Fae

Hello Friends,

Where has MDL been all my life?!  :)  I'm BEYOND grateful for it's useful purpose of tracking and organizing dramas. 💗.

HOW IT STARTED...
My addiction began in 2022. So far, I have only logged a small fraction of my Asian drama-watching history on MDL.  The back-dating process might take me forever because I have a uselessly-perfectionist need to put them in chronologically-watched order.  I mostly watch FULL-LENGTH 🎞️ Chinese and Korean dramas, but there's *some* Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese sprinkled in.  (I also like east Indian musicals with Bollywood dancing).  (In the non-Asian world, I enjoy Spanish dramas).  I am somewhat NEW to the land of vertical 📱 short-dramas.  I disliked them when I first tried them in summer 2024 because of the screen orientation, soapy/ridiculous scenarios, and the (not always) lesser quality production (including sound).  However... I tried again in late 2024 and was officially won over.  I ended up joining MDL in January 2025 when I was frustratingly searching for the missing titles and actors of verticals 📱.  Now, I just watch EVERYTHING, in both formats.

I'm glad to be here with all of you and I REALLY enjoy reading YOUR stories 📖, thoughts and opinions about dramas. :)     ("Introverts, UNITE! ...separately... in your own homes!")

𖹭
Fae   (@bridgeport77)

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I subscribe to 6 networks (pre-paid, annual) to support my Asian-drama addiction (this is NOT an endorsement). ALL have English subtitles.

PrimeVideo (Amazon)               iQIYI               NETFLIX

Tencent Video (WeTV)               YOUKU

Rakuten Viki

For vertical 📱short-dramas:

iQIYI               Tencent Video (WeTV)               YOUKU

YouTube               DAILY MOTION

Many are also on the plethora of coin 🪙 apps (💸).

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    I'm warning you...                  STOP READING HERE.

                ....unless you're a freak about details.
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ONLY read the next part if you're interested in the details of HOW I dissect dramas. :)

ABOUT MY RATINGS
I have a logical process… although, my natural bias most certainly has an effect. My ratings reflect whether I thought a drama was good or well-done, NOT necessarily on whether I actually liked it or even enjoyed it. (And I NEVER EVER feel offended at anyone else's ratings, reviews, opinions or reactions). I know many drama-addicts use a different scale for verticals, but I use the same scoring system for all dramas, whether full-length or vertical-short. (However, the quality/standard I EXPECT from verticals is lower, so my ratings are ALWAYS naturally less rigid.  I give stars if aspects were "good enough", rather than box-office glory). I have rated many dramas highly that I didn't like but thought were well done, and alternatively, I've rated many dramas lower, even though I liked them, because the production or storyline is poor. In general (not always), my ratings mean:

• 10☆: PERFECT / Mind-blowing 🤯 (I have yet to EVER give 10☆)
• 9☆ - 9.5☆:  Fantastic / Incredible / Amazing!
• 8☆ - 8.5☆:  Great! / Excellent!
• 7☆ - 7.5☆:  Pretty good (usually I liked it)
• 6☆ - 6.5☆:  Decent w/ disappointing aspects (I probably liked it somewhat)
• 5☆ - 5.5☆:  Mediocre / 'Meh' (I usually disliked it)
• 4☆ - 4.5☆:  Its bad
• 0☆ - 3.5 ☆:  It SUCKED!!

I break down each drama's stars into 6 categories. In my head, I think about those categories in increments of 1, .75 .5, .25. (If the drama ends in .25, such as 7.25☆, I round up or down to the nearest .5, depending on the drama's vibe). The stuff I'm sharing below LOOKS crazy, but I have it memorized, so it only takes about 1 minute for me to ponder the drama and do the stars-math (as long as the drama is still fresh in my mind). In my physical notes under the drama, I DON'T type all the category descriptions. I only write the total with the number breakdown. It helps in case later on, I wonder WHY I rated something a certain way.

