10. Over the Garden Wall The shortest entry on this list, but damn if it wasn’t a memorable one from start to finish. This little miniseries has it all: mystery, comedy, drama, horror, insanely catchy songs (damn you, “Potatoes and Molasses”!), surreal imagery, and fantastic characters, and manages to be quite unlike anything I’ve seen before or since.
9. Voltron Legendary Defender AKA how to do a reboot cartoon right. I never watched the original Voltron, but from all appearances, this show took all the elements people loved about the original, kept them, and changed basically everything else. It’s not afraid to branch out and do its own thing when it wants to, but it also pays homage to the series that came before it quite a lot, and you can tell the creators deeply respect the source material. The animation and cinematography are fantastic, the characters all lovable and well-written, and the plot gripping and able to keep you on the edge of your seat the entire season.
8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (circa 2003, seasons 1-4) THE definitive TMNT for me; if there was a series that combined this series’ sense of maturity and grit with the art style of the 2012 Nickelodeon series, then that would be the perfect TMNT TV show, imho. I am still utterly astonished by how dark this series was allowed to get at times while still never losing the franchise’s unique brand of slightly absurdist humor. Where else can you find a series
rated Y-7
where the lead villain is decapitated on screen, one of the lead characters spends an entire season with blatant PTSD, and a main character’s pet kitten drowns on screen (sure, the episode turned out to be all Just A Dream, but still!), while, in the same series, you have a main character distracting the bad guy with a pigeon puppet, the main characters defeat an entire coalition of armed guards with nothing but a toilet scrubber, a broom, two toilet plungers, and spoons, and this iconic scene? Not to mention the writing is absolutely top notch, and the characters feel so delightfully three dimensional and human (er, for lack of a better term.) [Do keep in mind that my praise for this series only pertains to seasons 1-4; I’m really not a fan of the direction the writers decided to go in after that, and I prefer to pretend that the later seasons don’t exist, especially season 5.]
7. Goblin This show is basically Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series with Korean mythology instead of Greek, and it is absolutely delightful. The character writing here is sublime, as are the performances turned in by every single member of the main cast. The main couple’s chemistry and relationship progression is incredibly satisfying, but honestly, the other relationships in the series are just as intriguing and well-written as the romance, especially the Goblin and Grim Reaper’s budding friendship that honestly is almost more compelling than the actual romantic subplot. The story admittedly does move a bit slowly, but this series is more about the characters and the journey they go on than it is about the plot anyway, so since I loved all the characters so much, I didn’t find myself overly minding that all that much. I also want to give a shout out to just how damn pretty this show is; the cinematography, the special effects, the costumes – both period and modern, they spared no expense on anything here, and it really shows. Oh, and the OST is one of the greatest soundtracks of all time for any show ever, and you can quote me on that.
6. Motorcity “Sexy Cars, Absurdly Badass Action Sequences, and Heartwarming Bromance: The Series” and there are not enough words in the English language to convey how pumped this series makes me every single time I watch even a gifset from it. No, it’s not the deepest or most profound show I’ve ever seen, but one thing it is is pure, unadulterated fun, and we all need a little fun in our lives every now and then. Plus it has hilarious writing, great characters, incredible animation, and one of the most absurdly entertaining chaotic neutral villains in the entire history of fiction. It has only 20 episodes, due to Disney putting the kibosh on production only one season in, but luckily, the creators were able to account for this and give the show a satisfying ending, so you have no reason to not watch this and then treat yourself to a proper viewing.
5. Stranger Things I’m not sure there’s much I can say about this particular series that hasn’t already been said by other better writers, so I’ll keep this brief. This is THE best live-action show to have come out in at least the last decade, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you have done yourself a disservice.
4. Star Trek: The Original Series The nostalgia is strong with this entry, it’s true, but this show holds too much of a special place in my heart to put it any lower on the list. I have many fond memories of watching episodes on my dad’s old VHS tapes over and over again, just loving the old school sci-fi aesthetic and wonderful character interactions in every episode. Even today, the writing holds up remarkably well, even if the special effects have aged very obviously. Still, it just adds to the show’s charm, and I’d still wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves science fiction.
