#quite honestly this cast is stellar and they are bad for my health in the best possible way

[depressedyeehaw]

KDRAMA REC

these are dramas I’ve watched. favorites in no particular order (except Goblin, it’s my favorite.) I tried not to put too much into the details because I didn’t want to spoil anything but yeah. I’ve seen quite a few now so why not.

* Goblin (Guardian: the Lonely and Great God)

buckle up because you’ve got a tired goblin, a socially inept grim reaper, and ghost seeing high schoolers that become housemates and your best friends.

if you’re not new to the Kdrama world then you’ve definitely heard or seen this drama and how fucking great it is. whether it’s the stellar cast or the beautiful soundtrack, it didn’t get its reputation for nothing.

it’s got romance, bromance, lots of humor, past and present collisions, the ability to make you depressed, and Gong Yoo.

Hush - Linde Lindh (the OTS is so beautiful)

what more could you want?

* Healer

do you like spy or spy-esque genres? Ji Chang Wook? a dash of betrayal? then I’ve got the drama for you!

an errand boy for hire gets put in a sticky situation that involves a girl that he just can’t seem to shake, their past, and some politics that really put his identity in jeopardy.

it’s a lot of storylines that really tie together well in the end.

when you hold me tight - Yael Meyer

bad boy is actually soft and soft girl don’t take shit.

* The Legend of the Blue Sea

another fantasy that includes the past and present, but with MERMAIDS.

a mermaid who’s just trying to get this boy, but can’t exactly function well in society since she was in the ocean her whole life.

and a con artist who just can’t seem let her go.

the secondary cast are great and I love them.

this drama is hilarious, like first episode you’re gonna laugh within the first 10 min. it’s probably my second favorite.

it’s got TWO umbrella scenes AND a claw machine.

crying may happen so bring a plastic bag.

* Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

another favorite.

your main girl is a weightlifting, independent woman who don’t need no man but boy does she like him.

and your main guy is a swimmer with PTSD and he’s such a sweet BOI

the trio is so funny I wanted to die.

sets high standards for your boyfriend so watch out.

sheds light on mental health and eating disorders.

no bad blood really, just really wholesome x1.

* Fight My Way

four friends just trying to follow their dreams even tho they’re tight on money.

leading lady is so fed up, just wants to be an announcer.

leading boy is not far behind her, lowkey misses being a fighter.

my favorite drama with Park Seo Joon.

the aeygo is strong with this one.

really wholesome x2, you’ll love it.

don’t punch with your thumb tucked under your fingers, you’ll break it

* What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?

she just wants to live her own life, that’s what.

she’s been his secretary for like 9 years and just wants to be done with it.

the whole brooding, egotistical boss thing kinda turned me off but you gotta give it a chance.

lowkey twisted.

another Park Seo Joon (I watched this before watching Fight My Way and lemme tell you, the whiplash was real)

same actress from Healer, she’s so G O O D

the side romances are great

* She Was Pretty

last one with Park Seo Joon I swear

it was pretty decent, also the first drama I ever watched (thank you YouTube algorithm)

instead of egotistical boss, you get a prick instead (I’m still salty about it okay)

they were friends, lost touch. and now they’re back together but get this, she ain’t who he thinks she is.

and he’s her boss on top of that.

main lead is so pretty (she IS pretty) she’s just so optimistic and empathetic.

second lead syndrome so tread carefully.

ending is cute, I’ll give it that.

* Touch Your Heart

if you liked the two Goblin characters (not the main two, I wish) then you’ll want to watch this after Goblin.

literally so fucking cute.

I’m not kidding, I got cavities from this shit.

had to pause multiple times because of how cringely cute it was.

she’s just an actress trying to method act for her lawyer role.

and he’s the lawyer who’s just so done but then he’s not!

* Because This Is My First Life

one needs money and one needs a room.

THERES A CAT

honestly such a wholesome x3 drama that makes you think.

is marriage all that??

Marriage - MoonMoon (it is all that)

really shows how sexism affects women in the workplace

kinda slow burn

* Cheese in the Trap

Kim Go Eun is a delight, I love her.

based off a popular WEBTOON by the same name.

apparently controversial because of that.

also SLS so be careful.

college is hard and not just because of classes.

basically college girl has a bad past experience with popular guy but suddenly he’s asking her to eat with him and it’s confusing her.

and then he’s not also what he seems.

wish it had more about the main guy because he was just so interesting (read the webtoon cause it’s actually really good)

also has a movie with some of the same cast (I watched it right after finishing the drama and it’s not as in depth obviously but the ending is better)

* The K2

action packed

the soundtrack is lit

Ji Chang Wook could kick my ass and I’d thank him.

boy gets caught in some high stakes politics and ends up as a bodyguard.

very political and it was hard for me to follow at times.

I’d die for Anna.

who do you trust? Idfk

the guy is literally so fed up 90% of the drama

iconic umbrella scene.

