Would that this hoodie were a time hoodie!

Just ignore this...

firthgal — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 20:27:07 GMT

This is for my buddy. It's her birthday and she loves those cheesy YA fantasy novels about vampires, so guess what? I wrote a story for her. It's very ridiculous. Happy birthday, Sammie!!!

This is Sam's story. Sam, your typical girl from nowheresville who proudly worked her way through college only to end up at a crap job in a superstore making crap money dealing with crap customers who complain that they're being charged too much.

"79 cents?! Uh-uh, that sign said 75 cents. I don't know why they have you over here when you can't even ring stuff up correctly. And why did you put my bread with my eggs? Bread goes in its own bag!" And this is where Sam lets out a long suffering sigh and imagines jumping over the counter and strangling a bitch. But then she catches a glimpse of that new guy walking by and time just stops for a minute. Everything disappears but him and it's the most glorious minute of her life. "Ma'am... MA'AM!!! Are you going to take all day to ring up my groceries?"

"Oh, right, sorry." And just like that the moment is broken and he has suddenly disappeared. Sam almost wonders if he's just a figment of her imagination.

She sees him again in the break room later that day. He's sitting in a corner by himself, a sullen expression forever ingrained on his beautiful, pale face. He's so quiet that it took her two weeks to actually learn his name. Wesley. He doesn't seem to have a last name. Well, Sam is sure that he does, but no one knows what it is. So he's just Wesley. Her Wesley. His hair is shoulder length, and while he normally keeps it in a ponytail, today it's falling around his face and giving him a victorian rogue look. Sam can't keep herself from sneaking a peek every five seconds, and eventually he catches her. Sam's heart races when he locks eyes with her for the briefest second. She looks down and acts like she totally wasn't just oggling him, and she feels her face get hot. She looks up again and he's watching her. He doesn't blink, he doesn't smile, he doesn't do anything. He just looks at her. Suddenly Sam is very self-conscious and she starts wiping her face with her napkin and looking down at her shirt to make sure she hadn't dropped any food on herself. When she looks back in his direction, he's gone. "What the hell?"

A week goes by before she sees him again. She accidentally hits him with a swinging door as she's exiting the back room and she's both horrified and excited to see that it's him. She apologizes and he just nods, the intensity in his blue eyes taking Sam's breath away. He goes on his way without saying a single word, and Sam thinks that she'll die before she ever hears him speak.

She starts hearing things. That he's bad news, that he's a player... This just makes her want to know him even more.

One night, after working the late shift, she finds him leaning against her truck. Sam is baffled but excited nonetheless. She stares at him, waiting for him to say something, but he is so frustratingly silent, so she says, "Hi."

"Hi," he says, his voice slightly raspy.

"I'm Sam."

"I know."

He just keeps staring at her intently, so much so that Sam starts to fidget. She had no idea that he even knew that she exists, let alone what her name is.

"You shouldn't be out here alone this late at night." He takes a step towards her and slowly reaches out to caress her face. He whispers, "You never know what's lurking in the dark."

Sam is breathless. Her heart is racing. Her eyes are searching his, knowing that she should be scared but finding nothing to fear. He gives her a slight smile, and then he leaps into the air and he's gone. Sam looks around, wondering if she's the only one who saw that. "The hell?"

Two weeks go by without her seeing him again. She starts asking around about him and hears that he's been sick. She worries about him all day, wanting to go to him, wanting to take care of him, but she has no idea where he is. She didn't even have his phone number. When she goes home that night, he's sitting on her front porch steps, slumped over. "Wesley? How did you... are you okay?"

"I was led here," he says, breath heavy. He looks up at her, his eyes glowing, and he rasps out, "Your scent... led me here."

She steps closer to him, and with the moonlight shining down on him, she can see that his skin is more pale than usual, his vains extra visible, and he appeared to be fighting with himself, holding himself back. "I... heard that you were sick."

He laughs bitterly and that's when she sees the fangs. "Sick. That's one way to put it." He looks up at her with such a fierce degree of wanting in his eyes that she steps backwards.

"I... what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. It's nothing. I'll be back to normal in a few days. Just... stay away from me until then."

"But... you're on my porch."

He pauses, looks around, and says, "Yes. I am." Suddenly he hugs his stomach and lets out a roar of pain and his eyes turn to fire. His voice is demonic as he says, "Run, get out of here."

Sam wants to comfort him and ease his pain, but he starts to transform. His teeth get sharper, his vains start bulging, and his face is getting angry. "A vampire?" Sam whispers to herself.

"Run!" he shouts, before he's completely taken over by the demon inside of him. Sam wants to run, but she's frozen in place. Fascinated, scared, she just stands there looking at him. He starts growling, snarling, but he's still holding himself back. And then he launches. In a flash he sinks his teeth into her neck and Sam can't even scream. His body is pressed against hers, his hand behind her neck as he slowly drains the life from her. Just before she blacks out she hears him say, "Oh my god. No. No!"

***************
She hears music playing. It's very far away, but someone is strumming a sweet melody on a guitar. She's thirsty. Her head is pounding. Her neck is throbbing with pain. It hurts to open her eyes, but she really needs to get something to drink. When her eyes come into focus, she sees him sitting in a chair across from her bed. They're in her room, he's at her desk, shirtless, his hair falling over his shoulder as he looks down at the guitar that he's playing. How, after all of that, how can he still be so beautiful? And where did his shirt go?

Sam sits up slowly, wincing in pain. Her hand goes to her neck, and she finds that it's been bandaged up. "Sorry about that," he says. Sam looks at him incredulously and he says, "I did warn you, you know. About creatures lurking in the dark."

"Why are you in my bedroom?"

"I had to make sure that you healed properly."

"You tried to kill me!"

"Not on purpose. I was hungry."

"That... that's no excuse!"

He puts the guitar down and leans toward her. She scoots back, so he gets on the bed to lean even closer. "You kept looking at me with those eyes. Tempting me. Wanting me. It couldn't be helped."

"I... bwuh... but..."

He is inches from her lips as he whispers, "I'm sorry," with a sorrowful look in his eyes. And then he's gone. Just like that, he disappears from her room. Sam gets up to look in the mirror and peels back the bandage from her neck. There's no teeth marks. No sign of damage. "The hell?"

***********
She does her best to avoid him for awhile, but that just depresses her. She knows that she should stay away. She knows that he's dangerous, but he's so damn pretty. No, she's staying away! She is! But then he starts sitting with her in the break room. At first they don't speak, they barely even look at each other, but just before he leaves he says, "I'm sorry." Every day that's how it goes until she finally relents and says, "Okay, okay. So how old are you, anyway?" She starts asking him all kinds of questions, and though he is resistant to reveal his past, she learns that he was born in 1862. He was a rookie bounty hunter in the old west when one of the criminals he was chasing turned him into a vampire. The criminal had been a woman. Sam didn't have the heart to ask him if they had been in love. Or what happened to her. He had such a sad expression on his face as he spoke of her.

As time goes on Wesley starts walking Sam to her truck every night. Even when he isn't scheduled to work, he shows up. Sometimes they eat dinner together (or, well, he watches her eat). Sometimes they watch a movie together. Sometimes he kisses her goodnight. It's like any other relationship out there, except for those long stretches where they can't see each other because of the fire in his eyes
.
************
"Let's breakup."

"What? Why?" Sam can already feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

"I can't do this anymore. It's getting too hard to resist the urges."

"I trust you. I trust that you won't hurt me."

"I did it once before, Sam. If it happens again..." he looks away. "Once I've had a taste... if I do it again, I won't be able to stop."

"If that's the case then why did we even start this relationship?"

He looks at her with tragic eyes and says, "Because I love you."

Sam bites her lip to stop the tears. This is stupid. He's stupid. "How does it make sense to break up, then?"

"I need to leave for awhile. Be away from you. I need to fix this." He was determined. Sam knew that there was no stopping him.

Stupid.

*************
Life went on without him. Boring, every day life. Only now it is more bleak than it ever was before. Every now and then she expects to see Wesley leaning against her truck looking mysterious and tortured as ever, or sitting on her front porch steps, or waiting for her by the time clock. But he isn't there, he's never there, and she isn't sure that he is ever coming back.

*************
It's Sam's birthday. Another year come and gone without any sign of Wesley and she's finally stopped thinking about him every single minute of every single day. And don't you know, that's the moment that he decides to show up in her life again. She finds him leaning against her truck and at first she thinks she's imagining things, but then he looks up at her with a smile, his eyes clear. No torture, no mystery, just him.

"You're back," Sam whispers.

"I'm back," he says with a wide smile.

Sam doesn't even try to hold back the tears as she runs into his arms and they kiss like it's been an eternity since they've seen each other.

"I guess you missed me," he says.

"Shut up."

