#whoops I meant kdrama

[sexyglances]

I'm only on episode 6 of nevertheless, and it's actually much better than i was anticipating based on reactions. Do i ship nabi and jaeeon? lol no. But she is damaged from the trauma and gaslighting from her ex-bf and from her relationship with her mother. Two people who mean(t) a lot to her and also are pros at stringing her along. So of course she's not going to have the perfect reaction to everyone always. And jaeeon does clearly care for her, he does genuinely selfless and kind things for her, but he's also too emotionally stunted to step up and allow himself fully invest in a real relationship because he's afraid of getting hurt (and thus hurts her with his wishy-washiness) and ends up stringing her along, too. They do have something there, but he has a lot of emotional growth to go through, and i don't think the jealousy of the noodle guy in ep 7 is going to magically fix his issues.

Also, watching the drama as a whole gives an interesting juxtaposition between all the reasons jaeeon keeps stating about why he won't get closer and how it's better to be happy at a distance, and how that philosophy is not only not working out for the better between him and nabi, but also sol and jiwan and bitna and her bf. The difference is that the side couples are realising that staying in an undefined relationship and hiding behind the maybe-more-than-friends fog is not working, and they are trying to tear down the walls for themselves and are moving past the friends-only stage. And yeah, while the growth of their relationships is resulting in some temporary angst while they work through their issues, it also means their relationships are becoming much deeper stronger as a result. It's jaeeon's fear of interpersonal pain that is ultimately what is making his life (and nabi's) worse than the growing pains of the other couples are actually going through.

[lovelines]

tags

tagged by @deadboy, thanks friend ♥️

I meant to do this forever ago, whoops!

5 things you’ll find in my bag: chapstick, headphones, lotion, my keys & band aids !

5 things you’ll find in my bedroom: a ton of skincare/hair products, balloons, flowers I found on the side of the road, a record player & a pic of louis tomlinson

5 of my favorite things: coffee, cats, one direction lmao, cookies and cream hersey’s & Friends!

5 things i’m currently into: umm, some electro-pop, online shopping, how to get away with murder, sheet masks and kdramas! 

5 things on my to-do list: read these library books i’ve had for the last 4 months,  graduate! get my license! redecorate my room, annnd be a morning person!

I’ll only tag a few mutuals, you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to! @llgbtharry , @acousticbeauty , @gothcoast , @lipkits , @lovesigns , @gjft 💓

[sexyglances]

While the past few episodes of CLOY have been jam-packed full of thrilling moments and intense action, it also feels like the plot has moved away from so much of what I fell in love with in the first place. Compared to the beginning of the series, there's far fewer "small" moments of tenderness between two people who have learned to reopen their hearts. It was those softhearted moments that really drew me in. But as we get further into the drama, those moments seem to have been traded for tandem bullet holes, pained and dramatic declarations, and slo-mo action sequences sprinkled with a healthy dose of Jack Ryan meets Avengers Assemble hand-to-hand combat porn. I'm not saying these scenes aren't well-shot or that they don't convey the ~omg heroics~ they're meant to convey. It's just that Alpha male theatrics are so much less interesting and less nuanced than the core of the story: two people sharing scenes; realizing that even though they've learned to survive by hardening their hearts, and while everywhere else they must maintain a rigid exterior as a coping mechanism, that together they can trust each other with their affection. Underneath all their emotional armor, they're nothing but a soft boi and soft gurl falling in love with each other.

However, the past two weeks (episodes 11-14), it almost feels like CLOY is trying to have scenes that cater to every possible viewer (alpha male/action porn/tortured souls/schemeing family/crazed serial killer antics/country bumpkin comedy/found family warmth) rather than focusing on the love story and how that love radiates and grows to encompass the people dear to them. Because of this refocus on melodrama, the story has lost some of its compelling emotional core in the process. Yes, there's not much that is more intense than taking a bullet for each other is, but honestly that sort of melodramatic plot point is less emotionally resonant and frankly, less moving than many of their "more boring" earlier scenes in NK.

Remember when RJH found out Seri was lost in the darkened market? The stakes were much lower, her life wasn't in danger, she was just temporarily lost. But he knew how overwhelming that might have been for her. He wasn't trying to save her in a life-or-death situation, but he cared too much for her to even contemplate letting her remain lost without him. He rushed over to the market to find her, and when it was too dark and too busy to recognize her, he found a way to send her a signal. By lighting a scented candle and holding it up for her to find, he was showing her that he was there for her, that he can be the north star she orients herself to. He is there to guide her back to him. Give me that kind of everyday love any day of the week.

To me, those "small" scenes will stick with me far longer than whatever new OTT running-away-from-a-rogue-sociopath shenanigans the writer comes up with.

Oh and also, there's no flipping way these two thirtysomethings are seriously bunking in segregated boys vs girl rooms as if they were on a middle school overnight trip. Every night might be RJH and Seri's last night together, even though they're desperately in love, but hey, RJH is just gonna sleep on the floor next to his battalion mates. Uh huh, yeah ok, suuuuurrrreee.