#love me a revenge story

[deimcs]

CODEX ENTRY / LETTER TO RENDON HOWE

Some of the men are not pleased with your plan. They will incite others against you. For the plan to succeed, our forces must be united. If word gets out, if even one of them informs Cousland, it will be your head on a plate. I say this with all due respect, ser.

Your captain, Lowan.

#daoedit #daedit #dragonageedit #gamingedit #warden cousland #arl howe #rendon howe #dragon age #dao #dragon age origins #nicholas cousland #edits #this storyline + meeting nathaniel in da:a when you're a cousland >> #the angst is simply delicious #love me a revenge story #rendon girlbossing a little too close to the sun and resolving his crush for bryce annihilating his entire legacy #enters the younger sib ♥

[bixels]

Scary Sunset.

I'm concepting things way outta order in this story, but I'm sure you can piece things together. Context is for a storybeat where, after defeating and capturing Adagio (thus having all three sirens in her possession), Sunset enacts her revenge plot to release the sirens on Canterlot as Thea discovers she's been manipulated. In a confrontation, the two scuffle and fight over the siren orbs while Sunset struggles with her conflicting wants and emotions.

#mlp #sunset shimmer #twilight sparkle #twiset #the orbs are the glass balls sunset carries on her back btw its in her cast line up art #deep down sunset hates thea. she was named “twilight” by celestia. the time of day succeeding sunset. she was always her replacement #but at this point in the story sunset's also fallen for thea. so it's also a conflict of wills in sunset. love or hatred. #hence the “don't make me do this” language. she's rationalizing her hatred and violence as thea forcing her hand and getting in her way #when in reality she doesn't need to do any of this. it's her last stand and outburst to cling to a life of revenge that she's grown too #fond of. because she knows thea has the power to change that and disrupt her identity as a pathetic victim who fell from glory #and that's scary. thea's a very scary thing to sunset because suddenly sunset wants something and to be someone new. #she suddenly wants to change. to be better for someone else. and she never thought or believed that could be an option for her #anyways toxic yuri yayyy #my art #the grand galloping 20s #character design #i hope i got across the pained conflicted emotions in sunset's face tho i belabored over them these past 3 days #i hope a look of anger and dissonance and guilt and “oh god i don't really wanna hurt you please just obey me” while trying to intimidate #is readable. if so it's all in the eyebrows babey

[autisticrosewilson]

Every time I see a story, be it canon or fanfic, where Jason is like "wow my morals are kind of fucked up I should never kill again" I have to put it down, close the tab, ect. Because HE WOULD NOT FUCKING DO THAT. We're talking about Bruce's number one fan turned antagonist.

Do you not think he's maybe already considered such a thing?

The thing about Jason is that he's as devoted to his views and sense of justice as Bruce is, maybe with a little more flexibility (i.e. he's willing to temporarily stop killing if it's necessary for his overall goals where Bruce wouldn't be able to kill even if it would benefit everyone in the long run) and any run or story where he completely disregards his own moral compass and personal experience to follow Bruce's rules is just a disservice to his character.

His whole thing is that Batman's methods are ineffective and his unwillingness to either do what needs to be done or let someone else do so is a clear sign that he's not the hero Gotham needs. Jason genuinely believes everything he says about the system, and Bruce's ineffectiveness.

His crime lord era wasn't just a silly little thing he did to fuck with Bruce with the final confrontation as the REAL point of Under the Red Hood, he became a crime lord because he believed it was the best way he could help. The point of Red Hood is protecting Gotham, fucking with Bruce was just a bonus. Like the confrontation wasn't even initially planned, Jason haphazardly threw that at the end of his to-do list after he realized he couldn't just blow up the Batmobile.

Stop reducing Jason's motivations to "get Bruce's attention/make Bruce kill".