3. Firefly My experience with this series is probably a bit different than most, since I actually watched the theatrical movie (which was basically meant to be the series finale) first. I had no idea who these characters were or even that they came from a series, but the universe and characters were so engaging and different than anything I’d seen before that was incredibly drawn in all the same. When I figured out there was a series, over four years later, I knew I immediately had to watch it, and was hooked from the first episode. The character writing on this show is some of the best I’ve ever seen in my life, the worldbuilding absolutely top notch, and it’s a damn shame it didn’t get the chance to become the next big hit because of FOX’s meddling. There’s a reason this is still one of the biggest cult classic sci-fi shows in the west, that’s for sure.
2. Fullmetal Alchemist (2003/Brotherhood) While I prefer the 2003 anime for personal reasons, I love both anime adaptations of Himoru Arakawa’s magnum opus too much to leave one or the other off this list, so into the number two slot they both go. Besides, I’ve always privately held that if you combined both series into one, they’d basically cancel out each other’s personal failings and you’d be left with the single most perfect anime in existence. And come on, how often do you get two adaptations of the same incredible story and characters that are so drastically different in tone and themes? It’s just more FMA to enjoy, imho, and spending more time in this fascinating world which such dynamic, well-written characters exploring such heavy, thought-provoking concepts and themes would never be something I’d say no to.
1. Avatar: The Last Airbender I think this one speaks for itself.
(According to moi, of course, this is all subjective)
I’ve been wanting to make a post like this for awhile now, and since ‘tis the season for such things, I thought I’d better post it sooner rather than later. Without further ado!
10. Among the Sleep There’s something uniquely terrifying about a horror game told from the POV of a baby. The developers did a fantastic job of putting the player in the mindset of a small child, like making all the writing on objects appear as incomprehensible scribbles or making it be faster to move around by crawling instead of walking (which will make you fall over if you try to walk too fast), and all around conveying just how helpless and small someone that age is, which really helped the immersive factor. And when you realize what exactly is going on in the story and why such awful things are happening to our tiny protagonist, the game becomes that much more sad and disturbing.
9. Until Dawn This game does kind of have a cheesy 80s monster movie/slasher flick vibe going on, and does kind of rely a little too much on jump scares near the beginning of the game, but that said, when this game wants to bring the scares, it brings the scares. The wendigos especially are the stuff of nightmares. The atmosphere of the game is generally very well done, too, and the triple A graphics really help sell the setting.
8. Five Nights at Freddy’s
Yes, yes, say what you will about the fanbase and how the series has overstayed its welcome just a bit, but the core concept and lore to this series is still on point, i.e. the ghosts of murdered children haunting pizzeria animatronics to exact revenge for their murders. All the different animatronic models are still damn unsettling, too, the Puppet especially.
7. Ib Why yes, did I put an indie game made in RPG Maker by one person over a triple A title that had an entire team of developers and paid professional actors behind it on this list, deal with it. The sheer amount of creativity in this game is mind boggling, and despite its humble graphics, it still manages to be immensely eerie and haunting, as it takes place in a haunted art gallery (seriously, why don’t more people get on this concept, this could be the most terrifying thing ever in the right hands with a big enough budget). One scene in particular stands out as being one of the creepiest, most nail-biting scares I have ever encountered in any piece of media ever, and still comes back to haunt me in the middle of the night every so often.
6. Fran Bow Imagine Alice In Wonderland set in the 1940s with gore,
body horror, and psychotropic drugs aplenty, and the Unreliable Narrator dial
turned up to 11, and you get Fran Bow. Honestly, no one really knows
WHAT’S going on in this game, though there are a ton of fan theories and
I have my own that I subscribe to, but one thing for sure, it
definitely earns its title as a horror game. The beginning section of
the game in the mental institution stands out as one of the most
viscerally disturbing things I’ve ever witnessed.
5.
Alice: Madness Returns
While we’re on the subject of
Alice In Wonderland, dark retellings of the novels themselves are nothing
new, but this game series does the best at conveying the “twisted fairy
tale” theme while delivering an extremely gripping and compelling
narrative that is mature while still managing to be generally tasteful about
the subject matter it chooses to explore.
This game isn’t so much outright scary, per se, as it is immensely
creepy and atmospheric, but it does creepy and atmospheric so well that
it definitely earned its number 5 spot. And not that there aren’t scary
scenes, either; one entire level in particular near the very end of the
game nearly gave me nightmares.
