Arclei:
I'm glad you found us, too! Looking forward to chatting with you!
If you got reccs to share with us, feel free to post them whenever! You watched/watching anything good lately? 👀
im so sorry, im extremely shy so i might not talk much but ill definitely share when i come across anything!! thank you for being so kind!! i hope ill be able to chat with everyone as well <3
melanie:
im so sorry, im extremely shy so i might not talk much but ill definitely share when i come across anything!! thank you for being so kind!! i hope ill be able to chat with everyone as well <3
Aw, that's okay, no worries ^^ Only speak if you're comfortable. Looking forward to your posts in any case!
Did you end up finding it?
I found it with some songs + a few special effect sounds left in: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9zuf9c
Then I watched the first twenty or thirty minutes and got sidetracked. On paper, it's everything I want, and it even made me LOL a few times, but I couldn't get immersed in it and I don't know why. Not sure if it is the audio bothering me or I just wasn't in the right mood. I'll have to try again later because our girl Xue Zi Qi is killing it (per usual) and she has solid chemistry with Li Zi Jie.
I heard that's also why there's so much subtle exposition-dump and characters just flat out saying what they're doing lately.
I hate unnecessary exposition T . T
It sucks because older dramas and movies are aging better when it comes to quality, but aging horribly when it comes to relationship dynamics. Meanwhile, newer dramas are handling relationship dynamics a little better (though, we still have a long way to go 🙃) but are crap when it comes to everything else. The audience really can't win.
Never underestimate the bond between someone in a slump and the drama that pulls them out xD
Shirtless Man= Sniper Butterfly
Camo Overalls= Me
It legit saved me LOL.
Sharing perspectives is very interesting
💯
hii can i join?nea:
Hello! I would love to joinMoonlixe Ray:
hi!! may i please join? 🥰
Welcome, you three!!! <3 It's so nice to have you! Arclei has made this a very special place. I hope to see you around! ☺️
Bro, doesn't she look EPIC?! Oh my GODDDD, she looks SO cool!! It's not often that I see a FL look so darn good in armor, but she is killing it!! And the blood on her face and that look in her eyes? OOOOOOOOOOOO
I have something to say, but I'm gonna save it for my response to the new stills you posted.
(Hint: it will not be a calm or well-adjusted reaction)
And Daniel crying?
He's so pretty and expressive when he cries. He looks just like this emoji: 🥺
For a big guy, he's so cutie patootie-coded. Kudos to whoever discovered him. I'm so invested in his career. Don't forget we have Sweetest Rebellion coming up too, which sounds like another RR. 😏 Like you said, after a while it's not a coincidence any more.
I've seen the FL before (also currently watching her in Unveil) and really liked her. So glad she's getting the lead in a big production and with such a good co-star!
I've never seen her in anything, but I was quite impressed by the trailer. Looking forward to seeing her in action!
This is why I find such big height differences awkward,
Visually, I like them, but in practice??? I would not choose that for myself. Whenever I see couples like that in real life, my neck aches. I'm the very lukewarm height of 5'5.5 (round up to 5'6) where I'm tall to short people, but not quite tall enough to join the tall woman brigade (that starts at like 5'8). Yet I'm 5'10/5'11 depending on my heels, so sometimes I'm an honorary member.
I noticed Daniel kisses kinda needily,
You noticed that too?!!!! That's part of the reason that first forced kiss in Sniper Butterfly made it to my highly exclusive (and very short) list of ML Forced Kiss Exceptions. It was SO desperate! I was happy to see the neediness carry over into this drama. Ugh, I'm getting so excited!!
OOOFFFF- I fear you're writing my dream FL
If only a network would give me a chance lol.
MBC (a big Korean network) has a screenplay contest, and if your screenplay wins they turn it into a drama. IU's newest drama Perfect Crown is one of the winners. What a dream that would be. But they'd never pick mine 💀Everyone would want my FL's head on a pike, and call my ML spineless.
Wang Yu Wen is the tallest at 1.72m... which is still pretty short compared to bro's 1.88m 💀
Wow, 5'8 is tall for a non-nordic woman! I'm sure that would still be a relief on Daniel's back lol.
I was about to say I've never seen Wang Yu Wen in anything, but then I realized I started You Are My Lover Friend a week or two ago. I got the sense it was going to be a really good friends to lovers, but I suddenly wasn't in the mood any more (been happening a lot lately) so I put it on hold.
not production-related but writing-related, which should be the easiest to solve)
True. The rest of the team looked earnest and hard-working, so I was projecting that onto the screenwriter 💀 Let's hope they are too.
I suspect some of C-dramas' (and K-dramas and J-dramas) issues stem from the fact that they don't have a writers room. Instead of that, one person (maybe two) and an assistant are responsible for writing a whole series. They're often on a time crunch too, and writing these episodes days before they get filmed. I imagine the quality would improve if they dedicated two or three writers to a series. Assistants do their part, but with how the workplace hierarchy is in most Asian countries, I doubt they express their opinion on things that would work better in the script freely.
