#i can also type in korean and japanese at a reasonable pace
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muse — watanabe haruto
warnings: lowercase,grammartical error,spelling error
pairing: haruto + fem! reader
words: 2.3k words
目が合う 目が合う
だけで息が詰まる
ほど美しい my muse
my muse is so beautiful
that i can't breath
just by meeting her eyes
+.*
haruto widens his eyes when you stand not so close beside him. your presence could make haruto cloud nine. your laugh could make haruto smile like a fool and your lips, if the world free from any rules, he would like to put his lips onto yours.
as you felt someone watching you, you turn around only to see some male's back, walking away from you. haruto fastens his pace to go to the dance practice room with hands full of snacks, he doesn't want you to think of him like a creeper, staring at someone without any particular reason.
"oi, what takes you so long?" mashiho asked the younger
haruto smile, he gives the oldest snacks that he bought from yg's convenience store. he gave all of the members snacks and water that he bought with his own money as punishment for losing rock paper scissors.
they all minded their own business, felt too tired of having chat with each other, they have gotten no rest since morning, practicing for their upcoming debut. all they could think now is their comfortable bed. but as much as they want to rest, they need to get this choreo neat and perfect to amaze the audience.
but haruto, his mind could think of you. you with silky hair and always wear your favorite white converse whenever you came to the company. it's unbelievable how you made him go crazy about you since he never felt falling in love with anyone. but when you step in the dance practice room and greeted them with a big smile on your face, that's the time where haruto felt you are so cute and making his heart fluttered
knowing your personality, haruto felt you are his type, he is completely head over heels for you, and he hates how he can't speak even a single word towards you when he realized his feelings. he felt so stupid.
"you guys!!" you entered the dance practice room with your infamous smile. behind you, lee youngsang, your father followed you into the dance practice room and put his belonging on the couch.
"i give you all 5 more minutes and shows me your result" said lee yongsang, or treasure's dance teacher or your dad more specifically.
as the leaders of the group, jihoon, and hyunsuk yelled out a 'yes teacher!' as a response, but once again haruto felt the cloud nine in his body, seeing the person he likes talking to doyoung, you always laugh whenever doyoung make the dad jokes, although haruto and the others find it not funny and lame, you being the easily laugh person, always laugh at doyoung's joke and it successfully made haruto smile like an idiot.
"who are you smiling at?" haruto flinched, truly shocked by asahi sudden appearance.
"no one, i remember when jeongwoo fell the other day, it's still funny till now" he answered coolly asahi can't know his big secret although he closes with asahi.
asahi nodded and left haruto alone, haruto sigh, relieved as the oldest trust his little lie.
"ruto ya" you called him
"yes,y/n?"
"i watched t-map yesterday, and i heard you like collecting butterfly necklaces"
"um yeah, that butterfly necklace is cool you know" haruto's heart flutter when you said you watched t-map, it means you knew how loud he is, a bit embarrassing but felt happy when you knew what he likes through t-map.
"you know– your style is cool and your fashion sense too, what about you wear something cute?"
"um yeah, that butterfly necklace is cool you know" haruto's flutter when you said you watched t-map, it means you knew how loud he is, a bit embarrassing but felt happy when you knew what he likes through t-map.
"why don't you try to wear something cute?" you asked
haruto scrunched his face. wear something cute? like what? like doyoung's all-red outfit? or junkyu's koala pajama?
"wear this. i made it myself, i made for you cause i remember you said you like collecting butterfly necklace" you handed it him a white pink bead necklace with a butterfly locket
haruto smile widely and couldn't help but chuckled at your cuteness. oh, how he wishes he could hug you right now
"thank you y/n, i'm gonna wear this," he said and wear the necklace on the spot, seeing you laugh happily made him happy. love turns someone crazy.
"okay guys that's enough of a break" the teacher yelled, making all of the 12 treasure members turn to their positions. haruto smile as he saw you mouthing 'fighting' to him.
+.*
haruto stares at the bead necklace with love in his eyes, he smiles when he thought you made this while thinking about him who loves collecting a butterfly necklace. he felt appreciated for the moment.
suddenly the door open, showing junkyu with his koala pajamas, entered the room with a towel on his shoulder and wet hair.
"i felt like i could sleep till next week" the older groaned, throwing himself to his bed, ready to sleep.
haruto didn't reply, he also felt tired from all day practicing, he turns his body facing the wall, ready to sleep but junkyu's question made him awake.
"do you like y/n, ruto ya?"
"what are you talking about hyung?"
"we all know"
haruto gulped
we?
who we?
treasure members?
if yes, he is doomed.
"no, how can i—"
"you guys could make a cute couple"
"go to sleep hyung, we got to get up early tomorrow" haruto said, not want to continue this topic.
junkyu let him off, he also wants to sleep right now.
+.*
today is the day, where they need to record their debut song, but in the japanese version. when haruto turns to record his part, you enter the studio with your favorite potato snack.
you smiled at haruto who's now in the recording room, haruto returns your smile and starts practicing his rap before record it as he wants everything to go perfectly.
you still smiling at haruto, secretly adoring how cool he is while working, noticing jihoon looking at you with a smirk on his face, you quickly change your focus to the snack you bought
you don't want anyone to know your crush on haruto because they're gonna debut soon, and rookies can't date. you felt butterflies whenever haruto talks to you or smile at you, although you're the one who always starts the conversation, yet haruto never failed to make your day better
you noticed how haruto always awkward whenever you guys having a conversation and it made him cuter! thinking he must be awkward with a person besides his members
"ready, haruto?" the producer asked through the mic
haruto gives thumbs up, showing he ready to show off his skill to you although you know how good he in rap through ygtb.
he starts rapping in his native language, making you surprised, amazed at how his voice got so much deeper than rapping in korean.
"y/n cover your mouth, i'm afraid if fly flew into your mouth" jihoon joked, making all of the members laugh at you, you frowned at him but of course jihoon, being jihoon, he keeps teasing you more and more.
"it's cute how you flirt with haruto with the bead necklace"
"i wasn't flirting!" you backup yourself
the members gave a sly smile at the youngest, obviously didn't trust all the words that come out from your mouth.
"yeah, but your dad said you took the class for the necklace, and you hate beads since they're so small and hard to do anything with it" said jihoon
you sighed as you can't think of another reply, because all of jihoon said is true.
"am i being obvious?" you finally being your true self towards the olders
hyunsuk nodded
"we can already tell you like haruto— the way you talk, see, and smile to him is different whenever you with us beside you only do bead necklace for him only," hyunsuk said, faking his tear at the fact you didn't give them your handmade bead necklace.
"haruto must know about this too, right?"
"nah he doesn't" junkyu replied
"why are you so sure?" you asked
"i was his roommate and i can tell he clearly in love with you, he slept with your necklace yesterday and we all notice how he smiling like an idiot whenever you around"
you couldn't help but smile at junkyu's statement
"you know y/n,his part in 'boy' he wrote himself. and guess who is the lyrics dedicated to?" yoshi asked
"who?"
"to you of course," mashiho replied
"seriously?" you turn your head, facing haruto who now rapping to his part.
"what does that mean?" she asked
"it means, my muse is so beautiful that i can't breathe just by meeting her eyes" asahi spoke, grinning at the youngest
the members start teasing you, making you turn all red. you cover your red ears when haruto gets out of the recording room. haruto frowned when he saw you covered your ears, did his rap didn't impress you?
jihoon and hyunsuk who sit in front of you could only smirk when they saw how fluttered you are.
+.*
as usual, you only sit on the couch looking at the twelve boys practicing so hard for their debut, your dad keeps correcting their choreo and makes sure they all dancing in synchronize or they need to repeat all over again.
you felt pity for them, but they need to practice for a good result. you keep your eyes on haruto, ah, how charming is he? the way he laughs whenever the others making a joke.
"okay, take 5," said the coach, making them all lay on the floor, catching their breath. you smiled as you take fruit juice from your bag pocket to give to haruto but your dad snatches it away from you and innocently drinks the juice.
"how thoughtful my daughter is? brought juice for her dad" said your dad, continue drinking the juice. you scrunched your face, you want to yell at your father but you decided to not make a scene, instead of doing what you have in your mind- which is throwing a punch on your dad's arm, you push him and leave the dance practice room with a frowned face.
jihoon and hyunsuk laughing, knowing their coach purposely doing that to tease his daughter. meanwhile haruto just finds you sulking is cute(not fully knowing what happen), he just wants to squish that tiny girl.
hours later, you come back to the practice room after wandering around the company. you surprised that they still practice although it's 8 pm. they should head home, right?
as you want to ask your dad when will they go home, a groan, making everyone froze and look at haruto who already lie down, holding his ankle. you quickly go to him and check his ankle
"i think he sprained his ankle," you said and help haruto to stand–with the help of the other of course. haruto winced as the sprained feet touch the floor, without saying anything you took off haruto's shoes and socks, taking ice packs from junghwan who go to the store when hyunsuk ordered him to buy ice packs
"wait, i get the first aid," you said and left making all of the members, including your dad to look at haruto
"what?" haruto asked
"i know you like my daughter kid, just confess i'm tired of answering her about you every day," he said
haruto widen his eyes
"w-what?"
"just confess ruto, i'm 100% sure y/n accept you," hyunsuk said
"if you still not sure, please take a look how fast y/n go to you when you sprained your ankle and the fact she only made beads necklace only for you" jihoon added
hearing their words making haruto smile shyly, she likes him back...?
seeing haruto smiling like an idiot, they all left the practice room as you arrived with first aid in your hands. you ignored the sly smile on others face, haruto's ankle is now more important
you kneel in front of him carefully bandaging his ankle
"you need to rest, no practice, walking making a late recovery," you said
haruto smile
"thank you y/n, i appreciate it" he said
you nod as you can't think any of response, you worried about haruto's injury, their debut only a month away
"i like you" his sudden words making you froze, slowly you look up, facing haruto
"what did you—"
"i like you" he cut you off
you pin the bandage and stand, making haruto look up at you. your smile making haruto's nervousness faded away.
"that is so sudden? i thought you could make it more romantic?"
haruto froze, feeling regret confessing to you without anything special. he needs to give a good impression as a boyfriend! - you could do better haruto! he thought. he apologizes to you in which you reply with your beautiful giggle.
"i'm just playing with you" you said and take a seat beside haruto, taking a brave move, you rest your head on his broad shoulder.
"but really, i'm sorry for confessing unromantically"
"ruto, the rap in your debut album is amazing, and that's the most romantic thing someone ever done to me. thank you" you said while smiling, thinking about his rap.
haruto scoffs, he knows so well yoshi said this to you because yoshi is the one who knew the rap is meant for someone he loves. however, he also wants to hug the older as he 'helps' his feelings towards you.
"let's go home, you need plenty of rest" you said, helping the boy to stand up
"can you come to my dorm? i need someone to take care of me, i can't walk it will cause a late recovery someone said" haruto said in a teasing way making you slap his arm, laughing at his words
"i will make sure dad send me there tomorrow"
#treasure imagines#treasure blurbs#treasure scenario#treasure yg#haruto imagines#watanabe haruto#haruto x reader#haruto scenarios#haruto blurbs
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The anon who sent the Twitter thread here! Thanks for the answer ^^ I absolutely agree that harrassing Caleb (regardless of how correct are his translations) is absolutely unaccepatable and some people should, like, go outside or something. Or at least take step away from the internet given the pandemic. (also after rereading this ask before sending I realized it may seem as if I felt attacked and was defending myself, so I want to clarify it now - it's absolutely not the case lmao) I was asking stricte about the situation with the translation, but since you can't really separate translation and its translator, I mentioned Caleb, but I also did it only bc Caleb is the only one we really know to be responsible for translations. I guess I could've worded it better lmao. Also I wasn't aware that editors sometimes change things without his knowledge. That's,,, really shitty tbh, I thought Viz is more professional. Imo it should be consulted if the editor wants to change something, not did behind the translator's back. Either way, do you think it can cause people to lose faith in the official translations? With how inacurrate the fanscans can be (which imo is totally understandable, given it goes Japanese -> Korean -> English and especially nuances can be lost in translation), and how stupid some shitstorms are, official translations were kinda this safe space to confirm/deny some of the subtle differences.
just to clarify anon, I didn’t think you said anything inappropriate, and your ask was worded just fine imo. I sort of used it as an excuse to soapbox about the Caleb discourse just because it’s been on my mind on and off, and since you did mention him. this is like the epitome of a first world problem, but sometimes I’m itching to talk about a topic, but I don’t necessarily want to write multiple posts about it, and so if I’ve already got an ask related to it, I’ll just tag the rant onto that. but the problem is if all of my asks are polite and thoughtful and eminently reasonable, and I want to rant about the parts of the fandom that aren’t, said rant probably seems like an overreaction by me lol. sorry about that.
anyway! honestly I think that for the vast majority of people who read the official translations, it never even enters their mind to question it. for the fans who are more active in the online community who are reading multiple scans, they probably do become more skeptical when something like this happens. but I also feel like those are the type of people who are more primed to question translations anyway, just because they care more about getting those details right.
also I think it’s worth noting that this isn’t exactly a new problem with manga translations in general, as we’ve had to deal with inaccuracies and over-the-top localization efforts for decades. like I hail from the days when publishers like Viz still flipped manga pages so that they would read left-to-right, because they didn’t think fans would be willing to read a book that was right-to-left. and that’s not even getting into the lengths they would go to avoid having characters curse, or the absurdly cringey localization of characters’ names and other things like that. so the thing is, I already learned a long time ago that “official” doesn’t always equal reliable. (and a lot of times the changes that draw the most fandom ire actually are considered professional, which is part of the problem; what the industry considers “professional” doesn’t always keep pace with what the fans want.) and overall I feel like modern translations have come such a long way that relatively minor things like this don’t really bother me like they might otherwise.
and really I don’t think it’s the worst thing if this leads fans to do more research and possibly learn more about the Japanese language and the whole translation process. I think that’s kind of cool actually. in the end the people who want to know the exact ins and outs of a given line in the manga have more resources than ever to find that out, which is great. having people realize that no translation is completely without bias or flaws is a good thing imo. I just wish we could do it without all of the drama lol.
#bnha 301#caleb cook#bnha#boku no hero academia#bnha spoilers#mha spoilers#makeste reads bnha#asks#anon asks#bnha meta
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BASIC INFORMATION.
Full name: Ikki Nakamura ( 一騎 中村 )
Nickname: No. Nor does he tend to use them unless they are close, and only then he will usually only use them when it’s just them, because he is a more formal person. Listen, I could make an entire post about naming conventions and how the culture he was raised in influences him in that respect. But I will not! At least not right here.
Birthdate: 22nd of December
Age: 31
Zodiac: Capricorn, Year of the Snake
Gender: Cis Male
Pronouns: He/Him
Romantic orientation: Homoromantic
Sexual orientation: Homosexual
Nationality: Japanese
Ethnicity: Japanese/White (Australian)
Ranking: Dominion
Affiliation: Famine
BACKGROUND.
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
Hometown: Ueno Tokyo, Japan
Social Class: Grew up Lower Working Class, Currently is Upper Class
Educational achievements: Honors at Oxford where he studied business
Father: Ken Nakamura; Salaryman (Sales Work)
Mother: Eileen Nakamura; Office Lady (Clerical Work)
Sibling(s): Younger Sister Aya Nakamura; Actress/Influencer
Pets: 3 Hyacinth Macaws Treachery, Heresy, and Fraud
Previous relationships: None
Arrests: None
Prison time: None
OCCUPATION & INCOME.
