we can see that Min is. And now she softens when Rand apologizes and talks to her instead of at her, essentially. We learn that her first viewing ever was seeing Tam in armor in Tar Valon and ‘seeing’ him finding Rand and taking him home to raise in the Two Rivers, an ‘impossible’ baby.

26. And when we finally get to see the ending of the flashback, it’s genuinely such a beautiful moment. Tam reaching out and helping, instead of attacking her. This moment of two people connecting despite being on the opposite sides of a battle, because they are just two people at this moment, and Tam sees her humanity and sees that she needs kindness. And she gets to see Rand being born and gets to know that he’ll be safe before she dies.

27. In the morning, Egwene goes to talk to Nynaeve and finds that her room is empty and her bed untouched. When Nynaeve arrives, she teases her a bit. And Nynaeve apologizes for what she said the night before about Rand, Perrin, & Egwene. Perrin then arrives... also to seek out Nynaeve? It actually makes a lot of sense that they would go to Nynaeve’s room... they’re still thinking of her as their Wisdom. Egwene has a little bit of difficulty looking at Perrin, but then she does look up and she says she wants to go (to the Eye). She then wonders where Rand has gone to off and we get cuts between Lan arrives to Nynaeve’s room that morning to say that Moiraine is missing, while we get a cut to the night before of Rand arriving at Moiraine’s room, and Egwene connects the dots that Rand and Moiraine left together. So, everyone there knows that Rand, at least, believes that he’s the Dragon.

[webtoon-related-tournaments]

Min-Hyuk & Shin-Ae:

he's the closest and only friend of Shin-Ae for a while, the only one to defend her from bullies and gossip. they've got eating contests with WcDonalds burgers.

Flo and Luci:

She initially started out as a rival for Luci, but in the end they became close friends. She helps Luci navigate court after 'losing her memories' (getting reincarnated), and in return Luci gives Florence the confidence to escape her abusive family. Honestly I just love to see women working together in fantasy romance stories, and Florence's arc and friendship with Luci is so refreshing.

[litcityblues]

The Wheel of Time Rewatch/Reread Pt. 2

I said it before and I'll say it again: I don't like Amazon's insistence on 8 episode seasons for their shows- especially this show. I think two more episodes per season would give this show the room to breathe that I think it desperately needs sometimes, though I will say this: Season 2 is a lot better than Season 1.

What did I like about Season 2? I don't know if it's a closer adaptation of the book, but it does follow the structure of the book a bit more and there are moments- identifiable, real, important moments from the book that make it into the show. (The opening meeting of Darkfriends and Nyn's Accepted Testing-- the opening ceremony of the latter is lifted nearly verbatim from the book, which is awesome.) But broadly speaking, while in the books Rand doesn't run away-- he joins the hunt for the Horn of Valere with Perrin and does wind up spending a good chunk of time in Cairhein and on the way there, he meets Selene (Natasha O'Keeffe), who is eventually revealed to be Lanfear.

So the show in this season isn't straying too far from the structure of the actual book and as a result, overall, this feels a lot more like The Wheel of Time I was expecting in the first season.

(Yes, yes, the usual caveats apply: No, I didn't expect a perfect adaptation. Yes, I am willing to grade on a curve because showrunners have to bring in a new audience and not just a book audience and hopefully the show inspires more people to read the books.)

The book, however, starts a lot differently. We're still in Fal Dara when the book starts and instead of meeting Lady Amalisa at the end of the last book (as we did in the television show), we meet here in the early chapters of The Great Hunt. She's still the sister to Lord Agelmar-- I don't think there are references to her being able to channel and certainly don't see any of the nonsense (being able to link, burning herself out, etc.) that we saw at the end of the first season of the show. She is still good friends with Moiraine, but- since the Amyrlin Seat comes to visit, she also gets poked pretty hard by Liandrin about keeping tabs on Mat, Rand, and Perrin.

They don't come right out to say it-- in fact, I don't think they come right out and say anywhere in the book, but right from the get-go it's heavily implied that Liandrin is bad, potentially Black Ajah, even if they don't come out and say it yet. (The fact that they set this tone early makes it even more ridiculous later in the book when Liandrin shows up to Egewene and Nyn and just says 'Come with me to save your friends' and Min and Elayne just say 'We'll come too' and no one stops to think about whether they should trust her or not. Granted, we know that as readers they probably shouldn't, but they as novices/Accepted are probably pretty inculcated into obedience to full Aes Sedai by that point, even though Liandrin takes them in THE WAYS where, you know, Machin Shin lives-- I would have thought at some point, one of them would have been like 'hey, wait a minute!)

We also have hints of Aes Sedai politics from the first book and we see them in full force in the opening chapters of the second book. Moiraine's reception ahead of the meeting with Amyrlin is very similar to her reception in front of the Hall of The Tower in Season 1 of the show-- lots of frostiness and veiled threats about how she needs to be checked and brought under control.

The meeting between Siuan and Moiraine is excellent and I love, love, love that Verin has figured out what they're up to. Verin was always one of my favorite book characters and The Great Hunt provides a powerful reminder as to why-- she's got a much better relationship with Rand- more of a 'Hey man, I can't teach you, but if you listen to me, I might be able to help you, not, you know, kill yourself.' type of a vibe as a posed to Moiraine's vibe of 'I will KILL YOU before I let you turn to the Shadow.' I like her as part of the company tracking the Horn down into Cairhein. I like her in Falme, where she references the prophecy that 'five will ride forth'. In general, Verin is one of my favorites.

(And the show (where she's played by Meera Syal) captures her more or less perfectly-- even if she's mixed a little with Vandene, as a posed to be an Aes Sedai in the Tower all herself-- speaking of which: we do see Moiraine with Vandene and Adeleas in the book and she's there trying to figure her stuff out-- which is a nice parallel to what we see in the show. Moiraine meets with Bayle Domon there in the show-- who again, is far more prominent in the books than he is in the show at least so far. But here, we get a sort of Bayle Domon chapter almost-- which seems a little apropos of nothing, but is in fact, a nice bit of plotwork that sets up for the finale in Falme.)

