The K-Drama Meta.
I HAVE EXAMS ON IN A FEW, WOULD YOU BELIEVE. PRAYER CIRCLE FOR MY CONTINUED ACADEMIC EXISTENCE. And in the meanwhile, I don't even believe this myself.
Female (Second) Leads: Narratives vs. Tropes:
[In Defence Of] Coffee House.
When do I suggest reading this:
- If you're not planning on watching Coffee House , because you should. I think it's ( Read more... )
Female (Second) Leads: Narratives vs. Tropes:
[In Defence Of] Coffee House.
When do I suggest reading this:
- If you're not planning on watching Coffee House , because you should. I think it's ( Read more... )
LARGER FANDOM SEEMS TO LIKE THEM?? I'm beginning to think that larger fandom tends to like whatever the OTP is, regardless of any and all considerations. Like, THAT THOUGHT PROCESS IS SO BIZARRE TO ME. I have a far lower standard for liking non-OTPs than I do endgames. :O
lmao, you are correct, princesses with hair like that are disallowed as a species to exist.
LOL, Eleonore disagrees with us in general about Tan, though. (Although tbh, I wish I could also see it that way because it would make watching the show so much more enjoyable that way.) But I am in total agreement on that point, because Tan HAS been very persuasive about sticking around, even when it results in him being thrown out of the house, so that is definitely something that is throwing her for the loop, because if he had to leave, wouldn't he have left by now? And it's confusing the reality/fantasy dynamic that she initially had such a clear delineation of in her head, which is why her reactions are so markedly different, and she's given up struggling or discussing the inevitability of them falling apart.
LOL, IT PRETTY MUCH ALREADY IS THO?
BUT THE HORRORS OF IT BECOMING EVEN MORE SO.
And now he's proxy-ing his need to be forgiven with her.
DUDE, THIS IS TRUE. I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THAT. But yeah, Tan is totally the center here (so one-sided this triangle is, lmao, considering that ES probably cares more about YD than KT does.) But I hope the resolution is good, because they have a lot of issues between them.
Because Young Do is most invested in people who are absent, obviously.
^ THIS IS US AND OUR THOUGHT PROCESS /gpoy BECAUSE Y E S???
I haven't thought about that in those explicit terms, but that makes so much sense as a consistent part of his characterization. Like, I always thought of that dialogue as a general War Of The Dicks For The Girl In Question, but you're absolutely correct, that's not entirely what it is.
I think one of the oddest parts of YD's characterization is that he's willing to put himself out there (oddest because I think it's inconsistent with his character type, since they're usually emotionally contained as regards their own vulnerabilities). He's been ridiculously open in his feelings for ES, and his "first" love, as well as his rejection, are completely public.
The thing with him is, he lashes back at people who make him vulnerable, so it's an endless cycle of him hitting out at those who give him a chance, as you said, at authenticity. Like, he is the absolute worst initially, and then gains ground and tries to make up (constantly taunting Tan but never actually revealing his secret, terrifying ES and then basically working at forgiveness.) except it's sometimes always too late.
I think ES is also his do-over in some ways. He'll put himself out there for rejection with her, which he hadn't been able to do earlier with Tan. Tan gave him a chance at authenticity post affair-reveal, by making himself vulnerable re: his own secret, but Young Do rejected that, and instead picked on that vulnerability, and he's still paying for it. So ES becomes the person he's playing out the alternative scenario with; what if he'd just tried, hadn't picked on exactly that point where his lover best friend was the weakest, had allowed himself to be vulnerable then, instead of lashing out at the fact that he'd been forced into it by the situation. WHAT IF.
HE ALWAYS CHOOSES THE SAD ENDINGS. MYUNG SOO IS THE WISEST OF THEM ALL.
MYUNG SOO IS CLEARLY A HARDCORE META FANDOM PERSON. EVERYBODY KNEEL.
I love that you call it Kim Woo Bin face day. Not that this isn't basically the crux of the show tho.
I WAS WRONG THOUGH, TOMORROW IS KIM WOO BIN FACE DAY. /creys. Dude, these upcoming exams are so messing with my head and sense of time. AND TO THINK I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. /endless creys
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UM?
... Are you serious, though? WHAT HAS GIVEN YOU THIS IMPRESSION? I mean, I have no doubt people like them because FANDOM GONNA BE FANDOM but I was literally just stalking fic for the show @ AO3 and ff.net (lol) and so on and dude, nobody is interested in Eun Sang/Tan, it's hilar tbh.
lmao, you are correct, princesses with hair like that are disallowed as a species to exist.
Where are the lies.
lol no, Eleonore is pretty much in agreement about Tan the person. She just has an ADDITIONAL desire to have meta parties about him, whereas I basically want him to be eaten by his ugly sweaters.
BUT THE HORRORS OF IT BECOMING EVEN MORE SO.