Current occupation: Interim CEO & Dominion
Dream occupation: CEO & Horseman
Past job(s): General lower ranking jobs within Femenias Energy, listen he very much worked his way up the ladder.
Spending habits: He has extremely disciplined spending habits.
In debt?: No
SKILLS & ABILITIES.
Physical strength: Average
Speed: Average
Intelligence: Above Average
Accuracy: Above Average
Agility: Average
Stamina: Above Average
Teamwork: Fairly good, better than most might think.
Talents: Extremely intelligent, logical, practical, and well rounded.
Shortcomings: Emotions, being uncomfortable with any sort of affection, poor personal relationships, very secretive and guarded, etc ...
Languages spoken: Fluent in Japanese, English, Spanish. Can also speak Korean, Mandarin, Russian, and French
Drive?: Yes
Jump-start a car?: Yes
Change a flat tyre?: Yes
Ride a bicycle?: Yes
Swim?: Yes
Play an instrument?: No
Play chess?: Yes
Braid hair?: Yes
Tie a tie?: Yes
Pick a lock?: No
Cook?: Yes
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS.
Faceclaim: Sen Mitsuji
Eye colour: Dark Brown
Hair colour: Black
Hair type: Straight, Thick hair
Glasses/contacts?: No
Dominant hand: Right
Height: 6'½
Weight: Good lord, I have no idea.
Build: Lithe, on the slimmer side of Athletic
Exercise habits: He tries to find time to exercise at least four times a week. He hates it.
Skin tone: Fair
Tattoos: One on the side of neck, one on his forearm underneath his elbow, and one on the back of his wrist. What are they? I haven’t decided yet.
Piercings: None
Marks/scars: Nothing that really stands out too much, honestly.
Clothing style: Rather simple but stylish and designer. And all black.
Jewelry: Typically none unless a watch counts, though he has a few rings he might wear on occasion.
Allergies: None
Diet: He has a rather light, and healthy diet when he chooses what to eat.
PSYCHOLOGY.
MBTI type: ISTJ (The Logistician)
Enneagram type: Type 1 (The Reformer)
Moral Alignment: Neutral Evil
Temperament: Melancholic
Element: Earth
Emotional stability: Just because someone does not show their emotions does not make them emotionally stable, despite what Ikki might tell you. :)
Introvert or Extrovert?: Introvert
Obsession: Work
Phobias: Uncertainty, the Unknown, Death for those reasons
Drug use: Not often, but once in a while, more often in Uni than now, however.
Alcohol use: Yes
Prone to violence?: No
Prone to crying?: I don’t think he’s cried in over 15 or more years.
Believe in love at first sight?: God no...
MANNERISMS.
Accent: He has a Japanese Accent. It has blended out a little bit in the 12 years he’s lived in London, however.
Hobbies: ???? Working???
Habits: Smoking, Chewing his nails
Nervous ticks: He paces when he’s nervous
Drives/motivations: Being right
Fears: Boredom, Not being in control, Failure
Sense of humour?: Sarcastic, and Dry. It can be pretty dark as well.
Do they curse often?: Not a huge amount compared to some, but he does.
FAVOURITES.
Animal: He’s not actually an animal person, but he does love his specific birds.
Beverage: Umeshu (Japanese Plum Wine)
Book: Out by Natsuo Kirino
Colour: Black
Food: His favorite food if we’re going super basics is Strawberries.
Flower: Lavender
Gem: Obsidian?
Mode of transportation: Whatever gets you from point A to point B most efficiently.
Scent: Not to be a nerd on main, but Books
Sport: None
Weather: Thunderstorms
Vacation destination: Anywhere that is not super crowded, but he does like cold weather, or being on the water somewhere.
ATTITUDES.
Greatest dream: Become CEO and Horseman
Greatest fear: Death. Not dying, and not being dead but the lack of control that comes from that. You know what I mean? Does that make sense?
Most at ease when: Never
Least as ease when: When he has a lack of control, or when bored or idle with nothing to do
Biggest achievement: Becoming Dominion. He’s hesitant to consider being Interim CEO his biggest achievement tbh. It’s temporary, and it was because it was an emergency. So, he still considers becoming Dominion more of an achievement.
Biggest regret: He’s waiting for it to become getting involved with Rafael, but at the moment I don’t know if he has any really big regrets? I don’t think so. He’s a smug asshole who does everything he can to make sure he does not make mistakes or have regrets.
#-- task#-- about#I realized while making this that I used the same character psd as kitty lmao#love that
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20 in 10: A Drama Retrospective
Since I’ve been all quiet on the drama front this year because of life reasons, I thought it would be fun to go back and pick out 20 of the most memorable dramas of the last decade. Maybe not necessarily the best dramas or even my favorites (although some are!), but two dramas each year that were somehow notable moments in my drama-watching timeline.
2009: Gateway Drugs
Boys over Flowers (KBS)
This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a good drama. It is not one I think I can ever really rewatch (although I will happily revisit the 2005 Japanese version, and I had a hellava fun time watching the latest Chinese version). But! It was the first kdrama I remember watching, and the first step on the slippery slope of eventually becoming a Drama Addict. I mostly remember it being crazy popular on places like mysoju (RIP), and so I checked it out due to curiosity, and the rest, as they say, is history. Or, should I say, almost paaaaradise!
You’re Beautiful (SBS)
This one I also watched because it became crazy-popular online, and curiosity got the better of me. I really didn’t know much about k-pop prior to dramas, so I had no idea until after this drama that k-pop was more about pretty people in crazy fashion, dancing in syncopation in bizarrely lit rooms, rather than playing instruments. Because it was thanks to this drama that I got my crash-course on k-pop as a phenomenon -- both the fandom side, and the crazy things that artists have to go through to claw their way into the public’s view (nevar 4get the glorious ramen dance). Since Angel was a group that played instruments, and Hongki and Yonghwa were also from groups that played instruments, I assumed that all kpop were groups that played instruments. Oh, sweet summer child...
But it did get me started on my k-pop journey, first falling in love with FT Island and CNBLUE, before falling into the rabbit hole of the other prominent groups of the day. (SNSD! The Wonder Girls! Super Junior! DBSK! SS501! Kara! 2PM! 2AM! Shinee! BEG! Epik High! U-KISS! All the debut groups, like 2NE1, MBLAQ, B2ST, 4Minute, f(x), T-ara, After School... basically 2009 was a magical year in k-pop.)
If I had just watched Boys Over Flowers, I don’t know that I would have become a Drama Addict. But You’re Beautiful pushed me closer to the edge, with the zany humor of the Hong Sisters (and the desire for a pig-bunny of my own!). It would really be Coffee Prince that would push me over the edge, but that aired in 2007 so it doesn’t count for this list. But I had to mention it anyway, because, well, it’s Coffee Prince and where my love for Handsome Oppa began.
2010: More Than Candy
The Woman Who Wants To Marry (MBC)
A lot of the dramas I watched at first had that typical “Candy” character, the poor-but-scrappy girl who would somehow be saved by the guy and become the Cinderella she never knew she wanted to be. So it was a delight when I encountered women who were not only older than high-school-age or early twenties, but in their thirties, with rich full lives! Plus, this was one of my earliest introductions to the concept of the “noona romance” (a concept that I’ve since heartily embraced, of course). I started it primarily because Kim Bum was my favorite of the Flower Boys, but I stuck with it because I fell in love with the women (and I still have a girl-crush on Bu-ki).
Harvest Villa (tvn)
This show is insane. But in the good way, the way that the writer intended, and not in the “are a bunch of monkeys typing this script?” train-wreck way. There was basically no buzz about this show, and I feel like I somehow accidentally stumbled over it, but it was love at first sight. I’ve never forgotten the late hours binging it, being so sucked into the story that I absolutely had to finish it as soon as I could, disappointed that there wasn’t more of it to enjoy when I finally finished, bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived, but satisfied.
I then later gobbled down this writer’s next drama, and her next drama, and the next, until everyone else finally realized thanks to Signal that Kim Eun-hee was as amazing a writer as I kept insisting to anyone who would listen (aka no one).
2011: To Binge or Not To Binge?
White Christmas (KBS)
I did not watch White Christmas in 2011. I actually watched it in 2013. I was always a steadfast binger, preferring to wait until the buzz about a show would sway me into spending my precious free-time watching something that would be worth my while (not that my drama choices were always good, but at least I tried to avoid the duds). I still prefer to binge, since waiting weeks for new episodes is vaguely frustrating when I want to know what happens next, right now! Plus, I’m very good at forgetting that I’m watching a show in the week-long wait for new episodes, and then just... never picking it back up again.
Despite watching White Christmas a couple years after it aired, it remains one of my favorites, and one I love to rewatch, even though I’ve already experienced whodunnit cliff-hangers and psychological rollercoasters. It became a tradition of sorts here on tumblr for a bunch of us to rewatch it over the holiday season -- alas, I haven’t joined in that tradition for the past couple of years, but I hope that somewhere in this blue hell hole that there are a loyal few keeping the tradition alive.
At least we have this drama to thank for bringing us all the model-actors that were new and clueless in White Christmas, but would later go on to be leading men in their own right. Of course, some of them haven’t exactly made the best drama choices (*cough*SungJoon*cough*), but then there are others (*cough*SooHyuk*cough*) that I’m impatiently waiting for to pick up a new drama so I can see those post-army abs.
Tree With Deep Roots (SBS)
This is the first drama that I recall live-watching. I vaguely remember regretting it at the time, since it was agony waiting for new episodes, but it was also fun to have a week to speculate and ponder the show. And what a beautiful show to ponder! This was also one of the few sageuks I actually watched, being generally intimidated by anything longer than 16-20 episodes, and my historical knowledge was a little shaky (before embracing my inner nerd and diving into mundane historical stuff just so I could better understand whatever drama I was watching at the time).
I don’t think I intended to continue live-watching shows, preferring the ease of binging at my own pace and schedule. But that was when I was still a casual, innocent addict, and not someone who would eventually make dramas a huge part of her life.
2012: The Joy of Overthinking
Gaksital (KBS)
Having had a taste of live-watching, I started to live-watch enough dramas to the point where I began to make notes about the premiere weeks. It was only a couple at a time, and binging was still my preferred way to watch, but now I was delighting in being part of the fandom, sharing in speculation each week, posting my thoughts on dramas and analyzing them to my heart’s content -- even though I knew no one except me would read my ridiculous essays.
But I started to feel more comfortable sharing my opinion with the world, interacting with fandom and not merely content to be a consumer, but gradually becoming a producer as well.
Reply 1997 (tvN)
This is it. This is when I went full-on Drama Addict. This is the tipping point from casual fan who quietly kept to herself, to becoming someone who stood on the mountain top yelling about ALL THE DRAMAS ALL THE TIME. I began to interact with other fans! To swap theories and share squee-worthy moments! I even watched episodes RAW just because of how desperate I was to know what happened, and even though the Busan accent stumped me more than once, it made me realize that my casual study of Korean was something to take seriously since I understood more than I gave myself credit for.
It was also the first time any post I made got more than a handful of notes, since I’d mostly hovered in the “less than 10 notes per post” category at the time. I was so proud of myself back then!
(This drama also notably marks the start of my Hoya obsession, which continues to this day.)
2013: Tumblr Friends (and Foes)
Flower Boy Next Door (tvN)
Having made myself comfortable on tumblr as a Drama Addict, I then discovered some other dedicated fans -- many of which I still follow to this day and who are now just a permanent part of my dash, no matter what their current interests may be -- in the FBND squad.
But I also discovered Kim Seul-gi as the Webtoon Editor (who I still love and adore and continue to use as my avatar), and her adorable romance with Dong-hoon remains one of my forever OTPs. As much as I enjoyed the drama romances, I’d never fallen so deeply for one to be so obsessed by it as I was Webtoon Editor and Dong-hoon. And tbh I still am. They’re just so adorable and pragmatic and she buys him a bag. Ugh. I love her so much, you guys.
Heirs (SBS)
Ah, yes. This hot mess.
I don’t know what possessed me to live-blog each episode. But I did. With snarky commentary and terrible screencaps. And suddenly I went from maybe 200 followers to over a 1000. That was a total shock! I met a lot of people because of that (and made some friends, as well as a few enemies who didn’t appreciate my opinion of certain characters), and ensconced myself as part of the drama-blogging crew.
It was from this that someone suggested I apply to be a minion at Dramabeans. Back then, I had a lot more free time than I do now, and I was watching a lot of dramas that Dramabeans didn’t cover, and wished they did so I could read more opinions about those shows. So I thought, “Eh, why not? It can’t hurt to submit something because the worst that would happen is I’d waste their time making them read my take on episode 10 of Let’s Eat.”
I fully expected them to turn me down. No one was more surprised than I was when I found myself agreeing to dive into the world of recapping.
2014: It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times
Trot Lovers (KBS)
Recapping. It seems so easy when you’re reading the recaps. But actually creating them is a bitch. Hours out of my life were spent on this disaster of a trope-laden show with no plot. This was the third show I worked on for Dramabeans, and I hated it to the point where I seriously considered handing in my notice. (Immediately following up this show with the mediocre My Secret Hotel certainly didn’t help matters!)
However, it turns out that what I actually hated was being forced to watch a terrible rom-com and pretend to come up with insightful-or-at-least-neutral thoughts about it (since we were still new and couldn’t go full-on snark yet).
Misaeng (tvN)
This is what saved me. Being given the chance to immerse myself in such a unique, ponderous, thoughtful show restored my faith in dramas and the drama community. I loved spending hours on this show, soaking up all the little details, and then sharing that love with the world.
Misaeng made dramas magical again.
2015: Fight Me
Valid Love (tvN)
Realizing that I only seemed to enjoy rom-coms at arm-length, I discovered that my tastes often ran counter to the general drama-viewing public. Not all the drama-viewing public -- I’m not a “not like other fans” kind of fan -- but enough that I began to realize the whether a drama was popular or had good buzz was not necessarily the primary reason to watch it.
I began to have more faith in my own taste, based on past experiences with various writers and directors. Even if the premise (or first couple of episodes) seemed kind of weird and out-there, I at least wanted to give these artists the benefit of the doubt that I would enjoy their work, like I had previously.
So many people seemed to hate Valid Love, but I adored it. Still do (and still desperately wish Kim Do-woo would come out with a new drama -- it has been too long, writer-nim!). There were a lot of opinions about this show, even among people who seemed to enjoy it, but I vividly recall having to repeatedly insist that it wasn’t about the romance and argue that the knee-jerk infidelity-is-BAD opinions should make space for something more nuanced.
Ho-gu’s Love (tvN)
DramaFever was a pretty great site. It brought together so many drama fans and gave them a place where they could legally (and without fear of downloading random viruses) watch dramas to their heart’s content. Yes, there may have been some lingering resentment that they were the primary reason that so many amazing other sites were shut down (RIP mysoju and daebaeksubs), but dramas were more accessible than ever!
Eventually, DramaFever started to sub shows themselves and upload them weekly (instead of just using fansubs and uploading older dramas), and while they weren’t the best translations, they were at least better than machine translations from the Chinese subs. As I became more and more familiar with Korean, I found myself more likely to migrate to Viki since I liked the extra detailed translations. I could get the gist of a show without any help -- I wanted to instead delve into the nitty-gritty of the language.
But I never really hated DramaFever or felt they were particularly awful. Until they mistranslated something so terribly that it changed the entire meaning of a scene and ruined people’s perception of a drama, forcing me to continually defend the true translation.