#dc #jason todd #bruce wayne #meta analysis #character study #fanon (derogatory) #this doesn't go for stories where he ditches his revenge quest because he realizes what he's actually been looking for is proof he's loved #however that's a whole other post #if you know me you already know my opinion on non dysfunctional batfam #which is to say I don't agree I want them to tear each other apart and I want Jason to dip as soon as possible

[ieidolon]

I think maybe the reason Jonathan gets shafted so often by filmmakers is because he doesn't fit a masculine heroic story structure. For the first ~100 pages, he's basically one of Radcliffe's Gothic heroines. And after that? Well, it's different. But he's still not your modern stoic avenger type. He's emotional and he can't keep a lid on those feelings either. He's got so much anger, but he's also got such deep sorrow and shame, and he doesn't/can't hide it. He shouts, he goes all tense and quiet, he rushes into danger, he weeps, he announces that he'd gladly sell his soul to kill Dracula, he falls to knees and buries his face in the folds of his wife's dress when he feels ashamed of his anger.

I think if you wanted to fit him into a modern movie archetype, the best fit is probably coding him like he's the protagonist of a rape revenge movie. He got abused, he got away, and for a while he was almost content focusing on his own healing... and then he found out his abuser just kept going. Hence the knife, the rage, the shame, etc. But that's not the type of storyline a male hero is supposed to have, right, and so that makes it tempting to either give the role of Dracula's captive to Renfield or let Dracula be Mina's true love or just cut Jonathan entirely.

#Dracula spoilers #Dracula daily spoilers #dracula #Dracula daily #thinking. thinking #It's a revenge story but it's not the right type #btw ever notice how in adaptations he usually gets to be *either* Dracula's victim *or* Mina's loving husband? #eager to find exceptions though! if you've found a good one..... tell me

[dangermousie]

2023 Kdramas I am excited for

We have only a bit over two months in the year left, but it looks like kdramas saved the best for last. Here is the list of kdramas I am excited for...

Boyhood/Once Upon a Boyhood (November 24) - Siwan hasn't done a bad drama and I am in the mood for a nostalgic 80s piece. I am a little amused that a 35 year old is gonna be playing a high schooler, but in a fond way.

Castaway Diva (October 28) - I am very fond of Park Eun Bin and if anyone can sell the whimsy of a tale about a woman who was a castaway and then becomes a pop star, she will. Not fond of the new trend for 12 eps but it is what it is.

Goryeo-Khitan War (November 11) - my most anticipated for the rest of the year. Every casting and crew choice, every promo makes it look like an old school politics and war heavy sageuk that does not cater in the least to youth or even fusion sageuk subgenres and I am here for it so so so MUCH!

Gyeongseong Creature (December) - not a big fan of netflix originals but I am there for the cast and the setting.

The Matchmakers (October 30) - looks like a wacky period romp with Rowoon and Cho Yi Hyun. I don't have high hopes for it because I like my period stuff angsty, but whatever else, it's gonna be pretty pretty pretty!

Moon In the Day (November 1) - except for GK War, my most anticipated for the rest of the year. Reincarnation/time travel story that flashes back between modern day and Silla - GOD YES!

My Demon (November 24) - sounds like shoujo crack about a demon who loses his powers and enters into a contract marriage (of course) with a human. Done many many times before but I am always a sucker for the trope.

Perfect Marriage Revenge (October 28) - first of all, I have a huge weak spot for Sung Hoon. He's a limited actor but between New Tales of the Gisaeng and his role in Faith, he won my heart forever. But also, this plot is so old school melo the way they don't make it nowadays. Our FL is betrayed by her sister and her husband and dies. But she wakes up before her marriage and decides to do things differently and get revenge. She gets married in a contract marriage to our ML, a chaebol (of course) played by sexy Sung Hoon and...doesn't it all sound like those delicious transmigration novels made flesh?

The Story of Park's Marriage Contract (November 24) - I love time travel/time slip stories and the fact that this is a woman who ends up in the modern day where she comes across the dead ringer of her deceased husband makes it high class Durian, plus Lee Se Young is a wonderful actress who rarely picks wrong.

Tell Me That You Love Me (November) - a remake of my favorite jdrama of all time, Aishteiru to Ittekure, this story about the relationship between a deaf painter and an aspiring younger actress is going to give me the adult love story I crave. The fact that the legend that is Jung Woo Sung is back in dramas, and is playing the ML, is just the perfect thing. (His last proper drama was Padam Padam in 2011!!! He is mainly a movie star.)

Vigilante (November 8) - I am just here to see Nam Joo Hyuk kick people in the face.

