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ever_neutralWHAT UP, BROS.
+ Today/yesterday I submitted my final massive boring 35 page report required for the completion of my degree. \o/ Ergo, I will now be more alive. \o/ (Or, you know, /o\ depending on your view.) I'm pretty sure I missed a ton of things while in the depths of my final papers, so if you think there's something of yours I should be commenting on then drop me a link.
+ Chilling with my dearest mother watching The Heirs and suddenly in the middle of the episode she's like, "IF I~ WERE PARK SHIN HYE I WOULD TAP THAT [Kim Woo Bin] AND LEAVE LEE MINHO TO BE FOREVER ALONE WITH HIS UGLY SWEATERS." Ah, the indefatigable wisdom of mothers. Not that she's wrong, mind you (my favourite is the one that makes him look like a "wall with antique pictures hanging from it", personally).
So yeah, on account of said 35 page report eating my brains, this is not going to be an especially coherent post. Nonetheless, let us gather round and discuss the latest offerings.
+ First of all, I am aware that fandom is positively leaping to diss the teen trash that is this show and therefore, as a wise friend once put it, win at Not Liking The Problematic Thing and Being Too Good For This Genre. But tbqh this show is (near) perfect 2 me. Sorry not sorry but watching attractive miserable people make each other miserable is my way of life. It is what it is, friends. Therefore, unpopular opinions abound.
+ So bored of everyone bitching about Eun Sang's "passivity". If this is actually a "feminist" complaint you have about the show then I would seriously question your supposed understanding of justice. And direct you to this post. Which is actually about Sansa Stark, but same principle applies. Heroines do not owe it to you to be empowered. Especially when they are underprivileged and lower-class and vulnerable to abuse from people much more powerful than they are. The fact that this show stresses Eun Sang and her mother's situation so much is a point in its favour, not yours. Please to be taking your thinly veiled Strong Female Character (TM) misogyny and choking on it.
+ Tan and Young Do's pissing contest is endlessly entertaining to me ngl. Firstly, their man love clearly will go on. Even my mother agrees. ("I think they're secretly attracted to each other and using Park Shin Hye as a proxy.")
Secondly, it is pretty obvious they're making Eun Sang a pawn in their personal war, ergo the aggressive triangularity is a power struggle. Not romance. So long as one keeps this in mind I'm convinced the "romantic" plots become 95% more enjoyable. And lbr the drawn-out sequences in which the three stare at one another with simultaneously enraged and aroused expressions while a dramatic score plays is the highlight of each episode, don't even front like you disagree.
+ Hyo Shin needs his own spinoff, stat.
[X]
Enough said.
+ lol Eun Sang/Tan. Okay, so there are some small things I like. Firstly, that Eun Sang said the setting of their "date" on camp reminded her of Friday the 13th. And then later (obliquely) referred to their relationship as a "horror love story". Ha ha. And despite the fact that I cannot comprehend why anyone would want to date Kim Tan, I think it made sense for Eun Sang to consciously decide to let herself go along with the fantasy since they were far away from home. The whole "dreamcatcher" theme of their relationship is vv consistent. And when Young Do taunted that Tan's only going to ditch her in the end, Eun Sang was literally like, "bitch, I know." THAT'S interesting.
HAVING SAID THAT... this ship is just flat out boring me to death. Imma quote Zoe on this because her words are a balm to the soul tbh:
Indeed. I mean, WTAF was the ending of ep 12?? nhf the two of them staring at each other for five minutes while Lee Min Ho does some weird gasping thing to convey the depth of his emotions. I would rather take the aggressive triangularity, thx.
Also, gdi, Park Shin Hye and Lee Min Ho have negative chemistry. It is genuinely baffling considering their faces but there it is. At this point I just wish the show would cut 90% of their scenes so that this show could be ACTUALLY perfect.
+ The entirety of the pool scene. Only this show, man. Plus, it brought us this. Amen.