That was the molehill I died on that day, and never again did I touch DramaFever. I feel bad that it eventually got unceremoniously shuttered. But I don’t think I’ll ever forgive them for the “condom” incident.
2016: Free Solo
Dear My Friends (tvN)
For two years I’d been happily working on one episode a week, sharing a show with someone else, until I was asked if I’d like to tackle a show by myself. I wasn’t sure how I could handle it, but I had the time in my schedule so I said, “Sure, why not?”
I was originally going to recap Another Oh Hae-young, but there was a last-minute switcheroo, and I’m so incredibly glad because this is perhaps my favorite recapping experience of all time, even more so than Misaeng. There was something so special about the luxury of having an entire show to myself, especially one with such a fantastic cast of characters and thoughtful themes. I didn’t have to try and figure out if I agreed with another person’s take -- it could all be my opinion.
Is that arrogant? Perhaps. But it was also therapeutic, as it reminded me once again how incredible and amazing dramas could be, and the privilege I had to share such an exquisite and thought-provoking drama with the rest of the world.
The Good Wife (tvN)
Surprisingly, this was what I had really wanted to recap that year, and the true reason I got Dear My Friends, since it aired just prior in the same time-slot as The Good Wife. I was desperate to have this show, willing to do anything to get it because I needed to see Jeon Do-yeon back on the small screen, to see Yoo Ji-tae smolder, to know how Korea would adapt such an ambitious show.
And I wasn’t disappointed! This is, perhaps, my favorite adaption of another work of art that I’ve seen in dramaland. It remained true to Korean sensibilities, but it also properly felt like The Good Wife. The cast was phenomenal. The costumes were exquisite. I wished I could spend more time in that world.
But I was also thankful, because without The Good Wife, I would have never have had Dear My Friends.
2017: Serial-Killers Are Cool
Voice (OCN)
I can’t remember how I got assigned to this. Maybe it was a scheduling thing. I do know that I really, really wanted it, since it would be Handsome Oppa’s first drama appearance in three years.
But it started me down a road of recapping a lot of serious and serial-killer-centric shows. Except for the times when I’d beg for a break and tackle something lighter, I was generally assigned the darker mystery shows with meaty plots, since apparently I had a knack for condensing complicated shows into something that made sense. (Also literally darker, and I eventually learned to automatically brighten every screencap I posted. You’re welcome.)
Not only did I love working on something with Handsome Oppa, I also had fun recapping the start of what would eventually become OCN’s stock-in-trade -- creepy serial killers. At the time, Voice shattered OCN’s viewer ratings (which would then be shattered again and again as more people would tune in to OCN shows). But Voice really helped put OCN on the viewership map -- as well as catapult Handsome Oppa into the public eye and lead him to a path of getting to choose whatever script he wanted to work on.
(Okay, maybe I made that last bit up, but he did begin to garner a larger following and remind everyone that just because he was gone from dramaland for so long, he hadn’t lost his acting chops -- or charisma -- or cheekbones.)
Black (OCN)
Oh, this show. It was basically my whole life while it was airing (well, the non-day-job part of my life). Each episode was over an hour long and jam-packed full of details that were pertinent to the story, and I had to somehow condense that all into 3000 words or less (I was not always, ah, successful...). It felt like I was back in recapping bootcamp, but the dial had been turned up to 11.
I’m weirdly proud of what I produced (although you’ll never get me to reread my old work). It was one of the most challenging shows to work on, but in the good way, not the Trot Lovers way.
Until the ending, that is. Sigh. That ending will live in infamy. I still, to this day, will get a few comments on the finale from people who watched it on Netflix, went searching online for an explanation of the end, and then discovered that they were not alone in being confused by the utter wtf-ery of the last twenty minutes.
2018: Fighting For My Love
Misty (JTBC)
So, Dramabeans kind of disappeared for a few months. Well, the site was still live. There were a handful of recaps. But... it basically just... stopped.
Those of us on the other side know about as you do as to why that happened. Minions are kept in the dark just as much as anybody, it seems. All we knew is that we weren’t being assigned anything and we seriously wondered if the site was going under, since adsense has become worthless these days.
But Mary and I kept talking about how much we adored Misty and were sad that we couldn’t talk about it with the world (and convince them to watch it with us), so we pleaded and begged and got the go-ahead to do a kind of chatty “open thread” which has apparently been a spring-board format for other shows. We didn’t get paid for this, and we were totally fine with that. We just wanted to provide some kind of content (while swooning over Kim Nam-joo’s pantsuits!).
Let’s Eat 3 (tvN)
This was my first real assignment after the dead period, and I once again got to do full recaps (with pay!). I started watching, thinking I’d merely tolerate the show (since I loved the first season vastly more than the second season), but it turned out to be my favorite of the three. Plus it felt fortuitous that the series I had submitted my application would be a series I’d work on four years later.
Sometimes it’s nice to spend time with a character you met years ago, to see them grow, to see how they became what they became. Drama trends (and love interests) will come and go, but Goo Dae-young’s love of food (and love of explaining the proper way to eat food) will never change. It was a really comforting drama for me to spend my summer on, and I’ll remember it fondly, even if I’m forever sad that it had to suddenly wrap-up two episodes early.
2019: Ten Years Later
Item (MBC)
This was the Trot Lovers of 2019. It was a nonsensical disaster.
I also had the added chaos of my real-life job -- one very different from the one I had when I was working on Trot Lovers -- as it began to increase exponentially in responsibilities and in stress. I reached a breaking point where I began to hate opening my computer where I’d have to spend hours attempting to explain a show that I wanted nothing to do with. I was miserable and depressed and couldn’t do it anymore. I never before asked to be taken off a show because I hated it so much, but there’s a first for everything.
Her Private Life (tvN)
I actually haven’t finished this show -- I’ve yet to watch the last two episodes. But I’m including it because, well, I didn’t finish any other show in 2019 except for Item.
As some of you may know, this has been a difficult year. It started with the unexpected stress of my job, when we suddenly lost one of our directors who passed away, and another director was let go (in a complicated situation that is ongoing, but the important thing is that it was during our busiest time when we really couldn’t afford to lose anyone), and another director left for a different job and I was basically the one to pick up all the pieces she left behind. It was exhausting and we were all past the breaking point but somehow miraculously holding it together.
I was looking forward to finally getting a much-needed vacation in September, and then, well, you all know how that went: the first night, on our layover in New Zealand before what was supposed to be three weeks in Australia, my father was taken to the hospital, and then, two days later, he passed away. Life has gotten even more chaotic and stressful and bizarre since then.
So no, I haven’t finished this drama, but it was one of the most wonderful moments of the year for me, watching this fizzy rom-com with my favorite actor, where he got to be charming and handsome and charismatic and finally kiss the girl he loves and have her love him back (and not die or be dumped, as he had been in so many dramas that had gone before). Lion Oppa was everything my heart could desire, and living in his world helped me endure the insanity that I wish I’d known would seem so much more tolerable than what would eventually befall.
Her Private Life reminded me of when I first fell in love with dramas ten years ago, when I would giggle and be delighted by the charming nonsense on screen -- of beautiful people falling in love and fighting against the obstacles between them (some more ridiculous than others, perhaps, but there are always obstacles), and ending up happily ever after. Pure escapism, of the frothiest kind.
A Drama-filled Decade
So, after ten years of dramas, what is the takeaway? What have I learned?
I suppose I’ve learned to trust my instincts and put more faith in writers and directors than actors. That analyzing dramas is fun, and it’s even more fun sharing it with others, and sometimes even more fun if you get paid to do it -- but everyone eventually reaches a breaking point. That I’m too earnest and optimistic to embrace a life of snark. That I want every drama to be good but most of them aren’t, except sometimes they are. That I’m not even sure which genres are my favorite; I just know what I don’t like.
That dramas are best as escapism, and not as work.
I don’t know how many dramas I’ll watch in 2020. I haven’t paid any attention to what’s airing, and I’m okay with that. Perhaps I’m entering a new phase in my life, or perhaps I just don’t have the capacity to escape right now.
But I am pleased to have had dramas in my life, and to have eventually made them my hobby. I’ve met a lot of amazing people and made some genuine friends through a shared love of dramas (or, at times, a shared hatred). I’m honored that all of you are still here and following me, even during this period of fandom silence.
May 2020 treat us all better, and may Kim Do-woo finally write another script.
#kdrama#k-drama#retrospective#drama retrospective#dramabeans#boys over flowers#you're beautiful#the woman who wants to marry#harvest villa#white christmas#tree with deep roots#gaksital#reply 1997#flower boy next door#heirs#trot lovers#misaeng#valid love#hogu's love#dear my friends#the good wife#voice#black#misty#let's eat 3#item#her private life
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I manifest, briefly, to write about this miniseries WHICH I HAD EXTREMELY HIGH HOPES FOR, and it disappointed me so much I’m compelled to write an actual review about it. In summary, of course. If I did it in-depth, it would probably have to be on my proper blog (oops shit I haven’t updated that in ages).
INTRO ABOUT JAPAN AND WWII (skip this to get to actual review of series)
TOKYO TRIAL. Ah. The Asian parallel to Nuremberg. Media about Japanese war crimes and the subsequent actions (the trial, the rehabilitation of criminals, the adoption of Unit 731 research by American forces, the conflicts between the Japanese Imperial Army and its victims) is not as extensive as the war in Europe. In fact, the Tokyo Trials themselves were not as punitive as the Nuremberg Trial (for a host of bureaucratic reasons, but also the lack of systematic eradication of Japanese citizens, but this is a very simplified explanation). And most media about the Japanese occupation is usually Chinese or Korean (understandably) even though the Japanese did a good job fucking up the Philippines, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies and so on. Also, much media about the Japanese occupation, I find, tends to be about the overall general existence of the Japanese occupation force, rather than specific historical figures (I am making a blanket statement here, I’ve watched limited amounts of Korean and Chinese language media on the Japanese occupation). There’s nothing wrong with this, of course, but the lack of quantity then leaves a viewer chomping on the bit for some good historical drama.
Part of it, probably, is due to the relative mystery of the Japanese occupation when compared to the Nazi occupation. Nazis, the Holocaust, the Third Reich are everywhere in media and have been researched and shared to death. Not so for the Japanese invasion (well, probably in English). The Rape of Nanking (book) was probably THE thing that shone a spotlight on Japanese atrocities, but it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the overall Japanese action in Asia (newsflash: the Japanese ALSO tortured the people in countries that were not China, even though yes, I will readily admit they especially tortured the Chinese populations in countries that were not China).
There is so much Good Shit TM from a edutainment perspective on stuff you can squeeze out of the Japanese invasion. DID YOU KNOW??? THE JAPANESE ARMY CYCLED - ON BICYCLES - FROM THE KINGDOM OF SIAM TO SINGAPORE OVER 2 MONTHS, CAPTURING ALL THE TERRITORY THEY CYCLED THROUGH (because the locals supported the Japanese invasion at the time - Asia For Asians! was the propaganda they put out which was total bullshit, the locals would eventually discover), AND THEN ACCEPTED A BRITISH SURRENDER. THE KING OF SIAM AGREED TO LET THE JAPANESE USE THEM AS THE BIKING ENTRY POINT IN EXCHANGE FOR “DON’T INVADE ME BRO” AND ALSO “can I have some northern malayan territory”. THE JAPANESE AGREED. You can’t make this shit up. And this is the non-atrocity part of it. The atrocity part is as vicious, but differently so, from the Holocaust (which I would prefer not to get into as that’s an entire essay in and of itself - summary: the Japanese bayonet everything - EVERYTHING - and also Contest to kill 100 people with actual Japanese swords as promoted by Mainichi and Nichi Nichi Shimbun and also soap water drinking stomach bulge boot step interrogation technique ok let’s stop this here)
You get what I’m saying. It’s an entire period of history that has not been harvested for good quality drama. And I don’t need fabricated romantic bullshit (I’m looking at you, Embun (even though you were damned good, you’re STILL BULLSHIT)). I’m talking Schindler’s List-type films, with history and gravitas and nuance. Most historical movies have immature script-writers who basically paint the Japanese occupiers as monsters (not necessarily inaccurate, but painfully one dimensional). (Digression: Recently I watched Kanang Anak Langkau which was about a Malayan (and then Malaysian) Ranger who helped fight off the Communists after the Japanese occupation ended and, man, the entire movie was flat... except the Communists??? Like, they were clearly terrible but they were well-portrayed and had great actors. So. Opposite problem. Asians are really bad at war films that aren’t Classic Period Dramas.)
As a citizen of a Japanese-occupied country, with YEARS of history textbooks dedicated to the Japanese occupation, and a generation of Japanese war survivors either dead or unwilling to discuss their experiences, in a region with... pretty bad recording of this sort of history, I think you get my interest and fascination with this entire chapter. And since I’m in a country that isn’t the centre of the Japanese invasion (i.e. China and Korea) it makes even more sense that I’m interested in the occupation and action in countries like the Philippines, Malaya and so on.
ACTUAL REVIEW OF TOKYO TRIAL MINI-SERIES
OK. Sorry. I had to get that off my chest. SO. Tokyo Trial.
This is actually the second piece of media about the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal on video that I’m aware of (that’s been dramatised). The first one was a movie, also called TOKYO TRIAL, and it was a Chinese production (in English) from a Chinese perspective. The protagonist was the Chinese judge on the bench, Justice Mei. Tokyo Trial the Movie (TT(M) from here on out) was heavily dramatised and abridged in order to make for (well, attempted) excitement, action and historical legal thrills. It gets bogged down at times with some typical pacing problems (typical for Asian films). Like a good historical legal thriller, it focuses on victim testimony and the arrogance of the accused and of course it culminates in the feel good moment where you can watch outraged/distraught Japanese war criminals reacting to their sentences. Overall not a bad movie to watch, but not really great. Made interesting only by the righteousness of the protag and the severity and outrageousness of the subject matter. But it suffers from some stuttered pacing and an extremely narrow Chinese POV (understandable, given the protag and the production).
Now. Tokyo Trial (Mini-Series) (TT(MS) from here on).
Pros: Very beautiful. Decent Actors. VERY BEAUTIFUL.
Cons: Literally everything else.
HOW. HOW DO YOU CREATE A MINI-SERIES ABOUT THE JAPANESE WAR CRIMES TRIAL WITHOUT FEATURING JAPANESE WAR CRIMES?????
Astounding. I’m truly astounded. Where to even begin.
1. The protagonist
GUESS WHO IT IS. No really, guess. In a movie about the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, guess who the main character is. I guarantee you won’t get it.
It’s the Dutch Judge.
WHY?
The Judge, btw, doesn’t even have any kind of personal or professional link to the Japanese occupation. Even when the protag is asked by a stranded German diva about how he must have suffered during the Nazi occupation, he admits that he didn’t have it as bad as others. His family is entirely intact although they were in the Dutch East Indies when the Japanese invaded.
2. The focus of the series
can you fucking guess
it’s the goddamn judges
the entire series is about the trials and tribulations (pun fucking intended) of the GODDAMN JUDGES
DURING SERIOUS TESTIMONY OF VICTIMS AND THE ACCUSED, THE SHOTS ARE OF THE CONCERNED/CONSTIPATED FACES OF THE JUDGES
The mini-series, 4 episodes long, opens with the Dutch Judge writing to his wife and giving some decent introduction to all the major players. And then it brings into focus the various justices from around the world who will be partaking in this historical undertaking.