Drama update + A study in Kim Myung Min...

firthgal — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 19:32:45 GMT

Master's Sun and The Good Doctor are the only dramas that I've been able to get into so far this past year. I've finished a couple others, but it was kind of a chore at the end. But Master's Sun and Good Doctor were both excellent from start to finish. Master's Sun had me involved with the OTP in a way that hasn't been done in a long freaking time. They made this drama for me. But it also helped that the plot stayed entertaining. I never really tired of the ghost schtick, and the side players were pretty funny. So, excellent drama, by far my favorite thing that the Hong Sisters have ever written. And So Ji Sub totally won my heart. He should do more comedy. As for Good Doctor, it was just beautifully made all around. Joo Won was excellent with his portrayal of autism, and as the audience we were on his journey and felt his every feeling through and through. Wasn't big on the OTP in this one, but it didn't detract from the drama at all, so no real problem there.

And now I'm left with nothing to watch. I tried Heirs, but it's just so boring. I see potential in a few of the side characters, but the main couple is a freaking snooze fest. I like Lee Min Ho, I'm neutral towards Park Shin Hye, and they aren't lacking chemistry, just... it's one of those stories that have never appealed to me. The drama feels very old school, and I am just not a fan of the Winter Sonata type dramas.

Anyway, I recently rewatched King of Dramas, which reawakened my Kim Myung Min obsession and I am now rewatching every drama and movie of his that I have, which leads me to Beethoven Virus. Just finished watching it for the 7th or 8th time (possibly more), and it still gives me all kinds of emotions when I watch it. Like the scene where Kang Mae tramples all over the bouquet that he had sent to Ru Mi. I think I like to block this moment out of my memory because it’s such an asshole thing to do, so I’m always shocked every time I see it. He couldn’t just let her have that moment? He couldn’t be a good boyfriend for just that once? Just… augh, it frustrates me! And I hate how they only got about one scene where they get to be a cute couple and then the rest is him being awful and her not telling him things because she doesn’t want to lean on him and I’m just like, “Argh, Ru Mi, he’s the man you love. You’re in a relationship with him. You’re supposed to share your burdens with him. Avoiding him does not equal dating.” I mean, it’s hard to blame Kang Mae for being self-involved when she never lets him know what’s going on with her. But he’s also not the world’s greatest boyfriend, and they were adorable before they got together but then it was nothing but problems after that because she was just waiting for him to run away and he was just getting more scared the deeper he fell for her, and… AUGH, SO DAMN FRUSTRATING. And yet I love their love like crazy. BUT THEN HE LEAVES. And tells her to wait for him. And I just want to strangle him and tell Ru Mi to go fall in love with someone else while he’s off satisfying his ambitions. Hmph. But the ending kind of implies that he stays. But kind of not since the last shot is of him and Thoven walking off by themselves. IDK.

As for King of Dramas, this was my first time rewatching it as a whole (while it was airing I watched most of the eps 5 times or so, but never had a big series rewatch). I remember being so in love and swept up with this drama that I thought it was utter perfection, and… well… I can see its flaws now. I still think it’s one of the best dramas out there and very, very underrated, but now I can see where it dragged and how certain storylines were dropped without any explanation. But overall, it was still one kickass ride. I forgot how it made epic excitement out of the most mundane things (and used every drama trope in the book to great affect). And Si Won was so freaking hilarious. And Anthony was such a magnificently well done character. A lot of people said he was too much like Kang Mae, but after watching the dramas back to back, I can see how much more developed Anthony was as a character. He got to slowly change and become a better person by the end of the drama, whereas Kang Mae pretty much stays the same. He gives a little once he starts caring about the orchestra members, but by the end of the drama he’s still pretty much the same Kang Mae that he always was. Anthony, on the other hand, learns how to accept love and trust someone other than himself, and this in turn makes him better at what he does for a living. Anthony did despicable things with very little remorse, whereas Kang Mae just had a difficult personality. Anthony knew how to charm/seduce people, Kang Mae just didn’t give a damn.

IDK, I adore both characters, but I think I love Anthony just a little bit more. He feels more complete than Kang Mae, and quite a bit darker. Kang Mae liked to play at being this awful, indestructible figure, but was actually very sensitive and took everything to heart. His prickly personality was his way of keeping the world at bay so that he didn’t get hurt. Anthony, on the other hand, was a very jaded character without shame, able to do anything to achieve his goals. He didn’t actively push people away, he just… rubbed them the wrong way. But then he found Go Eun and he started trusting her and he became loyal and good and heroic and awesome. Oh, oh, interesting parallel between BV and KoD: they both have scenes where the female lead falls into a body of water, and neither Anthony nor Kang Mae know how to swim. Anthony jumps in to save his lady (but ends up being saved by her), Kang Mae gets someone else to save his lady.

Flippin' Dexter...

firthgal — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 15:55:28 GMT

Augh, this is so utterly perfect:

I will forever hate season 8 for not following through with this fucked up ship. Just... season 8 had SO MUCH POTENTIAL, and then it turned out nothing like what anyone had wanted for the ending of Dexter. Just, blech.

Super Fun Night

firthgal — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 03:52:49 GMT

I said this on my Tumblr (ugh, I can't believe that I'm a Tumblr user now), but I wanted to say it here, too. Super Fun Night is the new love of my life. It was so frakking good and everything I never knew that I wanted in a show. The scene where she's just skipping down the hall and jumps to hit the hanging light (and then it comes crashing down), it's just so something that I'd do and it instantly engaged me with this character. And I love that the guy that she likes is genuinely sweet to her and they really click. Typically in stories like this the guy starts out as a dick, so it's refreshing to have a male lead who already sees how awesome the female lead is. Does he view her romantically or just as a friend? That will probably be the main conflict there, but they are both kind of naive and clueless and not so serious about things, which makes them freaking adorable. Loved the scene where they're scribbling on each other's papers during the meeting, and the scene where he follows her when she mentions that there's cake in the breakroom. THEY ARE JUST TOO DAMN ADORABLE.

But anyway, the show's not even about the romance. It's about Kimmie and her delightfulness and overcoming self-imposed obstacles and being awkward and hanging out with her equally awkward friends and just... I LOVE THIS SHOW. I hope that it stays delightful. And that it sticks around.

Draw my life...

firthgal — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 16:46:52 GMT

So, apparently I am addicted to those "Draw My Life" videos on YouTube. Every single one I've seen has been so moving and beautiful, even the light-hearted ones that crack me up still manage to make me cry. But this one? Oh gosh, this one is a masterpiece. Still crying right now.

If I was a teacher, this would so be an assignment that I'd make. Except, you know, the editing that it would require would be a little crazy, so maybe not. But OMG, all of these vids are brilliant.

Change cannot be avoided.

firthgal — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 17:56:53 GMT

So... I've started using my Tumblr. A little bit. Still don't like the format, but it's all I've got since LJ refuses to have a fandom revival. *siiiiiigh* I hate that it's nearly impossible to converse with people. You just scroll and heart things and then talk to yourself on your own blog. I guess it's just pure blogging that I don't like. I miss having back and forths with people. But, Tumblr is good for pretty pics/graphics/vids and spoilers. But I feel so exposed every time I post something. Can't control who sees it and who doesn't. But anyway, if you're interested, my fandom blatherings will probably be posted there from now on (except for the more detailed stuff, which will probably still be posted here):

http://firthgal.tumblr.com/

My page is ugly because I have no idea how to change the settings, but at least you can read it (most Tumblr blogs have text that is so incredibly tiny that even my text zoom can't make it readable).

Anyway, I am still obsessing over Dexter, and I am so freaking happy that the latest crop of episodes have inspired fandom to make so many incredible vids:

Auuuuuuuuugh, augh augh augh, so much perfection! The voice overs during the instrumental bit in the last couple minutes are especially soul-wrenching, because OMG the parallels. So many parallels between them that I was vaguely aware of but now are so clear to me. I mean, sometimes Dexter says stuff and I'm like, "Didn't Deb say that to him a couple seasons back?" but I'm not quite sure and I kind of just forget about it, but then this vid confirms it all and it makes me go, "Wow, Dexter really was listening to her. Dexter really does love her." Not that I think he will ever romantically love her (he just can't move her out of the "sister" box that he has her in in his brain), but what he feels for her is stronger than anything he's ever felt about anybody, including Lumen and Hannah (and Rita. I hate that Rita never even registers in Dexter's brain when he talks about love, because the show spent years on him developing genuine feelings for her, but she's basically out of sight out of mind, meaning that all she ever was to him was a cover, which I don't believe). ANYWAY, Deb and Dex are dysfunctional and they are both complete messes but they will always be drawn together no matter what comes between them. Deb freaking tried to kill him and he was only mad for like half a day and then he melted when she said, "I can't imagine my life without you in it." GOD, I LOVE THEM.