Welcome to Samdalri (December 2) - Shin Hye Sun and Ji Chang Wook in a romcom mmmmm. I don't have any pics so have:

#kdrama #welcome to samdalri #vigilante #tell me that you love me #goryeo khitan war #moon in the day #my demon #castaway diva #perfect marriage revenge #The Story of Park's Marriage Contract #the matchmakers #Gyeongseong Creature #boyhood #once upon a boyhood

[clubfluffer]

Kdramas deciding to throw all the good stuff at us right at the end of the year and at the same time, and me trying to keep up with them all:

#i am very behind #because I've been watching Professional Masterchef lol #kdramas #my dearest #perfect marriage revenge #strong girl nam soon #moon in the day #a good day to be a dog #the matchmakers #evilive #castaway diva #my demon #the story of park's marriage contract #death's game #welcome to samdalri #tell me that you love me

[treasureplcnet]

btw i love revenge stories i dont think anyone should ever move on peacefully. a bit obsessed with the way weissman went to the synagogue and rabbi and asks, "my choices killed a child. would god take mercy on someone like me?" and the rabbi says "it's not god's mercy you should look for. its the child's" and like you think that would spur this man into charitable activities and to maybe look out for orphans but instead he goes on a 24 hour revenge bender that ultimately ends in two revenge killings and his own death. what's better than righteous anger and wrath and love twisting someone into the worst but also a truer version of themselves <3

#like im not even reaching here. (sort of am. whatever) #rabbi goldstein essentially goes 'think of esther. you need to be a man she would take mercy on. be someone she can forgive' #and it takes all of 10 minutes for karl weissman to decide yeah ok what i need is double homicide #do i think esther would have wanted revenge in her name. dunno. maybe. #she is 11 and very much the victim of this story. maybe she would have wanted karl to just live. kids are cruel and kind in that way #but to be fair this is esther 'fuck with me and you'll hang like a dog' jankovsky #so im willing to believe she was rooting for him #also the immediate choice to make elias suffer by shooting his leg (? maybe arm) before actually killing him #i dont know. the deliberate cruelty right after he visits the synagogue. an act of defiance. giving himself up after its done. it gets me #i love . I LOVE REVENGE :) GREATEST PLOT POINT EVER!!!!!!!! #sorry everyone about the bodies thoughts. i have no idea how long this is going to last #bodies netflix #karl weissman

[cyanide-sippy-cup]

One thing I think many gloss over when it comes to Godzilla is the motivation and personality of each iteration, and how their design reflects that.

Shin is a being of pure agony, a living cancer that kills and destroys as much as it can out of pure rage and hatred at its own existence and those who made it be so. Over the film, it goes from what looks like a dead shark to a monster with razors for teeth and eyes of pure suffering and hate.

Minus One is basically hate personified, a monster that somehow manages to hold a deep personal rage against each and every individual member of humanity. It's hatred runs so deep that it commits actions just to terrify and kill. And it's design forces a terrifying glare, one so viscous you'd believe it really hates you personally.

Monsterverse is more of a disgruntled hero. He kinda gives the vibe of a dude who stands in the corner at a party acting like he doesn't want to be there. He has specific motivations in taking down particular kaiju, motivations that are often confused for attacks. He does what he needs to do and retreats back to the ocean when he's done. And he looks consistently miffed. A face that does lean into a menacing rage when necessary.

Classic goji is, like most iterations, an already existing being from the sea, enraged at the destruction of its home and mutation of itself. It has come to simply destroy, destroy all that has allowed this to occur. It causes hurt and suffering, agony and destruction all in its shared pain and rage. Its design is literally shaped like a mushroom cloud since, yknow, nuke mutation.

#and i can go on and on #showa goji is just a silly funky guy #godzilla #ugh and i love how shin and MO adapt the story of the original #shin focuses on the suffering of the creature. the nuclear mutation caused an immoral suffering. an existence of disgusting agony #MO focuses more on the rageful revenge #and monsterverse has its own little thing going on #i love it #goji is so versatile he can be literally anything and i think that's so fucking cool #gojira #kaiju #toho kaiju #king of the monsters #monster island #anyways hey with the monsterverse headed into silly territory i only ask one thing #PLEASE let me see my boys anguirus and gigan i beg of you. and maybe jet while we're at it #godzilla minus one #godzilla minus 1 #monsterverse #monsterverse godzilla #legendary godzilla #shin godzilla #anyways I'm super late but CONGRATS GOJI LET'S GO #and congrats to the team who put that amazing film together #that Oscar was well deserved #godzilla king of the monsters #ooh and minilla too maybe please 🥺. i bet he'd look real cute with his dumbass face in modern effects #oscars #godzilla oscars

