![[sticky entry]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/entry/sticky_entry.png){kind=small}
As it says in the title, here's a post all about me.
( Read more... )
And that's about it, I think!
(no subject)
Nov. 23rd, 2024 11:00 amIt's been almost 2 years since my last post, lol, but if you'd like to follow me someplace where I'm far more active, I'm over on the butterfly app.
look what the cat dragged in
Dec. 7th, 2022 08:10 pmHey, long time no post.
Anyway, twitter's a hot mess, amirite? I got myself a mastodon (over on the Federated Fandom instance), so if you'd like to follow me, there I am.
Anyway, twitter's a hot mess, amirite? I got myself a mastodon (over on the Federated Fandom instance), so if you'd like to follow me, there I am.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
hc_bingo card
Jul. 4th, 2022 09:13 amIt's been years since I've participated in a bingo challenge (or even written fanfic 😂) but I kind of miss it so I signed up for hc_bingo.
Here's my card:
( my hc_bingo card )
I decidedly to play dangerously and didn't veto anything. It turned out fine. Taking a cue from![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
yhlee, who was inspired by sholio, I did a color-coded version.
( color-coded version + notes )
This level of planning is highly unusual for me but hey, you know what, I should try new things.
hc_bingo.Here's my card:
( my hc_bingo card )
I decidedly to play dangerously and didn't veto anything. It turned out fine. Taking a cue from
yhlee, who was inspired by sholio, I did a color-coded version.( color-coded version + notes )
This level of planning is highly unusual for me but hey, you know what, I should try new things.
It's Been Fourteen Months
Mar. 18th, 2022 08:35 pmAnd my girls have finally released new music.
( I'm not a doll )
So! Here's to the future! Even with all the bumps along the way, I've never regretted following the girls from the very beginning. I'll be loyal until the end. 🤟🏼
( I'm not a doll )
So! Here's to the future! Even with all the bumps along the way, I've never regretted following the girls from the very beginning. I'll be loyal until the end. 🤟🏼
Back with an Irregular K-Pop Update
Feb. 12th, 2022 05:15 pmMy fav girl Soyeon was on Sketchbook yesterday. Love that she was on again even though she has no new music out. Guess she's really been making an impression with her stint as a mentor judge on My Teenage Girl (MBC's latest survival show).
She performed a cover of Block B's "Nalina."
For reference, this is the original. I love her version. Really, it's all-around excellent but the best thing about it is that people who aren't familiar with Soyeon as an artist will realize that (G)I-DLE's rapper can also sing. She did the rearrangement herself, which isn't a surprise to anyone who's followed her career but apparently is remarkable to newer fans. Not that it isn't remarkable. Female K-Pop idols aren't known for this particular trait, but it is perhaps Soyeon's defining characteristic. Hoping that one day she'll realize her dream of collabing with Zico. (Zico was Block B's leader before he went solo and opened his own agency. Which if I recall correctly was recently acquired by HYBE?*)
Also: I want to note that this pink outfit is amazing.
She also revealed that (G)I-DLE is prepping for a comeback, so it sounds like we'll be getting new music soon. Thank god! I'm definitely on a K-Pop downswing, where my interest is fading, but I'm always here for Soyeon and (G)I-DLE.
* Ugh. They really are the Disney of the K-Pop world.
She performed a cover of Block B's "Nalina."
For reference, this is the original. I love her version. Really, it's all-around excellent but the best thing about it is that people who aren't familiar with Soyeon as an artist will realize that (G)I-DLE's rapper can also sing. She did the rearrangement herself, which isn't a surprise to anyone who's followed her career but apparently is remarkable to newer fans. Not that it isn't remarkable. Female K-Pop idols aren't known for this particular trait, but it is perhaps Soyeon's defining characteristic. Hoping that one day she'll realize her dream of collabing with Zico. (Zico was Block B's leader before he went solo and opened his own agency. Which if I recall correctly was recently acquired by HYBE?*)
Also: I want to note that this pink outfit is amazing.
She also revealed that (G)I-DLE is prepping for a comeback, so it sounds like we'll be getting new music soon. Thank god! I'm definitely on a K-Pop downswing, where my interest is fading, but I'm always here for Soyeon and (G)I-DLE.
* Ugh. They really are the Disney of the K-Pop world.
