maggie33

Good news – mom feels much better today and they said that she should be able to go home tomorrow. Here is hoping nothing will happen to prevent that.

And now let’s talk about dramas that help me cope with sucky RL. 😊


Love Scout episode 8

I was in a constant state of 😍 through the whole episode. That was so wonderful and sweet and fluffy.

Squee with spoilers behind the cut.

I started smiling and making a lot of aww noises since the beginning of the episode when Kang Ji Yun and Yu Eun Ho have that lovely, honest talk about their mutual feelings. And they are both so giddy with their new love and radiant, and happy.

“I’ll be good to you. I like you a lot.”

Aww... ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

And our second leads started bonding, partially like I’ve predicted about having lost an older sibling. But also about both of them being in an unrequited love. The way they fight over who has it worse... LOL

And aww, there is the third super sweet couple between two employee of Ju Yun’s company – they are so adorable together. And really bad at keeping their relationship a secret. LOL again.

On a more serious note – I like how they’re bringing up the issue of single parents often being judged. Ji Yun’s friend Mi Ae is happy for Eun Ho when she hears that he found someone. But then she finds out it is her best friend, and she gets conflicted because she wants Ji Yun to date “someone without flaws.” Of course Ji Yun instantly says that being a single parent is not a flaw and I love her for that.

And, since it is a kdrama after all, I know they gave us all this cuteness and sweetness because the dark clouds are gathering. There is our second lead’s father showing his true villainous colors, and of course the reveal about their past is rapidly coming. I mean Ji Yun’s father dying while saving Eun Ho’s life. Because he did, right? There were such obvious hints earlier, and it’s a very kdrama things to do. So I expect heartbreak and suffering soon.

But apart from all that our leads behave like mature, reasonable adults, they’re communicating so well, and they are very deeply and sincerely in love with each other. I really hope that the drama won’t go in the direction of noble idiocy or other stupid tropes like that.

And Eun Ho’s daughter Byeol is my 2nd favorite child in a kdrama. She would be the 1st if not for Baek Eun Ha from Flower of Evil. Baek Eun Ha is hard to beat in that category. 😊

Perfect 10 Liners episode 14

GMMTV, give Aou and Boom drama where they are the leads now, do you hear me? They owned this episode despite being in it only for four minutes. But what glorious four minutes it was. And yes, if you couldn’t guess I have a new obsession and it’s Klao/Warich. My sexy, gorgeous, toxic boys, I love them so much.

More with spoilers and two pics (a bit NSFW) here.

First there was this scene on the couch:

“Are you tired tonight?”
“If I say I’m tired, will you let me sleep?”
“I’ll let you... lie still.”

And I saw a snippet of an interview with the cast and wow, that move of Klao picking Warich up and carrying him to the bedroom was improvised and it was Aou’s idea. Thank you Aou, thank you so much, you serve us well. 😊

And then this scene in bed:

"I'm not jealous anymore. I'm just possessive. Especially these eyes of yours.... I'm so possessive of them"
"You're crazy."
"Yes. And you're crazy."

They are both so messed up. And Warich clearly likes when his lovers are a bit younger, a bit damaged, moody, violent and when they make him their whole world.

And I don’t like smoking in real life, but damn, Aou looks hot smoking.

Link to the beginning of their four minutes on yotube. If you maybe would like to watch all that hotness in motion.

Check in Hanyang

If Sungkyunkwan Scandal and The Secret Romantic Guesthouse had a baby this drama would be that baby. There is a crossdressing heroine, a palace intrigue, a prince pretending to be a commoner, and Jung Gun Joo as the second male lead again.

I started watching it last week and I almost caught up to a newest episode. I enjoy it a lot. It’s nothing particularly original, but it’s funny and cute. Mostly. It is a sageuk, so of course there is drama and angst from time to time, and tragedy in both our main leads’ past. And as an additional plus for me there is Kim Min Jung in a secondary part being gorgeous and subtly intimidating, which she does so well. 😊

I have a lot of thoughts about all the dramas I watched lately, but no energy to write them down. So instead I’m making a post about fandomtrees.

A rec first for a fic that was posted only in the dreamwidth comment, and probably not many people saw it. And I really liked it and think it’s definitely worth reading.

It’s an OW fic written for a prompt: "A ghost tries to communicate with the new inhabitant/s of their former home. Sadly nobody understands their cryptic messages. Your character is brought in to help."

It’s melancholy and touching, but hopeful, too, with a sweet, uplifting ending. And it’s written in second person POV. And that POV very rarely works for me, but here it works perfectly and I love it.

good bones (OW fic, ~1800 words) written by mumblemumble


And I wrote two fics – a Chief Kim ficlet (for china_shop, of course 😊) and a smutty M/M OW fic.