Another vid of perfection that basically illustrates everything I've just said:

And a slightly fluffy one, kind of, maybe, not really, but it's pretty:

Also, I saw an interview clip on YouTube where Jennifer Carpenter said that she has always played Deb as having a crush on Dexter but not knowing what it was and that it made sense for the character because she has a level of intimacy with Dexter that she's never been able to achieve with any other man. And, to be honest, I've always felt like Deb was a little too into Dexter, but I never really shipped them until maybe season 5. She had just lost Lundy, who she thought was the love of her life, and he had just lost Rita and Deb was clinging onto Dexter just a little too hard and being really territorial over him and I kind of felt the shipping feelings, but I just assumed that she was projecting her own pain onto Dexter and getting offended over his non-feelings about Rita's death, but then season 6 happened. And I became obsessed, because OMG it just makes so much sense for the character and it's so heartbreaking because Dexter just can't give her what she's looking for and she's freaking out about being in love with her brother, and then in season 7 she has to learn to love him for everything that he is and not everything that she wants him to be, and then in season 8 she's dealing with self-loathing and hating him for doing this to her and hating that she still loves him to death despite everything. Guh. GUH! I love them.

...

firthgal — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 06:10:37 GMT

I have done nothing (aside from work) but watch Dexter/Deb vids for the past two days. WHAT IS MY LIFE? Oooooh, it feels so good to finally have a fandom again! I still despise Tumblr, so my fandom experience is limited, but I'm trying. Oh, am I trying! I miss LJ fandom culture so damn much. *cries* But anyway, I am so very happy to finally be passionate about a fandom again. I think the last time I was this fascinated by a ship was... Uther/Morgana? So, that was awhile ago. IDEK when Dex/Deb captured my heart so thoroughly, but I suspect that I was even shipping them without realizing it back in season 5 (I hated Dexter/Lumen with a passion. I used the excuse that it was because I was bitter over Rita's death. Pret-ty sure it was because Deb and Dexter were being all parenty with Harrison and Deb was all "Blech" towards Lumen and I was totally shipping Deb/Dex and feeling wrong about it). But then, well, Deb's therapist suggested that she might be in love with Dexter and everything about her entire character trajectory just made sense. And their love is so painfully beautiful and confusing. And I love that through the entire show it has always been Deb struggling to hold onto Dexter, but now it's the other way around and we are finally seeing the depth of Dexter's love for her. He's never really understood what he felt for Deb, but his little tryst with that Hannah chick where he supposedly fell in love for the first time ever, OMG (what about Rita, you douche?!) made him at least recognize the feeling of love, and he chose Deb over her without even thinking about it, so maybe, juuuuuuust maybe he'll realize that he legit loves Deb more than anything in the world. He even put Harrison in danger because he was so off the handle about Deb in the first ep of season 8. Guh, I just want them to find each other again and accept each other and love each other for all that they are and I want them to do this soon because this is the last season and I can't have them being at odds with each other through all 12 eps. But... yeah, they probably won't make up until one (or both) of them is on the brink of death in the very last episode. *sigh* But here, have some pretty vids:

SO FLIPPIN' BEAUTIFUL.

Such a great summary of their relationship to date.

This one is just really well put together and really captures the tone of the show, love it.

This one keeps making me emit little fangirl squeals, IDK why. THEIR FACES.

Augh, too much angst. Here's some beautiful, beautiful fluff:

*melts*

Hey hey hey!

firthgal — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 06:45:50 GMT

Remember when I made a post about the perfect fanvid song for Game of Thrones? Well, I was wrong, it was meant to be for Dexter. That song shouts Dexter/Deb all the way, especially after watching the first two eps of season 8. OH MY GOD, WHY DID I WATCH? WHY DIDN'T I WAIT UNTIL THE ENTIRE SEASON HAS AIRED? AUUUUUUUGH. I managed to wait last season, but I couldn't this time. I had to see how the show dealt with the fallout of Deb killing La Guerta. Deb is reacting pretty much as expected, but Dexter, OMG, Dexter. I knew he loved her. I freaking knew it. God, his face every time she told him to stay out of her life. HE CAN'T, DEB. HE IS NOT DEXTER WITHOUT HIS DEB. Guh. Guh guh guh. If you had told me back in season 1 that I would be shipping Dexter/Deb I would have looked at you like you were nuts (wait, would I? I need to go back and look). But now? OMG, I love them to death. They are so messed up on every level. I always knew that Deb would be Dexter's downfall, but I always thought it would be because she'd end up arresting him. WRONG. He is so super obsessed with her at this point that he just can't function and she's a freaking mess because of her guilt and disgust with herself and I have this terrible feeling that one of them is going to die this season. Well, obviously Dexter is going to either die or end up in jail since this is the last season, but... he may end up dying trying to protect Deb. Or Deb will end up dying trying to protect him (way more likely). IDK. But yeah, this song is so fitting for them, especially from Deb's POV, because Dexter has always been this oasis for her and now she hates him but wants to love him like she used to and it's pure torture and she just wants to die.

Don’t cry over me.

I know it’s a dark cave and even though it’s far from heaven
Maybe this could be my haven.

Don’t cry over me.

I know it hurts you when I fucking shiver
Well, trust me I was such a strong believer
But what’s the point of searching for that halo
My eyes are blinded and my heart is shallow.

It’s getting worse and worse as I think deeper
It’s just like staring at a burning river
Well, now it’s time stop. Just pull the trigger
I want to end it all. I want it over.

Whyyyyyyyyy?

firthgal — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 16:17:33 GMT

Monstar just made me bawl my eyes out. KYU DONG, DON'T YOU DARE! Look, the show has been foreshadowing his suicide from the first ep, but the tone of the show has been kept fairly light, so I didn't think that it would actually go there. I still don't, really. I'm going to hang onto the theory that NaNa is on the roof and catches him before he steps off. But... well... his death could impact so many characters a great deal. But then the show will go very dark and it will start feeling like a very special episode of Degrassi instead of a cute little k-drama, so I don't want it to go there. But at the same time I am curious to see how Kyu Dong's suicide would affect the other characters (namely, Do Nam and Jae Rok). Honestly, I don't think anything can change Jae Rok. He will always be a douche. But Do Nam would be heartbroken over never forgiving his best friend (and he'd feel responsible for his death, too). IDK, I am torn. I want Kyu Dong to live, but I also want the show to have the balls to actually have its most sympathetic character kill himself. There are consequences to everything you do, and his death would highlight this. But... but... I WANT KYU DONG TO LIVE AND BE HAPPY. IDK.

I hear your voice...

firthgal — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 03:01:18 GMT

Can I just say that the latest crop of k-dramas have been fantastic? I went through months and months and months of nothing but sageuks and melodramas and there just wasn't anything catching my fancy, but damn, I'm loving the shows right now. I think I was loving You're the Best, Lee Soon Shin so much purely because there was nothing else to latch onto. Now that I've got some quality romances, I can't seem to enjoy YTBLSS anymore.

Anyway, I Can Hear Your Voice. Fantastic drama all around, but I just wasn't feeling the main love story with this one. At all. I just could not ship Soo Ha/Hye Sung even if my life depended on it. She saw him as a useful tool and then later as a little brother, but I just never got any romantic vibes from her in regards to Soo Ha. Lawyer Cha, on the other hand, was super adorable and he made her heart flutter and they were the cutest thing ever and he just made it even harder for me to root for Soo Ha. I just... I can't find a high school boy sexy. It just doesn't happen. But then... but then episode 8 happened. I wanted to strangle Lawyer Cha and found myself shouting, "Just kiss her already!" at Soo Ha, and then the ending happened, and... I think I'm maybe on that train now? A little bit? Like, I still enjoy her scenes with Lawyer Cha way more, but Cha lost all kinds of points when he believed Min Gook instead of Hye Sung. But then, that's who he is and no one ever really expected differently, did they? His belief in his clients, his unfailing perseverance for the well-being of his clients, that's what we (and Hye Sung) originally fell in love with him for. But goddammit, why is he so damn naive? AUUUUUUUGH, LAWYER CHA! I WAS ON YOUR SIDE! WHYYYYYYYYYY? I get his struggle, I get that he thinks he's doing what's best for Hye Sung, but he just doesn't get it. He wants to see the best in people so hard that he's so freaking blind to reality. But then he said that line, "Why do I feel like a knight that's protecting a very bad king?" So, he must feel like Min Gook is guilty in the back of his mind, but at the same time he has to do his job to the best of his ability. And just... AUUUUUGH. I am so torn, because like I said, what's tearing him away from Hye Sung is what made me (and her) adore him in the first place. Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh. But I see now that it was all a ploy from the writer to get the very few naysayers like me on Soo Ha's side. Hmph.