* Hotel Del Luna

when I die, you’ll find me at Hotel Del Luna: the hotel for the dead.

okay the main guy looks like he’s thirty but he’s actually 22 in this wtf that’s younger than me. I feel WRONGED.

you’ll love the entire hotel crew.

owner: she’s a problematic fav

the new manager: he’s just trying his best

OST is a bop.

lotta past and present overlapping in this and it’s great

* Oh My Venus

this one was cute but also problematic to me

pretty girl in high school became a chubby lawyer.

lotta relationship drama and cringe.

and the entire drama is about her losing weight and falling for stoic but actual soft boy “coachenim”.

ending could have been so much better oh my G O D.

probably my least favorite but I didn’t genuinely enjoy most of it.

* Suspicious Partner

lawyers, prosecutors, and murders OH MY!

you got an angry boi and a hot mess of a girl

hot mess gets herself in a bigger mess and becomes a murder suspect.

angry boi gets more angry

I have never yelled at a drama more than this one, jesus it was a ride.

the romance is there but in small doses.

forty 30 min episodes (20 hours)

hey look, Ji Chang Wook is in this one too.

* Descendants of the Sun

a soldier and doctor hit it off but then their moral views conflict with their romantic interest.

they go separate ways but then PLOT TWIST

surprise, doc. I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me.

the bromance is real in this one too.

Touch Your Heart recreated the iconic helicopter scene p e r f e c t l y

will add more as I continue to watch.

#kdrama rec #i got these gifs from google so if one made by one of you guys please let me know and ill remove it or give credit up to you #kdrama recommendations #kdrama #goblin #wfkbj #legend of the blue sea #suspicious partner #healer #cheese in the trap #oh my venus #hotel del luna #because this is my first life #whats wrong with secretary kim #fight my way #blah blah blah kdrama

[nighttimepixels]

What if reader was a mage? And how do the lilytale girls feel about mages?

An excellent question! In general, I tend to not hc that humans as they are when monsters Surface have many mages, or that there’s a big snap of magic or some such that re-introduces magic immediately - not that I hate the idea, quite contrary, it’s super cool and I’ve seen people do rad stuff with it! I just like working with the fun constraints that nonmagic readers have when interacting/getting to know the cast.

That said, what I do like to imagine is that essentially, monsters are natural sources of magic; just like humans exhale CO2, and trees/plants make oxygen… monsters sort of ambiently exude magic!

Basically, for me, it plays out that the longer monsters are on the surface, the wider they spread and get to do their thing, the more ambient magic returns to the world at large. When monsters were sealed away, so too was magic; whatever ambient bits were left behind (fauna or flora) eventually faded away, no longer ‘encouraged’/’fed’ by a source of natural magic. Monsters just… inspire it in their surroundings, without conscious effort (but with conscious effort can exponentially increase it, eg magical farming).

So as time passes, and ideally as monsters are recognized as sentient beings with their own equitable rights and so on, magic slowly begins to be cultivated in the world again - including in humans! It’s not a given that a human/monster couple that has a kid together will be a mage, but it’s a higher chance… and there’s higher chances of humans developing mage-like powers, or tapping into some magic ability or other, at least a little.

(more below the cut, including actually answering your question, woops)

And again, the more it’s cultivated (and the more the human is around monsters in a positive way), the more likely it is to happen - but time =/= stronger powers or anything, just the likelihood that some sort of magical ability will develop, period. Think… magically green thumbs, or maybe someone with a knack for ‘healing’ (maybe not broken bones, but minor cuts/bruises, or a knack for mental health healing eg can help people in panic attacks/seizures/traumatic episodes…), or with certain helpful resistances to an element (cold & heat being the most noticeable ones), or empaths, etc etc. Stuff that won’t necessarily grow into WizardryTM, but is definitely magical at its core!

Basically, the more monsters around, the more magic as both external and internal resource can be recognized/felt/cultivated. To what degree will strongly depend, and time is needed to make it ‘common’!

… Woops, I kinda Went Off on this one. My bad, I love magic systems and general worldbuilding structural things, heheh.

(⊙ヮ⊙|||)… oh shit you had an actual question wait-

As for the lilytale crew’s reaction, haha:

In this case, it’d turn into ‘Reader spends so much time/positive intent exposure to the lilytale girls, that perhaps some magical abilities begin to unlock over time! Most of the crew would be intrigued, honestly, but Blade, Pepper, Crimson, and Serif would be… more wary. All the girls are a little uncertain- there’s been a few reports of curious instances, a bit of buzz in the magical science community about this possibly happening as what I described above seems to be true of the physical environment in particular, and monsters can’t help but think of the story of it being mages that erected the barrier, after all…

But!

They’re all hopeless nerds and at this point have spent a significant time around Reader, and ergo the wariness is tempered by enough Friendship Points that they’re not upset. The aforementioned girls will just be a bit more inclined to really figure out what your limits/effects are, heh. And Blade in particular will be blunt as she often is, and say she’d prefer to know what you’re capable of before you come around to visit Twist again, if the powers show up when you’re not around.

