#they are all fr so awful for him moon come on have you learned nothing

[tootiredtocares-blog]

How is eclipse somehow the least toxic option for sun man clone sun never stood a chance did he he's screwed either way they are all obsessed with him anyway who do you think is going to win? Roxy probably has the highest chance if she uses her wish so let's hope she doesn't remember that

[dramapic]

MASTERLIST

I update this list everytime I watch and review a show. 

Disclaimer: These reviews are subjective and only reflect my opinions. There are no drama on that list that I’ve turned off and all are worthy of a watch. 

Recs welcome!

#1 Crash landing on you 

(사랑의 불시착)

Grade: A++

Genre: Modern, Star-Crossed lovers

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Son Ye-jin (who plays Yoon Se-ri) and Hyun Bin (Ri Jeong-hyeok) have amazing chemistry and every episode plays out like the chapters of an excellent fanfiction. Classic romantic tropes, humour, angst, action, CLOY has it all. Moreover, if you’ve never watched a Kdrama in your life, CLOY is a great starting point—not only will it introduce you to Korean culture but also to popular tropes and codes of the genre.

#2 Rookie historian Goo Hae-ryung 

(신입사관 구해령)

Grade: A++

Genre: Historical, Age gap

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Delightful from end to end, with lots of humour and an engaging story. The romance between Goo Hae-ryung and himbo-prince Dowon will make your heart go soft, especially if you’re into reverse gender dynamics (she’s older and kisses him first *le gasp*)

#3 Memories of the Alhambra 

(알함브라 궁전의 추억)

Grade: B+

Genre: Modern; Sci-fi; Fantasy

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: No

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Intriguing premise, great cast and tons of special effects but the romance between Jin-woo (Hyun Bin) and Hee-joo (Park Shin-hye) won't go down in history. On top of that, the ending is a bit wishy-washy in that annoying “maybe there’s more to come” kind of way. Give us a clear cut ending, damnit!

#4 Good doctor 

(굿 닥터)

Grade: B- 

Genre: Modern, Medical drama

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Good heart but the writing is really clumsy at times and the hospital politics don’t make an awful lot of sense. On the bright side, Joo Won is great in the role of Park Si-on.

Note: I haven’t watched the American remake so can’t compare. 

#5 My love from the star/ You from the stars

(별에서 온 그대)

Grade: A

Genre: Modern, Sci-fi, fantasy, Star-Crossed lovers

Episodes: 21

Happy Ending: Yes-ish

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Jun Ji-hyun is absolutely stellar in the role of Cheon Seong-yi, a ditzy Hallyu* star whose career is going south while Kim Soo-hyun plays the emotionally closed-off alien to perfection. Lots of pinning, a dose of angst mixed with a pinch of wacky humor. 

*Hallyu means “Korean wave” in Chinese and refers to the popularity and spreading of Korean pop-culture outside of Korea. 

#6 Hwarang The Poet Warrior Youth 

(화랑)

Grade: B

Genre: Historical, Coming of age, fake siblings who catch feels

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Cute boys and interesting lore rooted in true facts (the bone rank system and the real Hwarang, the “Flowering Knights” of the Silla kingdom) but the story drags. I guess I expected more bromance and frolicking and less angst. Lastly, the main girl starts off quirky and fun but they quickly transform her into a sobbing mess which becomes real annoying real fast. 

#7 Love in the Moonlight / Moonlight Drawn by Clouds (구르미 그린 달빛)

Grade: A 

Genre: Historical, Romance, Coming of age, Posing as the opposite sex

Episodes: 18

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

A classic tale of a girl raised as a boy who ends up in a situation where she needs to do her best to not blow her cover while catching feels (As someone raised on Versailles no bara and Ribbon no Kishi, it remains one of my favourite tropes)

Sweet romance and good characters. The fact that Crown prince Lee Yeong doesn't turn emo when he starts developing feelings for Eunuch Ra-on before discovering she's a girl is the cherry on top of the cake. 

#8 Something in the rain

(밥 잘 사주는 예쁜 누나)

Grade: C 

Genre: Modern

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes, but it still doesn't make you happy

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Wasted potential! 

Great start but the characterization falls apart quickly and you end up wondering why the main characters keep sabotaging their lives. By the end, despite their reunion, you're left with the impression they've learned nothing and that their relationship is doomed to fall apart. 

On top of it all, watching Jin-ah fight sexism in the workplace and gaining nothing is depressing af (I don’t need realism in my escapism, thank you very much).

Too bad because Son Ye-jin and Jung Hae-in look really good together and the acting is top-notch. My advice is to watch the first 8 episodes then make up your own ending in your head.

#9 Moon embracing the sun 

(해를 품은 달)

Grade: B+

Genre: Historical,Star-Crossed lovers

Episodes: 22

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

A traditional historical drama with all the tropes that go with the genre + a hint of esoterism.

If you love ill-fated relationships, tragic love triangle, evil queens, and amnesia, this is the show for you. Beware, the interrogation/torture scenes are rather brutal. 

#10 My sassy girl 

(엽기적인 그녀)

Grade: B- 

Genre: Historical, Rom-Com

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Cute and lighthearted but easily forgettable. Still worth a watch thanks to Joo Won & Oh Yeon-seo's chemistry. 

#11 Coffee Prince 

(커피��린스 1호점)

Grade: A 

Genre: Modern, Posing as the opposite sex

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Solid story, great cast but be ready for a lot of bickering. 

Yoon Eun-hye is a precious bean who manages to sell the story of Eun-chan, a struggling androgynous working-class girl who mistakenly gets hired by a rich guy to play his boyfriend, then becomes his employee, then falls for him while not correcting his assumptions about her gender. Opposite her, Gong Yoo (from Train to Busan fame) is 🥰🥰🥰

Sidenote: Despite Han-kyul's struggle to accept his feelings for Eun-chan, homosexuality isn't treated as a joke or a shameful thing. The one time he goes seek “medical help”, the doctor is depicted as an old, clueless idiot. And honestly, the story would work too if Eun-chan was a guy. 

#12 My girlfriend is a Gumiho/My girlfriend is a Nine-tailed fox 

(내 여자���구는 구미호)

Grade: B+

Genre: Modern; Fantasy

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki - Available on Netflix (FR) too

Campy and goofy. It does look a bit dated (it’s from 2010) and the story is a little predictable but Lee Seung-gi as Cha Dae-woong, an aspiring action film actor and Shin Min-ah as “Gu Mi-ho” the nine-tailed fox looking for a mate are super cute. The show is also a good introduction to Korean folklore.

#13 Goblin / Guardian: The Lonely and Great God / The Lonely and Great God – Goblin 

(쓸쓸하고 찬란하神 – 도깨비)

Grade: A+ 

Genre:  Modern, Historical, Fantasy, bromance

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes-ish

Watched on: Viki 

Unpopular opinion but since I’m not into older guys, I wasn’t invested in the romance between Bride and Goblin until late in the series. I loved everything else though. The show has such a unique tone and atmosphere. It goes from super serious to goofy in no time. The cinematography is gorgeous (especially the historical sets) and you'll cry your eyes out.

#14 Healer 

(힐러)

Grade: A 

Genre:  Modern

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

If you're into toll broody guys and fearless smoll girls, you’ll love Healer. The story is great, the characters are great and the way Jung-hu (played by Ji Chang-wook) and Ji-an (Park Min-young) are horny for each other is peak drama! *chef kiss*

#15 Kangchi the beginning/Gu family book 

(구가의 서)

Grade: B- 

Genre: Historical, Fantasy

Episodes:

Happy Ending: No

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Engaging coming of age story of a half-human half-gumiho looking for his place in this world. If it wasn't for the wishy-washy ending it could have been the perfect mix of action fantasy and romance. 