+ I love how Young Do complimenting Hyo Shin's angry!voice is now a thing, LMFAO????? Like, "Sunbae, the voice you use when threatening me... is really nice". I mean, yes good, more Hyo Shin worship. Also they should bang. But I am generally of the opinion that Hyo Shin should bang the universe.
+ BONSANG IS REAL. I'M SORRY I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF THEM HAVING SLEEPOVERS AND HOLDING HANDS ABOUT THEIR GAY LOVE?
+ Still shipping Rachel/Young Do tbqh. I mean, "Normally when two people become siblings they fall in love"/"Now I'm thinking that's the solution to breaking up this marriage"????? YOU DON'T JUST PUT THAT IN FRONT OF ME AND EXPECT ME NOT TO SHIP IT. LIKE.
+ Myung Soo is the most hilarious. I'm convinced that Myung Soo/Young Do along with Bo Na/Eun Sang are basically the most functional relationships on this show, L M A O.
+ Still nocurr whatsoever for Won. Why is he still a character.
+ I resent so much that Eun Sang/Young Do are hitting all my ship kinks but dammit THEY ARE HITTING ALL MY SHIP KINKS???? Like
[X]
Plus, he tossed his classmates' shoes in a bucket of cold water as "revenge" for them talking smack about Eun Sang. And she offered sympathy about his bad family news in the form of "I'll postpone my revenge on you." Like. I am not made of fuckin' stone, people. It is Park Shin Hye and Kim Woo Bin, for the love of Satan.
(I also have a lot of complicated feelings about how they are actually considerably less problematic than Eun Sang/Tan by sheer virtue of the fact that Young Do has zero emotional power in their dynamic. As I said to Zoe: The way the show set up Young Do from the beginning established that Eun-sang owes him nothing - because she was given full license to hate him. (Whereas, Eun-sang/Tan STARTED with her being in his debt. And he has continued to take advantage of that.) I mean, besides the fact that All Girls Want Bad Boys and I only ship it because I want to ride Kim Woo Bin's dick, &c. &c., the power dynamic is just a thousand times more appealing.)
Also, I've decided that they should be BFFs on the basis of their mutual ramyeon noodle appreciation. Bring on the bromance, yo.
+ To conclude:
[X]
+ Today/yesterday I submitted my final massive boring 35 page report required for the completion of my degree. \o/ Ergo, I will now be more alive. \o/ (Or, you know, /o\ depending on your view.) I'm pretty sure I missed a ton of things while in the depths of my final papers, so if you think there's something of yours I should be commenting on then drop me a link.
+ Chilling with my dearest mother watching The Heirs and suddenly in the middle of the episode she's like, "IF I~ WERE PARK SHIN HYE I WOULD TAP THAT [Kim Woo Bin] AND LEAVE LEE MINHO TO BE FOREVER ALONE WITH HIS UGLY SWEATERS." Ah, the indefatigable wisdom of mothers. Not that she's wrong, mind you (my favourite is the one that makes him look like a "wall with antique pictures hanging from it", personally).
+ First of all, I am aware that fandom is positively leaping to diss the teen trash that is this show and therefore, as a wise friend once put it, win at Not Liking The Problematic Thing and Being Too Good For This Genre. But tbqh this show is (near) perfect 2 me. Sorry not sorry but watching attractive miserable people make each other miserable is my way of life. It is what it is, friends. Therefore, unpopular opinions abound.
+ So bored of everyone bitching about Eun Sang's "passivity". If this is actually a "feminist" complaint you have about the show then I would seriously question your supposed understanding of justice. And direct you to this post. Which is actually about Sansa Stark, but same principle applies. Heroines do not owe it to you to be empowered. Especially when they are underprivileged and lower-class and vulnerable to abuse from people much more powerful than they are. The fact that this show stresses Eun Sang and her mother's situation so much is a point in its favour, not yours. Please to be taking your thinly veiled Strong Female Character (TM) misogyny and choking on it.
+ Tan and Young Do's pissing contest is endlessly entertaining to me ngl. Firstly, their man love clearly will go on. Even my mother agrees. ("I think they're secretly attracted to each other and using Park Shin Hye as a proxy.")