My (future) boyfriend’s jacket (1059 words)
Fandom: 김과장 | Good Manager (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kim Sung Ryong/Seo Yul
Characters: Seo Yul, Kim Sung Ryong
Additional Tags: Banter, Teasing, Wearing His Clothes, First Kiss
Summary:

Seo Yul has a clothing emergency. Kim Sung Ryong is all too happy to lend a helping hand. :)

The key to the kingdom (4747 words)
Fandom: Original Work
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Conquering Warlord/War Trophy Prince
Characters: Original Male Character(s)
Additional Tags: Dubious Consent, Wearing Nothing But Jewelry, Anal Sex, Rough Sex, Coming Untouched, Dom/sub Undertones, Light Breathplay, Public Claiming (mentioned)
Summary:

Not even two full moons had passed since Prince Dalegor’s men first crossed the borders, and now King Vars’s army was defeated and King Vars was dead. Nadar thought that Prince Dalegor’s name didn’t really suit him. The one who defeats the fire... When it was him who brought the fire to them and burned their houses down.

And now Dalegor demanded their prince as a war trophy. What Dalegor wanted to do with that trophy Nadar didn’t know, but he was sure it wouldn’t be anything nice. There were enough unpleasant rumors about Dalegor’s ruthlessness and cruelty.

A Virtuous Business

I finished it. The last three episodes were rushed and a bit weaker than the rest of the drama IMO. But still I can sincerely recommend it. It was a lovely drama that was mainly about women being awesome, and about deep female friendship. With a happy, uplifting ending. I loved it.


Love Scout episodes 1-2

You know that story that was told in kdramas so many times before – the one about a romance between a cold, prickly, strict, and high-maintenance CEO and a warm, caring, kind, well-organized secretary? I’m usually pretty meh about this kind of plot. Unless you make CEO a woman and her new secretary a man, and a single parent at that. That will make me check at least an episode or two. 😊 Which I did, and I enjoyed the first two episodes of Love Scout so much. Here is hoping that the rest will be good, too.

And I think it’s a noona romance, too. In RL the female lead is two years older than the male lead. And it seems it’s the same in the drama.

A bit more with spoilers (and one vid) here.

Kang Ji Yun is CEO of a headhunting company with a tragic backstory and childhood trauma, who is so overworked and stressed that she fainted at work and had to be taken to the hospital. Her coworker and friend hires Yu Eun Ho as her secretary. Eun Ho was a talented HR manager at his previous firm, but he was fired because his boss bore a grudge against him for taking a year off for paternity leave when Eun Ho’s six years old daughter had psychological problems. His boss blames Eun Ho for failure of an important project, which resulted in the boss not getting the promotion at work.

Of course Ji Yun is at first against hiring Eun Ho and treats him coldly in the beginning. But it’s mostly because they had antagonistic interactions earlier, before he started working for her. And she thinks, with good reasons, that he doesn’t respect headhunters and the work they do. And he admits that she’s right about that and apologizes and asks her to teach him about her work. I love that they communicate like mature adults they are.

And of course very soon she starts to change her mind about him. And I think feelings on both sides are already forming. They even had a significant moment in the 2nd episode with slow motion and looking deeply into each other eyes.

What is funny that Eun Ho basically had a meet cute moment with the second male lead in episode 2, too. Also with slow motion and looking deeply into each other eyes when Eun Ho caught Jeong Hun in his arms after Jeong Hun stumbled and almost fell down. I’m grateful to SBS for putting a short vid of this scene on Youtube. Here it is:

Watch on YouTube

What can I say, I enjoy slashy moments in kdramas a lot. 😊

And I find it so cute that what Eun Ho does for Ji Yun in the beginning is what one basically does for a child. He places his hand under the edge of her desk to protect her from bumping her head when she’s looking for something on the floor (because he noticed earlier that she often did that), he installs edge protectors on all the sharp corners of her desk and filing cabinets in her office, he fixes her office’s door so it opens more easily, he organizes her very messy desk, and he takes care of plants in her office so they no longer die.

And I love how the drama shows Eun Ho’s home in the bright and warm colors and in contrast Ji Yun’s house is blue and grey, empty and cold.

What I am a bit meh about is a love triangle with our leads and the second female lead - the single mother of the boy, who is Eun Ho’s daughter’s best friend. She clearly has a big crush on Eun Ho. But at least it’s clear that Eun Ho doesn’t have any romantic feelings for her.

Ossan’s Love Thailand episode 1

You know what? I enjoyed it. A lot. It was funny and cute. Earth as a sweet, enthusiastic, dorky dumbass is adorable. Mix looks beautiful (especially while wearing glasses in flashbacks) and his character is adorable, too. And of course knowing Thailand’s fixed BL pairings thing it’s obvious that Heng (Earth) and Mo (Mix) will end up together. But I have to say that I like Kongdech (Heng’s boss who has a biggest crush on Heng) a lot, too. I hope the drama will find him another nice boyfriend. 😊


And now trailers.