Long time no post, fam. It's been a while. I could talk about any number of things, but eh, who has time for that. Instead, I'll wish everyone a happy holiday season. I know things aren't great. We are, as they say, entering S3 of the Panorama Times and that just sucks.
But enough about that. Let's talk about My Teenage Girl, a new Korean survival show. I haven't been watching it because I'm generally not a fan of survival shows and the concept for this one is a little weird. But my fav girl Soyeon is a mentor on the show, so I've been following it casually.
True to form, she's been making waves, winning over cranky knets, and attracting new fans. (She's not even a contestant? This is hilarious!) This week in particular, there was a lot of chatter about the battle between two of the groups: Grade 3 and Grade 4. Grade 3 is known as the strongest group on the show while Grade 4 is the weakest. Soyeon chose to mentor Grade 4 because she believed she had the most to teach them. And seeing the results, yes, she did. Because this specific matchup crystallized something for me. Namely, what makes a good K-Pop group a good K-Pop group.
Here's Grade 3 covering Blackpink's "Pretty Savage."
Objectively, I can say these are very talented girls. Extremely talented! I can see why people say they're the strongest group. But I didn't enjoy watching this performance. I was bored and had no idea what I was supposed to focus on. They weren't cohesive as a group and not gonna lie, it was like they were competing against each other.
Now, here's Grade 4 covering Aespa's "Black Mamba."
One, you can see Soyeon's touches all over this stage: the dance break at the end, the finger biting (which I've read was actually a diss of the other team LOL), and the way each girl clearly has a role. But you also see how it's a more cohesive performance and maximizes each girl's strengths while masking their weaknesses. They're definitely not as talented as the individual girls in Grade 3, but it doesn't matter. It wasn't an individual battle but a group one. The best thing was Soyeon's final comment at the end of the full episode: "See?" (She'd apparently made an earlier comment about how she knew what audiences like & how to get a reaction out of them and uh, she's right!)
I also ended up a big fan of Mihee (the girl in the striped pants). She's kind of like a mix of Chungha and Soojin. (My poor girl, Soojin. I'll miss you greatly.)
I think we might be getting new music from (G)I-DLE soon. Minnie and Yuqi are back in South Korea. Yuqi unveiled her new platinum hair. Minnie is performing as part of collab stage at one of the year-end festivals. Soyeon and Miyeon are going to be at another. It feels like they're increasing their visibility to prep for a comeback. It'll certainly be different without Soojin, but I'll always support the girls and, of course, any project Soyeon is part of LOL.
But enough about that. Let's talk about My Teenage Girl, a new Korean survival show. I haven't been watching it because I'm generally not a fan of survival shows and the concept for this one is a little weird. But my fav girl Soyeon is a mentor on the show, so I've been following it casually.
True to form, she's been making waves, winning over cranky knets, and attracting new fans. (She's not even a contestant? This is hilarious!) This week in particular, there was a lot of chatter about the battle between two of the groups: Grade 3 and Grade 4. Grade 3 is known as the strongest group on the show while Grade 4 is the weakest. Soyeon chose to mentor Grade 4 because she believed she had the most to teach them. And seeing the results, yes, she did. Because this specific matchup crystallized something for me. Namely, what makes a good K-Pop group a good K-Pop group.
Here's Grade 3 covering Blackpink's "Pretty Savage."
Objectively, I can say these are very talented girls. Extremely talented! I can see why people say they're the strongest group. But I didn't enjoy watching this performance. I was bored and had no idea what I was supposed to focus on. They weren't cohesive as a group and not gonna lie, it was like they were competing against each other.
Now, here's Grade 4 covering Aespa's "Black Mamba."
One, you can see Soyeon's touches all over this stage: the dance break at the end, the finger biting (which I've read was actually a diss of the other team LOL), and the way each girl clearly has a role. But you also see how it's a more cohesive performance and maximizes each girl's strengths while masking their weaknesses. They're definitely not as talented as the individual girls in Grade 3, but it doesn't matter. It wasn't an individual battle but a group one. The best thing was Soyeon's final comment at the end of the full episode: "See?" (She'd apparently made an earlier comment about how she knew what audiences like & how to get a reaction out of them and uh, she's right!)
I also ended up a big fan of Mihee (the girl in the striped pants). She's kind of like a mix of Chungha and Soojin. (My poor girl, Soojin. I'll miss you greatly.)