FAMILY / MELODRAMA / ROMANCE (10 ☆'s, +/-, 6 categories)
1)  1☆  -  Quality of Production: Cinematography, Filmography, Sound, Effects, CGI
2)  1☆  -  Directing / Action / Martial-Arts Choreography
3)  3☆  -  Story/Plot: Creativity, Cleverness, Humor (if Comedy), Fitting Ending
4)  1☆  -  ML/FL: Casted Well, Scripted Well, Not Annoying
5)  2☆  -  ML/FL: Acting SKILL, Character Portrayal
6)  2☆  -  Synergy Between Leads (& Chemistry  💋❤️‍🔥 if Romance)

ACTION/ADVENTURE (10 ☆'s, +/-, 6 categories)
1)  1.5☆  -  Quality of Production: Cinematography, Filmography, Sound, Effects, CGI
2)  1.5☆  -  Directing / Action / Martial-Arts Choreography
3)  3☆  -  Story/Plot: Creativity, Cleverness, Humor (if Comedy), Fitting Ending
4)  1☆  -  ML/FL: Casted Well, Scripted Well, Not Annoying
5)  2☆ -  ML/FL: Acting SKILL, Character Portrayal
6)  1☆  -  Synergy Between Leads (Platonic)

EXAMPLE DRAMA
2025 "Wanna Be" (ML: Tang Xiaotian & FL: Wang Zi Xuan). I rated it 6.5☆ (I ONLY do this next breakdown part in my HEAD and JUST record the numbers. Just showing you the thought-process.)

1)  1☆  -  Quality of production was great
2)  1☆  -  Directing was great
3)  .75☆  -  ML was a pleasant character. FL was unnecessarily annoying in the first half. The actors didn't seem to cast well TOGETHER.
4)  2☆  -  Both leads had excellent acting skills.
5)  .75☆  -  Leads had a few great kisses but I didn't sense their chemistry. Their romance felt forced.
6)  1☆  -  The beginning of the story was intriguing, but the plot dragged and was boring half of the time.

Then, I type this streamlined score within my drama notes, showing the 6 categories in order:

RATING:  YOUKU   6.5☆  (1, 1, .75, 2, .75, 1)

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ONLY read the next parts if you're interested in knowing MY drama interests. These are just personal preferences. I realize that if the drama-world only had MY favorite storylines and tropes, it would be a boring place.  :)

GENRES & THEMES 

I LIKE/LOVE IT ❤︎ (prefer romance in all, but not always):
• Action-Adventure Epics
• Apocalyptic / Futuristic
• Fantasy/Xianxia, Mythology, Supernatural: Realm of Deities (angels, demons & gods), Religious/Spiritual (monks, priests, saints), Superhuman (ghosts, fairies, mermaids/mermen, superheroes, witches, vampires, etc). Chimeras/Creatures (dragon, phoenix, unicorn, etc).
• Historical (ANY & ALL eras incl BC, medieval, Republic & Retro)
• Martial Arts & Wuxia 🗡️
• Military  🪖🎖️ (historical, modern, war, N Korea, secret human-experimentation/trials)
• Musicals 🎵🎶
• Organized Crime: Mafia, Mob, Professional Gang, Shadow Government, Underground Crime
• Mystery & Psychological Thriller (not horror)
• Romance 💗
• Science-Fiction (Sci-fi):  A.I. (Artificial intelligence / Android 🤖), Aliens/Humanoid 👽, Dimensions, Space 🌙✨, Tech/Computers 🖥️, Time-Travel

I DISLIKE IT 🚫 (*usually* but not always, or just don't care about it):
• Cooking Shows
• Dating-Game Shows
• Dinosaurs
• Disaster / Survivalist
• Gore / Horror
• Melodramas
• Reality TV
• Sports / Sports-themed Dramas (except I DO LOVE Martial-Arts & ice/roller skating)

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The EPIC, MASTERLIST of CHARACTERISTICS, PLOT-DEVICES & TROPES!!