Secondly, it is pretty obvious they're making Eun Sang a pawn in their personal war, ergo the aggressive triangularity is a power struggle. Not romance. So long as one keeps this in mind I'm convinced the "romantic" plots become 95% more enjoyable. And lbr the drawn-out sequences in which the three stare at one another with simultaneously enraged and aroused expressions while a dramatic score plays is the highlight of each episode, don't even front like you disagree.
+ Hyo Shin needs his own spinoff, stat.
[X]Enough said.
+ lol Eun Sang/Tan. Okay, so there are some small things I like. Firstly, that Eun Sang said the setting of their "date" on camp reminded her of Friday the 13th. And then later (obliquely) referred to their relationship as a "horror love story". Ha ha. And despite the fact that I cannot comprehend why anyone would want to date Kim Tan, I think it made sense for Eun Sang to consciously decide to let herself go along with the fantasy since they were far away from home. The whole "dreamcatcher" theme of their relationship is vv consistent. And when Young Do taunted that Tan's only going to ditch her in the end, Eun Sang was literally like, "bitch, I know." THAT'S interesting.
HAVING SAID THAT... this ship is just flat out boring me to death. Imma quote Zoe on this because her words are a balm to the soul tbh:
"I'M NOT GOING TO WRONG!SHIP A BORING SHIP, THAT IS JUST ANTITHETICAL TO MY IDEA OF WRONG!SHIPPING AS A WHOLE. I wrong!ship stuff that I can tell is wrong (and hopefully the narrative can too) but it's just so good and/or hitting my ship kinks that I don't even care and can't even help it. But I'm not going to go out of my way to wrong!ship something, THAT IS AN OXYMORON."
Indeed. I mean, WTAF was the ending of ep 12?? nhf the two of them staring at each other for five minutes while Lee Min Ho does some weird gasping thing to convey the depth of his emotions. I would rather take the aggressive triangularity, thx.
Also, gdi, Park Shin Hye and Lee Min Ho have negative chemistry. It is genuinely baffling considering their faces but there it is. At this point I just wish the show would cut 90% of their scenes so that this show could be ACTUALLY perfect.
+ The entirety of the pool scene. Only this show, man. Plus, it brought us this. Amen.
+ I love how Young Do complimenting Hyo Shin's angry!voice is now a thing, LMFAO????? Like, "Sunbae, the voice you use when threatening me... is really nice". I mean, yes good, more Hyo Shin worship. Also they should bang. But I am generally of the opinion that Hyo Shin should bang the universe.
+ BONSANG IS REAL. I'M SORRY I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF THEM HAVING SLEEPOVERS AND HOLDING HANDS ABOUT THEIR GAY LOVE?
+ Still shipping Rachel/Young Do tbqh. I mean, "Normally when two people become siblings they fall in love"/"Now I'm thinking that's the solution to breaking up this marriage"????? YOU DON'T JUST PUT THAT IN FRONT OF ME AND EXPECT ME NOT TO SHIP IT. LIKE.
+ Myung Soo is the most hilarious. I'm convinced that Myung Soo/Young Do along with Bo Na/Eun Sang are basically the most functional relationships on this show, L M A O.
+ Still nocurr whatsoever for Won. Why is he still a character.
+ I resent so much that Eun Sang/Young Do are hitting all my ship kinks but dammit THEY ARE HITTING ALL MY SHIP KINKS???? Like
[X]Plus, he tossed his classmates' shoes in a bucket of cold water as "revenge" for them talking smack about Eun Sang. And she offered sympathy about his bad family news in the form of "I'll postpone my revenge on you." Like. I am not made of fuckin' stone, people. It is Park Shin Hye and Kim Woo Bin, for the love of Satan.