Nocturnal

It’s Kim Nam Gil’s new movie. The tagline on the poster says “My brother’s death was written in the novel first.” It’s about the guy who wants to uncover the truth behind his younger brother’s mysterious death and the disappearance of his brother’s wife. He finds out that it’s connected to a bestselling novel that predicted this incident. Kim Nam Gil plays the writer of this novel.

The vid has only English subs auto-translated from Korean, so they are pretty bad. But still that trailer looks good. And ohhh, does that mean it’s Kim Nam Gil as a villain again? Gimme, I want it so much. It premiers in Korea on February the 5th. I hope it will be available for international audiences later.


I'll Turn Back This Time

It’s a new modern Chinese BL drama with Li Yimu and Kou Weilong i.e. Jinbao and Que Siming from Meet You At The Blossom. It’s made by the same team that made MYATB.

The short synopsis I found says: “Shen Nan and Gu Shiwen become step-brothers through their parents' remarriage. As they grow closer, and Gu Shiwen decides to confess his feelings, tragedy strikes. Shen Nan, who travels back in time, tries to change their fate.”

It looks good, and they look great together dressed in modern clothes. I do plan to watch it, but I will probably wait until all of it airs. It premieres on GagaOOLala on January 11. It will have six 50 minutes long episodes.


Reset: The Rebirth of a Star

It’s a new Thai BL drama with Pond Ponlavit (whom I know from Fourever You) and Peterpan Tadsapon (whom I loved as Phayu in Oh My Sunshine Night).

Funnily enough it’s also a drama about traveling back in time and trying to fix bad things that happened in the past. It’s about famous actor Armin, who dies after being betrayed by his lover. But then he wakes up on the set of his first movie where he was just an extra, and later meets a mysterious man named Thada, who claims to be his fan.

This is just a pilot trailer, but I’ve read that they already started filming. And based on that trailer I’m definitely in – it looks sexy, intriguing and entertaining. And the leads have great chemistry. I will try this one for sure.

Yuletide is very generous for me. I got two lovely fics for Meet You At The Blossom and The Time of Fever (details below). And as of today all my recipients commented on the fics I posted. And a few other people commented, too. Yay! And there is a lot of fics for me to read, really a lot. I already left many comments, because almost every fic I started was ranging from good to excellent for me. And I still have so many tabs open.

Flying Kites (1796 words)
Fandom: 花开有时颓靡无声 | Meet You at the Blossom (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jin Xiaobao/Zongzheng Huai'en
Characters: Jin Xiaobao, Zongzheng Huai'en
Additional Tags: Missing Scene, Epiphanies
Summary: Huai'en still has a lot to learn about love but he is willing to try.

Playing with Matches (2520 words)
Fandom: 내 손끝에 너의 온도가 닿을 때 | The Time of Fever (2024), 비의도적 연애담 | Unintentional Love Story (TV 2023)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Go Hotae/Kim Donghee
Additional Tags: Canon scenes, Vignettes, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Getting Together, Kim Dong Hee's internalized homophobia, and Go Ho Tae's complete lack of it, Yuletide Treat
Summary: Ho Tae has been smacked around by angry girlfriends dozens of times and barely felt a thing. He’s taken handbag bruises and cuts—and acquired dozens of tattoos, too—all the while believing he has an unnaturally thick skin. His nerves are permanently deadened after so much swim training at school, he’s reasoned, or his father’s passing severed something crucial in his heart, rendering him numb. But Dong Hee’s punch—which is serious, yes, but doesn’t have much force behind it—lands like a blazing meteor smashing through Ho Tae’s chest.


Drama watching goes well, too. I watched a few more episodes of Fangs of Fortune – still beautiful to watch, still very entertaining and still making me too emotional. 😊

I watched the 1st episode of Thai GL drama Petrichor. It’s a crime drama, and the main romance is between a police officer and a forensic scientist. I liked it, and I will definitely watch more.

I watched four more episodes of Under the Skin 2. I still love it, but I have to take long breaks between each episode since it’s so depressing to watch for me.

Luckily I have something cute and funny to watch to cheer myself up in between watching all those other dramas that make me cry. It’s Rented in Finland. It continues to be a reliable source of amusement and cuteness for me. After watching the 2nd episode I had only one question – what would they do without Kwak Dong Yeon? 😉 The other three are such city boys who can’t handle living in wilderness. Lee Je Hoon tried for 15 minutes to light a fire in episode 2 and he couldn’t do it. Heh... Lee Je Hoon also can’t cook, like at all. He was trying to make scrambled eggs in episode 3, and it was one of the funniest things I’ve seen lately. I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. As for Kwak Dong Yeon - he can cook very well, and knows how to start a fire in seconds, and he’s such a meticulous planner, always prepared for everything. And he is a loner, often trying to find a bit of time to be alone. I love him. ♥

Oh, and I started A Virtuous Business on Netflix, and I’m very glad I did. It’s a Kdrama about four women who started selling adult products door-to-door in a rural village in 1992. I watched four episodes for now and I like it so much. It’s such a lovely, touching drama about a female friendship, and about these four wonderful women being awesome and always supportive of each other. It makes my heart all warm when I watch it. 😊

The Heart Killers episodes 3-4

After I enjoyed the 2nd episode a lot these two episodes were pretty meh for me.