Can't get over the scene in that gorgeous autumnal forest with him blindfolded and chained, dressed in pure white on his knees and her in bloody armor, grabbing his chin-
That was absolutely insane!!!! It was a visual feast: the cinematography and Daniel himself. Him dressed in white, in chains and on his knees is giving the ML in The Princess Decree. Judging from the summary, it seems like him and the FL are gonna be battling corruption together, so I wonder if that scene is after he gets tortured by crooked officials or something.
And probably a soft ML/rough FL ship?
Ahhh! Then we might be in for some light whump!
Also, Daniel Zhou looks as good in costume as I was expecting.
Same! He looks so handsome and upright 🥹 Which is the perfect aesthetic for our heroine to come in and ruffle.
Am I getting better at picking up on the RR vibes?
I mean, were you bad at it before? I find that hard to imagine.
Btw: Do you know about how long it takes for a drama submitted on MDL to be approved? I thought it was a relatively short process, but it's taking a while for the ones I submitted to be approved even with me adding a ton of verifiable info.
Found some stills and felt the need to share
Ahem...
ARCLEIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh my GOD—OH MY GOD!
What am I looking at???? What beauty am I beholding? THESE PICTURES!!!!
Pic 1: I'm curious as to why Daniel's character is trying to learn an instrument blindfolded, BUT THE POSITION IS KILLING ME. The way she's leaning over him? The way one of her hands is guiding his? How close her lips are to his ear??? It's so intimate!! And um...who thought to roll her sleeves up like that ???? That little detail jumps out at me the most because people always talk about how sexy men look when they're working with their sleeves rolled up (and it's true), but FL looks just as good! Hopefully Daniel's character will lose the blindfold at some point during the lesson, so he can appreciate what he's got.
Pic 2: AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS WHAT I WAS SAVING MY REACTION FOR. Cause AHHHHH!
THIS LOOKS LIKE A VALIANT KNIGHT WHO HAS JUST SAVED HER PRINCE!!! The contrast of her being bloody and dirty and battle-worn while he's dressed in white, clean and ethereal with a hand on her shoulder is imagery I don't think I've seen before. Seriously!! You've watched way more historical dramas than me. When have you ever witnessed something similar??? This is CRAZY. (I've seen FLs + MLs defend each other in battle, but not this).
And the snow just adds to the aesthetic. I'm DYING to know what led up to this moment! I'm coming up with a hundred scenarios in my head, and all I can do is hope the real scene lives up to my imagination. I don't think I'll get over this picture. The fact that he doesn't have one speck of blood on his white robes means our girl protected him well 🥹 I'm so proud of her and I don't even know what she did yet.
Pic 3: So tender, sweet, and protective 😭 The relief Daniel's character feels being held in FL's arms is PALPABLE! His expression speaks volumes, and the way he's holding her arm?? So baby!! I also love FL's expression. I sure hope a forehead kiss came before or after this.
Pic 4: I just wanna know what we're eating and who ends up feeding who? >.> Are we using our mouths to feed each other? (FL's gaze is very sharp).
Thank you for these pics! They were sooooo satisfying! My pulse is racing. You don't know how excited I am for this drama now. I really hope it's not a bait-and-switch, and these pics are truly an indicator of the characters' relationship dynamics.
I know both of our attention spans are tricky, but we should try and do a buddy watch when this comes out. Even if it's just for the first few episodes.
but I couldn't get immersed in it and I don't know why.potatocouch:
Been having the same with verticals lately. I'll watch 10-20 minutes, then get bored. I think we've had our fill of them for a bit, haha xD
Thanks for the link anyway!
It sucks because older dramas and movies are aging better when it comes to quality
Yeah tho ToT I just can't with older dramas that are so... gender roles.
(Hint: it will not be a calm or well-adjusted reaction)
The kinda reactions I like to hear the most :P
He's so pretty and expressive when he cries. He looks just like this emoji: 🥺
For a big guy, he's so cutie patootie-coded.
10000% He really is such a cutie patootie xD Glad a rlly tall actor is finally allowed to be soft in cdramaland.
I'm so invested in his career.
I can never pass up a chance to quote Star Wars
Don't forget we have Sweetest Rebellion coming up too, which sounds like another RR. 😏 Like you said, after a while it's not a coincidence any more.
Yessss, that one too! But the trailer didn't compel me as much as Shadows of Desire did, which is why I'm not holding my breath at all despite the very promising synopsis. Maybe a bit unfair since, as far as I know, it doesn't have a teaser or trailer out yet, but I did find this on youtube and was underwhelmed, lol
Did you see it? What do you think?
I've never seen her in anything, but I was quite impressed by the trailer.
She was in my guilty-pleasure matriarchy drama Beauty Killer 🥺
Yet I'm 5'10/5'11 depending on my heels, so sometimes I'm an honorary member.
Similar situation to me xD I think we're pretty similar in height. Tho it's been a while since I got measured haha
I was happy to see the neediness carry over into this drama. Ugh, I'm getting so excited!!
Saaaaaaaaaaaaaameeeee!!! 🤝🤝
IU's newest drama Perfect Crown is one of the winners.
So THAT's why that drama seems so out-of-the-blue and unusual xD LMFAO Kinda nice to see
But yeah, the FLs we like would get crucified 😭
Wow, 5'8 is tall for a non-nordic woman! I'm sure that would still be a relief on Daniel's back lol.