(I also have a lot of complicated feelings about how they are actually considerably less problematic than Eun Sang/Tan by sheer virtue of the fact that Young Do has zero emotional power in their dynamic. As I said to Zoe: The way the show set up Young Do from the beginning established that Eun-sang owes him nothing - because she was given full license to hate him. (Whereas, Eun-sang/Tan STARTED with her being in his debt. And he has continued to take advantage of that.) I mean, besides the fact that All Girls Want Bad Boys and I only ship it because I want to ride Kim Woo Bin's dick, &c. &c., the power dynamic is just a thousand times more appealing.)
Also, I've decided that they should be BFFs on the basis of their mutual ramyeon noodle appreciation. Bring on the bromance, yo.
+ To conclude:
[X]
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no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 01:19 pm (UTC)Arrested Development!! Bc everyone is terrible and hilarious and I am 100% sure you would adore the ladies. (And the men are great, too, but esp the ladies.)
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Date: 2013-11-19 01:28 pm (UTC)ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, YES. The only acceptable solution tbh.
(Completely off-topic: I'm rewatching AtS, and having TONS OF FEELINGS, help!)
no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 01:49 pm (UTC)but I haven't watched any of it either for fear I might not survive itno subject
Date: 2013-11-19 02:14 pm (UTC)You are correct to have The Wire at the top of the list. No need to watch it first, but it should be at the top of the list regardless so good job.
You have so many excellent choices here. I would say go with an Arrested Development/Orange is the New Black combo. I haven't seen Orange is the New Black but I hear it's awesome. And it is a crime, tbh, that you have not yet gotten to know the Bluths. Lucille is your kindred, Alex. Watch AD and learn about chickens.
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Date: 2013-11-19 02:44 pm (UTC)That is a compelling argument. I will certainly take it under consideration.
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Date: 2013-11-19 02:45 pm (UTC)I knew you'd vote for that. :p
(GIVE ME YOUR AtS FEELINGS!)
no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 02:45 pm (UTC)Have you seen Lost Girl? I'd recommend that for sure.
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Date: 2013-11-19 02:47 pm (UTC)Um, have you watched Bates Motel? I just watched it all 10 episodes yesterday and think you should, too, trololol.
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Date: 2013-11-19 02:49 pm (UTC)Nooooo, see, English subs are nowhere to be seen (afaik anyway) ergo I have nothing to catch up on, whereas everything else is at least a season long. Watching as something airs is way less demanding than catching up. Mmhmm.
/pets
no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 03:17 pm (UTC)I'm on s3 (3x08 or 3x09, I think?), and "Billy" just happened. Joss generally seems to be less enjoyable now that I recognize the problematic stuff, but I kinda don't give a fuck, because JESUS FUCK CHARACTER PORN. I love how he builds Wesley out of very different blocks. Wesley has great leadership talents, but he lacks confidence, so he only learns to be a leader when he's forced to assume leadership (his cold tactics clashed with Gunn's "good seargant" attitude in s2 finale? GOLD). Amazing brains -- so amazing, in fact, that he can predict outcomes and calculate risks too well, which leads him to terrible choices. THE ABILITY TO ACT LIKE AN EMOTIONLESS ROBOT!!!!!!! And at the same time he craves human relationships and warmth, he can be clumsy or goofy, he genuinely likes people. On top of that, Alexis is incredible. NEVER OVER THOSE FEELINGS.
I'm also freaking out over Fred and the way she pulls her personality back together in s3. I adored her cave sequences in s2 finale. And I'm wrong!shipping Fred/Wesley like no tomorrow, because the first time Wesley saw Fred, her hands were covered in blood. *priorities*
Cordelia is growing on me (still a bit uneasy about how the painful visions "made her better"), Lilah is a fucking queen of everything, Lorne is the best sidekick ever, and even Gunn is giving me feelings (what with his relationship with his old gang). Angel bores me a little, but he holds together the whole team, so okay, he can stay.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 03:18 pm (UTC)twoTHREE eps with subs.(I may end up watching it without subs because I am that needy)
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Date: 2013-11-19 03:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 03:39 pm (UTC)What is up with those western shows at the top of your list even? what is an arrested orange wire. but just in case i wasn't loud enough:
that is a metaphor.