I think we might be getting new music from (G)I-DLE soon. Minnie and Yuqi are back in South Korea. Yuqi unveiled her new platinum hair. Minnie is performing as part of collab stage at one of the year-end festivals. Soyeon and Miyeon are going to be at another. It feels like they're increasing their visibility to prep for a comeback. It'll certainly be different without Soojin, but I'll always support the girls and, of course, any project Soyeon is part of LOL.
Wednesday Media Log
Jun. 9th, 2021 03:31 pmIt's been a few months since I wrote up the stuff I've been reading/watching so, uh, I'm declaring bankruptcy and just starting with what I've read this month so far. It's been too long to recall my reactions and thoughts properly.
Sensor by Junji Ito
I think I'd like to have a conversation with Ito about his love of unknowable women with stupendous, life-ruining powers.
Fist of the North Star 1 by Buronson
So VIZ is bringing us this classic in hardcover! It's the right time for it. The manga market is stable—if anything it's exploding but not catastrophic in the way of the 2000s bubble; more like so many people are just buying it that printers can't keep up—and it'll tolerate special editions of classic manga. And Fist of the North Star is a classic! Look at this post-apocalyptic Mad Max aesthetic. You know, while reading this, I realized I'd never actually read the manga? I'd only watched the anime and know the "You're already dead" memes.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I loved Daisy Jones and the Six so I had to pick up her latest. I listened to this in audiobook, which was an interesting experience LOL. For all that I devour podcasts, I am not really an audiobook person. This was decent, though? In terms of the book itself, I think I liked Daisy Jones more—but that book was AMAZING. It's not fair to compare. This one really captures the sense of summer and the beach, and I loved the family saga structure of it. I thought Nina's story was especially gripping and I cheered for her ending.
The Apothecary Diaries 1 by Natsu Hyuuga
The manga version of this has been charting really well but if given the option, I always pick up the original light novel in cases like these. (See: The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent.) It's about Maomao, who worked as an apothecary and pharmacist in the red light district before she was kidnapped off the street and sold to the imperial palace as a maid. She tries to keep her head down and finish out her tenure, but alas Maomao is too smart for her own good and can't help meddling. When she saves a favored consort and her infant daughter, Maomao attracts the attention of Jinsu, a eunuch* who oversees the rear palace (where the concubines live), who decides to make use of Maomao's skills and smarts to solve little mysteries around the palace.
(*The light novel says he's a eunuch and Maomao thinks he is, but this isn't my first time around the fantasy/light novel/manga block and I smell a rat. If Jinsu isn't an imperial prince in disguise, I'll eat my nonexistent hat!)
Trese episodes 1-6
I had the opportunity to watch screeners of this last weekend, thanks to my freelancing for Den of Geek. The show's pretty great. I like how they wove the episodic nature of the early cases into a cohesive overarching story. I can’t wait to see the general reaction to this show. I hope it does well so we get an S2. There's a tease for it in ep6's post-credits. (I'm also curious to see how many people reveal themselves to be monster fuckers courtesy of Maliksi LOL.) It drops tomorrowish on Netflix. (Time zones are confounding.)
What's Next
I picked up the next Apothecary Diaries light novel. License more female-led light novels like this, please.
Sensor by Junji Ito
I think I'd like to have a conversation with Ito about his love of unknowable women with stupendous, life-ruining powers.
Fist of the North Star 1 by Buronson
So VIZ is bringing us this classic in hardcover! It's the right time for it. The manga market is stable—if anything it's exploding but not catastrophic in the way of the 2000s bubble; more like so many people are just buying it that printers can't keep up—and it'll tolerate special editions of classic manga. And Fist of the North Star is a classic! Look at this post-apocalyptic Mad Max aesthetic. You know, while reading this, I realized I'd never actually read the manga? I'd only watched the anime and know the "You're already dead" memes.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I loved Daisy Jones and the Six so I had to pick up her latest. I listened to this in audiobook, which was an interesting experience LOL. For all that I devour podcasts, I am not really an audiobook person. This was decent, though? In terms of the book itself, I think I liked Daisy Jones more—but that book was AMAZING. It's not fair to compare. This one really captures the sense of summer and the beach, and I loved the family saga structure of it. I thought Nina's story was especially gripping and I cheered for her ending.
