patrick "you are the queen of my heart, grace" jane

So here's why i've been inactive for the past couple months on tumblr:

As many of you know, I've been a fairly avid content creator for the warrior nun fandom creating a ton of content for free. I joined a Warrior Nun discord server named Future Warrior Nuns (which is a ridiculous name considering in the show Ava says there will be no more warrior nuns but that's besides the point) and the treatment I received there was amazing. At the beginning. I spoke up about racism and injustices within the community because you cannot escape it anywhere unfortunately and I believed I'd found a community that would protect me and be there for me if i was ever faced with racism or hate.

For clarity, anyone in blue is a moderator. As you go on to read this their usernames and profile images might change so I’ll clarify who is who. I’ll only be using the names I’ve been presented with and only the ones that are most relevant to the situation. 

Fiesta  (white American cis woman) aka Doesn't Kelly, Witch Rhyme

Taz (white Australian cis woman) 

Milan (a very sheltered American transmasculine poc whos uncomfortable talking about racism because they've never had to deal with it) aka Who The Fuck Is Kelly

Rory (white Australian cis woman) aka Stronger Kelly

 But after a while, things slowly started to change. It was subtle and if you hadn't been there from the beginning, you wouldn't have noticed. It started with the moderators spending less time in the server because they had made many of their own servers and spent far more time over there. Which is understandable when you’re a group of friends that all have a common purpose. But the lack of leadership was palpable. I had to sometimes direct fellow server members to proper channels or do a few other things that were supposed to be things that the moderators were supposed to take care of and their lack of care for the server was becoming more relevant. If you were in their little group of friends or kissed their ass then they wouldn't target you unnecessarily. 

    Exactly three weeks later, (and only one week after my birthday in which everyone was super sweet and nice to me) the love and friendship they claimed to have for me vanished completely. For context, people in positions of power, especially in a server, should be people you can come to if you ever have an issue with anything or anyone. They should also be people that can come to terms with admitting their behavior was incorrect when being told so. So here is what happened:

I have always been open about being a transmasculine person of color on all my platforms, and if you know me on any platform you know that. The behavior shown here between me and the moderators was absolutely appalling to me. They pushed my voice aside and only acknowledged Narcissa, a cis white woman, who was agreeing and saying the same things i had because i had asked her in private to help me out because i felt it was unfair that two server moderators were coming at me so aggressively. 

As you can see from the screenshots, they claimed that I attacked Fiesta when i was simply pointing out that her behavior was hypocritical and unfair especially because she is in a position of power and that's something people of power should be aware of. 

I was the only one brave enough to say what everyone was thinking. And that's something I have always taken pride in. Speaking up for others when they are too scared to do so themselves. And that was shown through multiple people coming into my dms to tell me they either felt the same way I did or they felt the way I was treated in the conversation above was unfair. This next screenshot is from a private message from a former manager. 

Narcissa (white cis woman)  received a few apologies from the server managers privately, yet my dms stayed vacant. At this point, they made a “public apology” towards everyone in the server which I forgot to screenshot, and not a single server manager reached out to me in private. But they did share these in the server for everyone to see:

They then opened an anonymous feedback form for us to share if we had any issues privately, which of course, I did, and so I filled it out saying “wheres my fucking apology ~king” so they would know exactly who the response was coming from. I was angry and hurt that they treated me the way they did. I regretted wording it like that almost instantly after sending it. But the deed was done and it was unchangeable. And not too long after, this was posted publicly in the server feedback channel so that everyone in the server could see:

Whether I shared that it was from me or not, she violated the server moderators unanimous statement saying that everything posted in the feedback form would stay anonymous and made my response public using the excuse that me sharing my name made it okay for her to show it to everyone. I was also being informed by other people I’m friends with that the forms that were being submitted were not staying anonymous and that they were being shared from other moderators privately in other peoples' dms.

I stuck around in the server because the people that I had formed friendships with were there and they were special to me and I wanted to be able to talk to them still in spite of everything that had happened to me up until this point. I was much more subdued at this point, I was posting less art and as you noticed I practically disappeared from twitter as well. 

My love for Warrior Nun was decreasing rapidly because the environment had become so toxic and unwelcoming that I felt scared to say much in the server in fear of being banned after seeing one of my trans poc friends banned for saying hi to another member. They had been looking for a reason to ban him for being on my side instead of theirs and apparently found the “perfect” excuse. They deleted his messages and claimed in their private admin channel that he had harassed someone in the server without screenshotting the false evidence first. How do I know this? Because I had a person on the team that valued me as a person instead of as a content creator and what I could give to the server.

I proceeded to curate the server for what fit me best, considering the ridiculous number of channels they created that had nothing to do with the show at this point. And there was an option for members to do that so I used the tools they had provided with and opted out of channels I no longer wanted to see. I consolidated it down to 35 out of 66 channels because some of them had no opt out option. And still, it was way more channels than I'd prefer to be in. I narrowed it down to only ships I actually cared about instead of having a bunch of channels I was never gonna read or say things in. And that's when the manager that cared about us provided me with these telling screenshots.

Why put me in “jail” over removing some roles? It may not have been explicit, but the internalized racism of putting a person of color in “jail” for curating what they wanted from a server is frankly off putting to say the least. "Implicit racism includes unconscious biases, expectations, or tendencies that exist within an individual, regardless of ill-will or any self-aware prejudices." 

And what does carl bot do exactly? It logs EVERYTHING. But only if that feature is enabled. And clearly, in Future Warrior Nuns, it is.

 They didn’t care about me and didn’t care that I was a consistent content creator. For lack of better words, I was one of the biggest reasons the actual part of the server that was dedicated to the show was constantly active and once I became quiet, along with a few other content creators I talked with, the activity decreased immensely. I said things here and there but that was about it. Until I was looking through their emotes. I noticed that they had trans, gay, demi, bi, aro, and ace heart emotes but the lesbian one wasnt there. Which was honestly surprising considering how much of the fandom identifies as lesbian. So I asked for it to be added and after it was, so many people were super happy because of it.

One day later i asked for more Mary emotes because they hadn’t completely brushed me off after requesting for the lesbian pride one. I noticed that Ava, the white character, had 72 animated and still emotes at the time while Mary, the black character, only had 18. And only 4 out of those were positive emotes. Here's that conversation:

I offered up my services to create Mary emotes for them considering I was an artist and content creator and it would be no issue for me at all to contribute but they declined, saying they were working on some themselves and that they would eventually add them to the server. The ones that they had created all looked terrible. They didn't know how to color correct her skin so that it wouldn't look ashy because of the filters used in the show and instead of asking for help from me, an artist of color, they simply did their own thing. And from 18 emotes, it went up to a dazzling 24. 

Needless to say, the racism they claimed not to have was pretty evident at this point. It was shockingly clear that they didn’t care as much about the characters of color than they did for the white and white passing ones. After this entire debacle I didn't even bother trying to ask for more emotes for Lilith considering how warmly I was welcomed with asking for more Mary emotes. 

A little less than two months after the initial incident, I still hadn’t been contacted by anyone on the admin team about absolutely anything in private. It wasn’t until people asked Fiesta if she had reached out to me or even bothered with an apology before she sent me this:

The “apology” was worthless. Too much time had passed since I was publicly humiliated and portrayed as the evil transmasculine person of color to them, and only a select few people interacted with me. I felt completely shut out because of how the admin team handled a difference of opinion. Instead of correcting themselves and admitting they were wrong, they doubled down on the intimidation and bullying  by changing their rules so that they could find excuses to ban or punish anyone they felt was not on their side. 

At this point, my grades were heavily declining. I was already struggling with keeping up with everything on my own due to covid and my mental disabilities. Being a victim of this racist behavior made everything worse. I couldn’t get out of bed, I was barely eating a meal a day because I had no motivation to work so I had little to no money to buy myself food. I was starving most days. And I didn’t ask my mom for help because I felt everything was my fault and that I really was in the wrong and shouldn't have said anything even though looking back at it I wasn't wrong for what I said. I had also been informed that my dad died because of covid and because of all of this stress and depression I had officially failed my classes. 

This is really difficult for me to say because I’m a very private person and I hate asking for help or sharing anything about my private life, but for you to understand everything that was happening to me at the time, this is stuff you unfortunately need to know. 

There’s many more things that I could say about this server but this thread is already long enough as it is and it was hard enough to write this all down. But behind closed doors, the admin team had some of the nastiest attitudes and behaviors you could’ve seen. Had they realized we had someone on their team that actually valued us and others as people, they probably would have kept their blatant ignorance and dislike towards server members hidden better. But white people like oppressing others when they know they can get away with it and this is just another sad unfortunate example that cost me and my fellow friends of color some heavy emotional and psychological damage.     They did wrong and refused to acknowledge it and instead tried to find a way to ban us for not having the hivemind that they so desperately want to control everyone with. If you want to see for yourself, feel free to find a link to a discord server named Future Warrior Nuns. If you look back through their channels, you’ll find most of these conversations either gone or have many messages missing. I hope my story will help understand why I’ve been gone from tumblr for so long and i hope something like this never happens to you.

Now that Nora's season is coming to end, what are somethings that you want for amira's season

Hi 😁 I bet you thought I’d never reply to this ask! Well, after you sent this in MARCH, I am finally posting an answer. 

Btw, I did the same for Nora’s season, and as a note, I’m a white European and an atheist. If any of this is offensive or not my place to say, I preemptively apologize.

1) I would like for Amira's arc not to be about being Muslim. That is, Cris' arc isn't about being bi, it's about learning (and accepting) that she's more than the fun friend. That she has and can offer more to the people in her life. Nora's arc isn't about being a feminist, it's about not being so set in your first impression of someone that you don't notice red flags or don't notice them trying to be better people. Same with Eva and not being defined by her mistakes, or about Viri and her financial situation. And I would like the same for Amira.

2) I think one common denominator of all Sana seasons so far is that they've shown the mains doing something that people assume hijabi can't do when it's more like they're systematically excluded from participating. For Sana, it was basketball. For Imane, it was dancing. For Amira M, it was boxing. I joked on twitter that Amira N's thing should be binging TV shows and eating junk, proving that hijabi are really like anyone else, but on a serious note, I'd like for Amira's thing to be photography (and maybe modeling? since Amira's friend was taking pics of her).

3) A scene where Amira explains how she can be a feminist and a hijabi both, just so we as a society have that scene to point to when the question inevitably comes up again. Seriously, I feel like that's one of the questions I most often see people asking Hajar.

4) I want the association girls to have their own youtube channel. Or at the very least, their own instagram and/or twitter account. I would love for them to post memes punching up about their experiences.

5) I feel like, much like with trans narratives, there's this "acceptable" narrative for hijabi in mainstream society, which is: the character made the decision to cover after coming up with solid reasons to do so. I.e. she made the decision early and can defend it with inarguable rebuttals. It's like women can't be trusted unless they know 150% what they're doing, be it covering, or dating a girl, or going vegan, or any number of things. I really appreciate that Amira started covering just because it felt right, and she's finding meaning in it after the fact. I would like for this to be a thing in her season, that she's still figuring herself out, that she's not already an Islamic scholar.

6) I also think that's what makes her stand apart from the other Sanas. I feel like (maybe with Zoya's exception), none of the other Sanas would entertain a crush on a white guy. They'd have never drunk or flirted (like we know Amira used to do). It's like they're not allowed to fuck up, or can only fuck up in acceptable ways, like engaging in a flirtation with a non Muslim only because they didn't know he wasn't a Muslim, or had booze at home, but it wasn't theirs, etc. I'm hoping that they've made Dani a love interest specifically to explore this idea (and not because they wanted to whitewash a character or give less time to an actor of color).

7) On that note, SKAM Hajar brought up an idea that, because the hijab makes them super visible, hijabi are perceived as ambassadors of Islam, expected to be able to answer any question about Islam, but also that people will judge all Muslims based on whatever mistake they individually make. I would like for a potential bench scene to allow Amira to say that it puts major pressure on her to feel like she can't make any mistake, because every Muslim will be judged based on her making a mistake, having a shitty day, being in a bad mood, not wanting to be Muslim wikipedia that day, etc. That sometimes she just wants to be Amira, not Islam personified.

8) I would like for Dani's character to represent not just white society, but also childhood, the safe choice, the choice her parents would love, and for Sofian's character to represent not just Moroccan culture, but also like... SEXY risk, independence, novelty... Because I feel like when I see Muslim girl/Muslim boy/white guy love triangles in fiction, the Muslim guy is positioned as the boring choice (but still incredibly wrong because he's abusive or maybe even secretly gay and forced to beard by his parents), the safety, the guy you'd bring home to your parents, whereas the white guy represents independence and carving your own path away from your parents.

9) Just once, I would like for a Muslim character to say, "what do you think of Catholic priests abusing kids?" to someone asking them what they think of such-and-such Muslim majority country doing such-and-such to its citizens. Bonus points if it's Sofian's character.

10) I would like for Dilan to get an insta and a storyline. And for that storyline to connect to Amira's.

11) In general, I would prefer that parents be kept to a minimum (not to get rid of them entirely, of course, but to be kept at the level they've been in other Sana seasons). I just have never thought the point of Skam was the parents. And I get why they have a larger presence in a second gen kid, but I, personally, am more interested in what they represent in the main's life, rather than in giving them a lot of face time.

12) And, on that note, if they do with Amira what I've outlined above, I don't think there's a necessity for Amira to have siblings. Particularly if eskam isn't going to continue after this season. I think it'd be far more interesting if Amira's character contained the elements of figuring her identity as a Muslim living in a Western country that Elias, Idriss and Essam had. (And maybe that way Dani is both Yousef and Elias, stealing not just one role for an actor of color, but two! lmao)

13) I really hope that the obligatory evak s4 side plot be kept at a minimum tbh. I'm really not interested in a) Eloy coming back to cause drama, b) Amira's friend causing croana drama because she's Joana ex or whatever, c) a physical fight breaking out because of (perceived) homophobia.

14) I want Amira to tell Cris that amiris es lo más real que hay. 😭 I would love it if, as a parallel to Cris' season, Amira doesn't tell Cris about her interest in Sofian's character at first because she's afraid of her reaction, only for Cris to be supportive of whatever she chooses to do.

15) I would be so fucking happy if eskam adapted the "is your faith stronger than your lust?" scene in this season. I have always wanted to love that scene, because how often do you get a scene where two girls get to talk that long and that much (even in Skam most of the iconic dialogue scenes between just two people aren't between two girls in the squad), but I just haaaated the purpose of the scene in Skam.

16) I would cry buckets if we got a scene like Det Beste fra Islam where Amira and Sofian's character both talk about what Islam means for them. Particularly if Sofian is introduced as not the Perfect Muslim Man, but it turns out he has THOUGHTS about religion.

17) And, finally, I would love for the unquestionable villain of the season to be a white guy. If the villain is going to be a woman, then I would want her to be Cris' mom, not a high school aged character. Not because of white feminism yayyy! but because I think the major issue Sana seasons have run into before is that the showrunners want to touch on white girls being the problem, but they also don't want to villainize white girls. So we have stuff like Sana inviting Sara and Ingrid (of all people!!) to Eid, Imane apologizing to Ingrid (of all people!!), random one clip white women attacking Amira M (and the Kiki/Amira friendship of course), etc. I'd just rather they didn't have girls doing shitty stuff to Amira N, if they're going to go back on it. Which they inevitably would, because eskam's overall message is sisterhood.

Bonus clips

18) I would love it if Skam España was like, "you thought we were dropping storylines left and right? Nope!" and resolved long standing mysteries like who was behind Eva's hate ig, who had the pills, who outed Cris to the school, who's the owner of the keys that were left behind at GSC, and so on. Will die if it turns out to be Ramón!

19) I want Joana to get that job she wanted so bad last season!

20) I would love for Emma to show up and come out as a lesbian, just as a last hurrah lol.

21) I don't feel strongly about which couples should be endgame and not (other than not Dani/Amira hghvvh please), BUT in my most embarrassing fantasies, I want Skam España to hire Alejandro Reina's irl boyfriend to play Lucas' boyfriend for the finale. Not because I can't separate fiction from reality or anything, but because when I thought Lucas would be getting a season, I wanted his boyfriend to be a poc, and I was highkey buttmad that they hired random white bread when they could just as easily have hired a poc.

22) I think it would be really cool if Inés got a clip on her POV, but I don't think we're going to get it. I think all bonus clips will be from the squad's POV, i.e. Eva, Cris, Nora and Viri. Not even Joana.

23) I want a Mallorca special or episode so bad, and I will be so FUCKING ANNOYED if we don't get it. Seriously, I can't imagine the team didn't feel betrayed when they watched Skam for writing purposes, and didn't get their russetide. So they should know how angry we would be if we didn't get even a little bit of Mallorca time.

OMG! Now you are the best writer in my heart! I'm crying because your writing is so wonderful! Headcanons about Kise and Aomine are so soft! I in love with them! May I ask scenario about Kise female best friend who helps Kaijo boys (if you read Replace novel, you know their problems) with group date preparation.

A/N: I remember that being one of my favorite chapters, so thank you for the cute request! I’ve also decided to change the scenario up a little and have Kise’s best friend help them out after seeing them fail the first time & I tried something ‘special’ featuring Kise, so I hope you like it! ( ᵘ ꒳ ᵘ )

Tags: Kaijo x reader ✅  SFW ✅  friendship ✅  fluff ✅

━━━━☆ ━━━━☆ ━━━━☆

Summer school festival - Kaijo x reader

You were just about to leave school, take the bus back home, and end this tiring schoolday as your phone suddenly began vibrating. One look at the screen was enough to cheer you up.

“Kise, what’s up? It’s quite rare of you to call me...something wrong?”

“(Y/N)-cchi, I know this may come as a surprise to you, but I’ll need your help with something.“

——

“Damn it Kise what are we waiting for now?!“

The five stars of the Kaijo basketball club had all gathered at the main entrance of their school, planning on going to pick up girls. The idea originated from Moriyama, who had proudly stated that summer supposedly was the best time for festivities and ideally those activities are meant for pairs. So today’s mission was to look for a crowded place and try to get to know as many girls as possible...and that’s where you come in.

Your friend already had some suspicions considering his teammates, since they didn’t have that many skills in such flirty situations. He knew that some of them - Kasamatsu and Hatakawa - had no experience whatsoever with girls while others - Moriyama and Kobori - were just having some light problems they needed help with.

