#my country !!

[sherlocking-out-loud]

I haven't seen this circulating here on Tumblr, so I decided to make my own post.

last saturday, in Porto, there was a pride parade going down the street and this old man was standing there, by his front door, waving the portuguese flag. most people on the parade probably thought the same: old person waving the national flag? he's probably protesting against the parade, he's a nationalist of some sort.

then the old man called for that person to come near him. the whole parade stopped. everyone just.. stopped moving. they didn't know what to expect, and most expected the worst. and that person decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and approached the old man. and then... they traded flags, he hugged the person and then he waved the pride flag happily. everyone cheered him.

such a wholesome moment. 🥹❤️🌈

(edited to add the link to the video, in case the twitter post gets deleted or smth)

[kindestegg]

hey, i know people typically dislike seeing posts like these but PLEASE pay attention to what’s happening in brazil right now. the federal police are conducting various unauthorized operations with the sole intention of blocking the roads and keeping people from voting, specially in places where people mostly vote for the opposing candidate to the current president. you can probably guess that this is a pretty illegal attempt to keep the current president in power.

i am asking you to talk about this, to spread the word, to not let this happen in silence because we cannot let our country receive such shameless attacks to our democracy like this.

here is a link to twitter also where i've shared one of the many videos circulating showing this happening:

[thelooneymary]

Italian Miku!!!

My fingers hurt so better like and reblog this :D

[aintgonnatellyouwhy]

Woo Do Hwan (우도환)

[baek1nho]

— Birthright, George Abraham [source]

@asiandramanet november bingo: animation — my country: the new age

[dangermousie]

Pre-Joseon Sageuks: a Biased and Incomplete List

So, as promised way earlier, a post on pre-Joseon sageuks that I’ve either watched or plan to watch so am aware of them. I am sure there are others but here is what I got. Obviously my takes on them are subjective blah blah blah.

Jumong - arguably the Daddy of all Traditional Sageuks, this one ran for over 80 episodes and had insane ratings. It follows the rise of the mythical founder of Gogureyo tho it takes fantastical elements of his story and changes them for historically plausible ones. It’s very long and very meaty and politics/battle heavy and has a large cast of complex characters (including pretty nifty women and a LGBTQ supporting OTP) but it is anchored by the incredible performance of Song Il Gook as the titular character as he slowly but believably grows from nothing to a hero if at the cost of losing his marriage.

The King of Tears Lee Bang Won - this is basically a half and half beast as (you can tell by the title), it’s set in the last days of Goryeo and early days of Joseon. The time period covered is the same as in My Country and Six Flying Dragons, but this is the most traditional take of them all, even more so than 6FD. Not a single pretty face in the cast (tho Joo Sang Wook is a mighty fine man, emphasis on “man”), this is for the real fans of traditional sageuks. I enjoyed it a lot but if you want to check out pre-Joseon sageuks but have mainly watched youth sageuk stuff before, you should probably start with another drama on this list.

The Great Seer - set in the reign of King Gongmin, the last proper king of Goryeo (his son King U is technically the very last but there are questions as to his status), this is for those of you who want to watch Ji Sang in a sageuk. It’s centered around seers but don’t expect mysticism, this knuckles down to politics.

Shin Don - hi there, another story set in the reign of King Gongmin! From the title, you can tel it centers heavily on the powerful monk who ruled for the King at one point. This has been on my to-watch list forever because this appears to devote a decent chunk of its time to Gongmin X Noguk and I am dying for a proper drama for those two. This is from 2005 so if you do watch, keep that in mind in terms of visuals etc. That cast is lit!

Bicheonmu - this is sort of cheating because it’s pretty much set in China but it involves Koreans so. It’s a drama take on the same story told in a pretty awesome movie. Tragic love, battles, young Joo Jin Moo etc. i am very fond of it. This said, find and watch the Chinese version, Korean one was shredded.