Absolutely! Dewit, drama-creators! Don't be cowards!
but I suddenly wasn't in the mood any more (been happening a lot lately) so I put it on hold.
Yeah, I get it... It's kinda like a soft slump, imo. Been having that too, but I admittedly am also being way less tolerant with dramas this year because I'm trying to actually watch shit I like more than I dislike and a lot of dramas ain't making the cut, LMAO
I know her from her side role in Secret of Three Kingdoms. She was adorable there and way taller than all the extras, which was highly amusing. (I admittedly am morbidly curious to know what you'd think of this drama, but it's so angst and politics-heavy (and long) that I struggle to recc. But I think you'd appreciate the leads and Ma Tian Yu in general).
the fact that they don't have a writers room. Instead of that, one person (maybe two) and an assistant are responsible for writing a whole series
Oh really?? I didn't know that, but I guess that does somewhat make sense... Working in such conditions must really suck, yeah.
is giving the ML in The Princess Decree
BRO YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!!! No wonder I keep thinking about that scene...
so I wonder if that scene is after he gets tortured by crooked officials or something.
My head is running wild with the possibilities, and I like all scenarios 😈
Then we might be in for some light whump!
😩 Daniel whump plssss, I know he would slay!!!
He looks so handsome and upright 🥹 Which is the perfect aesthetic for our heroine to come in and ruffle.
I like the way you think 😏
I mean, were you bad at it before? I find that hard to imagine.
AHAHAHA, honestly I dunno xD
Do you know about how long it takes for a drama submitted on MDL to be approved?
It used to be about a month, but I just got a drama I submitted on the 12th of December approved today xD
I hear they are struggling a lot with the overflow of vertical cdramas and are understaffed, so it's taking a lot longer to process them (they also prioritize currently airing and to-air titles over already aired ones). I'd say give it at least two months.
What am I looking at???? What beauty am I beholding? THESE PICTURES!!!!
Perfectly valid reaction- girl I was the same!!!
BUT THE POSITION IS KILLING ME. The way she's leaning over him? The way one of her hands is guiding his? How close her lips are to his ear??? It's so intimate!!
😩🙏 All I can say is fuck yes, you get me. You notice all the things I do, pls
And um...who thought to roll her sleeves up like that ????
RIGHT?!?!? Like, how cool is it when women are allowed to be cool like guys are- LOOK AT THAT!!!
Pic 2: AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS WHAT I WAS SAVING MY REACTION FOR. Cause AHHHHH!
I KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!!!! I need this pic everywhere!!! I'll see if I can make it into a club badge
THIS LOOKS LIKE A VALIANT KNIGHT WHO HAS JUST SAVED HER PRINCE!!! The contrast of her being bloody and dirty and battle-worn while he's dressed in white, clean and ethereal with a hand on her shoulder is imagery I don't think I've seen before. Seriously!! You've watched way more historical dramas than me. When have you ever witnessed something similar??? This is CRAZY. (I've seen FLs + MLs defend each other in battle, but not this).
Yes, yes, yes, YESSS!!!!! She DOES look like a valiant knight who just saved her prince,!!! AUGH, the vibes of this image are immaculate!
I've also never seen anything this exquisite. Nothing comes even close!!! Like, this is some proper and thorough RR visuals, and that is extremely rare.
I've been craving a good woman in armor x beautiful man in white dynamic since I saw the stills of Tigers Sniff the Rose (which I know won't deliver on this cuz she's a princess), but this?! IT'S LIKE HEAVEN HEARD ME AND DELIVERED THIS BEAUTY!!!
I'm coming up with a hundred scenarios in my head, and all I can do is hope the real scene lives up to my imagination.
Right?! I can only imagine!! I doubt the real deal will be as epic as our imagination, but honestly, it's gotta come at least somewhat close!
I don't think I'll get over this picture
Bro, SAME!!! This image alone is doing a lot for me...
The fact that he doesn't have one speck of blood on his white robes means our girl protected him well 🥹 I'm so proud of her and I don't even know what she did yet.
YEEESSSSSS!!!!!! 🥺🥺🥺🥺
The relief Daniel's character feels being held in FL's arms is PALPABLE! His expression speaks volumes, and the way he's holding her arm?? So baby!!
RIGHT!?! The tender hold, his hand on her arm, his face- augh SO SWEET!!!
I hope boy got that forehead kiss fr 🥺
Pic 4: I just wanna know what we're eating and who ends up feeding who? >.> Are we using our mouths to feed each other? (FL's gaze is very sharp).
I think they're gonna be eating each other 😜
It's not as obvious as with the other stills, but I once again get such RR vibes from this one. Like how she's the one leaning in (with, like you said, a sharp gaze) and how he's tilted slightly back with his eyes caught on her like he's already imagining what she will do? Mmmmmmm
My pulse is racing. You don't know how excited I am for this drama now.
Glad to know it wasn't just me getting very unhinged about this, because WOW- The joy I felt- I'm so giddy I got to share it with you! 🥳
I really hope it's not a bait-and-switch, and these pics are truly an indicator of the characters' relationship dynamics.