I am also enjoying Cyrano Dating Agency a great deal. In fact, I think this one is my favorite of the currently airing batch, but it's quite fluffy so there's not much to say about it. Just that it's super adorable and everything I have been wanting in a rom-com. I love how they even make me care deeply about the cases of the week. All the cameos are a plus, too. But yeah, the main romance hits all of my shipping buttons (age gap, mentor/mentee, jadedness vs romanticism, bickering, jealousy, repression, etc). I LOVE IT.

Monstar is also fantastic. It's a unique take on the high school/musical drama. I love how each of the side characters get an episode that really zones in on them and makes them three-dimensional right alongside the three main characters. Not only that, but it's like each episode is revealing just a tiny piece of this puzzle that is the overall plot and that's basically what keeps it interesting. I was very much into the love story until Seol Chan got all aggressive in last week's ep. I mean, he didn't actually kiss her, but roughly pushing a girl against a wall of rocks and pinning her while you almost give her a kiss... that's not okay. It just rubbed me the wrong way, especially since everything about his crush on her prior to that was so innocent and hilarious and so very endearing. So, I was not fond of that. But everything else about the drama I have loved to pieces. To be honest, I think I'd love the drama even more if the story actually was about Seol Chan and Sun Woo and their mistakenly one-sided love for each other (oh, Se Yi, you brilliant, naive fool, you!). Speaking of Se Yi, I enjoy her, but HOW does she not realize that the boys are fighting over her and not each other? *huff* But anyway, Se Yi is one of those characters whose naivete could come off as pure stupidity (like the girl in What's Up, for example. Jesus did that girl annoy me), but IDK if the writing for this character is just spot-on or if the actress just understands the quirks of this type of character more than others. I think it helps that her character has this very deep pain in her heart that kind of keeps her grounded.

I don't even want to talk about Lee Soon Shin, because it's just aggravating me at this point. I miss when the show was about Soon Shin and Joon Ho being stupidly adorable together and not about Soon Shin's crappy mothers. Neither of the mothers are a prize at this point. I haven't even watched the last 4 eps yet. Don't know if I ever will, which saddens me because I did genuinely love this show like crazy not too long ago.

Make it happen, internet!

firthgal — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 05:51:32 GMT

There is nothing I want more right now than a Game of Thrones fanvid set to this song:

The lyrics:

Don’t cry over me.

I know it’s a dark cave and even though it’s far from heaven
Maybe this could be my haven.

Don’t cry over me.

I know it hurts you when I fucking shiver
Well, trust me I was such a strong believer
But what’s the point of searching for that halo
My eyes are blinded and my heart is shallow.

It’s getting worse and worse as I think deeper
It’s just like staring at a burning river
Well, now it’s time stop. Just pull the trigger
I want to end it all. I want it over.

GUUUUUUUUUH. I never wrote about my reaction to The Rains of Castamere, mostly because my reaction was just, "NOOOOOOOOO, GOD, NO, WHY? WHYYYYYYYYYYYY?" followed by a lot of loud sobbing (would that this hoodie were a time hoodie!), but I really enjoyed GoT this season, that ep in particular. So much awesomeness happened overall, like Jaime/Brienne and Jaime's freaking hand getting chopped off, and Tyrion and Sansa thinking up pranks to play on mean people together, and Jon Snow getting shot by his scorned lady love, and Arya telling Gendry that she could be his family (and him rejecting her because the class divide between them is too strong in his eyes. OH, MY HEART!), and, best of all, ARYA AND THE HOUND, OMG. They are basically the Laurel and Hardy of Westeros. I want more of them. I never want them to part. Ever. They were just this really surprising delight and I adore what they bring out in each other. She wants to kill him but she can't because she needs him, and he's taking care of her simply because it's the decent thing to do (at first it was for the money, but after the red wedding he really had no use for her. At least not that I know of yet). I can't help but see them developing a sort of Leon: The Professional type of relationship where he teaches her how to properly kill people and stay alive (only, you know, she'll end up killing his ass instead of falling in love with him). It's been foreshadowed so much that I'm pretty sure The Hound's end will come from Arya, especially after the line where he said, "That kindness will get you killed." He should probably practice what he preaches, but I don't think he much cares for his own life. But OMG, their banter. They are by and far the most entertaining dynamic to watch for me.

Anyway, GoT blew me away this season and I really, really want a vid set to the above song. It works for pretty much all of the characters, but Arya is the first one to come to mind. Sansa was the second. Jaime/Brienne the third. *sigh* If only I knew how to make fancy vids. I haven't made a vid in years, and the one I picture in my head is all pretty and way beyond my know-how.

Finales and whatnot...

firthgal — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:54:32 GMT

Well, The Mindy Project has forced me to do what no other show was able to do. I've joined that mess that is called Tumblr. WHY IS IT SO POPULAR? UGH. But there is NOTHING about The Mindy Project on good old LiveJournal, and the fandom for pretty much every show ever has migrated over there, so I guess it was time. But... but... you can't converse! The tags are used for ridiculous commentary instead of organization! WTF is with that? So stupid. You can write something and maybe people will read it and maybe they won't and it's not at all like LiveJournal and AUUUUUUUUGH I HATE CHANGE. I HATE IT SO MUCH. I can't even really figure out how to navigate the damn thing. Is there a way to just have a tag on your dash instead of a person? Or can you only follow people? Pfft, I haven't even figured out how to follow people yet. Or how to get to my dash from the computer. The mobile version is much easier to use, but I'm not sure what all the symbols mean yet. Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh. But maybe now I can find more stuff about Korean dramas and kpop and what have you. But mostly I just wanted to find other people who were freaking over The Mindy Project finale. MINDY/DANNY, HOLY CRAP. I was holding my breath and flailing through that entire scene, and then it shattered my heart. AUUUUUUUUGH, DAMN YOU, SHOW. It broke me but at the same time I think it was handled brilliantly.

New Girl, on the other hand, has kind of disappointed me this season. I was enjoying the slow burn of Nick/Jess, but then they slept together and things got weird and it's just not as fun as it used to be. I mean, I admire the show for not hitting the reset button like most shows do, but it's like the fun was sucked out of their relationship because they're so focused on being perfect for each other instead of just being their goofy selves. IDK, maybe now that they've both affirmed that they want to be together they can relax and the group dynamics can go back to normal.

I've already gushed over The Office finale here.

Community. Oh, Community. IDEK with you anymore. Upon first watch, I wasn't all that fond of the finale, but once I figured out it was all in Jeff's head and not Abed's, it all made sense and it actually held quite a lot of meaning, especially on the Jeff/Annie front. He thinks about her. A lot. He wants her, but he still sees her as something that he could corrupt, which is why Good Jeff can't act on his feelings while Evil Jeff can. The second Annie gets angry at him he has to chase after her and hug it out and he looks so freaking blissful with her in his arms (as does Evil Jeff when he lifts Evil Annie up into a kiss). "Nobody sleeps with Jeff! Not even me." Hilarious yet interesting line from Annie. Good Britta sticking up for Evil Britta was the greatest, probably my favorite moment in the episode. Drunk Shirley was hilarious. Troy vs Troy was adorable (poor Evil Troy, failing so hard at being intimidating that even Good Troy rolled his eyes at him). And the ending speech was lovely, even if it was being cruel with the closeups on Annie during certain moments in the speech. DAMN IT, SHOW. STOP DOING THAT TO ME. He didn't mean it like that! He was talking to the whole group! But, yeah, this episode kind of proved that Annie is very prominent in his thoughts, but it's the group as a whole that truly owns his heart.

I can't even remember the Parks and Rec finale. I think my attachment to that show is long gone. I still enjoy it, but it just doesn't grab me the way it used to.

I miss Go On. A lot. That was the one new show that I thought was a shoe-in for renewal. I guess Matthew Perry + the large ensemble was too costly. But damn was that a good show, and definitely one that they could have eventually built their new comedy block around. Ugh, so much resentment, NBC. So much resentment. At this point I would gladly give up another season of Community for another season of Go On. MR. K, WHAT IS MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU? *cries for an eternity*

On the Asian drama front, I'm still following You're the Best Lee Soon Shin and it is still my favorite. I missed a few eps of When a Man Loves and just dropped it, and that's pretty much happening with Gu Family Book, too. IDK what my problem is lately. I think I just miss romcoms, and Lee Soon Shin is the only one fitting that bill at the moment. Unfortunately, the romcom part of it is only given to us in small doses since it's a family drama, but luckily the drama is so damn good that I'm enjoying almost everything about it. But... yeah, I wish there was more Soon Shin/Jun Ho.