The Apothecary Diaries 1 by Natsu Hyuuga
The manga version of this has been charting really well but if given the option, I always pick up the original light novel in cases like these. (See: The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent.) It's about Maomao, who worked as an apothecary and pharmacist in the red light district before she was kidnapped off the street and sold to the imperial palace as a maid. She tries to keep her head down and finish out her tenure, but alas Maomao is too smart for her own good and can't help meddling. When she saves a favored consort and her infant daughter, Maomao attracts the attention of Jinsu, a eunuch* who oversees the rear palace (where the concubines live), who decides to make use of Maomao's skills and smarts to solve little mysteries around the palace.
(*The light novel says he's a eunuch and Maomao thinks he is, but this isn't my first time around the fantasy/light novel/manga block and I smell a rat. If Jinsu isn't an imperial prince in disguise, I'll eat my nonexistent hat!)
Trese episodes 1-6
I had the opportunity to watch screeners of this last weekend, thanks to my freelancing for Den of Geek. The show's pretty great. I like how they wove the episodic nature of the early cases into a cohesive overarching story. I can’t wait to see the general reaction to this show. I hope it does well so we get an S2. There's a tease for it in ep6's post-credits. (I'm also curious to see how many people reveal themselves to be monster fuckers courtesy of Maliksi LOL.) It drops tomorrowish on Netflix. (Time zones are confounding.)
What's Next
I picked up the next Apothecary Diaries light novel. License more female-led light novels like this, please.
Ateez won Immortal Songs for the third time yesterday. Most wins from a male idol group and ties with Mamamoo with most wins from a idol group overall. I don't think I mentioned their second win here, but I think that's because that episode honored Rain and I don't actually like Rain LOL. (The boys were great, though, to be clear.)
This latest episode celebrated Psy's 20th anniversary. Because it's Psy, he came with a list of guests to invite LOL. It was cool to hear that he asked for Ateez specifically because he thinks they're the best performance group right now. The boys come from a small agency. They're not going to win popularity contests against other groups who are more gp-friendly. But it's nice to see industry folks and veterans acknowledge them.
They performed "Right Now."
Highlights:
- San deadass leap-frogging over Yunho who's over six feet tall and barely bending over. Tell us you're a martial artist without telling us you're a martial artist.
- Jessi's reaction the first time Jongho starts singing. (Same, girl, same.)
- Wooyoung's sweet voice, which you can hear so clearly. That's rarer than you think!
- The kid dancers!!
- Yunho impersonating Psy and Gangam Style!
- Also Yunho low-key promoting Imitation, the Kdrama in which four of the boys are in (San, Jongho, Seonghwa & Yunho--who's the second male lead?!) Love it.
This performance was so fun. That's what I like most about it. The boys look like they're having fun. The dancers are having fun. (I can't get over how cute the little girls are!) The judges are having fun! Psy is having fun!
This is what I like to see.
Most people in the U.S. know Psy because of "Gangam Style" but "Right Now" was a JAM. I'm so glad Ateez covered it. Here's a live performance of Psy at Seoul Plaza.
It's kind of wild to see concert footage like this in a COVID world, not gonna lie.
This latest episode celebrated Psy's 20th anniversary. Because it's Psy, he came with a list of guests to invite LOL. It was cool to hear that he asked for Ateez specifically because he thinks they're the best performance group right now. The boys come from a small agency. They're not going to win popularity contests against other groups who are more gp-friendly. But it's nice to see industry folks and veterans acknowledge them.
They performed "Right Now."
Highlights:
- San deadass leap-frogging over Yunho who's over six feet tall and barely bending over. Tell us you're a martial artist without telling us you're a martial artist.
- Jessi's reaction the first time Jongho starts singing. (Same, girl, same.)
- Wooyoung's sweet voice, which you can hear so clearly. That's rarer than you think!
- The kid dancers!!
- Yunho impersonating Psy and Gangam Style!
- Also Yunho low-key promoting Imitation, the Kdrama in which four of the boys are in (San, Jongho, Seonghwa & Yunho--who's the second male lead?!) Love it.
This performance was so fun. That's what I like most about it. The boys look like they're having fun. The dancers are having fun. (I can't get over how cute the little girls are!) The judges are having fun! Psy is having fun!
This is what I like to see.
Most people in the U.S. know Psy because of "Gangam Style" but "Right Now" was a JAM. I'm so glad Ateez covered it. Here's a live performance of Psy at Seoul Plaza.
It's kind of wild to see concert footage like this in a COVID world, not gonna lie.