[ifyourereadingthisblinktwice]

just finished the poppy war trilogy what the FUCK WAS THATTTT

#i mean this in the positive way #head in my hands #im gonna strangle rin with my bare hands #me: i love stories where the character becomes the worst version of themselves through the cycle of revenge and vengeance #me when that actually happens: I CANT BELIEVE THEIR ACTIONS CAUGHT UP TO THEM AND TRAGEDY BEFELLED THEIR ENTIRE LIFE!!!!! #ok but actually #how she kinda broke the cycle by choosing to die and not keep going #because how all the others had continued their reign and their wrath and ruined the country more #AND THEN IT CIRCLJNG BACK TOO #cause the whole thing in the first book of ‘why would the red emperor kill his wife if he loved her’ #AND THE NEZHA KILLING HER ON SPEER AS THE HESPARIAMS GET CLOSER AND THE PAIN BECAUSE OF HOW #MUCH HE LOVES HER #love was there and it didn’t change anything. but my god. the love was there #don’t get me started on kitay. i don’t even want to think about kitay. #HEAD IN MY HANNDSSSSS #i think everyone should read this book. btw. #enemies to friends to not lovers to enemies to one killing the other. peak literature #me rambling #the poppy war #the burning god #they weren’t kidding that god really can burn

[syn0vial]

why did no one tell me that the last unicorn is metal af.

like,

#the last unicorn #feeling crazy right now #i thought this was going to be like. PTA-mom-approved coming of age story about a unicorn who gets turned into a princess and falls in love #this is absolutely not what i was expecting and i'm delighted #i love how the harpy is set up as this horrible malicious entity who the sweet kind unicorn must escape before it gets free #but no! as the unicorn says ''oh‚ you are like me!'' #and leaps for joy to see the harpy set free to take bloody revenge on its captors #you are like me. i am like you. we are both forces of nature that are the reckoning of all that attempt to contain us. #the unicorn is immortal. do not run from anything immortal.

[romancemedia]

Thank You 2023 for Giving Romance Anime a ComeBack!

#Sugar Apple Fairy Tale #My Happy Marriage #Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion #The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten #Horimiya The Missing Pieces #Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts #My Love Story with Yamada at Lv999 #Masamune's Revenge #In Another World with My Smartphone #The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent #Anime #Moments #Poster

[noweakergirl]

dare I say... superior trope

#lover gone dark #p.s. for those who don't know sasusaku actually has a happy ending I just love angst #(another fun fact! in the original rots idea padme was meant to kill anakin) #the first and the last quote is from vampire academy (if you know you know) #at first I wanted to make it all about my favorite characters who either went dark or were nearly there (like sam winchester) #but then I decided to go down 'if your beloved goes to the dark side you must save them by either bringing them back or killing them' road #me shipping sasusaku since the age of 10 and then discovering anakin when I was 20 has brought us where we are today btw #being a within temptation stan as a child didn't help either #I love me a story of a good man who has too much power and gets corrupted on his way to revenge mmmm delicious #I don't know how to tag this post cause it's a bit niche but I hope my soulmate people will find it <3 #sasusaku #sasuke x sakura #sasuke uchiha #uchiha sasuke #sakura haruno #haruno sakura #naruto #naruto shippuden #boruto #pro sasusaku #(obviously) #star wars #star wars prequels #anakin skywalker #anidala #vampire academy #otp: irreplaceable partner

[thestarsmakemedream-art]

If you are interested in the wild west, train robbers, a quest of revenge and a beautiful love story, you should definitely read Wild Blue Iris from @sunkenfox !!!

I had the honour to draw the art for it and it was so much fun! The whole concept was so exciting for me with all the green grass frame, the fog and try to show the rain. I never done that before so it was a real challenge. Hope you like it!