4. The Cat Lady I don’t think there’s a game yet made that depicts the feeling of mental illness and depression quite like this one. It explores a lot of heavy subjects while also delving deep into the macabre, twisted world of psychopaths and serial killers, which our main character must battle along with her own mental illness and suicidal tendencies. It does a very good job of lulling you into a false sense of security and suddenly ripping the rug out from under you, such as one memorable scene that had me tearing off my headphones and nearly bursting into tears because of how terrified it made me, which I have never done before or since.
3. P.T.
Even though it’s not even a full game, just a playable teaser for a game
that will no longer ever be made (curse you Konami), P.T. still stands up
as a solid piece of media in its own right, with an intriguing story and some bone chilling scares.
I’ve never seen a game that does the tension and release cycle that’s so integral to a horror experience quite as well as this one does.
2. Amnesia: The Dark Descent Anyone who knows anything about horror games that came out in the last decade knows about Amnesia, and knows why it’s on here. The time I watched a let’s play of this goes down in history as the last time I went to bed with my lamp on because I was so spooked.
1. Year Walk Named for the ancient Scandinavian ritual that would supposedly allow you to see into the future of the next upcoming year, Year Walk is ostensibly a game about introducing the player to lesser known aspects of Scandinavia’s more… colorful… folklore and mythological creatures, but quickly takes a turn into cosmic, eldritch horror near the end that I was most definitely not expecting.
This game… it got to me. Like… really, really badly. And I can’t really explain exactly why.
It just has this deceptively peaceful atmosphere that is at the same time eerie and oppressive, like a dream that could turn into a nightmare at any moment. There’s only about one jump scare in the entire game, and the rest of it is pure suspense and subtle horror, the kind that creeps up on you and lingers rather than startling and then fading away.
Summary: The reunion chapter you’ve all been waiting for!
“Oh. My God. This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in
my entire life. The absolute cutest. Nothing will ever top this.”
“Yes, hyung, we know, you’ve only said that thirty times
already.”
“And I will say it thirty times more, thank you! You’re
taking photos, right, Hyukkie?”
“You know it, hyung. Leo-hyung’s taking some, too, so
we’ll have backup just in case.”
“If you wake this boy up,” Hakyeon cuts in, cracking open
one bleary eye to glare at the four men crowded around his side of the couch, “you
are all dead men, and no one will ever find your bodies.”
All he gets in response are a round of knowing smirks,
snickers, and nudges, and he rolls his eyes, his fingers lightly running
through Jinjin’s tousled hair from where his head is still pillowed comfortably
in his lap. No respect, no respect in these brats at all. He then begins the
arduous process of extricating himself from the tangle of blankets, pillows,
and small rapper without waking him up. He somehow manages it, though not
without about four hundred pictures being snapped in the process (“I swear to
God, Han Sanghyuk, if you don’t stop cackling right now-”). Once he’s free, he quickly herds the rest of his
members out of the living area so they can all start getting ready for the day
as quietly as possible.
Sometime later, the smell of freshly brewed coffee
finally rouses Jinjin from slumber. The young rapper blinks sleepily at nothing
before a large yawn overtakes him, and he stretches luxuriously, only to
immediately regret it when his entire body twinges irritably at him. A brief
glance out the living room window shows that the day has dawned bright and
clear without a cloud in the sky. Wincing, he sits up slowly, stiffly, about to
call out for N, when the front door opens.
“Guys!” a deep voice calls out. “Did I miss our guest? I
got here as fast as I could, traffic was terrible, and- oh, hello!” None other
than VIXX’s Ravi pops his head in, catching sight of a tousled, groggy,
bandaged boy staring back at him like a deer in the headlights from the couch,
still holding a stuffed cartoon deer. The sudden appearance of the other rapper
wakes Jinjin the rest of the way up in a hurry, and he sketches a quick little
bow as best he can from his sitting position.
“Hello, sunbae-nim,” Jinjin replies, combing his fingers
through his hair to try to tidy up his rat’s nest while making what’s hopefully
not a complete mess of an introduction. “Sorry for my appearance, I wasn’t
expecting-”
“Relax, kid, it’s fine,” Ravi says, chuckling, the sound
rich and resonant. “It’s nice to meet you. Heard you had a bit of a rough time
yesterday, but you seem to be feeling better.”
