#more art to come (keep watch for dae ho

[kugizuchi]

squid game doodles

feat. players 230, 196, 222 and 125

(minor spoilers below the cut)

[namgyunation]

Li, I got so excited to write back because, honestly, I have no one to yap with about my love for Nam-Gyu, and this is everything I needed!!

First off, I’m so happy you liked my message—it really means a lot! I absolutely love the way you break down his character, and every time I read your thoughts, I swear it’s like we share the same braincell. I completely agree with everything you added because that’s exactly how I see him too. Nam-Gyu would definitely act just the way you described. He’s so bitter and prideful that there’s no way he’d let his ex know he still cares, even though he’s dying inside. He’d force himself to act indifferent, to convince both her and himself that he’s “moved on” (even though he absolutely hasn’t cuz yeah he a loser ).

And YES, an interaction between Nam-Gyu, Dae-Ho, and the reader would be pure gold because their dynamic could be written in such a hilariously awkward, petty, and chaotic way. This kind of funny exchange makes a fic so much more engaging and alive—balancing tension with moments of forced politeness, passive-aggressive jabs, and Nam-Gyu absolutely malfunctioning while trying to act indifferent. It’s the kind of interaction that elevates everything, making the drama hit even harder. This trio’s energy? Immaculate. Also I just have a soft spot for Dae-ho, he was my crush at first..but then I ended up obsessing over my loser nam gyu:,)

And the part about him dying inside waiting for the reader to survive the pentathlon—PERFECT. I swear I had the same thought. The fact that he cares so much but tries so hard to suppress it is literally his defining trait. He plays it off like he doesn’t give a damn, but you know his heart is about to explode. I definitely though abt that too.

And honestly, I think keeping all of this contained up to the aftermath of Gi-Hun’s plan is the perfect choice. It also keeps everything grounded within what we know rather than speculating too much about what comes next.

I genuinely can’t wait to see how you write all of this because it already feels like it’s going to be insane in the best way possible. Thank you for letting me ramble about this with you because I truly have no one else to talk to about my obsession with this pathetic, self-destructive man LMAO. I wanna keep yapping abt him with you ahahah . I love him so much If smth happens to him I will die bye 😭

PS: YOUR ART , THE WAY YOU DRAW IS ABSOLUTELY MIND BLOWIND. You re so so talented oh I love it. WELL DONE<3☁️

yess plspls yapppp to me about him all you want haha <3 i'm glad that we see eye-to-eye on our specific flavor of how we'd imagine nam-gyu to be like outside of what little we're given in the show

also omg i literally had the same transition LMAO. i honestly didn't even care for season 2 of squid game when my friends told me about it. i loved season 1 but was just casually into it and also adamant in thinking that they shouldn't have made a second season at all and just let it stand alone.

i had to be forced to watch it, but the second i started and saw how fun the cast and the character interacations (thanos, specifically loll) were, i was sucked in immediately. and dae-ho was actually my first favorite, too!!! did not think there would ever be a universe where i was obsessing over fucking squid game of all things and being actually active in writing for it LMAOOO.

i actually even disliked nam-gyu and thought he was annoying + generally didn't give a fuck about him or even thanos, like at all..😭 i was really focused on gihun and his whole team. then i forced my bf to rewatch it with me so he could understand all the memes i was saving, and then i randomly stumbled across a fucking tiktok edit about nam-gyu later that same night and then started thinking more abt the crumbs of his backstory we were given, initiating my descent into madness in the span of a day LMAOOO. tiktok edits r so powerful..

more talking about the fic idea + the show in general beloww

also fuckkkk yessss i love emotionally constipated nam-gyu. i often see him depicted as being very verbally direct and open with his feelings, but idk, to me that man seems so guarded and desperate to keep up a certain image that something would really have to drag him to a certain point to get him to actually give in and say some shit. i feel like he'd be more likely to show he gaf through actions rather than words if at all. he has like -100 communication skills, anyways, considering everything that comes out of his mouth is just him being an asshole or like. begging thanos for drugs or something