The meat and potatoes of the book is about Rand and the hunt for the Horn of Valere which makes the most sense because the book is called The Great Hunt. Ingtar keeps them pushing south hard and fast-- Rand has that weird moment in the village (channeling?) and we get some early glimpses of maybe Selene and we find out just how bad Fain has become with the Fade being nailed up by him.

We see a lot of Cairhein in the book and the show- though Lord Barthanes (Will Tudor) is in fact Moiraine's nephew in the show and Anvaere (Lindsey Duncan) (who I think is meant to be the woman who saves Rand from a crowd of women who want him for Daes Dae'Mar reasons) is Moiraine's sister and I like that the show parallels that structure.

The best things the show does in this season revolve around Cairhein. Jordan references but never digs into the aging thing and Aes Sedai. We gradually find out that Aes Sedai can live for a very long time and that there's some obvious heartache involved as family members grow old and die and age faster than they do. The show jumps right into that territory and it's kind of awesome. They also set about trying to tackle a problem that it takes Rand four books to address: how to use the male half of the source, which is why he's trying to gain access to Logain.

What's missing from the show is the whole business with Portal Stoes. That's the introduction to Selene-- she keeps pushing him onto 'greatness' and Rand is really uncomfortable with finding out that he's second in command if Ingtar (Gregg Chilingirian) goes down, but he is insistent on finding the dagger to help Mat and grows into the role, whether he likes it or not.

(There are some hints of voices that aren't his here and there, building up to Lews Therin making an actual appearance at some point, I would imagine. We also get a glimpse of the giant hand with the orb in it that we come to realize is the Choedan Kal in later books.)

Where the show loses me a little is when Moiraine catches up with Rand and straight up slits Selene's throat. Granted, she's Lanfear, so she revives and comes after them-- but again, not in the book. I also don't think that the show does that good of a job with Nyn, Egewene, and Elayne (Ceara Coveney)-- but that's also weirdly parallel to the book in many ways. We don't really get back to that trio after they arrive in Tar Valan and Nyn tests for Accepted until the end of the book (about 80%) of the way through and that sets up Egewene and the Seanchan.

The worst part of the show is probably the needless drama between Moiraine and Lan. Yes, in the book she does call him on the carpet and tell him she's passing his bond and kind of smacks him around a bit, but it doesn't take, like a third of the book. And Moiraine's situation would have been a lot more believable had she not already said in the first season that she can't see male weaves. It's a wee bit of a contradiction that sort of undoes that plot point for me.

The oath thing at the end of the show... I think that's going to be part of Siuan's undoing, but I do think you've got a bit of a mess there since the first season clearly establishes that Siuan's oath is different than what Moiraine says, so how does that even work? (I'm wondering if the general, 'let's see if we can get this show to go' aspect of the first season will reveal more of these little landmines going forward.)

The Seanchan of it all was fine. It's great in the books, it's perfect in the show. I don't like that they killed Uno and I get that the finale didn't quite reach the same epic level you saw in the books, but I think that's down to television and budgets more than anything else. (Think: Game of Thrones-- not every finale can be like the Battle of the Bastards-- I would guess that showrunners have to keep some of their powder dry for budgetary reasons, though that could be pure speculation on my part. But I do think that the quieter, internal struggles that we see are in keeping with the books-- after all, The Last Battle-- the confrontation between Rand and the Dark One isn't some big, epic thing. It's like the three of them arguing about competing visions of reality and one of them wins.)

The show, however, got me really excited by revealing two things in the last episode: one, is that all the Forsaken are now free and two, Moghedien (Laia Costa) is among them and she looks... awesome.

At the end of the day, all I'm going to ask from this show is that it gets better and it starts to feel more like the books. I think this season while not including some things I would have liked to see from the books (like Thom, the Illuminators, the Portal Stone, a visit to the Stedding, etc.) does parallel the structure of the books quite nicely. As a result, it was a. better- but not perfect and b. felt a lot more like The Wheel of Time.

Bring on Season 3.

[agardenandlibrary]

The Shadow Rising: chapters 27-31

Now let’s jump to the Perrin and Faile Please Get it Together Show.

They make it through the Ways to the Way Gate at Manetheran. The Ways are spooky, there are Trollocs, etc. When they get out, pursued by Machin Shin, Loial takes the door knob with him so that the Gate cannot be opened from inside the ways any more.

Perrin's like: "Cool. I shall now commune BRIEFLY with the wolves to get the lay of the land." [insert dial-up noise] So, there's no wolves around. Very uncanny valley. 

Perrin goes into the Dreaming to investigate and finds what I imagine to be an evil version of the lucky charms guy, don't ask me why, it's technically my brain but I just live in it, I don't understand it. 

Perrin chases him all the Way to The Tower of Ghenjei in the ?? north, I guess. The Tower is part of faerie, basically and Unseelie Eelfinn and the Seelie Aelfinn live there. Don't go there and don't trust them! Snakes and foxes. Etc. I’m sure that will all be relevant later but for now, who cares!

As I'm writing this, I'm wondering if Mr. Evil Lucky Charms is Padan Fain, who we later find out is chilling with the Children of the Light around the Two Rivers.

Anyway, Perrin runs into a strange lady in the Dreaming who tells him the vague stuff about the Tower then peaces out. Perrin returns to himself. I gotta respect a guy who sees glimpses of the huge, complicated world and goes: "hm. Anyway, what can I actually do anything about?”

They sneak into Emond’s Field and I like the revisiting of one's childhood as Perrin sees everything anew after more than a year away. They go to the Winespring Inn and get the info on what's been going on:

Trollocs, lots.

Whitecloaks, lots. Useful to have to help with #1, but with an annoying tendency to arrest people "suspected" of being Darkfriends.

Perrin's whole family is dead. 