The others were slowly getting impatient and intended on leaving for the station and just as they had set foot past the main gates, the basketball club ran into you.

“(Y/N)-cchi, there you are!”, shouted the yellow-haired man as a bright grin adorned his features. He ran up to you and wrapped his arms around your body, signalizing just how happy he was to see you.

Wordlessly you returned his hug and patted his back, your eyes though were fixated on the men behind him.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us?”, asked Moriyama gently.

As gentle as you could, you escaped your best friend’s arms and bowed to the other four.

“My name is (Y/N) (L/N). It’s a pleasure to finally be able to meet the rumored Kaijo basketball club personally.”

Only the tall man who had asked for an introduction answered, while all the others just nodded or didn’t say anything at all.

Hm...were they always so cold? They appear so talkative on the court, but in person, they seem quite distant...

“So uhm...Miss (L/N)...what are you here for exactly, if I may ask.”

The young man who uttered that question was quite tall and slim, had spiky brown hair but nonetheless appeared to be a nice person deep down. You actually appreciated what he’d asked since you had been wondering the exact same thing all the way to this school, but before you could even answer the man next to you took the initiative.

“I invited her to come with us!”

“You did what?!”

——

On your way to the station, Kise had explained the entire situation to you and his teammates.

In summary, this man truly believed that you would prove to be the best teacher and helper for them to overcome their inexperience and fear of women, and in order for you to get a good picture of their current standpoint, you had to watch them try and pick up girls.

Honestly speaking, it wasn’t the best idea, but it was so ‘Kise-like’ that even if you wanted to, you couldn’t refuse. His nice personality that made sure to always help people out is one of the many qualities that made you so fond of him.

So here you were, looking at five determined young men, raring to go out there and find their potential counterpart.

That was the plan at least...

Half an hour had passed during which three of them had taken turns in trying to talk to some random girls, one of them even tried speaking to the same woman who had dumped his teammate some minutes ago. Now just the captain and Kise were the only ones missing, but if there was one thing you knew and expected then it was for your best friend to actually steal the entire show and win over five or more girls at the same time, so before that happened you wanted to at least see just what kind of problem the man, who proudly wore the number 4 on his back, was trying to resolve. So instead of standing there and wondering on your own, you decided to just straight out ask him, but the moment he saw you approaching, he froze up.

After such a crushing defeat, the blond took it upon himself to initiate a second try and managed to invite five girls to join him and his teammates for a cup of tea. During their time at the coffee shop, you had taken a seat on a table for two which was close enough to theirs, listening and as subtly as possible observing the team’s behavior...

“You guys are hopeless as of right now”, you stated after everyone had gathered close to the fountain once again, “...but if the four of you are willing to overcome your current issues, I might have some tips ready.”

“(Y/N)-cchi, it’s so unfair that you only want to help them! What about me?”, complained Kise with his typical pouting grimace. It took you quite some time to get used to it and become immune, but at times like this, it really did pay off. Convincing this man was another problem you had to fully master, so you chose your words as carefully as you could, explaining that he didn’t need that much advice as the others.

On your way back home, you recalled today’s events with a small smile on your face.

Alright, if I remember correctly there was one very handsome and tall guy, who failed because he instantly started talking about how meeting that young girl was his destiny.

Then we had the other one who straight out asked one of them if they wanted some tea...great pickup line, huh?

There was also a loud but cute one who aske-...screamed at the same girl that rejected the spiky-haired one...

The captain, Kasamatsu I believe was so embarrassed and impressed with the chest size of that one girl at the cafe that he straight out said ‘oppai’ instead of ‘kanpai’...

After giggling to yourself you began thinking of possible ways to actually help them out, but you were quick to notice that this might become a greater challenge than expected. There were countless possibilities for dates or places where they could meet girls, but you didn’t know what the perfect scenario might be.

Suddenly your phone vibrated in your pocket and as you looked at the message you had just received, an idea you urgently needed to share with your best friend struck you almost immediately.

——

The rest of the week passed by in a flash and before any of you knew it, the day of your school’s festival had finally arrived.

“Miss (Y/N) hello.“, greeted Moriyama as soon as the five of them had met up with you at the promised spot. As soon as you saw that all of them had dressed up, you immediately began smiling to yourself, hoping that they wouldn’t notice the faint blush that adorned your cheeks.

“Good evening everyone, I’m glad to see that you guys found the way without any problems!“

It didn’t take Kise too long to run up to you and start complaining about how you’ve left him in the dark and ignored all his messages and questions concerning today’s plans. All you could do was pat his head and apologize for it.

“I know I shouldn’t have kept it hidden from you, but I figured it would be best if I told you guys about my plan today, so I could spare you from overthinking it too much.“

“That’s so nice of you, thank you very much!! We’ll be in your care tonight!!“, yelled the young man whom you remembered as Hayakawa and bowed to you multiple times, the action earning him a lot of curious glances from your classmates who passed by. It did take you some time to actually get him to stop his formal apology and you even got help from someone quite unexpected, namely Kasamtasu.

So he can do it if he wants to...

“Alright then, let me tell you guys what I came up with“, you began and lowered your voice, “some of my classmates are actually quite interested in basketball and as they heard that I know Kise they immediately started asking me if I could introduce them to him, but that wish extended the moment he joined Kaijo...and soon they wanted me to introduce you to them as well.“

The more you elaborated the more they understood in which direction this talk was headed, as for their thoughts...they varied, but out of respect to you they remained silent and kept on listening.

“So the moment my classmate reminded of today, I figured: why not invite you guys and finally introduce you to them.”

Kobori nodded slowly and placed a finger on his chin: ”That might actually work out...”

You smiled confidently and put your hands on your hips, striking a slight victory pose. “Oh, it will, since your interest and knowledge in basketball will be of great aid and advantage, since a lot of girls these days are really fond of you basketball players. And besides...have you actually noticed something peculiar?”

“Something peculiar you say..?”, repeated Moriyama who looked around, wondering just what you could possibly mean with that.

“Well compared to the girls at the station, you can actually talk pretty normal to me, right?“

The moment realization hit them several loud and surprised ‘oh’s escaped their mouths.

“Fact is that the four of you have no real problem talking with girls...your approaches are the main reason for concern.”

You turned to Hayakawa and began listing the results of your observations as well as giving them individual advice for the planned ‘group date’ that was about to follow.

Hayakawa, an ambitious young man who didn’t know how to tame his loud personality as well as his obvious love for the ball sport. That eagerness and dedication is actually quite the positive character trait a lot of women look for in a man, so his only obstacle would be to slowly drift off from basketball as a topic and strive for one which was more centered on the romantic life. So the advice you gave him was that he should begin imagining the date as some sort of basketball game. He - the player - had to somehow maneuver his way to the hoop which was the successful date or conversation, the girl would be the ball, and the enemies that try to block his way his passion for basketball.

Kobori, a really respectful and innocent young man who has no experience whatsoever and knows almost nothing about girls or pickup lines. Someone like that is quite rare to find and even if he may see it as some kind of disadvantage, you first and foremost reassured him that his ‘pureness’ is quite beneficial for girls who were in the same situation as him. It’s better to be unexperienced together and advance as a pair than solo. Your advice? ‘Be yourself and don’t be embarrassed to state that you’ve got no experience at all since that alone is commendable enough considering your age, looks, and club affinity.’    

Moriyama, the ‘pitiful handsome guy’ who believed that every encounter with the female gender was fated and destined for greatness. His nickname already gave anyone who witnessed his way of flirting a sufficient idea of what the problem with this man might be. He had the looks and gentleness for it, but the moment he opened his mouth it all went downhill for him, his conversation partner, and the success of the dialog. It was hard to give him advice since the idea of fateful meetings was deeply rooted in his head, so all you told him was that he should bring that topic up more subtly and maybe combine fate with some pickup lines since you had no doubt that if someone could pull off such cheesy sayings then that would be him.

Last but not least Kasamatsu the captain who barely managed a single word when women were around. For some unknown reason, he seemed afraid of the female kind, but he at least knew what he wanted, and back at the cafe he also proved to be somewhat capable of expressing that. So your advice to him was to actually let his actions speak for himself. Like that he’d get somewhat accustomed to the girl’s presence and that would make it easier for him to start a conversation, additionally, the fact that your classmates were also interested in basketball would help the captain out the most.  

As for Kise, well...he was your best friend, and during all these shared years of friendship you’ve pretty much told him everything concerning ‘problems’ he might have during such group dates. He was a desired and flashy young man who had a very unique sense of humor that was well received amongst his peers - female as well as male. The only problem was that he rarely managed to concentrate on one person and that, of course, hurt his conversation partner. Your advice to him was simple: turn your back to the crowd and face her and her alone.

After you had finally finished sharing your thoughts they all looked at you with wide, impressed, and somewhat loving eyes.

Sadly the group of girls came earlier than expected so the boys couldn’t manage to thank you properly, but you didn’t mind that and just sent them off with a smile on your face, hoping they’d have a good time and finally succeed in picking up girls. You couldn’t deny the fact that you felt lonely after literally sending off five people on a date with some other female students, but that loneliness soon perished as some moments later you heard a familiar voice calling out your name...  

K-Drama Recommendation Masterlist

RICH GUY POOR GIRL

Coffee Prince (2007) 커피프린스 1호점 ~

Genre: Food/Friendship/Comedy/Romance/Drama

𝐆𝗼𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝗼𝗼 ~ Choi Han Gyul

𝐘𝗼𝗼𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐧 𝐇𝐲𝐞 ~ Go Eun Chan

Choi Han Gyul is the grandson of chairwoman Bang of Dong-in Foods, a company that has a thriving coffee business. He has never had a job and does not care for responsibility. Han Gyul is hung up on his first love, Han Yoo Joo, who only sees him as a friend.

Go Eun Chan is a 24-year-old tomboy who is often mistaken for a guy. Her father died when she was 16 years old and since then she has taken over as the breadwinner in her family.

When Han Kyul and Eun Chan meet, he, not knowing that she is a girl, decides to hire her to pretend to be his gay lover so that he can escape the blind dates arranged by his grandmother. After getting an ultimatum from his grandmother, Han Gyul takes over a rundown old coffee shop, later renamed "Coffee Prince," to prove that he's capable, both to his grandmother and to Yoo Joo. In order to attract female customers, he only hires good-looking male employees. Eun Chan, desperate for money, continues to hide her gender to get a job at Coffee Prince.

Director: Lee Yoon Jung

Secret Garden (2010) 시크릿 가든 ~

Genre: Comedy/Romance/Drama/Melodramatic/Supernatural

𝐇𝐲𝐮𝐧 𝐁𝐢𝐧 ~ Kim Joo Won

𝐇𝐚 𝐉𝐢 𝐖𝗼𝐧 ~ Gil Ra Im

The drama tells the story of Kim Joo Won, an arrogant and eccentric CEO who maintains the image of seeming perfection, and Gil Ra Im, a poor and humble stuntwoman whose beauty and body are the object of envy amongst top actresses. Their accidental meeting, when Joo Won mistakes Ra Im for actress Park Chae Rin, marks the beginning of a tense, bickering relationship, through which Joo Won tries to hide a growing attraction to Ra Im that both confuses and disturbs him. To complicate matters further, a strange sequence of events results in them swapping bodies.

Director: Kwon Hyuk Chan/Shin Woo Cheol

Personal Taste  (2010)  개인의 취향 ~

Genre: Comedy/Romance

𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝗼 ~ Jeon Jin Ho

𝐒𝗼𝐧 𝐘𝐞 𝐉𝐢𝐧 ~ Park Gae In

Jeon Jin Ho is a straight guy who is mistaken as gay when he applies to become Park Gae In's roommate. His hobbies include organization and ironing, and he's known for his stoic poker face. He's a stickler for cleanliness, but he also has a talent for figuring out a women's feelings. Gae In is very trusting even though she has a habit of being betrayed. However, that doesn't stop her from giving people the benefit of doubt and Jin Ho is no different. How will Gae In react when she finds out that her gay roommate is not actually gay at all and that he has fallen for her?

Director: Song Hyung Suk/Noh Jong Chan

What’s WrongWith Secretay Kim (2018) 김비서가 왜 그럴까 ~ 

Genre: Friendship/ Business/Comedy/Romance

Park Min Young ~ Kim Mi So

Park Seo Joon ~ Lee Young Joon

The series revolves around the narcissistic Lee Young Joon, the vice president of a company run by his family. He is very self-absorbed and thinks highly of himself, so much that he barely acknowledges the people around him. Lee Young Joon has a capable and patient secretary Kim Mi So who has remained by his side and worked diligently for 9 years without any romantic involvement. However, Mi So now wants to set her life & focus on herself so when she decides to resign from her job, hilarious misunderstandings ensue. After 9 years of their strictly-workplace relationship, can it now develop in something more?

Director: Park Joon Hwa

SUPERNATURAL

Goblin (2016) 도깨비 ~ 

Genre: Comedy/Romance/Fantasy/Melodrama/Supernatural

Gong Yoo ~ Kim Shin

Kim Go Eun ~ Ji Eun Tak

Kim Shin was once an unbeatable general in Goryeo's military who died a tragic death. He now possesses immortality but is tired of living while everyone else around him dies. For 900 years, Kim Shin has searched for his bride, a mortal who can pull out the sword and end his life. One day, he encounters Ji Eun Tak, a positive, upbeat high school student who can see the dead and has gone through tragic events, yet still stays strong. She claims to be the Goblin's bride who can end his immortal life, but what appears to be an easy task, only gets complicated, as the two fall in love.

Director: Lee Eung Bok

Moorim School (2016) 무림학교 ~

Genre:Action/Romance/School/Drama/Martial Arts/Fantasy

𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐇𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐖𝗼𝗼 ~ Yoon Shi Woo

𝐇𝗼𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐢𝐧 ~ Wang Chi Ang

𝐒𝐞𝗼 𝐘𝐞 𝐉𝐢 ~ Shim Soon Duk

𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝗼𝗼 𝐉𝐢𝐧 ~ Hwang Sun Ah

The Moorim School is a hidden school that can only be seen by special individuals, it isn't focused solely on high academic scores but on physical abilities. The school teaches its students great virtues which include honesty, faith, sacrifice, and communication. The teachers and students at the school come from different countries and each has their own stories. Everything is very extraordinary and normal until a student who doesn't seem to fill the role wanders into the academy and changes the destiny of all the students.

Director: Lee So Yeon

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (2017) 힘쎈여자 도봉순 ~

Genre: Action/Thriller/Comedy/Romance/Drama/Supernatural

Park Bo Young ~ Do Bong Soon

Park Hyung Shik ~ Ahn Min Hyuk

Ji Soo ~ In Gook Doo

Do Bong Soon is a petite, unemployed woman who is honest and kind. She appears little and sweet on the outside, but she is in fact very, very strong. In her family, for generations the women have been gifted Herculean strength to use for the greater good. If abused, however, their power will be taken away. Whilst standing up for herself after gang members bully her, she finds herself approached by Ahn Min Hyuk, the handsome and somewhat childish CEO of Ainsoft, a gaming company. Ahn Min Hyuk, who holds a great distrust towards the police, witnessed the whole exchange of Bong Soon's superhuman strength, and now wants to employ her as a bodyguard after being threatened by an unknown enemy. Min Hyuk falls in love with super-strong Bong Soon at first sight, but there's a catch. Bong Soon has eyes for someone else; police officer and childhood friend, In Guk Doo, whom she has known since high school. When chaos ensues after a series of kidnappings in Do Bong Soon's hometown of Dobong-dong, Dobong-gu, Bong Soon must decide whether to use her strength and stand up to evil, or play it safe and keep her powers hidden from the world. Combined with the love triangle she faces between In Guk Doo and Ahn Min Hyuk, as well as having to keep Min Hyuk safe, Bong Soon's life is thrown into turmoil. Can she use her strength for the greater good, or will it prove in the end to be too much?

Director: Lee Hyung Min

He is Psychometric (2019) 사이코메트리 그녀석 ~

Genre: Thriller/Mystery/Comedy/Romance/Drama/Fantasy

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐉𝐢𝐧 𝐘𝗼𝐮𝐧𝐠 ~ Lee Ahn

𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐘𝐞 𝐄𝐮𝐧 ~ Yoon Jae In

𝐊𝐢𝗺 𝐊𝐰𝗼𝐧 ~ Kang Sung Mo

After losing his parents in a fire, Lee Ahn acquires the power of psychometry, the ability to read a person or an object's past through physical contact, and he decides to use it to take bad people down. While he does not know how to control his power yet, he meets Yoon Jae In who tries her best to hide her painful secrets. Together with his foster guardian, prosecutor Kang Seong Mo, and the latter's colleague, investigator Eun Ji Soo, they team up to solve an elusive case that has been haunting the lives of Ahn, Sung-Mo, and Jae In. The case revolves around the life of prosecutor Kang his mother and father who were the main cause of the fire. Jae In and Lee Ahn heal each other through their past present and future and find the culprit.

Director: Kim Byung Soo

Memorist (2020) 메모리스트  ~

Genre: Action/Thriller/Mystery/Crime/Supernatural

Yoo Seung Ho ~ Dong Baek

Lee Se Young ~ Han Sun Mi

Dong Baek has an extraordinary ability. He can peer into the memories of whoever he touches. With his supernatural power, get it done attitude, and eye-pleasing looks, he is fervently revered worldwide as a superstar detective. However, when his punches meet with suspects before words, he can be a bit of a headache to his comrades. Starting from the age of twenty, Han Sun Mi is the youngest to have passed the bar exam, obtain a doctorate in criminal psychology, and become a senior superintendent in the police force. Having solved five cold cases that even a detective with supernatural powers couldn't do, she is a genius profiler. She has a secret that drives her to do what she does. These two highly-skilled professionals meet their match—a serial killer with abilities that transcend theirs combined. It's going to be a fight worth watching.

Director: So Jae Hyun, Kim Hwi

Tale of the Nine-Tailed (2020) 구미호뎐 ~

Genre:Action/Suspense/Thriller/Horror/Romance/Fantasy

Lee Dong Wook ~ Lee Yeon

Jo Bo Ah ~ Nam Ji Ah

The mythical nine-tailed fox, or gumiho, Lee Yeon had to settle in the city many centuries ago. Able to transform into human form, he eradicates supernatural beings that threaten the mortal world. His real aim is to find the reincarnation of his lost first love.