“Yes, N-hyung and the others have been taking very good
care of me,” Jinjin replies, relieved that Ravi seems to know what’s going on
already. “Thank you for your concern, sunbae.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Ravi enters, kicking off his shoes.
A white pug follows closely on his heels, and Jinjin can’t help the thrilled
gasp that escapes him at the sight of it. The dog quickly notices the newcomer
and trots over to investigate. Jinjin immediately reaches down to pet him. He
stops with his fingers just millimeters from the pug’s soft, white fur and
glances up at Ravi, who’s looking at them both with an incredibly indulgent
grin.
“Is it okay if I…?” he asks, suddenly shy.
“Knock yourself out, kid, Butt’ll sulk for hours if you
leave him hanging like this.”
Jinjin needs no further prompting and strokes a hand over
the dog’s head. Butt approves of the petting and flops over after a minute of
this, his large googly eyes clearly begging for chin scratches and belly rubs.
Jinjin is only too happy to oblige him.
Wonshik, meanwhile, is trying to keep himself composed in
the face of such overwhelming cuteness, and is failing utterly. He notices
Taekwoon emerging from the kitchen, presumably to investigate the commotion,
and wordlessly points in the direction of the couch where Jinjin is now
currently seated on the floor with Butt snuggled in his arms, the puppy’s tongue
lolling happily as he gives the boy a doggy kiss on the cheek. Taekwoon looks,
visibly melts, and whips out his phone to take a photo just as Jinjin looks up
and beams at them both, childlike delight written over every inch of his
bruised face. Wonshik actually feels
his heart skip a couple beats, because even banged up to hell and back, Park
Jinwoo rivals the puppy he’s cuddling in terms of sheer, unadulterated adorable. He resolves then and there to
help Jaewhan do whatever it takes to convince Hakyeon to let them keep this
kid.
——
“But N-hyuuuuuung, I wanted to see Jinwoo-yah off!” Ken whines
as Leo surreptitiously slips a packed lunch into his backpack and N fusses with
his clothing. “Can’t we just wait ten more minutes?”
“We’ll tell you what happens in great detail later,” N
reassures him before turning his attention to a resigned-looking Hongbin. “But
for now, you both need to go before
you end up missing the bus. It won’t do to be late.”
Ken wanders over to the couch, pouting theatrically and making
sure everyone knows how displeased he is before squatting down to be at eye
level with Jinjin, who’s still sitting on the floor with a lapful of a
contently snoozing Butt.. “Sorry we have to leave so soon,” he says
apologetically. “But y’know, theater duty calls. It was nice meeting you!”
“You too, hyung,” Jinjin smiles. He reaches behind him on
the couch for Chopper and holds him out to the taller man. “Thank you for
letting me borrow him for a bit. And for everything else, too.”
“Nah, hold onto him a little while longer, kid.” Ken pushes
the stuffed animal back into a startled Jinwoo’s arms with a small, knowing
smile. “I think you still need him more than I do. Besides, if I know N-hyung –
and I do – he’ll probably be by your dorm to snoop -” A swift neck chop makes him
quickly amend himself, “check up on
you within the week. You can return it then.”
“Well… alright. If you’re sure.” Jinjin hugs the plushie
back to his chest, trying to ignore the irrational surge of relief that goes
through him at the thought he can keep it for a little while longer.
“Very sure,” Ken nods decisively, straightening back up
and adjusting his backpack straps. “Alright, Hongbin, I think we should
probably go before N-hyung actually bores holes in the back of my skull with
his eyes.” He nimbly dodges another neck chop and grabs a startled Hongbin by
the arm, dragging him behind him out the door. Hongbin barely has time to give
Jinwoo a brief wave before the door slams behind the two of them.
“It’s like herding cats around here, I swear,” N mutters,
massaging his forehead. He turns back to Jinwoo. “Now come on, Jinjinnie, up
you get, time to grab some breakfast before your members get here.” As if on
cue, Leo wanders in with a steaming bowl in one hand and a mug of coffee in the
other. Jinwoo’s stomach rumbles hungrily at the sight, but… he glances down at
the sleeping puppy in his lap, torn.
