#the great king's dream

[alintalzin]

Out of this list, I've watched The Kingdom of the Winds - that had a gorgeous soundtrack - Gyebaek, which made me cry at the end, God of War, which got a little boring in later episodes but the soundtrack made up for it, and The Iron King, which is not on this list, but it's about the first king of Gaya, so it counts. Currently watching The Legend.

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!

[demigoddessqueens]

Rest in the most ever loving peace James Earl Jones, you’ve more than earned it and will be missed by all generations 😭💞💕😢💔

[lightgamble]

DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN | 1.04

How 'bout that friend of yours? You save his life? You lost him, didn't you, Red?

[starry-bi-sky]

'Late At Night, When The Nightingale Sings' doodles, because Pathetic Wet Cat Danny is the best Danny to practice drawing young faces with (and expressions).

[jojo-schmo]

"We told our friends they were beautiful and recorded their reactions!"

Click the "read more" for the rest of the Waddle Dees' video :)

I misremembered the Waddle Dee camera crew's broadcast as Channel DDD when it's actually Channel PPP. Sorry... blame the anime for planting the wrong name in my head haha :'D

[dinosaurwithablog]

Never forget... he died for what he believed in... he was right... let's honor his memory ❤️ if we do, someday we can truly say that we're free at last, free at last, praise the Lord, we're free at last!!!

[greattigerssimp]

So. Punch Out x Fight Club AU.

(Art by @vampirtulpe )

And yes, it's roleplayable... I'll explain the story below.

(Tw: dark subject matter, excessive violence, apocalyptic-esk setting... yeah-)

Uhh, where did this come from..?:

So basically, I watched Fight Club recently, and I was like "Hey what if the PO boxers were mentally and emotionally manipulated by a rich douchebag and completely took over sections of Manhattan?" I know that wasn't really the plot of Fight Club buuuut the thematic elements of toxic masculinity and society being overrun are still present so... yeah. This is a thing now :p

Story: The story takes place 4 years after Little Mac's rise to glory as a boxing champion. The WVBA ratings have absolutely plummeted... fights are too nice and predictable now! All the boxers are much to "out of it." There's no drive for any of them to punch each other anymore. It was up to Mr. Dream to motivate the boxers again... but it wasn't just the ratings. Mr. Dream needed more control, not only over the boxers but also their fanbase... the people. Why couldn't they be a part of the spectacle? Why shouldn't Mr. Dream profit from the violence of all of Manhattan rather than 13 has-beens. It was settled. It all began when Mr. Dream began to get more interactive with his boxers... it started when he'd assign them homework: start a fight with someone you don't know. Each boxer would handle this task in their own little way… but it didn't stop there. Mr. Dream would get more personal with his propert– I mean, boxers… he needed to know their wants, their insecurities, their passions… he wanted to break them down and build them up to be their own champions And as planned, the violence would spread, all over manhattan… in the suburbs, in the city, no one could escape it. Gangs were formed by the brainwashed boxers in order to bring down “stronger opponents.” The police would be overpowered, if not taken over by the boxers, and everyone, every citizen would live in fear and rulership under at least one of the boxers. Each of them had their own distracts of the city to rule, but in reality, it is Mr. Dream who is really in control over anything. 

As all of this is going down, Mac and his adoptive dad Doc Louis have been watching Manhattan's crime rate explode out of proportions from afar… they would be forced to take shelter at the now abandoned WVBA gym, just to avoid the massive gangs formed by the boxers. But now, they've had enough, and they need YOUR help save Manhattan by defeating all 13 boxers... and perhaps learning more about them... or even redeeming them... would that even be possible?

Starter:

All the boxers have taken over the city now, as seen by this totally not-sloppy map I created that shows where each boxer is located and what part of the city they "own." That star is where Mr. Dream resides (safe and sound), and that sliver of gray is where Mac and Doc are hiding out. Mac (and or your OC/self insert) have to not only fight the massive squads of goons formed by each boxer, but they also have to defeat each boxer in each sector of the map above... in a specific (real-life) based location, such as Time's Square or Central Park.

*insert OC/self insert here* is hiding away with Lil Mac and Doc Louis in the now abandoned WVBA. The entirety of Manhattan has been laid to ruin, over run with the violent gangs formed by each boxer. But… is there a way to take back the city? That's what Lil Mac and you have been preparing for!

[queen-of-andor]

This is Bran and Arya coded bc lately I have many feels for my baby Starks

[hooked-on-elvis]

Sweet yet menacing.

Just like we like him.

Elvis Presley as Jimmy Tompkins (Deke Rivers) in "Loving You" (1957) – Dir. Hal Kanter · Paramount Pictures.

[carebearloveshp]

James Earl Jones (January 17th, 1931- September 9th, 2024)

One of my all-time favorite actors. He was such a great man with one of the most iconic voices in the world. Loved him in Star Wars, The Lion King, The Sandlot, Field of Dreams, Merlin (1998), and so many other works.

James Earl Jones was one-of-a-kind and he will be greatly missed. RIP 😔

One of my favorite scenes from any Disney movie.

“Remember who you are.”

