Watching a new K-drama

*five minutes in* ahahaha how cute and sweet

*ten minutes in* I am emotionally compromised

“The things that you like are important to me. From now on, tell me all of them one by one.”

A Korean Odyssey (2017)

My current favourite characters are all queer psychopaths. I’m sure that’s just a coincidence. This challenge was so. Much. Fun. 

(Instagram x)

@codepend3nt There's a pretty long RP below, so to avoid taking over your feeds, hiding it under "read more." (Crossover between Renfield and Korean Odyssey ftw)

It's early 2000's. Ogong, the disgraced deity known as the Monkey King, has just been “accidentally” sprung free from his 500 year imprisonment in the Marble Mountains by his bestie, Ma-Wang, and now both of them have to pay. Ma-Wang’s determination to get in Heavens’ good graces and attain godhood are unwavering. He needs to help someone dear to him, and the only way he can do it is by becoming a god. To become a god, he needs to collect a number of good-deed points (GDP? lol), and he lost a bunch of them when he freed Ogong. Ma-Wang (mostly) plays by the rules, maintains a facade of a human existence (via a persona of an owner of a huge entertainment company in Korea). Thus, while filthy rich, he is somewhat limited in what he’s willing/able to do. Ogong’s main objective is to be able to drink alcohol again. This prohibition is one small way the Heavens are still able to punish him. After 500 years of being under house arrest he is restless and eager to enjoy the world. He has friends in high places and enemies in even higher places. He mostly doesn’t care. Still, he feels he owes Ma-Wang for orchestrating his escape, so he works on collecting GDP by taking Heavens’ assignments to dispatch various baddies. For the most part, he’s been getting assignments around Seoul, but on this particular occasion, the assignment will take him to Seattle, WA, USA. To his surprised protests (“Why the hell are you sending somewhere so cold and dreary? Why do I have to be so far from my beloved car, Ma-Wang’s big TV and my cozy hot tub?”) the heavenly official only shrugs, and says the order came all the way from the Top. And so Ogong has to pack. To his relief, his car actually fits into his suitcase, though registering it at the destination may be a nuisance. There’s also not a ton of space left, and he eyes his collection of fur coats critically. It’s always raining in Seattle. Will he even be able to wear them, or will they get drenched the moment he walks into the streets? He stuffs a couple of his favorites into the car’s trunk and sets off to the airport. A private jet is already waiting for him, along with a brand new identity and a healthy bank account. Finding Dracula in a city of 700k+ residents is no easy task. Cut off from his regular channels, he bribes some humans and threatens some spirits to find out that an unusual number of homeless people have been going missing in the recent weeks - information that hasn’t made it to the press. Human souls are human souls, homeless or Fortune 500 founders. And so, while he’d much rather be somewhere warm and cozy, he is stalking foggy, cluttered alleys on the periphery of downtown Seattle, where the impromptu homeless encampments tend to spring up seemingly overnight. It’s been two weeks with little progress. Interviewing the not-always-coherent local residents revealed that the disappearances happen all over the city, that besides being homeless, the victims seem to have little in common - age, gender, health, origins, race, personality - all over the place. A couple of particularly inebriated fellas told him of a lanky guy with “glowing yellow eyes, dude!” that they’ve seen around their encampment a few times before one of their drinking buddies disappeared. “Do you think you’ll be able to bring Sean back?” “Unlikely,” Ogong answers bluntly. “Y’all make sure you stick together. Safety in numbers and all that.” Finally, on a Wednesday night, wet and dreary like any other, Ogong spots someone observing a small encampment from the shadows. “That’s definitely lanky,” he thinks to himself. And in the next moment he’s standing behind Renfield, a hand on his shoulder. “Hey there buddy. What brings you out here on such a fine night?” If Renfield were to turn around, he’d see a Korean young man, 5-11, almost comically overdressed for the relatively warm weather, with an oversized scarf and a heavy wool coat (let’s say it’s summer, and it’s around 65F?).

Renfield couldn't help but jump when he felt the hand clamp down on his shoulder, bright blue eyes going wide at the sound of the voice. "I...um..." he blinked a few times, slowly turning to face the man. Despite having a few inches on the guy, Renfield still seemed to cower under his gaze. Was he a cop? He was dressed kinda funny for a cop, even an undercover one. But still....Dracula would not like this one bit.