He kinda tries to plow past this but Faile is like, "Stop. My dude. Let it out." Then hugs him while he cries, which I think is very... it's good. There's no way to correctly deal with someone losing their entire family, but her instincts for this moment are very good.

Perrin plans to stay, rescue the prisoners from the Whitecloaks, get rid of the Trollocs and then? Who knows.

Eguene's mother takes them to a hiding place, where it turns out there's some Aes Sedai already waiting: Verin and Alanna*, who claim to be in the area looking for girls who can channel.

*WoT show has primed me to love Alanna, even if Perrin and Egwene don't trust her. I'm predisposed anyway, thanks to Tamora Pierce and my niece. 

Brief sidebar to the Whitecloaks, who still suck and Padan Fain, who is having a totally normal one, yessiree.

[jasmine-tea-latte]

Hi! You’ve watched Mr. Sunshine?! It’s in my watchlist and I was wondering what you thought of it!

I love it! So far I've only made it through the first 8 episodes out of 24, so I'm only 1/3 of the way through the story, but I've thoroughly enjoyed what I've seen so far. This review also got long, so I'm placing my thoughts beneath the cut.

Some highlights with very mild spoilers:

It's a romance, but not at the expense of the story. It's set in Korea during the late 1800s / early 1900s in the twilight of the Joseon dynasty before the Japanese annexation and focuses on the efforts of the Righteous Army who fight to protect their homeland. So while there are romantic tropes at play, the female lead's focus is more on defending her homeland. She’s not against falling in love, but don’t try to stop her from saving her country. There’s another strong female secondary character who I adore, who’s also secretly a badass. Strong-willed ladies? We love to see it.

I've enjoyed all of the characters and their interactions with each other. As the series progresses you learn how everyone is connected, and I'm sure there will be more connections later on that I'll look forward to seeing unfold, especially seeing how their fates are all tied together. I love the main characters, I love the secondary characters. I even enjoy the villains. Everyone is acted well, even the characters you’re supposed to hate.

One of my favorite aspects so far is the odd little bromance between the 3 male leads all vying for the heart of the previously mentioned female lead: Lady Go Ae Shin: a proper Korean aristocratic lady by day with a secret vigilante identity who’s out to save her country.

And her potential suitors:

Eugene Choi: a Korean American man who was born as a slave in Korea and escaped to America as a child, then grew up to become a high-ranking member of the US military and returned to his homeland. He’s good but has a decidedly pragmatic side and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.

Gu Dong Mae: a Korean Japanese man who also was born into a lower caste (his parents were butchers, so they were considered beneath even slaves) who meets Ae Shin after she saved him when they were children. He escaped from his home country to take up refuge in Japan. Years later, he returns as a Yakuza boss leader with a chip on his shoulder, to put it lightly. But he still has a soft spot for Ae Shin, for better or for worse...

Kim Hui-Seong: a Korean nobleman who’s engaged to Ae Shin but has spent the last decade abroad being a gambler and a womanizer, before deciding to return home to his fiancée and immediately falls in love with her. He acts silly and charming but has a secret serious side, and while I initially had my doubts he’s one of my favorites in this show, period.

All 3 couldn't be more different, and granted, there is one clear-cut frontrunner who ultimately captures her heart. That doesn't mean the other two won't win you over to some extent, though. Plus the comic relief scenes where it's just the three of them roasting each other are some of the absolute best in the show.

And here’s what happens when those 3 male leads run into each other at a bar, where hilarity ensues.

(Context: The first two are aware that they each have feelings for the lady and are seething in their jealousy / contempt for each other, while the third, her fiancé, remains an oblivious cinnamon roll for now, even though they despise him as well since he’s the one she’s supposed to marry.)

4. The pining. Whooo, the pining and the longing stares and the sheer angst of unrequited love. Let’s just say your heart and emotions are in for a workout. I’ve never seen a K-drama before, admittedly, but I will definitely be checking more out once this is finished!

So yes, overall, as someone who’s only seen the first 1/3 I’d still highly recommend!

If you watch it, let me know what you think! Thanks for the ask!

[chrancecriber]

Radio NET Bulgaria (December 13, 2022)