The President of the Tribunal is Sir William Webb, Australian. He looks great but suffers from terrible lines and staging. BTW all the characters are extremely one dimensional WITH TWO EXCEPTIONS: The British Judge (who veers between an ally, a one-note antagonist, but is then redeemed as an anti-hero - clearly the deuteragonist) and the Chinese Judge, who is soft-spoken, well-mannered, firm but not unyielding, a clear contrast to the fiery and righteous protag of TT(M). Honestly, I think he would be the best portrayal except... halfway through, Irrfan Khan appears as the Indian Judge, and honestly Paul Freeman was so good as the British (Scottish) Judge.
The entire series is about the judges politicking amongst one another and trying to argue about whether crimes of aggression (or crimes against peace) are valid grounds for a case, as these crimes have never existed before (cue arguing about the precedent set by Nuremberg).
Our intrepid (barf) protag intersperses the tense boardroom confrontations (really can barely be called that: a serious point is brought up in court, they adjourn to their chambers, they START to argue, and then the Tribunal President immediately says ok let’s all go retire for the day before any interesting or insightful conversations can begin) with one-on-one interactions with (1) a German pianist diva whom he admires as he plays violin (their duet sucks btw) (2) a Japanese intellectual who hangs out at the beach (they have zero onscreen connection and exists only to instill doubt in the Dutch judge’s mind as he contemplates the trial) (3) various judges as they begin gossiping over the latest judge to pose drama in the chambers.
That’s all. Honestly. That’s the content of the mini-series in a nutshell.
3. The pacing and the script
god it’s so
MEALY
Every scene, EVERY SCENE, is played as grave and solemn
You think this isn’t bad? Every single scene begins with thoughtful pauses and long poignant looks, even over such lines which you can picture your grandpa and uncle just quipping at each other (”The marathon begins” “I’d rather hope it would be a sprint”).
Mealy = the actual script is so awkward. It doesn’t sound like human beings talking. It’s a mouthful. ugh.
Pacing = Example: in episode 3, probably, literally 3 scenes side-by-side, 2 judges talking to each other as they walk down a path. Each scene is: A asks B about C. And then it is immediately followed by D asking C about B. CAN YOU IMAGINE??? They don’t intersperse the shot at all. It’s just 3 conversations in a row gossiping.
Pacing 2 = time passes but badly. Suddenly a year has passed, but we don’t get a sense of it unless we’re told; there’s no difference in appearance or speaking manner among the judges. there’s no real development at all, except for the position of the Dutch Judge whose position on crimes of aggression changes as he gets pulled in several ways by several people, and you end the series without any feeling of resolution or satisfaction. AT ALL. I feel like you end where you start in terms of the arguments and everything.
4. Reflections
I’ve discovered that this mini-series was nominated for an emmy in 2017 for best series. I’ve also discovered 2 reviews (ONLY) online for this series, one on a blog and on one iMBD, both praising the series for being good for history buffs that showcases an unknown part of history.
i) That is not accurate. It is a terrible series that showcases the politics and drama of the tribunal judges, and not of the japanese war crimes. literally nobody needs to know, or care, about the judges of a war crimes trial (british, canadian, US, NZ judge conspire to get the president replaced, he leaves, US judge is chosen as his replacement, HE COMES BACK, NOBODY CARES) (aside with Blakely the US lawyer and what he’s trying to accomplish in court with his controversial and it’s not explained and ignored later)
ii) Historic footage is interspersed, meaninglessly. This includes the footage of the accused and 2 victims giving testimony, I believe. It is THE MOST INTERESTING part of the series. The footage used is minimal. And it just doesn’t gel with the whole series as a whole.
iii) This show was made by a Japanese crew and NHK so.
All in all, from an entertainment perspective, Tokyo Trial failed to be compelling, interesting or noteworthy. The actors were bogged down by a bad script and weak direction. If you want to watch a show about the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, watch the older Chinese movie - less accurate but way more entertaining, and it ACTUALLY focuses on Japanese war crimes.
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hi! love in sadness anon again. if you can rec some good melos i would be thankful.
[Oh my gosh, anon. I suck. Seriously. I’ve been trying to sit down and get this done from the moment I got your ask and I just haven’t been able to do it. Anyway, hopefully you see this. Thank you for your patience.]
Little do you know how long I have been waiting for this moment. This is my time to shine! Jk, but I would be happy to give recs. It’s a delight. I started going through my MDL and realized just how many dramas in this genre I have actually seen and realized I would probably have to trim my recommendations somewhat not to seem like a crazy person. Also I have subcategories! Yay!
(I’ve included the *** next to titles that I have watched multiple times or that stand out from the rest of the pack.)
First of all, Movie Melos.
Sometimes you don’t have time for 16-30 hours of drama. Sometimes you want to get all your feels out in a single sitting and move on with your life. That’s where movies are so helpful. My favorite bite-sized melos are:
Always*** – An ex-con trying to get his life together falls in love with a blind woman, but his efforts to help her recover her sight might drag him right back into the violence he’s tried to escape.
Shoot My Heart – A young heir is forced into a mental hospital by his rich family where he meets a disturbed young man. They become friends, try to protect each other, and eventually escape. This one has a bit more of a comedic element to it than the other movies I’m recommending, but there’s plenty of the melo tone as the movie goes on.
Will You Be There? – After finding out that he’s dying of cancer, a man travels through time to beg his younger self to save the life of his first love.
Butterfly Sleep – This is a Japanese movie, but it also stars Korean actor Kim Jae Wook, who recently got a boost in popularity from Her Private Life. The movie revolves around a poor young man from Korea who ends up living with an older woman, a novelist who has just discovered she is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, and the passionate relationship that develops between the two as he helps her finish what will be her final book. #tragedy_tag
High Quality, Human Melodramas
So, this category is for if you want something with all the emotional gut punch of a really wild family drama, but you also want your melos to have actual artistic merit so when you tell your non-drama watching friends and family members about them they don’t end up losing respect for your taste.
Just Between Lovers – This is the story of two young people involved in and scarred by the same horrific accident, but survived and end up finding solace in one another as they deal with their combined traumas. If you’ve seen this drama around the kdramasphere on tumblr you might have seen a lot of gifs of the soft romance. Don’t be fooled though. The romance is indeed wonderful, but the themes are heavy and it can be rough sit.
My Mister*** – I really am just looking for every possible opportunity to recommend this drama. It has supplanted my former favorites and become my top drama of all time. It’s about two people, a troubled young woman in her 20′s and a structural engineer in his 40′s who have become beaten down and broken by life. Their two lives end up intersecting and they develop a really complex friendship that changes both of their lives. Acting, writing, directing…I have nothing bad to say about My Mister. This drama is actually perfect.
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes – Do you like your melos a bit murdery? I know I sure do. Give me a sociopath any day of the week and I’ll say, “Thank you. I’ll take two.” This drama is about a young man who might be a monster. He becomes a detectives prime suspect in a murder investigation. At the same time he meets the detectives younger sister and they begin to fall in love. #tragedy_tag If this sounds like your thing, but you don’t like super sad endings check out Hello Monster, also starring Seo In Guk.
Secret Love Affair – I think it’s probably safe to say this drama is considered a modern kdrama classic, and for good reason. A story revolving around a woman who gave up her dreams for security, trapped in a loveless marriage, who meets a piano savant from an extremely underprivileged background and he sets off a spark for passion, music and love that she hasn’t felt in a long time. This is a quiet, pensive drama with a lot of wonderful music and atmosphere. YMMV depending on your tolerance for cheating and a slow-burn pace.
Alright, Cut the Crap Jona, Show Me the Extra Soapy Guilty Pleasure Dramas We All Know You Like…
Maybe you don’t go in for this type of self-conscious, “serious” drama watching. You’re going to watch these things in the sanctity of your own room and never tell a soul about them. Or perhaps you’ve evolved past needing other people’s approval to enjoy the things you like. Good for you, I say! As it should be. In that case, I have some top shelf makjang crack to deal you. This is the part of the list where the sliding scale of quality gets a little wobbly. Most of these shows contain a little, if not a lot, of crazysauce. All of them are over-the-top melo fun.
Baker King Kim Tak Gu – A drama about the illegitimate son of a conglomerate CEO who has inherited his preternatural baking abilities looking for his place in a family that will never acknowledge him. Yeah, the premise is pretty “what”? When I first watched this drama I thought it was supposed to be a satire of the makjang genre. To this day I’m not sure how seriously this drama actually takes itself. What I will say is it’s hella entertaining, even as it piles on more than it’s share of craziness (machinations, murder, affairs, chaebol fuckery, love polygons, gangsters, birth secrets, and on and on.) I was surprisingly invested and remarkably satisfied by the ending.
Ms. Perfect – This drama is something of a gothic romance/makjang melo mash up. It involves a woman whose marriage shatters just as she loses her home and finds herself desperate to take care of her family. She’s enticed by a mysterious woman to live with her in her huge house, but this stranger has eerie motivations of her own. Really fun, weird show. But brace yourself to be blue-balled by the romance. It’s one steamy make out session from being noona-romance catnip.
Money Flower*** – I unironically love this drama. It’s very close to the platonic ideal of the Revenge Melo. It involves a Dantes-esque male lead, Kang Pil Joo, who is willing to destroy himself to enact his multi-decade revenge on a wealthy family that took everything from him. He is the shadow of a spoiled young heir who he plans to use to take down the whole evil empire of Chungha group, but in order to do that he has to orchestrate the heir’s marriage with the innocent daughter of a powerful politician, the woman who Pil Joo himself is in love with.
That Winter, The Wind Blows – This one is a lurid conman tail about a gambler who, in his attempts to pay back a dangerous gangster out for his life, pretends to be the prodigal brother of a blind heiress. He tries to get the money and skip town, but ends up falling in love with the mark which comes with a host of other complications, not the least of which is she thinks he’s her brother. This one is high on the guilty-pleasure-o-meter for me.
Come and Hug Me – Some people might disagree with my putting this one on here, but for me the premise is too wildly melodramatic to omit. The leads start out as childhood sweethearts, but the problem is his father is a deranged serial killer and her parents end up two of his victims. As adults he becomes a detective trying to make up for his father’s legacy of cruelty and she becomes a famous actress like her mother. Traumas resurface when she becomes the target of an apparent copycat and their past connection becomes the fixation of a ruthless tabloid journalist.
Thank You – After his fiancee dies of cancer, a Doctor travels to a remote island to fulfill her last wish–to help the family of a little girl the late fiancee was responsible for inadvertently infecting with HIV. Unexpectedly he finds himself attracted to the girl’s single mother. However, he will have to contend with the prejudices of the island people about AIDS and the reappearance with the girl’s father. This one is as heavy as it sounds, and the oldest drama on this list, from 2007, with all the idiosyncrasies that go along with older dramas. But it’s remarkably well done. From the same writer of a bunch of classic melodramas (I’m Sorry, I Love You; A Love To Kill; Innocent Man; Uncontrollably Fond, etc) but this is my personal favorite of hers.
The Last Empress – Okay, I couldn’t omit this one. I tried. Average musical actress Oh Sunny winds up married to the Emperor in an alternate history version of Korea and becomes embroiled in the machinations of the corrupt royal family. With a nice side helping of revenge plot. It’s demonstrably not a good show. It’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen. But it had me hooked early on and then I couldn’t get myself free. What a magnificent train wreck this drama was. If you’re looking for problematic nonsense melos that were MASSIVE hits in Korea and you’re torn between this and Baker King, go with the silly bread show and keep this one in your back pocket.
Fated to Love You – This one is probably the most off-brand on the list, because it leans heavily on the comedic tone, especially for the first half. There’s a definite turn at the midpoint of the drama where it becomes MUCH more melodramatic (with all the tropes you expect to go along with that), but I think it pulls of the transition impressively well. Besides, it’s a fun watch with a fluffy feelgood ending with a bow on top. It’s a dash of sugar for your melodrama sojourn, a genre that admittedly can be a bit of a bummer.
There it is. I tried to do an extra good job with my list because it took me so long to get it out. I’m sorry again. Happy watching!
Jona
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↳ damn, is that MOON DAESHIM ? the IM CHANGKYUN lookalike gotten quite the reputation around here. the 23 year old RAPPER / PRODUCER has been in london for ONE year now. people say they are only HEDONISTIC + SELF DESTRUCTIVE, but they’re actually CHARMING + ADVENTUROUS once you get to know them. don’t get too comfortable, though, no one knows HIS AGENCY / COMPANY PAID TO HAVE SOMETHING HE DID HIDDEN FROM THE WORLD.
HIYA HEY HELLO, i'm gem, i'm 21+, i go by she her pronouns & live in the cst ! i'm also a hot mess who likes hurting my characters ... hence the reason that dae's life is as big of a mess as it is. he's a new character, which means not everything is fleshed out like i would like it to be but you can find his basic information, stats, bullet point bio, personality & a few wanted connections ideas under the cut !
tw: mentions of alcohol abuse, drug abuse, car accidents, hit and run scenario, death & injuries !
basic information.
full name: moon daeshim.
nickname(s): moon, dae, shimmy, daedae. ( the last one is use by his mother & mother ONLY )
age: twenty-three.
date of birth: tbd.
birthplace: daegu, south korea.
gender: cismale.
pronouns: he / him / his.
orientation: pansexual.
occupation: rapper, producer, composer.
language(s) spoken: korean, english, japanese, chinese, thai, french & spanish.
physical appearance.
faceclaim: im changkyun ( i.m ) of monsta x.
hair color: changes pretty frequently, currently black.
eye color: brown.
height: 6 ’ 0 ".
weight: 175.
build: athletic.
tattoos: quite a few, far to many to name ... mostly black & grey.
piercings: 7 in his left ear, 8 in his right, tongue piercing, eyebrow piercing on his left brow & scars from old snake bites under his bottom lip.
health.
physical ailments: alcohol abuse, drug abuse.
neurological conditions: n/a.
allergies: seasonal ailments.
sleeping habits: 3-4 hours, restless, tosses & turns.
eating habits: lives of of fast food & take out usually, sometimes goes to 'fancier' places.
exercise habits: has personal trainers who he works out with three times a week.
body temperature: hot natured.
addictions: alcohol, tobacco, drugs, sex.
drug use: frequent.
alcohol use: frequent.
personality. ( pt 1. )
label: tbd.
positive traits: charming & adventurous.
negative traits: hedonistic & self-destructive.
fears: tbd.
hobbies: cooking, video games, shopping, board games, swimming, poker, going to the movies, traveling, exercising, eating out.
habits: jiggles leg up & down, taps feet on occasion, runs fingers through hair often, constantly glances at his watch, rolls his eyes, cracks knuckles / bones, shifts in his seat when nervous / irritated, clenches jaw, gestures when speaking, props feet up on desks / tables, constantly checks his phone.
quirks: wears a lot of jewelry, good with technology, paces back & forth when in deep thought or when nervous, mumbles to himself on occasion, constantly on social media, bites & chews on lips, night owl, addicted to texting, can play musical instruments, dyes his hair a different color constantly, addicted to caffeinated drinks, always has to have the 'best’ of everything he owns, has to have a fan on to sleep, chews ice cubes.
favorites.
season: fall, winter.
color(s): matte black, chrome, army green, gold & silver.
music: will listen to anything as long as he likes it, doesn’t matter what genre.
movies: watches pretty much everything, mostly enjoys suspense, action & comedy.
sport(s): doesn’t really care for sports, watches it if it's on at bars.
beverage(s): anything and everything, other than sparkling water.
food: anything from luxurious 5 star meals to instant ramen cooked at home.