From inside his pocket, he let go of the handkerchief and the bottle of chloroform he'd been about to pull out. Then slid his hands out of his jacket so they were visible, just in case.

"I lost my cat. He got out of my apartment, and I was looking for him." He turned his head, looking back down the alleyway before calling out, "Fluffy! Fluffy, where are you?" A blatant lie, but one he was determined to stick with. He'd find someone for Dracula to eat somewhere else.

“A cat, huh?” Ogong gives his customary sardonic half-grin. “That simply wouldn’t do. Shall I help you look?” The words are dripping with mock concern and sarcasm. Ogong’s hand remains on Renfield’s shoulder, and while he isn’t squeezing it, exactly, Renfield can feel that the grip is pretty firm, and he’s unlikely to be able to twist away with human strength alone.

In this world the only person who can kill me is you. Because if you told me to die, I would die.

Realizing that the Hong sisters wrote Korean Odyssey makes so much sense with how the plot of Alchemy of Souls is barely even there but the character work is so good like, that drama also was a victim of nonsensical plot and great character dynamics

Why think about real world problems when we could create a fictional universe with our favourite characters in it, create probelms there and solve them as you cry your heart out listening to tragic background music?

And then finally end up sacrificing the OC, who represents you.

A list of things I will never be over in no particular order: back with a vengeance

part: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1. I know I've mentioned Ji Sung in almost every list I've made but I can't help it. This man has been doing dramas for a long time. Secret Love was so fucked up. There are still scenes in it that I still randomly think about. If you haven’t watched it yet you definitely should.

2. The totally platonic with absolutely no romantical tension whatsoever bromance in You're All Surrounded that was our second leads. It took me so long to get on board with Jung Ho but his two besties were loyal af and lowkey in love with each other.

3. The first couple of episodes of My Secret Romance were fun but then I didn’t keep watching- I don't remember why. But all I can think about when I think about that drama is his wonderful offended/exasperated face which he used a lot in the first couple of episodes. I just love the way his eyebrows scrunch. But can I find that particular gif?? No. So this one instead:

4. The theme song for Kill Me Heal Me is iconic and I love it. One word or note plays and it's stuck in my head for days.

5. And not to keep talking about School 2013 but I'm going to keep talking about School 2013. I loved the bromance turned to enemies turned to secretly pining for each other turned to maybe friends turned to literal husbands that was Kim Woo-bin and Lee Jong-suk. Like they -SPOILERS- decided to open a noodle shop together and live happily ever after. -SPOILERS- That is literal husband behavior. Someone fight me on this! I would love to make a PowerPoint.

And cause I can add more gifs I choose to add more of these two:

6. But ALSO pertaining to School 2013: I love the complete 180 they both do with the baby delinquents. These two tall boys who both got held back and have lived complete lives (like they are both emotionally 60-year-old men who don't know how but they are still in high school) long before they both meet again in the tiny angel woman's classroom. Not only do they have to confront each other but they both decide that the baby delinquents need guidance and who better than them. They have lived those lives already and don't want their ducklings to go down the same path. I just love it.

7. I liked Korean Odyssey a lot. I love Lee Seung Gi and his bff who is in every drama with him. It was cute and fun BUT and this isn't something I love but something I super do not love-- we are back in that trend of every kdrama ending being open-ended/ that pretend-happily-ever-after thing that leaves a bittersweet taste in your mouth after you turn off the show. I blame this drama and these writers for kick-starting this whole trend again. Because these bittersweet open-ended endings lead to the "artistic bleak real world sucks" type of ending where everyone dies all the time. I've already lived through this once and will not survive another round. I might have to stop watching dramas considering recent dramas like Vincenzo and Crash Landing On You and how they did that open-ended bullshit.

8. Also not to bring School 2013 up again BUT that moment in School 2013 where Go Nam Soon comes home after getting the shit beat out of him and he lies on his bed in his empty lonely house and tells himself that he’s okay over and over. Literally, stab me in the heart and it would hurt less.