Also, I recently inhaled the Chinese drama Sunny Happiness and adored the crap out of it. Oh did the leading man make me swoon, good god was he gorgeous.

blows nose

firthgal — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:49:19 GMT

I'm coming out of hiding just to say that the finale to The Office left me a sobbing mess. What a sweet, hilarious, wonderful, emotional, insightful, nostalgic ending to the show of my life. This show was with me for so long and captured so many of my thoughts and feelings that I could never really express myself, and even though it was wacky and over the top, there have never been any other characters in any piece of fiction that have ever felt so real to me. These people were like a second family and I love how it made the audience feel like a part of that. And even though in the real world most coworkers don't become as close as these people did, it still captured that complicated thing where you are with a bunch of strangers for hours on end every day suffering through the same shit and just trying to survive together, and you do whatever you can to make the day go by easier/faster, you find people that you can have fun with despite the boredom and torture that is called work, and you form a certain affection for these people (even the ones that bug the crap out of you), and it's sad when the group is broken, but the world moves on and new people show up to make the group different, but you'll always remember the good old days.

I was waiting for Michael's appearance with baited breath through the entire episode. I kept saying, "They can't have the finale without Michael! They just can't!" AND THEN HE SHOWED UP! And I spazzed out and cried a little at his "that's what she said" and Dwight looked so happy and OMG, MY BOYS WERE BACK TOGETHER AND IT WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING IN THE WORLD!!! And Michael takes so many pics of his children that he has two phones! With two separate numbers! Because he's so happy to have a family plan!!! I am so happy that he got such a happy ending. For the longest time I thought that he was doomed to be a tragic character forever, but then he got the happiest ending that he could ever ask for and it brings me to tears just thinking about it. I may not have been a fan of Holly/Michael (like, at all), but I am a fan of Michael/Happiness.

I actually made it through most of the show just fine, teared up a little here and there, but then it got to Andy saying, "I wish there was a way to know that you're in the good old days before you've actually left them." I just lost it. I lost my shit. I was bawling from then on out. It was such a perfect summation of any time that you're leaving a place that maybe put you through hell but you didn't realize meant so much to you until you've left it. There are so many times in my life that I thought I would never miss but I now look back on with such fondness that I wonder why I didn't enjoy it while I was actually experiencing it. Just... good job, Andy Bernard. You got me right in the heart. I was even bawling through Oscar's outrage over the documentary crew never capturing his origami talents.

Perfect ending to a show that I will always remember with the utmost fondness. Even in its darkest days I loved it to death.

Finally, some new dramas!

firthgal — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:08:55 GMT

So, it's been a good long while since any k-dramas have grabbed me, mostly because all there has been lately are melodramas, but finally, finally a new crop of dramas started, and I'm really enjoying them.

You're the Best, Lee Soon Shin - I have been following this one week to week since it started, and I love it so, so much. It's just so charming. There's nothing really stand-out about it, and it's a weekend drama so the story is taking forever to get started, but I love the characters so much that I don't seem to care. I mean, I do tend to fast forward to the main love story, but I get wrapped up in the family drama, too. But, yeah, my heart belongs to IU and Jo Jung Seok. They are just too damn adorable. Both of them. The hero is just the right amount of quirky and arrogant and total dork. JJS plays him so perfectly. And IU is just killing it as Soon Shin. I know she's an idol actor, but damn, she's just as good as all the other up and coming actresses right now. Anyway, this drama is just pure fun to watch and I can actually see myself sticking with this one till the end if it remains this entertaining (and that's 50 episodes. I've never followed a drama with that many eps, so, we'll see. But so far I don't want this drama to end).

Gu Family Book - SO FREAKING GOOD, OMG. So beautiful, so well-plotted, so well-acted, just... I LOVE IT. Granted, these first two eps were simply the origin story of the next generation, so from here on out it'll be a different drama, so who knows if I'll still love it as much. I think I will, though, especially if it goes in a romcom direction. But I can also see it going the way of Arang and the Magistrate, where I really loved it at first but then quickly lost interest. We'll see, we'll see, but so far, out of the new crop of dramas, this one has the most potential to be breathtakingly awesome.

All About my Romance - this is the one I was most looking forward to, because it has fairly big name actors and it comes from the writers of Protect the Boss, which was very nearly my favorite k-drama of all time (it went bad near the end, sadly, which kind of ruined it, but I seriously loved the rest of that drama). All I've watched is the first episode, and I was pretty meh about it. Nothing really grabbed me, and to be honest, I fell asleep halfway through. Went back to it the next day and finished the ep, and it did get good once the leads got to interact (which was in the last minute or so), so hopefully the show will get better as it progresses. The problem right now is that I have no motivation to watch more episodes. I think starting out with only one episode really hurt it. I just wasn't given enough to sustain my interest.

When a Man Loves - I had zero interest in this at first, and I think I only watched it because I am desperately hoping for a new k-drama to latch onto, and it looked super cheesy and totally the opposite of the kind of k-dramas that I usually like, but... I enjoyed it? It's not as melo or makjang as I assumed it would be, and actually it's kind of light-hearted at this point. I mean, the hero almost died in the first episode and the heroine's life was torn apart, but the hero was basically reborn and he stayed faithfully in love with the heroine for SEVEN YEARS without her ever knowing (or even thinking about him, really) and when they meet again he is so clumsy in the way he tries to woo her and it's adorable and she's all offended because he used to be the gangster that beat her father up and now all of a sudden he's in love with her and trying his darnedest to make her life better and she just doesn't understand how he can see their relationship so utterly different from how she sees it, and OMG, I LOVE THEM. I LOVE THEM, OKAY? But they are DOOMED and there are all kinds of outside forces coming between them (in addition to their own clashing of personalities) and... guh, I love them. I don't care that it's mostly because Song Seung Hun is so gorgeous. I can be shallow like that. But, I am even enjoying the side characters, like Jang Hee and his little brother (who becomes the "other" man, and the third ep does a good job of making me root for him, too), and the ex-girlfriend of the dead boss who is madly in love with Tae Sang (Song Seung Hun). Normally this kind of character bugs the crap out of me, especially in melodramas where they tend to be so utterly insane and evil that you just want to strangle them, but in this drama you actually kind of feel for her. Like, not enough to root for her, because she is still cruel, but she's cruel because she's hurting and she's lonely, and the only man that claims he loves her basically wants to kill her so that no one else can have her (seriously, this dude is beyond insane, and she keeps playing him like a fiddle, and it's hilarious and awesome but you know that it won't end well for her). I fear that the drama will make Tae Sang marry her just to save her from Evil Dude, and then Seo Mi will figure out that she loves him right at this point, and they will have this forbidden, angst-ridden love for each other that will probably end with one of them dying. Most likely Tae Sang. Or maybe the Ex-Girlfriend of Dead Boss ends up getting killed by Evil Dude, and it's really tragic and Tae Sang avenges her and then he and Seo Mi are free to have a happy ending. IDK. I'm just shocked that this is the drama that is like crack to me right now.

Did I ever mention that I've been following the Taiwanese drama Substitute Princess? IDK, but I've been following it pretty much since it started airing. I still don't know why I'm so addicted to it, because NOTHING EVER HAPPENS. Like, it's 13 episodes in and I still don't know which romance is supposed to be the OTP. I have never watched an Asian drama and not known who the intended couple is. Maybe that's why I'm still watching. Convention says that she'll end up with the rich dude, but her love for Guan Jun ga is so endearing and steadfast and I love Guan Jun ga with all my heart and I want so badly for him to get the girl, but he never appreciated her while he had her, and since he is a part of her family he can still be in her life without her ending up with him, so I feel like the odds are not in his favor. But I can't root for rich dude because I will always see his love for Da Hua as a substitute for his love for Liang Yan. You can't fall for the girl who looks exactly like your dead fiance and say it's totally because of her personality. Just, no. Never going to convince me with them. He just looks lonely and he's latching onto Da Hua because she's there and looks like the woman that he thought he'd be spending the rest of his life with. Guan Jun/Da Hua all the way for me. Sadly, it looks like most people are rooting for the rich guy, but like I said, I just can't with them. No sir. Liang Yan will always be between them.

This had to be noted.

firthgal — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 01:23:44 GMT

I was eating breakfast at a restaurant this morning and "Take a Chance on Me" by ABBA started playing. The beginning notes alone put such a gigantic smile on my face.

Such a blast from the past. REMEMBER WHEN ANDY WAS THE GREATEST?