The talented television producer Nam Ji Ah works in a show that features urban myths. In the past, her parents were involved in a mysterious car accident and disappeared, and she suspects that Lee Yeon might be connected with this accident.

The half-brother to Lee Yeon is the captivating Lee Rang.  Despite being half-human himself,  he harbors a deep-seated contempt for all people. For sport,  he will unleash his seductive prowess upon his human-du-jour,  by promising to grant them their wishes, only to trick them into paying a hefty price for their earthly desires.

Director: Kang Shin Hyo

PSYCHOLOGICAL

Heal Me Kill Me (2015) 킬미힐미 ~

Genre: Psychological/Comedy/Romance/Drama

Ji Sung ~ Cha Do Hyun

Hwang Jung Eum ~ Oh Ri Jin

A traumatic childhood experience leaves Cha Do Hyeon, suffering from memory loss and dissociation. The latter has resulted in the creation of seven distinct personalities. Wanting to regain control over his life, he asks Oh Ri Jin, a first-year psychiatric resident, to help him, but she eventually falls in love with one of his personalities. Ri Jin’s twin brother, Oh Ri On, a famous mystery novelist, investigates Do Hyeon and his family.

Director: Kim Jin Man, Kim Dae Jin

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) 사이코지만 괜찮아 ~

Genre: Psychological/Comedy/Romance/Drama/Family

𝐊𝐢𝗺 𝐒𝗼𝗼 𝐇𝐲𝐮𝐧 ~ Moon Gang Tae

𝐒𝐞𝗼 𝐘𝐞 𝐉𝐢 ~ Ko Moon Young

𝐎𝐡 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐞 ~ Moon Sang Tae

The story of a community health worker at a psychiatric ward who lives on 1.8 million won (approximately $1,520) a month and a storybook writer suffering from an antisocial personality disorder. A man who denies love and a woman who doesn’t know love defy fate and fall in love, finding their souls and identities in the process.

Moon Gang Tae is a community health worker at a psychiatric ward who was blessed with everything including a great body, smarts, ability to sympathize with others, patience, ability to react quickly, stamina, and more. Meanwhile, Ko Moon Young is a popular writer of children’s literature, but she is extremely selfish, arrogant, and rude.

Director: Park Shin Woo/Jung Dong Yoon

MEDICAL

Emergency Couple (2014) 응급남녀 ~ 

Genre: Comedy/Romance/Drama/Medical

𝐒𝗼𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐢 𝐇𝐲𝗼 ~ Oh Jin Hee

𝐂𝐡𝗼𝐢 𝐉𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐲𝐮𝐤 ~ Oh Chang Min

𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐥 𝐌𝗼 ~ Gook Chun Soo

Jin-Hee led a satisfying life as a dietitian. She then met medical school student Chang-Min. Despite his wealthy family's strong opposition, Jin-Hee and Chang-Min decided to get married. Chang-Min's family is full of doctors. Chang-Min though gave up his medical internship and began working as a pharmaceutical salesman. Their marriage life was not happy. Chang-Min's family looked down on Jin-Hee and even Chang-Min seemed to change. Chang-Min began to think terribly of Jin-Hee and they finally divorced. After their divorce, Jin-Hee became a medical student and now works as an intern. Chang-Min also graduated from medical school and begins to work as an intern. One day, they meet in the emergency room of a hospital where they will both work together.

Director: Kim Chul Gyu

Doctor Stranger (2014) 닥터 이방인 ~ 

Genre: Thriller/Romance/Drama/Medical

𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐉𝗼𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐤 ~ Park Hoon

𝐉𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝗼𝐧 ~ Song Jae Hee

𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝗼 𝐑𝐚 ~ Oh Soo Hyun

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐇𝐚𝐞 𝐉𝐢𝐧 ~ Han Jae Joon

As a child, Park Hoon and his father were kidnapped by North Korea. In North Korea, he was trained to become a doctor by his father who was already a doctor. Park Hoon became a genius-like heart surgeon. He then flees to South Korea. Park Hoon begins to work as a doctor in South Korea's top hospital Myeongwoo University Hospital, but he feels like a complete outsider. To bring his love from North Korea, he does anything to make money.

Director: Hong Jong Chan/Jin Hyeok

Blood (2015) 블러드 ~

Genre: Action/Vampire/Romance/Drama/Medical/Supernatural

𝐀𝐡𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐞 𝐇𝐲𝐮𝐧 ~ Park Ji Sang

𝐆𝐮 𝐇𝐲𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝗼𝐧 ~ Yoo Ri Ta

Park Ji Sang is a doctor specializing in hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery in the best cancer research hospital in the country. He is also a vampire. Despite seeming cold and unfeeling, Ji Sang masks his soft heart and inner pain and yearns for closeness with people. He believes very strongly in the sanctity of human life and suppresses his thirst for blood to treat terminally ill patients and save lives.

Among his colleagues is Yoo Ri Ta, a hotshot physician who entered medical school at the age of 17 and is also the niece of the chaebol group chairman who owns the hospital. Ri Ta is highly capable but snooty and prideful, yet Ji Sang finds himself falling for her. He also gets drawn into a conflict between good and evil as he encounters Lee Jae Wook, a two-faced hospital chief who gains everyone's trust with his gentle demeanor but inwardly harbors a dangerous ambition for power and a talent for cruelty.

Director: Lee Jae Hoo/Ki Min Soo

D-Day (2015) 디데이 ~ 

Genre: Romance/Drama/Medical

Kim Young Kwang ~ Dr. Lee Hae Sun

Jung So Min ~ Dr. Jung Ddol M

An unprecedented 6.5-magnitude earthquake has struck Seoul, destroying roads and buildings, and preventing ambulances from reaching victims. Woefully unprepared for such a massive disaster, Korea can only watch the desperate situation and listen to the pleading cries for help. Hae Sung, a competent surgeon, can’t resist doing everything he can to help the injured people during the emergency. This upsets his hospital and they put him on a blacklist, as his benevolent help is against the hospital's profit. Ddol Mi, beautiful and ambitious, chased money and fame as a doctor, but now wants to become a truly compassionate doctor after meeting Hae Sung. Woo Jin has been building a successful career as Korea’s rising doctor, but secretly, he truly cares about being a genuine doctor, saving the lives of the sick. These three characters team up to rush into emergencies, holding onto hope in the most desperate situations, and taking all sorts of risks for the sake of saving lives.

Director: Jang Yong Woo

Hospital Ship (2017) 병원선 ~

Genre: Romance/Drama/Medical

Ha Ji Won ~ Song Eun Jae

Kang Min Hyuk ~ Kwak Hyun

Lee Seo Won ~ Kim Jae Gul

Army doctors board a hospital ship, which is a floating hospital that serves people who live on remote islands. But were these doctors interested in helping underprivileged people for free? Not at all. There is the non-army doctor Eun Jae, a cold perfectionist surgeon whose fast-track career was derailed. Kwak Hyun who practices internal medicine is the first army doctor to volunteer for duty on the hospital ship. Then there is the irritating Jae Geol, an oriental medicine doctor who drew the short straw and now has to serve on the hospital ship. A bunch of doctors with different backgrounds finds themselves afloat at sea. They are too old to be called youthful doctors as they are all in their thirties. Though they have skills obtained through long years of studying in medical school, their hearts and souls are barren. This is a coming-of-age story about doctors who have experienced setbacks in life that they are trying to bounce back from while they learn how to be a compassionate doctor and pursue fulfilling lives.

Director: Park Jae Bum, Kim Sang Woo

Doctor John (2019) 의사 요한 ~

Genre: Mystery/Comedy/Romance/Life/Drama/Medical

Ji Sung ~ Cha Yo Han

Lee Se Young ~ Kang Shi Young

“Doctor John” is a new medical drama about doctors specializing in pain management. In a refreshing take on the genre, “Doctor John” will portray the doctors’ search for the cause of their patients’ mysterious pain as a thrilling chase, almost like a detective hunting down the perpetrator behind an unsolved crime. 

Cha Yo Han is a genius anesthesiologist, who is also the youngest professor at his medical school. The brilliant doctor goes by the nickname “10 Seconds,” referring to his ability to figure out his patients in the 10 seconds that it takes for them to enter an examination room and walk to their seats.

Kang Shi Young is a legendary anesthesiologist, who was always at the top of her class throughout medical school. The talented doctor inherited her skills from her cool-headed, rational mother, while she inherited her empathy, listening skills, and warm bedside manner from her father.

Director: Jo Soo Won

ROMANCE COMEDY

Pinocchio (2014) 피노키오 ~

Genre: Thriller/Mystery/Comedy/Romance/Melodrama

Lee Jong Suk ~ Choi Dal Po 

Park Shin Hye ~ Choi In Ha

The idealistic Choi In Ha has her work cut out for her when she becomes a broadcast journalist, especially when she suffers from a condition known as “Pinocchio syndrome,” which makes her break out into hiccups whenever she tells a lie. Her rookie colleagues include Choi Dal Po, whose shabby appearance masks his true eloquence and sharp memory; Seo Bum Jo, a wealthy heir who has had everything handed to him in life; and Yoon Yoo Rae, whose fangirl knowledge comes in handy in covering the news. The 20-something newbie reporters pursue justice as they try to discover themselves in the process.

Director: Jo Soo Won

I am Not a Robot (2017) 로봇이 아니야 ~ 

Genre: Friendship/Comedy/Romance/Drama/Sci-Fi

𝐘𝗼𝗼 𝐒𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝗼 ~ Kim Min Kyu

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐞 𝐒𝗼𝗼 𝐁𝐢𝐧 ~ Jo Ji Ah

𝐔𝐡𝗺 𝐊𝐢 𝐉𝗼𝗼𝐧 ~ Hong Baek Gyun

Kim Min Kyu is the largest shareholder of a financial company. He suffers from a "human allergy", preventing him from normal interactions with other people. He becomes interested in a robotic project named Aji-3 created by the Santa Maria robotic team. The team is headed by Hong Baek Gyun,  inventor of Aji-3 and world-renowned robotics professor. He modeled Aji-3 after his ex-girlfriend, Jo Ji Ah, a struggling inventor that also works as a personal shopper to make ends meet.  Just when Kim Min Kyu wants to test the robot, an accident causes the malfunction of the robot's battery. Hong Baek Gyun begs Jo Ji Ah to take the place of Aji-3 and pretend to be the robot so they can get funding from Kim Min Kyu. But, Aji-3 becomes the closest thing that the lonely Min-Kyu has to real contact with another person.

Director: Jeong Dae Yun

My Shy Boss (2017) 내성적임보다 ~

Genre: Business/Comedy/Romance/Drama/Melodrama

𝐘𝐞𝗼𝐧 𝐖𝗼𝗼 𝐉𝐢𝐧 ~ Eun Hwan Ki

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐇𝐲𝐞 𝐒𝗼𝗼 ~ Chae Ro Woon

When a young, energetic employee joins a public relations firm with an introverted and severely misunderstood boss, she makes it her life’s mission to show the world who he really is.

Eun Hwan Ki is the boss at a PR company. He is really shy. So shy that even his employees don't know him that well. He prefers to hide in his office. Everyone thinks he is a cold, prickly, arrogant grouch. They call him the "Silent Monster".

Chae Ro Woon is a recent hire at the same company. She is energetic, bubbly, loves to be the center of attention, and always has something to say. The exact opposite of her boss, who she seems to have an old grudge against. Her goal in life is: to expose the big boss man for who he really is and take her revenge.

The same company also employs Kang Woo Il, co-boss at the company. He, unlike his partner, is warm, sensitive, and well-liked.

Eun Yi Soo is a chaebol heiress who has been engaged for three long years.

Director: Song Hyun Wook

Thirty But Seventeen(2018) 서른이지만 열일곱입니다 ~

Genre: Friendship/Music/Coemdy/Romance/Life/Drama/Family

Shin Hye Sun ~ Woo Seo Ri

Yang Se Jong ~ Gong Woo Jin

Woo Seo Ri, a violin prodigy at 17 who was about to study in Germany, got into a bus accident and fell into a coma waking up 13 years later. Mentally she is still only 17, while physically she is now 30.

Due to a trauma he experienced 13 years before, Gong Woo Jin does not want to have a relationship with others.

This series is about a man and a woman whose lives in their own ways essentially stopped when they were 17. Together, they use all their might to try and open the door to the happiness that they once thought had been closed to them.

Director: Jo Soo Won

Romance is a Bonus Book (2019) 로맨스는 별책부록 ~

Genre: Frienship/Business/Comedy/Romance/Life/Drama/Melodrama

Lee Na Young ~ Kang Dan Yi

Lee Jong Suk ~ Cha Eun Ho

Cha Eun Ho is a successful and handsome writer who is also the youngest chief editor at a publishing company.  He has a calm demeanor and remains reasonable at work.  He then becomes involved in the life of his childhood friend, Kang Dan Yi who was once a popular copywriter. She is now divorced, a single mother, unemployed and struggling in life though still attempts to find a job, but even with her once good career, she cannot. 

However, in a desperate attempt to find a job, she lies about her background and begins to work as a temporary worker in the same building under none other than Cha Eun Ho. As they become involved in each other’s life more than often, a love story begins to unfold.

Director: Lee Jeong Hyo

DoDoSolSolLaLaSol (2020) 도도솔솔라라솔 ~

Genre: Music/Comedy/Romance/Drama/Melodrama

Go Ah Ra ~ Goo Ra Ra

Lee Jae Wook ~ Sun Woo Joon

Goo Ra Ra is a naive rich girl, who dreams of being a great pianist with her father's love guiding her. But her path becomes rocky when her father passes away, and she finds herself going bankrupt. Being scammed of home and needing an escape, she goes on a ride where she encounters an accident trying to avoid Sun Woo Joon, a diligent worker trying to meet ends. Being hospitalized with a broken arm and no place to go, guilty Sun Woo Joon decides to take responsibility and take care of her. With Go Ra Ra’s naive personality, she slowly begins creeping into Sun Woo Joon's heart, while trying to deal with the challenges of living an adult life.

Director: Kim Min Kyung

YOUTH/LIFE

You’re beautiful (2009)  미남이시네요 ~

Genre: Friendship/Music/Comedy/Romance/Drama

Jang Geun Suk ~ Hwang Tae Kyu

Park Shin Hye ~ Go Mi Nam 

Jung Yong Hwa ~ Kang Shin Woo

Lee Hong Ki ~ Kang On Yu

The management company of the idol group A.N.JELL insisted on adding a new singer to the group as the lead vocal, Tae Kyung's voice was hurting. However,the new member, Mi Nam, had to go to the States to repair a botched eye job just before signing the contract. His agent came up with the idea of having his twin sister, Mi Nyu,to stand in for him and pretend that she was her brother. The two of them grew up in an orphanage and Mi Nyu, who was all set to become a nun, agreed to this charade as she didn't want to spoil her brother's chance of fame which would make it easier to look for their mother.

Director: Hong Sung Chang

Boys Over Flowers (2009) 꽃보다 남자 ~ 

Genre: Friendship/Comedy/Romance/School/Youth/Drama

Gu Hye Seon ~ Geum Jan Di

Lee Min Ho ~ Goo Joon Pyo

Kim Hyun Joong ~ Yoon Ji Hoo

Kim Bum  ~ So Yi Jung

Kim Joon ~ Song Woo Bin

Geum Jan Di comes from a poor family who owns a dry-cleaning shop. One day, she visits Shinhwa High School, a prestigious school for the wealthy, and saves a student trying to commit suicide because of bullying. For her heroic act, Jan Di receives a swimming scholarship and starts attending the school.

In school, she meets the notorious F4, the most popular and powerful group of boys at the school, consisting of Gu Jun Pyo; the leader of F4 and heir to the Shinhwa Group, Yoon Ji Hu; the grandson of a former president of Korea, So Yi Jung; a skilled potter who comes from a family that owns the country's biggest art museum, and Song Woo Bin; whose family runs the country's largest construction company.

Her life at school starts out miserable, as she doesn't fit in with other students because of her status, and later becomes worse when she is labeled as the new bullying target of the F4.

Director: Jeon Ki Sang

To the Beautiful You (2012) 아름다운 그대에게 ~

Genre: Comedy/Romance/School/Youth/Drama/Sports

Sulli ~ Goo Jae Hee

Choi Min Ho ~ Kang Tae Joon

Lee Hyun Woo ~ Cha Eun Gyeol

Tae Joon became Jae Hee’s strength during her toughest time, and she leaves the US for Korea to enroll in a men’s physical education high school to help Tae Joon restart his high jump career.

Tae Joon announces his retirement from the high jump national team and closes his heart, but his closed heart begins to open after meeting Jae Hee.

Eun Gyul is confused about his sexual orientation as he falls in love with Jae Hee who is masquerading as a man. The student-athletes have a fun time training with each other and are not tied down to setting a record or competition. 

Director: Jeon Ki Sang

Strongest Delivery Man (2017) 최강 배달꾼 ~

Genre: Friendship/Business/ Comedy/Romance/Life/Youth

Go Kyung Pyo ~ Choi Kang Soo

Chae Soo Bin ~ Lee Dan Ah

Choi Kang Soo is a deliveryman. In spite of his humble beginnings, Choi Kang Soo is fearless and gives it all in everything he does. Lee Dan Ah is another delivery worker. She hates her current socioeconomic status so much that she, like many young people, calls her country “Hell Joseon.” Lee Dan Ah is so focused on making money and changing her life that she has no time for men. But when she comes across the charming Choi Kang Soo, her attitude is due to be moved.

Together, Choi Kang Soo and Lee Dan Ah have a budding competition and romance in their quest for glory. And, for them, glory means being like rich folk Lee Jin Yoon and Oh Jin Gyu. They compete to conquer life but, as our two delivery workers soon learn, being the strongest does not guarantee success.

Director: Kim Shin Il, Jeon Woo Sung

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (2016) 역도요정 김복주 ~

Genre: Friendship/Comedy/Roamnce/School/Youth/Sports

Lee Sung Kyung ~ Kim Bok Joo

Nam Joo Hyuk ~ Jung Joon Hyun

Bok Joo is a weightlifter who is pursuing her dream of winning the gold medal but she then finds romance for the first time in her life. While she is a woman who trains with heavy steel weights, she is also very feminine when it comes to relationships. To focus solely on weightlifting would jeopardize her relationship but leaving her weightlifting career for love would keep her from attaining her dreams. Can she find a way to have love as well as glory at the age of 20? The characters within this drama are elite athletes in weightlifting, swimming and rhythmic gymnastics who work hard to reach their goals in life. It covers their coming-of-age stories and relationships through hectic life.