Dude, I just remembered you mentioning that the show nearing the tail end means things are gonna be ~heating up~ and l literally choked on my ramyun. LIKE. THEY HAVE NO SEXUAL CHEMISTRY WHATSOEVER, IT'S LITERALLY ENRAGING? PSH and LMH, I WANTED MORE FROM YOUUUUUU. /o\ /o\ /o\ PRAYER CIRCLE THEY BREAK UP AGAIN NEXT EP.
(so one-sided this triangle is, lmao, considering that ES probably cares more about YD than KT does.)
UGLY CACKLING. BUT LOL IT'S SO TRUE THOUGH?? Makes me excited for the upcoming eps ngl. (But ugh, I do not want to have hopes about this triangle.) I've been working on a theory that now YD's formally ~bowed out of the "competition", ES/YD will actually begin? I mean, presumably they will continue to interact -- only now it's not gonna be about the mean boys pissing match. Of course Tan will throw fits about it, but that will only make things more enjoyable tbh. NEVER GIVE UP HOPE FOR THE ES/YD EXISTENTIAL BROS STORYLINE.
^ THIS IS US AND OUR THOUGHT PROCESS /gpoy BECAUSE Y E S???
lol your aegyo.
I think one of the oddest parts of YD's characterization is that he's willing to put himself out there (oddest because I think it's inconsistent with his character type, since they're usually emotionally contained as regards their own vulnerabilities).
THE MIND-MELD CONTINUES. This has been bringing me amusement too, like when Bo Na and Myung Soo ~discovered~ and asked YD if he had a thing for ES, and YD was literally just like, "seems so," IN THE MOST CASUAL UNGUARDED WAY KNOWN TO MAN? It's like his self-preservation instincts are nonexistent, even though this is the same guy who's been obsessed all series with keeping the upper hand in society. Or rather, it just proves that playing power games does not come naturally to him. (OMG, NOW I'M REMINDED OF THAT FIC YOU WROTE, WHERE YOU SUGGESTED THIS EXACT THING AND AT THE TIME IT INTRIGUED ME AND I WONDERED IF CANON AGREED. OH EM GEE.)
The thing with him is, he lashes back at people who make him vulnerable, so it's an endless cycle of him hitting out at those who give him a chance, as you said, at authenticity.
WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT SELF-SABOTAGING PABO
So ES becomes the person he's playing out the alternative scenario with; what if he'd just tried, hadn't picked on exactly that point where his lover best friend was the weakest, had allowed himself to be vulnerable then, instead of lashing out at the fact that he'd been forced into it by the situation.
OMFG YES. I can't believe YD would not recognise the similarities in the situation wrt ES holding this ~terrible secret. And then he has to watch how it brings her and Tan closer together because Tan is able to do for ES what YD couldn't do for Tan. LIKE, WHO IS YD REALLY JEALOUS OF NOW.
DON'T CRYYYYYYYYYYYY. HAVE SOME WOO BIN FACE NOW:
ALSO, HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW STILLS? THE COAT GAME IS ON POINT I MUST SAY.
(Godspeed with the remaining exams btw.)
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BUT NOW THAT YOU MENTIONED FIC, I ALSO STALKED THROUGH IT AND L M A O. I actually just found one fic re: T/ES by count, heh. ALSO, Rachel and Young Do, both together and separately, seem extraordinarily popular?? THIS MAKES ME REALLY HAPPY TBH. I kind of adore Rachel, and I have yet to come across a female second lead who gets fandom love (lol, that was what started this entire 5000 word post) so I'm really pleased that she is. (Although, by default, ES and KT seem extraordinarily unpopular in the fic world, even separately?? It is hysterical and O___o by turns.)
also, yes, pls. one of those ugly sweaters has to be carnivorous. this reminds me of Lee Jong Suk's character's quote in Secret Garden,
lol, I know El agrees about Tan-the-person, and I think if I didn't particularly care about what I think the narrative framing of the character is, I could probably enjoy him a LOT more. His capacity for manipulation is ridiculous and fascinating. But that hair tho. no. #kiddiepool
LIKE. THEY HAVE NO SEXUAL CHEMISTRY WHATSOEVER.
YEAH, LIKE WHAT IF THEY GET ALL ~COUPLEY AND US AGAINST THE WORLD FROM NOW ON, BECAUSE TWO EPISODES HAVE ENDED WITHOUT TRIANGULARITY AND IT IS STARTING TO WORRY ME TBH. NHF ~ROMANTIC ~SLOW ~DANCES AS WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO KEEP US GOING TILL THE NEXT EPISODE.
ES/YD will actually begin?