@dcwildwestfest

#wild blue iris #deancas wild west fest #dwwf #wild west #train #train robbers #revenge #destiel #love story #dean winchester #castiel #dcwildwestfest #cowboy #cowboys in love #cowboy!destiel #look at them #they are so cute! #ao3 #fanfic #illustration #supernatural #art #artwork #the stars make me dream art #digital art #my art

[lazy30]

I can’t decided— help—

#Tödliche Weltliebe AU is my hanahaki disease au :D #when c!dream love his server but his server doesn’t love him back so he vomiting yellow flower and blood :D #dsmp Star Wars au is a story about sapnap as a jedi who want to seek revenge for his death dad :) #but this is story for another characters too because I will add all of dsmp members! #like about dream past george ambition tommy trying to find his brothers and more :D #rivals duo au creature of the night is about the last werewolf and vampire #dream as a werewolf and techno as a vampire they was the last of they kind #I think I upload about this story in my old twitter but yeah— #werewolf and vampire is wiped by humans so dream and techno hate them #but one day dream start to have interest about human about they culture etch #and techno doesn’t like it :) #I have many sketch about all of this and idk what to dooo— #I have feelings that I need to finish something but idk what— #so please help me decided thank you!

[androdragynous]

i love king lindworm as a story and get so frustrated with so many modern attempts to retell it because like they're good stories but they're not This story. is king lindworm a story about love? not really. is it a story about justice? revenge? not really. king lindworm is a story about being born a monster and knowing from birth that you are something repulsive and unwanted. the lindworm desires not to be human but to be wed before its younger brother. the lindworm wants to at least be granted the birthright of its seniority if it can have nothing else. his intended wives find him too monstrous to love and the maiden who comes after them does not do it out of love. she does not trick him out of his skin because she wants to love him but because she wants the monster gone. there are few versions where the lindworm wants to be human, few stories where the lindworm has a choice. would the lindworm still be wed without his humanity? can the lindworm still be loved? does the blame rest heavier on the shoulders of the unwanted son than it does on those who brought him into the world and loathed him for being in it? i am feeling normal about the lindworm.

#patch me through to palaven command #king lindworm #king lindworm is not beauty and the beast and thats okay thats good you can have other perspectives #on a story that arent this is about love or this is about revenge #where are my retellings where the lindworm is a metaphor for being disabled or being trans #about the greed in the rights of kings and the cruelty with which a family can cast out impurities to serve their image #is anyone listening. is this thing on #lindwormposting

[dangermousie]

2023 End of Year Post - kdrama edition

Yes, we have a some of December left, and I want to check out Death's Game but whatever. I got time for this now and not sure if I will have later so here goes.

This is only going to cover kdramas that aired in 2023; if I watched it but it was made in a different year, it’s not on the list. This was an excellent kdrama year, the likes of which we hadn't had in a long time.

DRAMAS WATCHED

In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality so pls don't come for me, fans of some popular dramas that are on my nope list. Also, I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list.

33. The Escape of the Seven - this is so aggressively stupid and mean that it feels like the makers are playing a practical joke seeing how much their audience will take. This has a season 2 coming, so the answer is a lot.

32. Behind Your Touch - the FL gets superpowers by touching people's and animals' butts. Yes, you read this right. Do I really need to add anything?

31. King the Land - yes, it was a hit. Yes, it stars popular actors. I HATED IT LIKE IT TOUCHED MY BUTT TO GET SUPERPOWERS!!! Plastic people in paint by the numbers story, with about as much genuineness or retability as a barbie aisle in walmart. I never expect much from Yoona so whatever, but to have LJH go from The Red Sleeve to this boggles the mind.

30. Mrs Durian - this is so dumb that I think I lost a few IQ points watching this, but its insanity becomes entertaining - I mean what kdrama can you name where a daughter in law declares her love and lust for her mother in law at a family dinner?

29. The Matchmakers - there is nothing offensive about this drama at all. But there is nothing in the least interesting either. If elevator music took drama shape, it would be this show.

28. Destined with You - sorry, Rowoon, I am still fond of you, but you are two for two in drama duds department this year. This is a drama where I loved ep 1, liked ep 2, was indifferent to 3 and...you get the point. Each ep was worse than the one before, and I bailed before I was dragged into a cosmic singularity.

27. Oasis - great first two episodes. Unfortunately it was not a two ep show. The performances are solid but the story is just not there - the effect is like a fancy chef making an amazing sauce to put on pig slop.