“Here, I got him.” Ravi gently pulls Butt out of Jinjin’s
lap with a soft smile. “You sure won him over fast; he’s usually not this
forward with new people this quickly. He must really like you.” He takes the
groggy dog into his room, with a parting grin over his shoulder. Jinwoo grins
gratefully back and starts pulling himself up onto the couch… and immediately
drops back to the carpeted floor with a whimper, arms reflexively wrapping
around his sore, bruised torso. N is at his side in an instant, bodily lifting
him onto the couch while fretting at him to be more careful.
“Sorry, hyung,” Jinjin apologizes sheepishly as N gets
him situated comfortably on a makeshift backrest of pillows and cushions while
Leo hands over the mug of coffee and bowl containing rice, kimchi, and a few
assorted banchan. “I guess I’m still not used to… this.”
“What, feeling like you fell down a mountainside or being
mothered within an inch of your life?” Hyuk asks cheekily, appearing with a
stack of clothes in one hand and blithely ignoring the narrow-eyed glare N levels
in his general direction.
“Both, I guess,” Jinjin replies after a moment of
reflection and a long, content sip of coffee. He takes a closer look at the
clothes Hyuk holds and notices a familiar pair of red sweatpants. “Wait, are
those mine?”
“Yup, they just finished drying. You can change once you
finish eating.”
Jinjin nods readily and tries to finish his meal as fast
as he can, so as not to keep his hosts waiting. As he does, Hyuk sits next to
him and chats with him, and the next ten minutes pass in a blur until Jinjin
finds himself in the bathroom changing into his clean, dry clothes. He opens the door and is about to limp out,
when then stops, having caught sight of himself in the mirror. More
specifically, he sees the bruises around his throat, and as he examines them
closer in the mirror, he winces, imagining what his members’ reactions to the
alarming sight would be. Instinctively, he tries to arrange his jacket over
them in a way that it covers the worst of it for a minute or two, without much
success. A hand nudges his shoulder gently, and Jinwoo turns to find Leo
standing in the doorway, wordlessly holding a scarf out to him.
“For…? Oh, but Leo-ssi, I couldn’t-”
“You can, since you’re only borrowing it,” Leo returns in
his quiet, airy voice. “You can return it along with Jaewhan’s stuffed animal,
since as he said, Hakyeonnie’s definitely going to be checking up on you in a
few days whether you like it or not.” Seeing the faint twinkle in the imposing
man’s dark eyes, Jinjin relents and accepts the soft, fuzzy scarf, feeling very
warm inside.
“Jinwoo-yah, MJ just texted me,” N calls from the
kitchen. “They’ll be here in about fifteen minutes.”
“Okay, coming, hyung,” Jinjin calls back, laboriously
making his way back to the couch, every step sending new jolts of pain through
his battered body. As he takes a seat on the couch again and lifts Chopper to
sit in his lap, N comes over and hands him something.
“My wallet!” he exclaims, looking up at the older man in
surprise. “Where did you find it?”
“In the alley where I found you,” N explains while Jinwoo flips through the
wallet, breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of his ID.
“Thanks, hyung,” he says gratefully, pocketing it. “At
least I don’t have to replace my ID now.”
“You’re welcome,” N smiles, settling down on the couch
next to him. “Ready to see your members again?”
Jinjin nods eagerly. He almost aches with the need to see
his members again. But, at the same time, he also can’t help but feel somewhat
nervous, too, at the thought of what his members will think of all his bruises
and scrapes. Plus, he still feels terrible for making everyone worry so much.
N notices him nearly strangling Chopper, and shifts
closer, pressing his leg against his in a comforting show of solidarity. He
proceeds to ask Jinwoo a litany of questions about how his schooling is
currently going, which the boy is only too happy to answer, grateful for the
distracting stream of chatter. Hyuk and Ravi occasionally chime in with their
own questions or anecdotes, and even Leo occasionally makes a comment or two as
well.
The front doorbell rings. As one, every head in the room
swivels to face it. Jinjin scrambles to his feet, wincing and tugging at the
scarf tied around his neck distractedly. N places a gentle hand on his elbow to
steady him a bit as he sways slightly on his feet, following him up and situating
himself behind and to the side of him. Hyuk moves to get the door.
He opens it to reveal three young men standing on the
doorstep, two as tall as he is (no mean feat), and one significantly shorter,
all looking like kicked puppies to some extent or another.