animal: dogs.
family.
father: tbd.
mother: tbd.
sibling(s): n/a.
children: n/a.
pet(s): tbd.
family’s financial status: upper class.
extras.
zodiac sign: tbd.
mbti: entp-a. ( the debater. )
enneagram: type eight. ( the challenger. )
temperament: sanguine.
hogwarts house: slytherin.
moral alignment: tbd.
primary vice: tbd.
primary virtue: tbd.
element: fire.
biography.
born in daegu, south korea to two extremely wealthy parents.
his father was a very well known idol, his mother a fashion designer.
meaning that dae was in the spotlight since BIRTH, he's never known anything other than fame & fortune.
that of course, went to his head from a very, very young age & it caused this sort of god complex in him.
his nannies HATED having to work for his parents & take care of him because he made their lives a living hell basically. not because he was MEAN or something like that but because he was just picky & was used to getting what he wanted.
which did cause him to be bratty & he did have the tendency to throw fits when he didn't get what he wanted, always going to his parents whenever the nannies wouldn't give dae what he wanted & they'd end up either quitting or getting fired.
things didn't really change through the years, to be honest. he got less 'whiny' about things, but was still use to just asking for whatever he wanted & getting it as soon as humanly possible.
he was fourteen when he first started showing interest in music, though he didn't follow in his father's footsteps by becoming a trainee. he was more into producing & composing than anything.
it wasn't until a few years later that he started rapping to the music he was composing in order to try & get them bought by companies.
people thought that he was actually wanting to be a rapper instead of just a producer / composer, so when the companies kept asking him if he was interested in being a rapper, he figured why not.
that was the start of his career, his first mini-album skyrocketed his name further into fame, quickly becoming the most talked about rookie in the business.
things only got better from there, each album he dropped debuted at the top of charts, keeping his name in the spotlight CONSTANTLY.
after years of that, things started getting to him ... the stress of always having to drop something new and fresh caused daeshim to start to spiral, drinking & doing drugs almost every night as a way to get away from all of it even if it was just for a few hours.
this started the rumor mill to begin, articles of his partying ways, the clubbing & everything like that starting to pile up one after the next. as well as the rumors and scandals of his nudes being leaked & him taking home as many people he wanted to because he truly just didn't care about his image or anything like that.
it was his twentith birthday that would change EVERYTHING for dae. he'd decided to go out, celebrate by drinking & going wild for the night ... stupidly driving home from the club that night.
mid-way home he happened to get into a crash, car getting totaled as well as a clipping a few passer-bys ... causing one to pass away & the other to get severely injured as well as dae getting a laundry list of injuries as well.
he was okay enough to walk away from the incident, though not without some problems of his own... walking back to his agent's home as it was the closest thing he could get to.
he wasn't expecting his agent to instantly try and cover everything up, calling doctors to come visit daeshim at his home, sending people out to clean up the scene of the accident & make sure that the people who were witnesses or involved were paid off to keep their mouth shut.
that guilt weighed on him pretty instantly, his injuries being hidden from the media while they healed and the other people involved continued to be paid off so that no one knew what had happened.
he dealt with all of that for a few years but after a while, he couldn't do it anymore. deciding to publicly declare he'd be taking a break from making music, producing & composing... taking time out for himself & his own mental health & wellbeing.
it was only a week after that when dae found himself in london, hoping to be able to start over the best as he could.
personality. ( pt 2. )
literally the Worst.
is a rich bitch and makes sure EVERYONE knows that even if he doesn’t speak it… comes in the form of his clothing, sports cars, accessories… literally everything.
has kinda made a name for himself in the london that isn't to far off from what the media constantly talked about and that's him being a Party Animal. goes to clubs / bars every weekend ( sometimes more frequently depending on his mood. ) as well as a bit of a 'player’.
extremely hedonistic and a bit of a shopaholic. is always seen with the latest & greatest makes and models of things. always has designer clothes on. always is out shopping for something new at least three times a week, sometimes more.
can be pretty cocky at times, he knows how he looks, he knows how much money he has and sometimes he lets that go to his head & his ego. though he TRIES not to be like that just because he honestly can’t stand when other people boast about their wealth or looks on a daily basis.
is actually really relaxed when it comes down to it, as much as he loves to party… there’s a part of him that just loves lounging at home watching movies just as much. but usually refuses to do so alone, will invite someone to come over just so he doesn’t have to be in his ( cough…. giant … cough ) house alone.
tends to hate being told what to do. comes from having to conform to what his agent / company wanted him to do & say for as many years as he did so now he’d rather just do what he wants, when he wants to do it and because of that he can be a little bit selfish sometimes.
he wants to be able to LIVE and have fun, do what he wants on his own terms and go from there.
genuinely not a bad person, though his ego & cockiness sometimes tend to cover that side of him up. as well as the grief & guilt of what he’s done in the past causing him to be extremely guarded.
loves to SPOIL the people he knows, if he goes out shopping, he’s probably buying something for his friends in the process.
is the type of person that just loves to give people shit but does so in a loving & caring way. aka will roast you but then offer to take you to dinner or something like that.
he’s … trying. not trying his BEST, sure. but he is still trying and ig that counts for something, right ?
plot ideas.
flirtationship. he absolutely LOVES to flirt his ass off… with whoever he can because why the hell not ?
enemies. whatever the reason might be, they just don’t get along. maybe they just bicker back and forth or perhaps they actually just despise each other in general.
hate sex. lsn… i’m a sucker for this and there’s a lot of reasons someone could dislike or hate dae & well he also like sex so why not pair the two things ?
best friends. he’s never really had anyone he fully thought he could rely on or lean on, so someone he met here who he bonded with instantly would be gREAT.
will add more as i think of them !
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What to Do in Pokhara Nepal - Other Than Mountain Trekking
Pokhara is Nepal’s gateway to the Annapurna Circuit and is situated along Phewa Lake. Its main street, Lakeview, runs along the lake’s northern coast. As you walk the streets you will see countless gear shops (selling 100% knockoff brands) and agencies selling all types of trekking tours. We hiked to Everest Base Camp back in 2016 just after the Earthquake when there were hardly a tourists visiting Nepal (read our overview on how to hike Everest Base Camp without an expensive package tour). We opted not to hike to Annapurna given the massive influx of tourists at this time. This article is a great primer as what to do while in Pokhara other than visiting Annapurna Circuit.
Read about what to do in Kathmandu
How To Get to Pokhara
We took the night bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara. The night buses leave between 7:30 and 8:00 pm whereas the only other buses leave between 6:30 and 7:30 am in the morning. We were unable to book directly with the tour companies as they said we “had to come to their Kathmandu office”. We were still in a rural part doing our permaculture design certification so that wasn’t really an option. Luckily I was able to book the tickets using this website. You can also book a flight from Kathmandu if you do not want to waste a night (or day).
The bus made 4 or 5 stops throughout the night and we arrived into Pokhara just before 5am. We walked a while to get to our lovely hotel, which was located on the southern section of the tourist drag on Lakeside. The hotel was basic and included a simple breakfast. The staff and owners were very friendly and I encourage you to look into the hotel if you plan a visit to Pokhara. Read more on the Pokhara View Hotel.
Where to Stay in Pokhara
The southern part of Lakeview has many upscale hotels and restaurants. We were surprised to see menus in Russian, Chinese, and Korean. This part of Pokhara was obviously where short-term vacationers go. The northern section was much our pace. There were hostels, yoga and meditation venues, and vegan restaurants galore. Prices seemed more reasonable, too. I would recommend backpackers stick to the northern section of Lakeview.
Pokhara is much quieter than Kathmandu and if you really want some silence all you need to do is simply stay off their main street.
What To Do In Pokhara
Mountain Biking
We decided to go mountain biking during one of our days. Pokhara Mountain Bike Adventures is a very professional outfit and we were really impressed with the office, equipment, and tour guide. Unfortunately there were no views of the mountains, which was actually on par with our entire experience while in Pokhara. For more flexibility you can simply reserve your own bikes and venture our yourselves.
Working on your Spirituality
There are a handful of places where you can practice yoga, sit in group meditation, or enjoy some authentic sound healing. You will find posters all over, mostly within vegetarian-friendly restaurants. OR2K, a Kathmandu favorite has finally opened a location in Pokhara. The prices are a little high but their consistent quality more than makes up for it. There are a couple monasteries that give free Dharma Talks and even offer yoga and sound healing. Sometimes they charge a flat rate and other times it’s done by donation only so check in advance. Yoga courses ranged between $6 and $8. We did a few group sound healing by donation only, which I really enjoyed. Sylvie had missed the opportunity to do a private session during our last time in Nepal so she got a 90 minute private session this time around—the sound healing also included crystal healing (judgements reserved).
Eat Great Food
The food in Pokhara was absolutely lovely. There were vegetarian and vegan options everywhere you looked and at reasonable prices. We sampled nearly a dozen restaurants but two stood above all overs—Umbrella Café and Pumpernickel. The atmosphere of Umbrella Café takes the cake but Pumpernickel provided huge and delicious options. We also visited the Pumpernickel Café in Rishikesh, India, which was equally as good. Do yourself a favor and eat at Umbrella Café if you are craving a western-style salad. We came across Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Western, and even a Turkish restaurant in this gastronomically diverse city.
Watch a Movie in the Jungle
A couple of international backpackers created a small outdoor movie theater back in 2015. They bought a small plot of land with rice terraces just a 5 minute walk from the main street. They built outdoor seating and a lovely bamboo bar. The place is known as Movie Garden. They charge 350 rupee (~$3 USD) per person and have 1 (one) filming per day any where form 7pm - 8pm. After the movie the play recorded concerts on the screen. Make sure to arrive at least 30 minutes early to reserve a good seat—They probably have enough seating for 40-50 people. They have simple bar snacks along with fresh pizza for sale. You can also buy wine and beer. All their prices are very high, so we snuck in some candy off the street. Although we enjoyed the atmosphere we would not return due to the heavy amount of cigarette smoke during the movie. We sat next to (on both sides) and directly above heavy smokers who chain smoked the entire movie. It was horrible and for this reason I cannot recommend this place to anybody who cares about their health in any real sort of way.
There are at least half a dozen other restaurants that play nightly movies on projectors so if you want something fun to do while not sacrificing you lungs or just want a more comfortable seating arrangement with better food options you should looking the handful of other options.
Watching Sunset
To be honest, as a world traveler, I’m a little spoiled when it comes to great sunset (I write this while in Bali). However I should still mention that many people go to one of the many restaurants for a happy hour drink to watch sunset over Phewa Lake.
Music and Dancing
There are many places that offer happy hour drinks and live music well into the night. We are not heavy drinkers and enjoy getting to bed at a reasonable hour so I cannot comment too much on this. Busy Bee is probably the most well-known restaurant to catch live music.
Learn a Little
We visited the mountain museum—an extensive multi floor exhibit on the regional cultures and geological history of the Himalayan mountain range. It was a primitive museum but we enjoyed our time. We left within an hour but I can see how some can make a half day out of it. We walked from our hotel, which took us less than 50 minutes.
Make sure to pin this article if you enjoyed reading!
#Pokhara#Nepal#nepal city#Annapurna Mountains#Annapurna trekking#Annapurna range#Annapurna circuit#poon hill#visiting pokhara#should I visit pokhara#what is there to do in pokhara#vegan food in pokhara#where to stay in pokhara#Mountain Museum#Sound healing in nepal#sound healing in pokhara
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That Inevitable Career Transition: From Teaching English to Working in Hotels in Japan
My writing posts have been very sparse since I began working in the front reception of hotels in Osaka at the end of August 2017. There has been but ONE detailed post about work. The rest are of my posts have been photos from my adventures in Osaka. This is a reflection of how much effort and energy it has taken me to adjust to this position and my new lifestyle here... It has been a huge mental battle to push myself to improve my Japanese, learn a new industry, and understand Japanese office and business culture (much of which is very unpalatable to me) as I transitioned my career from teaching English to hospitality. Additionally, moving to Osaka was quite a big change, overall the best change. Even if work is not always where I wish I could be, I know that I am living in the right environment and at the right pace of life.
Well, let’s get started with this long, long post!
First, I did not choose the hospitality industry. Hospitality chose me. When I began my job hunt after a six-week visit home to California back in 2017, I was open to ANY industry that would hire me. I was most interested in a global company, though I knew I was not skilled enough in Japanese or even had the right skills for such positions. I even considered continuing to teach English, though it was not necessarily that career path I knew that would satisfy me if I were to continue working in Japan.
What I found after numerous interviews was that my past experiences, skill set, and interests were best suited for the travel/hospitality industries. Travel agencies would not hire me without more experience, so the hotels were the easiest way to get my foot in the door into a new industry.
(If I had the chance, I would love to teach English in more countries like China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, and so forth. The slow nomadic lifestyle has always been very attractive to me. However, my life is very much cemented in Japan right now, and I feel a need to have a set career now at the age of 27.)
Tourism in Japan is BOOMING is now! There are a variety of reasons that have been building up over the past years to have led to this. More lax visa rules for more countries and a much more affordable exchange rate has certainly helped. (Does anyone remember in 2011 when the value of the yen was at an all-time high?) There has also been an increase in cheap regional airlines such as Peach, Vanilla, Jeju, and Hong Kong Express. Established airlines have increased routes to destinations in Japan too.
With the huge influx of visitors, countless new hotels are popping up all over the country, especially in Tokyo, Osaka, and other large cities. The June 2018 crackdown over Airbnb properties has put insanely strict rules into place for those who wish to find lodging through the app. As a result, hotels and hostels will remain the most plentiful options for those traveling to this country.
Need I even mention the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2025 World Exposition that will be held in Osaka?
Now, many companies (and not just hotels!!) need multilingual employees more than ever! Those who speak Japanese along with English, Korean, and/or Chinese are especially important. The more languages you know (even if they are not East Asian languages) in addition to your solid grasp of Japanese, the more likely there will be a job for you somewhere. Travel to Japan is HOT right now, and it affects countless other industries as well.
The downside is that many companies in Japan do not want to go through the cost and effort of sponsoring work visas for those applying from overseas. Even if you arrive in the country on a tourist visa to look for work (which is technically illegal), very few companies will want to take the chance to sponsor you. Those with a student visa, working holiday visa, descendants visa, or any other type of visa that allows you to work even part-time will have the best chance of being hired. Even better if you are a holder of Japanese nationality!
Frankly, my Japanese skill level was not necessarily up to par at the time of my first job in a hotel. I am fairly certain although I was shakily bilingual, I was accepted for this position because my Japanese nationality made me a very easy hire in terms of paperwork. This is indeed unfair, as there are numerous professional speakers of Japanese who have dedicated their lives to studying the language but are stuck in the foreign language education sector or another field that does not interest them. This is not to put down foreign language educators, as it is a great career path, but it is how many foreigners to gain a work visa to come to Japan in the first place.
Changing careers from English teaching to a new industry also made me realize how good I had it as an English teacher in terms of salary. Honestly, many teachers complain that the pay is not good enough. Yes, the pay can become quite unfair if you have worked in Japan a long time and have your MA/Ph.D./etc, as most English education companies do not intend their employees to stay in Japan for longer than a few years. (Working at an actual school or institute of higher learning is an entirely different field which I won’t get into, as I know little about it.) However, for those fresh out of college and doing eikaiwa/ALT positions as a short-term stint, the salary of 250,000 a month or more is actually a lot compared to the average monthly salary of a Japanese worker fresh out of college and starting their new job. This depends on the industry and company as well, but teaching English can be quite a cushy job compared to what actual Japanese people make. (Note that there are quite a few scams in this industry to watch out for, something I experienced low key at my old job.)