BUT NO, SERIOUSLY, WHAT WILL I DO WITH ALL MY FEELINGS OTHERWISE.ur mom knows what's up tbqh *hi fives ur mom* (also, that sweater list made me laugh forever /dead. BUT SERIOUSLY, WHAT IS UP WITH HIS HAIR AND SWEATERS. There is someone who's daytime job is dressing Lee Min Ho up and this is how they utilize it. WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW?) ALSO, CLEARLY KIM WOO BIN'S BANGABILITY IS UNIVERSAL.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA@ALL YOUR HEIRS THOUGHTS BEING ALL MY HEIRS THOUGHTS. LIKE ALL OF THEM. Not that you don't already know that because I am not what you call...reticent, BUT EVERY SINGLE ONE.
+ LOL@the world being too good for teen trash. good luck on that high horse. break a leg. that is not a metaphor.
+ @people bitching about Eun-sang's passivity. let me c&p what I said to Lizzie and Eleonore right at the beginning:
"LOL, APPARENTLY I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO LOVES THE HELL OUT OF THIS PART OF ES'S CHARACTERIZATION. Like, I LOVE that ES was unable to stand up for herself at school, that her reactions are contextualized; that she's sassy outside when the boys are having their dickfest over her or whatever and she's inadvertently in a position of some illusory power, but in the school where she knows what the social hierarchy is, and she's seen what could happen re: Joon-young, she just can't stand up against the social system. I LOVE that she avoids conflict, that she just wants to keep her head low and get the hell through this mess, because she's extremely vulnerable there. I thought her frightened reaction to Young Do calling her or Tan's constant attempts to be with her at school are a lovely beat, it makes the bullying thing all the more real for me than it would have been if she'd just stood up for herself, when she's clearly not in a position to actually do so. Which is why the Coffee Shop/School delineation in terms of her behavior really works for me."
and
"(I like how big class is and how it's handled in Heirs actually. I mean, it's still pretty vanilla, but the bullying is actually A+++ ly done with no one interfering and everyone on tenterhooks. And it's not Boys Over Flowers bullshit, where everyone was pretty much a sadist and joined in and the whole scenario was a caricature of high school bullying than a commentary on it; here, most people seem terrified, but also don't want to be the target and just keep their heads low and move on- AND I LOVE THAT EUN SANG IS ONE OF THEM. That she's horrified and pained, but she also doesn't want to materially interfere. Like, THAT IS SO REALISTIC TO ME. I would've hated it if she'd been all ~sassy all the time and stopped the bullying through sheer magnetism or summat.)"
Eun-sang's passivity in certain scenarios is not only ~acceptable, but it's actually one of my favorite parts of her characterization so wtvr fandom.
And lbr the drawn-out sequences in which the three stare at one another with simultaneously enraged and aroused expressions while a dramatic score plays is the highlight of each episode, don't even front like you disagree.
AND MY TEARS ARE BLOOD. Dude, this is, like, my favorite part of each episode okay. I was ready to cry when the last episode ended w/o it #kiddiepool. HDU, SHOW.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 03:52 pm (UTC)+ Hyo Shin = all my creys. ALSO THE DUDE HAS CHEMISTRY WITH EVERYONE??? He's interacted individually with EVERYONE in the show, it seems and he's fabulous re: all of them.
+ RACHEL/YOUNG DO IS A THING OBV. I didn't ship them a lot but I now ship them a fair amount esp post Rachel saying that they should maybe try the dating thing bcz YES. I ship Rachel/happiness/bitchiness a lot too, because nhf Tan constantly being a dick to her. Like, it's not that I don't think it's fairly consistent with his character, but it just kills me to see Rachel crying or sad or hurt, BECAUSE THAT FACE THO. And Tan is pretty much awful to her all the time and as much as I love that she's totally the smart one in the rship (SECOND PLACE/HUNDRED, WHAT UP), and sassy and indifferent right back, but I still hate to see her belittled constantly. THAT PART WHERE SHE WAS CRYING ALONE AND TRYING NOT TO JUST BROKE MY HEART SO IT CAN NEVER BE WHOLE AGAIN.