… Of course, all the girls are dead curious badumtsh, so prepare for a lot of weird tests that almost seem like strange pranks and/or tests of courage to see if you develop any ‘extra’ abilities besides what likely showed up - something like an accidental knack for growing plants with a magical boost, or a bit of tech-type magic, or maybe infusing whatever you cook with a natural bit of healing magic.

… It’s gonna be a very silly, and wild, few months until household hijinks settle back into their usual level, or rather, at least don’t primarily focus on you XD

And with any luck… you’ll be willing to talk at length to Serif, who is the most likely to tug you aside and explain the cultural… snags, as well as offer/request a bit of a scientific approach to nailing it down, if you’re willing. It might seem intimidating, however laidback she is about it, but if you accept not only will your bond with Serif grow, you’ll also find she’s actually a stellar teach with a knack for boiling down complicated topics and finding layman’s answers to any question you may have about magic/souls/etc.

#night answers #lilytale asks #oops i did a worldbuilding #again #*sweats* #thanks for this question though!! #I ended up saying more than I meant to woops #getting back into the lilytale swing with some substantive questions heheh #Anonymous

[lady-divine-writes]

Klaine Advent One-shot: The Hallmark of a New Christmas Tradition (Rated PG13)

Summary: With their plans canceled and a cherished Christmas tradition persona non grata, Kurt and Blaine come up with a new tradition - writing and starring in their own Hallmark-style movie. (1305 words)

Notes: Written for the Glee Potluck Big Bang prompt 'Hallmark' and the Klaine Advent 2019 prompt 'tradition'. Also, I'm embarrassed at how quickly it took to write this XD

Read on AO3.

“Ugh! Hallmark!” Kurt groans, closing his browser and tossing his phone across the sofa in disgust. “You disappoint me.”

“I take it you heard about the Zola thing, too, huh?” Blaine asks, retrieving the discarded phone and dropping on a cushion beside his husband.

“Yup.” Kurt snags his phone back, but only as an excuse to grab his husband’s leg and yank it over his lap. “Well, good riddance to bad rubbish.”

“Rubbish? I thought you loved Hallmark movies!”

“Sort of.” Kurt shrugs. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated?” Blaine snorts. “It’s Hallmark.”

“Yes, but it’s formulaic! And that formula is repetitive … and kind of sexist. It’s something you have to be in the mood for.” Kurt shifts in his seat to better face his husband. “When you put on a Hallmark movie, you know what you’re going to get – successful woman with no time for family or holiday nonsense gets pulled away from an extremely important career-making decision to travel, last minute, to the small town where she grew up and care for her ailing ma/pa/grandma who raised her or whatever, and discovers the true meaning of Christmas in the arms of a rugged lumberjack who spends the first three-quarters of their so-called relationship making fun of her life decisions even though, in the grand scheme of things, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them, besides maybe the fact that she’s going to be thirty in a few years, le gasp!, and she has yet to pop out any kids.”

Blaine’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise when Kurt finally takes a breath. “Wow. You gave that no thought at all, did you?”

“Don’t have to. Think about it. They never change.”

Blaine’s eyes roll up as he tries to recall the plot of the last few Hallmark movies they watched. He finds himself nodding without even meaning to, his husband’s point proven. “I see what you mean.”

“Plus, no LGBTQ couples ever. At all. Not even in the background.”

“That is a shame,” Blaine agrees, eyes focused on the phone in Kurt’s hands, up to his face, then over his shoulder to the window beyond, where a steady stream of snow has been falling all morning, gathering on the panes and obscuring their view. According to the news, it’s piling up fast, which pretty much 86’d the plans they’d made to visit a bed and breakfast upstate. They’d changed back into their pajamas and opted for their fallback tradition – watching Hallmark movies. But without even asking, he knows that’s out.

Blaine grins. He’d been bummed about their circumstances before, but now he sees an opportunity. The phone, the snow, this whole conversation has given Blaine a stellar idea.

“Seeing as we’re snowed in for the weekend, maybe we can try our hands at making our own Hallmark movie! You and I can star in it!”

Kurt’s right brow arches sharply. “Are you serious? Or is this some veiled excuse to make a cornier-than-normal sex tape?”

“I’m serious! We used to do something similar back in high school! Remember?”

“Normally I try to forget high school, but yes. I remember.”

“Great!” Blaine says, genuinely excited. “Let’s start! Open up your notepad and let’s come up with a script.”

Kurt stares at his husband open-mouthed for a second, but since Blaine honestly looks like he wants to do this, he unlocks his screen and opens his notepad. “All right. Well, casting this thing shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Why not?”

“For one thing, I work for Vogue, so I get to be the career woman protagonist.”

“Plus you have a dad with a history of health problems …”

“No!” Kurt snaps, less than playfully. “We’re not including that. It’s bad juju.”

Blaine puts up both hands in surrender. Burt’s health has always been a sore spot with Kurt, even now when the man is certifiably fit as a fiddle. But Blaine can understand his fear – even if it’s more superstitious than rational. No need to take unnecessary chances. “Fair enough.”

“We can make up a fictitious ailing grandmother?” Kurt suggests in a softer, apologetic tone.