My love letter to Go On...

firthgal — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 03:10:34 GMT

I can't remember if I ever talked about my love for Go On, but... I really love Go On. A lot. And my love just gets bigger with every episode. Mostly because of Mr. K. My love for him is so problematic that I pretty much ship him with everyone, and he is someone that I should never wish upon anyone, real or fictional. BUT OMG, HE'S SO ADORABLE. I used to OTP him with Sonia, and I kind of still do (it's preventing me from embracing Sonia/Danny), but lately K/Yolanda has been growing on me, mostly because I will always yearn for hate relationships to grow into love relationships. Especially since K is mostly just hating on Yolanda while Yolanda is so damn confused and kind of hurt by his inexplicable hate for her. I just want him to be the one who ends up seeing how awesome she truly is, and his admiration for her would give her confidence a boost. THEY WOULD BE SO AWESOME TOGETHER. Especially since they are probably the most intelligent and professionally successful members of the group. They would so be the power couple. But... they are also the most chronically screwed up in the head members, so...

My legit OTP, if this show had a fandom, would be Ryan/Carrie. When the show first started I promised myself that I wouldn't ship them, because they are that kind of ship that would constantly be teased and kind of be on the precipice of canon but never actually be canon, and OMG was I ever right. But it's weird because Carrie isn't exactly a main player and so she's only featured in a few episodes, but in those few eps she has managed to have a certain chemistry with Ryan that is this mix between unappreciated assistant, reluctant friend, and repressed romantic inclinations. I just can't. I can't resist that. Especially after the episode where he gave up sex with a hot lady to go and apologize to her for being a dick. Ever since that ep, her reactions towards him have been a little different, and OMG, DAMN YOU, SHOW. I was having fun just being a casual viewer, but now I am actually invested in an ongoing side plot that's mostly in my head and that is the most irresistible thing to me.

But really, I just love everyone on this show, and I love how everyone gets a moment to shine. The show never loses its central focus even though it has such a large cast, and at the same time, it never really shafts anyone, and I feel like this is what Community originally set out to do with its characters but never quite managed.

Basically, I adore Go On and if it had a fandom it would probably take over my entire life. So maybe it's a good thing that it doesn't have one (but also awful because I want all the Mr. K fic in the world. And Ryan/Carrie).

Dear Community,

firthgal — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 06:41:20 GMT

How DARE you revive my Jeff/Annie feelings to the likes of which I haven't felt since season 1? HOW DARE YOU?

With much begrudged love,
Me

PS
That episode was hilarious. I don't know what all the critics were on about. This was the first ep without Dan Harmon that has actually made me laugh out loud. I was gasping for breath at one point, which I thought would never happen again with this show. So, yeah, I enjoyed this episode immensely (aside from the Troy/Britta stuff. While Britta's encouragement of Troy/Abed is sweet, it kills me to see her settling for being someone's second best).

...

firthgal — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 17:13:52 GMT

I did nothing yesterday except watch Korean dramas and read Christoph Waltz porn all night. OMG, I LOVE THE PORN BATTLE. Do you know how devastated I was when there wasn't a summer one? But OMG, it was so worth the wait. Though I do feel weird for so thoroughly enjoying the Django/Broomhilda/Schultz fics. I mean, I didn't ship Schultz with either of them while watching the film, and I still don't ship him with them in a sexy way (I kept giggling during the sex scenes in the fics), but ooooooooh how happy they could have been together! Schultz could have been the lovable, goofy uncle that always had an awesome story to tell while Django and Broomhilda were the kickass parents with the most epic love for each other and their family, and just... *sniff* And yeah, naturally Schultz would get lonely being around Django and Broomhilda, but that's when he can meet me, see, and we fall in mad love and have a bunch of babies together and our families live together in happiness forever. I am not usually a fan of self-insert fics, but apparently when it comes to King Schultz, I so am. My two favorites from the battle:

California by transmacabre (angsty and guuuuuuuh and I feel like they could have been this way for real, only, you know, without the Django/Schultz/Broomhilda kissy times, although this fic came very close to making me believe in that aspect of their relationship, too)

Dead or Alive by malkontent (Schultz/OFC, the Schultz dialog in this is flawless. I wish the author would write a full-length Schultz prequel to the film, OMG).

I am kind of shocked at the lack of Candie/Django fics. I was basically shouting, "Just make-out already!" in my head every time they had a scene together, but I guess people are too afraid to broach that in fic (way too offensive, but, you know, Django would be the dominate one, always). Or even Candie/Schultz fic, since Candie's final confrontation in the film was with Schultz. Or Django/Broomhilda, because their love truly was epic. IDK, but I love the fact that most Django fic is all about Schultz.

Also, there are two Hans Landa/Bridgette Von Hammersmark fics that are SO FREAKING GOOD, OMG. I died. They killed me with their dirtybadwrong sexiness.

Play Dead by lion_heart (Bridgette getting sweet, sweet revenge)

Lying Eyes by lion_heart (Hans is scary sexy. Literally).

On the Korean drama front, I checked out Level 7 Civil Servant and I am quite enjoying it. I mean, I wouldn't call it good considering there are many bits that I ended up fast forwarding through, but the bickering chemistry between the main couple is enough to keep me coming back for more. They are just so damn entertaining together, I can't get enough of them. But when they aren't together, the flaws of the show are too much to take. The parents of both of them are annoying and need to go, the female lead's over-the-top Candy characterization doesn't work for her in the least, the supporting characters aren't very interesting at this point (the parents, the teacher, the bad guys), and the damn show takes way too long to set up a premise that we knew from the beginning. It should have gotten to the bickering hijinks a lot sooner. On the upside, I am digging the spy school stuff, and I am loving Gil Ro's rival (I forget his name, but the dude that got shot by the little girl). And as I said, the two leads are highly entertaining together, so I quite love them (except, you know, when they're apart. Gil Ro is okay on his own, but not very interesting. The girl is annoying/kind of weak on her own, but awesome and strong and witty when she's with Gil Ro). There's a scene in the preview for next week where Gil Ro is yelling at her and says, "Why do you let yourself get treated that way?" and I really have to agree with him. She doesn't let him get away with treating her badly, and yet she's letting the other recruits walk all over her. Grow a spine, damn it! It's just frustrating that she sometimes has one and sometimes doesn't. A lot of people are complaining that Joo Won is too over the top, but I actually think he's done exceptionally well with the material he's been given. In fact, I am enjoying him much more here than I did with Gaksital.

I am still very much enjoying Flower Boy Next Door. I am so, so happy that we are finally getting some decent rom-coms again.

Oh, Eighth Prince...

firthgal — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 07:44:50 GMT

So, for some odd reason, a few weeks ago when I was sick and off for a few days, I decided that I wanted to watch an epic historical romance drama, and Bu Bu Jing Xin caught my eye (I just finished it yesterday). I was skeptical, because it had way more episodes than I am used to, and I had never watched a C-drama before (and the ones I've watched clips of in the past were super cheesy and kind of shoddy looking). And while BBJX started off super cheesy, it was also super pretty and it really drew me in. I'm not even sure why seeing as how Ruoxi annoyed the crap out of me, but the princes, ooooh the princes!

I fell so, so hard for 8th prince. SO HARD. He ended up being such a tragic character, and he was one of those highly ambitious characters with a good heart that I am so damn fond of. His ambition alienated everyone around him and ended up killing him, basically, and I eat that shit up. But oh, the poor guy. His father despised him (nothing was ever good enough for Daddy), his brothers ostracized him as a child because his mother wasn't of noble birth, the woman he was madly in love with resented the crap out of him for indirectly killing the man she was madly in love with, the woman who had reciprocated his love made him choose between her and the throne (and she concluded that she just didn't love him enough to support his fruitless endeavor), and the one person who actually did love and support him through everything ended up killing herself right when he started to appreciate her. And no matter how much he resented Ruoxi for not understanding him and falling in love with Fourth instead, no matter how much his life fell apart because of her, he couldn't stop himself from protecting her every step of the way. EVERYTHING was taken from him but he still cared about Ruoxi's happiness. OH, EIGHTH! Also, when Ruoxi and Eighth were in love, they were so damn happy and adorable and sensual and beautiful, and when they broke up it freaking killed me. And, okay, I understand that Ruoxi did what she did because she didn't love him enough to go down with a sinking ship and she couldn't deal with the inevitable pain, but... I just never understood what she saw in Fourth. Especially since Eighth had made her so happy (she was always such a downer when she was with Fourth). And even through her entire story with Fourth, nothing touched me so much as her final farewell with Eighth. Maybe it's because I had been waiting SO LONG for that closure, for them to acknowledge that they once loved each other and still do, and OMG, it got me. And Eighth just understood. He finally understood and he was at peace with their relationship and he was able to let go of her for good.