and yeah i honestly am hoping for some sort of nam-gyu and dae-ho interaction in s3 haha. they're such opposites, it'd be interesting to see what they'd say to each other, especially now that nam-gyu is completely alone and thanos isn't there to bridge the gap between his pathetically timid ass and other people. hopefully i can imagine their interactions somewhat nicely since they've never directly talked to each other

i'll try and see how i can plan out the fic so it doesn't get toooo long. maybe i'll attempt to do a chapter system thing or just abuse the fuck out of time skips. but please feel free to continue sending me any random ideas you have about it! i've also been preparing to grind it out by compiling my list of songs to listen to while im writing it >:)))

ok now don't mind me i'm bout to dump all my show thoughts rq bc u opened the flood gates and i'm thinking about nam-gyu in the canon realm now.. with the next season, a part of me is delusional enough to hope that they give us even a crumb... a fraction of something about nam-gyu's past or at least just a little something more about his character that we don't already know. like omfgggg i just wanna know wtf his outside life is like, his relationships, his family, does that loser have any real friends, what pushed him to be like this and start abusing drugs.... like omfgggg give us somethinggg. JUST ONE FLASHBACK. PLEASEEEE (they literally won't, but i can dream)

one thing i loved so much about season 1 was how we got to see just a little bit deeper into a bunch of the players backstories / outside life after the majority voted to end the games, or at least way more when compared to season 2. like i loved seeing a glimpse of ali confronting his boss and then going home to say goodbye to his wife and baby. made his death hit so much harder. my friend with the dae-ho bias made a comment on how season 2 is always mentioning little details of the characters' pasts but never showing it (and understandably so, that would be wasting screen time and budget for flashbacks that aren't integral to the plot at all, but i mean, i still want it LOL). like wtf i wanna see thanos rapping and forgetting his lyrics in the final round like myung-gi said... i wanna see the day nam-gyu met thanos at the club... i wanna see dae-ho interacting with his big family and his older sisters and find out more about why he's so hesitant to talk about his father... :( s2's cast is just so fun i wanna know all abt them </3

anyways, back to nam-gyu... with how the plot set the drugs up to seem so important, i just feel like his death (or dare i say........... life? 😭😭🙏 please please please) will have to be an "important" one to the plot, or at least somewhat of a high point, like with thanos' death. considering the last we saw of nam-gyu was when he was high out of his mind, murdering people blindly and spiraling like crazy, something big has to happen with him next season. no matter what does end up happening with him next, i feel like it's gotta have something to do with min-su now that they're the last remaining from team thanos. also nam-gyu's entire character is SUCH a death flag but idk. i'm delusional enough to think he could potentially pull through long enough for gi-hun to pull some crazy shit to negotiate for everyone to live idkkkkkkkkkkkkk..... i need him to run out of drugs and freak the fuck out and have someone from team gi-hun to have pity on him so he survives.... who knows i'm just coping

manifest the following with me:

NAM-GYU WILL SURVIVE. THANOS IS ALIVE. SAY IT WITH ME NOW🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️

ALSO AHHHH thank you sooo much for the kindness on my art, i'm glad you enjoy it <333 :') hopefully i can post some more of it; i've been going crazy and imagining animatics i wanna make to random songs and parts of fics that i've read/written to make little mini-comics of, so hopefully i actually get the time / motivation to do them!

[maiasolaire]

KDramas I Wanna Watch

Dramas recommended to me by friends and/or internet posts.

(Summaries aren’t mine)

1. She Was Pretty

Can you over-romanticize a cherished memory from childhood? Ji Sung Joon (Park Seo Joon) was a shy, porky kid who was constantly teased by the other kids for his rotund shape. When he transfers to a new school in fifth grade and meets Kim Hye Jin (Hwang Jung Eum), the prettiest, most popular girl in school, his life turns around. The kind-hearted Hye Jin becomes his only friend and protector — and they become each other’s first love. But then everything changes when Sung Joon’s family immigrates to the United States and then Hye Jin’s father’s business goes downhill, plunging her family from their previous wealthy lifestyle. But that’s not all! Hye Jin’s beautiful looks initially took after her mother. But as soon as Hye Jin hits puberty, her father’s genetic skin condition takes hold and leaves her with reddish facial scars that makes her resemble a raccoon. Fifteen years later, Sung Joon is a whole new person — dashing and handsome and a successful art director — who is transferred from New York to the Seoul office of “The Most” fashion magazine to work as the deputy chief editor. He tries to find his childhood friend, Hye Jin, again. But embarrassed by her current unglamorous appearance, Hye Jin passes off her best friend, the stunning Min Ha Ri (Go Jun Hee), as herself. But when Hye Jin is suddenly transferred to the magazine department at her new job to work as in intern under Sung Joon, how much longer can she keep her true identity a secret?