“Or a pet.”

“Ooo, that’s good!” Kurt jots that down. “People get invested in pets more than people nowadays anyway!”

“I guess that makes me the jerkhole lumberjack,” Blaine says sadly, having not thought this completely through.

“No!” Kurt puts a hand on his husband’s shoulder and kneads comfortingly. “We’ll make you the … uh … cynical struggling musician with a heart of gold!”

Blaine’s eyes light up. “I like it. I like it a lot! And I’m not from the small town. I’m just passing through.”

“Ooo …” Kurt makes a note “… a mysterious stranger with a past. Okay. Now, I come home because my dog …”

“Cooper.”

“Cooper!” Kurt laughs. “Perfect! My dog Cooper …”

“A thirteen-year-old, blind, shaggy mutt with three legs and chronic gall stones …”

Kurt stops writing to take a gander at his bitter husband. “Uh … is there something you need to pause and work out here, or can we continue?”

“Oh!” Blaine yelps as if he may not have intended to say that all out loud. “No! Continue! By all means.”

Kurt shakes his head. “I come home because my dog Cooper needs emergency surgery. And my dad thinks it’s the perfect opportunity to convince me to move back home and work with him in his shop … despite the fact that my character makes close to seventy-five thousand dollars a year.”

“Where do I come in? Where do I come in?” Blaine asks, bouncing up and down like a toddler mainlining Pixie sticks.

“You showed up in town the week before. No home, no job, no money. And your car …”

“My Harley,” Blaine corrects with an eyebrow wiggle.

“Oh, yes, your Harley needs repairs. But you can’t afford them. So you’re going to work the bill off at my dad’s shop.”

“That sounds like something your dad would do.”

Kurt smiles fondly. “Yeah, it does. Bonding over beers at the only bar in town, he finds out you’re gay, and so he connives you into helping him. You know, using your masculine wiles.”

“He gets me to seduce you? In exchange for repairing my bike? So you’ll stay and work in his shop?”

“A-ha.”

Blaine frowns. “That sounds kind of sleazy.”

“Yes, but this isn’t real life. Remember? It’s Hallmark. And it’s right on brand.”

“Surprisingly, it is. What else?”

“But you’re a drifter. A nomad. You don’t want to put down roots, not until you’ve scored that big time record contract. And my dad doesn’t want that for me – going on the road with you. So the deal is as soon as you get me to agree to stay, quit my job and sell my penthouse, you’re going to break up with me and leave.”

“So your dad doesn’t really like me?”

“No, sweetheart!” Kurt takes Blaine’s hand, kissing away the sliver of hurt in his husband’s voice. “He does! And in the movie, he’ll come around.”

“All right.” Blaine kisses Kurt’s hand back, momentarily soothed. “If we’re going to act this out, where do we begin? Should I throw on some jeans and a flannel? Grab my guitar?”

“We just got back into our pajamas. And I don’t know about you, but I’m really cozy …” Kurt chews the inside of his cheek, mischief and a smile twitching his lips. “I say we jump ahead to the epic cookie baking montage.”

“Doesn’t that usually happen before the equally epic first kiss?”

“A-ha. Which leads to making out on the sofa. And then …”

“Sex tape?” Blaine meets Kurt’s mischievous grin with one of his own. Kurt flashes his phone screen Blaine’s way, the camera app already open with the perspective flipped so Blaine sees his own grinning face.

“You read my mind.”

#klaine advent 2019 #klaine advent: tradition #gpbb drabble december #klaine fanfic #klaine fanfiction #frankie writes

[the-desolated-quill]

Joker - Quill’s Quickies (No Spoilers)

Joker is proving to be an extremely divisive film. Some think it’s the best thing since The Dark Knight. Proof that comic book movies can be art too. Others think it’s pretentious Oscar bait with nothing interesting to say.

And that’s not to mention the controversy surrounding the film as people wonder whether this will incite violence in white men (which I’m not going to touch with a barge pole, at least not here. I’ll do a separate Scribble for that sheer nonsense at some point). Needless to say everyone and their mums have an opinion on Joker... so I guess one more, won’t hurt.

Whether you like Joker or not I think depends on your tolerance for a) films that deliberately set out to make you feel uncomfortable and b) films that ask you to feel pity for the devil. (and I want you to remember that word ‘pity.’ It’ll be important later on). Personally, I loved Joker. I think it’s one of the most unique and groundbreaking comic book films I’ve ever seen. If you don’t like it, that’s fine. I can actually understand why to a certain extent. However don’t try to spin this as some ideological thing because that’s just disingenuous and stupid.

Lets start with the obvious. Joaquin Phoenix. Give this guy a fucking Oscar, for the love of God! His performance was truly mesmerising, particularly when he does finally don the full clown makeup. He is the Joker. The mannerisms, the attitude, the nihilism, it all just works. There’s even a monologue near the end of the film that could have been lifted straight out of the comics. This is a film that not only depicts the Joker perfectly, but also completely understands the character too.