Now, Fourth and Ruoxi failed to grab me. I think the scene where he forced a kiss on her turned me off of him in a way where he just couldn't be redeemed. That scene was so random, especially since he had been harmless and cutely awkward around her prior to that. I was fully on board with them up to that point, but then he ruined it all, especially since the show used it as the moment that he got under her skin (she kept flashing back to it whenever she got romantic with Eighth). Ick. Just... ick. It prevented me from enjoying the moments that I otherwise would have, like the constant gift-giving and her sending them all back, his laugh after she said she'd never marry, her treasuring the hair clip, I couldn't enjoy any of it! And when she did finally acquiesce, it didn't feel like it was for love, it felt like she chose him purely because he was the safest option she had. Later we see that she understands him and he understands her in a way that never happened with Eighth, and that's why their love is supposed to work, but... oy vey, I just never felt the love between them. The show told me repeatedly that they were in love, but it never really showed me. The closest it came was the umbrella scene, I think. That scene at least made me accept their romance. But the romance itself just never seemed as epic as the show made it out to be. Bleh. Is it weird that I felt more from Nine and Yutan than I ever did from Fourth and Ruoxi? They only had like thirty seconds of screentime together, and I despised Nine. IDK.

Anyway, my insane love for Eighth is tempting me into watching Palace (which is new on Dramafever). Is it worth it? Has anyone watched it? Is Eighth just as wonderful on Palace as he is in BBJX? Does he get the girl in this one? Does he at least get a sliver of happiness in Palace?

Oh, also, as for k-dramas, I am in mad, deep love with Flower Boy Next Door. SO DAMN GOOD. And naturally I am in love with the older neighbor that has an unrequited crush on her. And I find that I relate to the main character all too well and that freaking scares me. It's mainly her voiceovers where she talks about all the things she should have done but didn't, all the things she wishes she was but isn't, the harsh realizations that she needs to change but can't bring herself to, her fear of letting life in. Damn it, show, stop making me self reflect!

Dear King of Dramas,

firthgal — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 15:59:42 GMT

Thank you for being the awesomest drama of my life. You never once disappointed me, and I will love you forever. Thanks for giving me an ending that made me swoon, laugh, cry my eyes out, and then laugh and swoon all over again. Thank you for giving me such delightful characters. Thank you for giving me Kim Myung Min at his best. THANK YOU FOR BEING THE GREATEST!

With much love,
Firthy

Year in Review: K-dramas

firthgal — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 01:51:20 GMT

I am basically just modifying the 30 day k-drama meme and some year end memes to suit my needs, because if I was to talk about every drama of 2012, it would take too damn long. And, really, there were only a select few that I actually stuck with all the way through. It seems that I was super picky and quite fickle this year. I'd start out loving a drama and then promptly drop it a few episodes later. So, let's see how this meme turns out:

The dramas that you stuck with for better or for worse until the finale did you part

Dream High 2
I Do, I Do
King of Dramas
Take Care of Us, Captain
Rooftop Prince
Ghost
Answer Me, 1997
The 3rd Hospital/The Third Ward
What's Up
Can Love Become Money

Dramas that you never quite finished

Brain
Big
Wild Romance
Gaksital
The Moon that Embraces the Sun
The King 2 Hearts
Arang and the Magistrate
History of the Salaryman
Faith
Full House Take 2
Shut Up, Flower Boy Band
Hero
Padam Padam
Fermentation Family
Color of Woman
Operation Proposal

Your Favorite Kdrama of 2012

King of Dramas, hands down. It hasn't finished yet, but I think it's pretty safe to say that nothing will beat my love for this one unless Anthony happens to randomly die in the end (I'm looking at you, Sign. And considering this drama is by the same writer, nothing's impossible). Anyway, this drama had the best acting of any other drama I watched in 2012, and while the writing isn't exactly flawless, it's damn good. They've managed to take some pretty boring subject matter and turn it into high stakes drama. It's just as if not more exciting than all of the action dramas that I've watched in the past, and the main characters are so beautifully fleshed out and complex and they actually get to grow as people, and I basically love everything about this drama.

Your Favorite Male Lead Character

Anthony Kim from King of Dramas, no contest. First, he's played by Kim Myung Min, so of course he's going to be awesome, and KMM has this way of adding layers to a character that aren't necessarily there in the writing, but the writing in this drama is so great that it's worthy of KMM's devotion to the character. It's all in the details with Anthony. He's seemingly cold and heartless and devoid of morals in the beginning, but you can always see his vulnerabilities. It's mostly KMM's performance there, because by all means I should have hated him in the first couple eps, but you can see hints of this hidden desperateness in him that makes him do the things that he does, and the scene in the first ep where he goes to the funeral of the motorcycle guy that died and is clearly brooding over the man's death showed that he does have plenty of humanity hidden behind his heartless facade. He does what needs to be done in order to achieve his goals, and if that means ruining somebody else, well... he'll do it without blinking. But he's perfectly aware of how horrible he is, and he doesn't really blame anybody but himself for his downfall, even after he learns that it was Oh Jin Wan who was responsible for it. He's aware that he's horrible, but he also believes that he has to be that way in order to survive, in order to not be trampled on, in order to be something in this dirty, despicable world. But then he meets Lee Go Eun and her presence in his life slowly changes his outlook on pretty much everything. He starts to learn that the world isn't so dirty and despicable when he's surrounded by people who are truly on his side and genuinely care about him. He starts to get back to the man that he was before he became Anthony, and it's just a really beautiful thing to watch.

I also want to mention Yoo Bang from History of a Salaryman. While nowhere near as complicated as Anthony, he was definitely just as hilarious, and I loved how even though he was a bumbling hero, he was also pretty intelligent and always managed to succeed.

Your Favorite Female Lead Character

Definitely Baek Yeo Chi from History of a Salaryman. She was badass without having to be physically badass, if that makes sense. She just owned every scene and her romance with Yoo Bang was the cutest thing ever. She didn't take crap from anybody and she cussed like a sailor, even making gangsters blush. She was just super, super awesome and I think I was with her on her journey more than I was with Yoo Bang. She totally stole the show.

Your Favorite Story

Again, I'm going to have to go with King of Dramas. It's basically the story of a corrupt, fallen king who is trying to rise back to the top, and along the way he is learning how to open himself up to other people. He is learning how to forgive himself, which is allowing him to change his corrupt ways and to depend on/trust other people for once in his life, and he is now becoming worthy of being a true king.

Your Favorite confession scene

I adored the confession in What's Up between Oh Doo Ri and Sun Woo. Sun Woo is just like, "Bwuuuuh????" and Doo Ri is so sincere in only the way that an impulsive teenager can be, and their non-romance turned out to be one the greatest love stories of any k-drama ever. I adored the bejesus out of them. I just loved how Doo Ri owned her crush. It wasn't silly to her and she made sure that he knew that. I am entirely convinced that had he not died, Doo Ri could have made him happy. For some reason I will always associate the song Over You by Miranda Lambert with these two. I think the song came out when I was in the midst of my obsession with them, and it just fits their bittersweet love story so well.

Your Favorite Kiss

Does it count if it was just in dream form? Because Anthony and Go Eun's kiss in King of Dramas killed me. IF ONLY IT HAD BEEN REAL! As for kisses that happened in non-dreams, I'd go with the closet kiss in I Do, I Do.

The Worst of the dramas that you watched until the end

Probably Dream High 2. Why I stuck with it I'll never know. It was fluffy fun, I suppose. I wasn't too thrilled with the latter half of Rooftop Prince either, but at least it had plenty of laugh out loud moments to cancel all the badness, unlike Dream High 2.

Your Best Actor

Kim Myung Min all the way.

Your Best Actress

Jung Ryeo Won, not only for History of a Salaryman but also for King of Dramas.

Your Best Couple

Anthony/Go Eun!!!!! The soft smiles, the way they went from enemies to work partners to friends to maybe something more to really can't live without each other was so beautifully done. The show took it slow and really laid the groundwork, and oh man does it make the tension smokin'! I don't usually feel the sexual tension between couples in k-dramas, but these two have UST up the wazoo. I was also super obsessed with Da Jin/Captain Kim from Take Care of Us, Captain, Doo Hyun/Hye In from Third Ward, and Doo Ri/Sung Woo Young from What's Up. But I think Anthony and Go Eun eclipse all of those ships for me.

Most overrated drama of 2012

Moon that Embraces the Sun. WTF even was that drama? It was so damn stupid. How that reached record-breaking ratings is beyond me, but whatever floats your boat. I actually enjoyed it when it was in the childhood stage, but once it got to the adult stage it just got really convoluted and... well... boring.

I kind of also want to say Gaksital, but I don't think it really qualifies since the acting was mostly pretty great and the drama itself wasn't badly written. It just stopped being what I wanted it to be, I guess. I lost interest halfway through. Perhaps one day I'll go back to it now that it's complete and I can watch it all in one go, but I still feel like people praise this drama more than it's really worth.