2. Descendants of the Sun

Some relationships are fated, despite the challenges of time and place.

Yoo Shi Jin (Song Joong Ki), the leader of a Special Forces unit, meets trauma surgeon Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo) in a hospital emergency room after Shi Jin and his second-in-command, Seo Dae Young (Jin Goo), chase down a thief on their day off.

Shi Jin is immediately smitten with Mo Yeon, and he asks her out on a date. But Shi Jin keeps getting called to duty when he is with Mo Yeon, and the two also realize that they have conflicting views about human life (he will kill to protect his country and she has to save lives at all costs). They decide to break off their budding relationship as a result.

Dae Young also tries to break off his relationship with Army doctor Yoon Myeong Ju (Kim Ji Won) because her father, Lt. General Yoon (Kang Shin Il), thinks Shi Jin is a better match for his daughter.

Shi Jin and Dae Young are then deployed to the fictional war-torn country of Urk on a long-term assignment of helping the United Nations keep peace in the area. After repeatedly being passed over for a promotion because of her lack of connections, Mo Yeon gives up performing surgeries, loosening her principles somewhat to become a celebrity TV doctor and caring for VIP patients at the hospital. But when she refuses the sexual advances of the hospital chairman, Mo Yeon is picked to lead a medical team to staff a clinic in Urk! There, Mo Yeon unexpectedly reconnects with Shi Jin.

3. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

Do Bong Soon (Park Bo Young) comes from a long line of women possessing Herculean strength. But Bong Soon can only use her strength for good; if she uses it for her own personal gain or to mistreat others, she can lose her strength forever like her mother, Hwang Jin Yi (Shim Hye Jin). Bong Soon’s twin brother, Do Bong Ki (An Woo Yeon) did not inherit the unusual family strength and is a doctor, but Bong Soon has trouble finding gainful employment as an aspiring game developer.

When Ahn Min Hyuk (Park Hyung Sik), the young CEO of AIN Software, a gaming company, witnesses Bong Soon’s amazing strength against a group of gangsters one day, he hires her to be his personal bodyguard to help him catch a man who has been making death threats against him. Bong Soon has a secret crush on her childhood friend, In Guk Doo (Ji Soo), a police detective who is trying to capture a dangerous kidnapper in Bong Soon’s neighborhood. Can Bong Soon help both men track down the culprits?

4. While You Were Sleeping

A young woman with bad premonition dreams meets two people who suddenly develop the same ability.

Nam Hong Joo (Suzy) lives with her mother, Yoon Moon Sun (Hwang Young Hee), a widow who runs a small restaurant. Jung Jae Chan (Lee Jong Suk), a rookie prosecutor, and his younger brother, Seung Won (Shin Jae Ha), move in across the street. Since she was young, Hong Joo has had the ability to see bad events before they happen, but she is often unable to do anything about it.

One day, Jae Chan has a strange premonition dream about an accident involving Hong Joo and Lee Yoo Beom (Lee Sang Yeob), a ruthless attorney who used to be Jae Chan’s tutor. Jae Chan decides to interfere in the course of events and ends up saving the lives of Hong Joo and Han Woo Tak (Jung Hae In), a young police officer. When Jae Chan, Hong Joo and Woo Tak then start having dreams about one another, they realize that their lives are now somehow entwined.

But can the three discover the reason that they were brought together, and can they prevent the people closest to them from getting hurt?

5. Just Between Lovers (Rain or Shine)

A building collapse ties the fates of three young people years later. Ten years ago, the S Mall collapsed due to shoddy construction, killing 48 people inside.