Director: Oh Hyun Jong

Itaewon Class (2020) 이태원 클라쓰 ~

Genre: Food/Friendship/Business/Romance/Life/Drama

Park Seo Joon ~ Park Sae Ro Yi

Kim Da Mi ~ Jo Yi Seo

Kwon Na Ra ~ Oh Soo Ah

Park Saeroyi's life has been turned upside down after he gets expelled from school for punching a bully and his father is killed in an accident. Following his father's steps, he opens a pub named "DanBam" in Itaewon and, along with his manager and staff, strive towards success and reaching greater heights.

Director: Kim Seong Yoon

ROMANCE

One Spring Night (2019) 봄밤 ~ 

Genre: Romance/Life/Drama/Melodrama

Jung Hae In ~ Yoo Ji Ho

Han Ji Min ~ Lee Jung In

Feeling trapped in a stale four-year relationship and reluctant to take the next step into marriage, Lee Jung In stumbles into Yu Ji Ho's pharmacy one morning, nursing a hangover after a night of drinking with her friend. As she tries to reassemble herself before going to work, Jung In discovers that she has forgotten her wallet and cannot pay. Ji Ho kindly helps Jung In, despite her prickly personality. What begins as an innocent daily interaction, develops into a deeper attachment as the two find themselves drawn to one another. They embark on a secret friendship while navigating the minefield of familial and societal expectations. 

Director: Ahn Pan Seok

Crash Landing on You (2020) 사랑의 불시착 ~

Genre: Military/Comedy/Romance/Drama/Political

Hyun Bin ~ Ri Jung Hyuk

Son Ye Jin ~ Yoon Se Ri 

Tells the story of two star-crossed lovers, a South Korean heiress and a North Korean elite who also happens to be an army officer. One day, while paragliding, Yoon Se Ri has an accident caused by strong winds, leading her to crash land in North Korea, where she meets Ri Jung Hyuk, a North Korean army officer, who agrees to help her return to South Korea. Over time, they fall in love, despite the divide and dispute between their respective countries.

Director: Lee Jeong Hyo 

THRILLER

Extracurricular (2020) 인간수업 ~ 

Genre:  Friendship/Psychological/Crime/Life/School/Youth/Drama/Mature

Kim Dong Hee ~ Oh Ji Soo

Park Joo Hyun ~ Bae Gyu Ri

"Extracurricular” is centered around three high school students who start committing crimes to earn money and the unpredictable dangers they face as a result.

Kim Dong Hee will portray Ji Soo, who goes from a model student to a criminal after committing an unthinkable act. Jung Da Bin as school bully Min Hee, who gets caught up in Ji Soo’s crime. Park Joo Hyun will portray Ji Soo’s dangerous partner in crime Gyu Ri, while Nam Yoon Soo will appear as Min Hee’s boyfriend and the school’s most popular guy Ki Tae.

Director: Kim Jin Min

My two cents on the whole AOA situation.

This is going to be long, I’m sorry.

I’ve seen lots of people sharing their thoughts and opinions on this matter so I thought I would do the same...I think I actually needed to do this.

I, for the time being, cannot listen to their songs, I don’t want to...and yeah it kind of hurts, I know I’ll be able to later and i think I will still like the songs because they are good.

I was so interested in AOA even before their debut, I saw all the teasers, and I’ve kept track of them as a fan since then, they even were my favourite group for a while.

Learning that this whole situation began ten years ago was heartbreaking because it was even when they were trainees and nobody knew them, they still chose to debut like that (all of them). It really shows how the mindset of any person who wishes to debut can be, and gives a new light into how devious and dark the kpop world can, sometimes, be.

In any situation, bullying is horrible and we should not stand by it. But us regular people have it easier. That’s why I think that taking care of yourself and your dreams or goals by not participating is valid and, specially in the kpop industry, is probably more common that we think. Even outside, I cannot judge people who don’t intervene or defend other because, while I’ve had the chance to help others being bullied and even stopped it, I’ve also lived situations where helping was not an option and even where I chose not to. I think it’s part of society and human nature to have this duality and it’s even more intelligent to think how can you help the victim, instead of attacking the bully.

On the other side,bullying (in early stages) takes two roles (bully and victim) Most people get to choose who they are and wether they are going to let it happen or not, whatever you choose, you should accept the consequences. 

I’ve been picked on (never physically fortunately) for different resons since my childhood, sometimes I defended myself, sometimes I didn’t, sometimes I chose to ignore and sometimes I chose to respond. Some memories hurt still, but I’m ok, I was back then and now I can see how processing them made me stronger now. That is not the case for lots of people.

That being said, and sorry for rambling, I’m really glad Mina spoke about it, she needed to release it, I do believe everything she said and I actually find it not surprising 8which is even more heartbreaking). However I definitely don’t think it was the right, clean way to do or even healthy for her. 

I think this bullying situation should be solved between Mina, Jimin and the real professional authorities (doctors, lawyers, police) even mabye the company since they let the situation happen (which is sad how not surpising it is). If Jimin bullied anybody else, then it’s a problem between them specifically.

Just a few days back she posted a picture of her wound, made believe that it had just happened and then cleared out that it was from months back, was it necessary? To me, that post and what she said in it didn’t help her situation, not did it affect Jimin anymore...Honestly I don’t blame her for doing that but then again, to some, she ends up looking unstable and chaotic, and with the experiences she lived she probably is.

As for us (the fans) and regular people and netizens and whoever followed her shouldn’t  have a say in the matter, we weren’t there and we’ll never be...we really don’t know.  I honestly think we should limit ourselves to support Mina or whoever you want to support or believe without involving the other parties and doing justice for them, we’re not saviors nor we should try to be. We are fans, our job, if we even have one, is to support and thats all.

Something that really makes me mad is that I’ve seen videos incriminating others and clickbaiting to sound dramating...I know that’s how it works and thats why I hate it, it really makes us biased and suddenly we’ve lost the ability to think and reason, we’ve become sheep to a title,a perspective and even more so the person that wrote it.

There’s a reality but the perspective depends on the person who is living it, they are ALL VALID so...

As for Jimin...I’m glad she left, it was the healthiest option for her. I don’t see her promoting ever again and maybe it’s for the best, an example for others to think better before bullying.

I just cant empathize with bullying in general, but even more so with someone who shares your goals, dreams, and is even an important part of the team that was given to you in order to achieve success.  I don’t understand what made her do something like that, specially as the leader of the group and a person who is talented, why waste all of yourself on something that is so obviously wrong.

I still don’t think she is a monster who needs to be vanished from existence though so I hope she reflects a lot, gets the treatment she needs, pays her due and comes out a better person, for her and the people that will surround her in the future.

As for the other members... IMO they are not the same or worse that a bully.

They made decisions that now have consequences but I don’t think badly of any of them, I hope they continue to be great, grow up as a person, can be happy and succeed in whatever they choose to do from now on. I completely disagree when people say that they are worse for not helping...we don’t get to choose how someone should have acted, we don’r know how the other members lived the situation.

Mina. I hope she feels liberated and better, I’m gald she is now receiving treatment and I hope she never has to experience something like that again and maybe uses her experience to help others and become a better person herself. I believe her, but no more than limit myself to believe that that is how SHE lived and felt it, it’s her truth and it’s valid. I hope she gains strength to defend herself better in any situation needed and get the happy life she deserves.

I’m now glad Choa and Youkyoung left when they did, let’s remember they knew about this cause of the time frame, but they left. If they were bullied, just unconfortable, had their dreams change, tired, left out, wanted to or they chose to leave as we “officially know” thats what they chose and it was the best option for them, I applaud them and hope they are happier and successful now. IMO, to end bullying sometimes it’s better to remove yourself from the situation before trying to change the bully. Maybe unfair, yes; but I think it’s healthier, brave, strong and maybe even mature as (I believe), you get to take the bully’s streght from them while you can get better and use it to do something else, or the same somewhere else.

Mina said that Seolhyun never once joined Jimin in the bullying, she didn't stop her and was a bystander for that, while still (generally) wrong I think she chose that to be safe, and in that industry I can't blame her for that. I actually think it’s possible that Seolhyun chose to be Jimin’s friend to avoid that scenario with her, or maybe she saw another side of her, she knows her truth and will grow from this scenario. I wish only good thing for her too.

As for Chanmi, she’s always been my favourite. Mina said that she did nothing even when she herself was being scolded cause she's/ was too young and she’s also believed to have been bullied as well, I believe this as well and it was her defense mechanisim, not only Jimin but probably the managers, antis and company staff. She worked hard and will definetly grow from this, I hope she succeeds and gets to be happy and safe.

Yuna is, not surprisingly either, probably the member who is been talked about the least, Mina said she cherised her well but was to afraid to act which makes sense. I don’t see Yuna as a problematic person and I hope she succeeds, gains strength and confidence to become better, as well as the others.

Lastly, it was said by Mina that only Hyejeong said something to Jimin sometimes and that all the others were either too afraid or not participating at all. I really admire Hyejeong for that and hope she continues being strong and making her dreams and goals come true.

Them I like, I still do. I know I say not to judge but I can’t dislike them not even blame them. With that little information I have on the matter and the context of behind the scenes of kpop I’ve learned, I understand why everyone acted the way they did.

The real truth, only the girls know (each their own) and it should be something they (all of them) sort out with professionals, individually and between themselves.

I wish they were taken care of better, that they were treated better so that this never had to happen. This I blame on the peson that chose and for some reason needed to bully her members but MORE IMPORTANTLY I blame it on the companies who treat their trainees and artists badly or just see the money they can get. They forget (and sometimes we followers do too) that they are people, humans chasing their dreams and sacrificing a lot to do it, even their lifes.

The kpop world is awesome sometimes but it can really suck and be so toxic.

Thinking about this, most groups, probably, have cases like this, I think real friendships in groups are rare TBH and thats fine, they are a team, coleagues and that´s all that matters...If they happen to become friends all the better, but thats not necessary to me anymore. 

Today I choose to believe that for every group I follow. And really, I choose to just limit myself to support and enjoy their personas (as in who they are on screen) from afar. What happens behind is only theirs to bare.

If you read this, thanks...I just needed to get this out of my chest to let it go. If you agree, I’m glad and if you don’t thats fine too.

thoughts on skamit season 2

(warning: this is long af and a little messy!!) 👇

(warning #2: I do make comparisons to the og; not everything I have to say is sunshine and smiles but I DO have a lot of praise to give as well: if you only want to read that just skip the first part 💛)

Things that made me go ???

Niccolò playing the piano. This just ended up being more disappointing than anything. Why introduce something so unique and special only to never mention it again? This could have easily been the passe på meg scene.

WHICH while we are on the subject, why was there NO PASSE PÅ MEG SCENE?! I do not understand this at all, unless the point of the clip flew right over Ludo’s head. (When did Niccolò notice Martino?? Why did he follow him into the radio booth?? Why did you deprive us of this information Ludovicoooooo)

Oh and: Ludovico Bessegato — I do not trust you and I think you’re a dick but also you’re kind of brilliant. I don’t even know what to think of him, tbh. Ok for real: I’m going to talk about the end of episode 2 for a second and more specifically, his reaction to the responses. Playing the victim? Deleting his Instagram? Not apologizing? He acted like a straight up child, and if he didn’t do that, I think I’d see him in a much brighter light. But instead, we got a glimpse of the person he really is and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture. (I am not the kind of person to see things in black and white and I’m also not the kind of person to base my opinion of others on one act — which is why I’m so torn on him. However, helping to develop Martino’s story and making creative choices I could praise forever doesn’t make up for this particular action and it also doesn’t make him a good person.)

AND YET — between all of the brilliant direction choices he DID make... why was the lighting so bad? This is not me being like ~wAh I WaNnA SeE tHeM KisS bEtTeR~ I just want to... see their expressions?? I keep reading in interviews how emotionally tolling the fight scene between the boys was and,,, I can hear it in their voices but damn I wish I could have seen their faces. Would have been nice.

Also: one directing choice I also didn’t quite understand was the lack of focus on Martino’s face in some scenes? Granted, I don’t expect the camera to be on him ALWAYS but there were some key scenes that just didn’t focus on his face at all when I thought it should: in the first episode when the boys are outside and Marti first notices Nico, Marti tells Luca he doesn’t want to hear his nasty clitoris story, to which Gio turns to Marti and tells Luca not to listen to him. And then... did that hurt Marti? Did he laugh? Guess we’ll never know because the camera just ignored him. Gio is his best friend and his opinion matters a lot to Martino, so why didn’t we get to see his expression? He’s the only member of the boy squad not wanting to listen to Luca’s story and he gets shut down. Does he care...? Also: the cabin scene in the morning. Marti introduces Nico and then.... we never get his reaction to the boys sleeping on the floor, to Nico inviting them to breakfast, to Luca hugging Nico... the camera literally forgets his existence after Nico meets the boys. These are just two examples off the top of my head but I know as I watched there were more.

The dialog choices regarding when they did and didn’t follow or deviate from the og. I’ll get more into the characters in the next section but it’s no secret that Martino and Niccolò are not Isak and Even and therefore, when the dialog was close to or a carbon copy of the og, it felt kind of forced into their mouths and rather rushed. My personal least favorite line they kept was the whole “your mom pays me” gag between Marti and Nico in the kitchen of the last clip. Just seems... very out of character for them (given the fact that Nico just got done being in a rather manipulative and controlling [she’s always managed to put me on the spot, to twist things, to make me believe everything she wanted me to believe. <— his own words!!!] relationship). When Marti and Niccolò had their own original banter (some notable examples include chatting about the radio [did you have something better to do?], before the pool kiss [are you dumb, are you stupid?], their entire talk in bed in 5.1, and “studying” together [yeah, that’s the idea]) it really really shined and, of course, felt totally in character. I love the choice to make Marti and Nico so different than Isak and Even (again I’ll get to that in more detail soon) but within that choice, the dialog needs to adapt to fit them and I feel like they either nailed it or totally missed the mark.

HOWEVER — there was one exception to this: I loved loved loved loved loved the coming out scene between Marti and Gio, despite it being almost word for word. I’d go as far to say I liked it more than the one in the og for several reasons: 1. Fede’s acting holy shit. (While this situation always has a lot at stake, the stakes felt very high for Martino here. I could feel how nervous he was not just to reveal a part of himself he’d been keeping hidden for so long, but how nervous he was to potentially lose his friend. It made my heart race!) That little swallow he did? God. I could feel the nerves. 2. Their surroundings and actions were not random. Marti invited Gio to play FIFA for a reason! It’s basically a ritual for them at this point and a very comfortable setting. Marti choosing this as his comfy place to come out to Gio reinforces the idea that he still likes “dude things” and that Marti is still the same guy Gio has played the last 100+ games with. 3. The! Cheering! Of! The! Crowd! In! The! Video! Game! After! Marti! Says! ‘It’s not a girl’!!!!!!!!!! POETIC CINEMAAAA. All in all, again, despite the dialog being just about the same, this scene still felt very in character for both Marti and Gio and was executed flawlessly. A+

The social media was good content wise but that didn’t make up for the inconsistency. Part of the appeal of SKAM and the remakes are how it brings viewers into the deeply personal lives of the characters. We read their text messages for god’s sake — that is so personal! Social media, yes, does make way for some good character development (catch me never being over the selfie of the boys in Bracciano) but mainly, it just humanizes the characters. Teenagers, mind you! Show me a teenager not glued to their phone. I don’t believe for one second Silvia didn’t have like, 7 Instagram stories every day. (Not that I expect that but at least one social post from one of the characters every day would have been MUCH more realistic.) (I’m not even going to get into how the skamit team just... uh, forgot the password to Marti’s original Instagram...? Is that even what happened? Why did they make him a new one lmfao. So messy.)

Things that made me go !!!

The change of characteristics and dynamic as a whole between Martino and Niccolò. A.k.a. the approach to the mood of the story was a genius idea and a brilliant way to “remake” the season. I loved how comfortable they fell into each other — never hesitant or afraid or even nervous. They genuinely enjoy each other’s company and immediately I could tell why they were so drawn to each other. Some people complained about this “lack of tension” but in the end, their dynamic was so important to lead up to La Grotta and make their story theirs: Nico chose Marti and Marti chose Nico. There was no saving each other — that’s Isak’s and Even’s thing!! That works for them and this works for Marti and Nico. Honestly, Isak and Even in every universe deserve something unique to guide their story to the same conclusion, and I’m thankful SKAM Italia did what they did with the characters to make this happen in their own way.

The contrabbandieri and focus on Marti’s friendships as an equally important part of his character as his relationship with Niccolò. All other squads are now held to the standard of the Italian boy squad because!! Wow. Such great chemistry between them all. I truly believe that they are all equally friends within the group as well as individually? Like, of course Marti and Gio have this special ~bond~ but I never got the feeling that if Luca and Marti or Elia and Marti hung out one-on-one it would be awkward. They are all so supportive of each other and while I hate the way they generally treated women, the way they treated each other is peak friendship: affectionate, honest, silly, I could go on forever; and I could watch them grilling coffee/dancing in a kitchen/eating disgusting pizza crusts/wrapping ties around their heads/sucking at table football forever.

On this note, I would also like to say that the inclusion of Niccolò into the boy squad right away in Bracciano was the content we deserved. I loved how this wasn’t random or fan service, either — Nico’s loneliness wasn’t ignored; it’s no secret he’s at a new school with no friends, probably being bullied or at least talked about behind his back by his classmate Marco Covitti, and recently broken up with his girlfriend he feels manipulated by. He needs friends right now and the fact that Marti’s friends are becoming his friends is so wholesome and important. Love love love this.

The introduction and inclusion of Martino’s mom. I thought their relationship was very realistic and instead of being like “oh, in the og Isak moved out so Marti needs to as well...” the skamit team was just like, no. That’s not realistic for a teenager in Italy so we’re just going to have to change some stuff. AND it gave some resolution to Marti and his mom (something I wish we got a little more of in the og) without sugar coating it. There are still problems, of course, but now Marti is stronger and wiser and more empathetic. Things are going to get better but he knows that not everything will always be good. Also, his mom needs someone?? I don’t blame Isak at all for getting out (and let’s be real his mom seemed like maybe she had some more intense issues) but I love the fact that Marti and his mom are working on it.