Special mention for Dam Yeo-wool (played by Suzie Bae) who is a female character who's allowed to be a bit of everything at the same time (strong, kick-ass, funny, cute, romantic) 

#16 Queen for seven days 

(7일의 왕비)

Grade: A 

Genre:  Historical, Romance, Villainous crush

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: No

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

With that title don’t expect a HEA but there are plenty of sweet moments along the way to make you appreciate the journey. 

Chae-kyung loves the Prince and the Prince loves Chae-kyung but the King wants to kill the Prince and Chae-kyung is loyal to the King but the King is a tyrant and everyone wants the Prince to take his throne. On top of that the King wants Chae-kyung. Big mess. Lots of feels.

The story is (very) loosely based on real-life Queen Dangyeong, which makes it even more poignant. I cried my eyes out at the end because I’m a big softy.   

#17 Korean Odyssey

(화유기)

Grade: A-

Genre: Modern, Fantasy

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Kinda

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

The show (very loosely based on Journey to the West) has its faults including the wishy-washy ending and the fact that Jin Seon-mi/Sam-jang starts off as a doormat but I ended up liking the relationship developing between the assholish Monkey god and the naive human girl more than I expected.

The side characters are compelling, and the banter and bickering between the deities work really well. If you grew up with Dragon ball, you’ll have a blast trying to match-up the Japanese and Korean names of everyone without looking up Wikipedia.

Lastly, not something I imagined saying after seeing him in Gumiho and Gu family book but Lee Seung-gi as Son Oh-gong = BDE *fans herself* 🥵

#18 Strong Girl Bong-soon 

(힘쎈여자 도봉순)

Grade: A- 

Genre:  Modern, Super-Heroine

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Trigger warning: Graphic depiction of violence against women

A++ super-heroine story, bad side characters 

First, every girl should aspire to find a Min-hyuk in their life. Someone who'll love them because of their strength, and support them unconditionally. Someone who won't ask them to change or pretend to be somebody else.

Second, western media should learn that a super-heroine can HAVE IT ALL—the superpowers AND the love AND the family. 

My only complaint with the show (and that's why I gave A- instead of A++) is the inclusion of many cringy side characters/situations that spoiled my overall enjoyment (see the caricatural flamboyant gay co-worker, Bong-soon’s mom hitting her dad, the mobsters...)

#19 The K2 

(더 케이투)

Grade: B- 

Genre: Modern, Political

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

The romance is bad and the political story far-fetched but Ji Chang-wook is 🔥🔥PEAK HOTTIE🔥🔥

That being said, I didn’t completely dislike the political intrigue and it was interesting to see the good guy working for the villains (sort of). 

#20 Weightlifting fairy Kim Bok-joo 

(역도요정 김복주)

Grade: A+ 

Genre:  Modern, Coming of age

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Uplifting coming of age story and super sweet romance. Bok-joo (Lee Sung-kyung) & Joon-hyung (Nam Joo-hyuk) are precious children on top of being cutie-patooties. Bok-joo’s insecurities hit hard, especially if you’ve ever been outside the norm of beauty standards.

I liked how the show normalizes therapy and taking care of your mental health.

In one word…

SWAG! 

#21 The scholar who walks the night 

(밤을 걷는 선비)

Grade: B 

Genre:  Historical, Fantasy, Vampire, posing as the opposite sex

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Guilty pleasure. 

Don’t ask me about the details of the main storyline, I’ve already forgotten most of it. Sometimes all you need is a show where a hundred-something years old good vampire with a sad backstory and the main girl who is thirsty for the good vampire are fighting a sexy evil vampire. 

PS: Did I mention the sexy evil vampire?

#22 Romance is a bonus book 

(로맨스는 별책��록)

Grade: A+ 

Genre: Modern, Friends to lovers

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Imagine reading a relaxing book under a cozy blanket while sipping hot cocoa. That’s how that series made me feel. 

Everything is sweet and soft from the characters' fluffy jumpers to the soft palette of color used for the sets. People make books and love books. There’s a mystery but no unnecessary angst. If you need a break from everything, jump in that ship. 

#23 Hotel Del Luna 

(호텔 델루나)

Grade: A- 

Genre: Modern  

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Sorta

Watched on: Viki - Available on Netflix (FR) too

Interesting world-building and a good cast of side characters but the romance lacks a bit of oomph. 

On the + side, the hotel sets are gorgeous and Man-wol's wardrobe is to kill for.

#24 Suspicious Partner 

(수상한 파트너)

Grade: A- 

Genre: Modern, Star-crossed lovers in an office

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Toll serious who hates criminal falls for smoll weirdo falsely accused of murder. A must watch for anyone in search of a quirky romance.

#25 Touch your heart 

(진심이 닿다)

Grade: A 

Genre: Modern  

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki

Tooth rotting sweetness. The series is just a pretext to watch two good looking people (Lee Dong-wook and Yoo In-na) being nice and awkward around each other. What do you need more? 0

Note: If you watched Goblin you can also pretend it's a spin-off series about the reincarnations of Grim Reaper and Sunny. 💡

#26 Because this is my first life 

(이번 생은 처음이라)

Grade: A 

Genre: Modern, Fake marriage

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

The Fake Marriage AU you’re looking for, mixed with slices of modern, messy, complicated life. 

The main storyline revolves around Ji-ho an assistant drama screenwriter who struggles to find her place within the patriarchal structure of Korean society, and Se-hee, a socially incompetent computer designer who only cares for his cat and his mortgage. The way they end up in a fake marriage as well as the development of their relationship feels organic and doesn’t rely too heavily on comedy like it’s often the case with that trope.

The show also follows the stories of Ji-ho’s friends, Su-ji and Ho-rang who have different aspirations in life—Su-ji’s goal is to become CEO while Ho-rang only cares about becoming a housewife. I loved that the show makes a point to not pit women against each other and advocate living your life the way YOU want rather than trying to follow societal expectations of what love, work and marriage should look like. 

Also they have the cutest cat.

#27 What's wrong with Secretary Kim? 

(김비서가 왜 그럴까 )

Grade: A- 

Genre: Modern  

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki

I wish Secretary Kim had more agency in certain situations but the romance develops well and the horny moments are caliente 🥵🔥 

#28 Where your eyes linger 

(너의 시선이 머무는 곳에)

Grade: A++ 

Genre: Modern, BL, Coming of age, Friends to lovers

Episodes: 8

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki

Bite-size BL gem to devour in one sitting. 

Stellar acting from the two leads and the balance between fluff and angst is just right. There's no graphic violence that sometimes plagues yaoi and BL and the story is believable. I got emo remembering my first love. 

#29 Live up to your name 

(명불허전)

Grade: A- 

Genre: Modern, Historical, Time travel, Star-crossed lovers

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Trigger warning for graphic depiction of violence

Big surprise. I was looking for a cheesy comedy but it was actually a thoughtful story about humanism. I even teared up a little. 

Trigger warning for needles. They do some pretty impressive procedures with those acupuncture needles. 

#30 W - Two Worlds Apart 

(더블유)

Grade: A 

Genre: Modern  

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Imaginary men > Real men, especially when they're played by Lee Jong-suk. Nuf’ said.