The Iron Empress/Empress Cheon Chu - set in Goryeo, this was another of women ruler centric dramas that had a mini popularity peak in late 00s/early 10s (a trend I wish continued.) it got overshadowed by Queen Seonduk but by all accounts is a solid drama. It’s on my list but I haven’t watched it yet.

The King’s Daughter, Soo Baek Hyang - by the writer of The Rebel and My Dearest. Have I got your attention? Another woman centric ruler tale set in Baekje. Yes, there is a love story. That cast is great, to boot. I have started and liked what I’ve seen but got sidetracked. Need to get back to it. Before you look at the ep number and faint seeing the number 108, keep in mind that the eps are half an hour long so it’s an equivalent of a normal 54 ep sageuk so if you can watch eg Empress Ki, you are good with this.

My Country: The New Age - Lee Bang Won but make it gay. OK, I kid, sort of (not really) but this is smart and passionate and heartbreaking. If you want a wide scope or lots of politics, probably not a take for you (Six Flying Dragons is RIGHT there), but if you want an intense, emotional tale, come right in!

Six Flying Dragons - to me, this is THE drama about Lee Bang Won. It’s smart and emotional, deals with politics and has heart. It has a large cast of characters I got invested in, OTPs that will blow your mind etc etc.

Faith/The Great Doctor - if you are a fan of old school shoujo like Red River, Basara or Fushigi Yuugi, this or Moon Lovers are your best bet on this list. A time traveling tale with other fantasy elements about a modern day plastic surgeon who ends up being kidnapped into Goryeo during the early days of King Gongmin’s (hi!) reign by a tormented, oath bound warrior played by Lee Min Ho at his hottest (and playing historical General Choi Young. Do RPS at your pleasure), this one is one of my all time favorites.

Seodonyo/Ballad of Seo Dong - I am actually currently watching this one tho I haven’t been posting about it. Set in both Baekje and Silla, this is an angsty love story with a side of politics. It’s filmed in 2005 and looks accordingly but if you don’t mind dated visuals, this is pretty great!

Emperor of the Sea - set in Silla and Tang, this was a huge hit and deservedly so. Our protag is a slave and gladiator and a great naval hero. This is grim and smart and epic. It’s from 2004 so once again, if dated visuals are no-go, skip, but if you want a great story and performances, this has your name on it.

The Kingdom of the Winds - an epic cursed prince narrative, our ML (Song Il Gook at his sexiest) rises from abandoned prince and slave and abused assassin to general, royal and king, sparing time for an angsty delicious love story with an enemy princess. This has serious sageuk bits AND the best shoujo tropes in the business, plus enough whump to keep anyone happy.

Gye Baek - Lee Seo Jin, another sageuk stalwart, stars as the title character in this tale of a Baekje commoner, war slave and general. This is grim but glorious.

Soldier/God of War - this is a traditional war-centric sageuk and grim as hell. Another slave to general tale.

King Geun Chu Go - this is on my watch list; it’s about a warrior king of Baekje. Haven’t seen it but heard good things.

Ja Myung Go - smart and unrelentingly tragic, featuring Jang Ryeo Won and Jung Kyung Ho as doomed lovers and Park Min Young in an evil role, this is great and has deeply flawed characters in the very definition of doomed by the narrative tale.

Arthdal Chronicles - this is obviously a fantasy but the tale of prophesied twins, magical priestess, wars and mysticism is clearly set in a pre-Joseon in terms of aesthetics world.

Alchemy of Souls - like Arthdal this is pure fantasy but also like Arthdal, a lot of its styling is pre-Joseon so on this list it goes.

Moon Lovers/Scarlet Heart Ryeo - ok I think if people have heard of only one drama on this very long list, it’s probably this one. Modern time traveling heroine ending up during the reign of Goryeo’s King Taejo, in the middle of his sons’ fight for the throne, having an epic but doomed romance with shoujo catnip tortured bad boy Lee Jun Ki.