The last men on earth story / the symbolism of the giraffe and how those details directly intertwined to fit the difficulties and fears in the change of Nico’s mental illness. Once Maddalena said borderline personality disorder I did exactly what Dr. Spera said not to do and went right to google. But really it was only after some lovely people on here with bpd stepped forward to share their stories and enlighten us that I truly understood (to the best of my abilities) the nuances of Nico and his actions. Looking back, all of the details that seemed to change from the og just for drama or angst’s sake (like Nico completely ghosting Marti for example) were actually there for a reason and I think when Ludovico told us “you think you know what’s going to happen but really you have no idea” he was talking about this. Giving Nico’s character a different mental illness did a few positive things for the story: 1) it opened up all of the possibilities for beautiful new symbolism which the skamit team executed flawlessly. This, in turn, gave Marti and Nico their own things and their own story instead of copying the idea of parallel universes and the Romeo and Juliet storyline. 2) It shed awareness for an underrepresented and highly stigmatized mental illness. By showing us Nico the character (who is a lovely, lovely character: silly, talented, extremely thoughtful, loving) before showing us his mental illness, we see him as a human first. So important! Often characters in media with mental illnesses are reduced to their illness and can often fall into the ‘loveable asshole’ trope. We learn to love Nico right alongside Marti first — and while this is all the og’s brilliant idea, we now have this same story for a different mental illness and that’s beautiful.

The music! This was like, Marti’s soundtrack. We even get him explicitly saying he likes “indie and electronic” music — it adds a level of depth into his perspective as if he picked the soundtrack himself. I love this because there is no SKAM Italia music mood, it’s all based on the characters and their POV. (Skam season 3 did this as well, obviously, but more of a mix between Isak and Even with Romeo and Juliet thrown in there as well.)

The cinematography. I think this one goes without saying haha. While less “real” than the og, I’m a sucker for aesthetics and symbolism. And yes yes yes the wide shot in the pool and the open shots of Rome are beautiful BUT: the cinematography in skamit did more than make it beautiful. It helped tell the story. One perfect moment (in my opinion) that beautifully emphasizes this is when Martino and Niccolò are walking around in Milan without a single other person in sight. Was that realistic? No. Did that symbolize the last men on earth reference and heighten the audience’s empathy into Niccolò’s dissociative state? Absolutely.

This one is rather vague but the major (and not so major) changes — everything from swapping kosegruppa and biology class with the radio group to the scene where Martino meets Filippo. Every change was brilliant and is 100% where skamit shined. I’m actually most critical about the things they kept the same, and if skamit ever wanted to create their own original season beyond the 4, I have a lot of faith they’d write a good one. 💛

DAILY ASTROLOGY REPORTS AND HOROSCOPES FOR, 11-20-17

Astrology Cafe Daily Astrology ABOUT TODAY DAILY MONTHLY CHART You are here: Home / Daily Astrology / Astrology of Today – Monday, November 20, 2017 Astrology of Today – Monday, November 20, 2017 Nov 19, 2017 by Annie Leave a Comment  The Moon is in Sagittarius. The Moon is void from 7:26 PM forward (until tomorrow at 2:13 AM). The Moon is waxing and in its New phase. The New Moon occurred on the 18th in the sign of Scorpio, and the First Quarter Moon will occur on the 26th. Mercury is in its pre-retrograde shadow (Mercury will retrograde from December 3-22). **Times are Eastern Standard Time (EST). Horoscopes Aries  Aries A rewarding time for close personal relationships is a high potential today, Aries. Something that has been buried regarding your connections and feelings can emerge now for release. It’s a time for honesty about your feelings, even if it’s only with yourself! It’s up to you whether you’d like to share these findings. As well, you can benefit from a review of your financial situation, whether it’s researching expenditures or simply organizing your bills. You are radiating healing energy today, and this adds much to your personal charm. This is a good day for focusing on activities that promote emotional renewal, and that help you break the usual routine. Taurus  Taurus Excellent energy is with you today for harmonizing with an important person in your life, Taurus. Your negotiation skills are above par now, and you aim to see eye to eye but to remain sincere and honest at the same time. If you think about your interactions on a deeper level, you may be discovering hidden aspects of yourself through your relationship with another. Insights now come like eureka moments, and you feel stronger for them. You are feeling personally influential today, making realistic plans, and confident that you’ll achieve your goals one step at a time. Others are recognizing your calming and healing powers and putting their trust in you. If you want to express your commitment or passion, now is an excellent time to do so. Gemini  Gemini You are coming across with natural charm and grace today as you flow along comfortably to the rhythms around you, dear Gemini. Healing and helpful interactions with lovers and friends today can lift your spirits, and theirs. Feelings run a little more deeply than usual now, which isn’t negative at all. In fact, it’s a time in which people in your life can be more truthful and open about their feelings for you, and you can sense that they’re not just sweet talking. Look for ways to get along better with people with whom you spend time. There may be a project that you find unusually absorbing and compelling today, and you are interested in exploring things further. Doing some sleuthing is appealing now. This can also be a good time for looking into a health matter, for enjoying the process of getting healthier, and possibly finding a way to monetize a favorite activity. Cancer  Cancer The Moon spends another day in your work and health sector, Cancer, and your daily affairs are in sharper focus. Even so, it’s a strong day for communicating with deep honesty and sincerity. You are more confident in your abilities to resolve conflicts and to get around obstacles in your path today. Relationships receive a gentle but effective boost if you express your faith in the people you care about. This is a strong day for enhancing or attracting a partnership or close relationship, particularly an affair of the heart. A connection made or a moment shared can be significant and meaningful now. For some, this is about a project or creative work that you love, and you’re ready to pour your heart into it. You might consider ways to improve or get ahead. There is good intuitive sense today, and your powers of attraction are stronger than usual. You are especially attracted to the healing arts — anything that boosts your spirit and makes you feel vital. Leo  Leo While the Moon spends another full day in your fun and entertainment sector, stimulating your desire to connect, dear Leo, this is also an active day for family and home-related endeavors. It’s not a time for promising the moon, but rather building something substantial in your relationships. Productivity on the home front can run unusually high just now. It’s also a fine time for looking at yourself and your needs or desires honestly. This can be an excellent time to recognize emotional blocks and finding ways to move past them. Your security and comfort with yourself can attract others to you now. Virgo  Virgo The Moon spends the day at the bottom of your solar chart, dear Virgo, and you crave more quiet time or familiar, safe situations. This is instinctual at this time in the lunar cycle, and it’s a good idea to stick with things you know just for now. Even so, conversations are vibrant and possibly also moving today. You might come up with a good strategy for handling your money, or perhaps converting a just-for-fun hobby into a money-making business. Others are genuinely listening to what you have to say now, and your powers of persuasion are at a high. You are learning that being right isn’t always a priority. Sometimes you need to let others “win” or have their say. However, the good idea you’ve come up with might better be kept to yourself just for the time being. Libra  Libra On a social level, as well as on a deeper, more spiritual level, the day should advance quite magically, Libra. Others might notice a talent of yours that was previously hidden or unrecognized. Jobs around the house, maintenance of valuables, and other such activities are rewarding. You’re likely to enjoy supportive interactions that boost your confidence, comfort, and security. Your ability to strategize, and hold your tongue even, brings the most rewards. You can inspire trust and awe. Your strength of character is recognized by others and earns you more respect. This is an excellent time to get rid of what you don’t need. You can make some crucial changes with money, talents, and resources. Scorpio  Scorpio A lovely day for attracting positive energy into your life is in store, Scorpio. It’s a great time for attracting or enhancing a relationship, and for feeling supported and appreciated by friends and partners. You can find yourself naturally drawn to mutually beneficial or pleasing social situations, and your manner is desirable and appealing. This is a time for attracting or building and healing a relationship, and also for developing upon and improving a pet project. You are persuasive and personally powerful. You see what you truly need, and you’re ready to put your heart into whatever moves you. Sagittarius  Sagittarius You’re in good shape for connecting with others and coming to useful conclusions about a friendship, Sagittarius. Relationships with friends are supportive and pleasing. You might enjoy keeping a secret today as you hold on to something that makes you feel special and you are not quite ready to share it. It may, in fact, be a good idea to keep things on the down low for now. There is a compelling quality to feelings of love at the moment. Epiphanies about an important relationship can lead to meaningful changes. Emotional longings can be in sharp focus, but more easily understood than usual. There is also good energy for recycling or transforming projects and resources. Your money sense is good today and tomorrow. Capricorn  Capricorn You have been redefining who you are within yourself, which has of course impacted who you are in relation to others, dear Capricorn. Ideally, our close relationships allow us to change and grow, but sometimes individual changes feel threatening to someone in your life. You have a third eye today when it comes to seeing what is really going on under the surface of things. Important insights into your relationships can happen today, especially if you slip into another’s shoes. Your powers of magnetic attraction are good right now, and you’ll find it rather easy to maneuver things the way you’d like them to be. Offering your expertise to colleagues can open up great rewards for you. You are finding enjoyment in the differences you see in your friends and acquaintances now instead of viewing them as bothersome. Being recognized as a team player works in your favor today. Aquarius  Aquarius The Moon spends the day in your social sector, dear Aquarius, and you’re in good with friends and associates today. Particularly as the day advances, it’s a good time for drawing upon and expressing patience as well as employing strategy. The conviction behind your ideas attracts support from others. You may be throwing yourself into something you truly love doing, and with this motivation, you can accomplish and uncover a lot. Past good deeds can bring rewards to the present, or you’re drawing upon experience to make the most of a situation. There is good money sense with you today, as you see value and priority more clearly than usual. Work or projects that benefit from extra intuition are especially rewarding right today and tomorrow. Pisces  Pisces The Moon spends the day at the top of your solar chart, dear Pisces, and you’re more aware of your responsibilities and goals than usual. Conversations today tend to be intense but pleasant. You experience building passion for an idea or a project. You may be feeling more confident as a result of your involvement in a team, or for contributions you make to a cause or group effort. You might enjoy new opportunities to prove yourself and your effectiveness today and tomorrow. Strong creative and romantic energies flow today, and you could find yourself attracted to a new idea or person, or interested in rejuvenating a current project or relationship. Friends are supportive and intrigued with your point of view. * Remember to read horoscopes for your Ascendant sign and Sun sign. If you don’t know your Ascendant sign (and you know your birth time), you can look it up here. If Your Birthday is November 20th, If Today is Your Birthday full horoscope here. Astrology of Today – The Details: If you’re astrologically inclined and interested in the details of the Astrology of today, here are some of the factors considered in the forecasts (for the astrology of the week, see This Week in Astrology):    Date & Time: Nov 20 2017 0:00 am Event: Moon in Sagittarius Description: The Moon in Sagittarius This is a time for expanding our mind and experience, exploring new pathways, aiming high, and broadening our horizons. It’s not as strong for detail or routine work. There can be restlessness, courage, and spontaneity now. Date & Time: Nov 20 2017 7:26 pm Event: Moon goes void of course Date & Time: Nov 20 2017 0:05 am Event: Tr-Tr Mon SSq Ves Description: Transiting Moon SemiSquare Transiting Vesta We can be a little stiff with our emotions, and we can be distracted from our work or focus. There can be difficulty expressing tenderness, concern, or care. Date & Time: Nov 20 2017 1:57 am Event: Tr-Tr Mon Sxt Mar Description: Transiting Moon Sextile Transiting Mars We are more courageous and able to take the lead. We are in tune with our natural desires and instincts. We express our feelings honestly. We are independent, resourceful, and brave. Date & Time: Nov 20 2017 2:49 am Event: Tr-Tr Mon Tri Nod Description: Transiting Moon Trine Transiting North Node A good time for dealing with the public, for making connections, and for taking positive steps towards a personal or professional goal. You are able to make changes. This is a feel-good time for embracing new opportunities. Date & Time: Nov 20 2017 5:36 am Event: Tr-Tr Mon Cnj Mer Description: Transiting Moon Conjunction Transiting Mercury Ideas flow freely and surface spontaneously. We express feelings and thoughts with clarity. We are busy, alert, curious, and communicative. This can be an excellent time for cooperative projects. Date & Time: Nov 20 2017 1:56 pm Event: Tr-Tr Mon SSq Jup Description: Transiting Moon SemiSquare Transiting Jupiter Self-indulgence is more likely now. We’re not as inclined to consider the consequences of over-eating, over-drinking, or overdoing in general. We may be acting in a haughty manner. Date & Time: Nov 20 2017 2:55 pm Event: Tr-Tr Mon Sqr Chi Description: Transiting Moon Square Transiting Chiron We may have some difficulty letting go of hurt feelings or resentments. We can be sensitive to what others think of us, and decisions made now may not reflect our hearts, and can be regrettable later on. We might take things the wrong way due to sensitivity. We may not make efforts to be understood. Hurt feelings are opportunities for healing. Now is the time for building bridges, not burning them. Date & Time: Nov 20 2017 4:43 pm Event: Tr-Tr Mon Tri Ura Description: Transiting Moon Trine Transiting Uranus We are open to new ideas. A break in the routine is pleasing now. We could be experimenting with new ideas or feelings. There can be chance meetings, events that occur that open our minds or our awareness. Date & Time: Nov 20 2017 7:26 pm Event: Tr-Tr Mon Cnj Sat Description: Transiting Moon Conjunction Transiting Saturn There can be stronger awareness of our responsibilities, or new responsibilities fall into our laps. Emotions may be cooled, and we can appear to be unsympathetic. A time for making lists. Emotional matters may not fare very well. There can be some loneliness or starkness felt. An auspicious time for projects demanding endurance or tolerance. Also good for establishing new habits and rituals. Date & Time: Nov 20 2017 11:27 pm Event: Tr-Tr Mon Tri Pal Description: Transiting Moon Trine Transiting Pallas There is a good ability to successfully combine logic and intuition, and to understand problems taking into account the human element. There is sensitivity to people’s issues now. Cooperation. Effective, sensitive decision making. Date & Time: Nov 20 2017 3:30 pm Event: Tr-Tr Sun Qnx Pal Description: Transiting Sun Quincunx Transiting Pallas Our ability to see things clearly or rationally can be compromised by ego issues or lack of confidence now. Date & Time: Nov 20 2017 2:45 pm Event: Tr-Tr Mar Sxt Nod Description: Transiting Mars Sextile Transiting North Node We have the chance to reassess our goals and realign ourselves with our purpose. Challenges are exciting. We can feel that we are heading in the right direction. New opportunities abound to help us achieve our desires. Someone may be giving us a helping hand. Strong Signs, Elements, Modes BALANCE OF SIGNS SCORPIO STRONG Intense, magnetic, penetrating perception, power to confront. Can be destructive, vengeful, jealous, overly dramatic. SAGITTARIUS STRONG Inspiring, broad vision, enthusiastic, goal seeking, truthful, adventurous. Can be reckless, unrestrained, tactless. BALANCE OF ELEMENTS FIRE STRONG Fire is enthusiastic, dynamic, and spontaneous, but lacks reflection. We are more courageous and adventurous now, with a tendency to act before thinking. There is little concern about what happened in the past. We are competitive and possibly impatient or bored easily. EARTH WEAK There can be a lack of desire, interest, or skills regarding practical affairs. We may not be very much in touch with reality. Difficulties concentrating, grounding ourselves. AIR WEAK We may have a difficult time being objective or detached. We may not be especially communicative. WATER STRONG We are more compassionate, emotional, and intuitive than usual, and we may react emotionally to situations, possibly at the expense of logic or practicality. BALANCE OF MODES The modes are balanced. LUNAR PHASE: NEW MOON Moon 0 to 45 degrees ahead of the Sun. This is an energetic, impulsive, and subjective period of time. We are looking for new projects and opportunities. The following aspects (major only) and positions are at noon (EST) on November 20th: Note that when an aspect is applying, it has not yet happened but is within orb – it’s pending. When an aspect is separating, it has already happened/perfected and is moving away from the aspect. Depending on the speed of the planet/body involved, the aspect will have perfected–or will perfect–in a matter of hours (often the case with the Moon), days, months, and possibly years in the case of the very slow-moving outer planets and bodies. Note that the Moon moves at a rate of approximately one degree every 2 hours so that if an aspect involving the Moon is applying and has an orb of 5 degrees, the aspect will perfect (be exact) in about 10 hours. If the Moon is separating from an aspect with an orb of 2 degrees, it has already formed said aspect approximately 4 hours ago (since the following are positions at noon today, then it would have occurred at about 8 AM today). **I suggest paying close attention to applying aspects. The energy of the aspect builds as it gets closer to exact. Once an aspect involving inner planets has happened, it’s over. Separating aspects are good to know for context, but in terms of energy that is with us today, applying aspects are most important. (This is the case for daily astrology influences involving inner planets, which pass quickly, and not natal astrology aspects, which are with us for a lifetime). THE MOON THE MOON IN SAGITTARIUS This is a time for expanding our mind and experience, exploring new pathways, aiming high, and broadening our horizons. It’s not as strong for detail or routine work. There can be restlessness, courage, and spontaneity now. 23RD DEGREE OF SAGITTARIUS Part of Body: Left trochanter Sabian Symbol: Immigrants entering a new country. ASPECTS OF THE MOON CONJUNCTION MERCURY Orb 2°50′ Separating We are speaking with feeling or intellectualizing our feelings. We express feelings and thoughts with clarity. We are busy, alert, curious, and communicative. This can be an excellent time for cooperative projects. Ideas flow freely and surface spontaneously. CONJUNCTION SATURN Orb 3°38′ Applying There can be stronger awareness of our responsibilities, or new responsibilities fall into our laps. Emotions may be cooled, and we can appear to be unsympathetic. TRINE URANUS Orb 2°20′ Applying We are open to new ideas, ways of expressing ourselves and our feelings. A break in the routine is pleasing now. We could be experimenting with new ideas or feelings. There can be chance meetings, events that occur that open our hearts or our emotional awareness. SQUARE CHIRON Orb 1°26′ Applying We could be dwelling on hurt feelings or resentments. We can be sensitive to what others think of us, and decisions made now may not reflect our hearts, and can be regrettable later on. We might take things the wrong way due to sensitivity. We may not make efforts to be understood. Hurt feelings are opportunities for healing. THE SUN THE SUN IN SCORPIO You are a passionate and intense individual. You may gain attention through creating dramatic situations. You may also be secretive. 29TH DEGREE OF SCORPIO Part of Body: Vomer Sabian Symbol: An indian woman pleading to the chief for the lives of her Children. ASPECTS OF THE SUN TRINE CHIRON Orb 4°08′ Separating We find it easier to bounce back from criticism, rejection, or feelings of insecurity; to humble ourselves. We can be filled with a sense of purpose. We more easily cooperate with others. MERCURY MERCURY IN SAGITTARIUS You seek knowledge to expand your world view. You are a born philosopher, enjoying any information which helps you see the big picture. For instance you may enjoy a religious debate. You place importance on freedom of speech and thought. 21ST DEGREE OF SAGITTARIUS Part of Body: Head of left femur Sabian Symbol: A child and a dog with borrowed eyeglasses. ASPECTS OF MERCURY SEXTILE MARS Orb 1°51′ Separating You are a quick learner and can be perceptive. CONJUNCTION SATURN Orb 6°29′ Applying You have a logical mind. As a child you were shy and unable to express your opinions. As an adult you will become a voice of authority. TRINE URANUS Orb 5°11′ Applying We are mentally alert and aware, and might be experimenting or opening our minds to new ideas. We could be feeling inspired, and our thinking is inventive. Varying our usual routine may be rewarding. SQUARE CHIRON Orb 4°17′ Applying There can be insecurity about our own ideas or decisions, or we may not know who/what to believe. Words, or lack of, can hurt right now. There is greater sensitivity to what is being said, choice of words, and syntax. VENUS VENUS IN SCORPIO You have an intense need for relationships. You will also be intense once in a relationship. You will want to know your partner’s innermost thoughts and yet you may have a tendency to secrecy. 17TH DEGREE OF SCORPIO Part of Body: Testicular lobes, left ovary Sabian Symbol: A woman the father of her own child. ASPECTS OF VENUS TRINE NEPTUNE Orb 5°07′ Separating We are more sensitive to others’ needs and wants, and more desirous of harmony, love, beauty, and balance. We are generous, compassionate, open, and vulnerable. Spiritual/emotional concerns trump material ones at this time. SEXTILE PLUTO Orb 0°56′ Applying We’re a better judge of value right now – who and what are important to us. We might see one another, and our relationships, in a different light. We could reconnect with someone or improve an existing bond. MARS MARS IN LIBRA You have a strong desire for diplomacy and justice, and a strong creative urge. You may become indecisive when opposed. 19TH DEGREE OF LIBRA Part of Body: Calyx major Sabian Symbol: A gang of robbers in hiding. ASPECTS OF MARS OPPOSITION URANUS Orb 7°03′ Applying You enjoy the excitement of conflict and challenge. You can be arrogant or charming and do well in selling. Be careful with dangerous sports as you can be accident prone. SQUARE PLUTO Orb 0°43′ Separating We may be looking for the upper hand and resisting others’ control. Resentments come to the surface. JUPITER JUPITER IN SCORPIO You are on an intense search for the truth. You have strong desires for sexual union and joint enterprises. You could be a transformative teacher. 9TH DEGREE OF SCORPIO Part of Body: Sperm duct, vagina Sabian Symbol: Dental work. ASPECTS OF JUPITER TRINE NEPTUNE Orb 2°32′ Applying You are artistic and may also be religious. You have a need to help others and may feel you have a calling. You have the ability to inspire other people’s talents as well. SATURN SATURN IN SAGITTARIUS Saturn in Sagittarius asks us to take on the responsibility of living according to our personal truths and principles — and to be loyal to these. This is a time for turning a critical eye to those beliefs and principles that don’t accurately reflect our authentic selves. (December 23, 2014, to June 14, 2015, then September 17, 2015, to December 20, 2017) 27TH DEGREE OF SAGITTARIUS Part of Body: Gluteal muscles Sabian Symbol: The sculptor’s vision is taking form. ASPECTS OF SATURN TRINE URANUS Orb 1°18′ Separating You have a talent for investigation. You look at new ideas and are able then to put them into action. In business you achieve much in your own independent way. SQUARE CHIRON Orb 2°11′ Separating There can be fears now of not being competent or effective enough to meet our responsibilities, or we could find it hard to strike out on a unique path, again due to fears or insecurities. The desire to break from the status quo is strong, but we may not have the necessary confidence to do so. We may have difficulties empathizing with others and understanding ourselves. URANUS URANUS IN ARIES The urge to start fresh, to break free from restrictive attitudes or circumstances, to totally redesign an area of our lives (or even our personalities), and to gain freedom through independence is strong during this cycle. (May 27, 2010, to August 13, 2010, then March 11th, 2011, to May 15, 2018, then November 6, 2018, to March 6, 2019). 25TH DEGREE OF ARIES Part of Body: Sternocleidomastoid muscle Sabian Symbol: A double promise reveals its inner and outer meanings. NEPTUNE NEPTUNE IN PISCES A long-term influence in which fantasy, imagination, compassion, and spirituality are in stronger focus. (April 4, 2011, to August 4, 2011, then February 3, 2012, to March 30, 2025, then October 22, 2025, to January 26, 2026) 12TH DEGREE OF PISCES Part of Body: Plantar artery of right foot Sabian Symbol: An examination of initiates. PLUTO PLUTO IN CAPRICORN Tests of our boundaries; breaking down and rebuilding structures and rules. (From January 25, 2008, to June 14, 2008, then November 26, 2008, to March 23, 2023, then June 11, 2023, to January 20, 2024, then September 1, 2024, to November 19, 2024). 19TH DEGREE OF CAPRICORN Part of Body: Ligaments of left knee Sabian Symbol: A child of about five with a huge shopping bag. Chiron, Major Asteroids, and Moon’s Nodes: in Sign and in Aspect CHIRON CHIRON IN PISCES Strong awareness of our own vulnerabilities and humanity stimulates compassion for others. (April 20 to July 20, 2010, then February 8, 2011, to April 17, 2018, then September 25, 2018, to February 18, 2019). 25TH DEGREE OF PISCES Part of Body: Left distal tibio-fibular joint Sabian Symbol: The purging of the priesthood. VESTA IN SCORPIO You are intensely committed to your work. Dedication and the ability to focus are keys to your work. Sexual morals may feature strongly as you seek to either break existing sexual mores or repress sexual urges behind a strict code of ethics. 3RD DEGREE OF SCORPIO Part of Body: Prostate, uterus Sabian Symbol: A house-raising. PALLAS PALLAS IN ARIES You have a keen intellect with the ability to come up with exciting, new ideas. You are also happy to risk putting your new ideas into action. 29TH DEGREE OF ARIES Part of Body: Auditory canal Sabian Symbol: A celestial choir singing. JUNO JUNO IN CAPRICORN You want a partner who you can respect, and who respects you. You seek long-term commitment and may marry later in life. 21ST DEGREE OF CAPRICORN Part of Body: Tendons of left knee Sabian Symbol: A relay race. CERES CERES IN LEO You feel cared for when other people play with you and praise you. You like to show others you care for them by encouraging their creative talents and sense of fun. 16TH DEGREE OF LEO Part of Body: Left atrium Sabian Symbol: Sunshine just after a storm. THE NORTH NODE THE NORTH NODE IN LEO This a quest to develop your inner strength. You may find that you experience times of loneliness. These times are part of your lesson to forge your own creative life in order to give generously to the world. 19TH DEGREE OF LEO Part of Body: Ventricular septum Sabian Symbol: A houseboat party. THE SOUTH NODE THE SOUTH NODE IN AQUARIUS This a quest to develop your inner strength. You may find that you experience times of loneliness. These times are part of your lesson to forge your own creative life in order to give generously to the world. 19TH DEGREE OF AQUARIUS Part of Body: Spinal nervous system Sabian Symbol: A forest fire quenched. *** CONJUNCTIONS TO SELECT FIXED STARS *** Transits 20 November 2017 Aspects to Sat 26°Sg36 -22°26′ Cnj 25°Sg58 ACULEUS Enduring attacks but success Aspects to Plu 17°Cp31 -21°46′ Cnj 16°Cp52 RUKBAT Steadiness and strength. Aspects to Cer 15°Le54 +22°42′ Cnj 15°Le26 DUBHE Loving but forceful Aspects to SNo 18°Aq21 -15°19′ Cnj 17°Aq37 SUALOCIN Tantalising but naive.  SHARE THIS: EmailFacebook1TwitterTumblrGoogleReddit Filed Under: Daily Astrology, Today Tagged With: November 20, Venus Pluto transit, Venus sextile Pluto  « Astrology of Today – Sunday, November 19, 2017Astrology of Today – Tuesday, November 21, 2017 » Leave a Reply   Search this website … Search Cafe Astrology Cafe Astrology Home Cafe Astrology Free Reports Recent Astrology of Today – Tuesday, November 21, 2017 Astrology of Today – Monday, November 20, 2017 Astrology of Today – Sunday, November 19, 2017 Astrology of Today – Saturday, November 18, 2017 Astrology of Today – Friday, November 17, 2017 In this post First Quarter Moon‌ The Moon is waxing‌ The Moon is void‌ Tags Jupiter Neptune transit Mars-Pluto transit Mars Chiron transit Mars Jupiter transit Mars Neptune transit Mars Pluto transit Mars Saturn transit Mars Saturn transit Mars Uranus transit Mercury Chiron transit Mercury Jupiter transit Mercury Mars transit Mercury Neptune transit Mercury Pluto transit Mercury Saturn transit Mercury semi-square Venus Mercury square Mars Mercury square Neptune Mercury square Pluto Mercury trine Neptune Mercury trine Pluto Mercury Uranus transit Mercury Venus transit October 6 Sun Chiron transit Sun conjunct Mercury Sun Jupiter transit Sun Mars transit Sun Mercury transit Sun Neptune transit Sun Pluto transit Sun Saturn transit Sun sextile Saturn Sun trine Neptune Sun trine Saturn Sun Uranus transit Venus-Mars transit Venus Chiron transit Venus Jupiter transit Venus Mars transit Venus Neptune transit Venus Pluto transit Venus Saturn transit Venus square Saturn Venus Uranus transit  Previous  Subscribe via Email Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email. Email Address Email Address Subscribe Current Planetary Positions 11/20/2017 11:13:39 AM Sun 28° Scorpio 39' 33" Moon 24° Sagittarius 04' 21" Mercury 20° Sagittarius 13' 50" Venus 16° Scorpio 42' 03" Mars 18° Libra 18' 00" Jupiter 08° Scorpio 56' 13" Saturn 26° Sagittarius 37' 29" Uranus 25° Aries 18' 30" R Neptune 11° Pisces 27' 59" R Pluto 17° Capricorn 32' 06" Chiron 24° Pisces 24' 56" R TrueNode 18° Leo 20' 04" R Subscribe to Blog via Email Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Email Address Email Address Subscribe Categories  Archives  November 2017 M T W T F S S « Oct 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Copyright © 2017 · Astrology Cafe by Cafe Astrology