Imaginary men > Real men, especially when they're played by Lee Jong-suk.

The silly premise hides a solid story that keeps you on your toes and I was suprised by the rollercoaster of emotions I went through.

“Option 3″

“That’s 4 fingers”

#31 Life 

(라이프)

Grade: C 

Genre: Modern

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Kinda

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Unless you want to learn how fucked up the private health sector is becoming in Korea, there's not much to gain watching this show. 

The story starts off well though. The problem is that by the middle of the series the writers have dropped the main mystery (the circumstances surrounding the death of the director) to deliver an exposé on the political machinations of big corporations, and then shoehorn an explanation at the last minute (“it was all but a misunderstanding”). Very underwhelming.

The relationship between the two brothers played by Lee Dong-wook and Lee Kyu-hyung is the only bright spot.

#32 Pinocchio 

(피노키오)

Grade: A- 

Genre: Modern, Fake family members who catch feels

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

On paper, the story sounds a little crazy but it all comes together nicely.

Lee Jong-suk and Park Shin-hye have great chemistry and deliver a stellar performance as “uncle” and “niece” (not related by blood) who can’t fight the romantic feelings they harbor for one another. The main storyline has enough twists to keep you entertained and surprised. 

My only complaint is that it drags a little. 16 episodes would have been enough. 

#33 My Holo Love 

(나 홀로 그대)

Grade: A 

Genre: Modern, Sci-fi

Episodes: 12

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Fake men > Real men 

Imagine a Black Mirror episode about a love triangle between a woman suffering from face blindness, an emotionally supportive AI boyfriend and the disenchanted creator of said AI, minus the nihilism. *chef kiss*

#34 Legend of the blue sea 

(푸른 바다의 전설)

Grade: B++ 

Genre: Modern, Fantasy, Fairy tale, Star-crossed lovers

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki

Park Ji-eu (the writer) read the little mermaid and decided to give her a happy ending. Great chemistry between Lee Min-ho and Jun Ji-hyun but the spark is missing for me. 

The antics of modern-day mermaid Shim Cheong are a little predictable and Joon-jae needs to be less of a control freak at times but the story remains enjoyable. I was pleasantly surprised to see Shim Cheong’s character grow, making the power imbalance between the clueless mermaid and the con-artist less pronounced by the end of the series. 

The side characters are interesting but underused, and I wish Tae-oh was more developed. On the other hand, the Joseon area sets and costumes are absolutely gorgeous (Don’t tell anyone but Joseon!Lee Min-ho is hotter than Modern!Lee Min-ho 🥵)

#35 Tale of Arang / Arang and the Magistrate 

(아랑사또전)

Grade: B 

Genre: Historical, Fantasy,

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

One word: Campy.

Interesting lore but the pacing is a little off—there’s a lot of back and forth between the characters and the locations and the love triangle doesn't add much. 

#36 My ID is Gangnam Beauty / Gangnam Beauty  

(내 아이디는 강남미인)

Grade: A+ 

Genre: Modern, Coming of age

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

If you’ve ever been bullied for your looks, you’re gonna bawl your eyes out. 

The show does a great job of calling out the unhealthy beauty standards imposed on Korean women but the topic is universal enough for the story to resonate with everyone. I love that you never see Mi-rae’s old face because it’s not our perception of her lack of beauty that matters but the fact she suffers greatly. Don’t you hate in western shows when they take a beautiful actress, give her a pair of glasses or a fat suit and call her ugly, making sure the audience feels shittier about themselves? Here, the writers concentrate on Mi-rae’s transformation and her coping with the consequences of her decision to do plastic surgery. 

It’s also not a revenge fantasy where the ugly duckling suddenly becomes the most popular girl at school. Being a “Gangnam beauty” leads to a new form of suffering. 

Romance-wise, it’s the slowest burn of slow burns because Mi-rae and Do Kyung-seok are the most socially awkward beans on the planet. I love them, Your Honor. 

#37 Tale of Nokdu 

(조선로코-녹두전)

Grade: A

Genre: Historical, Posing as the opposite sex

Episodes: 32 x 30mns

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki - Now available on Netflix (FR)

Fun and lighthearted all the way through.

The story of a guy who puts on a dress to investigate a village of widows could have gone very wrong but it was well handled. It’s refreshing to see the classic trope of posing as the opposite sex reversed and Jang Dong-yoon is never cringy when he’s pretending to be Lady Kim Nok-soon.

#38 Bride of Habaek / Bride of the Water God

(하백의 신부 2017)

Grade: B

Genre: Modern, Fantasy

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Content warning: Crime against fashion

Promising premise and lore (I'm interested in reading the original comics now) but the writing fails to deliver an epic romance and a cathartic ending. Moreover, the sets lack imagination (or money?) and in the end I failed to ever feel immersed in a fantasy world.

The unfortunate consequence of the clumsy writing is that the male characters who are meant to be arrogant/confident Gods (Habaek and By-ryeom) sound like they're negging their love interests more than wooing them, and the relationship between Mu-ra and By-ryeom particularly irked me.

#39 Strangers from Hell / Hell is other people 

(타인은 지옥이다) 

Grade: A+

Genre: Modern, Psychological Thriller

Episodes: 10

Happy Ending: Spoiler

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Content warning: Violence 

What a departure from everything else in that list! Absolutely worth a watch if you enjoy thrillers and shows like Hannibal. If psychological horror isn’t your cup of tea though, you might give it a pass. 

The storyline and the characters are a little cliché (it goes with the genre) but the cinematography and photography are fantastic. You can notice how the pension becomes more and more sinister throughout the series via the use of dark greens and browns and pale yellows, as opposed to the mundanity and coldness of the city (greys, and cold blues).

Last but not least, the acting is top-tiers. Im Siwan does a great job at portraying Jong-woo, an aspiring crime novelist who slowly loses his marbles but the true revelation for me is Lee Dong-wook. After seeing him so many times in roles where he plays awkward yet charming men who can barely express emotions, I was intrigued to see him take on the role of a serial killer, and holy cow, he's the perfect mix of sinister and alluring. Towards the end of the series, his character Moon-jo acts like a black-hole whenever he appears in a scene—a towering, dark presence who sucks the light out of the room (If he carries any of that darkness in the upcoming Tale of Gumiho, it’s gonna be *chef kiss*).

#40 Empress Ki 

(기황후)

Grade: A

Genre: Historical, posing as the opposite sex

Episodes: 51

Happy Ending: From a certain point of view

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Trigger warning for violence against women (not graphic but implied)

51 episodes.

Fifty.One.Episodes.

That's a lot of episodes considering the story starts with the ending. 

Did I enjoy this show? Yes, very much so. Do I think it's for everyone? Nope. 

You'll enjoy Empress Ki if you're into old-school historical sagas or you wished Game of thrones had no gratuitous nudity and violence. If you’re looking for an historically accurate biography of the real empress Ki though, then look away because Empress Ki is basically a lengthy fanfiction trying to justify how the Goryeo native Seung-nyang married the wimpy Emperor of the Yuan dynasty whilst trying to portray her as loyal to her motherland and to her first love, the Crown Prince of Goryeo. 

Personally, I didn’t care for the love triangle formed by Seung-nyang (Ha Ji-won), Wang-yoo (Joo Jin-mo) and Toghon Temür (Ji Chang-wook) but I liked the politics and the backstabbing. Also, contrary to GoT, the bad guys get their comeuppance at the end so it makes watching the side characters die less painful.