While the blow to my monthly salary was a huge bummer, when I transitioned to the hotel industry, going from being around native English speakers to Japanese language learners from all countries was incredible! This opened up my world so much. English teaching honestly is a bubble. You don’t interact much with people who are too different from you, honestly. But outside that industry, you work with people from all walks of life really hustling hard to make it in this country that they now call home. During my years in university studying sociology, I took great interest in the trends in global migration patterns and even a conducted small-scale study about it. Thus, meeting all these people with unique and diverse experiences on their journey to work in Japan has been the most beautiful aspect of changing industries.
I have much more to say about adapting to Japanese business/office culture and changing jobs from one hotel to another, but that is an entirely different mess which I will save for another post.
Thanks for reading to the end!
#japan#hospitality#hotels#work life#job hunt#transitions#personal#work in japan#working in japan#osaka#大坂
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Tran Anh Hung: English and French language projects
The Vietnamese-born French director Tran Anh Hung is one of my favourite art-house masters, as I already mentioned while writing about his other films. The Scent of Green Papaya has coloured me enchanted, and The Vertical Ray of the Sun was another addition to his style of slow-paced sketches of the life of common people in Vietnam. I really enjoyed watching Norwegian Wood, and even Cyclo was quite something. Yet there are two films of Tran I have never said the word about. To complete reviews of all his films, I’m finally going to write upon I Come with the Rain (2009) and Eternity (2016) – two features where I couldn’t recognize the style of the director I admire.
I Come with the Rain (2009)
I Come with the Rain was a project with a tremendously huge budget for Tran’s films – about $18.000.000. This international project was marked with the involvement of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and French and American investors and actors and became an international commercial project. This is the first time Tran Anh Hung doesn’t make a slow-paced touching atmospheric story. I Come with the Rain is a grotesque thriller film in the English language, and this time Trans slides over something completely different from the previous features he lensed.
There are several important plot lines in this thriller, inspired both by Christian and Daoism mythology. Shitao (Takuya Kimura) acts like Jesus suffering for the other people he encounters, but the way he is taking their pain away makes him different from Jesus. The maniac Hasford represents the type of corrupt western intelligent who had lost himself in an attempt to understand what the humans are meant for and who deserves to rule the fates of others. Kline (Josh Harnett), Su Dongpo (Lee Byung-hun) and Lili (Tran Nu Yen Khe) symbolize different types of search for life values. Once they encounter Jesus-like Shitao, they act in a very different way understanding something valuable for themselves. The plotline of emotional connection between detective Kline and maniac is loosely inspired by The Silence of the Lambs where we also see the seeker (detective) and an intelligent, smart maniac who had imagined himself being a Creator.
It is a very eclectic thriller setting questions about the violence of human nature, about the ways to oppose it and eternal forgiveness. Enriched with Bible references, I Come with the Rain comprises different culture formations and features of the West and the East showing the human nature is the same everywhere. The film is very different from other Tran’s features and strikes with a lot of violent shots, plenty of blood and perversions. It might be difficult to watch, though the usage of these things becomes somehow understandable, as the plot advances.
I Come with the Rain is marked with great usage of music – the songs and compositions we hear are the essential part of the story. Tran Anh Hung can be spotted as the same author of three films about Vietnam based on camera moves and usage. Though, I couldn’t get rid of the feeling he is now trying to do something to impress the broad audience. This film is shocking. It attempts to impress the viewers in extreme ways. Some figures and features are certainly great, but it is just not something I expected from Trang’s style. However, no one knows what is happening in his head, and perhaps he wanted to try something new. This film certainly excels from what we have seen of him before. Yet I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as in the case of his films about Vietnam.
Eternity (2016)
Tran Anh Hung had already directed films in Vietnamese, Japanese and English, and then comes the time for the French language feature. Since he has been living in France since the 1970-s and his films were funded by the French producers, it is quite understandable. Tran Nu Yen Khe acted as the narrator describing events during 100 years of a life of one French family starting in the XX century. The rest actors are mostly French, and the cast looks quite starry: Audrey Tautou, Melanie Laurent, and Irene Jacob. Well, of course, we remember there was an even bigger star in Tran’s films – Tony Leung Chiu Wai (in Cyclo) but still it is uncommon to see many well-known actors in his project.
So what would have happened in Eternity and what is it about? Pretty much to my chagrin, I’m not sure if there is a lot to talk about because this movie was very difficult for me to watch. In a monotonous way with lack of dialogues, it would tell the stories of two acts: childbirth and marriages. There are some events, like deaths or World War where two sons of the family get drafted. But it is not so important. Tran would just tell us about the life of the few generations. The period spans 100 years which represent eternity. The idea is probably that the most essential part of this life is repetitive: people born and die, sometimes they get married. There would be nothing else within 2 hours of screen time. I assume probably I'm not getting something essential, though.
The opening shots stun with warm and bright colours. It has reminded me of Bergman’s Cries and Whispers at some point. However, this usage of colour doesn’t really match Bergman’s idea. Tran is just trying to create a warm environment showing this toy-like world. We would be seeing the tender and loving faces of a young mother kissing the abdomens and chicks of toddlers. We would see them crying and mourning when people die. That’s it. The way Tran paints the environment is quite similar to the beguiling Scent of Green Papaya from the first glance. Though, after a while, you try to follow the story as the environment goes on the second plan. And in fact, there is nothing much to follow. I couldn’t recognize Tran anymore.
So what was the idea behind making such a film? Probably, Tran wanted to show the most important things in life are pretty basic and they repeat again and again. We are meant to cherish these things. Also, as far as I understand he attempted to show the world from the married women’s eyes. From time to time heroines say “Only men could say that” suggesting they have learnt something inapproachable for men. In this sense, the director is doing a great thing. We see the lace-like lives of women, though these are quite special women who are only concerned about childbirth and marriages. Perhaps, this sort of life is something I’m not familiar with… Or it is strange to me. This way of living seems to be primitive, but probably the beauty of basic values things is what Tran Anh Hung is showing on the screen. There is one more thing: Tran is showing the women in an uncommon way without looking at their sexuality. He focuses on women's concerns and pain painting them non-sexual. We just see the mothers, but no women as objects of sexual fantasies. It is the way to show the women from the prospect we are not used to in the cinema. All-in-all, we do get the idea of this pure way to depict the women not taking care about the impression they cast upon the men but dreaming about the happiness of their children. This is something fresh Tran comes up with, yet the rhythm of the whole story was boring for me.
If we would delve deeper, his Oriental films about life in Vietnam were also meditative and slow-paced stories of the people’s fates where nothing much has been happening. Sometimes, those film also were not so rich with dialogues, yet the Oriental features of Tran were much more vivid and inspiring due to some reason. I can’t even explain this feeling. Eternity just felt foreign to me, or even empty. From the 10th minute, I couldn’t recognize the style of Tran Ahn Hung and was disappointed. Nevertheless, he remains the director I admire, and I will be looking forward to seeing his future projects.
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entry 2 (aug 16)
Hello everyone!
I’ve been meaning to write something but I think writing too often sets me up for failure and I’d like this blog to live for a while. Though I think my cyclic mental state will act as motivation for me to continue to write. Let me update you on what I’ve been doing and thinking about!
Wonderland
Yesterday I went to Wonderland (an amusement park about 40 minutes away from my house) with my nephew Little Bear (literal translation of our nickname for him haha) who’s 11 years younger than me. Fun fact: Little Bear is 11 years younger than me and my next cousin up is 11 years older than me (who we’ll call Melon in case he shows up in a future entry). I had tons of fun, even though we were only there for about 5 hours. I don’t think I’ve ever spoken so much Chinese in my life before! And what’s weird is that I probably could’ve used Shanghainese more (since I’m definitely more fluent in that) but I think I was more comfortable using Chinese with him?? Totally weird. We got there around 5 pm originally because my mom said the tickets were cheaper (they weren’t that much cheaper -- we still spent like 90 bucks for the two of us -- should’ve bought them from Costco) but I also hate being out in the sun (I hate tanning and it just makes me a grumpier person). Luckily the wind was cool and the longest line we were in was for about an hour (for the best ride, so it was reasonable). Only downside was probably going on a ride involving water first (Riptide) and getting moderately soaked such that my foot got a blister from my shoes within the first hour, which caused me to painfully limp for the rest of the night.
I enjoy going to amusement parks like Wonderland because they force physical reactions out of me. Sound weird, but let me explain. My mental control is so strong (or my soul is so dead -- it’s pretty much the same at this rate) that I don’t experience feelings most of the time. My emotions are heavily guarded! So high thrill rides make me feel fear, adrenaline, excitement, as well as a different kind of control (because restraints make rollercoasters safe and conquerable, it feels like I’m letting myself go on an enjoyable ride from a mystical animal friend).
@_torigram
I know I linked an Instagram account and I’ve been thinking a lot about it (@_torigram in case you missed it at the top of this page). It’s mainly a place where I can post random dance videos because there’s a lot of dances I want to learn but I don’t want to post them on my main account because I’m self-conscious about my dancing and I hate watching myself dance. However, I think that having an account dedicated to this stuff will help me get over my insecurities. To maintain my privacy I’ll be wearing a hat and one of those mouth mask things and I’ll try to keep my outfit as plain as possible (or at least not wear something that someone can notice as mine).
It’s also where I’ll post my “Challenge Videos”! The story behind this is that I wanted to challenge my friend (let’s call him Cover Boy for now, but he’s also involved with the “two nights ago” story I was talking about in my last entry so I might as well just call him Pretty Boy) to do one cover a week. For those who don’t know what covers are, they’re just copying (and sometimes changing up) an original artist’s work and posting it online. So if I were to do a dance cover of someone’s choreography, I’d learn from a video of theirs and post it on my Instagram. The Challenge would go like this: I’d give Pretty Boy a song and he’d have a week to learn as much of the dance and any part of it he’d like and then post the video to Instagram (or at least send a video to me through Messenger). I think this was something I wanted to do myself for a while, and after seeing him do something like this casually on his Instagram (he’s done two) made me want a buddy to do this with. He’s been extremely stressed recently though, so I told him I would hold off for a little longer before presenting him with this. Hopefully he’d be down to do it, but I’m pretty sure I’d continue without him. It’ll mostly be kpop dance covers, so sorry to those who hate kpop! As for vocal covers, they’d be in English because I’m not confident with my Korean pronunciation, haha.
I’ll post on the Instagram before the summer ends (likely sometime next week, when I head back to Waterloo for my last few part-time shifts for the term), so keep an eye out~ I’ve got a couple of dances ready but I’m not good at learning from videos (I’ve learned from teachers pretty much all my life so dissecting videos frame by frame is so tedious -- props to y’all who do this on a regular basis) so hopefully I can keep a good pace with releasing the videos. We’ll see how everything works out!
Meteor Garden
I recently started watching Meteor Garden 2018! I’ve always been a huge Hana Yori Dango fan -- I think i’ve watched the whole thing at least 3 times and refused to watch the taiwanese and korean versions because to be honest, the japanese cast looks the best and the manga is Japanese. Also, Matsuda Shota was in it and Liar Game (which he’s also in) is one of my all-time favourite dramas. It might be my top actually… I decided to watch the Meteor Garden remake mainly because it was on Netflix and because it takes place in Shanghai. It takes me back sometimes because I always try to guess where this is taking place and how hard it must’ve been to shoot some of the scenes because of how populated Shanghai is, haha.
This drama also helped me feel a lot better because it made me think about something other than my own shitty life and it made me laugh a lot. It also made me think about my ideal guy I suppose. I think I have a better idea as to what kind of guy I’d want to date next or even settle down with. I don’t know if I should type some traits out for you… hahaha. Well, I guess I might as well since this place is pretty private and I shouldn’t be so uptight (?) about this stuff. Sorry for the organization of this next section, it might be a bit wonky. I’m trying to work it out in my head but it’s still pretty messy. Let’s call him IB for Ideal Boy.
LOOKS: I don’t think I’ve ever been picky about looks with my previous boyfriends, but I’d like IB to be more of a pretty boy (not referring to Pretty Boy in any way, haha though he does fit the description) with a lean build. Someone that can turn heads when dressed up. I would like him to be taller than me (I’m pretty tall to begin with at 167 cm), but I’ve dated shorter guys before. I think I haven’t been picky about looks in the past because I don’t consider myself to be beautiful. I don’t think I’m ugly per se, but I think I’m pretty darn average when it comes to looks (though others call me pretty).
INTELLIGENCE: I’ve been involved with (dating/friends with benefits) 6 boys in the past and 4 of them were/ended up as engineers (it would be 5 but he got kicked out of engineering, good riddance because he was a rude dude), so I guess I like smart boys. I don’t think having a university degree says anything about how smart you are. I’d just like someone to exchange opinions with, someone who can hold a conversation and be curious about my life (because I’m unfortunately not that talkative), and someone who’s just as clever, crafty, and witty as me. I’d like IB to be knowledgeable about what he likes/dislikes as well as “street smart” I suppose. I would want him to be able to show me all of his favourite spots and go-tos in whatever city we’re in.
HUMOUR: I think my humour is pretty dark? I don’t know what to say about humour but I’d like IB to have a similar sense of humour to me (or at least get my humour) and to know when to stop joking around because I’m generally quite serious and hate it when people don’t take me seriously (thanks mom and dad).
ROMANCE: I like pet names (call me sweetheart, babe, and princess, IB) and stealing his clothes (why are boy’s clothes so darn comfortable???). I also like eating nice food and sharing everything we eat so we can try more dishes. I like holding hands in public, forehead and neck kisses, and back hugs. I like cuddling, making out in bed for hours, and getting touched all over (okay except for my left ribs - scoliosis problems - and my knees - they’re sensitive but in a bad way). I like receiving and giving hickies because I’m kind of possessive? And I’d like IB to be slightly possessive as well. Let’s not move to more intimate topics, sorry internet maybe some other time :)
TRUST: I’d want him to be able to listen to me without judgment and to always be truthful with me. I don’t want him to hide anything from me (especially when it’s people talking shit behind my back) and to trust me to deal with problematic situations well enough (this is the main reason why me and my most recent boyfriend -- let’s call him Balloon Boy -- broke up, aside from being long distance and being too similar in our introverted-like traits).
PERSONALITY: Loud but quiet. I’d like IB to be more outgoing than me because I’m quiet and shy in general (especially around strangers) and am socially anxious, so I’d want him to hold my hand and lead me out of my comfort zone I think IB should be passionate about something in his life, whether it be a hobby or career-related. Extra points if he sings or dances, because then we’d have something in common. I don’t want IB to be nonchalant (more nonchalant than me is a nono) because it gets tiring being the one in charge all the time. Some spontaneity is good, and taking risks is nice too because I’m a rebel at heart though it seems like I’m super uptight all the time.
AGE: to be honest, I don’t really care much about age. So far, I’ve gone 3 years older and 2 years younger. I like mature boys though because I’d want to have serious deep talks and be able to ask them for their opinions on life and whatnot.
I don’t know how to continue on from that rough list, so I guess that’s all from me for now. I think the next ones will be about Pretty Boy and Balloon Boy, so get ready for some angst? Until then, be merry :)
Tori
#entry 2#wonderland#Little Bear#Melon#_torigram#dance challenge#Pretty Boy#Meteor Garden 2018#Ideal Boy#Balloon Boy
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Blog post 7 : e-commerce and consumption (Xu Yuxin)
In the article of What China Reveals About the Future of shopping, the author provides an overview of e-commerce in China and compares it with the west.