In Loving Memory: Nic Dufour

Today, we mourn the loss of a beloved friend and member of the Farm Sanctuary family: Nicole “Nic” Dufour, a treasured member of our Northern California Facilities team, who sadly passed away a few weeks ago. For several years, Nic put her heart and soul into Farm Sanctuary life, first as a volunteer, and later as an employee. To say that we are heartbroken by her loss would be an understatement — it is never easy to lose a colleague, teammate, and friend, and all who knew and loved Nic can attest to the difficulty of her passing.

Nic embodied all that it means to be a “humanimal”: she cherished the connections she established with human and non-human animals alike, and always strived to put compassion first, on and off the sanctuary grounds. Her dedication and service to Farm Sanctuary’s rescued residents was a true act of love — and while work on the shelter is not always glamorous, she did it with a smile and a passion for making the world a better place, one life at a time.

Nic’s can-do spirit brightened our days, and her gentle presence was a treasured asset to Farm Sanctuary’s rescue, education, and advocacy work. We remember her with fondness and deep admiration, and we’re thankful to have shared our lives with such an incredible advocate for compassionate living. Nic’s life has touched us forever, and her legacy will always live on in our hearts. Her journey inspires us to find strength on her behalf, and on behalf of the incredible animals she loved and dedicated her life to helping each day.

We’re honored to share tributes from the “humanimals” who knew and loved Nic most. Through memories like theirs, Nic’s memory lives on — and we continue to feel her presence in our lives as we strive to emulate the compassionate life she led each day.

Nic’s boss, National Facilities Manager Chad Richmond, expressed how we all feel about the untimely loss of this beloved humanimal, coworker, and friend.

“The Orland staff is truly heartbroken, as are many others that knew Nic through Farm Sanctuary and the local community.” Chad says. “I first met Nic several years ago when she was volunteering at one of our events at the sanctuary, and I remember her telling me back then how Farm Sanctuary was a great place that had changed her life for the better.  So I was not surprised when Nic messaged me asking for a job, and that she had to be at the sanctuary full-time somehow.  I had an opportunity open up for Nic and she had been working here as a farm assistant for more than a year.    

“The farm assistant position is a difficult job and it takes a special person like Nic to be successful at it. It really is at the heart of what we do at Farm Sanctuary. The farm assistants are the ones cleaning the barns, moving hay, and transporting the animals. I often tell people that if you take this position, you will be incredibly tired and dirty at the end of every day; however, if you have the right attitude it can be the most rewarding  job ever. This was true for Nic. She was a person that really cared about the animals, enjoyed the hard work, and was able to see the impact she was having on the lives of our animals.  

“She recently stated that she wanted to work here forever. She was a truly compassionate person that cared about others — her friends, family, and community. I’ll never forget this conversation I had with Nic last year. Nic was going through some hard times outside of work and I asked her if she thought she was going to be able to continue on with Farm Sanctuary. She burst into tears and said, ‘I love my job, I love the people I work with, and I love the animals. This is where I feel at home and I need to be here.’ This was truly a sanctuary for her too, and I hope her friends and coworkers can find some comfort in that.  

“I personally loved that I never had to worry about Nic being in a bad mood here. Whether something needed fixing or overtime was needed, she never hesitated to jump right to it and do it with a smile on her face. She is surely missed by our staff and of course all of the animals who benefited from her care, laughter, and concern — not to mention the vegan community in Chico and the interns who have had the pleasure of being able to know and work with her who are no longer here. We have received many kind words and thoughts from them, and I know they would love it if they knew how much we all appreciate that.

“Thank you all for your support.”

Volunteer Program Coordinator Kameke Brown began her Farm Sanctuary journey while interning at our Northern California Shelter, where she met Nic.

“I've been trying to put my finger on what exactly was so special about Nic,” says Kameke. “She started working at our Northern California shelter shortly after I had begun my internship there. When we first met, she said something along the lines of ‘Oh yeah, I know you. I've seen you around here before,’ and I, confused, assured her that she had not. I was struck by the way she carried herself — self-assured and confident, always grinning or chuckling and never without that sparkling glint in her eye, telling of some mischief, joy, or dream. No, we had not met before and we did not know each other, but from that first introduction we connected and she made me feel cared about and appreciated like a dear and cherished friend she had always known. She came off as someone who'd come to be at home in herself and who knew without a shadow of doubt that she had found exactly where she wanted to be.

“It was clear that Farm Sanctuary was also a sanctuary and home for Nic. She would constantly go on about this grand idea she had for us all to have a picnic together out on the hills of the cattle pasture while watching the sun set. She was so generous and kind in that way — anything her heart could think to give, she'd offer ... endless plates of Chinese food and pesto pizza with toasted pumpkin seeds were among my favorites. Nic would never hesitate to welcome you into her home, but, little did she know, she had a way of making you feel at home anytime you were with her — no matter where you were. But you know what struck me most of all? It was the way she believed in me. She marveled at people and animals like they were something special. I think her genuinely believing that helped them to see that in themselves, too. I mean ... what wasn't special about Nic? One of the biggest hearts I've ever known, the love she shared always felt like the most priceless of gifts. Her light still shines a beacon of hope that seems to say to me ‘When you dream your dreams, dream that they are possible and they will be.’ That's how Nic always seemed to dream, at least — her dreams weren't far off and away, but always so real and alive in the moment the way she would describe them. That's how I dream of her now. I know that all the love that she gave away is still here — I can feel it — rippling out over the hills of the cattle pasture and spilling into the horizon, onward still, out toward the setting sun.”

Rebecca Thompson, former Farm Sanctuary Volunteer Program Coordinator, remembers Nic as a stabilizing source of compassionate energy, a trusted confidant, and most especially, as a beloved friend. 

“The quality that I admired and loved most about Nic — what made her so special — is how selfless she was,” Rebecca says. “She gave so fully and selflessly of herself to everyone she loved. And this included Farm Sanctuary's human and non-human residents. I feel so grateful to have known Nic and appreciate how dedicated and passionate she was in her work and life.

“I met her at the 2013 Orland Hoe Down; she was volunteering and it was my first weekend living and working at that location. I remember being so worried about being able to make friends when I moved there. Nic and I hit it off instantly and I felt like our connection was a sign from the universe not to worry about making new friends — that I already had. And I remember thinking right away that Nic was one of the funniest, coolest people I had ever met, and that is how I still think of her.

“Nic was dedicated to being fully and openly herself, no matter what others thought of her. And that quality about her always inspired me. Nic is a friend who helped me to grow and evolve in understanding my personal queer identity, and was one of the first people who lovingly gave me permission to be me; to identify however was most truthful to me; and to let go of the pressure of fitting into a particular category. That unconditional support she gave was so important in our friendship, and a quality that I strove to reciprocate to her.”

Shelter Manager Kate Powell remembers Nic as a loving soul who went above and beyond her work to value each individual as someone, not something. 

“The young goats and sheep you see were her favorite group of guys to hang out with,” Kate says. “She loved those babies, and it wasn’t uncommon to see her up with them an hour after her shift had ended — just playing with them or hanging out with them. Nic was often staying after her shift to hang out with the different animals on the farm. She cared so much for all of the animals, and it was evident in her daily work with them.”

Caregiver Kat Thorpe remembers the sheer joy that Nic brought to Farm Sanctuary life, and how she served as a beautiful example of compassionate change among humanimals just like her. 

“One of the things I noticed about Nic right away was that bringing the animals joy, truly brought her joy too,” Kat recalls. “You didn’t have to know her that well for it to be absolutely apparent that she sincerely loved and cared for the animals here.”