I honestly really hope so too... We've been on a good streak with full-length dramas lately, so I'm optimistic *knocks on wood* but I'll still try to keep my expectations as low as possible xD
I know both of our attention spans are tricky, but we should try and do a buddy watch when this comes out. Even if it's just for the first few episodes.
I'd love that! 💖
Me just agreeing with everything you said because I literally do, and you just summed up my thoughts entirely xD
I think we've had our fill of them for a bit, haha xD
Okay, but why are we on the same schedule? LOL.
Thanks for the link anyway!
Anytime!
I started a new full-length jiejie romance called Love Is Science? and I should've known not to listen to the comments because I'm super into it. I'm only on ep 4, but all the potential couples are intriguing, and I like how detailed the drama is so far. It seems like a proper slow burn. As usual, people have painted FL to be the antichrist, but she's actually nice, and has a cute sense of humor. She's just assertive, but badly damaged by her ex-husband (which, hello, in real life some people barely get over a bad marriage because it was so traumatizing).
But I know I'm into it because I can't watch more than thirty minutes of a vertical yet I've sat through three 1 hr and 10 min. episodes of Love Is Science?.
Glad a rlly tall actor is finally allowed to be soft in cdramaland.
Another thing we spoke into existence.
We're totally taking partial credit for Daniel's success as a tall soft boi in C-drama Land 😌
I can never pass up a chance to quote Star Wars
Pretends NOT to have very limited Star Wars knowledge 😃
I did have a huge crush on Hayden Christensen back in the day despite his horrifically wooden acting in Attack of the Clones (one of my first noona/jiejie romances bahahaha).
Did you see it?
Okay, just watched it and:
I am upset. I never really look up trailers, so reading the plot got me excited, and now my bubble's been burst. Why the heck do they keep wasting really good RR concepts (a male Cinderella???) on traditional dynamics??? Make it make sense! Daniel's character is doing all the leading, comforting, and taking care of in that trailer, but why does homie even have self-confidence if he's been raised like Cinderella? It only makes sense for a self-assured, wealthy woman to swoop in and save him. What a huge miss.
Ugh. I might still give the first episode a chance just for Daniel and Xu Ruo Han (I like her). But I can see myself dropping it.
She was in my guilty-pleasure matriarchy drama Beauty Killer 🥺
Added to my PTW, even though one comment about the ML truly being in charge but letting the FL believe she is gave me pause. What's that all about?
I think we're pretty similar in height.
See, these similarities have to stop somewhere. This is why you're getting charged rent via screenshots 🤣❤️
So THAT's why that drama seems so out-of-the-blue and unusual xD
Yeah, hopefully it's good! I feel like IU's into RR, but I can't prove it.
After Moon Lovers, a lot of the FLs she's chosen to play have been RR coded, and so have the accompanying MLs. I feel like she gets just close enough to not get cancelled since feminism is, like, illegal in South Korea. (It's not really illegal, but you catch my drift. It might as well be).
I admittedly am also being way less tolerant with dramas this year because I'm trying to actually watch shit I like more than I dislike
Okay, pop off! Proud of you.
That's always been the way to go, and why my Dropped Drama list is long LOL. Time is precious.
(I admittedly am morbidly curious to know what you'd think of this drama, but it's so angst and politics-heavy (and long) that I struggle to recc. But I think you'd appreciate the leads and Ma Tian Yu in general).
Girl, I clicked on its MDL, saw 54 episodes, and my life flashed before my eyes XD
But I also saw "Nice Male Lead", and since that's one of my most watched tags, I'm intrigued. I'm not into a lot of angst and I have a very low tolerance for political intrigue, but if you want to recommend certain episodes and/or scenes like you did with The Princess Decree, I'd be down to check them out.
BRO YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!!! No wonder I keep thinking about that scene...
It was already good in The Princess Decree. If we get something similar in a full-length drama, I will simply pass away.
😩 Daniel whump plssss, I know he would slay!!!
My cute aggression would go crazy. I'm actually a little scared about how I'd react to that. It was already bad throughout Sniper Butterfly.
I hear they are struggling a lot with the overflow of vertical cdramas and are understaffed, so it's taking a lot longer to process them (they also prioritize currently airing and to-air titles over already aired ones). I'd say give it at least two months.
Oh wow, okay, thanks for the info.
yes, you get me. You notice all the things I do, pls
We are definitely both writers lol.
I KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!!!! I need this pic everywhere!!! I'll see if I can make it into a club badge
Please do, so I can add it to my profile! 🥹
I need this pic on the side of buses, skyscrapers, and billboards!
I've also never seen anything this exquisite. Nothing comes even close!!! Like, this is some proper and thorough RR visuals, and that is extremely rare.
Okay, cause I was wondering if I'd been missing out on similar imagery in other historicals.
I feel like we should memorialize the day you found the picture, and celebrate it from here on out. This is a historic event as far as RR is concerned. I, personally, never thought I'd live to see the day. (LOL. I'm being so dramatic, but that's how excited I am over this picture and subsequent drama).
I've been craving a good woman in armor x beautiful man in white dynamic since I saw the stills of Tigers Sniff the Rose
Can I see those too? >.>
It's a shame that drama isn't going to deliver. They can't make her a warrior princess?
I think they're gonna be eating each other 😜
Oop—🤭
It's not as obvious as with the other stills, but I once again get such RR vibes from this one. Like how she's the one leaning in (with, like you said, a sharp gaze)
Oh, yeah, she's definitely hungry for more than just whatever he's holding. She wants a little snack, then a big snack. You can see the hunger in her eyes.
Also, they're close to the same height in this pic. Does that mean he's sitting down and she's hovering over him initially? 😏
Glad to know it wasn't just me getting very unhinged about this, because WOW- The joy I felt- I'm so giddy I got to share it with you! 🥳
Me too! It's really nice to be unhinged with someone<3 Sometimes I get tired of playing it cool. (I never do on here, but in real life it's constant masking). It's a relief to let your Fangirl Flag fly.
I'd love that! 💖
Yay!~
I'm gonna take it a step further and send you pics of my snacks. It'll be a whole thing.
Wait, do we have a time difference? I'm on American EST.
I was almost done replying last night when my browser randomly closed, and I lost everything I had written. This is fine.
Okay, but why are we on the same schedule? LOL.
Lmao, so true. Maybe 'cause we were soft buddy-watching those verticals and then got burned out at the same time? Our moods synced xD
Love Is Science? and I should've known not to listen to the comments because I'm super into it
Yooo, that's awesome!!! Comments are such a hit or miss. Especially when it comes to FLs. Glad you're enjoying it!
But I know I'm into it because I can't watch more than thirty minutes of a vertical yet I've sat through three 1 hr and 10 min. episodes of Love Is Science?.
Eeyyyy, that's how you know you're into it! When you're watching and don't have the urge to check how far along you are! But also, wow, why the 1hr+ eps 😭
We're totally taking partial credit for Daniel's success as a tall soft boi in C-drama Land 😌
Exacttlyyyyyyy. We'll keep manifesting. Pookie better keep delivering those yummy didi roles 😂
Pretends NOT to have very limited Star Wars knowledge 😃
I read that wrong at first and thought you were a fellow SW nerd 😔 You'll just have to deal with my references anyway.
(one of my first noona/jiejie romances bahahaha)
YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, you're not wrong!!!!! I just know Padme dommed him too. That man didn't betray his order for nuffin
Why the heck do they keep wasting really good RR concepts (a male Cinderella???) on traditional dynamics??
I have no clue, man- they keep doing this. Like, make your traditional slop all you want, but don't lie to us 😭That's why when it comes to cdramas, I'm always skeptical about RR-sounding synopsis... and usually check the trailer first before deciding if it will be.
but why does homie even have self-confidence if he's been raised like Cinderella? It only makes sense for a self-assured, wealthy woman to swoop in and save him. What a huge miss.
Yeah, he should be a lot more like Li Wu in the past timeline and yet... Yeah, well, that's what I had with the drama. The stills were already not giving me much (my vibe-detection is too stronk) and the trailer even less. I guess if nothing else, at least our expectations are not too high with something that'll most likely not deliver. And hey, maybe they pull a fast one on us, and it's actually a lot better than that. If nothing else, we still have Glory which I hear is pretty good with the wealthy woman saving a prince in peril concept.
I might still give the first episode a chance just for Daniel and Xu Ruo Han (I like her).
Valid, I was thinking about giving it a peek too, but if you get around to it first, let me know how it is. I'm eager to be pleasantly surprised xD
Added to my PTW, even though one comment about the ML truly being in charge but letting the FL believe she is gave me pause. What's that all about?
I mean, it's the standard... ML being way more skilled than he should be in a matriarchy, kinda deal. He holds secrets from FL, but tbh, a lot of historical RR media has this trope. Even well-beloved and highly-rated (on the RR scale anyway) dramas like My Lady General, so it didn't really bother me (not quite on MLG's lvl tho)
ML is also one of the few survivors of a tribe massacre, so it isn't entirely out of left field for him to have survival skills. It's also not really confirmed if his tribe was also matriarchal or not. My guess is not, since FL's city seems to be the exception to the otherwise patriarchal surrounding cities/kingdoms. As for FL, I never got the impression that she was weak. She's just not a warrior, because she's a sleazy merchant 😋 But she did behave more like someone you'd think was raised in a matriarchy would. She's very smart, flirty, arrogant/cocky, and territorial, so I really liked her. She also can't keep her hands off of ML, and it's very cute. ML is a bit of a tsundere, but I'm a sucker for brats, so I liked that.
 Pulling a fast one on him. Notice how she reaches for him after he pulls away? Girl is smth else xD |  An example of her territorial and protective nature. See how she can't keep her hands off? (also his kitty glare is so cute) |
OH- there's also a beautiful body-painting scene (but not in the steamy way, more in the intimate sense)
Found this in one of my old collage-making canva projects. What a trip
This is why you're getting charged rent via screenshots 🤣❤️
At least my landlord is generous with payment 🙏
I feel like IU's into RR, but I can't prove it.
I know what you mean... Hotel del Luna... When Life Gives You Tangerines... There's definitely a pattern. I have the same feeling about her co-star in HdL... that man LOVES to be in distress. God bless. 🙏🙏
(I almost wrote hotel delulu 💀 because genuinely wtf is that title)
Okay, pop off! Proud of you.
That's always been the way to go, and why my Dropped Drama list is long LOL. Time is precious.
Thank you, thank you 😊
Yeah, honestly... For me, it got rlly bad when I started joining MDL challenges in 2024, and I got into a bad slump at the end + beginning of 2025 so I made changes. It's gotten better, but it's not back to what it used to be. Though I did go from having maybe a dozen dropped titles to almost 80!!
I'm taking on the 50% approach, which is: For me to stick with a drama, I need to like it more than I don't (over 50%). If it goes under 50%, then it needs to be dropped or put on hold. No endless waiting for it to get better (they don't). The higher the score, the better. I'm aiming for 60-70% and up.
Girl, I clicked on its MDL, saw 54 episodes, and my life flashed before my eyes XD
I know the feeling cause I was the same... but my brother highly recommended it so I gave it a try, and I've since watched it twice... start to finish 🙈 And talking about it now is making me wanna watch it a third... I never rewatch dramas
But I also saw "Nice Male Lead", and since that's one of my most watched tags, I'm intrigued.
Proud to say I personally added that tag 💅 This ML... OHHHHHHH boyyyyyyyyy- yummy. He's SO atypical for a historical ML, especially for the position he is in. Like, augh- The pookism of this man. My screenshots folder for this drama sits at 500+, and it's mostly him and his big watery eyes.
But the FL thoooooo- she's so good!! They go from RR to egalitarian, and for a cdrama, especially a proper historical political one, this is like incredible (don't come in expecting the RR of the peak RR dramas because this is still a historical drama first and foremost, so it's like good for the time period). She's cold, aloof, complicated, and mean, and he's... the purest, most innocent, most soft angel ever. This man saw a trainwreck of a woman, said "I can fix her" and then DID!!! They also have one of my fav tropes, "he fell first, she fell harder," and in the good sense This poor woman did not know what hit her. She's also quite jealous and lowkey soft-competes with ML's bro for ML's affection. I am very normal about this couple, fr, ong.
This is the emperor of China, y'all. A malewife
So anyways... I can't yap endlessly about ML's eyes and not show you, so here, take a peek (he cries so so much <3)
A lot of people didn't like him, so obviously I loved him <3
Also, the empress: Like, the AURA????
As for scenes... Sadly, I think it's the type of drama that's only really good if you watch it thoroughly. Like, it's the kinda story that depends a lot on the slower pace and the complicated and unspoken bonds between people n all that jazz. The leads definitely have good standalone scenes, but not the kind that I'd be like "omg must watch!" It's just really good to follow, if that makes sense? That being said... there's a lot that can be skipped. Like the side couple get a metric fuck ton of screen time and were painfully boring. The entire middle arc can be skipped too with little consequence, but yeah, it's still a very politics-heavy, slow burn historical with a LOT of death, so I understand if that isn't your scene.
These are two scenes I can think of tho... the steamy ones, lol
- [22:47] https://youtu.be/ySz5RvKPHtY?si=xAncmx1w-HNtmlL3&t=1367
- https://www.tumblr.com/zhouszishu/174180363226/whose-empress-am-i-deep-downim-still-your?source=share
But idk if they'll hit without context, lmao
If we get something similar in a full-length drama, I will simply pass away.
You and me both, sheesh... wouldn't that be smth
I hear xianxias have a lot of men kneeling bloodily and tortured... Hell, Till The End of the Moon had a great RR initial arc. I wish I could fw xianxias a bit more, they seem like my scene but I can't get into them
My cute aggression would go crazy. I'm actually a little scared about how I'd react to that. It was already bad throughout Sniper Butterfly.
Right?! I have the same feeling.
This time I'll apologize for the absolute yapfest that was me going off on my favs 💀
We are definitely both writers lol.
You make a valid point. So true
I need this pic on the side of buses, skyscrapers, and billboards!
RIGHT!!!!
I'm almost done with a new batch of badges imma post later 😈
I feel like we should memorialize the day you found the picture, and celebrate it from here on out
LMFAAAOOOOO
Completely valid reaction, tbh. I understand
Can I see those too? >.>
I'll make a separate post for this drama so it doesn't get too confusing on here XD
It's a shame that drama isn't going to deliver. They can't make her a warrior princess?
I do have good news, tho! It'll prolly slay in other ways!
She wants a little snack, then a big snack. You can see the hunger in her eyes.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yessssss!!! Girl is gonna be eating good!
Also, they're close to the same height in this pic. Does that mean he's sitting down and she's hovering over him initially? 😏
Oooooooooo~ Good catch! She probably has him pinned against some furniture if I had to guess
Me too! It's really nice to be unhinged with someone<3 Sometimes I get tired of playing it cool. (I never do on here, but in real life it's constant masking). It's a relief to let your Fangirl Flag fly.
I get thaaaaatttt
Pretending to be hinged is so irritating and difficult when you're vibrating from the feelings™ Glad you're comfortable enough to let go of the pretense and fangirl to your heart's content 🔥
I'm gonna take it a step further and send you pics of my snacks. It'll be a whole thing.
Wait, do we have a time difference? I'm on American EST.
I'll be a parttyyyy!!
I'm actually only two hours ahead of you! :O
The stills in question...
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| Tell me it isn't giving, beautiful scholar coveted by everyone for his beauty, awaiting the return of his badass general wife/lover? Like, my mind is going WILD with the headcanons | |
So FL is a spoiled and cruel princess, and ML is a poor, gentle scholar whom she likes to bully. I'm actually reading the book because mutuals said it's very RR and I'm not too far in, but yeah, she definitely likes to bully him... 😋 People say she's really messed-up, so I'm looking forward to it. Hoping for something better than what we got in The Princess Decree
Here's some more peak stuff that came out:
 |  |  |
According to the tumblr post... she says "This mouth of yours needs to be used in the right place"
The right PLACE??! EXCUSE ME?!?!??!?! WHAT?!?!??!?! Run that by me again!!!
Oh, and of course, also blindfolds~
 |  |  |
Also this
 |  |
More stills
  | Is it just me or does this picture give off vibes?   |
 | And some BTS gifs that intrigued me Here's the teaser/trailer 'cause you NEED to see it: https://weibo.com/7953352786/5226376673891334 Tumblr is swimming with posts about this so feel free to give it a scroll. I only picked the best ones to share |  |
I'm quite optimistic about this one. If nothing else, it'll most likely give us a very RR beginning that goes into egalitarian territory with RR-leaning later on (I don't think they'll go too trad since she's a literal princess and he's a poor scholar, but never say never). I'm expecting something at least as RR as The Princess Royal or Moonlit Reunion.
I was almost done replying last night when my browser randomly closed, and I lost everything I had written.
I would've probably cried and just went to bed. I'm SO sorry that happened. It's genuinely one of the worst feelings.
My friends and I often send voice memos instead of texts, and sometimes I'll be recording for ten whole minutes when I get a call that disrupts it and I have to remember everything I said so I can record it again. It makes me want to bash my head into the nearest wall.
Maybe 'cause we were soft buddy-watching those verticals and then got burned out at the same time? Our moods synced xD
Omg that's true! XD First Forever Love, then I started The Princess Decree right after you, and we both watched The Wedding Mix-Up at the same time. We were on a roll!
Glad you're enjoying it!
Just finished the fourth episode, and a scene actually made me teary-eyed! I'm shocked. Once again, wasn't expecting all this. The characters are having really candid conversations about society too. They've talked specifically about how much Asian society pressures people into marriage (their words, not mine), how unjust it is that women are devalued as they age, and the ugly truth of how a lot of us end up compromising when we are no longer valued by society. And I know the drama's going to touch on homophobia later since there are gay supporting characters.
The convos got so real, I had to keep reminding myself it was a Taiwanese drama, not Chinese. Love Is Science? is making me realize how much I missed them, but they barely produce dramas compared to SK, China, and Japan. It's surreal to me because I remember when Taiwanese dramas were more well-known than Korean.
But also, wow, why the 1hr+ eps 😭
Taiwanese dramas are often the same length as Korean lol. They're just more flexible on the episode count. I actually started out watching Taiwanese dramas back in the day, which is why I'm used to the hour long format. When I started watching Chinese dramas, I remember being pleasantly surprised they were only 45 minutes. But the 50+ episodes kind of cancelled that out.
I read that wrong at first and thought you were a fellow SW nerd 😔
Sowwy 👉 👈
Aside from Clone Wars, I can't really get into the franchise. But I totally welcome your references, and I might even understand some of them!
(This is my favorite Star Wars meme, even though its time has passed)
YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, you're not wrong!!!!!
Listennnn, I try to tell people that it's one of the OG noona/jiejie romances, but they don't get it. I mean, the genre is a "space opera", there are different episodes, and the Death Star is basically Truck-kun—helllooooo?? All we need is a subway ad at the end of each movie.
Like, make your traditional slop all you want, but don't lie to us
It's so insidious!!! Marketeers know about different fanbases, how big they are, and what they respond to. They even do focus groups. The traditional fanbase is already the biggest one. They should be happy with that and market dramas to them. Why're they trying to have their cake and eat it too by luring people who are into RR?? Leave us alone.
I'm always skeptical about RR-sounding synopsis... and usually check the trailer first before deciding if it will be.
I need to start doing that too, apparently.
we still have Glory which I hear is pretty good with the wealthy woman saving a prince in peril concept.
I added it to The Buffet after reading the synopsis not too long ago. It sounded soooo good, but now I'm scared it's too good to be true since I haven't watched the trailer. Have you? I vaguely remember you posting screenshots, but I forgot what was going on in them. I think we were more focused on how Hou Ming Hao's face was made for RR.
Even well-beloved and highly-rated (on the RR scale anyway) dramas like My Lady General, so it didn't really bother me
That's true. I'm not fond of the trope, but it was done so hilariously in My Lady General, I didn't mind. As long as it's not done in a super condescending way in Beauty Killer, I probably won't mind again.
Speaking of, I never finished My Lady General even though I was enjoying it. I gotta do that lol.
because she's a sleazy merchant 😋 But she did behave more like someone you'd think was raised in a matriarchy would. She's very smart, flirty, arrogant/cocky, and territorial, so I really liked her. She also can't keep her hands off of ML
A sleazy merchant?! Say no more. I am appeased LOL.