Most underrated drama of 2012

Pfft, pretty much every drama I loved this year got very little attention and had horrible ratings. I think King of Dramas is the biggest travesty there because the drama is SO DAMN GOOD, but at least it's critically acclaimed if not widely viewed by Korea or by the international audience. I really, truly loved Third Ward, and once it got on track it was actually pretty decent, but very few people watched/cared about it. Take Care of Us Captain was on during the Moon Embracing the Sun mania, so it really got overshadowed, but it was more of a character drama, which rarely pulls in the viewers anyway. Ghost was another excellent drama that didn't get much attention. Not sure how it did in the ratings, but it didn't seem to have that big of a following. I blame the first ep, which was just clunky and misleading as to what the show was really about.

Biggest disappointment for 2012

I think most everyone has said this, but Big was a huge disappointment, especially since it had the talent but lacked the oomph. I rarely finish a Hong Sisters drama anyway, but I usually really dig their dramas until about the tenth or eleventh episode (seriously, it never fails, all but two of their dramas have lost me at that point). It was kind of the same deal here, although I realized earlier on that it was a sinking ship. I think I just stuck with it as long as I did because of Gong Yoo. But I really wanted to see how it ended, and so I watched the last few minutes of the last ep, and... oh, man, that was terrible. What even was that??? I just really wanted this drama to make the boys swap back to their original bodies after the female lead figured out that she was truly in love with the younger boy, and I wanted to see where it would go from there, but the drama never even thought to broach that plotline because it would mean less Gong Yoo. In the end, more Gong Yoo hurt the drama, which is just craziness.

Dropped dramas that you plan on picking back up later

History of a Salaryman - I actually only missed the last couple of eps, but the drama got a little weird towards the end, which kind of turned me off. This drama was so excellent up until that point that it just really threw me off.

Arang and the Magistrate - at the time that this was airing, I got super obsessed with Third Ward, and I find that when I get that obsessed over a drama, there isn't any room for anything else. Not sure why, have never had this problem with American shows, but with k-dramas, all I want is the one that I am salivating for, so, I'll have to pick this one back up when there aren't any dramas that are grabbing me

Dramas that you plan on watching in 2013

So far I am really digging Alice in Cheongnamdong, but I'm not sure if it's one that will manage to keep me when it hits angst mode. Right now the OTP is being super cute and funny and awesome and I really don't want that to end, but they are both lying about who they are, so it'll be interesting to see how the drama makes their romance possible. I just fear what Seung Jo's reaction will be when he finds out that Se Kyung has been trying to seduce Jean Thierry Cha for his money (even though she is legit falling for him without realizing that it's him, but still, he likes her because he thinks she's innocent and everything right in the world, so he'll either be devastated when he finds out she's playing him, or else he'll get really, really angry and try to destroy her).

I am also kind of interested in Level 7 Civil Servant. I am just rom-com starved. We need some good old trendies up in 2013! 2012 was too damn melo. And sageuky. And time travely. I just want cuteness and fluff (which luckily King of Dramas is starting to bring me, but damn, it took it long enough!)

Dearest King of Dramas,

firthgal — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:28:02 GMT

Please stop eating my brain! Or, you know, don't. But stop it with these epic fake-outs, would you? WOULD YOU?

Ep 11 had fake-outs galore, so I should have known that the cliff-hanger would end up being a fake-out, but then you give us this in ep 12? OMG, DYING RIGHT NOW. Do you see how he backs her up into the wall and just goes for it? Did you hear that deep, sexy voice when he said that this is how he's thinking about her? DO YOU SEE THAT INTENSE STARE? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, DAMN IT, SHOW! I hope that their actual, real life kiss is that full of sexual tension. Though I suspect that their actual kiss will be soft and meaningful and all that jazz, which is good, but dayumn. I love that Anthony is a total sexbomb in Go Eun's imagination. And Go Eun being all fluttery over him after the dream was hilarious, especially when Anthony ruined it by being his usual arrogant, blunt self. Go Eun's face was priceless.

When he walks in and rattles off about the ratings:

She is practically drooling right along with me. And then after he concludes that she's never had a boyfriend before because no man can put up with her temper:

HEEEEEEEE, how quickly the crush dissipates. I ♥ them.

King of Dramas!

firthgal — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 16:08:46 GMT

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!

OMG!

I nearly died when he suddenly grabbed her by her scarf and said "What do you think of me? What do you think of me as a man?" EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! Of course, knowing this drama, it'll be undercut by Anthony passing out before anything happens (including a reply from Go Eun) or else one of them will say something that ruins the moment, but OMGOMGOMG!!!!! I can't believe how invested I am in these two. Well, actually, I can seeing as how the drama is keeping this as one of those slow-burning, subtle, subtexty romances that I am such a sucker for. Foes to begrudging work partners to genuine friends to can't live without each other to totally secretly in love with each other to thinly veiled confessions to frustrating obliviousness to ridiculously hot awkwardness. I LOVE THEM. SO DAMN MUCH. And the plot is still exciting and the supporting characters are still lovable. My only real complaint is that the drama should have left behind everything with Empire after Anthony defeated them for the umpteenth time during the whole Kenji incident. Just get over it, Empire dudes! Anthony is better than you in every way! Just leave him alone! Seriously, the conflict within the making of the drama is enough to carry KoD, along with the love story. Let the repetitive machinations of Empire die and focus on the people that we actually care about. Ep 11 had minimal Empire stuff, thank goodness, which is why I think I so thoroughly enjoyed it (well, that and the fact that this ep really upped the tension between Anthony and Go Eun).

That being said, the show still manages to make all the conflicts exciting even when we know that Anthony will always triumph. I guess because he is put into these impossible situations and it's just impressive to watch him find his way out of them. And with each experience he grows just a little bit, just enough for him to open his heart a little more each time to Go Eun and his team.

I am also loving Si Won in this. I never expected to love him so much in anything, let alone a drama where he is acting next to absolute pros. But he is totally stealing pretty much every scene he's in, and I will never cease to be amazed at his charm as Hyun Min. Hyun Min is such a harmless goofball that you can't help but love him. The scene where he's making faces at Min Ah to throw her off during the filming of Kyeongseong Morning, OMG!!!! I love it. Especially his satisfaction at her being reprimanded. I love that he ruffles her feathers and brings her back down to reality. He's a big kid, and Min Ah is like a child who tries to act like an adult, and just... I'm pretty sure I ship them. They are like a childish version of Go Eun and Anthony. I feel like Hyun Min can bring out Min Ah's more human side and Min Ah can help him mature a little bit. I doubt that the drama will go there, though, because it's pretty set on Hyun Min forever being shallow (and you know what? That totally works for him).

I don't care, as long as my Anthony and Go Eun get together. I was squealing during the scene where Anthony makes her act out the scene with him where he wants her to insert a kiss. OMG, THE TENSION! THE TENSION!!!! And Anthony was totally into it, too. Gaaaaaaaah, I love them. I was kind of on the fence about the extension, mainly because I fear that it will extend the focus on the Empire nonsense and therefore hurt the momentum of the plot, but if it gives us more Anthony and Go Eun scenes in the same vein as today's ep, then I 100% want an extension. I just won't be ready to leave these characters behind after only 16 episodes.

HELP!

firthgal — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 22:48:46 GMT

Guys, I am so, so confused. When did Liz Lemon and Criss get engaged? What is all this stuff about the Liz Lemon wedding? WHAT DID I MISS? I'm pretty sure I've seen all the eps this season, and Criss was barely in them. So... when did this happen? Why is 30 Rock throwing a big wedding episode at us out of nowhere??? Whatever happened to Jenna and Paul's wedding? Why am I so out of the loop when I haven't even missed any episodes? Unless there was one on Thanksgiving. I had to work on Thanksgiving night. IDK, IDK.

More King of Dramas: Ep 6

firthgal — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 21:44:27 GMT

First off: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

Anthony is totally a goner. He can hide it all he wants, but he is so secretly enamored with Go Eun. There isn't even a question about it at this point. And Go Eun's playful smiles towards him definitely showed that Go Eun feels a new sort of camaraderie with him, and she can see past his gruff exterior to that soft heart of his, and she feels special for being able to see it. It'll be interesting to see her reaction to the "other woman" now that she feels a little closer to Anthony. I don't think she's into him just yet, but I think she's on the precipice of being interested in him. What with his intellect and melancholy past... He is so her type.

Secondly: AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!!!!!!!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? Somebody just had to get hit by a car, didn't they? DIDN'T THEY? Augh, I swear, of all the drama tropes to take seriously... WHY was she standing in the middle of the road talking on the phone? Why was a car speeding around the corner when there was a cop car right there? WHAT THE FREAKING HELL? ARRRRRRRRRRGH!!!!! Based on the preview it looks like it's leading up to a play on the amnesia trope, so I actually am looking forward to that (I have a sneaking suspicion that Go Eun is just messing with him in the preview).