23:58 DR. SAXLOVE - It Came Upon A Midnight Clear 23:53 JOE MCBRIDE, THE TEXAS RHYTHM CLUB - Morning In A Distant Land 23:48 MARCUS ANDERSON - Addictive Love 23:43 RAGAN WHITESIDE - Gonna Fly 23:39 DEE LUCAS - Through It All 23:33 SHIN GIWON CHRISTMAS CAROL COLLECTION - The First Noel 23:29 KONSTANTIN KLASHTORNI - Chica Timida 23:25 MARK JAIMES - Miel's Song 23:21 JAZZ FUNK SOUL - Forecast 23:16 KIM WATERS - Heart Seeker 23:11 PETER WHITE - Silent Night 23:07 PHILLIP DOC MARTIN - Flowin' with It 23:03 BRIAN CULBERTSON - Waiting For You 22:57 CHRISTIAN HORNBOSTEL - Waiting At Potsdamer Chaussee 22:51 SYNTHETICSAX - Beach (DJ Rostej Remix) 22:47 SMOOTH DELUXE - Dream Of Insomnia 22:42 LOUNGE GROOVE AVENUE - Don't Be So Shy 22:39 ZARA, SNATT & VIX - No Angel (Zetandel Chill Out Mix) 22:36 DASH BERLIN, EMMA HEWITT - Waiting (Acoustic Version) 22:32 LE VITA, FAB - Apologize 22:29 SAMANTHA JADE - Everytime 22:23 WAY OUT WEST - One Bright Night (Original Mix) 22:19 SILENCE OF SEPTEMBER - Sleep Of Reason 22:14 PETE MURRAY - So Beautiful (Acoustic Version) 22:10 MICHAEL E - People Watching (Rubber Neck Mix) 22:04 GUENTER HAAS - Alone but Never Lonely 22:00 HOUSE MASSIVE - Children (Lounge Mix, Cover R. Miles) 21:57 SIRENS OF LESBOS - I Got New Feelings (Pablo Nouvelle Remix) 21:52 THE THRILLSEEKERS - Synaesthesia (Solarsoul Chilled Remix) 21:48 SKYE - Feel Good Inc 21:45 TOUCH & GO - Straight To...Number One (Dreamcatcher Mix) 21:41 KIRSTY HAWKSHAW, TENISHIA - Reason To Forgive (Piano Mix) 21:37 KENNY G, BRIAN MCKNIGHT - Careless Whisper 21:32 KUBA - Kailash 21:27 30 SECONDS TO MARS - Bad Romance (Lady Gaga's Cover) 21:24 CNBK - Burning Skies (Acoustic Version) 21:20 JENS BUCHERT - Polaris (feat. Shine) 21:17 JOHN DAHLBACK - Walking With Shadows (Acoustic Version) 21:13 LA CAINA - Mona 21:09 LEO ROJAS - Farewell 21:06 SUSANA - A Million Memories (Acoustic Rework) 21:01 JEROME ISMA-AE - Underwater Love 20:59 PABLO NOUVELLE - You Don't Understand (feat. ALX) 20:52 VIV DE LA ROSA - Agua Caliente 20:44 LAB OF MUSIC - Angel Vibes (Original Mix) 20:40 MICHAEL ANGELO, MELISSA LORETTA - Hearts Unspoken (Christopher Breeze Chillout Mix) 20:35 VELVET DREAMER - Your Game My Love (Five Seasons Remix) 20:31 DJ GROOVE - So Late 20:25 JES - Like A Waterfall (Flipside Ambient Remix) 20:20 LANA DEL REY - Born To Die 20:15 RUSLAN-SET, V.RAY - The Voice Of Star (Union Sense Remix) 20:11 SAGI REI - Missing 20:06 SOLARIC INC - Children (Chill Mix) 19:59 GAZEEBO - Shiny Lust 19:54 ANN GRACE - Moon In Love 19:49 ADELE - Lovesong 19:45 KENNY G - My Heart Will Go On 19:39 RED - Pieces 19:34 KITARO - Caravansary Original 19:28 GUENTER HAAS - Secret Diary 19:23 JEAN HONEYMOON - Bang Bang (Lazy Hammock Chillout Remix) 19:20 C.CIL - Sunset 19:17 MAXIGROOVE - Alone (Wellski) 19:13 DJ CHART, DOBA, PRINCESS LARISSA - Danger Games 19:09 BLANK & JONES, ELLES - Mind Of The Wonderful (Acoustic Version) 19:05 NOMOSK, ROMAN MESSER, CHRISTINA NOVELLI - Lost Soul (Zetandel Chillout Remix) 19:02 JAMES BUTLER - Dinner For Two 18:57 SUNLOUNGER, ZARA TAYLOR - Lost (Chill Version) 18:52 MIGUEL LARA - Oblivion 18:49 CLAES ROSEN, NATALIE PERIS - Stay (Original Mix) 18:45 ROBERT NICKSON - Spiral (Chillout Mix) 18:41 LOUNGE GROOVE AVENUE - Silk And Smooth 18:35 ROAN PORTMAN - In Faith We Trust 18:31 SARAH MENESCAL - Don't Speak 18:26 LEO ROJAS - Friendship 18:21 SINOPTIK MUSIC - Black Islands 18:15 ANGELO CRESCERI - Harmony 18:11 IGOR PUMPHONIA - Air (Original Mix) 18:06 SUPERLOOP - Be 18:03 BENYA, PENNY NIXON - Serendipity (After Meridian & Dave Costa Remix) 17:58 RIHANNA - We Found Love (DJ Fernandez Chillout Remix) 17:54 AURORA - Where Would You Go When It Starts To Rain (Original Mix) 17:50 KENNY FONTANA - Wonderful Life (Cafe Buddha Del Mar Bar Mix As Made Famous By Hurts) 17:46 SMOOTH STAB, AELYN - These Words Between Us (Incognet Chill Out Version) 17:44 INNA - Hot (Chill Out Remix) 17:40 YURI KANE - Right Back (Chillout Mix) 17:35 SUNLOUNGER, SEIS CUERDAS - A Balearic Dinner (Chill Mix) 17:32 DIANA KRALL - California Dreamin' 17:26 FARUK SABANCI - As Faces Fade (Domenico Cascarino & Luca Lombardi Chill Out Remix) 17:21 RAZ NITZAN, MOYA BRENNAN - Find The Sun (Original Mix) 17:15 PREMASARA COUNCIL - Sensual Ecstasy 17:11 MEHMET CEMAL YESILCAY - You And I 17:04 EDWARD MAYA - Stereo Love (Yonta Chillout Remix) 16:59 JIM ADKINS - No Ordinary Love 16:55 JAREZ - If You Don't Mind 16:52 DAVE KOZ - Summertime in NYC 16:48 MARC ANTOINE - For A Smile 16:44 CAROL NETHEN - What Child Is This 16:39 DAVID PETROSYAN - This Is My Way 16:34 LUKAS LEUTHOLD - Longing For The Bride 16:30 SKINNY HIGHTOWER - Oh Come All Ye