I LIKE/LOVE IT  ❤︎:
• Antihero ML (non-abusive)
• Childhood Sweethearts
• Courageous, Strong Leads w/ Integrity ('Night in Shining Armor', 'Mother Theresa')
• Arranged Marriage (by elders, NOT contracts)
• Age-Gap Uncle ML (older ML, younger FL)
• Deity or Superhuman ML
• Disabled / Impaired Lead (coma, trauma-amnesia, blind, deaf, mute, cripple)
• Fated Love (Destiny, Meant-to-Be, Soul-Mates)
• Forbidden Love (non-biological but “like” family, older ML age-gap, income/social gap)
• Forever / Eternal Love (including multiple lifetimes)
• Friends to Lovers
• Good-Parent Leads
• 'Happily Ever After' Endings
• Trusting/Supportive Leads (of each other)
• Love at First-Sight
• Martial Artist or Military Lead
• Mature / Wise Leads
• Opposites-Attract (non-cruel/mean)
• Rebirth / Reincarnation (for love, NOT revenge)
• Second-Chance Love / Redemption or Reconciliation Storyline (except for unforgiveable acts)
• Ultimate-Love Sacrificial Death of Lead (especially w/ hope of reuniting in the afterlife or in reincarnation)
• Underdog to Overcomer Lead / Karma Storyline

I DISLIKE IT 🚫 (*usually* but not always.   I know, its 75% of vertical dramas 😬):
• 5-yr-old Prodigy, Genius Computer Hacker
• Abusive / Bullying / Mean ML
• Bittersweet Endings
• Childlike / Adolescent Persona of Adult-FL
• Crematorium Wife-Chasing
• One-Night-Stand next-morning REACTIONS (that are irritating): coldness, indifference, mousy timidity, prudish shock, rudeness
• Cantankerous / Pretentious Lead
• Canary Lover / Kept Lover / Friends w/ Benefits
• Contract Marriage / Relationship (or Leads that use each other for mutual benefit)
• Cowardly / Spineless / Weak Lead (especially when they don't protect & stand up FOR other lead or FOR themselves)
• Distrusting / Insecure / Paranoid Lead
• Enemies to Lovers
• Foolish / Silly / Stupid Lead
• Harem / Reverse-Harem / Polygamy (not if its in the drama itself, but only if the lead character LIKES it)
• Immature / Blame-Shifting / Petty Lead
• Impossible Love (usually due to unrequited forbidden love, separate dimensions / social class)
• Love-Blind Pushover Simp Lead
• Love Triangle
• Controlling / Domineering / Possessive ML
• Drugged or Intoxicated Intimacy (overused)
• Tsundere Lead (Cold, Rude, Femme Fatale, Ice Queen, Ice Princess)
• Forced Kisses & the "I'll be responsible for you" Intercourse (R*pe)
• Forgiveness or Reconciliation after Lead committed unredemptive, heinous acts
• Green-tea Lead (Complainy / Pouty, regardless of motive, whether good or shady)
• Green-tea Mastermind 2nd-Lead (JUST the ones that seem omniscient, always having serendipitous luck, allowing them to overhear every important conversation, intercept medical records, alter DNA results, and have the inexplicable power to blackmail EVERYONE including doctors)
• Hiding Children from Lead (unless abusive)
• Hit & Run of Pedestrian (overused)
• "I'm doing this for your own good." / "I'm lying to you to protect you."
• Lack of Communication / Misunderstandings
• Love-Hate Relationship
• Mistaken Identity (ok with hidden / secret identity)
• Mousy / Timid FL (most common in Japanese dramas)
• Revenge Plot (unless amazingly creative)
• Scheming or Vengeful Lead
• The Plot Wasn't Real - it was all just a dream or a storybook
• Time Jump (especially w/ surprise Children)

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ABOUT ME
I live (and grew up) near the Salish Sea, in the foresty/foothills/countryside/farmland of Washington state / Pacific NW 🌊🧜🏻‍♀️⛴️🌲🦅☔☕⛰️ portion of the USA (a little over an hour south of BC Canada). (Within the USA, I have also lived in California, Nevada and North Carolina). I don't have the opportunity to travel much (or EVER, haha), but when I do, I like to visit historical and scenic places. Although I want to visit SO many places (EVERYWHERE in Asia for at least a year), South America, Mediterranean, and Norway, I've only been to Hawaii, Canada and Mexico, so far. I enjoyed all 3 trips a lot and wish I could go back a few more times .