Shine or Go Crazy - if you want a more historical take on Moon Lovers succession fight but still with plenty of hotness, angst and doomed romance, come right in. This baby stars Jang Hyuk, so you know it’s bound to be good. I actually started it and enjoyed it but got sidetracked. Need to get back to it. Fun fact: while Moon Lovers was hugely popular internationally, domestically Shine or Go Crazy (they aired around the same time), did much better.

The Legend/The First King’s Four Gods - for a long time this was my favorite kdrama of all time and is still probably in my top 10. Ignore the odd first episode, the rest is perfection. Expensive and wonderfully written, this was Bae Yong Joon’s last drama before he retired to rest on his pile of money (if you are young, you probably don’t remember what a big deal he was, bigger than all the Hallyu stars nowadays put together. He basically was singlehandedly supporting the kdrama industry at one point), but what a worthy way to go out. It’s an epic Goguryeo fantasy tale of a prophesied prince coming into his own, with such amazing characters and relationships and OTPs and battles and points about destiny versus free will. It is everything and I kinda want to rewatch now.

The Blade and The Petal/Sword and Flower - ostensibly a star-crossed Gogureyo love story, this really is more about politics. It’s a mixed bag. The visuals are insane but Uhm Tae Woong, while always solid in modern dramas, is out of place in a sageuk (in QSD Kim Nam Gil stole his thunder; there is nobody to do so here but that doesn’t help him.)

Queen Seon Duk - probably the most famous entrant into female power sageuks, this was a mad hit and centered on the titular character’s rise to power and fight for the same with her female nemesis Mishil. If you want love stories, angsty fighter Bidam propelled Kim Nam Gil to stardom as he stole the leading man mantle from Uhm Tae Woong.

Empress Ki - currently rewatching this. It’s set in the waning days of Goryeo but takes place mainly in Yuan. Still, the FL is Korean and a lot of the story revolves around one of her suitors’, a deposed Korean king, attempts to get his land back. As you can tell by my rabid posts, this is a great drama - politics, romance (I ship FL and the Yuan emperor like mad), murder, dysfunction and everything good.

Hwarang - it’s so brain dead it might as well be a brain-eating amoeba in drama form but it did give us both Park Hyung Sik and Park Seo Joon before they made it big in drama world. It’s terrible tho, stay away.

River where the Moon Rises - I have such a love/hate relationship with this drama - I loved the beginning, with our tormented assassin heroine slowly being warmed by the loyal rustic ML with his own trauma. And then Ji Soo’s bullying scandal happened and he was replaced by Na In Woo, aka the actor I like least from any country in all my close to two decades of watching dramas. I tried but I simply couldn’t and I am still mad. This said, if you don’t share my NIW allergy, it’s probably worth a watch.

The Great King’s Dream - if you liked QSD and can’t get enough of the period but want an even more traditional tale, you can do worse than this drama. I liked what I saw but this baby is 70 eps and lacks Bidam so I peaced out. Maybe I will get back to it sometime, but probably not.

Jeong Do Jeon - as you can tell by the title, centers on JDJ and the last days of Goryeo. Not really my bag (time period been done plenty in other dramas and I don’t have that much interest in JDJ) but supposed to be solid.

My Only Love Song - a short silly mess but still probably better than River (which tells the same story) because it doesn’t have NIW.

King Gwanggaeto the Great - 92 eps. I can’t!

The King Loves - delicious love triangle (that goes ALL ways), angst, prettiness, a side of bodyguard romance. What’s not to love in this Goryeo tale?

ETA: this post was so long that when I tried to tag every drama I mentioned, tumblr told me you hit the tag limit of 30 tags no more tags for you. Oh well, sorry dramas that ended up I tagged!

[heartofmuse]

This love for you holds on to the deepest parts of my soul. Love transforms as it settles and grows. It never falters and never lets go of you, beloved. I am so blessed to call you mine. The unexplicable things you do to my heart with just a thought, with just a touch, are sublime.

e.v.e.