Spoilers here.

Ahhh, that tease in episode 3 with Pepper and JJ’s characters... 😍 I don’t want it to be just teasing. Make them the third couple, show, please.

Of course Fadel has a tragic backstory with a dead lover. I wonder who killed him, was it Mother, or maybe Fadel himself because he thought his lover betrayed them? And Fadel looks so happy in that flashback while dancing with his boyfriend. I don’t think we ever saw him smile in the present time.

And Mother is evil, I have no doubts about that. And probably responsible for deaths of Fadel’s parents and Bison’s parents.

And yeah, I’m over Kant/Bison already. I even fast-forward though most of their scenes, because they bore me. I mean, I like Kant’s relationship with his younger brother, and I like Bison’s scenes with Fadel. But Kant and Bison together, as a couple – it’s one big blah for me.

Fangs of Fortune

Silly me, I wanted to watch something light and funny and pretty to help me unwind when RL sucks. Everything I heard of Fangs of Fortune made it sound like exactly this kind of drama. Ha, ha... I watched episode 9 two days ago, and then I had to take a break because that drama made me teary-eyed yet again. Well, give me a complicated but still deeply loving sibling relationship and there’s a good chance I will love it and probably cry over it. 😊

More here with spoilers.

There is so much grief in this drama – Wen Xiao’s grief over her Shifu and Pei Sijing’s grief over her brother. Something about the way the drama shows that grief hits me right in the heart. Especially everything about Pei Sijing’s relationship with her younger brother. When Pei Siheng said “Live on well” to Pei Sijing while he was dying... Yes, I cried my eyes out.

Thankfully there are also things that make me smile so much. Like Li Lun – I love him, he is so extra. And of course he is, like everyone and everything else in this drama, so gorgeous. And he totally is Zhu Yan’s ex. I laughed when he said: Stupid Chongwu Camp. They don’t deserve to fight you. Heh, he’s so jealous of everyone who interacts with his ex-boyfriend.

I don’t even mind Bai Jiu. I wish he screamed a little less loudly, but I love that he’s such a Zhuo Yichen’s fanboy.

Under the Skin 2

It’s so depressing and dark that I can only watch it in the morning, so I have a whole day to cheer myself up later. Preferably with a fluffy BL drama with minimal angst. 😊

Of course the 1st season wasn’t sunshine and roses, either, I didn’t forget that. But it seems to me that it was a bit less dark and gloomy. I watched four episodes of the 2nd season for now. And guess what – it’s another drama that made me cry. The 4th episode was hard to watch.

Spoilers here, too.

Please, no... No more abused children and murdered children, please. But I think this was only the beginning and there will be more depressing and hard to watch stuff later.

But yes, it was so nice to see Du Cheng and Shen Yi again working together. I missed them. And heh, Shen Yi still falls asleep during a car ride.

And ohhh, I was very intrigued by that scene in episode 3 at the exhibition where a few of Shen Yi’s paintings are presented. When a handsome, and very suspicious stranger says this to Shen Yi about what he sees in those paintings: “If he hadn’t become a cop, he could have been a criminal genius.”

It seems like he doesn’t know that the guy he’s talking to is the author of the paintings, but I don’t know. Like I’ve said that guy is sus, I think we’ll see him again later. And when he said that it instantly made me think of Zhan Yao from SCI. I wonder if we’ll see Shen Yi getting tempted by darkness in this season. I personally would love that.

I thought that this season was only available on Tencent Video and IQIYI, but it’s also officially available on Youtube. At least eight episodes that aired for now are all there.

Playlist is here.


Mandate

This is an upcoming Thai BL drama made by a new production company ASA Studio. The synopsis I found says: “An intense political battle sets the stage for a love story between two people from vastly different backgrounds and social statuses.”

Official teaser is here (no English subs, but there is no dialogue so they’re not necessary).

And ohhh, based on that one minute I’m very intrigued. Politics, scandal, and an age gap pairing – looks like my kind of thing.

It seems Dreamwidth really doesn’t want my money. I tried to pay for another year and their payment processor Stripe doesn’t accept my cards all of a sudden (and it did before). It says that the security code is wrong. Which no, it isn’t, because I use the same cards with the same security codes to pay for my streaming services and other things. I wrote to Dreamwidth’s support and they wrote back that they couldn't do anything about it. So I googled a bit and I found out that apparently this is something that happened sometimes with payments through Stripe. Well, ok then, I will miss a few of my icons, but apart from that I’m fine with a free account. Oh, and I have to look for a good image hosting site. It would be nice to still be able to share various kissing gifs. I like making kissing gifs. 😊

And here are a few good things so this post isn’t just about complaining.