Faithful 16:27 RICK HABANA - RH Lounge 16:23 KIM WATERS - Voyage To Atlantis 16:18 CHRIS GODBER - Butterfly 16:15 BE'NE MUSIC - Just You Just Me 16:11 BRIAN BROMBERG - Celebrate Me Home 16:08 ROB TARDIK - East Meets Wes (feat. Paul Brown) 16:04 PETER WHITE - Confidential 15:59 NILS - Call Me 15:54 BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Moonlight Drive 15:50 PAUL BROWN, DAVE KOZ - Avalon Nights 15:46 PEGGY DUQUESNEL - Light of Christmas 15:42 BYRON MILLER - Just a Feeling 15:38 EUGE GROOVE - Belle Mania 15:34 CHRISTMAS CAROLS - Stille Nacht 15:29 RYAN LA VALETTE - Closer To You 15:25 BOBBY LYLE - Nujazzy (feat. Nathan East) 15:21 BRENDAN ROTHWELL - Solitude 15:17 DEE BROWN - Make Up Your Mind 15:12 STEVE OLIVER - Silent Night 15:08 DARRIUS JAMAR - My Everything 15:04 ANDRE CAVOR - Say Somethin' 15:00 BLAKE AARON - Harmonious Funk 14:55 PHIL DENNY, NILS - Suite Party 14:50 JOYCE COOLING - The Wizard 14:45 BRIAN CULBERTSON - All Through The Christmas Night 14:41 TIM BOWMAN - Smile 14:36 EVERETTE HARP - I Just Can't Stop Thinking About You 14:31 CHIELI MINUCCI - Little Drummer Boy's Dream 14:26 DANIEL DOMENGE - Cool 14:22 JONATHAN FRITZEN - Celebration 14:16 CHRIS STANDRING - Liquid Soul 14:12 BENNETT B - Selfie 14:09 SHARMOND SMITH - Joy To the World 14:05 GABRIEL MARK HASSELBACH - Chill@Will 14:01 VANN BURCHFIELD - Ain't No Body 13:56 OLI SILK - Steppin' Out 13:52 PATRICK YANDALL - Back In The Day 13:47 DAN SIEGEL - Treasure Hunt 13:42 RAINFOREST BAND - My Mellow Ways 13:38 JUSTIN YOUNG - The Christmas Song 13:35 KONSTANTIN KLASHTORNI - You Look Good 13:30 AMANDUS - Enjoy 13:28 DR. SAXLOVE - Frost The Snowman 13:24 KIM WATERS - Heaven's Gate 13:20 PHILLIP DOC MARTIN - Ridin' High 13:16 PAUL BROWN, DAREN RAHN - Ya Dig 13:12 BIRDS OF A FEATHER - City Life 13:09 NICK DUKAS - Rockin Around the Christmas Tree 13:04 WAYMAN TISDALE - Conversation Piece (feat. Bob James) 13:00 NILS - Life is What You Make It 12:56 DREAMING IN COLOUR - Davy's Byrne 12:52 MARION MEADOWS - Step to This 12:48 WILL DONATO - Show And Tell 12:44 SMOOTH SOUL HOLIDAY - Carol of the Bells 12:39 THE SAX PACK - Are You Ready 12:35 TONY SAUNDERS - Speak to My Heart 12:32 YOLANDA RABUN - The Greatest Gift 12:28 DARRIUS JAMAR - Back To Love 12:22 JEFFERY SMITH - Visions of Love 12:18 NATE WHITE - Sweet Summer Nights 12:14 PETER WHITE - Just My Imagination 12:09 U-NAM - This Christmas 12:06 ZOLBERT - Frappe 12:01 TIM BOWMAN - Table for Two 11:57 RICHARD ELIOT - Chill Factor 11:52 KIM SCOTT - Laelia (feat. Jonathan Butler) 11:48 HERB ALPERT - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 11:43 EARL KLUGH - Doin' It 11:38 THE SMOOTH JAZZ ALLEY - C-Funk 11:35 TON SMITH - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (feat. Preston Smith and Oliver Scott) 11:31 CAROL ALBERT - Mas Que Nada 11:26 REZA KHAN - Seven Mile Road 11:22 RANDY MULLER BOOM CHANG BANG - Sunnyside Up 11:17 JEFF KASHIWA - Back In The Day 11:12 MARCUS ANDERSON - White Christmas 11:07 RYAN LA VALETTE - New Beginnings 11:02 KAYLA WATERS - Lil' Mustard Seed 10:57 J. WHITE - Listen Up 10:52 EUGE GROOVE - Silhouette 10:47 ROBERT HARRIS - Life's Journey 10:44 NICHOLAS COLE - Let It Snow 10:39 MARCUS JOHNSON - Table For 2 10:36 TERENCE YOUNG - Sweet Thing 10:32 CAROL NETHEN - Peace 10:27 PATRICK YANDALL - Dawn Patrol 10:23 DARRYL WILLIAMS - Reflections 10:18 BRIAN CULBERTSON - The House Of Music 10:16 CHRIS 'BIG DOG' DAVIS - Silver Street 10:12 RONNY SMITH - Deck the Halls 10:08 RICHARD ELLIOT - Summer Madness 10:04 ANDRE CAVOR - Road Trip 09:59 KONSTANTIN KLASHTORNI - Drive Me Home 09:55 JACKIEM JOYNER - Evolve 09:51 CHRIS STANDRING - Hypnotize 09:47 SHIN GIWON CHRISTMAS CAROL COLLECTION - Feliz Navidad 09:42 DARREN MOTAMEDY - 50 Shades of Cool 09:38 PETER WHITE - Lost In Your Eyes 09:34 DAVE KOZ - Do You Hear What I Hear (feat. Gloria Estefan) 09:30 BENNETT B - Muriesque 09:26 JOYCE COOLING - Before Dawn 09:20 GREGG KARUKAS - I Mean What I Said 09:16 DARRON COOKIE - 32 Days 09:12 LEE RITENOUR - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 09:08 MEKIEL REUBEN - It's 420 Time 09:03 INCOGNITO - Selfishly 08:59 MARCUS JOHNSON - The Journey 08:55 ADAM HAWLEY - Dance With Me (Feat. Gerald Albright) 08:51 BLUEY - You Are the One 08:47 U-NAM - West Indeed 08:41 MARCUS ANDERSON - Mary Did You Know 08:37 PAUL BROWN - Food For The Moon 08:33 KONSTANTIN KLASHTORNI - Forever In Love 08:29 JOYCE COOLING - Christmas, Christmas 08:25 BE'NE MUSIC - 120 East 08:22 ALEX FALDIN - Throwback Vacations 08:17 DREW DAVIDSEN - Double or Nothin' 08:13 MARION MEADOWS - Don't Wait Up 08:10 STEPHEN ROTHHAAR - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 08:06 LOUIE FITZGERALD - Jammin' After School 08:01 JAREZ - One Take 07:56 MARCOS ARIEL - Green Eyes 07:51 GABRIEL MARK HASSELBACH - Litmus Test 07:48 HERB ALPERT - I'll Be Home For Christmas 07:43 KEN NAVARRO - Time And Love 07:40 STEVE OLIVER - One Big Smile 07:35 DAVE KOZ - O Holy Night (feat. Jonathan Butler) 07:30 WALTER BEASLEY - Expressway 07:25 TONY LINDSAY - Soul Soldier 07:21 NILS - Waiting on Hold 07:17 CHRIS GODBER - Can't Help Believin 07:13 SHAKATAK - Merry Christmas In Summer 07:07 MADOCA - Surrender 07:03 CHUCK LOEB - Springs 07:00 NICHOLAS COLE - Date Night (feat. Sreve Cole) 06:56 JOE MCBRIDE, THE TEXAS RHYTHM CLUB - Gentle Rain 06:52 PAUL BROWN - Wes' Coast Swing 06:45 BRUCE MCKENZIE - Silent Night 06:40 LOUIE FITZGERALD - Plantation Key 06:37 VINCENT INGALA - In Deep 06:32 LISA MCCLOWRY - Brand New Hallelujah 06:27 LARRY CARLTON, PAUL BROWN - Soul Searchin' 06:24 HERB PARTLOW - Drop It! 06:19 JIM ADKINS - Highway 12 06:14 GREGG KARUKAS - Speakeasy 06:10 DANIEL D. - Let It Snow 06:05 ANDREW NICHOLS - I Love the Way You Love Me 06:01 MARION MEADOWS - Mother Earth 05:56 PATRICK YANDALL - I See You 05:52 DANNY LERMAN - Meow Baby 05:48 PAUL BROWN - Toast And Jam 05:44 DAVE KOZ - All The Love In The World 05:40 DEAN GRECH - What Do You Want This Year For Christmas 05:36 ZOLBERT - Ocean Breeze 05:32 VINCENT INGALA - Vintage Vibe 05:29 KENNEY POLSON - This Christmas 05:25 GARY PALMER - Misunderstanding 05:20 KONSTANTIN KLASHTORNI - You Make Me Smile 05:16 H ALLAN - All Along the Watchtower, Stairway to Heaven 05:09 JOHNNY JOHNSON - O Come All Ye Faithful 05:04 EUGE GROOVE - All For You 05:00 WAYMAN TISDALE - Get Down On It 04:57 NICK COLIONNE - The Journey 04:53 VINCENT INGALA - Ready Or Not 04:49 NILS - Trip Me 04:43 JUSTIN YOUNG - Merry Christmas 04:38 DARRYL WILLIAMS - Do You Remember (feat. Michael Lington) 04:34 EUGE GROOVE - Romeo & Juliet 04:30 PEGGY DUQUESNEL - Christmas Is Here 04:26 GARY MEGGS - Autumn Leaves 04:22 MARCUS ANDERSON - Latte In The Rain 04:17 GREGG KARUKAS - Our Love Is On The Faultline 04:13 PETER WHITE - Bright 04:08 SHIN GIWON CHRISTMAS CAROL COLLECTION - Santa Clause Is Coming To Town 04:04 R.L. WALKER - Only Have Eyes 04:00 GAIL JHONSON, CLIFF BROWN - Groovin' in Philly 03:56 DEMETRIUS NABORS - Perseverance 03:52 ROBERTO RESTUCCIA - Love Crazy 03:48 VINCENT IOIA - Steppin in from the Outside 03:44 BONEY JAMES - Hand In Hand 03:40 BERNIE MARTINI - Falling for You Like Snow 03:36 RAINFOREST BAND - Gumbo Groove 03:31 KIM WATERS - Sumthin' Sumthin' 03:28 ARIEL B - Candy Cane Love 03:24 KEN NAVARRO - Language Of Peace 03:20 ERIC DARIUS - Love Not War 03:16 CHRIS 'BIG DOG' DAVIS - Whatcha Gonna Do For Me 03:12 SKINNY HIGHTOWER - Spanish Harlem 03:08 SHAKATAK - Good King Wenceslas 03:03 DREAMING IN COLOUR - Waiting in Texas 03:00 EUGE GROOVE - Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight 02:56 2UNES - Find Your Way 02:51 FREDDIE FOX - From The Heart 02:46 EVERETTE HARP - Don't Look Any Further 02:42 TONY G COPELAND, CORY JAMES - Winter Wonderland (feat. Cory James) 02:36 TONY SAUNDERS - Alaya 02:32 BK JACKSON - Wait For You 02:30 HERB ALPERT - All I Want For Christmas 02:25 ZOLBERT - Back Home 02:21 GREG MANNING - Grateful (feat. Judah Sealy) 02:16 BAKERS DOZEN - No Doubt 02:12 NILS - Jump Start 02:09 VINCENT INGALA - It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year 02:05 JODY MAYFIELD - Summer Rain (feat. Michael Tarpley) 02:00 BLUE SIX - Aquarian Angel 01:55 BRAD ALEXANDER - You Are My Lady 01:52 NICK COLIONNE - The Closer I Get To You 01:49 JAY ROWE - Joy to the World 01:45 MARCUS ANDERSON - Vanilla Mocha 01:40 GREGG KARUKAS - Simone 01:36 PETER WHITE - Peeto Bandito 01:31 ROBERT CHRISTA - Let It Go 01:27 BEN TANKARD - Angels We Have Heard On High 01:23 STEVE OLIVER - Wings Of Spring 01:19 JEFF LORBER FUSION - Mind Reader 01:15 TERENCE YOUNG - Come With Me 01:11 MEKIEL REUBEN - Summer Breezin 01:08 SHARMOND SMITH - Deck The Halls 01:04 BONEY JAMES - Futuresoul 01:00 JONATHAN FRITZEN - Turn Back Time 00:56 SAM BASSMAN JENKINS - Movin 00:53 NATHAN WOODWARD - Jingle Bells 00:49 NORMAN BROWN - Unconditional 00:45 RICK HABANA - All That I Need 00:41 KONSTANTIN KLASHTORNI - Lovely Day 00:37 DEAN JAMES - Neon Skies 00:33 HANK BILAL - O Come All Ye Faithful 00:29 NORTH 2UNES WOODALL - On the Move 00:24 DARRYL WILLIAMS - Harveston Way (feat. Euge Groove) 00:19 MARCIN NOWAKOWSKI - Nobody But You (Feat. Billy Mondragon Of DW3) 00:15 BRENDAN ROTHWELL - Destiny 00:08 JON GIBSON - Everybody Sing A Christmas Song 00:04 OLI SILK - Hats Off 00:00 PHILLIP DOC MARTIN - Black Shoebox