Ha Moon Soo (Won Jin Ah) was there with her younger sister, who perished in the accident. Lee Kang Doo (Junho) was there waiting for his father, who was an electrician doing work on the building. Seo Joo Won (Lee Ki Woo) was helping out his father, who was the head engineer of the building. Moon Soo, Kang Doo and Joo Won survived the horrible accident, but their loved ones did not.

Years later, Joo Won is an architect who is working on a new project to replace the former S Mall. With her keen eye for detail and sturdy building construction, Moon Soo ends up working for Joo Won on the project. Kang Doo works odd jobs to get by and ends up working at the new construction site.

How will they each deal with their respective pains as they are reminded of the event that changed all of their lives so profoundly?

6. Father Is Strange

This is one of those things that can disrupt a seemingly normal family. Byun Han Soo (Kim Young Chul) lives on the outskirts of Seoul with his selfless wife, Na Young Sil (Kim Hae Sook). Their bustling lives center around his small diner, “Daddy’s Snack Shop,” and their four adult children, Joon Young (Min Jin Woong), Hye Young (Lee Yoo Ri), Mi Young (Jung So Min) and Ra Young (Ryu Hwayoung).

Joon Young tries not to disappoint his parents as he has been unable to pass the civil service exam for five years. Hye Young is the most accomplished as a successful attorney who has an on-again, off-again relationship with Cha Jung Hwan (Ryu Soo Young), a television producer-director. After years of trying to land a job, Mi Young finally lands her dream job as an intern for Gabi Entertainment, only to discover that her high school bully, Kim Yoo Joo (Lee Mi Do), works there as a team leader. Ra Young works a yoga instructor and falls for Park Cheol Soo (Ahn Hyo Seop), who has absolutely no interest in returning her attention.

The close-knit Byun family is thrown into turmoil when Ahn Joong Hee (Lee Joon), an idol-turned-actor, shows up one day and claims that Han Soo is his father. Joong Hee is widely ridiculed by netizens as a robotic actor, but he is determined to earn respect by landing a role in a highly anticipated miniseries about a father-son relationship. But in order to conjure the emotions needed for the role, Joong Hee decides he needs to get to know the father he believes abandoned him and his mother 35 years ago.

Will Joong Hee’s appearance threaten to reveal a deeply buried secret and otherwise disrupt Han Soo’s happy family life?

7. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

What else could there be to life than barbells and heavy weights?

Kim Bok Joo (Lee Sung Kyung) is a weightlifting phenom who has only focused on barbells her entire life while growing up with her father, Kim Chang Gul (Ahn Gil Kang), is a former weightlifter. She attends Hanwool College of Physical Education, a university full of top-notch athletes who are driven to succeed in the hopes of representing their country in national and international competitions.

Bok Joo went to the same elementary school as Jung Joon Hyung (Nam Joo Hyuk) but reunites with him in college. He is now a competitive swimmer who is having trouble recovering from the trauma of being disqualified for a false start in his first international swim competition.

Song Shi Ho (Kyung Soo Jin) is a fiercely competitive rhythmic gymnast who won a silver medal at the Asian Games when she was 18, but the pressures of her sport drive her to break up with Joon Hyung. Bok Joo’s tunnel-vision life starts to change when she falls in love with Joon Hyung’s older cousin, Jung Jae Yi (Lee Jae Yoon), a former athlete who became an obesity doctor after suffering a career-ending injury.

Will Bok Joo learn that there is more to life than weightlifting?

8. Queen In Hyun’s Man

Every actress hopes that an opportunity will come along to play an iconic role that could bring her out of obscurity and make her a star.

For Choi Hee Jin (Yoo In Na), that opportunity is in a television drama playing the role of Queen In Hyun (Kim Hae In), who was deposed during the Joseon Dynasty as King Suk Jong’s (Seo Woo Jin) consort by the scheming actions of Lady Jang (Choi Woo Ri). But Hee Jin’s modern-day world collides with that of her character in ways she doesn’t fully understand.

Kim Boong Do (Ji Hyun Woo), a scholar from the Joseon era, is mysteriously transported 300 years into the future to modern-day Seoul and comes into Hee Jin’s life as she is preparing for her career-making role. Boong Do not only knew the real queen but also supported her reinstatement.

Was Boong Do brought to the future to help Hee Jin bring some authenticity to her role as the queen?