#41 Meow, the secret boy / Welcome 

(어서와)

Grade: B-

Genre: Modern, Modern fantasy

Episodes: 24 x 35mns 

Happy Ending: I guess

Watched on: Viki

How do I put it? It's not *terribad* but it's not *good* either. 

I was super on board with the concept—if Lee Seung-gi can bang a nine-tailed fox in My girlfriend is a gumiho, I have zero issues with Sol ah, our heroine, falling in love with Hong-jo the cat-person after being dumped for no reason by Jae-sun her boyfriend—but it didn’t exactly develop that way, and as soon as they explained why Jae-sun had broken up with Sol-ah, the writers lost me because I like when things happen for a reason. 

#42 Clean with a passion for now 

(일단 뜨겁게 청소하라!!)

Grade: A-

Genre: Modern, Rom-Com

Episodes: 16 

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Super zany and tropey but that’s why it works so well. The only reason I’m giving it a minus is because it’s trying to be woke but in the end there’s still a lot of unsolicited grabbing and some iffy remarks/pick-up lines said by every male characters (IRL that’s the kind of story that ends up with a restraining order and a lawsuit for sexual harassment).

#43 Mystic pop-up bar 

(쌍갑포차)

Grade: A

Genre: Modern, Fantasy

Episodes: 12

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Trigger warning: Heavy themes (miscarriage, pregnancy, loss of a child, death of loved ones)

You know how the meme goes... Sometimes a family is a hot-tempered bar owner, a cursed kid and an ex-Afterlife-Police officer with a secret past. 

It took me a few episodes to get into it, but once the characters were established it became really enjoyable. 

The tone of the series leans toward wacky but the core of the story is actually pretty dark if you look into it. Every grudge they solve for their “clients” gives a clue about Wol-joo’s personal story and by the last episode I was crying my eyes out.

Last but not least, Wol-joo’s collection of modernized hanboks is *chef kiss*

#44 My secret Terrius 

(내 뒤에 테리우스)

Grade: A

Genre: Modern, Action, Comedy, Bromance

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

An enjoyable action drama to watch with your family or your significant other.

Koreans prove that you can write a story about a black ops agent on the run who becomes a childminder without reeking of toxic masculinity. Contrary to American comedies where the manly-man-hero working undercover is incompetent and believes that working with children is a woman’s job and a waste of his manly-man talents until he has an epiphany of some sorts, Kim Bon (played by So Ji-sub) never once expresses discomfort to the idea of looking after two kids. In spite of his sober demeanor, he’s a caring and attentive person from the start and watching him gradually becoming a part of this spunky family while investigating a national security threat made my heart go awww.

Opposite him, fearless and resourceful mom Go Ae-rin (played Jung In-sun) brings a lot of energy, and the twins are absolutely adorable.

#45 Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

(달의 연인 - 보보경심 려)

Grade: A--

Genre: Historical  

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: No

Watched on: Random streaming site

Don’t get attached—Moon Lovers is the missing link between Empress Ki and Boys over flowers, but with a sad ending.

I did binge watch the series but there are some frustrating aspects to it that prevented me from giving a perfect score, notably the fact that Wang So remains possessive and demanding with Hae Soo throughout the years—for instance “You’re my person” is a romantic statement until it evolves into “You can never leave me.”

The other problem of the series is that Lee Ji-eun (UI) does cute and goofy really well, but she doesn’t have the emotional range needed to portray a character who goes through many heartbreaks and betrayals. As a result, Hae Soo appears a little fickle in her infatuations with the princes.  

That being said if you’re a sucker for tragic romance and you believe that power corrupts even the purest of love, you’ll have a blast.

#46 Forest 

(포레스트)

Grade: B++

Genre: Modern, Romance

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki

UST in the woods (Dat first kiss 🥵🥵🥵)

The characters and the story are a little cliché but who doesn’t love a story where the protagonists are clearly attracted to each other but can’t act on their desires because their moral values are opposite?

*slams fist*

San Hyeok is your typical heartless businessman who refuses to confront his childhood trauma, and Yeong Jae is a surgeon who suffers from panic attacks and cares too much about other people. They’re both good looking and fate brings them to a remote village in the middle of the forest where they have to share a house. Really, I wonder what’s gonna happen?

#47 100 Days My Prince / Hundred days husband

(백일의 낭군님)

Grade: B+

Genre: Historical

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki 

Trigger warning: Important character death.

Cute and charming but also very annoying at times. Obviously, the story is tropey af (fake marriage doubled with amnesia, you can’t really beat that) but it also includes elements I’ve never seen in any other dramas like the fact that the Crown Princess is pregnant with another man’s child (le gasp!). The things that annoy me the most were the unnecessary flip-flopping of the heroine towards the end of the show for the sake of creating artificial drama (just let them be together FFS!) and the fact that the male characters take a lot of decisions for Yeon Hong-shim.

Romance wise, Do Kyung-soo and Nam Ji-hyun are really cute together but in the end I found myself more interested in the political intrigue and the side characters than the main romance because slow burn has its limit. In essence, it’s the perfect drama to watch with your conservative family because whilst the main couple is living under the same roof and is technically married they don’t get frisky. 

#48 I Am Not A Robot (로봇이 아니야)

Grade: A++

Genre: Modern

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Angsty with a good pay-off.

With a premise like that, things could have gone wrong really quickly but the writers managed to write a story that isn’t a man wanting to fuck a robot because real women are scary so big kudos for them. Seeing Min-kyu celebrating his Roomba’s birthday because he has no other friends will instantly melt your heart and from that point on you’ll cheer for his recovery. The show has the right amount of angst without becoming a mess and they handle the big reveal very well, making sure to show how hurt both Min-kyu and Ji-ah are by the situation, without making you doubt that they can find each other again. The other strong point of the show is that it’s not just about romance, it’s also about friendship and learning to let other people in your life. 

The acting is incredible to the point that by the end I wondered if Yoo Seung-ho and Chae Soo-bin were making out in front of my salad or if I was still watching the characters Min-kyu and Ji-ah being lovey dovey. 

#49 Sungkyunkwan Scandal (성균관 스캔들)

Grade: A

Genre: Historical, Posing as the opposite gender

Episodes: 20

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Viki

Hana zakari no kimi tachi he with gats.

This show checks so many boxes when it comes to my favourite tropes story-wise and character-wise that I instantly fell in love with it. It might feel a little dated for a younger audience and it definitely suffers from the second male lead syndrome (who wants unseasoned boiled chicken when there are not just one but two juicy rotisserie chickens on the table next to you?!) but it’s still very much enjoyable. Also, they don’t shy away from using the word “homosexuality” and having one of the second lead confessing to having romantic feelings for his friend (I’ll take any scrap of bi-representation, okay?)

#50 It’s Okay to not be okay  (사이코지만 괜찮아)

Grade: A 

Genre: Modern

Episodes: 16

Happy Ending: Yes

Watched on: Netflix (FR)

Found family. 

In spite of one ridiculous plot twist (that I was aware of when I started the show) this show has made me feel all the feelz. The three main actors all did a phenomenal job portraying their characters in all their complexity and fragility and I ended up crying so many cathartic tears in the second to last & the last episodes.The relationship between Sang-tae and Gang-tae is one of the best sibling relationships I’ve seen on-screen in a long time while the romance between Moon-yeong and Gang-tae blends perfectly elements of comedy and melodrama. Mental illness isn’t treated as something to be ashamed of, whilst showing that you can grow and recover from trauma and finding your own happiness.