26. Boyhood - it's not you, it's me in action. I can see why people would like it but a 34-year old playing a high schooler in a Weak Hero Class 1 Slapstick Edition is no go for me.

25. Castaway Diva - it's so precious and kooky in the most annoying ways, with the most well-adjusted abused castaway in history. I like magic realism when done by Jorge Amado, but this ain't Amado.

24. Island - it had a good concept, good cast and fun visuals but the execution deserved one of ML's swords through the neck.

23. The Worst of Evil - if I wanted an American show, I'd watch one. Very solid performances though.

22. Song of the Bandits - period edition of what I said about The Worst of Evil.

21. Welcome to Samdalri - and goodbye to any hope of emotional involvement.

20. Joseon Attorney - I have yet to like a single sageuk centered around a profession and this was not an exception. I guess it could be worse but it also could have been so much better.

19. Twinkling Watermelon - everyone loved this drama. Everyone except for me. It's the kind of precious that sets my teeth on edge and I couldn't stand half the main characters we were supposed to root for. I guess I like my fruits to shine steadily.

18. Our Blooming Youth - probably the biggest disappointment on this list. This is not a bad drama by any means, but with that cast and that story (I loved the novel), I was hoping for a memorable sageuk not merely all right.

17. Vigilante - it has the emotional complexity and nuance of a punch to the throat but it gives us quasi-gay openly-murderous dudes going after psychos and Yoo Ji Tae holding feral Nam Joo Hyuk by his hoodie at his feet.

16. The Forbidden Marriage - expected nothing but it was a surprisingly enjoyable trifle of a costume drama that was also quite pretty.

15. Arthdal Chronicles: Sword of Aramun - a hot mess but such an entertaining epic one. And it gave us TWO Lee Jun Kis in period gear and who am I to cavil at the bounty of God?

14. The Story of Park's Marriage - it's a trifle, a souffle, so light it might blow away, but it keeps my attention and is so fun and sweet.

13. My Lovely Liar - a huge surprise, that manages to mix a murder mystery and a romcom, and shocked me by showing Hwang Minhyun can act.

12. Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 - the original ToNT was my fave drama of its year and I did not think it needed a sequel. But this is not a sequel but more of a side-quel and is such a total delight with brotherly love, adventures, romance and hijinks. It's a joy.

11. Perfect Marriage Revenge - it's actually very hard to do a soap right but this slim 12 ep drama managed. So fun, so crazy, such a good ship!

10. My Lovely Boxer - not really about sports, but about two broken people finding salvation because of and in each other. Also, if you like age gap romances, this is delicious. Sort of loses steam by the end but c’est la vie.

9. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse - this was a sageuk that was not on my radar with a bunch of actors I was not familiar with but it took my heart away. A good plot that was perfectly paced, characters and ships I adored, a logical ending. This is one of the biggest positive surprises of the year for me.

8. Tell Me That You Love Me - a slice of life remake (sort of, it's more "inspired by") of my favorite jdrama of all time. It's not as good as the jdrama because nothing could be, but it's an aching lovely story with some incredible performances.

7. See You In My 19th Life - funny and romantic and haunting and hopeful and odd. This was one of my favorites of the year.

6. Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow - it's rare for me to like a (1) sequel (2) with FL actress change (3) that is a Hong Sisters drama. But this was such a gorgeous, surprisingly achy story of love and loss and love regained with some cool monster fighting in the middle. Between the two seasons, this is the first Hong Sisters' drama I enjoyed from beginning to end in well over a decade.

5. My Demon - so tropey (chaebols, supernaturals) but it proves that these tropes are popular for a reason. The chemistry is fire, the story is unpredictable and the whole thing is an addictive delight. A rare drama where I like each new ep more than the last one.

4. Goryeo Khitan War - an old school sageuk in every meaning of the term (no romance, no eye candy, lots of bearded men, battles and politics), this feels like watching an epic movie more than a drama. The vast cast all earns their place and the performances (mainly from character actors given a chance to shine) are incredible.

3. Call It Love - two very very damaged people finding love and healing with each other. This is a narrative very hard to do to my satisfaction but when it's done well, as here, there are few things that can hold a candle to it.