Trailer for the 2nd season of Under the Skin.

I’ve read that it would air sometime in December. Yay! But only on Tencent Video for now. Boo! Let’s hope it will be on VIKI later.


Taeser for a kdrama Check in Hanyang.

It’s a sageuk with crossdressing set in the grandest guesthouse in Joseon called Yongcheonru. Kim Ji Eun plays a woman who disguises herself as a man. She starts working as an intern at Yongcheonru because she dreams about becoming a manager there. There is also Bae In Hyuk as a secret prince and the male lead. The other two main parts are played by two actors I really like: Jung Gun Joo and Park Jaechan.

This teaser makes it look a bit like a Sungkyunkwan Scandal, which I loved. And I like all the actors, so I plan to watch that one. It starts airing on December 21, and it will be on Netflix.


And now for something completely different – two versions of “Alexander Hamilton” in languages other than English.

Korean Version

Polish Version

I love stuff like that. I can’t judge a translation in the Korean version, of course (I can say that I like Korean Aaron Burr a lot, he’s great 😊), but I find Polish translation so fascinating. It does a few things I’m meh about but there are lines that impressed me, because they are translated in such a clever and cool way.

Wow, twenty dramas... A few of those won’t air in 2025 for sure.

There is one het drama with Nanon, one drama with a mix of couples – some gay and some het, two GL dramas, and 16 BL dramas (or rather 15 BL dramas and one ambiguously BL drama). I didn’t expect those proportions. When part two of 2024 lineup was announced there were 14 dramas with seven BL dramas amongst them, so more or less half of it. Now BL dramas made up 80% of the lineup.

And they announced a musical based on The Love of Siam (a movie from 2007 with LGBTQ themes). The cast is unknown for now, but I hope they will give it to actors who can sing. 😊

Behind the cut there are links to all the trailers and my short opinions about them.

Read more.

Dare You to Death

A crime drama with a serial killer, Joong and Dunk not as university students. Looks good. And it has a few of my favorite tropes - antagonists to lovers, and they were roommates, and undercover as a couple amongst them. And sexual tension you can cut with the knife. 😊

Dunk is so handsome and slick in that elegant suit. Joong looks hot as always. There are a lot of other actors I like – June, Sing, Drake, Little Ohm. I’m very much in.

Head 2 Head

Sea and Keen’s second drama. Java and a new guy called Surf are the secondary couple. It’s about two rivals since childhood, who are now neighbors, and there is something supernatural going on. Seems a bit like Bad Buddy, just with a supernatural element.

Ehh, I don’t know. If there won’t be anything else at that time then maybe. Sea and Keen are fine, I liked them in Only Boo, and Java was great in Summer Night.

Burnout Syndrome

OffGun in a dark and serious drama directed again by Nuchy Anucha Boonyawatana (the director of Not Me). Gun is a struggling artist, and Off is a ruthless businessman. But did they let Gun kiss someone else? Wow… And that thumbnail image with the three of them really says “serious and dramatic love triangle”, doesn’t it?

Dare I hope for at least one scene of a full threeway sex? Probably won’t happen. But still it looks very promising, I will be watching this drama for sure.

I Love A Lot of You

Nanon falls in love with a girl with five different personalities. I don’t know, I love Nanon, but it doesn’t really look like something I would like.

Whale Store xoxo

MilkLove in a drama where they are not students or highschoolers this time. The romance is between a teacher and a repair girl. It looks cute. I might watch it.

Only Friends: Dream On

Yes, yes, yes!!! EarthMix, JossGawin, and OhmLeng in the second season of Only Friends. This time it’s about drama students making some sort of “Romeo & Romeo” stage play. It looks messy and sexy, exactly like the 1st season. I’m so excited for this.

And they say Mix’s character is like Boston in this one. I so wanted to see him as a villain, or at least a morally ambiguous character since The Jungle, so I’m here of it.

I wonder if other characters from the 1st season will make a cameo appearance, since Neo is there in the trailer. It would be cool, so here is hoping.

That Summer

WinnySantang in a drama where they are the leads, with Mond and Ryu as the secondary couple. And wow, I love that combination and they look good and hot together. It’s about a romance between a commoner and a prince with amnesia. And it looks so tropey and fun. And it has Neo with his RL girlfriend Mint as the third het couple. I do plan to check this one out for sure.

My Romance Scammer

Two couples - JuniorMark, and Ohm Thitiwat with one of GMMTV’s Flukes. People call that one Dimple Fluke. 😊 It looks mostly fluffy and fun, and I like JuniorMark, so this is a “maybe” for me.

Melody of Secrets

Oh, yes, that looks so good to me. ForceBook in a dark mystery thriller? Gimme. Or maybe it’s a psychological horror? It would be so cool if they let Force be a villain, but I’m sure they won’t. Or, hmmm, maybe he’s playing twins, where one is good and one is evil? That would be cool, too. Whatever it is I will watch it for sure.