PSA from my boyfriend, who dropped the show before the end: 

The plot twist is so stupid that it takes away from the rest of the series. In my opinion it negated the positive portrayal of mental illness built up until then. They completely lost me.

^ We discussed a lot about it which is why I wanted to share his POV to balance my own review.

#51 coming soon

[moonshxdows]

book 2 trailer analysis

ill be posting some screencaps of the trailer sometime tomorrow as well so keep an eye out!

AAAAAAAAAAA ITS HERE!!!!!!

okay so a quick rewatch before I go through it frame by frame and just. god im so excited i love this show so much

anyways everything's gonna be under the cut bc its long and spoilery if u havent seen the trailer yet

okay so the opening clip looks like its in a human town. dragang is being chased across the bridge by some angry humans with pitchforks. raylas wearing the human cape. they got caught?

some clips from s1

okay. ezran ellis and zym are outside this white building. its shaped similarly to the star elf buildings we see later on. did they have to sit out some stuff that rayla and callum got to see? or is this like. lujanne's house or something

the fire (?) dragon is coming down on "a town of katolis" that soren is in. im assuming this isnt near the castle and claudia is there but out of frame, so did they get caught up in something on accident or were the dragons drawn to them because of the spell? lujanne recognized it, the dragons might too

wife (sunfire knight)

if my blog wasnt more cool toned that would be my new header oh my god

in the upper left corner of the screen theres a castle. there aren't any human kingdoms that are on the banks of a lava waterfall so is that an elf castle? or is this the place where all the royals got that fire background?

im dumb thats probably a halfway castle and the lava river is the border i forgot they said border over this

fuck off vitriol

elves attacking amaya and her squadron. these are likely the sunfire elves at the border, since amaya is also at the border. the castle in the last shot is probably more of a fortress

wife kicking ass! w her cool ass sword

something i noticed about the sunfire elves, or at least the warriors. the headdresses they wear are actually armor to protect their horns! they also have markings/tattoos like moonshadow elves, but they seem less elaborate (at least on their face)

does this mean horns are as important in all elf races or just sunfire elf races?

opeli ur the only bitch in this house i trust. is viren keeping the missions w the brodigies under wraps or does opeli think that's not enough?

boat! are they on their way to evenere?

awe

star elf bitch there u are u sexy bastard. zi @moonxadia made a fantastic theory on that elf here, but tl;dr that's elarion being shady (as much as ive liked the aaravos theories i dont think thats him)

viren being shady (spell had similar look as star elf from last clip)

RAYLA I MISSED YOU

zym i would die for you

the background to that looks interesting- are they having a big dinner of some sort?

ik other people have said this but that's definetly runaans strike crew from early s1. the very dead strike crew. zombie elves!

also if they touch a hair on aanyas head i Will Cry she looks so small in that throne...

(altho they dont really seem to be attacking her at all?)

okay so i know people have been saying the on fire shot are elves but i really dont think so. none of them have horns or the sunfire headdresses. i think that's a human army

AZYMONDIAS THE FUTURE MOST POWERFUL BEING IN THE WORLD I WOULD TAKE A BULLET FOR YOU IN A HEARTBEAT

(its another moon moth. same one as from earlier in the trailer?)

so in the shot of dragang on The Bird, callum looks really upset. like, seriously upset. this might be part of a joke bc hes holding bait, but im worried

ezran baby boy. hes so worried

zym!!!! i love you!!!!!!!

these pillars look real cool. is this a magic place?

okay so runaans deceased elf crew again, but pre-zombification (or post?) did lujanne summon them? is it a moon elf thing? why are they stars? is it a star elf clearing?

so zoom out, theyre in these... gazebos? made of starlight? nothing to comment it just looks real cool

hey claudia maybe... not.

im very concerned that when claudia said "you take creatures that are born with magic inside and squeeze it out of them" it panned over zym briefly

callum looked concerned so im hoping its a flashback of some sort? but they look like theyre in an elf place... idk. im worried about him this season

i know i said what i said but dark magic claudia is hot

wtf was that thing tho

rayla is suspicious™ (and she should be tbh)

sword fight!! im both excited and scared

callum is having a rough time and i want to hug him

thankfully raylas there

so a lot of people have said this but i do think thats because of harrow, not the dark magic. idk why i think that but. shrug

so i wanna talk about the audio playing over these last few bullets real quick. rayla says they cant trust soren and claudia, followed immediately by lujanne saying "real trust is about accepting the dark parts we will never know" which makes me curious. did brodigies and catch up with dragang while they were still with lujanne? since the group splits sometime during the season

if it is the case im curious how theyre gonna go from hating elves to being in a traveling party with 2 of them and a baby dragon

and if thats not the case, what is lujanne talking about?

wait i just had a really horrible thought what if they lied to win dragang's trust and rayla is the only one that's suspicious

moving on,

rayla and callum both look Real Concerned wtf are they talking about

so it looks like lujanne is leading callum to some Elf Thing; maybe its right before she shows him the star elf ghosts? it does look to be around sunset

DRAGON QUEEN???

even if its not tHATS THE POSTER DRAGON HELLO!!!!

rayla i will never not love you

EZRAN I WILL NEVER NOT LOVE YOU

sarai Hes Not Worth It

im excited about flashbacks though 👀

hello lord voltron. perish.

okay so thats the same fire dragon from earlier, but w its face all cut up. soren was prepared to go sword vs dragon and i think he won

"watch yo fuckin dog bitch" "he dont bite" "yES HE DO"

thats the vibe coming from that wolf/badger thing. also that guy screaming at the cat in his backyard

but fr what is that

thunder kinda looks like voldemort from this angle ngl

okay. okay. dark magic callum is a go

buddy what the FUCK do you think youre doing

ive seen some things saying that he's being controlled but i dont think so. i think he listened to claudia and im very curious to see how this affects his relationship with rayla

i think he was missing being the mage? which is why he tried to learn primal magic from lujanne but failed ultimately

depending on the theory, i wonder how people will spin half-elf!callum for this

i dont actually know if elves can even use dark magic fjnshfk like i assume they can but?? who knows

fire golem?? and who has the sword

my bad theres soren v dragon i thought it was earlier

mr fire dragon sir how the fuck did you lose. you have teeth? claws? wings? presumably fire powers?

AAAAAAAAAA TWO WEEKS!!!!!!!

[jedicreed-fr]

The End of the Windcurrent Clan (IV)

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Note--all dragons are now in humanized forms!

------------

They waited until nightfall to go down into the dungeon, as to avoid suspicious eyes. Thankfully no one else was down there, meaning they wouldn’t be spotted. The only one down there anyways, was a being that couldn’t even speak, he was so far gone...

The strange magic that affected everyone else had affected Heolstor as well, giving him a humanized form. But, unlike the others, his lower half remained that of a serpent. And while he was smaller in his new form, it didn’t make him any less vicious, especially to the guest that were on the other side of the Light barrier of his cell.

“Hello again, darling.” purred Salaeshar, smiling at the Shade Monster, “I brought you a visitor.”

From behind her, Janto stepped out, robes flowing around him as he got a closer look at Heolstor. The creature snarled and launched at the barrier, stopping just short of it. He knew it would hurt him, if he touched it. Especially since Domhnall was just down, not too long ago, to strengthen it.

“So...this is the beast that destroyed the clan?” asked Janto, glancing over at Salaeshar.