“Hello sunbae-nim!” the short one says, dropping into a
deep bow, the other two boys following suit. “I’m MJ, and these are my
dongsaengs Cha Eunwoo and Sanha. We’ve come to take our wayward leader off your
hands.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Hyuk says, bowing back and
stepping backward to allow them entry into the apartment. “Come on in, your
leader’s been waiting for you.”
At that, the three boys eagerly enter and remove their
shoes. Sanha lights up the instant he catches sight of Jinjin standing by the
couch, and without hesitation flings himself across the room and into his
leader’s arms with a plaintive cry of “HYUNG!”
Jinjin nearly collapses from the sudden impact and added
weight of Sanha’s lanky body atop his battered one. N’s hand at his back
bolsters him, though, and he manages to gasp, “Hi, San. Miss me?”
“Don’t you ever
do that again, hyung!” Sanha demands, squeezing Jinjin tighter. “Ever!”
“Wasn’t planning on it,” Jinwoo wheezes wryly through the pain, patting
Sanha on the back.
“Make sure you don’t strangle the poor guy, Sanha,”
Eunwoo chides gently, coming over at a more sedate pace. He bows to N and the
others respectfully as Sanha jerks back as if Jinjin suddenly caught fire.
“Sorry! Sorry, Jinwoo-hyung, I didn’t hurt you, did I? Are
you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Jinwoo assures him, frowning slightly as he
sees the worry in all three of his members’ eyes as they take in his scrapes
and bruises and bandages. “It looks worse than it is.”
“I wouldn’t quite say that, Jinwoo-yah,” N cuts in. “It’s
going to take you a little while before I’d categorize your physical health as ‘fine.’
But he’ll be alright, boys.” He addresses the other three members warmly. “Like
I told MJ-yah ion the phone, nothing some rest and TLC won’t fix. I’m sure you’ll
take good care of him.”
“Don’t worry, sunbae-nim, we will,” MJ says as the other
two nod enthusiastically. “In fact, I don’t think we’ll be letting him out of
our collective sight for at least
forty-eight hours,” he adds, with a meaningful look at the rapper.
“Oh boy. I’m in trouble, aren’t I,” Jinwoo says, only
half joking.
Eunwoo pats him on the shoulder. “You know it, hyung.”
“Right, I changed my mind, I’m staying with VIXX,” Jinwoo
says, turning to go hide behind N.
“Oh no, you don’t!” Sanha gloms onto his arm like a
starfish while Eunwoo catches his other arm, and the rest of the room breaks
into amused chuckles.
“Something wrong, sunbae?” MJ asks politely, after the
chuckles have died down and he notices Hyuk’s slightly pensive look.
“What? Oh, no, everything’s fine, I just…” He squints,
eyes flicking from one Astro member to another. “Aren’t there six of you?”
“Oh yes, Rocky and Moonbin are waiting in the van with
our manager,” MJ explains, chuckling, before his expression turns a bit
sheepish. “We thought it would be best if we didn’t crowd you or anything.”
“Well then, I guess we shouldn’t keep them waiting,” N
says, still smiling. “Have you got everything, Jinwoo?” he asks, as Eunwoo
loops one of Jinjin’s arms around his neck to help him out, and Sanha clings to
the arm holding Chopper.
“Yes, hyung, I got it,” Jinjin says. “And thank you
again, for everything.”
Hyung? MJ mouths
at him from where he’s standing beside Hyuk. Jinjin shoots him his patented shut up, Kim Myungjun look before turning his
attention back to N.
“It was our pleasure. I think I speak for everyone when I
say we enjoyed having you. I just wish it could have been under better
circumstances.” He pats Jinjin on the shoulder and leads the four younger idols
to the front door where they slip their shoes back on.
“Let me know if anything else develops, MJ-yah,” N calls
after the boys as they depart. “You’ve still got my number, right?”
“Yep, and will do, sunbae-nim . And thank you all again,”
MJ says, bowing once more.
As the door shuts behind the four
boys, silence falls in the apartment for a long moment. Finally, Wonshik speaks
up. “Okay, forget
just adopting Jinjin, we need to look into adopting every single one of them
ASAP.”
(PSA: There aren’t any choreos for songs that aren’t in Korean here, mostly so that I could feature a wider cross section of artists. Otherwise there would be way more Taemin on this list, just sayin’.)