2. My Dearest - a masterpiece of cinematography, narrative, performances. This is an old-school epic romance in the best sense of the term. If it doesn't make you swoon or break your heart, there is something wrong with you. A story of two untraditional, strong-willed, flawed people who fall in love in the middle of the horrifying Qing invasion of Korea and have to deal with all that the world throws at them, this is a bona fide masterpiece.

1 - Moon in the Day - who knew my favorite kdrama of the year will star a store brand Domyoji from Extraordinary You and an actress I was never familiar with. But this part period/part modern fantasy tale of doomed cursed lovers is everything I knew I wanted and everything I didn't know I wanted but did. Two lovers where their love did not save them and in modern day it might not again, has got me obsessed the way I haven't been in years.

FAVORITE DRAMA

Moon in the Day - if there is such a thing as a drama made perfectly for me, this gorgeous, emotionally haunting, utterly romantic, twisty tale is it.

WORST DRAMA

The Escape of the Seven. This drama is proof that demons exist and not sexy ones like Song Kang but horrible nasty ones who delight in the torment this hot mess inflicted on its viewers.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Do Ha, Moon in the Day - a Silla general and a consummate killer who committed atrocities on the orders of his monster father and yearned to die for them, who found the meaning in life in loving his enemy but it did not make him better, a man so obsessed he literally was around for 1500 years of horrifying ghostly existence and still went "worth it" for a woman who killed him as long as he knew she loved him while she did it. He's intense and competent and beyond fucked up and has never had a normal day and I love him so so so very much from a safe distance.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Gil Chae, My Dearest - she starts out as vain and spoiled but the horrors that break so many others bring out all her fierce survivor potential and she becomes such a force of nature - capable of incredible love but also sacrifice and strength and compassion.

Runner Up: Shin Hye Sun's reincarnator in See You In My 19th Life - quirky, damaged, strong, so odd and so vulnerable at once.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

There are a lot of characters who fit that category (King Injo in My Dearest? My God) but the crown belongs to So Ri Bu from Moon in the Day. You think you've seen abusive parents but until you've seen a man abuse his son his whole life and then continue for 1500 years after his death, you ain't seen nothing!

FAVORITE SHIP

The doomed by the narrative OTP of Moon in The Day. Only thing that's better than enemies to lovers is enemies while lovers and their impossible relationship where her killing him is a supreme act of love and his refusing to let go is so strong that he stays around for 1500 years watching her, helpless as she dies over and over again, is everything you ever want.

Runner up: Jang Hyun/Gil Chae, My Dearest. They are so strong and so damaged and it takes them so long to figure out what they feel and what the other person feels but their love and sacrifice and complexities are perfect.

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Kim Shi Yeol/Hong Joo, The Secret Romantic Guesthouse - an assassin bodyguard pretending to be a carefree scholar and a widow of the man he killed to protect his king (and whose life was destroyed as a result.) I enjoyed the main OTP of this drama but I was utterly and completely unhinged for the secondary couple.

I'd have probably picked Rang and his mermaid from TotNT 1938 even over them, but they really were the main OTP of that drama.

NOTP

King the Land couple seems like an easy target but honestly, they are both so terribly bland and antiseptic and marketing by committee, they kinda deserve each other. So I am gonna go with Destined with You, one half of which thinks supernaturally roofying someone into loving them is cute and the other half thinks dating one woman while wooing another is totally a-ok. Ugh.

FAVORITE SCENE

There is no competition for the scene in the slave market in My Dearest, where Jang Hyun finds Gil Chae - the way he screams and tries to clutch the hem of her skirt will live in my head forever.

And the scene where he 'wins' that horrifying bet, or the scene where she finds him in a pile of bodies - they are as good also. Or when he fights off a squad to protect her even though he's sick. That whole drama is perfect.

Runner up: the scene of Do Ha executing Ri Ta's family, covered in blood, as she looks at him from the crowd in Moon in the Day.

Or the scene where he talks about how he cannot live as a person but at least maybe she will kill him and he will die as one. Or when her confession in the past intercuts with his walking in the present, or when he comes home in his bloodied armor and she finds he has a fever and it's the first tender touch he's probably ever known. Her murdering So Ri Bu saying she knows she's going against filial piety in loving her parents' murderer, the way they hug, both bloody, as he says "let's live." The way she says she can't go on as she's hit rock bottom and he replies she cannot quit because she must accompany him to his rock bottom now. Honestly, the drama is a font of amazingness.