[dweemeister]

Whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you. And so will I.

Born to a turbulent family on a Mississippi farm, James Earl Jones passed away today. He was ninety-three years old. Abandoned by his parents as a child and raised by a racist grandmother (although he later reconciled with his actor father and performed alongside him as an adult), the trauma of his childhood developed into a stutter that followed him through his primary school years – sometimes, his stutter was so debilitating, he could not speak at all. In high school, Jones found in an English teacher someone who found in him a talent for written expression, and encouraged him to write and recite poetry in class. He overcame his stutter by graduation, although the effects of it carried over for the remainder of his life.

Jones' most accomplished roles may have been on the Broadway stage, where he won three Tonys (twice winning Best Actor in a Play for originating the lead roles in 1969's The Great White Hope by Howard Sackler and 1987's Fences by August Wilson) and was considered one of the best Shakespearean actors of his time.

But his contributions to cinema left an impact on audiences, too. Jones received an Honorary Academy Award alongside makeup artist Dick Smith (1972's The Godfather, 1984's Amadeus) in 2011. From the end of Hollywood's Golden Age to the dawn of the summer Hollywood blockbuster in the 1970s to the present, Jones' presence – and his basso profundo voice – could scarcely be ignored. Though he could not sing like Paul Robeson nor had the looks of Sidney Poitier, his presence and command put him in league of both of his acting predecessors.

Ten of the films James Earl Jones appeared in, whether in-person or voice acting, follow (left-right, descending):

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) – directed by Stanley Kubrick; also starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, and Slim Pickens

The Great White Hope (1970) – directed by Martin Ritt; also starring Jane Alexander, Chester Morris, Hal Holbrook Beah Richards, and Moses Gunn

Star Wars saga (1977-2019; A New Hope pictured) – multiple directors, as the voice of Darth Vader, also starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, and Frank Oz

Claudine (1974) – directed by John Berry; also starring Diahann Carroll, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, and Tamu Blackwell

Conan the Barbarian (1982) – directed by John Milius; also starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sandahl Bergman, Ben Davidson, Cassandra Gaviola, Gerry Lopez, Mako, Valerie Quennessen, William Smith, and Max von Sydow

Coming to America series (1988 and 2021; original pictured) – multiple directors; also starring Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, John Amos, Madge Sinclair, Shari Headley, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, and KiKi Layne

The Hunt for Red October (1990) – directed by John McTiernan; also starring Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, and Sam Neill

The Sandlot (1993) – directed by David Mickey Evans; also staring Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Patrick Renna, Chauncey Leopardi, Marty York, Brandon Adams, Grant Gelt, Shane Obedzinski, Victor DiMattia, Denis Leary, and Karen Allen

The Lion King (1994) – directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, as the voice of Mufasa; also starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Moira Kelly, Niketa Calame, Ernie Sabella, Nathan Lane, and Robert Guillaume, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings, and Madge Sinclair

Field of Dreams (1989) – directed by Phil Alden Robinson; also starring Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, Ray Liotta, and Burt Lancaster

[yujeong]

All I have to say is that as a Tonkla fan, I just keep winning.

[mirroredknight]

Punch Out Wii, Title Defense 2: NES STYLED

All of the concepts and designs (except for Mr Sandman and Donkey Kong) are all by @matchamabs

[dinosaurwithablog]

When I woke up and realized that today was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and it was the day that Donald Chump was gonna become our president again, I was angry. I felt that this was sooooooo disrespectful to Dr. King. Then I realized that I was wrong. These two events, happening on the same day, is exactly how it should be. It is a reminder to remember the teachings of a great man, Dr. King. He taught us to stand together and fight for what's right in a peaceful fashion. He had a dream. He knew that together we shall overcome. Now more than ever, we need to help each other and join together to protect our rights, our country, and our people. Dr. King died for what he believed in. I will fight to honor his memory and all that he taught me. Together, we will get through this. Together, we are stronger. Together, we can rise above this. So let's work together to protect our country and honor a great man's dream.... let's make our country a place where all men are created equal and they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. I have a dream, too.... my dream is that we make Dr. King's dream come true, and we all live our best lives and make sure that everyone gets to do that. RIP, Dr. King.... 🙏🏼 I miss you every day. I live my life trying to bring your words to fruition and do the right thing. I love Dr. King and I always will.... 💜💜💜 Let's do this!! We got this!! Together ❤️ 🫂

Bless you, Dr King 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[greattigerssimp]

It's done!! It's finally done!! My magnum opus... My Punch Out AU!

This is my punch out, AU guys!! I'm finally done!! I've worked on this for about a month, and it's done!!! It's a very large AU, <10,600 words, but it's sooooo good!!! Please read it, guys! Listen to music or something if it's way too long to just sit down and read (I'm a writer after all) but please acknowledge it!! ^^

[withasideofshakespeare]

Do you remember The Great Shakespeare Playlist?

Well, I've finally caught up with submissions, now with a new playlist on a Shakespeare-specific YouTube channel (also withasideofshakespeare) and individual playlists for each play!

Find out more (and listen to the main playlist or the playlists for your favorite plays) here: