life's a hoot @wullu - Tumblr Blog

Zhou Xun and Chen Kun for Cosmo China - September 2021

#zhou xun #chen #not hot #not pretty #but a mysterious third thing (murderous siblings?)

I have filtered out the tag for The East Palace cause I am watching at a glacial pace, and if I accidentally catch any spoilers, it kind of kills my drive to continue watching, so take my word vomit with a pinch of salt pls.

With that being said, I am at the end of episode 3 and my goodness, I am actively rooting for the King and Queen Dowager to die painful deaths. All they have done so far is cause chaos for everyone else and maintain a tenuous grip on the court, and less so their sanity. Like, the pond spirit was right to curse the royal family's bloodline to end.

They are compelling villains yes (I will put this down to the acting, more than the characterization), but I am very-hard pressed to be sympathetic to them. If the present succession line is dropping like flies, mayhap think back on your many transgressions? I realize royalty and the quest for the throne is a hell of drug but come on, come what may, in the end death spares no one, and there's no saying you won't die an ignominious death. Of course, contextually I know why they are this way, but let a bitch (me) rant.

At any rate, it will be interesting to see how their arcs progress, and if redemption is even on the cards for them. As of now I sincerely hope not, but we have 5 more episodes to tear through, so lettuce see.

As always, I am using this spoiler tag for the drama -> the east palace spoilers

#kdrama #the east palace #the east palace spoilers #such a miserable set of villains #yeesh #saeng gang pls stay away from this palace

The first episode of The East Palace was enjoyable for me. I did have my reservations so to speak, but I am kind of won over all the same?

I was wondering what kind of tone the horror would take, and it seems they have settled on a mix of ominous and serious, with some humor and levity to break up all the doom and gloom.

NJH is okay so far, but right before I started the drama, I was thinking of perfect it would be if Yoon Shi Yoon were casted in this role. He would have simply chewed it up and spitted it out, and not to mention, he would have done a heck of a job being insolent, brooding, abrasively kind, but also dashingly romantic, as his wont. But alas, it was not to be. NJH is perfectly serviceable, but also distressingly modern, in some ways. Oh well.

I did also enjoy the bickering dynamic that Gu Cheon and Saeng Gang have? At times it feels a little forced, but I can see the vision, and I do have an excellent imagination, so I can fill in the rest lmao. It's clear that they are set up as opposing foils, who will soon find similar goals, and maybe even romance, which was my dearest wish going into this. You know just know that if OCN had helmed something like this, they would have made sure the romantic beats were all there, come hell or high water and ghostly spirits be damned. (See OCN Possessed to know what I am talking about lol)

I am sad that if there's a romance, it would not be court-people adjacent, like I had previously surmised. The reveal of Saeng Gang's parentage was a surprise to me. At any rate, what I wish for her is to be free of the palace, and presumably set up family with Gu Cheon, but I am not holding my breath about that happening.

Also, Jang Young Nam is terrifying and commanding as only she can be. But that's no surprise. She can do roles like these in her sleep I feel.

It may read like I am damning this with faint praise, but my expectations were terrifically low going into this and probably once I get neck deep into, there will not be so many comparisons.

Also, the tag I will be using for spoilers is this one -> the east palace spoilers. I will use it liberally, so feel free to filter it out. I would hate for anyone's watching to be spoiled.

#kdrama #the east palace #word vomit #the east palace spoilers #the one downside to this all the episodes dropping at once #pls i am not a fan of this format #let things stew pls

melonatures

Xie Zheng // Fan Changyu ↳ 逐玉 PURSUIT OF JADE (2026)

#cdrama #chasing jade #pursuit of jade #i do love a menacing changyu

fraactals

finished 表妹万福 and all the extras

very lovely little snack (by cnovel standards of length) of a book. nothing in this book is very surprising. it just burbles along, the core of it shimmering, warm, sunlit even as sometimes it travels through dark and moody woods. there is supreme comfort in having entrusted yourself to it, just as zhen jiafu entrusts herself to pei you'an's conscientious, capable hands, trusting in his honor and goodness even before he has come to love her

in the first section, zhen jiafu's determination to escape her past and the terrifying man in it leads repeatedly to her to doing things that are not proper, only to be discovered by pei you'an. despite this, he sees her vulnerability and sympathizes with it, and fulfills his pledge to protect her

their marriage is sweet, lovely, built by willingness, marked by mutual protection. when you'an's birth catches up to them, you see too how much they feel and think alike

not everything goes their way, especially towards the end in one key aspect, but they make the most of it, and the book is gentle, giving some emotional closure and sunniness even in that

the most surprising part for me was when the entire pei family turned out to be all monsters. maybe i didn't read their sections carefully enough at first to catch the signs

i think this would not be an easy one to adapt faithfully. the book is told very much with emotional bias towards jiafu's experiences, but once they get married, the rest of the plot is really built around you'an. i don't feel dramas do well with this type of dynamic (esp when they have many the long separations). the shape of the story is also complicated for adaptation as it ends with a long and emotional arc of semi-resolution between you'an and his father that is not imo very drama-fiable though i liked it a lot

i especially liked this translation by marchmallow, though it is not complete and i had to use MTL after. though i read it in translation, i found it the prose and tone to be elegant and restrained in a way i enjoyed

content warnings for terrible and manupulative parents, abusive past relationships, sexual harassment and kidnapping

#cnovel #wishing you eternal happiness #a reminder to me to finish this #i got half way through and then got distracted #as is my wont

juhotonin

Hong Ji Ah and Oh In Beom: A Summary

#kdrama #sell your haunted house #a contemptous jang nara is simply chef's kiss

holdthesarcasm

there now, steady love by faithtriestowritestuff

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Filing for Love Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Joo In Ah/Noh Ki Jun Characters: Joo In Ah, Noh Ki Jun Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Missing Scene, During Canon Summary:

Inah takes responsibility.

or, my take on the direct aftermath of the press conference in episode 11

title from 'look after you' by the fray

#kdrama #filing for love #to read #omg yay!!!!#i am so excited to read this #and so happy the fandom tag is being fed

seolinguk

SELL YOUR HAUNTED HOUSE 대박부동산 (2021) S1E1 "Ji Ah Looks for a Psychic" - Aired April 14th 2021

#kdrama #sell your haunted house #the colouring is so pretty

yesdramas

#kdrama #sell your haunted house #asdfghjkl #he was so slick until he met her

1liv

FILING FOR LOVE - Episode 4

#kdrama #filing for love #asdfghjkl #she is so funny #always riling him up

I watched the trailer for The East Palace and I am tentatively excited?

My main thing is, that I like the premise in that, it is two people who are not centre-stage royalty leading the story. I believe Nam Joo Hyuk is playing a commoner/outsider/ghost-slayer and Roh Yoon Seo is playing a court lady. My cursory research tells me that there are levels to court ladies, but unfortunately, I do not know enough about the hierarchy to figure out which rank of court lady she is. Point is, I think she is levels removed from royalty.

Now what I want is ROMANCE -- in all caps, lmao. Because when you are fighting the forces of evil, and are presumably saving each other's butts, and engaging in some adrenaline-inducing, pants-shitting shenanigans, there is bound to be some emotions running high, correct? Like emotions that would lead you straight into each other's arms.

But the trailer was determined not to show any romance, and instead it was all moody and rainy (which I enjoyed), ghostly, spirit-y, with split seconds of people dying, and Jang Young Nam looking possessed as hell (so I know I will be in for a hell of a performance, because I have never known her to not deliver). I am fine with all this, but I also want my romance danggit!

So, fingers crossed I guess?