Love You Teacher

PerthSanta as leads. But seriously, GMMTV, amnesia again? Mostly done in a comedic way this time, with Santa’s character also reverting to his 7 years old self after a serious accident. The trailer made me cringe already, so no, that one is definitely not for me.

Mu-Te-Luv

A comedic drama with seven different love stories, with magic and superstition. It looks like an anthology series. It has SeaKeen and OhmLeng, and a few het couples. Doesn’t look like something I would like.

Cat for Cash

FirstKhaotung in a cat café AU. 😉 It’s about a debt collector who starts to understand what cats say, and about his romance with a son of one of his clients who died recently.

It was enough for me to see First cuddling and talking with a bunch of adorable kitties, and I was sold instantly. I laughed while watching this trailer, I hope the drama will be as funny and fluffy and sweet as this trailer promises. A love story for cat lovers, indeed. 😊

Girl Rules

NamtanFilm and MilkLove in a messy and sexy GL drama? Sign me up. This is definitely Only Friends GL version. And there is the third couple – View and a newbie Mim. And they all look absolutely gorgeous. I can’t wait to watch it.

Boys in Love

Yes, finally Papang and Podd! They teased us with that couple for a long time and I’m glad they finally delivered. They are teachers and the secondary couple in a high school BL, but I’ll take it. They look good and hot together. Let’s hope for them being leads in 2026. 😊

Apart from them there are three teenage couples, mostly newbies, but they all look adorable. I will watch this one for the teachers, but all the teenage romances seem sweet, too.

My Magic Prophecy

JimmySea in a drama about a doctor and a fortune teller. Eh, looks kinda boring to me, so I don’t know. This one is a “maybe”, too.

A Dog and A Plane

TayNew in a silly romance about a paramedic and a flight attendant. MarcPoon are the secondary couple. Looks cute and funny, and I will probably watch it.

Me and Thee

PondPhuwin as the leads again, yay. Phuwin is a photographer and Pond is a super rich mafia boss, who seems dangerous and shady on the outside, but in reality is a big dork, who loves lakorns and doesn’t know how to woo someone he likes.

I like Pond and Phuwin a lot, and this drama looks fun, so I will be watching.

WU

I thought it would be a BL drama with Sky and Nani after their bromance in High School Frenemy got so popular. But apparently it is not a BL drama? It’s hard to tell what it is about, only that there is magic and tarot reading (again). I’ve read that they put it together very quickly because of Sky and Nani’s popularity as a pairing, despite their drama not being a BL. And it was shot six days before the event. And it shows, because there is no plot here, only vibes.

Memoir of Rati

GreatInn and AouBoom in a historical BL that looks very gorgeous and interesting. It has two romances with class difference, repressed longing, and a lot of angst and drama. Yes, please, that one is for me, absolutely.

Ticket to Heaven

A drama with GeminiFourth, and I like them, but ehh, that one is not my thing. I’m not in the mood for that kind of repressed longing with a conflict between faith and desire, and a lot of Catholic guilt. I might change my mind later, but for now it’s a “no”.

Perfect 10 Liners

Ok, listen, there is nothing new or original about this drama, but I still love it so much. It’s just such a lovely big piece of fluff I can count on to cheer me up each Sunday. For me Force and Book are of course the main draw. And they don’t disappoint here – they’re gorgeous, sexy and sweet. But I am surprised how much I like Marc and Poon in this drama. They are adorable together.


My Damn Business

The last episode aired yesterday, and I have only one complaint about this drama – it was too short. I loved it so much, they managed to tell a simple and lovely getting together story in such a short time. The romance was great and believable, chemistry between the actors was scorching, the kisses were hot and long, and deep. And since this little drama was popular, I hope that they will make another one with the same actors. And hopefully it will be a little bit longer.

And now, after watching all of it, I’ll repeat that I absolutely recommend this drama if you want to watch something short, sweet, and sexy.

The playlist on YouTube is here.

A bit more with spoilers and four kissing pics here.

Woo Jin is a bit of a pushy jerk in the beginning, that’s true. But as soon as Su An tells him that this kind of behavior is making him uncomfortable, Woo Jin apologizes and never does anything like that again. He even takes the blame for Su An’s mistake, and then never tells him about it. Su And finds out about it from another employee Hwang. And I like Hwang, too, so much, despite very short amount of time he had in the drama. But he’s a cutie, and he’s so funny. He always manages to catch Su An and Woo Jin in a position that looks compromising even when there was still nothing between them. And then he’s so understanding about it, heh... I love outsider POV fics, and I want a fic from his POV so much. Maybe I’ll write one.