I’m a wifie of a military husband and am temporarily a stay-home mama of our only child. (He has Cystic Fibrosis, so we homeschooled a lot for his healthcare, but he's back to public school this year 2025-2026), so... that means... I'm ALSO going back to school/college this coming year 2026, and I'm REALLY looking forward to it. I used to be a medical laboratory assistant (processing blood, cerebral/synovial fluid, etc), but I'm completely changing careers to Historical Archiving, starting from scratch.

My hobbies are VERY basic. Besides hanging with my tiny family or watching Asian-dramas (by myself!), I love coloring, puzzles (jigsaw, sudoku), quilting (*learning* now), going on nature hikes/walks, stargazing, and reading about history, mythology, religion and spirituality. I love learning about etymology and foreign languages. I play piano and acoustic guitar decently, and even a little bass guitar (why I hate long fingernails), but other aspects of life have eclipsed my practice (aka Asian Dramas 🫰🏻), so my skills are gathering dust lately 😳. (Back in my high-school days, my favorite classes were A-Capella Choir, Japanese, and Spanish).  I am ALL ABOUT atmosphere. I LOVE daydreaming, thinking, chilling , and fresh air. (So, I also LOOOVE it when drama 📺 cinematography and background incidental sounds are created to enhance ambient effect, as if BEING there in-person, smelling and sensing the environment). I LOVE sitting in silence, listening to rain, epic storms, the sound of hooting owls and wind in the trees. ...I love blue skies, songbirds in the morning, and crickets and frogs in the evening - especially in Spring and Summer. ...I love the quiet beauty of falling snow and an undisturbed winter wonderland. I have a very laid-back, calm, and ambiguous personality. I LOVE watching my son and husband laughing together. Little things, like drinking hot tea or coffee while staring at a view or watching a drama gives me IMMENSE joy. I'm also a SEVERE introvert, so interacting with others (besides family) is my worst quality, whether in real life or online. I don't have/use social media (facebook, instagram, etc). I only have a few friends, such as my extroverted, comedic, bff-husband, haha. As you can tell by reading this VERY LONG novel-sized bio, I'm an over-sharer when I write and an under-sharer in real life.

INTERESTING but USELESS FACTS
• Zodiac (Chinese): Snake 🐍
• Zodiac (Greco-Roman): Scorpio ♏
• MBTI: INTP-A, Logician
• Love Language: Physical Touch
• Favorite Color: Blue 💙, or Pastel/Neon Rainbow 🌈
• Favorite Foods: Asian 🥡 (except organ meat, shellfish, & sashimi), Indian 🍛, Baked Potato 🥔, Corn-Cob 🌽, Veggies (most), Salad (most), Soup/Stew 🍲, Toast, Cold Cereal w/ fruit, Cheese w/ fruit.
• Favorite Desserts: Fruit (all, with or w/out whipped cream), Crème Brulée, Flan, Tembleque, Tres Leches Cake, Arroz con Leche, Chocolate, Peach Cobbler, Strawberry Shortcake, Chai Tea Latte, Hot Cider/Wassail (Nordic), Sweet Iced Tea, Lemonade, Strawberry Milk
• How I Like My Coffee ☕: Café con Leche / Café  Au Lait  (half drip/press, half milk, no sugar)
• Favorite Season: Autumn 🍂🍁🦉  (but  I love them all)
• Favorite Holidays (USA): Halloween 🎃🦇🪦👻, Thanksgiving 🦃🍽️, and Valentine's Day 💌
• Favorite USA TV Shows: The Big Bang Theory, Star Trek (TOS/TNG), The Vampire Diaries, Smallville
• Music-Listening Styles: Pop/Rock (1950's-present), 1930's-40's American Swing & Jazz, 1930's-40's Shanghai Swing and Jazz, Brazilian Jazz, Classical (strings, a-Capella choir, Gregorian chant), Asian Folk/Classical (Chinese, Korean, Japanese).