Nic joyfully throws watermelons down for the pigs in a series of photos captured by Kat.

Sophia Rivers, Nic’s former partner and a former Farm Sanctuary staffer, leaves us with a beautiful memory of our dear friend; we invite you to share in this beloved tradition, and to toast this incredible ambassador for compassionate living, whose legacy will always live on in our hearts.

“When I met Nic, I was working as the Education Coordinator at the Orland sanctuary,” Sophia remembers. “Nic was vegan-curious, and loved hearing stories of the rescued animals living at Farm Sanctuary. She grew up with innumerable rescued kittens and cats, and loved the idea of a farm animal shelter. Nic came to visit me at work shortly after we met, and left Farm Sanctuary a farm animal activist and committed vegan.

“The first time I visited Nic at her home in Nevada, I wanted to impress her with amazing vegan food, so I cooked a giant batch of cashew cheese. I didn’t have a container with a lid, so I put the cheese in a bowl and covered it in about 6 layers of aluminum foil, in the hopes it wouldn’t spill. When I presented it to Nic, she laughed and called it Space Cheese, since it looked like a UFO in that container.

“In honor of her incredible sense of humor, infectious laugh, and love of good food, here is Nic’s Space Cheese recipe:

•       1/2 cup raw cashews •       1 tbsp tahini •       1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice •       2 tsp apple cider vinegar •       1 cup water •       1/2 tsp sea salt •       1/4 tsp prepared yellow mustard •       1 tbsp arrowroot powder •       1/2 tsp paprika •       1/4 tsp turmeric •       1 tbsp neutral-flavored oil •       1 ½ -2 tbsp nutritional yeast “Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until very smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium saucepan, and heat over low heat for 5-8 minutes, until mixture is starting to slowly bubble and thicken (stir frequently through heating).

“To eat in true Nic style, serve with plenty of tortilla chips, pinto beans, salsa, and avocado; devour 2/3 of the bowl in one sitting, take a break, then eat the rest before the end of the day.”

We’ll miss you, Nic. We thank you and remember you for your compassion, and are honored to have shared your journey with you.  

Silver Screen Surprise

Written for Prompt #74 on @cutiepieprompts: Muse A and Muse B are watching a movie together, when suddenly an unexpected sexy/sexual scene comes on, causing extreme awkwardness between them, as they are crushing on each other but not yet together. (The fic is more “unexpected romantic scene.”)

The movie the group is watching is based on the “Action Husbands” series by @boazpriestly, which you can read more about here. The name of the movie was chosen by a name generator here.

Fandom: Hawaii Five-0 (2010) Pairing: Steve/Danny Rating: T (some light cursing) Word Count: 2585 Notes: Set after 7.10 since events from that episode are mentioned. Also, for the purposes of this story, Steve and Danny are conveniently single.

It was a Friday evening after a long week, and the team planned to watch a movie together. Kono had been telling Lou about how the group watched CHiPs together one time and the hilarious argument Steve and Danny had about which one of them would be Ponch, and Lou had remarked that he had never watched TV with the team at the office. Therefore, the team decided to make a night of it. Steve, Danny, Kono, and Lou were waiting for Chin to come back with a movie that he wanted to rent from Redbox.

Lou had made a bunch of popcorn for everyone, and Danny asked him to serve a portion for two people in a larger bowl. He raised his eyebrows slightly, but he gave Danny a large bowl of popcorn.

Danny and Lou returned to the table, where Kono and Steve were waiting for them. Lou sat down next to Kono and gave her an individual bowl of popcorn and kept the other for himself. Danny put the smaller bowl of popcorn in the empty seat next to him and sat down next to Steve, scooting his chair closer until it was pressed up against Steve. Steve put his arm around the back of Danny's chair, and Danny put the popcorn between them where they could both easily reach it. Danny took a bite of their popcorn and leaned against Steve's side as much as he could while they were sitting in separate chairs.

“What?” Steve asked. He sounded tense, and Danny glanced up at Steve and noted that his face was set in a worried frown.

Danny turned his attention to Kono and Lou, who were staring at them with wide eyes. Kono's shock melted away to be replaced by that amused expression she had sported when she caught Danny touching Steve's lower back in Steve's office. There had been a completely plausible explanation for why Danny had been touching Steve like that, but Kono had not been there for the conversation that would give Danny's actions context. To Kono, it probably looked like Danny had been coming on to Steve.

Which was totally not what this was. Steve and Danny always ended up snuggling or leaning into each other when they watched movies together and had ended up laughing and talking to each other even when they went on that double date with their girlfriends Cath and Gabby. It was just a little quirk of theirs, and it was completely innocent.

At least on Steve's part, because Steve was straight and had no idea that Danny was hopelessly pining away for him. And hopefully he would never know. Danny knew he could never have more with Steve, and he wanted to keep Steve's friendship, free from the drama that might occur if Danny ever revealed his true feelings.

If Danny got an occasional guilty pleasure tingle up his spine from Steve doing things because he lacked companionship that would read differently to most people (like cuddling him during a movie), there was nothing wrong with that.

Danny ignored Kono whispering something to Lou and the amused looks on both of their faces and gestured with the popcorn bowl to Steve. “You want some of this, babe?”

Steve gave him a fond, close-lipped smile and took a handful of popcorn. “Thanks, Danno.”

Chin entered the room and raised his eyebrows slightly when he saw the way Steve and Danny were sitting before he shook off his surprise and turned to the group. “I got the movie, Maximum Justice.”

Danny recognized the title because he had seen some promos for it in the theaters. It looked like an entertaining buddy cop action film starring Vin Diesel and The Rock, but Danny had never actually seen it.

“I was thinking about seeing that, but I never got the chance when it was out in theaters,” Kono said.

“Me neither,” Chin said. “That's why I thought it would be a good one to rent.”

“Samantha told me she saw it with her boyfriend when it came out,” Lou said. “She said that it was... interesting.”

There seemed to be a significant weight to the word Lou used, interesting. But maybe Danny was just being paranoid. It had been a fairly tough week for all of them. Maybe watching this movie would give Danny a chance to relax.

He quickly got absorbed in the storyline and characters, which were well-developed for an action movie. He could kind of relate to the Vin Diesel character, Andy, who had a daughter, Cynthia. Thirty minutes into the movie, the movie revealed that Cynthia was transgender in a low-key way Danny hadn't been expecting.

“Huh, it's nice they added that to the movie,” Chin said.

Danny nodded and glanced around the table. Everyone, including Steve, seemed impressed by that. He rested his head against the back of Steve's arm, which had drifted down slightly from its position on the top of Danny's chair, and continued to watch the movie.

As the movie continued, Danny kept wondering when one of the guys’ girlfriends would show up. In a lot of these buddy cop movies, at least one of the guys would have a wife or girlfriend, even though the focus of the movie was on the partnership and the friendship between the two men.

That friendship was obviously close, if the “bickering like an old married couple jokes” the guys kept getting from other characters were any indication. They did argue somewhat, since The Rock's character, Matt, was more of a risk-taker and Andy was more of a guy who preferred to do things by the book, but they were constantly smiling at each other and giving each other casual touches. In between the action sequences, the film showed the two characters hanging out and doing stuff together outside of work. They had special nicknames for each other and inside jokes, and they generally just seemed thrilled to be in each other's company.

“These guys kind of remind me of Steve and Danny,” Kono said.

This was what his relationship with Steve would be like if he wasn't a pathetic, pining idiot, Danny thought. It's how it appeared to outsiders, anyway. Danny reached his hand forward in the popcorn bowl and stilled when he felt the back of his hand brushing against Steve's. He swore that he could feel static electricity between them, and his heart was racing just from the way Steve's hand was barely touching his.

Steve's hand had frozen in the bowl, and he was gazing down at Danny with an expression Danny couldn't interpret.

Danny withdrew his hand from the bowl and chuckled feebly. “Sorry.”

Steve blinked and took out another handful of popcorn. “Don’t worry about it.”

Steve sagged in his seat and sighed as if he was deeply disappointed about something. Danny couldn't make heads or tails of Steve’s behavior.

The climax of the movie approached, and Matt was pacing as he worked with a team that included the other cops who had been featured in the movie to deal with a situation in which the main villain of the film was holding a group of people hostage. Andy and Cynthia were included in that group.

Steve's hand tightened on Danny's shoulder, and Danny wondered if Steve was thinking about the winter formal, when Danny and Grace had been held hostage at Grace's school. He glanced up at Steve's face to see that he was intensely focused on the movie.

Finally, the team of cops was able to storm the warehouse where the hostages were being kept. Matt immediately sought out Andy and Cynthia. The daughter rushed forward to hug Matt, which reminded Danny of how Grace and Steve had hugged once all of the terrorists were gone at that dance.

Matt stepped over towards Andy, and they embraced each other in a meaningful way. The hug lasted for a really long time, but Danny just chalked it up to the heightened emotions from the situation they had just been in.

“I was so worried,” Matt said. He pulled away slightly, but his hands were still resting on Andy's shoulders.

Andy glanced down at Matt's shoulders, and he released a deep sigh. “When that guy was holding a gun on all of us, it made me think of all the things I wish I had done with my life. My biggest regret was not telling you this...” Andy paused before gazing right into Matt's eyes. “I love you, Matt.”

“Whoa!” Kono exclaimed. “What's happening right now?”

Lou grinned and shook his head. “Just keep watching.”

Matt was stroking Andy's cheek with his hand, and Danny was starting to feel just as confused as Kono was. Matt's grin was lighting up his entire face. “I love you, too.” And then they started... kissing?

Danny's mouth hung open in shock while Lou burst into laughter. Apparently, Lou had been spoiled for this particular twist. Danny thought Kono might react first, but instead it was Steve, who began coughing.

Shit, is he choking?! Danny patted Steve's back roughly. “Are you all right?”

Steve coughed a couple of more times and nodded. “I'm fine.” His voice was hoarse, but, otherwise, he seemed to be okay. “I just picked a really bad time to eat popcorn.”

“Yeah, but I don't think you could have planned to see Vin Diesel and The Rock making out on screen,” Kono said with an enormous smile. "Not that I object at all.”

Danny looked back at the screen to see that the two actors were indeed, still kissing. And really selling it, too. The whole thing looked very passionate and emotional. At least until one of the background characters told Matt and Andy to get a room.

“Man, I hate that guy,” Steve said.

Danny stared at his partner with wide eyes. Was he enjoying seeing the two main characters make out or something?

It's probably not that. Danny watched as Andy suggested that he and Matt go home. The couple left the scene with Andy's daughter.

Lou grinned. “Aww, well that's just cute. Look at them acting like an adorable little family.”

Danny's heart raced in his chest. The couple and the daughter resembled how he and Steve had been after the end of the dance.

The next scene definitely did not resemble him and Steve after the dance. According to a brief title screen, it was the next morning, and the camera did a slow pan to reveal the two characters in bed. Together. And shirtless, with a sheet below their waists, which suggested that the viewer was supposed to assume that they were naked.

All they were doing was kissing, and Danny felt like goosebumps were forming on his arms. He had watched a romantic comedy with Steve before and they had seen The Notebook together on the couch that one Halloween, but this felt different. Both of the couples in those movies had been a man and a woman, but it felt so much more suggestive to have two men kissing on screen while Steve's arm was wrapped around his shoulders. The fact that Danny wanted to do exactly that with Steve had Danny valiantly attempting to hide the blush rising on his cheeks.

He shot another look at Steve to see how he was taking this. Frankly, Danny was surprised that Steve hadn't removed his arm from Danny's shoulders yet. His breath caught when he saw that Steve was staring right at him and especially when his gaze lowered to Danny's lips. Was Danny imagining things?

Chin's thoughtful humming noise distracted Danny from the hypnotic spell Steve was casting with his eyes. “You know, I thought this was just gonna be a typical buddy cop movie. I definitely wouldn't have expected this from what they advertised in theaters.”

“It's supposed to be a twist,” Lou replied. “It looks a lot different when you know what's already going to happen.”

“You could have told us,” Kono teased. “Might have saved Steve from inhaling his popcorn.”

Lou shook his head vehemently. “And miss seeing the way y'all reacted?! Hell nah!”

“Speaking of which, what did you think, Danno?”

During all of their talking, the movie had transitioned to show Andy and Matt having breakfast together with Cynthia. The sequence was very domestic.

Danny breathed in and out deeply. It felt like Steve was asking him about more than just the movie.

“Well, I didn't know what was going to happen like Chin, so for a while, I was wondering when a girlfriend or wife would show up. But then the kiss happened, and the lack of girlfriends made sense. I mean, look at them...” He gestured vaguely at the screen, where Matt served up a plate of pancakes to Cynthia, before he dropped a kiss on Andy's lips and Cynthia giggled. “They look perfect together.”

Kono smiled over at Danny. “Aww, Danny, that was really sweet.”

Steve leaned in to whisper in Danny's ear. “I think they look perfect together, too.”

Danny was starting to think he wasn't imagining things. Maybe Steve had been having the same thoughts he had been having, making the same connections between their lives and the lives of Matt and Andy. Danny felt hope breaking through his typical negative thoughts, and he let himself bask in the sensation.

The movie concluded and Chin walked to the DVD player as the credits rolled. “Well, I guess they didn't need girlfriends.” Chin opened the DVD player and put the DVD back in its case. He smiled serenely at the group, focusing most of his attention on Steve and Danny. “I think they just needed each other.”

Kono laughed. “You have good taste in movies, but that was really lame, cuz.” She yawned and stretched exaggeratedly. “Wow, look at the time! I better get home soon.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, me too.” Lou stood up as well.

Danny rolled his eyes at their poor acting. It wasn't that late. They were obviously just pretending to be tired so that Steve and Danny could have “alone time.”

The door swung behind Chin as he followed Lou and Kono out of the room. For a couple of moments, Steve and Danny sat in an awkward silence until Steve turned his chair at an angle so that he was facing Danny.

“Hey, Danny, just, uh, hypothetically speaking...”

“Of course.” Danny nodded, trying not to grin too hard.

“If we were in a buddy cop movie, do you think the girlfriends would show up at some point?”

Danny shook his head. He started to lean in and let his goofy smile break through. “No. Hypothetically, do you think we would surprise everyone?”

Steve beamed as he leaned in further, and his gaze traveled down to Danny's lips again. “Yeah. Hypothetically.”

Danny closed the small distance between their lips, and the kiss they shared was not hypothetical. It was filled with laughter because Steve was apparently so happy that he couldn't stop smiling, and Danny ended up kissing his teeth. The next one was more tender, because after Danny finally stopped laughing, Steve cradled Danny's face in his hands and kissed him with all of the emotion he had been suppressing (which was a lot since Steve often had trouble expressing his feelings). Most importantly, the kisses were no longer imaginary or on a movie screen. They were very real, and they were very Steve and Danny, happy together as they should be.

New Post has been published on

New Post has been published on http://leadershipmentoring4free.info/the-formula-for-online-business-success-2/

The Formula For Online Business Success

“I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You can’t truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles.” Zig Ziglar In mathematics, a formula is a fact, rule, or principle that is expressed in terms of mathematical symbols. In other words a formula is simple a recipe, thus will always give the same results always when followed properly. In this sense therefore the formula for success should always leads to one thing-SUCCESS. However, it is a well known fact that some people like to take some shortcuts and thus a recipe doesn’t normally produce the same results always. Having said that, there are some principles which will work irrespective of what you think or say and one such principle is gravity. If you jump from a house or any height, according to the principle of gravity you will go down. Your initially direction might be up but soon you will be headed downwards. This is a simple and yet powerful principle that will treat you in the same way as anyone else. Similarly there are some principles of success (Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.) that will always produce the same result when adhered to. While doing my research I found the following statement which is very true when it comes to success in business. The formula for success = your human capital (what you know) times your social capital (who you know) times your reputation (who trusts you).This formula can be summarized as follows:BUSINESS SUCCESS = APPLIED KNOWLEDGE * RELATIONSHIP*TRUST The following quote explains the formula in a nutshell “You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” Zig Ziglar Lets breakdown the formula into manageable chunks: Applied knowledgeCan you identify with this saying? “Knowledge is power.” This statement even though it sounds great, it is not really complete as it is. Knowledge is only potential power. The power is in the application of knowledge. Knowledge becomes power when, and if, it’s organized into plans of action and acted upon. The problem with many individuals is that they think accumulation of information is knowledge and also that knowledge is power. It’s not how much you know that will get you wealth, but how much you are doing with what you know that matters most. Napoleon Hill said it in a very convincing way when he said that knowledge will not attract money unless it’s organized and intelligently directed through practical plans of action to the definite end of accumulation of money. For example you can know a lot about horse racing or celebrity gossip but this knowledge will be of little benefit to you and others unless you organize and package it. Acquiring information and knowledge and not using it will just make you a living library.

The secret to great wealth accumulation comes as a result of power acquired through highly organized and intelligently directed specialized knowledge. And here is what most people don’t know-you don’t need to know everything. As long as you know where to get the knowledge needed to solve a problem then you’re educated. Successful people like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Bill gates and many others know that to prosper you have to surround yourself with people with specialized knowledge.Successful people are those who never stop acquiring specialized knowledge related to their major purpose, business or profession. If you’re a business person you have to keep on learning new marketing and selling strategies etc. Unsuccessful people stop learning the day they finish formal education.There is absolutely no virtue in ignorance whichever way you look at it. In life the things you pay for are those that you cannot make, operate or even procure all by yourself. Ignorance is not bliss you will pay for whatever you don’t know. For example if your car breaks down and you can’t fix it, you will have to pay a mechanic to fix it for you; whatever you don’t know will cost you.As Zig Ziglar said, when you apply what you know to help other people achieve whatever they want, they will also help you achieve whatever you want. Your level of success will be directly proportional to the magnitude of the problems you’re willing to solve for others. Every invention, service and product is a solution to a certain problem. If you will just listen to people when they talk about their problems, and find out what they want and what you ought to supply them, and then supply it, your success will be guaranteed. There is no other great secret of success than this- You must first know the demand. You must first know what people need, and then invest yourself where you are most needed. Find a hungry niche and give them what they want. In this way you will be a problem solver To be a problem solver you need to understand people’s needs and thus the need for relationship. BUILD LASTING RELATIONSHPS “Whoever renders service to many puts himself in line for greatness- great wealth, great return, great satisfaction, great reputation and great joy.”Jim Rohn Financial prosperity is a numbers thing. He who can make more friends or customers prospers. It’s very difficult for a person to achieve anything they desire in life without the cooperation of other people. On the other hand if you render quality and timely service to many you are destined for greatness. Where the people are not valued success becomes scarce, and where people are valued and feels important success is inevitable.