The rest of the cast is exceptional too. Robert de Niro plays a chat show host who Joker looks up to and he does a good job. Deadpool 2′s Zazie Beetz plays a small but pivotal role as Sophie, Joker’s next door neighbour and ‘love interest’ and she’s excellent too despite having quite a small amount of screen time. Frances Conroy plays Joker’s mum Penny. Again a relatively small role, but a crucial one and she gives a memorable performance. Finally there’s Brett Cullen as a very different interpretation of Bruce Wayne’s father Thomas Wayne, which I think works extremely well in the context of this film and creates exciting possibilities for this world’s version of Batman, which we’ll probably never get to see because this is intended as a one off. Not that I’m complaining. I wouldn’t want them to do a sequel. This works perfectly as a standalone piece.

As I said, the supporting cast actually play a minor role overall as the film follows Arthur Fleck exclusively. The man who would be Joker. It’s a bit hard to talk about why I think this film works without giving away spoilers, so I’ll focus on how it made me feel.

Joker is an extremely tense movie. Todd Phillips’ stellar direction puts you in the mindset of the character and Hildur Guonadottir’s incredible music really elevates the film’s more disturbing moments. In fact (and I suppose you could call this a trigger warning), I did actually suffer from an anxiety attack halfway through the film because you’re constantly on a knife edge. As Arthur’s life falls apart, we see him become more violent and erratic to the point where he becomes legitimately frightening. Fear is of course subjective. I’m sure most of you have more of a spine than I do. But if you do suffer from any kind of anxiety, I would recommend psyching yourself up before you watch this and maybe have a friend or relative on hand to comfort you if it starts to get a bit much.

Seriously, I’m not kidding. Joker is an extremely uncomfortable experience and it’s unrelenting in how grim and unsettling it is. It’s R rated, but it’s not necessarily gory. It’s not as violent as, say, Deadpool, but its more bloody moments often come rather suddenly and with a lot of tense buildup beforehand. While it does bear similarities to movies like Taxi Driver and The King Of Comedy, those films have the audience on the outside looking in. Joker on the other hand takes the audience and locks them inside the Clown Prince of Crime’s mind for two hours straight, and quelle surprise, it turns out the inside of Joker’s mind is fucking horrible. Viewer beware.

Okay, okay. I guess I can’t avoid it altogether. Do I think this film is dangerous? No. Do I think it insults those with mental health issues? No, in fact quite the opposite. I found the film to be quite sympathetic towards the mentally ill, presenting Arthur as being a dark outlier, not the norm. Do I think the film is making some sort of political statement. Again no. I honestly don’t think it’s saying anything about white people or toxic masculinity or gun violence or anything like that. In fact, if it is saying anything at all, it condemns those who seek to hijack a public figure for their own political agenda (which ironically is exactly what the press are doing with this very movie, but of course critics and journalists can’t see that because they have no self awareness what so bloody ever). The film is what it is. An extremely dark character study of arguably the most famous villain of all time.

Some have criticised the film as being too predictable, which I personally don’t think is a particularly valid critique. Like, yeah, of course it’s predictable. We all know what’s going to happen in the end. The fucking title kind of gives it away. It’s execution that counts, and Phillips and co have done a fantastic job in my opinion. As for those who complained that this film is cynical and nasty and made them feel numb afterwards... I mean... I honestly don’t know what you were expecting. Of course you’re feeling numb. That’s what the film wants you to feel. It’s cynical and nasty because the central character is cynical and nasty. That’s like criticising a comedy for being funny.

Honestly, if I had any complaints, it’s that I think they do paint the story with broad strokes, leaving very little room for subtlety. But having said that, this is based on a comic book about a billionaire who fights psychotic costumed criminals at night whist dressed as a bat. I don’t think subtlety has much of a place here.

Finally I just want to briefly touch on the concern that this film might make the character too sympathetic. First of all, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Some villains can actually become scarier when we as an audience can empathise with them and understand their motives (see Killmonger in Black Panther). Second, and most importantly, Arthur Fleck/Joker is not a sympathetic character. Yes I did feel pity for him at times, but that’s not the same thing as sympathy. Like I said, this film completely understands the Joker. There are occasions where you do feel sad for the character and wish he could have got the right help, but most of the time (and the film emphasises this throughout) he’s presented as being a deeply disturbed and maladjusted individual and at no point is his behaviour ever justified. Instead it’s presented as being almost inevitable. That in a city as terrible as Gotham, what else could Arthur have become? Joker is a tragic character, but he’s not in anyway likeable.

I would definitely recommend you go and see this movie, especially if, like me, you’ve gotten sick of the slew of formulaic comic book movies and convoluted shared universes. If Joker is indeed going to be the first of an anthology series focusing on telling low budget, character driven, standalone, experimental films, then it’s a very strong start. Whether you liked Joker or not, the fact of the matter is the success of this movie can only mean good things for Warner Bros, DC, the comic book movie genre and the industry going forward, so please go and see this film.