I just haven't been in the mood since (G)I-DLE released their EP in January. I didn't really feel ATEEZ's latest release. (G)I-DLE recently released a special song in collaboration with the Universe platform (so it wasn't produced by Soyeon) and I REALLY didn't like that generic-ass electro-pop song. Songs produced by the girls or bust! That's where I stand.
And, of course, there's the bullying scandal regarding Soojin. ( Read more... )
So because of that, (G)I-DLE is laying low because I don't think they want to kick out Soojin if they can at all avoid it. She's not an essential member – not the way that Soyeon (the literal force behind the group) and Miyeon (despite what international fans may say, her general public-friendly visuals can't be ignored) – but Soyeon needs help with choreo during the times Cube decides not to invest in the group. (Soyeon, Soojin & Cube's dance trainer were the ones who choreographed the early tracks.) It's pretty common knowledge that Cube doesn't actually like or "get" (G)I-DLE's music. Ironically, that lack of support led to Soyeon virtually doing everything (songwriting, composition, and production) and the resulting sound & reputation as a self-produced girl group is what drew a lot of people to them.
Because Cube is messy and can't manage anyone worth shit, they've done the tried and true KPop agency method of DIVERSION. They're debuting a new girl group, Lightsum. I want to support them because despite Cube being trash, they are good at identifying talent. But they're also really young so if they're going for an innocent, refreshing concept (which makes sense since (G)I-DLE's concept is cold & mysterious girl crush), it's a pass for me. I'm not into the cute concepts LOL. Bless Soyeon for saying (G)I-DLE will never do such a concept because she hates them.
The other thing is that Yuqi made her solo debut. The launch was very low-rent because you know, Cube ain't shit, but it's a decent single. It sounds very Western and I don't just mean because the two tracks are in English. They don't have the impact of a Soyeon-created (G)I-DLE track but they're both better than the Universe track, which I just want to put behind me. Overall, I think they're nice tracks to listen to.
"Giant" is technically the title track:
But I like "Bonnie & Clyde" more:
What I appreciate is that the songs work with Yuqi's low voice. Bless Soyeon for insisting that (G)I-DLE's members keep their unique vocal flavor versus homogenizing them. If you listen to a lot of KPop, you'll notice that a lot of the girls have similar vocal flavor and tones due to voice lessons. Soyeon wanted to avoid that & I think it paid off for them. I hate to think that we could have lost Yuqi's great, great voice.
And, of course, there's the bullying scandal regarding Soojin. ( Read more... )
So because of that, (G)I-DLE is laying low because I don't think they want to kick out Soojin if they can at all avoid it. She's not an essential member – not the way that Soyeon (the literal force behind the group) and Miyeon (despite what international fans may say, her general public-friendly visuals can't be ignored) – but Soyeon needs help with choreo during the times Cube decides not to invest in the group. (Soyeon, Soojin & Cube's dance trainer were the ones who choreographed the early tracks.) It's pretty common knowledge that Cube doesn't actually like or "get" (G)I-DLE's music. Ironically, that lack of support led to Soyeon virtually doing everything (songwriting, composition, and production) and the resulting sound & reputation as a self-produced girl group is what drew a lot of people to them.
Because Cube is messy and can't manage anyone worth shit, they've done the tried and true KPop agency method of DIVERSION. They're debuting a new girl group, Lightsum. I want to support them because despite Cube being trash, they are good at identifying talent. But they're also really young so if they're going for an innocent, refreshing concept (which makes sense since (G)I-DLE's concept is cold & mysterious girl crush), it's a pass for me. I'm not into the cute concepts LOL. Bless Soyeon for saying (G)I-DLE will never do such a concept because she hates them.
The other thing is that Yuqi made her solo debut. The launch was very low-rent because you know, Cube ain't shit, but it's a decent single. It sounds very Western and I don't just mean because the two tracks are in English. They don't have the impact of a Soyeon-created (G)I-DLE track but they're both better than the Universe track, which I just want to put behind me. Overall, I think they're nice tracks to listen to.
"Giant" is technically the title track:
But I like "Bonnie & Clyde" more:
What I appreciate is that the songs work with Yuqi's low voice. Bless Soyeon for insisting that (G)I-DLE's members keep their unique vocal flavor versus homogenizing them. If you listen to a lot of KPop, you'll notice that a lot of the girls have similar vocal flavor and tones due to voice lessons. Soyeon wanted to avoid that & I think it paid off for them. I hate to think that we could have lost Yuqi's great, great voice.