“So I’ve heard.” she explained, “Apparently, the Shade has taken over him, and when he attacked the clan, the Shade came with him. It was a massacre, according to some that I’ve talked to.” She then snorted, shaking her head, “And really, they’re to blame for the losses. If they weren’t such pacifists, then they would’ve been able to defend themselves.”

Janto let out a soft noise, as he paced the front of Heolstor’s cell, watching the creature follow him, “Another one of Khan’s failures. And yet he keeps his failure locked up down here, instead of destroying it. How queer...” He shrugged, before turning to the Chiss dragon, nodding over to the creature, “Who sealed him up? This is rather powerful Light magic, so it wasn’t Khan...”

Salaeshar shook her head, “It wasn’t, your Majesty. The Light Flight Representative, Domhnall, sealed Heolstor in here, and sealed the Shade within him. He’s also the one responsible for putting up this barrier, and I’ve seen him replenish it, so that it remains solid.”

“So, only he could release it...” mused Janto, stroking his chin as he looked at the barrier, “...My magic is powerful, but it’s destructive, not used for taking down magically reinforced barriers.”

“Shall I forced Domhnall down here, to take it down?” asked Salaeshar, a cruel glint in her red eyes, “He cares for Maxima quite a bit. If we threaten her...”

The Chiss was silenced, as Janto waved a dismissive hand, “No need. We’ll take him out of here. I’m sure he’ll make a great research subject for Sep’seba. We could learn quite a bit about the Shade, and even use it to our advantage, if need be...”

Salaeshar nodded solemnly, before speaking up, “If I may, your Majesty...” she started, getting his attention, “Only using him for experimentation is quite the waste. He’s a gorgeous creature, he doesn’t deserve to be cut up.” She looked over at Heolstor, who was still glaring at Janto, “...I’d like to keep him as a pet.”

Janto looked at Salaeshar for a moment, before looking at Heolstor, “...If you train him well, perhaps he can avoid the knife. Keep him as your trophy. But if he starts becoming troublesome...” A cruel smirk made its way onto his lips, “...Then there won’t be one part of him that we won’t cut up to experiment on.”

Salaeshar nodded, smiling over at Heolstor, “Another gorgeous pet to add to my collection...” she purred, holding out a hand as if to pet the Shade creature, only to have him snarl at her. Chuckling, she then turned back to the Imperial beside her, “But we still haven’t figured out how to take the barrier down...”

“I have someone that’ll do that for us.” said Janto, turning around as he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Turning as well, Salaeshar watched as a figure came down the hall, slowly being illuminated by the torches on the wall. As the figure came closer, Salaeshar blinked in surprise.

She’d never seen a Mirror look so...regal...before.

She was built lightly, and wearing a veil that covered her face. A heavy book was in her arms, with her shoulders covered by a white mantle. White and black markings covered her hands and feet. She was gorgeous...and Salaeshar was struck with the notion of adding her to her collection...

“Ahh, timely as always.” purred Janto, approaching the Mirror with arms spread. Stepping next to her, he laid a jeweled hand on her shoulder, “Pers’alaesha’retherr, this is Erin, my aide. If Domhnall is as strong with Light magic as you say, then Erin is twice as strong as he is.”

“You flatter me, my Emperor...” said Erin softly, lowering her head humbly, “What can I do for you?”

Janto nodded at the barrier keeping Heolstor from attacking them, “I need that removed, and soon after that, I need him subdued.” he gestured at the Shade creature, “Can you study both, and see how to dismantle the barrier, and see how you can subdue him? The Shade within him has been sealed away, so we’re in no risk of getting infected with it.”

Erin nodded, moving closer towards the barrier, placing her hand on it. It didn’t hurt nor burn her, and she let out a soft hum in thought, as she looked it over, “...It’s strong. This...Domhnall you spoke of...he knows what he’s doing.” she turned around to face Salaeshar and Janto, “I shouldn’t be more than a few days. I will send word out, when I am close.”

“I look forward to it.” said Janto, giving her a smile, before turning on his heel and walking back down the hall, with Salaeshar following suit. Erin turned back to face the barrier, and Heolstor, before sitting down on the ground, opening the tome in her lap.

“We’re getting quite close to our goal, Salaeshar...” said Janto, once they were at the entrance, “Soon...Soon, this clan will be mine. And...” he glanced behind him, at the entrance to the dungeon, “With their awful Shade Beast released...more distrust will be thrown at Khan. I will see him shamed and broken down, until he’s nothing more than a shell of a man.”

“We’re close, your Majesty.” said Salaeshar with a smile, “Soon, the throne will be yours...”

Janto chuckled and smiled, before looking out at the sleeping, unknowing clan.

“...All will go, as the Force wills it...” he said softly, before walking off into the shadows, disappearing until it was time to reveal himself once more...

[mindstreason]

“So, what awful thing did you do to end up here?” Basalt asked, with the smallest of smiles.

“Uh,” Cat said, utterly blank.  

Cat had known Basalt was the person he was meeting as soon as he had walked into this hall. This was a strange, quiet garden, full of plants that consisted of delicate green fronds. The walkways were made out of gravel, opening every so often into areas with small ponds and little benches. It smelled of green things and there was a gentle sound of water flowing in little constructed streams to break up the space. Up above, more plants were suspended from the ceiling, some of them in full flower. Cat had to make it all the way to the other side of the station to come here, and it would have been worth coming just to look at this place. But as beautiful as it was, the most beautiful thing in there was Basalt.

No one had needed to describe Basalt to him. Who else could sit on a bench with such grace, imbued with it from the first moment of self-awareness. Cat wondered if he was that obvious too. Basalt’s skin was pale, and his hair was the richest shade of brown that Cat had ever seen. When he turned his head to look at Cat, his almond-shaped eyes were so dark that they were almost black. It was an unnatural colour, giving Basalt’s face an interesting sort of austerity, making all his delicate features seem starker. He had inclined his head to Cat in invitation with such self-possession that it was utterly alien to Cat, and Cat had sat down next to him as obediently as if he had been ordered to come over.

“None of us end up here because we were sweet and cute and behaved,” Basalt said, his smile widening. “So what did you do?”

“Um,” Cat said, feeling like he was being made fun of. He stared at Basalt’s hands, noticing that the fingernails were not painted black like he had thought, but that they were some other material entirely.

“I’ll go first, then,” Basalt said. “I opened the door for what I knew was a kill squad and didn’t warn anyone. I had been secretly fucking one of them, you see. I knew she was just manipulating me and I worked out what they wanted to do. But I wanted to see how they would do it.”

Cat stared. He supposed that he must say something. “I. Killed my owner.”

“How?”

“I stabbed him while he and the infiltrator were fighting.”

“Why?”

“I thought… I loved the infiltrator. And I wanted to help him.”

“Interesting,” Basalt said. “The infiltrator really did a number on you, huh?”

Cat frowned and lowered his gaze. “Yes,” he said, after a while. He was starting to understand exactly how much he had been used.

“You shouldn’t feel bad. They make them to do terrible things,” Basalt said, his voice very kind for a moment. He knew how these things worked. “You didn’t have a chance.”

“Oh,” Cat said.

Gently, Basalt placed his hands on either side of the Cat’s face and tilted it one way and then the other, assessing. “How many owners did you have?”

“Um,” Cat said, flustered by the warmth of Basalt’s hands. “Just one.”

“Ah, you’re a baby,” Basalt said. Somehow it did not feel mocking. “You’re very lucky.”

“He didn’t treat me nicely,” Cat had to point out.

“No, I expect not,” Basalt said, with a profound lack of surprise. “You wouldn’t have stabbed him if he had.”