Songs are arranged in alphabetical order rather than numerical order (since the order basically changes depending on my mood).
Favorite Pictures of VIXX Part III: Picturesque Edition
Reasons:
N: Any photo of N smiling is The Best Photo, but I especially love this one. He just looks so happy and completely at peace in the warm sunshine with the city sprawled out behind him, and those are concepts I support wholeheartedly.
Ken: I love how Ken uses his entire body to express delight. Also that smile is legit one of the most charming things I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
Leo: I love this hairstyle and whole general look so much; it makes him look soft and contemplative, like a poet thinking Deep, Tragic Thoughts.
Ravi: Ravi reached peak perfection at the exact moment this photo was taken, you cannot convince me otherwise.
Hyuk: Look at this sassy devil child looking downright angelic in a cloud-soft white sweater like he just fell from Heaven itself, smh.
Hongbin: This pic emits such a calm, gentle, ethereal aura. 11/10.
Favorite Pictures of VIXX Part
II: Dramatic Edition
Reasons:
N: This pic confirms once and for all that Cha Hakyeon is an actual Disney princess.
Leo: It’s amazing how quickly Leo goes from pouty kitten to powerful lion in .2 seconds flat the moment he steps onto a stage. Seriously, just look at those eyes.
Ken: There are times you forget this giggly fool has the powerhouse vocals of VIXX and is a professional theater actor, and then breathtaking pics like this come along and slug you across the face to remind you.
Ravi: That haircut and hair color on Ravi was such a good look. As were those sheer sleeves. And that pose and expression, like he’s some primordial spirit rising from its long slumber.
Hongbin: Every time I see this pic, I wonder what he’s looking at to cause that expression (and how in the world his skin can be that flawless, but we digress).
Hyuk: That piercing icy blue stare. The leather jacket. The thick silver rings. The perfectly-styled hair. How did anyone survive the Error era, that’s what I want to know.
(I saw @mochicheekshakyeon do this, and had to get in on the action; unfortunately, I couldn’t narrow down my picks to just one, so I decided to split this post into three parts)
Favorite Pictures of VIXX Part
I: Endearing Edition
Reasons:
N: I’m still scratching my head as to how this man makes a prettier girl than 97% of all the women I know, myself included, but that aside, I find it so cute how chill he was with the entire thing, how he didn’t feel like it was degrading or beneath him to put himself out there and show everyone how absolutely fabulous he looks in drag.
Leo: I have never seen anyone more enamored or in awe of a tiny hooman youngling in all my born days. (@Jellyfish, please let this man get married and have as many mini-Leos as he wants, please, it is Time.)
Ken: I have no idea how or where they found a hoodie that oversized to drape him in, but they did, and it is delightful (A+ for legible, grammatically correct English, too). That trademark kissy face is just the cherry on top.
Hongbin: A smiley gigglebean and his 3000 shark teefs in a soft pink hoodie, come on, how could you not love it??
Ravi: Ah yes, the classic “just got out of bed 5 minutes ago but already fresh as a daisy and happy that you dropped by unexpectedly for morning coffee” look. XI approves.
Hyuk: A nugget!! A smol gumdrop!!! Look at his full cheeks and big eyes and long adolescent noodle arms and feel the maternal affection just wash over you. 😍
Summary: Six abused dolls, owned by a narcissistic, vicious
witch, that have known nothing but a life of enslavement and pain, who
still manage to find purpose and meaning in the bonds they have forged
with each other.
Six sheltered boys, cared for by a zany, vivacious confectioner, that
happily spend their idyllic days managing a magical soda shop, about to
receive their first glimpse of humanity’s dark side.
Or: A comparison and contrast between two diametrically opposed
worlds and worldviews, what happens when said worlds and worldviews
collide, and the ways the concept of family is universal.
✶Χ✶Χ✶Χ✶Χ✶Χ✶Χ✶ We like things to be black or white, tall or
short, here or there. We like to consider two sides to every story.
Unfortunately, there aren’t always two sides. Sometimes there’s only
one; more often, there are multitudes. Many facets on the stone. Nooks
and crannies in abundance. Things are usually not either black or white,
but multicolored. ― Barry Leiba
XI's Archived Tumblr Blog 