China has been ahead of the west in terms of e-commerce and went straight to mobile commerce. The pace of e-commerce is still growing, with many customers coming from rural areas.
The author suggests a reason for the rapid development of e-commerce in China is due to the eagerness of the Chinese consumers to spend money, and they spend a lot of time shopping. And this is contributed by the seamless and interesting shopping experience provided by the platforms. The platform does not solely sell products, they can offer social entertainment features as well. This gives a different shopping experience as compared to the west.
The intense brand competition drives constant innovation also results in the development of e-commerce. Online merchants are continuously figuring out new innovations to attract customers.
The author went on to discuss the two giants in e-commerce, Alibaba in China and Amazon from the west. Even though they are much alike at the surface level, they have a very different business model. Amazon is the quintessential online retailer, with its inventory and focusing almost exclusively on the consumer. On the other hand, Alibaba doesn’t carry inventory or buy and sell merchandise, it is a virtual mall, providing a platform for the wholesalers and retailers to connect buyers and sellers. In terms of the use of data and analytics, amazon use data to refine its product and service offerings based on consumer buying patterns, they also share data with the merchants to list the right products, price competitively, and manage inventory. While Alibaba provides a broad data set on consumer behavior that enables merchants to improve their marketing ROI and increase the conversion rate on their digital storefronts.
Lastly, the author suggests that retailers in China and the west faced the same challenge of how to achieve ongoing and profitable growth. And the author suggests that the solution is to develop an integrated omnichannel model that capitalizes on online and offline strengths. How the merchants run their business is now determined by the way consumers think and behave across all channels.
I agree with the author’s point on the differences between China and west e-commerce platforms and I think that this creates a very different habitus between people from China and the west. For example, it has become a habit for Chinese people to compare the price of a product while they are at retail stores. They can simply take a photo of the product and Taobao can provide a range of the product with different prices. This habit is different from the west, where there is a large number of retail stores do not have an online store. Furthermore, no platform can act like Taobao to provide a large number of products with different prices in the west. Therefore, the retail shopping experience is completely different between China and the west, things that are normalized in China are not normalized in the west.
An e-commerce platform also shapes people’s tastes subconsciously. Taking an example from my daily life, when I want to search for a t-shirt in the searching bar using Taobao, it will automatically suggest different types of t-shirts for me to do a further search. And I found that for clothes, most of the time the search bar will suggest Korean style or Japanese style clothes. Furthermore, many merchants will describe their products using these phrases or mentioning the celebrity’s name in their description to suggest that their clothes are indifferent to the celebrities’. This hence subconsciously influences people’s taste and preference to purchase products with a similar style or the style that is suggested by the e-commerce platforms.
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xiulaychen ; m.o.x.e
Title: m.o.x.e
Author: minsshuo
Pairing/s: xiulaychen
Rating: R (?)
Word Count: 2.99K words
Warnings: friends with benefits, killing, slight angst (don’t know how to mention those), poorly written because was in a rush, mentions of blood and weapons and cosplay, threesome, death, revenge
Summary: xiulaychen being assassins and friends and lovers in one. all’s well until they were ordered to kill each other.
The three had been friends ever since they were small. They all met in a small nursery in China, wherein it was revealed that two Korean boys will be joining the class of 3 to 4 year old kids. They went to the same preparatory school, element school, middle school, junior high school up until to college – and they are still friends with each other. Rather, best friends who benefits from the other?
“Xing, tonight was supposed to be Dae’s night,” Minseok muffled a particularly loud moan against Jongdae’s shoulder and pushed his hips back against Yixing’s hand, fingers coiling themselves onto the sheets below their very bodies.
“You were so pretty earlier, gege,” Yixing cooed before he leaned in to suck a mark onto the bottom of Minseok’s spine, delighting in the shiver that Minseok’s body soaked into. “To think that you’ll really wear that while doing our mission,” A sigh was emitted and his digits moved in deeper inside Minseok, something that had Minseok biting against Jongdae’s shoulder blade because he had to suppress his noises.
Don’t make a sound or else…
Jongdae’s hands slid up Minseok’s jaw, thumb caressing and caressing as if to soothe, to calm Minseok down, “Your thighs were really distracting earlier, they were so milky against that maroon skirt,” Jongdae’s gaze scanned Minseok’s face, his own lips twitching into an adoring smile, “Do you think we can let you go easily after that? We have to savor you first,”
“Ah, please,” Thrusting his hips back Minseok closed his eyes as he whispered the words, shaking much more obviously now.
“Please what, baby?” Jongdae swooped down to kiss Minseok’s sweaty forehead, smile still on his face as Minseok’s hands scrambled to hold onto him.
“Please, please, give me what I deserve. I’ll behave well,”
Yixing and Jongdae smiled glanced at each other and smiled knowingly, both almost in sync when they glanced back at Minseok who was starting quiver in their hold.
“Good boy.”
--
Zhang Yixing, also known as Assassin 2AAY, is the type of assassin who prefers slowly torturing his targets. The reason? Well, he enjoyed being the one who’s inflicting pain onto the ones he deemed unworthy of having a comfortable life – his view was deeply influenced by the company he was hired in however, so his reason may seem unfair. Or maybe it’s just because he has a mental disorder that causes people to call him a lunatic. He prefers using short-ranged weapons and hand to hand combat, as proven of him always bringing a short pocket knife wherever he goes that he uses effectively.
Kim Jongdae, also known as Assassin 289N, is the opposite kind of assassin Yixing is. He prefers killing off his targets quickly, so as to not trouble himself when he gets missions that usually has only minutes of cleaning time allowed. He uses long ranged weapons when he has a lot of time to invest in cleaning the scene of the murder like snipers, but he uses his stealth and a lot of silencer on his guns to finish his targets in no time. He keeps a handy silencer in his pocket at all times.
The last one is Kim Minseok, Assassin 363N, the balance between Jongdae and Yixing although he also has his own spice. Due to his obsessive compulsive disorder, his way of killing is clean. His targets always have to suffer upper body attacks because of his favorite choice of weapons; snipers for the head, traditional Japanese ninja artillery for the whole upper body area. Some says he’s also resourceful as a person and a killer, so killing just by his hands or a mere spoon is expected when his alias is brought up.
All in all, if the three of them are together, their work is leveled up to the highest level. They plan attacks together and even make sure the other enjoys their work – one leaked plan of theirs was that of Yixing and Minseok, who were tasked to go undercover as couples visiting a strip club that a drug lord owns to infiltrate the area and make sure the owner will not be able to come home anymore. It was clearly an ambush, with Jongdae staying outside of the premises to shoot at anyone leaving or coming inside the area.
They all work well together, so well that their own company was starting to think that someday, these three will end up killing them as well if they were provoked.
--
“Do you want to cum?” It was Jongdae who asked as he pushed back Minseok’s bangs off of the older’s pretty face, taking in the sight of Minseok’s rosy lips stretched wide around his shaft.
Minseok hummed as a response, dilated pupils making his kitten-like eyes look bigger in size which added to the fact that he was staring back at Jongdae’s eyes with pleading very much written all over his face. He also started to thrust back against Yixing’s shallow movements, humming in delight as Yixing’s tip brushed against his spot.
Yixing gritted his teeth and began to quicken his pace when he saw Jongdae nod at him, his hand circling around Minseok’s body so he can curl his fingers around Minseok’s member, his fist tight as he stroked with precise movements. With his hips snapping against Minseok’s and effectively hitting the deepest parts of the male, Minseok almost choked around Jongdae’s cock, if not for Jongdae pulling his hips back to make sure Minseok is alright, but still enough so that his tip is still trapped between Minseok’s lips.
“You’ll have to make us cum first,” Jongdae seethed through his clenched teeth when the man sucking him started to bob his head up and down repeatedly after some seconds of reprieve from the pressure earlier, taking Jongdae so deep Jongdae groaned at the tightness of Minseok’s mouth.
“Our Minseok-ie must be near already,” Yixing draped himself over Minseok’s back, sucking a faint mark on the spot behind Minseok’s ear.
Jongdae must have noticed this as well since Minseok’s body became tense - a sure signal that makes it easy for them to track how long they can drag Minseok through these nightly sessions of theirs. He pulled out from Minseok’s mouth for a bit to arrange his position over the wet sheets of their bed, tapping on Minseok’s cheek so that the older can take him back again.
Moaning through the haze he was subjected to, Minseok’s body worked in its own accord, meaning he was giving Jongdae what Jongdae needed at that moment while he takes what he needed from Yixing who was ploughing into him steadily - which he’s sure that Yixing needed as well to tip himself off to completion.
It probably happened through the three of them by a domino effect – it first started with Yixing; when his hips stuttered and snapped against Minseok’s for the last time before he was releasing deep inside Minseok - something that triggered Minseok to overdrive because he has been in this position from God knows how long already, creaming the sheets beneath him as he whimpered in content around Jongdae’s cock stuffing his mouth. Jongdae came almost at the same time Minseok did, pushing Minseok down onto his possession so not a drop will be wasted.
“Don’t lose everything, Minseok-ah,” Yixing whispered while rolling his hips against Minseok’s to ride his orgasm out, humming at how tight Minseok has been clenching onto him ever since they started.
--
“Have you received it as well?” Jongdae looked up from his mobile phone while his free hand stroked Minseok’s soft hair strands gently, chancing a glance towards where Yixing was sitting on the floor. He had just got a mission from the higher-ups, something that was supposed to be an individual one but Jongdae knows that this is something that concerns the group as well.
“Yep.” Yixing nodded his head slowly, turning off his phone and resting his head onto the seats of the couch, just near where Minseok’s free hand was resting.
“If I kill the both of you, what will you think?” Minseok yawned after he finished reading the contents of the message that was sent to him from his phone. He glanced up from where he was laying his head on Jongdae’s lap to see a reaction.
Yixing’s lips quirked up into a small grin; though he couldn’t see Jongdae from his angle – he’s too lazy to crane his head up to chance a swift look – he knows what Jongdae will say. Years of being with each other gave them the benefit to read each other like the back of their hands, expressions and movements memorized, thoughts and emotions deciphered within a second of looking deep into the other’s eye.
“You wouldn’t be able to do that anyway. You need us a lot.” Flicking at Minseok’s forehead, Jongdae whined his infamous whine, something that’s known to ease and lighten the atmosphere around them whenever they needed a break from their oftentimes tiring job. “Quit speaking like this or else we’ll do something about that mouth of yours,”
The statement may sound like a dangerous threat to those who know them as killers, but those who know them as who they are without the guns and the weapons know that it’s more of a playful statement. To Minseok however, it’s a promise that he would like to get fulfilled as much as possible.
Yixing laughed softly at the image that crossed his mind, taking one of Minseok’s fingers into his mouth all the while speaking, “Is that even a punishment? You know how much Minseok loves to be bound.”
Jongdae shook his head, a carefree laughter spilling from his lips. “I know, so we wouldn’t make it easy on him. We should enjoy ourselves too, don’t you think?”
“Mean!” Minseok exclaimed with an excited smile on his face, covering his face to hide the flush easily settling itself on soft pale cheeks.
---
“Targets spotted at a 35 mile radius. You think you can handle this fine, Jongdae?” Minseok knew that Jongdae can take it. He knew but he’ll always ask, just to double-check things.
“’Course, hyung. This is my forte,” Jongdae chuckled over his in-ear piece, shaking his head while refocusing and adjusting the scope of his sniper gun. It was one of the chilly evenings of early December so the cold was affecting his usual steady position because he’s been shivering due to the cold. “Ah, but we should have brought hot packs with us.”
Minseok frowned a bit and pulled back from his scope to stare at the building opposite his direction. His gaze went over to the rooftop and he squinted to make out Jongdae’s figure from the darkness. As expected he wasn’t able to. Maybe next time he’ll invest on night ray vision glasses for the group. “Next time, next time. For now, maintain your position.”
“Any news about Xing hyung?”
Minseok licked his lips, taking his eyes off of the scope of his own gun and glanced down below to check up on Yixing. He couldn’t see the man anywhere. That’s alright, Minseok thinks. Yixing has always liked blending in the dark before attacking. “He’ll check in later. He’s probably wilding again.”
“That’s worrying, but yeah. He’s just readying himself.” Jongdae sighed before chuckling, index finger ready to pull the trigger. He’ll have to wait for Minseok’s signal before he does.
“No need to worry,” Yixing suddenly popped into their conversation. Through their in-ear pieces, they can hear Yixing chortle in amusement. It also came out hushed. Yixing has to be quiet after all. “Just keep your eyes on the targets.”
Jongdae shook his head but he was still amazed at how composed Yixing sounded. A true assassin indeed. Smiling fondly, he turned back to his work, squinted his eyes and tightened his grip onto his sniper gun. He was sure Yixing was also waiting for Minseok’s cue. They have to do this as quick and precise as possible.
There was a deafening silence that overtook them afterwards, and the three waited for seconds to tick by. Their targets are still waiting for something it seems, but the moment two short blasts broke the solemnity of their surroundings, fresh blood was splattered over gravel and cement.
Then, nothing.
---
It was deep into the night when there’s glass shattering from outside that woke him up. Jongdae shot up from where he was lying on the softness of his bed and almost instantaneously searched for the gun he always kept hidden under his pillows. As quiet as a mouse, he rolled out of his bed and tiptoed slowly towards the door to his room.
A few more steps and he can finally take a peek at the hallway to see what’s wrong but he heard footsteps and there were loud noises. These were indications that someone broke into their house since Minseok and Yixing weren’t really that loud. Jongdae almost tripped on his feet to hide inside his walk-in closet adjacent to his door. Good thing he was fast enough to close it since there were people who came inside his room.
“Damn, I knew it,” Cussing under his breath, Jongdae kept his eyes solely onto the two masked men wearing familiar black suits (with the logo of their agency proudly plastered on the back part) who entered his room before hiding again. No one was supposed to know of their residence, but Jongdae was suddenly certain these two followed the three of them home, right after finishing a clean assassination of two corrupt higher-ups within the agency they’re working from. Jongdae knew that they’re in danger even before they could receive the messages, but he didn’t know that it’s this soon.
The Boss must’ve wanted them to be put down before this night ends. Jongdae thought that maybe, it’s going to be the end for the three of them if they don’t act fast enough.
“On your knees and put your arms up.”
It was waxy and commanding, full of authority and his tone cold and steely. Jongdae’s lips quirked up at the corners when he realized who it was. Of course. Slowly but carefully, he went out from where he was hiding. On his feet, there were the two men. Jongdae sighed in relief before his eyes met with Minseok’s who was twirling two knives in each of his small hands. Jongdae grinned at the sight before he took the guns from the men’s hands. “Almost got me there, fools,” He sing-sang and hit the men with the handles of the guns that were already in his possession, using force that knocked the men unconscious in seconds. Jongdae made sure that they were down before asking, “Where’s Yixing-hyung?”
Minseok cocked his head towards the direction of the living room, pursing his lips. Jongdae realized that Minseok had also just woken up from his sleep.
“Is he—“
“Cleaning up the bloody scene, yeah,” Stepping closer to him, Minseok stood on his toes to peck Jongdae’s chin before he was handing Jongdae a knife in exchange for one of the guns. “Should we finish these men?”
Jongdae laughed softly, brushing Minseok’s dark fringe back before leaning in to steal a messy sleepy kiss from Minseok’s lips. He took the cold knife in his hand and ran a thumb over the sharpness of its blade.