[poisonheart]

Nol already said that Alyssa isn’t important to him and he doesn’t have feelings for her. In fact, her actions have filled him with resentment. This was confessed in episode 206, but it’s been obvious from before then too. Especially from Alyssa’s side; she seems to view Nol as a means to an end at best and a nuisance at worst.

Even at the formal, after not seeing him for so long, she criticizes his appearance and leaves him behind after he waited outside in the cold (because that’s what Rand said was proper to do) to chase after her sister who would go after Kousuke. She was more excited to see Yui than the guy she was dating and hadn’t seen for at least over a year, if not longer.

Their relationship is so Alyssa can get benefits from Yui who helps her career and so he can have merit in front of his family. This is something Yui has manipulated from the start since even dating was her idea—something she kept pushing for on an impressionable young lady who only wished to pleased the woman she admired.

Alyssa has never treated Nol like a boyfriend or shown any signs of romantic feelings for him. Nol even confronted her about it at the Christmas party. She’s more attentive to his brother than him; she even takes Kousuke’s sides in their conflicts—as she did at the party. This even made Nol wonder if she didn’t have other ulterior motives and wasn’t just with him to further her career but also be closer to Kousuke.

In earlier episodes when Nol tried breaking up with Alyssa following Shin Ae’s accident at the formal, Alyssa urged him to reconsider since she was still benefitting from the relationship. At the Christmas party, she tried gaslighting Nol by saying she didn’t remember saying that, but this is probably because she was afraid that he would break up and she would lose the privileges afforded her by Yui for being in a relationship with Nol.

What the future holds for Nol and Shin Ae is uncertain. But I would like to remind people this is a fictional story and a lot of times—like in real life—people don’t make the most logical or “right decisions.” Should Nol be single before he starts a relationship with Shin Ae? Sure. That would be the ideal, but sometimes that’s not exactly what happens. The story has shown us a lot of parallels and repeated cycles; we don’t know if Shin Ae might end up in a similar place to Nessa, and if what Nol decides—contrary to Rand—is the point of it. The story isn’t so black and white.

I love the entire… atmosphere of Shin-ae and Nol, but I just realized something.

If Shin-ae and Nol start dating, what’ll happen to Alyssa?

I mean, Alyssa is still (i think) dating Nol. Sure they may not love each other and they may have THE WORST communicating skills in all of webtoon-kind, but they still haven’t left each other. We know that Nol loves Alyssa, and Alyssa probably likes him back- seeing as she hasn’t broken up with him even if she’s too busy to hang out with him.

But, they have to break up right? How is Shin-ae ever going to be with Nol if he’s in another relationship?

Keep reading

[abstractoldsoul]

Okay, is no one else annoyed by what Eugene said to Ae-Shin? "I will track you down wherever you go and make sure you repay me." - Eugene Choi. I get finding her, but making her repay him? Did he do all those things to get something in return? I thought he did it because he loved her and that her well being for the time being was enough for him. I thought when he wanted to get credit for the help he gave the one girl when he paid for her food and medical bills was simply to find more favor in Ae-Shin's eyes, but maybe I have been wrong about him. I'm very disappointed.

[bluetamarind]

When the river flows....

[poisonheart]

I keep coming back lol~

I’m so glad you brought up Alyssa (and the hate she gets from the fandom) because I have so many thoughts about her. While I know she has haters, I’m aware she also has enjoyers—often these groups go to the extremes of dislike/like, though. 

I’ll preface this by saying that I love that so many people nowadays are being more supportive of fictional ladies, even the less agreeable ones, but my feelings for Alyssa do not stem from this nor do I see myself as a part of the “support all fictional women” movement since I believe you can dislike a character without that choice being rooted in misogyny (or misandry if a male character.) 

And just because I can understand her, even sympathize with her, doesn’t mean I don’t see her faults or would be disappointed if it turned out she intentionally pushed Shin Ae in middle school. 

I’ve seen some Stalkyoo shippers hating on Alyssa just for existing, for being “Nol’s girlfriend” and while I get the annoyance of that fake relationship, I feel sometimes shipping clouds people’s vision to the overall story. It’s fine to dislike her, to suspect her, etc. She is similar to Kousuke in that they’re both characters that aren’t easy to root for, but to outright dismiss what we were shown in the flashbacks is wild.

We saw a very impressionable girl who was good at many times in academics and the arts, but didn’t really have a sense of self yet. She was homeschooled and sheltered, playing into her parent’s desires—probably more so to a father who ticked all the boxes of macho and abusive from the little we’ve seen. She’s seen a soft mother tolerate all this throughout, perhaps playing the role of ideal housewife to keep the peace in a household with a volatile bread winner. 

[That’s why it was so easy for her to fall prey to Yui—a strong, powerful woman who has everyone wrapped around her finger.] 

Alyssa saw the consequences of being fickle and “imperfect” with Meg—and knew what would happen, by how their father treated Meg, if she wasn’t the most ideal version of herself. I don’t know if I would necessarily assign mental health labels on Alyssa, but her ability to shift so rapidly between moods and temperatures is at least telling of the trauma she’s endured at home. Having to hide her sadness and stress from a father who would lash out at anything less than ideal/perfect.