#joker #joaquin phoenix #todd phillips #dc #dc black #warner bros #quill's quickies #no spoilers

[spicy-ahjumma]

✨My Unpopular K-Pop Opinions; (part 1 probably)

Y'all can come for me if you want, but these are my own personal opinions and I'm fully entitled to have them.

Disclaimer: I mean no hate or bad-will toward any of the groups mentioned here. These are my own opinions, but of course they are not the opinions of everyone and I'm fully aware of that. I acknowledge the success of all groups. Thank you.

>kpop bands are slept on way too much - at this point y'all are just hurting yourselves because you're missing out on some amazing groups and some top-quality music; day6, n.flying, the rose, lunafly, cnblue, ft.island, and so many others

>day6 has not put out a single bad song. this isn't even an opinion, it's a fact. if you don't stan them, i honestly don't know what you're doing with your life.

>hyuna and e'dawn have paved the way for other kpop artists to be openly in relationships. they made a huge sacrifice, don't think for a second that they didn't know how things would go down when they came out about being together; they made a sacrifice and now other idols will hopefully have the courage to do the same

>related to above point: hyuna and e'dawn are a total power couple. when they do join a new label or possibly form their own, they will be unstoppable and cube can choke

>jyp ent is the best of the big 3, and probably one of the best labels in general. as someone who stans groups/artists from pretty much every label there is, i have to say that jyp really impresses me. despite being a large label, they really care about their artists and let them have a lot of creative freedom.

>i don't like the fact that bts win every single award these days. (i already know i'll get hate for this) bts are a talented group, don't get me wrong, but i literally don't understand where all this attention has come from bc there are groups that have way better vocals, rappers, visuals, songs, etc. i have been an army since debut and ofc it's nice to see them do well, but we might as well just do away with award shows now since bts win everything every year anyway.

>loona's ot12 debut was disappointing. i love loona, have followed every single solo debut and unit, and i think their concept is so unique and interesting (props to blockberry) but i was expecting something more from their group debut. fav0rite was good, but hi high was a bit... i just felt it wasn't up to their usual standards so i hope 2019 will be a better year for loona

>chung ha is kinda boring. she has amazing facial expressions onstage and i know she's super talented, but it's the weirdest thing - i've never come across it before where someone with so much charisma manages to be so boring onstage at the same time. i'm sorry, i've really tried to like her, but i just find that her songs end up being kinda flat

>nine muses' gyeongree's solo debut was slept on. blue moon was a really great song with great presence and choreography, and it was basically the female equivalent of taemin's move, but y'all let that one flop.

>jennie has been lazy lately. i am a blink, i was jennie biased up until ddu-du ddu-du, and i have been a jennie fan since she joined yg years ago. but we can't deny the truth, for whatever reason, she hasn't been putting effort into her group performances lately. solo performances, she's been fine, it's just the group stages. my opinion: i think blackpink peaked too soon, they got too popular too quickly and now jennie doesn't feel as though she needs to put the effort in anymore bc people will support her anyway

>stellar deserved so much better, they cried for help so many times and tried to make changes in the industry so that girl groups wouldn't keep being exploited but people didn't listen, and instead chose to judge them for their sexy concepts (that they literally didn't want to do) and now the members have ptsd and struggle with their daily lives

>mental health still isn't being taken as seriously as it should be. after my sweet baby boy jonghyun left us, people were finally starting to pay attention to the importance of mental health, but i think it's starting to slip again now

>bam is the same as bboom bboom, and that's ok. momoland clearly found a genre that works for them, and given the success of bboom bboom, of course their company would try to cash in on a similar song. y'all have no problems when other groups release really similar songs, like gfriend (literally all of their songs sound the same to me) so why is everyone attacking momoland?

>imfact are some of the most talented idols, but they're not getting any recognition. literally, watch any of their live stages or listen to any of their covers or songs, including their solos they've been releasing lately, and try and tell me they don't deserve the world

>holland can sing. he has a unique voice that isn't very idol-like, but that doesn't mean he can't sing. yes a lot of his fanbase is there just because he's gay but if it'll help his career take off and if it means important conversations start being had in korea, then so be it.

>the way bighit handled jimin's t-shirt controversy wasn't good enough. they donated to korean victims of the atomic bombs but it wasn't the korean victims who were offended, and the t-shirt was clearly an anti-japan propaganda (and yes, i know how bad japan was during their occupation, they were evil and that is another issue in itself but that doesn't excuse the t-shirt)

>labelling a group member as 'visual' is kinda unnecessary bc they're all visually perfect and it puts added pressure onto the member given that title

>shinee are one of the greatest kpop groups of all time. yes, i am quite biased as i've been with them for 10 years now but i honestly never get bored of their music, personalities, tv shows, etc. they are such versatile artists and they have been through so much & deserve so much respect

>starship are doing boyfriend so dirty but nobody is paying attention so they're getting away with it. let them have a korean comeback you cowards.

>cube are never going to promote clc properly, and they will probably disband them soon. they have (g)i-dle now, the group who gives them everything clc unfortunately couldn't, so they have basically cast clc aside. we all saw what happened with la vie en rose.