[deokmis]

@userdramas event 07: identity my country the new age: hwi and his husbands

[kiara-cosmotiger]

Happy Russian Day 🇷🇺🤍💙❤️

I wish all the best to my homeland and eternal greatness and glory.

С Днём России 🇷🇺🤍💙❤️

Я желаю своей родине всего наилучшего, вечного величия и славы.

[fearmeeeee]

[downfalldestiny]

The beauty of Algeria 🌊!.

[sherlocking-out-loud]

(tumblr doesn't let add videos to reblogs, apparently)

decided to post the full video from this story, in case the twitter post gets deleted.

the caption reads: "The most beautiful scene today"

you can see (and hear) people crying in the crowd. such an emotional moment. 🥹🥹

[madam-of-lithuania]

Is snowing in Kaunas ❄️❄️❄️

My home city Kaunas, Lithuania 🇱🇹

[daydreamingtraveler]

Protests happening in my country, because our democracy is at stake.

To summarise what’s currently happening:

The constitutional court (MK) granted a petition to lower the threshold rules for regional head nominations.

Previously political parties need at least 20% seats in the regional house of representatives (DPRD) or 25% of popular votes to nominate candidates. So many of the parties has to form coalition as no single parties could meet the threshold alone.

With the new ruling, they only need 7.5% of popular votes to nominate candidates. This allow parties without any DPRD seats to nominate candidates independently, which could affect future elections in a significant way.

Another ruling is that regional head candidates must be at least 30 years old upon registrations NOT when they are inaugurated.

I will use West Java as an example of the current state of our regional head selections (since it’s where the capital of Indonesia is, before it’s possibly moved to another island, which is it’s whole other story)

So far there are only 2 candidates for regional head of West Java One is from a dominant political parties coalition is called KIM PLUS consisting of 13 political parties.

The other is an independent candidates that has already sparked controversies as they are discovered using citizen’s ID cards to endorse themselves without their knowledge.

The reason that many people have hope for the new ruling is that it creates a new chance to oppose the KIM PLUS coalitions that so far has run unopposed.

The second ruling regarding the age of candidates is important because previously, the ruling was that the candidate doesn’t have to be 30 years when registering for candidacy, just as long as they reach 30 at the time of inauguration.

What sparked the debate is that, the president’s son, who will turn 30 this December, can technically be nominated as long as he reach 30 by the time of inaguration, which is set to be held on February 2025. Meanwhile, registration for regional head ruling is still open for another 9 days.

So far to summarise the importance of these two rulings:

The first ruling is to allow a more fair elections as political parties to nominate candidates even though they have less than 20% seats in the house of representative.

The second ruling is to reverse the previous ruling that the president made just so his son can become a candidate, as what had happened before is that his eldest son manage to get elected as vice president by changing the rule to lower the age requirements to become vice president (as he is too young at that time) Here’s the thing, the house of representatives (DPRD) decides to just ignore some part of the ruling, even attempted to nullify most of the terms. As of this time they are planning to pass this bill ASAP, but their efforts are stalled by the huge mass protests in many regions.

I guess by making this post, I hope to educate myself and bring awareness to the current state of our country’s government. A lot of our people (myself included) used to be more passive and prefers to use our voice only during elections, but I realise that we can do so much more. Some held protests, some share informations, some try to educate and inform themselves. No matter how small the contributions may be, I believe that every little things counts.

So fellow indonesians, if you see this post, please help share the informations, some resources I can share to get more context:

https://www.instagram.com/whatisupindonesia?igsh=MWNwazMxeGFvbzdhNQ==

I hope this can be a start to access more informations.

Forgive me for any spelling or grammar mistakes. Remember that we as citizens have the rights and duty to uphold democracy in our country.

[aintgonnatellyouwhy]

Woo Do Hwan (우도환)

[baek1nho]

my tits are too pretty for this. for all these agonies.