9. This is School 2013 adjacent but only because Jang Na-ra picks great drama's to be in. Her style in I Remember You— first of all I love her and her pretty face. Second of all, I really liked really everything she wore. I'm a big fan of the grunge-leather-flannels-and-black look. So surprising, I know.

10. And to bring it back to Healer once again-- I have to mention it every post it seems-- but when he's pretending to be Bong So and they go to interview the first jackass... are you with me here? I don't remember the jackass's name. But okay the moment when Cha Young-shin is having a panic attack because of the violence in front of her and Bong-soo can't do his parkour ultimate fighting skills stuff cause he's Bong-soo and not Seo Jung-ho. So he creates a distraction for the guards and helps Cha Young-shin get out of her panic attack by being helpless Bong-soo who doesn't know how to do anything. She gets out of her panic attack with a purpose and a need to protect her underling. And she does. She saves him. And it's perfect. I love them.

Today: Having some fun with a batch delivery from AliExpress :) Full text transcript below:

SonOhGong: Is it Christmas or something? I haven't seen so many packages at once since the zombie's online shopping sprees.

SonOhGong: Alright, let's see what we got!

SonOhGong: The heck is this? This isn't for us!

SonOhGong: Let's see what's in this one.

SonOhGong: Again?? I am having no luck with this. Someone else open the next one.

Zagreus: I'll give it a try.

SonOhGong: Hang on! This one's got my name all over it!

Everyone: You're gonna share, right? SonOhGong: I'll think about it.

SonOhGong: Zag, you did great last time. Open the next one! Let's see if your luck holds. Zagreus: No problem. But you gotta promise to share.

Wei Ying: A deck of cards? Nice! I'll show you guys some awesome drinking games!

Wei Ying: There hasn't been anything for you yet, Lan Zhan. You open this last one. Lan Zhan: Mn.

AhXu: Hey, Lan Zhan? The 50's called. Said they want their stuff back. Wei Ying: Yeah, very funny. Ok, it's a little funny. Sorry, Lan Zhan.

I started watching Korean Odyssey because I didn’t want to argue over which show we should watch and I finished the first episode and couldn’t stop laughing because it is the plot of a fanfic…

When I saw you - Korean Odyssey

By - Bumkey

There's only 4 ways to represent Sun Wukong:

1) "Huh, yeah, that's a monkey alright"

2) Cute Gremlin

3) Furry Bait

4) "Wait a minute! That's not a monkey! That's a hot dude!"

We should make a diagram about it

Sources (in order):

-Journey to the West, Legends of the Monkey King (1999)

-Le Roi Singe, Chaiko (comics) (2019-2020)

-Lego Monkie Kid (2020- )

-Legends Summarized: The Journey to the West (Part VIII), by Red/Overly Sarcastic Productions on youtube.

-Monkey King: Hero Is Back (2015)

-Monkey King: Reborn (2021)

-The New Legends of Monkey (2018)

-A Korean Odyssey (2017)

He’s an immortal, murderous bastard, but most importantly; He’s pretty and he knows it. Son O-Gong, Den Store Vismand som i Himlen for the six fanart challenge.

2 down. Who’s next??

(Instagram X) 

What is the best romance trope, and why is it a girl who could be his death and a guy who thinks that acceptable collateral damage?

Kdramas with great soundtracks 🎶

Hotel Del Luna

Goblin The Lonely And Great God

Moon Lovers Scarlet Heart Ryeo

Alchemy Of Souls

Crash Landing On You

Twenty Five Twenty One

It's Okay Not To Be Okay

Angel's Last Mission Love

Flower Of Evil

A Korean Odyssey

I’m finally reading Journey to the west and remembering all the films, shows, kdramas, cdramas, anime, manga and manhwa that I love that were inspired by it and I’m just giggling annd kicking my feet cause Sun Wukong is just as funny, witty and charismatic as the characters that were styled after him. Like no wonder that in 99% of the adaptations the writers NEED to pair him up with someone (mainly the character styled after Tang Sanzang who has frequently been a woman to fit all the het fantasies the authors might have).

Also, I’m hell of surprised that something written over five centuries ago can be so relevantly funny and feel like a contemporary fantasy (I’m reading the Julia Lovell translation)