9. Madame Antoine

Can a very observant woman outwit a psychotherapist? Go Hye Rim (Han Ye Seul) operates the Madame Antoine cafe on the first floor of a building that also houses a famous psychotherapy clinic on the top floor. Hye Rim uses her keen intellect and heightened senses to also work as an adviser to psychotherapist Choi Soo Hyun (Sung Joon). But unknown to Hye Rim, Soo Hyun is running a top-secret experiment on her “ideal type of man” with the help of his younger half-brother, Choi Seung Chan (Jung Jin Woon), and clinic employee Won Ji Ho (Lee Joo Hyung). But unknown to Soo Hyun, Hye Rim also is being paid by a mysterious man to get a hold of Soo Hyun’s valuable experiment files. What is Soo Hyun’s true experiment, and will Hye Rim help him or hurt him in his research goals?

10. The Guardians (Lookout)

The Guardians tells the story of a group of people who team up to serve justice themselves after losing their loved ones to criminals. The group consists of a detective, prosecutor, hacker, and an extremely shy person. They want to give these criminals the punishment that they deserve, and take matters into their own hands as the corrupt justice system in South Korea fails to capture the culprits.

11. Circle (Circle: Two Worlds Connected)

A sci-fi mystery drama that takes place in both the year 2017 and the year 2037. In 2007, twin brothers, Kim Woo-jin and Kim Bum-gyun, witness an alien arrival that brings about a huge change in their lives. In 2017, Kim Woo-jin (Yeo Jin-goo), now a college student, notices that a series of suicides in his university is somehow linked to his brother, Kim Bum-gyun (An Woo-yeon). While in pursuit of the case, he meets Han Jung-yeon (Gong Seung-yeon), another college student who is investigating the serial suicides. In 2037, South Korea is now divided into General Earth, a heavily polluted place where crimes are rampant, and Smart Earth, a clean and peaceful city free from crimes. Kim Joon-hyuk (Kim Kang-woo) is a crime detective who tries to get into Smart Earth to investigate a case of twin brothers who went missing in 2017. Each episode contains two parts, the first part is set in 2017 called “Beta Project,” while the second part is set in 2037 called “Brave New World.”

12. The Heirs

The series follows a group of rich, privileged, and high school students as they are about to take over their families' business empires, overcoming difficulties and growing every step of the way.

Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho) is a wealthy heir to a large Korean conglomerate called Jeguk Group.[9] He was exiled to the U.S. by his brother Kim Won (Choi Jin-hyuk), who tries to take control of the family business.[10] While in the States, he meets Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye), who went there to look for her sister.[11] Despite being engaged to Yoo Rachel (Kim Ji-won), a fellow heiress, Kim Tan soon falls in love with Eun-sang. When Kim Tan returns to Korea, his former best friend turned enemy Choi Young-do (Kim Woo-bin) begins picking on Eun-sang to irritate Tan. Tension ensues when Young-do also falls in love with Eun-sang, and Kim Tan is forced to choose between responsibility of pursuing the family business or love.

13. Laughter in Waikiki (Welcome to Waikiki)

The story of three men who come to run a failing guesthouse called Waikiki. Complications spark when their guesthouse is visited by a single mother and her baby.

14. I’m Not a Robot

Kim Min-kyu (Yoo Seung-ho) lives an isolated life due to a severe allergy to other people. He develops extreme rashes that rapidly spread throughout his body once he makes any form of skin contact. Jo Ji-ah (Chae Soo-bin) is a woman who is trying to make it in life by creating her own businesses. However, after an encounter with Min-kyu, she ends up pretending to be a robot in place of the supposed Aji 3 robot. The Aji 3 robot was developed by Ji-ah's ex-boyfriend, professor Hong Baek-kyun (Um Ki-joon) and his team. The robot was meant to be tested by genius Min-kyu, however an accident caused the robot's battery to malfunction. As Baek-kyun modeled the robot after Ji-ah, the team ends up recruiting her to take the place of Aji 3.

15. Because This Is My First Life

House-poor Nam Se-hee (Lee Min-ki) and homeless Yoon Ji-ho (Jung So-min), both unmarried in their thirties, start living together as housemates.