And he was violent, if Meg’s reaction to Kousuke’s outburst following his altercation with Nol is anything to go by. The way she responds to his angry tone is a sign I won’t dismiss. Of course, I know Kousuke has reasons to treat her that way that go beyond him just being prickly in general—she did sexually harass him prior. Kousuke strikes me as someone who has dealt with harassment enough times to be rightfully defensive when people do not respect his boundaries.

[It’s nice Meg is changing, but this is one time I didn’t fault him for his reaction; if he were a female character and Meg had pulled that stunt in the early episodes—a lot more people would be on his side in this matter… I know it may not have been Quim’s intention for Meg, but sadly that whole arc reminded a lot of people who have been harassed before of how unacceptable her actions were.]

At any rate, Alyssa has always conformed to avoid conflict and to receive praise. Praise is better than scorn, it’s better than abuse. If she does what they expect and is asked of her, if she’s just good at everything, then she won’t get negative attention. That’s how she survived all this time. So then she comes to school for the first time and knows enough to understand she doesn’t want to be the odd kid who gets picked on. She cannot tolerate that. She’s spent her entire life avoiding that kind of thing at home.

This is all natural; we all go through it to some extent growing up. As you said, so many of us struggle(d) with this; being who we are vs being someone who is universally loved (and not having the experience at that age to understand that there’s no such thing.) Alyssa was very relatable. She was finally able to leave her golden cage and experience life, but she doesn’t want to suffer isolation or worse.

Talking about what Alyssa truly felt for Shin Ae is another monster to tackle. A lot of people read her feelings as romantic, awakening her to a sexuality that wasn’t the “norm” or “acceptable one” among her peers. Many readers suspect those notes in her locker were mocking her feelings for this—even what those boys said when they were trying to bully her was suspicions. Even her change toward Shin Ae could be attributed to her trying to avoid those feelings she felt she shouldn’t have, wanting to distance herself so that Shin Ae couldn’t affect her anymore. If she just went away, if she had never befriended her, then the feelings wouldn’t exist. 

Of course, it might turn out that it wasn’t romantic, but we cannot deny that Shin Ae made her feel strongly. I do believe she cared for her (I mean years later she remembered Shin Ae liked citrus flavored things) but her image and self-preservation ultimately won out. We see this constantly playing out in her scenes; she’s still trying to please everyone and fit it at the expense of herself and her desires. She doesn’t stand up for what she wants; she holds back and suppresses herself, not unlike Kousuke.

In fact, they’re quite similar in many ways.

Whereas Alyssa wants to be universally liked and strives to become someone everyone praises and admires (losing herself in the process), Kousuke wants to be loved by 1 bitter father; he yearns to be like him—down to the admiration Rand so effortlessly gains from people. Both push down their true wants, perhaps even ignoring or being oblivious to those desires in their pursuits. 

Alyssa hasn’t even shown she cares about Nol as a friend. He is a means to an end, and you have to wonder if she resents him for it. There she is—actually talented and skilled, but it’s her ties with him that got her to the position she’s in. And did she want to be an idol/singer? Or did her desire to be admired and lavished upon by Yui put her there? We know how she felt about idols specifically—the music she favored over that pop stuff. Her song (at the Christmas party) was very telling, too. 

Again, this is something she shares with Kousuke, who pursued the same field his father was in—who constantly says work isn’t a place for comfort—but then you see him totally change when talking about desserts/food or how brilliant he was as a pianist (to play that piece at that age is very difficult; he had to be exceptionally gifted.) 

I think the saddest part of Kousuke’s confession was that he ultimately wasn’t even chasing professional success. He was chasing his father’s love. Yui told him as a child that the only way to have Rand’s love was to become successful “like him” and that was the only way his father would turn to him, respect him, rely on and love him. Would he have chased the same things had that not been his motivator? Had he had Rand’s love? 

That really broke me. It doesn’t absolve Kousuke of his decisions, but I never asked for that. What I wanted was to know why and now I do. We know what led him to this point and it’s devastating, really. Doubly so when you see that Nol had offered him that love and acceptance all along. I know it’s not the same. Nothing fills the gap left by a parent, but he could have had an ally—someone to share his pain with. 

That subtle smile when Nol said they would have made a great team, he allowed himself to consider “the would have been.” 

He spoke of things he hated about Nol, but did he really hate him? 

It’s crazy to realize that even up until the night before the trial, Nol tried reaching out to Kousuke. He sought comfort in him and found none. It’s painful to see that it was for the reasons Kousuke stated. To see how the adults in their lives failed them and how ignoring and not fixing those broken bonds ended up yielding another bitter adult.

Anyway, just know you also don’t have to reply to this. I get carried away really often. Never could write something short to save my life. Loved reading your thoughts on the girls, too. 

In the end, I hope Alyssa can live for herself. I hope she finds out who she truly is and what she really wants and becomes unapologetically herself—whoever that turns out to be once she cuts away from Yui’s fake hair (that imagery was so good.)

ILY FP 219 (or, The One That Went to the Top of My Favorites List)

Hehehe is that an enticing enough, non-spoiler preview for you? lol I want so badly to tell everyone WHY they should be sure to FP this episode, but I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. Not that I think knowing what’s in there will ruin it, but I think the impact of going into it without knowing is just SO MUCH MORE POWERFUL. It’s BEAUTIFUL okay? That’s why you should read it - it’s beautiful! 

Keep reading

[fairweathermyth]

You just had to become my ally, didn’t you?

MR. SUNSHINE Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin and Kim Min-jung as Kudo Hina

[ladsofsorrow24]

i saw a lot of reviewers mentioned memories of murder in their review for beyond evil, but as i rewatch sympathy for lady vengeance, i realized that what makes dongsik feels so familiar to me is because he reminds me so much of lee geumja in that film

[cheshire-cats-smile]