I rarely dislike used car salesman/scammer FLs.
Pulling a fast one on him. Notice how she reaches for him after he pulls away? Girl is smth else xD
She looks very cheeky >: 3 I'm excited.
OH- there's also a beautiful body-painting scene (but not in the steamy way, more in the intimate sense)
Oh wow, that does look beautiful! Can't wait to see what leads up to it, and what stage of the relationship they're in when it happens.
I know what you mean... Hotel del Luna... When Life Gives You Tangerines... There's definitely a pattern.
Even the character she's playing for Perfect Crown falls into that pattern. This is literally how the character's described:
Seong Hui Ju, the second daughter of Korea’s wealthiest conglomerate, is blessed with striking beauty, brains, and a fierce competitive streak, yet she is limited by her status as a 'commoner'. She then chooses to enter a contract marriage with Grand Prince Yi An to gain the one thing she lacks — royal status.
I, for one, can't wait. I've been dying to see someone handle Byeon Woo Seok since Lovely Runner. Should've known my girl IU was going to tell me to hold her beer. I'm sure the RR won't be explicit, but we might still get something good.
I have the same feeling about her co-star in HdL... that man LOVES to be in distress.
This is a good observation LOL. Don't save him, he don't wanna be saved!
I almost wrote hotel delulu 💀
This honestly sounds like a place I need to check into with how crazy I get over role reversals 😂🤷♀️
After I respond to you, I'm looking forward to crawling into bed and reading this:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217486756-charlotte-s-reject
FL is an alpha wolf shifter who finds out her mate is the boy she's been bullying. Everyone who reads femdom novels is singing its praises, and confirms the dynamic doesn't become traditional, so I'm cautiously optimistic.
It was actually a really good day because I stumbled upon a couple of posts in the Romance novel subreddit with promising femdom recommendations. Okay, I'm playing it a little bit cool—I'm soooo excited despite myself. I haven't read a good femdom novel in a long time!
Though I did go from having maybe a dozen dropped titles to almost 80!!
That's a big jump! You are healing.
I've since watched it twice... start to finish 🙈 And talking about it now is making me wanna watch it a third... I never rewatch dramas
Really?! That is high praise! Their relationship is that good?
Proud to say I personally added that tag 💅
Not me latching onto the tag you specifically added!! What is wrong with us??
This ML... OHHHHHHH boyyyyyyyyy- yummy. He's SO atypical for a historical ML, especially for the position he is in. Like, augh- The pookism of this man. My screenshots folder for this drama sits at 500+, and it's mostly him and his big watery eyes.
I don't think I've ever seen you gush about a ML quite like this 😮 He must be something special. 500 screenshots is a lot of screenshots lol. But he does have big watery eyes, so I can see why you got a little trigger happy.
She's cold, aloof, complicated, and mean, and he's... the purest, most innocent, most soft angel ever. This man saw a trainwreck of a woman, said "I can fix her" and then DID!!!
Awww...it's an "I can fix her" scenario? I do have a soft spot for those. Hmm...okay. I still don't know if I'll be able to build up the mental bandwidth for an angsty historical with so many episodes, but it's not a hell no anymore lol. It's a maybe. I'm gonna add it to The Buffet, and see if I'm in the mood to consume it one day. ML looks really adorable in the screenshots and FL looks tortured and stoic 😏
I swear we're living parallel lives because the way you feel about this couple is exactly how I feel about the couple in Fated Hearts.
- [22:47] https://youtu.be/ySz5RvKPHtY?si=xAncmx1w-HNtmlL3&t=1367
Oooh, even without the context, that was a substantial kiss! It was quite passionate for a historical.
I know our convo about The Princess Royal was a little while ago, but this scene makes me remember how angry that first kiss scene in TPR made me XD When they kissed while over-looking that festival or whatever? I was so giddy as they leaned in then I was like: WTF IS THIS CRAP???? It was lowkey insulting.
The scene in that video was not like that at all. I'm pleasantly surprised.
- https://www.tumblr.com/zhouszishu/174180363226/whose-empress-am-i-deep-downim-still-your?source=share
His face is really adorable and endearing <3
I hear xianxias have a lot of men kneeling bloodily and tortured...
Xianxias were my first foray into costume dramas. I know a lot of people can't stand the powers the characters have or the bad CGI, but I honestly don't mind that. They kind of made me feel like I was watching live action anime or something. But the pacing's even worse than regular historicals/wuxia, and just like freaking Dragon Ball Z or One Piece, sometimes it would take the characters, like, ten episodes to learn a skill, gain a power (or get their power back), or find a rare item. It was almost torture. And I tried so many of the xianxias people swear by, and some that were supposedly underrated.
Sadly, I didn't come across much, if any, RR either.
But you know what? That's why I'm extra grateful for vertical short dramas. They're helping me with my mild aversion to costume C-dramas (in conjunction with Fated Hearts).
This time I'll apologize for the absolute yapfest that was me going off on my favs 💀
Please. As if I am not also guilty of this XD No worries at all.
I do have to go though, so I'll respond to your other posts later and share an interesting (but low budget) vertical I actually finished.