When Basalt stroked Cat’s cheek with the back of his fingers, Cat closed his eyes and leaned into it. Basalt knew exactly how to do that to make it feel just lovely. Cat sighed softly.

“Why did you ask to see us?” Basalt asked.

“Um,” Cat said. “I wanted to know.”

“I see,” Basalt answered blandly. “Zuza did not want to meet you, in case it upset her. I hope you don’t mind. Sayi is away on mission. Arc is currently on Nine. That is all of us.”

“Oh,” Cat said. It did not seem very many people at all.

Basalt smiled, seeing Cat’s disappointment. “Why did you really want to see us? Are you lonely?”

Cat frowned, not knowing how to parse those two questions. What was even loneliness? How could he be lonely with so many people around?

“You don’t even know yourself,” Basalt said, with gentle amusement. “I brought tea and cakes, just in case I liked you.”

Cat blinked. Did this mean that Basalt liked him? He watched Basalt take a flask and plain cups out of the bag beside the bench. The tea was a pale yellow, and Cat sniffed it when he lifted the cup. It was not his favourite, but it was okay. “What if you didn’t like me?”

“You’re too young for me to be mean to you,” Basalt said, choosing not to answer the question.

The little cakes were dark brown and tasted very rich. Cat chewed one and watched Basalt, wondering why Basalt did not want to answer his previous question. He did not try again, asking instead, “Why are you called Basalt?”

“That is a very rude question,” Basalt answered, with a small smile.

Cat thought that Basalt did not seem to mind rude questions considering how the conversation started. “I looked it up. Basalt is a type of rock.” It did not seem like a very nice name.

Basalt’s smile faded a little. He came to a decision, and spoke, “I used to imagine I was stone when things I didn’t like were being done to me. I’d fold my mind inside while my body did all the things it should. After a while, you have to learn these little tricks to keep your mind together. So when I was here, and when my engineer asked me to form a network image of myself, that was what I chose. I refined it later, during my training, to the image I use now. Did your sponsor or engineer Sometime During Eternity tell you anything about me?”

“No,” Cat said. Ghost had simply told Cat where it was. Ghost had seemed to think that going was a good thing, though. Cat knew him enough to be able to tell that.

“How very kind of them,” Basalt said, with a hint of amusement.

Below Basalt’s warm tone was something cold, but Cat could not imagine what that was. Cat felt that he was in the presence of something very dangerous, for all that Basalt had done nothing for him to feel that way. He did not know whether to trust his instinct in that way. It reminded him a little of how the infiltrator had made him feel. He picked up another little cake when Basalt pushed it over and nibbled on it. They were really good. Cat wondered who had made them. He washed it down with sips of tea, deciding that he liked Basalt anyway.

“I like that you don’t know anything about me. It is like being a new thing again,” Basalt said, with a small smile. “I will tell you that here, on Shatterpoint, I mostly teach, and I help some people that have sexual problems.”

Cat frowned, understanding immediately that this was a redacted explanation of what Basalt did. The ‘on Shatterpoint’ had been very specific. “Like Ghost teaches on Shatterpoint?”

“Hmm, something like that,” Basalt said, his smile widening. “Your file says that you turn up to all your lessons and work in one of the agricultural labs.”

“Yes…” Cat said. That did summarise his life.

“Who have you fucked since you arrived here?” Basalt asked. He was curious, and that was not in the file.

“Um,” Cat said, and flushed.  “No one.”

Basalt laughed. “No one? Are you serious?”

“I have… Some things to use,” Cat said, embarrassed to have Basalt laugh at him like that. “It’s okay.”

“Just okay? Poor you,” Basalt teased gently. “I’d go mad.”

“I miss it,” Cat admitted.

“I feel like I should fix that,” Basalt said, leaving a gap for Cat to say something. But Cat said nothing for so long that eventually Basalt gave him a pitying look. “Would you like to come back to my room and fuck?”

“Yes,” Cat said, immediately eager now that he knew that it was on offer. He started to stand up.

“Can we finish the tea first?” Basalt asked, pulling Cat back down.

“Oh,” Cat said, feeling his ears burn, and feeling the place where Basalt had touched him like he was branded there. “Yes.”

“Is there anyone you would like to fuck?” Basalt said lightly.

“You,” Cat said, because that was a good answer, the sort of answer someone would like to hear.

Basalt laughed. The attempt at seduction was rather funny. It would have worked better on someone less prepared. “Yes, but who else?” Basalt prompted.

“Ghost,” Cat answered, deciding to be honest. “But he’s. Not interested. And Zinn.”

“Zinn?” Basalt said. “Not a lot of people would say that. What do you like about him?”

“I like the way he moves,” Cat said. Zinn moved like he could break every single bone in Cat’s body effortlessly, but he always chose not to. There was something appealing in that.

“Hmm,” Basalt said, thinking about it. “I can see that. Anyone else? Is it just men?”

“I like Warm As The Moon too,” Cat admitted.

“You really have a type, don’t you?” Basalt said.

“Uh,” Cat said, awkwardly, feeling like he had been caught.

“You are allowed to like certain things more,” Basalt said, knowing what trap Cat had fallen into.

Cat sipped his tea, looking at Basalt. “Have you been here for a long time?”

“Yes,” Basalt answered, not wanting to be specific. “You get used to it,” he added, with a smile, like this was some sort of private joke. “We can get used to anything.”

“Yes,” Cat agreed, the delivery jolting the memories of his training. Basalt was older and made in a different place, but he would have learned many of the same things.

Basalt glanced over to see that Cat’s cup was empty. He offered Cat the last of the cakes as he put things away. Cat ate it with enthusiasm, like he had eaten the ones before. Basalt knew that same pleasure of the senses. “Do you still want to go with me?”

Cat blinked. “Of course.” Basalt had given him the time to change his mind. That had been very kind, but entirely unnecessary.

“Come on, then.”

Corridors around here were much older than where Cat lived, but the living quarters that Basalt led Cat to were much the same as all the other living quarters on the station. No one was in the common area. Basalt opened the door of one of the single apartments.

“You don’t live with anyone?” Cat asked, somehow surprised.

“No,” Basalt answered. “I am not very good at it.”

Cat looked around curiously. The front room did not have much furniture, just a low table and a couple of cushions for sitting on the floor. The bedroom door was open and Cat could see that the bed was very low. Basalt’s things were all on the shelves. Cat could see jewellery, bits of tech, make up, little tools whose purpose Cat could not guess, bits of bright cloth, combs and hair things. It seemed like Basalt owned a lot of needles. Cat could not imagine why.

“I still prefer being on the floor,” Basalt said, a little wry, watching Cat look at the cushions again.

“Oh,” Cat said, understanding perfectly. “I like your plant.” It was a little tree that took up the whole corner of the front room, its roots wrapped around a dark rock.

“Thank you, it was a gift,” Basalt answered. He put away the cups and the tea flask while Cat hovered in the middle of the room. “When we do this, do not touch my hair, and do not touch the back of my neck. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Cat said. Rules were rules.

“Is there anywhere you do not like to be touched?”

Cat had never been asked this question before. He stared.

Basalt snorted. “It’s fine if you don’t know what to say,” he said. “But you should tell me if I do anything you don’t like.”

“Oh, okay,” Cat said, standing like he was waiting for orders.

“You can leave whenever you like,” Basalt reminded, before he stepped in close to touch Cat’s side.

