Lula's Writing Blog

Welcome to my writing blog! Here you can expect to see my thoughts on anime, movies, books, games, and other miscellaneous topics I currently find interesting. Previously made for fanfics, this blog is now headed for a more professional direction. All posts are in English or Indonesian.

[fuckyeahchinesegarden]

plum blossoms in china

[s-moresccino]

So I just Watched Kingdom...

...and it was the first Kdrama I genuinely liked.

I’m not a huge fan of zombie franchises (I’m interested in watching Shaun of the Dead...but the rest just look meh) so I can’t really say anything about the horror elements (because c’mon, I laughed at the first big zombie scene at the courtyard), but I do like how the characters are built and developed

The first character that comes to mind is the crown prince, Lee Chang. I was honestly surprised that I even grew to love the guy since I’m usually not into main characters since side characters tend to end up being more interesting.  Aside from giving him believable flaws, the movie also gave more depth to his motivations.

First of all, I like how they’re okay with introducing him as a character who wants nothing more than to survive. Not only does this fit his character as a prince at court who’s in danger of deposition, but also with the entire theme of trying to survive from zombies. I like how we’re shown Chang running for his own life from the outbreak in Dongnae before he finds the resolve to lead the people to fight back. Even then, he doesn’t suddenly turn into this plucky commander who turns invincible the moment he takes up the mantle. In fact, my favorite scene is the on where they show him crouching inside a room after the first stand at Jiyulheon. That scene made me picture him reciting “I mustn’t run away” while rocking back and forth

Also, I like how he insists on not abandoning the common folk because it makes him different from the Haewon Cho instead of spouting stuff like “justice” and “duty as the crown prince”. It may not be much but I’m all for writers working with existing character traits and dynamics instead of adding new stuff that come out of nowhere.

Speaking of relationships, other stuff I particularly liked where the flashbacks of the Emperor and Lord Ahn Hyeon. At first, I wasn’t entirely convinced with Chang wanting to investigate his father’s death outside of securing his own position at court, but the flashback where they showed the Emperor (was it the Emperor? I thought it was because the man wore red) gently telling little Chang to survive clicked so well with how their relationship is presented thus war. Heck, it made me feel sympathetic for the Emperor! So it’s a huge plus.

Also, I like how they present Chang’s relationship with Lord Ahn Hyeon. This is probably just a pet peeve of mine, but I don’t like adult main characters being told they have a strong sense of justice when their surroundings are too cynical for justice to be a thing at all (especially since the Hanyang court is shown as a corrupt dog-eat-dog world from when Chang was a kid). Sooo I thought it was a good decision that they made Chang get his good character traits from Lord Ahn Hyeon, who acted like a second father to him.  Their relationship was organic and I loved it.

Lastly, props to Ju Ji-hoon for giving us this quiet but emotive male protagonist I identify with. People may hate me for this, but I DO NOT find most kdrama or jdrama characters relatable. Wato from Miss Sherlock was the only good exception I could think of, but even that series was way more flawed than Kingdom in terms of writing (as well as production qualities). In any case, I never expected to find a freaking crown prince (a character type I roll my eyes at in dramas) as someone I can identify with but here we are.

I can’t wait to see more of Lee Chang in season 2. I know heads be rollin’ but even spoilers can’t keep me from being excited.

[s-moresccino]

I like organizations or task forces that have a set of SOPs as well as the technology and network to back them up. Perhaps this is why I love organizations like NERV etc.

I’d choose them over a ragtag bunch of disorganized misfits any time of the day. Even the gangs in Banana Fish have a system going on.

[agnesmontague]

The Disneycrumb Tinies (or, a Disney Demise)

Inspired by Edward Gorey’s famous alphabetical obituary, I wrote one for some Disney characters. Enjoy!

A is for Alice, who lost her own mind.

B is for Belle, who was a little TOO kind!

C is for Cindy, who fell in some glass.

D’s for the Darlings, who grew up too fast!

E is for Eric who drowned off a coast.

F is for Facilier, dragged off by ghosts!

G’s for Gaston, who fell from a height.

H is for Hiro who lost his last fight.

I’s for Iago who choked on a cracker!

J is for Jane, a gorilla attacked her!

K is for Kristoff, stabbed with an icicle.

L’s for Li Shang, who died in a battle.

M’s for Mufasa, who was trampled by hooves.

N is for Nani, who fell off a roof!

O is for Olaf, his hugs became cold.

P is for Peter, who simply grew old.

Q is for Quasi–he dies in the book!

R’s for Rapunzel, who drowned in the brook.

S is for Snow White, poisoned by fruit.

T’s for Tadashi, whose death was quite moot.

U is for Ursula, stabbed through the heart.

V’s for Vanellope, who rode the wrong Kart!

W’s for Winnie who ate too much hunny.

Y is for Yzma, her demise was quite funny.

Z is for Zira, killed by her own son.

And now our morbidly fun song is done.