“Yeah. Before Yixing-hyung does.”
---
The three left South Korea for Laos after that night, going undercover and changing their names to get out of their past agency’s hair. It wasn’t an easy task and was always an exhausting one, making them think sometimes if they’re digging their own graves and just burdening themselves. As usual, Minseok’s always there to calm them down, talk to them about how escaping is worth it since they’re still together and so so free.
---
It wasn’t long before Yixing was caught by the police and was executed and thrown to prison because of wilding out during a drunken night in a club. He killed five people just because they disturbed him from his thoughts. Yixing has always been the unstoppable one from the three of them. Minseok and Jongdae swore to get Yixing out. Yixing said that he’ll wait patiently. Jongdae couldn’t stop crying that day.
---
Jongdae and Minseok were when Yixing was killed by the members of their past agency. They planned to break inside the jail to get Yixing out but their agency already got to him before they can. It was too clean, the murder, and the two briefly thought of what will happen to them if the same fate befall them. A numb Minseok had to comfort a broken Jongdae when they boarded the plane towards Russia under the names Vince Matt and Brooke Damons.
---
There were no more data gathered from the two assassins when they arrived from Pulkovo airport. After they took their baggage, they simply disappeared into thin air. Security camera footages contain nothing as well, and there were no witnesses as to where the two could have gone. This prompted Jongdae and Minseok’s agency to declare that the two assassins were already disposed of somehow when the search they conducted returned fruitless.
---
“Minseok, I’m going to burn them in hell.”
Minseok regarded Jongdae with a soft smile, reaching forward to stroke the man’s cheek tenderly. Jongdae almost immediately leaned into his touch but the fire in his eyes told Minseok of greater things. They scream of retribution, reprisal, vengeance—
“Of course, baby. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” Jongdae’s eyes fluttered open at those words, observing how anger still lights up Minseok’s face even though it was supposed to darken it. “Let’s kill everyone else.”
Jongdae bit his lip and glanced out of the window. Minseok followed his gaze and breathed in calmly.
Next week, all hell will break loose.
---
Note: rushed, so not much, not much. finished at 1AM so i’ll be editing it once i wake up.
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Tumblr Reflection 1
Hailing from Los Angeles where fusion restaurants, cultural hybridity, and low grade appropriation occur at a relatively high frequency to make all of these issues relatively passe, perhaps the biggest shock for me upon entering Oberlin was its distinct Americana vibes. While fighting traffic on any one of Los Angele’s infamous freeways, or waiting to find a parking spot whilst 10 cars deep in the parking queue at one of of 4 local Trader Joe’s my mom would often wax nostalgic about the time she spent at the University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana as an undergraduate, about the relationships that were formed by routinely running into the same people at the grocery store, of the far more decreased pace of living, of the fact that the entire town was still feasible to travel in between the hours of 7 - 10 in the morning and 5 - 8 at nights. While I often attributed some of this vented frustration to the simple difficulties imposed by urban living, I never reflected on the more communal aspects of what she was saying, of not only how small town America seems to foster closer knit communities but also what type of communities were formed in these places. While my mom never explicitly gestured about what type of communities she was speaking of, during my brief tenure at Oberlin I think I am beginning to understand a bit of her feelings of cultural displacement. To a certain extent I feel that there is a certain sense of comfort and security in homogeneity, the fact that one can remain reasonably certain that one’s environment and encountered stimulus will remain consistent allows one to perhaps detach from some of the uncertainty that we routinely face in the world, and remove ourselves from a consistent fight or flight cycle and processes of adaptation. In this regard, Oberlin, with its relatively timeless brick facade buildings and overgrown arboretum offers a sense of relief in its intrinsically timeless appeal. However I think this term timeless can be a bit deceiving in this context as my use of the term implies a sort of universality that I don’t think is directly applicable to this situation. While Oberlin’s sense of timelessness could perhaps be conflated with a feeling of chronological stasis, of some sort of frozen facsimile of the past century or so, I think it would be a bit far fetched to conflate Oberlin’s ability to be in two times at the same place with a sort of omnipresence throughout time and history. The reason I think this realization is relevant to the current prompt question is because it reveals that Oberlin’s timelessness is not some immutable, “classical”, or definitive attribute defined throughout the ages, world without end, but rather an artifact of the Town’s rather recent history, and despite its recent history, is far more mutable than it appears to be. Take the case of Kim’s. Perhaps more so than any other restaurant in Oberlin, Kim’s is the one that I have trouble reconciling with being in a small, rural town in NorthEastern Ohio. In Los Angeles such shops and restaurant combinations owned by first generation immigrants are certainly not uncommon; as a matter of a fact they often are some of the first places that patrons frequent to fetch “authentic” Korean, Japanese, or Hispanic cuisine as Los Angeles has a substantial migrant population from each of these corresponding geographic locales. In Los Angeles I could see Kim’s surviving if not thriving in the relatively niche market for imported, international grocery as well as cooking that a large city such as Los Angeles affords if by nothing else by the sheer volume of its inhabitants. The fact that Kim’s seems to consistently be operating at full capacity is perhaps more than an indication of the commonly held mantra that “most Obies come from the coast and bring a bit of the coast with them,” but rather indicative of the far reaching power of globalism, one where increased connectivity both in terms of transport and communication have allowed seemingly foreign artifacts from places that seem inconceivably distant and far way while stuck in Oberlin to permeate its wholesome facade of American timelessness. Rendering judgement as to whether this is “good” or “bad” is beyond the scope of this post; what perhaps can be said though, is perhaps to my mother’s as well as Walden’s chagrin, globalization seems to be making escaping into some crystallized moment in the past far more difficult, as the last strongholds of the globally fractured world seem to be growing few and far between.
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✧ ・ﾟ ╮ ❛ without LOSING a piece of me,
how do i get to h e a v e n ??
✧ ・ﾟ ╮ ❛ GENERAL INFO !
full name. hwan taehan.
nickname. hannie.
gender & pronouns. cisgender male, he/him.
sexual & romantic orientation. homoromantic, homosexual.
age & dob. eighteen; october 8th, 1998.
birthplace. jinhae-gu district, changwon city, south korea.
familial relations. mother —- hwan aera ( alive. ) father —- hwan jitae ( deceased. )
astrological sign. libra, the scales.
dominant hand. right.
handwriting style. near-flawless cursive script.
languages known. korean, japanese, english, chinese.
religion. agnostic.
current living situation. upper level apartment shared with mother and grandmother.
college major. business, minor in fashion merchandising.
✧ ・ﾟ ╮ ❛ APPEARANCE !
picture reference. one, two, three, four.
blood type. type a —- traits include: kindhearted, timid, sensitive, anxious, perfectionist.
nationality. korean.
skin tone. light-medium complexion, warm olive undertone.
birthmarks & scars. none.
height. 5 feet, 5 inches, or 165 cm, or 1.65 m.
build. petite frame; toned torso, thick thighs, shapely calves, larger than average buttocks.
hair color. natural —- black. current —- rich dark brown.
hair length. men’s medium.
eye color. light brown, almost golden.
eye shape. slightly down-turned, monolid.
diet. vegetarian and seafood based, and mostly dairy free due to lactose intolerance.
exercise & level of fitness. light jogging, yoga, and tai chi; moderate to above average.
posture. due to yoga, he stands beautifully upright; nose raised high.
typical style of dress. often pairs oversized sweaters & shirts with super skinny-fit jeans that are distressed in some fashion; accessorizes from head-to-toe; loves wearing pastels, and playing with vibrant colors; addicted to denim jackets, berets, baseball caps, suspenders, turtle-necks, short-shorts, and glasses of all styles. will be bold and wear an occasional crop-top, but only on rare occasions.
body modifications. none to speak of.
✧ ・ﾟ ╮ ❛ BODY LANGUAGE !
how does your muse walk? on his tiptoes with a moderate pace, shorter strides, a gentle swing to his hips, and his arms swaying lightly.
how does your muse talk? uses his hands in an animated fashion, and has a soft lisp that is only noticeable occasionally. prefers not to swear too much.
what accent/dialect does your muse talk with? born & raised with a gyeongsang dialect due to being from changwon city, but has reasonably adapted to the gyeonggi dialect after relocating to seoul with his mother. while speaking english, he has a korean accent.
how high ( or low ) is the tone of their voice? natural tenor range; medium-high.
are they loud or quiet? soft-spoken & quiet; has a difficult time projecting his voice.
what is their laugh like? many would call it ‘cute’ due to it’s lighthearted, giggle-like sound. it is nowhere near loud, but it’s rhythmic and sweet like a little bell.
how does your muse typically smell? his desired colognes are sweet, fresh scents. he avoids anything musky or too stereotypically masculine. he’s extremely hygienic and makes sure to wear deodorant before leaving the house, as well as showering every single day to ensure cleanliness. he never smells bad, ever. that’s his worst nightmare.
what kind of air do they carry? meek and small. it would be hard to notice him if it weren’t for his tastes in fashion, or his bright smile. he’s pretty shy, and it’s easy to tell.
are they intimidating? not in the slightest bit.
✧ ・ﾟ ╮ ❛ PSYCHOLOGY !
what makes your muse happiest? seeing those he loves smile; knowing that they’re all safe, and sound, and pleased. additionally, he loves making new friends. taking breaks of alone-time to restore energy is equally important, too, as he’s introverted.
what upsets them most? seeing those that he loves sad; loneliness, and not being involved in a romantic relationship; homophobic slurs; being taken advantage of.
does your muse have any quirks? rocks back and forth on feet while standing still. plays with his lips when he’s lost in thought. absent-mindedly hums to whatever song is stuck in his head. has a tendency to look at his feet while speaking to strangers.
what are their hobbies? he loves fashion and going shopping is one of the things he loves to do whenever he has some extra cash. additionally, he quite enjoys video games, primarily pokémon, and still purchases the new games, etc. whenever they’re released. moreover, he loves to cook, and testing out new recipes are some things he loves, too.
how often can / do they do them? as often as his school schedule allows him to. a couple of times per week for video games and cooking, less frequently for shopping.
do they have any guilty pleasures? he can watch fail videos on youtube for hours on end.
is your muse an extrovert, or an introvert? a definite introvert. his mbti is infp.
do they have high or low self-esteem? in all honesty, it’s a bit low, but that’s actively something that he’s working on. he knows he needs to be a bit more assertive, it’s just something that’s quite difficult for him.
what about confidence? in some aspects, yes. he feels at his best when he’s dressed to the nines and talking to people he’s comfortable with. however, when it comes to anything new, he does feel a bit timid and it often takes him awhile to come around.
are they easily stressed? not really. he’s very good at remaining calm through trying times.
how do they respond to stress? he’s learned a variety of tactics in therapy that have helped him combat stress really well. he either plays a video game, reads a book, takes a long shower, or writes down his worries to put them into perspective. he handles it well.
what is your muse’s worst fear? losing the people he loves.
what is your muse’s biggest dream? reopening the restaurant his father had back in changwon city, and hopefully, a second location in seoul. that, and starting a fashion line.
is your muse an early riser, or a night owl? he looooves sunrises, and prefers to get up in time the witness them each and everyday. he’s good about falling asleep at a reasonable hour, so i’d definitely say he’s more an early riser than a night owl.
how intelligent is your muse, and do they acknowledge it? he’s fairly intelligent, but isn’t necessarily cocky about it. he used to get made fun of for being so smart in school, so he’d play dumb in order to escape bullying. he definitely has more common sense than academic talent, though, so while he’s smart, he’s no genius.
what is their sense of humor like? he really likes obvious humor found in most cartoons and children’s series. more nsfw jokes fly right over his head, he doesn’t understand them all too well. he’s also a really big fan of bad pickup lines, and horrible puns.
✧ ・ﾟ ╮ ❛ RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES !
what’s their sexual orientation? he’s a true homosexual. he’s tried dating women in the past, as he once thought he could get attached to them and treat them well, but he was often very unfulfilled in those relationships. he has a strict attraction to men, and is out and proud of it now. he knows its still a tender subject in korea, but that doesn’t stop him much from sharing his truth, even if he has to go out of his way to feel super comfortable.
what about romantic? homoromantic, definitely. he wants to have a husband and a family someday soon if korea ever legalizes gay marriage and allows same-sex couples to adopt.
what is their experience with relationships? very little to almost none. he’s never had a serious relationship or a boyfriend, but he wants one VERY badly.
how does your muse view the idea of friends with benefits? i feel like he understands how other people could do that with no issue, but he’s afraid that if he tried that, he’d get far too attached and it’d leave the other person uncomfortable. however, he’s willing to try it out once or twice to see how it goes for him. he’d just have to give the other a disclaimer.
have they ever had an fwb, or would they ever? he’s never had one, and he’s open to it, but still quite timid about the idea. he’s never had sex before, so he’d want it to be with someone that he deeply trusted; someone that he knew cared about him.
sex, is it important to your muse? yes, it is. he’s never had it, but his sex drive is quite strong for being such a shy person. he just isn’t open with it. not only that, but he views sex as something that should be shared between he and the person he’s having it with ONLY, and that it should be meaningful, so he takes it very seriously.
what are their biggest turn ons and turn offs? his biggest absolute turn on is ROMANCE. he wants to become one with his sexual partner above all else. he also loves it when a man is more dominant than he is since he lacks that ability. as far as appearances are concerned, he loves a taller man that’s quite classically handsome that has great style, amazing hygiene, and isn’t afraid to love him publicly. he’s a fan of strong legs, and round butts, too. as far as turn offs are concerned, he’d hate someone that was too forceful with him, as well as someone who didn’t take care of themselves in the slightest bit. he’d also be uncomfortable with someone that drank too heavily and didn’t have any control over it.
does your muse find it easy to make friends? with females, absolutely! he really gets on well with girls as he’s been around them for most of his life. with males, he has some reservations. he’s been screwed over by them many times, so he’s more timid around them. however, being that he’s gay, that is something he’s trying to get over as fast as possible.
how important is friendship to them? extremely important. he wants to make sure that he can be there for people, as well as call on them when he needs them, too.
quantity or quality of friends? definitely quality. he doesn’t care if he only has ONE true friend, that’d be enough for him so long as they were good to him.
how important is family? they’re normally his number one priority. he’s always there for his mother and his grandmother. he’d do anything to help them out, no matter what.
are they close to their family? taehan is very close to his mother and grandmother. he holds them so close after the tragedy that happened to his father. he knows the pain of losing someone so special to him, and makes sure he spends lots of them with them.
✧ ・ﾟ ╮ ❛ HEADCANONS !
001. he often gets caught daydreaming all day, everyday. it happens especially whenever he sees attractive men in public. he often wonders what they’d be like as lovers, and his romanticism takes his mind on a journey as to what a relationship with them would entail.
002. he falls asleep really easily, especially on long car rides, train rides, flights, and during films. people often hate taking him to the cinema because he always passes out halfway through whatever movie they watch. it’s just something that he can’t help at all.
003. he has a collection of pokémon cards that he still adds to. he has about 12 binders full, but he hides them in his room because he’s scared people will think he’s too childish.
004. his favorite colors are pastels, primarily anything rosy, beige, or golden.
005. his favorite foods are seafood sundubu-jjigae, sashimi, sushi, dubu jorim, and pajeon. he also enjoys european cuisine, so long as there are vegetarian options.
006. lots of his friends ask him to help choose outfits, do makeup, etc. due to his aesthetically pleasant nature, and wide interest in color theory, etc.
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