And usually I’m not really fond of one of kdramas’ favorite trope – a connection from the past, where we find out that one half of the couple was infatuated with the other half for a long time already. But I liked it here, since only Woo Jin remembers it, and for Su An he was just another customer Su An has no recollection of. And it makes Woo Jin’s pushy behavior in the beginning a bit more understandable, since it must have been surreal for him to have a cute barista he was crushing on a few years ago suddenly walk into his office.

Also they totally did more than just kissing in the office in the last scene. Nobody will convince otherwise. Maybe I’ll write this fic, too. 😊

“I’m really ruined. You’re responsible for my life now.”

The Fiery Priest 2 episodes 3-4

I do enjoy the drama, it makes me laugh, and that’s something I need these days. But I feel like they got worse at mixing angst and comedy (despite having almost the same creating team as the 1st season), and it doesn’t work here as well as in the previous season. For now it feels like there are two different parts (slapstick comedy and a dark crime drama) that don’t really mesh together. And the villain is gorgeous like I’ve said, but I’m getting a bit bored with him already. I just prefer villains to have at least a little bit of nuance. Kim Hong Sik is just evil because he’s evil.

I mean all of it could still change, only four episodes aired for now. And good things outweigh those not so good for me for now – Kim Nam Gil being beautiful and amazing, fantastic fighting scenes, and funny secondary characters. And no romance. And that won’t change for sure since the male lead is a Catholic priest. 😊

Depressing RL stuff under the cut here.

November sucks. At least for now. My sister will have another operation on Tuesday. It’s a planned operation, nothing urgent, and hopefully it will be the last one, and she won’t need another operation in the future. But still I can’t help but be worried.

And you know, the weather here is also depressing. It’s dark, often rainy, and gloomy. I don’t like this November at all, ugh...

Fandom is a good distraction thankfully. There are always dramas to watch, and fics to read, and fics to write, too. My Yuletide assignment has 1400 written already, but that’s only one-fourth of it, considering that my estimate for the whole fic is around 6000 words.

And of course, since I should be writing my Yuletide fic, yesterday I wrote 900 words of a new Big Dragon PWP instead. Brain, why are you like this? 😊


Family by Choice episodes 9-10

I still like it a lot, and these episodes benefited from not having a lot of San Ha’s horrible mother in it. I do have a few complaints, but fluffy family feels make up for all the disappointing things in spades.

Spoilers here.

Because really San Ha couldn’t find even a one day during those ten years to come from Seoul and meet with Ju Won in person? I get why Hae Jun never did, he was in USA, so it would be much harder for him to do.

And I’m absolutely 100% on Ju Won’s side when it comes to her being hurt and feeling abandoned by both boys after they left. But at the same time – even if San Ha couldn’t come from Seoul for whatever reason, couldn’t she try to go and see him there even once?

I mean, ok, they did try to explain and justify why San Ha and Hae Jun behaved like that during that time, but they didn’t really do a good job with it IMO. And it felt more like it was just drama for drama’s sake.

But of course there was a lot of good, touching and funny things, too. Like my favorite fatherly relationship in this drama between Hae Jun and Dad Yun. Seriously almost every conversation they have makes me teary-eyed. Because you can clearly see deep love between them and worry about the other person, and trying not to burden the other person with your problems.

And of course Dad Yun and Dad Kim behaving like an old married couple is the best thing. They kept a joint savings book, aww... They bicker and support each other, and understand each other so well. I ship them hard, and I even already have one tiny plot bunny. There might be a fic later after the whole drama aired.

My Damn Business episode 6

Can I just repeat that I love this cute little drama? Why is there only one episode left?

Spoilers here, too.

A guy from Su An’s past appeared, and poor Woo Jin was so jealous. It was hilarious. But it was also so lovely and sweet. Aww, those hand kisses... I love these two so much and I want the happiest ending for them the next week.

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

I started it as the next drama in my quest to watch more things with Lee Joon Gi. I watched the first two episodes, and it’s ok, nothing special for now, but entertaining enough that I want to watch more.

Joon Gi is of course very beautiful and his character is again such a woobie, even if this time he certainly did a few bad things. But surprisingly (or maybe not, considering my usual preference for villains 😊) I’m more enamored with Hong Jong Hyun as the main villain the 3rd Prince Yo. That cruel smirk, those pretty eyes made even prettier by very visible eyeliner (which is totally a kdrama way of saying ‘beware, he’s evil’ 😉)... I only saw Hong Jong Hyun in The King Loves before, and he was a good guy there. But he is a very beautiful and captivating villain. I’m in, especially since that drama’s ending is kinda famous, but I know it since I like spoilers, so I won’t be blindsided by it. 😊

I have one problem now. But it’s a good problem to have – there are too many things I want to watch. 😊 I’m so behind on so many dramas. My to-watch list keeps getting longer and longer.

GL dramas

Pluto

I watched the 1st episode a week ago right after it aired. I loved it. Namtan is wonderful and beautiful. Her and Film have great chemistry, and I’m intrigued by the main mystery. I do plan to watch that one every week as it airs.