>iz*one should have a different center. i have nothing against wonyoung she's so tiny and smol and young, but to me she is quite plain and she doesn't have that charisma that i've come to expect from produce groups. i didn't watch all of produce 48 so to begin with i didn't even realise wonyoung was the center, i legit thought it was sakura, i'm sorry

>taemin is one of the most talented idols. he is the best dancer in kpop right now, and not only that, he isn't afraid to experiment with different genres. his japanese music is stunning.

>exo have one of the best vocal lines, every live performance is perfect

#kpop #opinions #unpopular opinions #bts #day6 #exo #momoland #shinee #taemin #n.flying #the rose #boyfriend #starship entertainment #gidle #text

[tigerlover16-analysis]

Dragon Ball Super: Episode 2 Review

Okay, sorry about this one coming late, i was a bit distracted around here and i haven't had much access to my computer the last few days. But, here i am now.

So, episode 2. In contrast to the first episode, which was focused around the members of the Son Family and setting up Goku's role in the story, this episode focuses more on Vegeta, who will be the secondary protagonist for much of Dragon Ball Super, while also giving us a more substantial introduction to the main villain for the first arc (And a few funny scenes with Goku on King Kai's world to help move the plot along some more). Gotta say, it was a pretty smart move and a good way to steadily reintroduce us to the characters for the new show/introduce them proper for new viewers.

This episode also isn't particularly plot heavy, rather another episode focused on character interaction and comedy, but like last time what we get is pretty good.

The episode opens with a fun little scene of Goku arriving on King Kai's planet to train, and accidentally causing King Kai to crash his car into his house and destroying it (Man, the poor guy can't catch a break, can he?), and then transitions to Vegeta, Bulma and Trunks going on a family trip to a Hawaiian themed resort.

Not a lot to comment on the actual plot here outside of how it relates to Vegeta, but needless to say there's a lot of good jokes and back and forth between the characters. Whether it be King Kai's poor attempts at making puns, Bulma flying her airship underwater and through a forest like a crazy person to give Vegeta some "Training" as he stands on top, there's a lot of good stuff here. My favourite joke is probably the scene at the diner that ends in Vegeta digging in to an enormous cooked octopus that inexplicably squirts him with ink. If you're a fan of the briefs family, a Vegebul shipper in particular, then the first half of the episode is practically tailor made for you, since it's pretty much dedicated to having cute moments of Vegeta, Bulma and Trunks hanging out on vacation.

Naturally, Vegeta is silent and aloof through most of the ordeal, only putting up with spending time at the resort to try and be a decent family man for once, and out of obligation for the time he'd promised to take Trunks to an amusement park. Which, yeah, it's pretty sweet, even if Vegeta has to be a sourpuss about the whole thing. Still, as Bulma points out, the guy did stick around a lot longer than either her or Trunks would have expected.

This episode establishes Vegeta as the secondary protagonist of Super, replacing Gohan in that role from Z. A decision that would... have very mixed results, and I can't say it was necessarily for the best overall, but future episodes will provide much better context to discuss that.

As far as this episode goes though, his portrayal is mostly fine. It at least shows he's trying to make an effort to be a better father to Trunks. At the same time though, it also establishes that even after everything that went down in the Buu Saga, Vegeta still has a chip on his shoulder in regards to his rivalry with Goku, and his desire to surpass him is still present.

I know a lot of people were torn about this at the time, and still are considering the end of the Buu Saga had Vegeta conceding that Goku was the superior fighter and seemingly putting his obsession to an end, with arguments about whether this was a regression of his character. Personally, at least as far as the first half of the show goes, I don't have much of an issue with it.

Mostly because it's made clear through the rest of the saga that his overall character progression has still stuck in spite of his obsession with being the strongest still being present. And it's brought up by the time of the Champa saga that Vegeta by that point has moved past the point of having a self-destructive inferiority complex, and his rivalry with Goku by then is mostly a more healthy motivation for self improvement.

And let's face it, fundamentally changing who you are as a person takes a lot of time and effort. Self-realization of your faults and a desire to change for the better are only the first steps to self-improvement. And a deep-seated inferiority complex like what Vegeta has isn't going to go away after a few moving speeches, it seems natural to me that he would have some trouble letting his urge to surpass Goku and be the strongest go, even after some time had passed from the Buu Saga. He's had plenty of instances where he started to regress on any progress he's made before, at least in this saga the worst it amounts to is him being grumpy and storming off to train after being caught in a large crowd and losing his temper.

Vegeta and Goku's rivalry is very iconic, and you kind of have to keep it alive if you're going to have a series where they're the two most prominent characters. Vegeta is still a better person than he once was, and the later episodes of this saga would demonstrate that clearly, so i think that's what really counts. And hey, Vegeta still wanting to surpass Goku is consistent with the updated final chapter of the manga Toriyama put out in the 2004 Kanzenban, so they kinda had to do it this way.

So yeah, for me personally I'm okay with this. But then again, maybe I'm just not inclined to take issue with it right now since we also got to see Vegeta riding a choo-choo train with Trunks and Bulma. That was adorable.