THIS FOREVER. THEY ARE GOING TO BE BFFS BY THE END OF THIS JUST YOU WAIT. I do wonder how it's going to develop from here on, because near the end, the triangles also tend to ~heat ~up and tbh, I also want more on the romantic/sexual angle because at least THEY have chemistry. Like, usually at this point, it's the lead who ~bows out, or ~misunderstandings arise. LMAO, FOR ONCE, I ACTUALLY WANT THE KDRAMA PATTERN FOLLOWED.
IN THE MOST CASUAL UNGUARDED WAY KNOWN TO MAN?
YES. LIKE, HIS REJECTION HAS BEEN SO PUBLIC Y'KNOW? He's constantly rejected by ES in favor of KT in front of the other kids and all he does is book the entire cafe, so she'll talk to him and spend his entire time getting clicked looking at her all lovestruck. HAH. And even the whole pretence of being okay on the family front just crumbles when someone mentions his dad? Like, there's no false bravado there, he actually gets terrified at the mention (as in case of Tan's visit or the Principal threatening to call him.) Tan, that way, is the perfect bully because he's magnificent in his use of both hard and soft power, while Young Do blusters with hard power and fails at soft power, l m a o.
I think it's his sincerity that gets confused most often, because it's the way he says thing that makes people distrust what he's saying, even though, almost 95% of the time, he probably means exactly what he's saying. (As in him saying he's hurt re: ES constantly running off to Tan in this mocking way seems to discredit his sincerity as well as emotional involvement, but he's actually being honest??)
(Also, for a whole minute I had no idea what fic you were talking about, heh.)
LIKE, WHO IS YD REALLY JEALOUS OF NOW.
OMG, THIS. Because this is what his relationship could have been if he'd only done it right. Which is why he constantly brings it up, even now, re: Tan, even though he's well aware that that particular barb holds no power whatsoever, because that's where he went wrong, and he's constantly picking on it, when all it's doing is reminding him that it's mostly his fault and he can't fix it (he always chooses the worst endings.)
HAVE SOME WOO BIN FACE NOW
UNF.
I HAVE NOT SEEN THE NEW STILLS, BUT WHY IS LMH'S STYLIST NOT TAKING LESSONS????
(what remaining exams btw, they're all remaining, i haven't even started, they start friday /endless creys)
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I mean, I would assume people hate on the show because it's PROBLEMATIC. But in that case, WHY WOULD YOU THEN GO FOR ES/KT? LIKE. WHAT NOW? Also, this has been very opposite to my experience trolling Tumblr, where most people who hate on the show still prefer YD's character because he is at least presented as a reprehensible person.
RACHEL AND YOUNG DO ARE SECRETLY THE FANDOM'S DARLINGS, IKR. Although Rachel still gets plenty of flak for being a ~bitch. And it's kind of expected that ES wouldn't foster much fandom love, but afaik there's still a fair percentage of fic about her? SHE IS DOING BETTER THAN TAN, OK.
HOLD THE FUCK UP. LEE JONG SUK IS IN SECRET GARDEN? THE SAME LEE JONG SUK FROM SCHOOL 2013??? I SIMPLY DID NOT KNOW.
Yeah, I don't think El cares about the framing of Tan. Usually IDGAF about authorial intention either, but when it concerns whether or not we're supposed to endorse a vv problematic "romance" then TRUST NO DICK.
POSITIVE THINKING, ZOE. Like you said, it's about time for contrived obstacles to hit ES/KT, so let this happen.
Also, it'll be very interesting to see how the ES/YD dynamic develops now because although the chemistry is bangin', they really haven't had scenes hinting at romantic/sexual undertones? Usually these sorts of dynamics are all SEXUAL!! TENSION!! but ES/YD has been a lot more understated (with the exception of the pool shenanigans, which, lol). AND LISTEN, I WILL BE DEVO IF THEY NEVER MAKE OUT BECAUSE HOW COULD YOU WASTE THAT POTENTIAL SEX.
DUDE, YD IS SO BAD AT EMOTIONS. Supposedly his IQ is 150 or some shit but his emotional intelligence is like -500. Or, at least, his attempts to emotionally manipulate are the most pathetic because he does not know what to do with his own emotions e.g. the golf course standoff of doom. This is the most endearing thing about him lbr /pets. AND YES, HIS MISUSE OF SARCASM IS GPOY TBQH. So bad at human-ing. /pets
because that's where he went wrong, and he's constantly picking on it, when all it's doing is reminding him that it's mostly his fault and he can't fix it (he always chooses the worst endings.)
THIS IS PRECISELY WHY YD IS A RUBBISH OPPONENT TBH. BECAUSE HE IS ULTIMATELY ALWAYS LASHING OUT AT HIMSELF BY PROXY. (Not just with Tan, but arguably with Joon Young and whoever else he has terrorised in the past.)
BRO, THE NEW EPISODE IS OUT. HOLD MY PEARLS.
(I THOUGHT YOU WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR EXAMS RN. /o\ /o\ /o\ GODSPEED FOR ALL OF THEM THEN.)
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