The Loyal Pin

I finally got around to watching Freen and Becky’s new drama. I watched four episodes for now (it goes a bit slowly, because see above about my main problem now 😊), and I like it a lot. Freen and Becky are both great actresses, and their chemistry is burning up the screen. And they’re so good at kissing, seriously so good. Currently they are my favorite GL couple.


BL dramas

Perfect 10 Liners

The first episode will air later today, and I can’t wait. ForceBook my beloveds – I missed having them on my screen every week. I don’t even care if it is good, I just want it to be entertaining.

My Damn Business

It’s a very short Korean BL drama (just seven 10 minutes long episodes) about an office romance between team leader Han Yu Jin, whose sales team gets dissolved amidst the company’s management crisis, and Yun Su An (an assistant manager from another team). Yu Jin has to wrap up all the current projects and he gets assigned Yun Su An to help. There’s just two of them in the office, and even though their relationship is a bit cold and formal at first it soon starts to change.

It airs of Youtube. Here is the playlist. Four episodes aired for now and I like it a lot. It’s cute and funny, and manages to pack quite a lot into such short episodes.

And I have to say that Korean BL dramas keep surprising me nicely lately with wonderful, hot kisses. First The Time of Fever, and now this drama. Because that kiss in episode 3 was so, so hot. Here's the link to the beginning of that kiss, if you would like to see for yourself. 😊


Kdramas

Love in the Big City

I watched six episodes, still have the last two to watch. And it’s ok, I like it well enough. And of course I’m very glad it got made, and I love that Nam Yoon Su is so unbothered by all those hate comments they got. In one interview he said “I just laughed it off when I got malicious comments. Those people were actually 1 in a 100. I got a lot of messages of support.”

But I guess I expected it to hit me harder and make me very emotional, and I have to say it left me rather cold. There were a few scenes in the middle that were hard to watch for me because of personal baggage. But in general I am a bit underwhelmed.

Family by Choice

I’m so conflicted about this drama. On one hand I’m all heart eyes about OT3 subtext with our main trio. They are all great, and especially Hwang In Youp as my sweet, broken woobie Kim San Ha. But I love the three of them – they love each other so much, and care for each other. It’s so beautiful – the way San Ha always protects the other two, and the way both boys always drop everything to protect Ju Won. And the way Ju Won and Hae Jun always know what to do to drag San Ha out of one of his dark moods. It’s so heartwarming and lovely to watch. I mean, I know what the endgame pairing is, and I’m fine with it. But that’s canon. I just really hope there will be at least a few fics about my lovely OT3 later. And I ship the dads, too. They are really good at co-parenting their three kids. 😊

At the same time I have issues with how all the women in this series (except Ju Won) are portrayed. Even Ju Won I feel isn’t as developed for now as the two boys. It still can change, just six episode aired for now, but I am a bit disappointed now.

More here with spoilers.

All the mothers are horrible here. San Ha’s mother especially or course. And she is horrible, don’t get me wrong. But for me narrative here unfairly blames her and only her for the tragedy from their past. San Ha and her sister had two parents after all, so why is only a mother blamed for leaving the children alone for two days? Where was the dad then?

And then there is Hae Jun’s mother, who abandoned her son, and Hae Jun’s aunt to some extent. And if that’s not enough there is Dal’s mother, too, constantly putting her daughter down and making her cry, even in front of her friends.

And in the background there are all those gossipy aunties from the neighborhood, who are so unkind about our three kids coming from broken homes.

I don’t know, like I’ve said it could still change, there are ten more episodes to go. I’m not disappointed enough to stop watching for now. But we’ll see.

As for fanfic writing - I posted a little SCI ficlet two weeks ago for Fandom Gift Basket 2024.

All I need is your sweet kiss (1027 words)
Fandom: S.C.I.谜案集 | S.C.I. Mystery (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bai Yutong/Zhan Yao, Bái Chí/Zhào Zhēn
Characters: Zhan Yao, Bai Yutong, Bai Chi, Zhào Zhēn
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Banter, Teasing, Kissing
Summary: Just a little scene from their post-canon life, with banter and laughter, and kissing. :)


And I finished my second Meet You at the Blossom fic and posted it yesterday.

The sweet sound of you (3086 words)
Fandom: 花开有时颓靡无声 | Meet You at the Blossom (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jin Xiaobao/Zongzheng Huai'en
Characters: Zongzheng Huai'en, Jin Xiaobao
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Porn with Feelings, Manhandling, Possessive Behavior, Jewelry, Jin Xiaobao Jingles During Sex
Summary: At first that sweet jingling sound was an innocent sign of love and warmth, of safety and belonging. But now it will be associated with something different in Huaien’s mind, too. Because that sweet and soft ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong is heard with every slow, sensuous movement of Xiaobao’s body on top of Huaien’s.

Now I can focus fully on my Yuletide assignment, which I love a lot. And on possible treats, because there are so many great requests that I would love to write something for.