The second half of the episode is a bit more action packed and plot relavent, as it gives us a more extended introduction to Lord Beerus and Whis.

It starts off with Whis being sent to an alien planet to bring back dinosaur meat that Beerus is interested in because it might help him remember the details of a prophetic dream he couldn't fully recall. After Whis fails to negotiate with some locals to give up their kill in time, Beerus shows up and gets into a fight with what i assume is the tribe leader. Who Beerus dispatches quite easily, and then decides to just blow up the planet out of annoyance. The resulting explosion ending up being what jogs his memory, ending the episode with foreshadowing of some mysterious figure called Super Saiyan God.

It's a pretty fun scene overall. The banter between Beerus and Whis is spot on and their dialogue gives us a good impression of their personalities, with Beerus in particular being presented as somewhat comedic but still threatening and someone to take seriously. I really like the designs of the aliens, especially the powered up form of the one who fights Beerus, makes it a bit of a shame their world got blown up. The action itself is very short, but it's pretty decent, Naoki Tate's effects work is always fun to see in the alien's energy blast.

Admittedly we still don't know much of anything about who the characters actually are, just the idea that Beerus is seeking a fight with a Super Saiyan God, what exactly that is being a mystery for several episodes, though Old Kai clearly knows what's going on with him. Thankfully we do get a more substantial explanation for who Beerus is next episode, so the show doesn't drag it's heels too long with that, and this episode does a good job of hyping him up and raising interest.

I do question how the heck Beerus got to the alien world so fast from his palace, considering he's not nearly as fast as Whis and seems to rely on him for transportation as next episode establishes, so that's a bit of an oddity. I'm just going to put it down to cartoon logic.

So, yeah, the episode is overall pretty light on actual story, but at this point in the series I don't think that's a big issue, especially as the plot does start to get rolling over the next few episodes. I do wish the parts focused on the Briefs Family vacation had gone on a bit longer though, it felt like the episode really breezed past that.

Also, I do feel like I need to bring up King Kai's voice in the Japanese version. Jōji Yanami, his original voice actor for many years, is well into his 80's and apparently wasn't in the best of health when Super started... and it really shows with his voice acting. All of King Kai's dialogue in the episodes he voices him in, starting with this one, are spoken in a weird monotone that's... kind of distracting. Especially in places where he's supposed to be shouting or expressing emotion.

It makes some of the scenes with the character in the first saga seem a bit off putting. I feel really bad for Yanami, and I'm glad that he took a leave of absense and seems to have retired by the 12th episode. I don't know exactly how he's doing right now, but I hope he's in the best health he can be.

Thankfully this also isn't a problem for Sean Schemmel's performance of the character in the dub, which is on point. Honestly, the dub for the episode and most of the saga is pretty stellar and makes the episode even more fun to watch with it's slightly wittier dialogue, though I do feel Chris Sabbat's tone as Vegeta sounds a bit harsher in places compared to Ryo Horikawa's portrayal... though, i can't understand a word of Japanese or really make sense of the inflections in the Japanese casts line reading a lot of the time, so maybe that's just me.

The animation and art direction is also strong in this episode. I love the animation of Bulma's aircraft spinning around, and the effects work on display as it dives underwater. And there's a lot of beautiful shots throughout the episode, the scenes on the beach during the evening with all the people on it draped in silhouette look gorgeous, and the explosion created from the planet that Beerus blows up in the last scene is just mesmerising. I mean, it's horrible that an entire planet and all it's inhabitants just got annihilated, but I can really see why Beerus finds the results beautiful. The music and direction are pretty effective, too.

This episode was the first to be supervised by Naoki Tate, one of my favourite animators working on the show and probably one of the most well known. And while he obviously didn't animate everything himself (See animeajay's videos for the low-down on that), as a supervisor this was a great first impression to make... pity then what he was forced to immediately follow it up with.

Oh boy, that episode is going to be "Fun" to talk about.

So, yeah, I don't think there's a lot else i can say without just recapping every moment from the episode and going "I like this" or "Wish this was a bit longer" or whatever. The character interactions were fun and mostly on point, the production values were good, and overall the episode was pretty enjoyable despite a few flaws. Admittedly though there wasn't a lot of substance to it, and I didn't enjoy it as much as the first episode. Still, I don't have any major complaints about it either, and for what it is it works fine.

I'd give it a B+, maybe a high B.

Not really the best episode in the series, or even this saga, but it was a lot of fun and gives us some necessary set up that gradually eases the viewers into the overarching story. I'm happy to come back to it, anyway.

I think the next episode should give me a bit more to talk about compared to the first two episodes, so look forward to that. Hopefully i get that one up by Sunday this time. Sorry if this review feels rushed or that i could have done better or gone into more detail in places, but I kind of was rushing. Any specific questions about stuff you might have in the episode though, just leave them in an ask.

#dragon ball super #dbs #dragon ball super episode 2 #dragon ball #dragon ball z #vegeta #Beerus #Whis #Briefs family