+ OMG@YOU POSTING THAT EXCHANGE AS YOUR EXAMPLE OF YOUR LOVE FOR MY OTP. u r me it seems. THE MOMENT SHE SAID THAT THING ABOUT 98TH PLACE SAYING THAT, I SAILED OFF INTO NARNIA, NEVER TO RETURN TO LOOOOOOOVE IS THE MOOOOOOOOOOOMENT.
I mean, besides the fact that All Girls Want Bad Boys and I only ship it because I want to ride Kim Woo Bin's dick, &c. &c.
/actually dead.
Also, I've decided that they should be BFFs on the basis of their mutual ramyeon noodle appreciation. Bring on the bromance, yo.
u know they would have sleepovers
with bona obvand he would let her paint his nails while he made ramyun and she simultaneously bitched about his grades. it is pretty easily imaginable.IN CONCLUSION, WATCH COFFEE HOUSE Well.
(no, this is the actual conclusion:
NO, THE ACTUAL ACTUAL CONCLUSION IS WATCH COFFEE HOUSE BYE.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 04:02 pm (UTC)(oh also, remember western shows have seasons. lots of 'em. with lots of episodes. okay actually bye.)
ETA: I also apologize for the ETAs. I am not yet an academic goddess /o\
no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 05:16 pm (UTC)ONE OF THOSE 900 SHOWS IS SCANDAL RIGHT??! Allow me to lure you in with an introduction to your new favorite character, Cyrus Beene.
Cyrus has a strong sense of justice.
Cyrus can meta like nobody's business.
Really, he's a man with a zen-like sense of peace with his self-awareness.
You'll also love Liv, who's a genuine anti-heroine, Mellie, who seems to appeal to a lot of Cersei fans, and some really fast, fun, screwball plotting. But get in there for Cyrus.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 05:22 pm (UTC)Congrats on finishing that report!
no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 06:10 pm (UTC)I'm also really enjoying Masters of Sex. But Orange is the New Black gets my vote.
ETA - I thought you were saying the new season of AD, but it looks like you haven't seen it at all? I'd watch Orange and then Arrested, in that case.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 08:04 pm (UTC)I REALLY CAN'T STAN PASSIONATELY FOR HANNIBAL ENOUGH, YOU WOULD LOVE IT OK. WATCH IT FIRST BECAUSE YOUR LIFE GETS UNKNOWINGLY WORSE EVERY DAY IT'S NOT IN IT.
Do you ship Hyo-shin/Rachel really hard because I ship Hyo-shin/Rachel really hard. But I ship Hyo-shin really hard with everyone, it's becoming a problem? HAHA I HYO-SHIP HIM.
I'm pretty sure I just want Young-do and Eun-sang to be a BrOTP because I still can't find it in myself to truly ship them, although I do like their scenes together and think they are ~good~ for each other in certain ways. I JUST THINK THEY SHOULD BFFS. ALSO OBVIOUSLY NEVER OVER THE ORIGINAL YOUNG-DO SHIP.
NEVER FORGET
no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 08:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 08:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 11:17 pm (UTC)But no problem, Jamie dropped me some links. Except some live blogging in the near future.
/pets
no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 11:24 pm (UTC)Okay, so I actually did watch the first ep of AD a long time ago but then for some reason never got back to it. So, yes, I am aware that Lucille is my brethren. I am taking it under advisement. Yay chickens.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 11:26 pm (UTC)BUT WHY YOU GOTTA BOMBARD ME WITH MORE RECS??? /o\ /o\ /o\ I haven't seen Lost Girl, but I guess I'll have to think about it now. /grumble grumble
no subject
Date: 2013-11-19 11:38 pm (UTC)You are a rubbish influence tbh. :p And yeah, I've been told to watch Bates Motel. (I knew I was forgetting 900 things.) Am taking under advisement, etc. etc.