Also, the opening scene of Goryeo Khitan War or the scene of Yang Gyu ordering to shoot the captives and having to do so himself.

The OTP meeting again at the intersection at the end of ep 1 of Tell Me That You Love Me. SHS comforting ABH as he's having a traumatic breakdown in 19th Life. The love-making scene in Call It Love. There were a lot of great scenes this year.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Lee Jang Hyun, My Dearest - is that even a competition? He's flawed - vain, often emotionally closed off, not great at processing emotions, lashing out when hurt. He is also incredibly heroic in a real, knows the cost but bears it, kind of way. Whatever he does, he commits utterly but it's never without understanding the cost. He felt both larger than life and utterly real. He went through hell and maintained his soul and the way he loved Gil Chae was breath-taking to behold.

Runner Up: Yang Gyu, Goryeo Khitan War - an experienced military commander who wins an impossible victory even as it ravages his soul. Competence is sexy as fuck.

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Rang, Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 - 1938 really was Rang's chance to shine and he took it. For a character I started out disliking in the original, he really stole my entire heart in this drama. I am so glad he got his happy ending with his brother and his girl.

Runner Up: Crown Prince, My Dearest. He started out as a sheltered, spoiled aristocrat, convinced the world owed him for existing. He grew up slowly and painfully into an amazing man. And then was murdered for it and I cried.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

Arthdal - it leaves the story at a good stopping point but it's very much a "world in flux, adventures and conflicts continue" ending and I would love to see more of these characters. I know we won't but it would have been nice.

NEEDS SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Behind Your Touch - should have been snipped at birth.

TOO MANY SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Vigilante - I don't mean it had scissors taken to it because it's not cdrama and there is no NRTA, but this drama would have benefitted from being longer. I mean, I love fights and gay polycules as much as the next tumblr person but a bit more character development would not have come amiss. (ahaha - I said come. Leave me alone.)

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

I don't care about cops/doctors/trash collectors/whoever - workplace drama centering on their "cases" needs to die. I hate procedurals from any country and Korea is no exception.

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

Supernatural critter devoted to their OTP with all the power of their long life.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Our Blooming Youth - it was far from terrible but it was a giant meh. I was so excited to see Park Hyung Sik in a sageuk (that wasn't the hot mess that was Hwarang) and I adored the source novel. It actually started well and then...it's like Revenge of the Beige!

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

I want to say Moon in the Day but to be honest, I was excited by posters and trailers so it wasn't wholly a surprise despite not having much of an opinion on the actors before I saw them. So I am going to say My Demon. I was bored by the trailers, I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a Kim Yoo Jung drama and before this year I would have said Song Kang was an incredibly limited actor in everything I've seen him in and not appealing to me at all. And here I am rabidly rabiding for this drama!

If I am not limiting myself to dramas but can use this for actors - Hwang Minhyun in My Lovely Liar. I genuinely did not think the man could act and then he gave such a pitch-perfect, nuanced performance out of nowhere!

2023 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

I have actually watched all the kdramas that aired this year that I wanted to check out except for Evilive. I am saving this for when I have time.

BEST NON-2023 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2023

I don't know if I'd say it's the best but Say You Love Me (2004) with Kim Rae Won as a quasi monk seduced away from his true love by an evil older woman was a hell of a ride.

MOST ANTICIPATED

Love Song for Illusion (Lady assassin falls for her royal target who has two personalities), Captivating the King (lady spy falls for her royal target who is tormented) - notice a theme? Also Flower that Blooms at Night because Honey Lee in a sageuk, The Life of Mrs Ock (Lim Ji Yeon in a sageuk), The Love Story of Chun Hwa (an "erotic" sageuk, hmmmm, what?!), Hong Rang (Lee Jae Wook in a super angst sageuk), Queen Woo (that cast and set in Goguryeo!), Wong Kyung (about Lee Bang Won's wife and I love the cast.) Basically, if it's period, I am there with bells on.

#kdrama #year in review #my dearest #moon in the day #call it love #tell me that you love me #goryeo khitan war #tale of the nine tailed 1938 #tale of the nine tailed: 1938 #The Secret Romantic Guesthouse #my demon #the story of park's marriage contract #perfect marriage revenge #Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow #see you in my 19th life #my lovely boxer