All successful people know the value of good relationships. They know and master the skill of treating each individual as a king. Everyone is special in their eyes and the secret of great success is to make them feel even more special. When you treat people in a special way no matter who they are, they will reward you much more than you can ever imagine possible. The truth is that nobody really cares who you’re and how much you know until they know that you care. If you just run over people’s emotions and never pay attention your success is limited. To touch people’s lives you must first establish a relationship with them. When you can identify with a lot of people, they will respect you for who you are and in the long run your simplicity and approach-ability will pay you greatly. Almost every successful leader, businessperson, salesperson and many others who deal with people know the value of giving people what they yearn for most- recognition.

People want to be important and feel that they are needed. Your duty therefore is to make them important. Make them feel like kings. Success does not come cheap and it’s almost impossible to prosper on a solo-project. Everyone who achieves much does it with the help of other people. People will help you achieve your desires if you help them achieve theirs. In other words all success is based on relational success. Without good relationships between the employers and employees, salesperson and customers, the teacher and the students etc. it becomes very difficult to succeed.

How do you establish good relationships? Business relationships like any other relationship don’t just happen. Relationships don’t just happen automatically. They don’t just appear, they are created and developed. Successful business people develop a network of customers and friendships.

The way to establish a path to financial prosperity is to balance your love for self and others and this can only be achieved if you show genuine interest in others. If you don’t like people they won’t buy any service or product from you. People buy you before they can buy anything from you. There is no other way outside relationships- you have to be genuinely interested in helping people succeed in order to prosper financially. A genuine interest in people is priceless. A pleasing personality is even more profitable because not only will it get you friends but long time trusted customers and even business partners. So the next time you meet a new person treat them like a king. Who knows you might just have met and talked to a millionaire or a future president of your country.

Only those who are prepared to pay the price will benefit from successful relationships. Are you prepared to pay the price? It doesn’t cost that much only a genuine interest in people would do you good. Here is the advice from Robert Kiyosaki, author of ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’: “if you really want to be rich cultivate friendships with successful people. These are the people who will help you meet your financial goals.” Who are your friends and what contribution do they have in your life?

Your success is hidden in your ability to relate with other people. This calls for excellence in all areas of your life; in business, family, team, mastermind group, class, church etc. Its only when you learn to treat everyone like a king that you will be given the kingly crown. A man chooses his side by the relationships he is prepared to end and those which he is willing to pursue and invest in. The choice is yours; you’re in control of your destiny. Choose today to be wealthy; choose to have great friends and choose to be a man of integrity. Above all apply wisdom in all your deals and prefer relationship over making quick gains.

How to instil trust in your customers Genuine customer trust in your business can be a rewarding competitive advantage especially in today’s world where competition can be global. Every successful business understands that earning customer trust is the only way to win and keep customers coming back to you. Trust is built slowly over time. However, once established, trust births customer loyalty for your products or services. Loyal customers can quadruple your returns. The following will guide you towards establishing customer trust and can be applied both online and offline.

Transparent: Let the customers know who is behind the business or the products you are promoting and also why you are doing what you are doing. When the customers know you better or at least perceive that you are a real individual concerned about their success, they will help you succeed. It’s much easier to establish trust through person-to-person contact than online and therefore you have to do more online to instil trust in your customers. You must also be truthful about everything you do and the quality of your products or services. Match your promises and actions with your values. Compromising your character and values for a quick profit is not an option. Tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Nothing can beat sincerity and honesty in your business and nothing is harder to regain than lost trust.

Respect the customer and make them feel special. Any relationship will hardly thrive where there is no respect for each individual involved in the relationship. Your part as a businessperson is to be responsible for all your actions and treat customers with respect. There is a saying that the customer is the boss and the sooner you learn it the better. Whenever you treat customers in a special way and reward them accordingly they will continue to buy from you even if you increase the price. As long as the customer trust you and your services or products you are the boss, but don’t let them know that. Just act as if they are the boss and you will reap the rewards. People will always thrive where they are loved, respected and made special than where they are just tolerated.

Usefulness, Unbeatable and Unbelievable: Why should the customer buy from you? In order to build a lasting relationship of trust with your customers, you must be useful to them. The possibility is that there might be many other people offering products or services that are similar to yours thus you have to be different to attract the customers. Your objection must be to add value to the customer and not just sell them a product or service. You can not afford to portray yourself as a money magnet. Magnets only attract things to them selves and they never give away. By being a giver you will automatically put yourself on the receiving side. To be unbeatable you must add value to your customers. You can add value by providing your subscribers or customers with valuable, quality offers and advice. Use your newsletter (ezine) and mailing list to keep in touch with the customers. Communication will help you reinforce customer trust especially when it’s personalised. Provide advice, tips, hints, inspirational quotes, and quality endorsements freely. In other words promise well and deliver the best. There are very few businesses that offer such an unbelievable service.

Security, Satisfaction and Specific – as already stated it’s much easier to establish customer trust offline than online. However, it’s possible to instil customer trust by paying attention to their fears and concerns. Customers need a sense of security and privacy especially considering the high rates of internet fraud and identity theft and many other scams that have infiltrated the internet. Where there is customer satisfaction business grows. Are you customers satisfied by your services and their security concerns? Is your site secure? There is seriously no way around security satisfaction and you must provide your customers with a sense of security. Security icons on your website such as (Hacker Safe) are very useful. In fact security icons are transactional in the case that they represent a safe exchange of their money for the products or services without risking the customer’s safety. You must be specific about what your product can do and what benefits can be gained from your services. Don’t leave anyone guessing about what you’re selling and the value of your services. Trust is developed with time but can be accelerated by specificity and clarity. It is rewarding to spell out your guarantee clearly and let your word be your bond. Make sure you stand by whatever guarantees your give and make it easy for customers to leave feedback and complain about any service or product they are not satisfied with. Customer dissatisfaction can tarnish your business image and thus the sooner you resolve any customer problem the better.

Testimonials are a very powerful tool you can use to instil customer trust. On itself a positive testimonial is tempting and can speed up the buying process. Using testimonials, or “user feedback,” to promote products and services has proven to be one of the most effective ways to build credibility and earn customer trust. It is therefore very crucial to actively solicit testimonials from satisfied customers and display them where customers can easily see them. An endorsement of a satisfied customer can work wonders on your behalf and this is especially true for online business. For example the higher the number of positive feedback on eBay can actually increase a sellers business. People like to do business with someone that is trustworthy and they need that extra assurance provided by fellow customers.

Warren Buffet once said, “Trust is like the air we breathe, when it’s present, nobody really notices. But when it’s absent, everybody notices.” As a reminder: BUSINESS SUCCESS = APPLIED KNOWLEDGE * RELATIONSHIP*TRUST And I sincerely believe that anyone who models this formula appropriately in his online as well as offline business will succeed in the long run.

Enroll in a System designed to improve interpersonal skills and recruit one a day.  https://tinyurl.com/n47wfwu

Business Opportunity Get a 0ne minute presentation with Erving Croxen Skype= network4seccess1

Or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/1497107700584907/

“Finally, An Easy Way To Recruit – Rejection FREE – Without Wasting Your Time & Money Chasing Dead Beat Prospects & Leads…” https://tinyurl.com/jwjzmxh

New Post has been published on

New Post has been published on http://leadershipmentoring4free.info/the-formula-for-online-business-success/

The Formula For Online Business Success

“I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You can’t truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles.” Zig Ziglar In mathematics, a formula is a fact, rule, or principle that is expressed in terms of mathematical symbols. In other words a formula is simple a recipe, thus will always give the same results always when followed properly. In this sense therefore the formula for success should always leads to one thing-SUCCESS. However, it is a well known fact that some people like to take some shortcuts and thus a recipe doesn’t normally produce the same results always. Having said that, there are some principles which will work irrespective of what you think or say and one such principle is gravity. If you jump from a house or any height, according to the principle of gravity you will go down. Your initially direction might be up but soon you will be headed downwards. This is a simple and yet powerful principle that will treat you in the same way as anyone else. Similarly there are some principles of success (Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.) that will always produce the same result when adhered to. While doing my research I found the following statement which is very true when it comes to success in business. The formula for success = your human capital (what you know) times your social capital (who you know) times your reputation (who trusts you).This formula can be summarized as follows:BUSINESS SUCCESS = APPLIED KNOWLEDGE * RELATIONSHIP*TRUST The following quote explains the formula in a nutshell “You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” Zig Ziglar Lets breakdown the formula into manageable chunks: Applied knowledgeCan you identify with this saying? “Knowledge is power.” This statement even though it sounds great, it is not really complete as it is. Knowledge is only potential power. The power is in the application of knowledge. Knowledge becomes power when, and if, it’s organized into plans of action and acted upon. The problem with many individuals is that they think accumulation of information is knowledge and also that knowledge is power. It’s not how much you know that will get you wealth, but how much you are doing with what you know that matters most. Napoleon Hill said it in a very convincing way when he said that knowledge will not attract money unless it’s organized and intelligently directed through practical plans of action to the definite end of accumulation of money. For example you can know a lot about horse racing or celebrity gossip but this knowledge will be of little benefit to you and others unless you organize and package it. Acquiring information and knowledge and not using it will just make you a living library.

The secret to great wealth accumulation comes as a result of power acquired through highly organized and intelligently directed specialized knowledge. And here is what most people don’t know-you don’t need to know everything. As long as you know where to get the knowledge needed to solve a problem then you’re educated. Successful people like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Bill gates and many others know that to prosper you have to surround yourself with people with specialized knowledge.Successful people are those who never stop acquiring specialized knowledge related to their major purpose, business or profession. If you’re a business person you have to keep on learning new marketing and selling strategies etc. Unsuccessful people stop learning the day they finish formal education.There is absolutely no virtue in ignorance whichever way you look at it. In life the things you pay for are those that you cannot make, operate or even procure all by yourself. Ignorance is not bliss you will pay for whatever you don’t know. For example if your car breaks down and you can’t fix it, you will have to pay a mechanic to fix it for you; whatever you don’t know will cost you.As Zig Ziglar said, when you apply what you know to help other people achieve whatever they want, they will also help you achieve whatever you want. Your level of success will be directly proportional to the magnitude of the problems you’re willing to solve for others. Every invention, service and product is a solution to a certain problem. If you will just listen to people when they talk about their problems, and find out what they want and what you ought to supply them, and then supply it, your success will be guaranteed. There is no other great secret of success than this- You must first know the demand. You must first know what people need, and then invest yourself where you are most needed. Find a hungry niche and give them what they want. In this way you will be a problem solver To be a problem solver you need to understand people’s needs and thus the need for relationship. BUILD LASTING RELATIONSHPS “Whoever renders service to many puts himself in line for greatness- great wealth, great return, great satisfaction, great reputation and great joy.”Jim Rohn Financial prosperity is a numbers thing. He who can make more friends or customers prospers. It’s very difficult for a person to achieve anything they desire in life without the cooperation of other people. On the other hand if you render quality and timely service to many you are destined for greatness. Where the people are not valued success becomes scarce, and where people are valued and feels important success is inevitable.

All successful people know the value of good relationships. They know and master the skill of treating each individual as a king. Everyone is special in their eyes and the secret of great success is to make them feel even more special. When you treat people in a special way no matter who they are, they will reward you much more than you can ever imagine possible. The truth is that nobody really cares who you’re and how much you know until they know that you care. If you just run over people’s emotions and never pay attention your success is limited. To touch people’s lives you must first establish a relationship with them. When you can identify with a lot of people, they will respect you for who you are and in the long run your simplicity and approach-ability will pay you greatly. Almost every successful leader, businessperson, salesperson and many others who deal with people know the value of giving people what they yearn for most- recognition.

People want to be important and feel that they are needed. Your duty therefore is to make them important. Make them feel like kings. Success does not come cheap and it’s almost impossible to prosper on a solo-project. Everyone who achieves much does it with the help of other people. People will help you achieve your desires if you help them achieve theirs. In other words all success is based on relational success. Without good relationships between the employers and employees, salesperson and customers, the teacher and the students etc. it becomes very difficult to succeed.

How do you establish good relationships? Business relationships like any other relationship don’t just happen. Relationships don’t just happen automatically. They don’t just appear, they are created and developed. Successful business people develop a network of customers and friendships.

The way to establish a path to financial prosperity is to balance your love for self and others and this can only be achieved if you show genuine interest in others. If you don’t like people they won’t buy any service or product from you. People buy you before they can buy anything from you. There is no other way outside relationships- you have to be genuinely interested in helping people succeed in order to prosper financially. A genuine interest in people is priceless. A pleasing personality is even more profitable because not only will it get you friends but long time trusted customers and even business partners. So the next time you meet a new person treat them like a king. Who knows you might just have met and talked to a millionaire or a future president of your country.

Only those who are prepared to pay the price will benefit from successful relationships. Are you prepared to pay the price? It doesn’t cost that much only a genuine interest in people would do you good. Here is the advice from Robert Kiyosaki, author of ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’: “if you really want to be rich cultivate friendships with successful people. These are the people who will help you meet your financial goals.” Who are your friends and what contribution do they have in your life?

Your success is hidden in your ability to relate with other people. This calls for excellence in all areas of your life; in business, family, team, mastermind group, class, church etc. Its only when you learn to treat everyone like a king that you will be given the kingly crown. A man chooses his side by the relationships he is prepared to end and those which he is willing to pursue and invest in. The choice is yours; you’re in control of your destiny. Choose today to be wealthy; choose to have great friends and choose to be a man of integrity. Above all apply wisdom in all your deals and prefer relationship over making quick gains.

How to instil trust in your customers Genuine customer trust in your business can be a rewarding competitive advantage especially in today’s world where competition can be global. Every successful business understands that earning customer trust is the only way to win and keep customers coming back to you. Trust is built slowly over time. However, once established, trust births customer loyalty for your products or services. Loyal customers can quadruple your returns. The following will guide you towards establishing customer trust and can be applied both online and offline.

Transparent: Let the customers know who is behind the business or the products you are promoting and also why you are doing what you are doing. When the customers know you better or at least perceive that you are a real individual concerned about their success, they will help you succeed. It’s much easier to establish trust through person-to-person contact than online and therefore you have to do more online to instil trust in your customers. You must also be truthful about everything you do and the quality of your products or services. Match your promises and actions with your values. Compromising your character and values for a quick profit is not an option. Tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Nothing can beat sincerity and honesty in your business and nothing is harder to regain than lost trust.

Respect the customer and make them feel special. Any relationship will hardly thrive where there is no respect for each individual involved in the relationship. Your part as a businessperson is to be responsible for all your actions and treat customers with respect. There is a saying that the customer is the boss and the sooner you learn it the better. Whenever you treat customers in a special way and reward them accordingly they will continue to buy from you even if you increase the price. As long as the customer trust you and your services or products you are the boss, but don’t let them know that. Just act as if they are the boss and you will reap the rewards. People will always thrive where they are loved, respected and made special than where they are just tolerated.

Usefulness, Unbeatable and Unbelievable: Why should the customer buy from you? In order to build a lasting relationship of trust with your customers, you must be useful to them. The possibility is that there might be many other people offering products or services that are similar to yours thus you have to be different to attract the customers. Your objection must be to add value to the customer and not just sell them a product or service. You can not afford to portray yourself as a money magnet. Magnets only attract things to them selves and they never give away. By being a giver you will automatically put yourself on the receiving side. To be unbeatable you must add value to your customers. You can add value by providing your subscribers or customers with valuable, quality offers and advice. Use your newsletter (ezine) and mailing list to keep in touch with the customers. Communication will help you reinforce customer trust especially when it’s personalised. Provide advice, tips, hints, inspirational quotes, and quality endorsements freely. In other words promise well and deliver the best. There are very few businesses that offer such an unbelievable service.

Security, Satisfaction and Specific – as already stated it’s much easier to establish customer trust offline than online. However, it’s possible to instil customer trust by paying attention to their fears and concerns. Customers need a sense of security and privacy especially considering the high rates of internet fraud and identity theft and many other scams that have infiltrated the internet. Where there is customer satisfaction business grows. Are you customers satisfied by your services and their security concerns? Is your site secure? There is seriously no way around security satisfaction and you must provide your customers with a sense of security. Security icons on your website such as (Hacker Safe) are very useful. In fact security icons are transactional in the case that they represent a safe exchange of their money for the products or services without risking the customer’s safety. You must be specific about what your product can do and what benefits can be gained from your services. Don’t leave anyone guessing about what you’re selling and the value of your services. Trust is developed with time but can be accelerated by specificity and clarity. It is rewarding to spell out your guarantee clearly and let your word be your bond. Make sure you stand by whatever guarantees your give and make it easy for customers to leave feedback and complain about any service or product they are not satisfied with. Customer dissatisfaction can tarnish your business image and thus the sooner you resolve any customer problem the better.

Testimonials are a very powerful tool you can use to instil customer trust. On itself a positive testimonial is tempting and can speed up the buying process. Using testimonials, or “user feedback,” to promote products and services has proven to be one of the most effective ways to build credibility and earn customer trust. It is therefore very crucial to actively solicit testimonials from satisfied customers and display them where customers can easily see them. An endorsement of a satisfied customer can work wonders on your behalf and this is especially true for online business. For example the higher the number of positive feedback on eBay can actually increase a sellers business. People like to do business with someone that is trustworthy and they need that extra assurance provided by fellow customers.

Warren Buffet once said, “Trust is like the air we breathe, when it’s present, nobody really notices. But when it’s absent, everybody notices.” As a reminder: BUSINESS SUCCESS = APPLIED KNOWLEDGE * RELATIONSHIP*TRUST And I sincerely believe that anyone who models this formula appropriately in his online as well as offline business will succeed in the long run.

Enroll in a System designed to improve interpersonal skills and recruit one a day.  https://tinyurl.com/n47wfwu

Business Opportunity Get a 0ne minute presentation with Erving Croxen Skype= network4seccess1

Or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/1497107700584907/

“Finally, An Easy Way To Recruit – Rejection FREE – Without Wasting Your Time & Money Chasing Dead Beat Prospects & Leads…” https://tinyurl.com/jwjzmxh