“Okay,” Cat repeated. He turned to press his face against Basalt’s cheek. It was funny, Basalt seemed so much taller, but they were almost the same height. He shivered at Basalt’s hands slid under his clothes.

“Do you like to kiss?”

“Yes,” Cat answered. He knew that. He turned into the kiss. Basalt would know how to kiss, gently tasting his mouth. After being untouched for so long, Cat was hard in seconds. He pressed himself against Basalt’s thigh.

“You’re lovely,” Basalt said.

Cat smiled at the compliment, helping Basalt undress him. It was short work to lose the shirt and trousers and underwear. Cat shivered. He had not been naked like this in front of someone for a while. Basalt took a step back to admire him, and Cat smiled again, liking being looked at like that.

“Your owner didn’t mark you,” Basalt said, curious as he stepped around Cat.

Cat turned on his heel, wanting to look at Basalt too. “My engineer says some of my bones didn’t heal straight.”

“Ah, so you’re marked on the inside,” Basalt said. When Cat reached to take his clothes off, he took a step back and removed them himself, dropping them to the floor. He did it seductively, sliding each piece off like he had been trained to, but his smile told Cat that this was a kind of joke, a kind of showing off, a kind of game. “Do you like what you see?”

Cat stared at the scar on Basalt’s stomach.

“My fourth owner shot me. For fun. He wanted to see if that would heal too,” Basalt explained. It did not sound like he told that to many people. “It did,” he finished, dry. “We’re very hard to kill.”

“Oh,” Cat said. He stepped over to Basalt, smoothly sinking to his knees. He pressed his lips to the scar lightly, feeling Basalt twitch.

“Don’t do that,” Basalt said, so Cat kissed down along the hip, nosing into Basalt’s pubic hair. Basalt’s breath hitched as Cat’s tongue curled around the tip of his dick, and Cat felt victorious. Basalt’s fingers tangled into Cat’s hair and Cat moaned, breathlessly eager for anything at all.

“You want to blow me?” Basalt asked.

Cat answered by taking Basalt’s cock into his mouth. It felt like the first choice he had ever made when he heard Basalt laugh and swear. Basalt had not expected that. Cat pulled back to lick the head before he decided to swallow the whole thing down, effortlessly, because he had been made to do that. It was a weird feeling to know that he really could just stop and go back to where he lived. He pulled back when he was out of breath, and Basalt let him draw back. He wanted Basalt to come down his throat, he wanted to swallow it all. So much want. He let his body move with it, and soon Basalt came with a quiet sound. Cat sat back on his heels and licked his lips, smiling, feeling triumphant that he got any sound at all out of Basalt.

“Don’t look so smug,” Basalt teased. “Come to bed with me.”

Cat lay on his back at Basalt’s gentle shove. He spread his legs, wanting Basalt to see him like this, his cock leaking and hard.

“Aren’t you beautiful?” Basalt said, but he made the compliment into a simple statement of fact. He found lubricant, so his hand was slick when he wrapped it around Cat’s dick. Cat whined when he pressed his thumb over the frenulum and then into the slit, almost bucking away. Basalt made his touches lighter, figuring out slowly what it was that got the best noises out of Cat.

“Do you want more?” Basalt asked.

“Yes,” Cat answered, breathlessly honest. It was easy to be like this when he knew what Basalt was. “Want you. Inside me.”

When Basalt slid one finger inside Cat, he almost forgot to breathe. The second finger made him moan, because here his silence was not required. He arched his back for the third finger and whined at the fourth. He came shuddering as Basalt spread his fingers as if seeing how far he could stretch Cat out.

“So that’s how it is,” Basalt said, amused, and licked the come off Cat’s stomach.

Cat smiled, rolling onto his side to watch Basalt. He took Basalt’s hand and licked the fingers clean, sucking each one into his mouth, and staring into Basalt’s dark eyes. He did not need to look to know Basalt was getting hard again.

“How do you want it?” Basalt asked, touching Cat’s side lightly.

Cat considered, and then rolled over onto his stomach. He found that he did not care, but something told him Basalt might prefer it that way. He raised his ass, offering himself, his spine arched perfectly, and finding utter satisfaction in how his body liked this. He groaned as Basalt filled him up, the first cock in forever. Everything in him exulted in feeling Basalt’s hands on his hips, the weight above him. He moved together with Basalt, shivering as he felt Basalt’s lips on the back of his neck.

“Yes,” Basalt said, “Come for me,” he ordered, and Cat did, instantly, momentarily undone.

Basalt gave him a minute only, and then Cat was whining as Basalt licked the come out of him, taking unnecessarily long about it. He came again without Basalt touching his dick at all. Basalt licked that up too.

“No one’s done that. To me,” Cat said, a little stunned.

“I bet,” Basalt said. He left Cat, but only to bring over a glass of water. He made Cat drink some and eat a couple of sweet biscuits that tasted mostly of sugar.

“Are we done?” Cat asked.

“Do you want us to be done?” Basalt asked.

“No,” Cat said.

“Then we are just having a break,” Basalt said, settling on the bed next to Cat. “Kiss me when you want more.”

Cat rolled over to kiss him immediately.

Basalt laughed into his mouth. “Like that, is it, darling? Ride me.”

Cat straddled Basalt’s hips. He touched Basalt’s dick lightly, until it was hard, and then lowered himself on it. He liked this, being able to set the pace himself, and he moved his body sinuously, feeling Basalt fuck up into him. Every time, he got to know Basalt’s body better. He watched Basalt’s face as Basalt came inside him this time, seeing how Basalt only half-closed his eyes.

“How many times will I have to fuck you until you’re happy?” Basalt joked, but he was willing enough to find out, amused at how Cat seemed to need to make up for all the lack of sex in one day.

At the end of it all, Cat lay on his side, sticky and pleasantly exhausted, Basalt against his back, nosing sweat-damp hair. He watched how Basalt’s thumb was gently stroking his hand, all relaxed. He realised now what the material of the nail reminded him of – it was similar stuff to Ghost’s armour.

“Basalt, what happened to your nails?” Cat asked.

“They stop growing back properly if they’re pulled out too often,” Basalt said, matter-of-fact.

Cat froze as he imagined that pain, infinitely relieved Nicias had always liked hitting best, and he relaxed only when he remembered to think about the way that Basalt was now gently kissing the back of his neck.

“That’s it, come back, darling,” Basalt said. “Sorry.”

Cat let out a shuddering breath. “Why did they do that to you?” he asked, wanting to know, and steeled against it this time.

“They liked to hear me scream, I suppose. I didn’t think about the why too much,” Basalt answered. He kissed Cat’s ear. “My nails weren’t all growing back right. That’s why I had them all replaced. This is better, don’t you think?” He flexed his fingers in front of Cat.

“I don’t know,” Cat said, thinking it would have been much better if they hadn’t needed replacing at all.

“Do you intend to sleep here?” Basalt asked.

Instead of answering, Cat said, “Basalt, have you ever killed anyone?”

There was a long silence. Basalt took in a slow breath. “Darling. Why are you asking me that?”

“I don’t know,” Cat answered, though he knew already he had asked the wrong question. He had meant: Basalt, how many people have you killed? He could not ask it again now, though.

“I’ll talk to you about it when you can give me a good reason for wanting to know.”

“Oh,” Cat said, relaxing again under the weight of Basalt’s arm over him. “I think I’ll stay. If that’s okay?”

“You can stay as long as you like.”

Cat fell asleep with Basalt slowly stroking his side, feeling safer than he had ever felt with anyone.