Everyone has a specific culture - not need to be of a soceity. Internet culture too - I am from the blogging side as well as forums - the old php boards and even vbulletin boards - not those anonymous boards.

So conversation - debate - long posts - long writeups - histrionics and lot more styles - much intentional

I had like more than 15 blogs on various blogging platforms. Then you use to follow others blogs and all the social interaction of virtual world used to place like that.

No idiotic - smileys, emojis, memes - no videos no pictures - only conversation - from analysis to predictions - Such a good time. This is why i prefer this place.

This place is on Wordpress - and slow because of database and that database became loaded because of all those written episodes of drama with each taking more than 5000 words. There exist much simple and light open source programs that can really ease of the server pressure.

I don't think this place has much usage of wordpress at all.

Politics time - money time - lollipop time - Each and every politician trying to attract you with what they will provide you in future - at almost no cost - at the expense of tax money - which they will never do - except to their crony capitalists friends who actually have funded their campaigns.

So what you have to think - MONEY - u r 4 ur ownself - if money in bank u can easily fly in the air - as simple as that.

Old thugs who wear shiny suits, makeup face and rotten hearts r ready to fool u while making their own life good.

Ur decision - ur actions - don't cry later - as simple as that.

I said it before, elections go calm - u need action when it turns into a personality based contest - party based elections usually demand peaceful atmosphere while as much -ve ity can be in air.

The one who goes with -ve campaign mostly losses but eh one with+ve campaign can damage the whole economy too with all the lofty talks of giving this n that.

What u want - new faces - new views , new parties - only that can bring some changes in the system which needs complete makeover. Reforms aren't easy as bureaucracy is as powerful as it can be in the face of any enemy.

OMG. Were we in Seoul at the same time? I was also there during Chuseok and stood in the super long line for the Namsan Tower cable car. We went near sunset but it was still rather warm waiting outside and I can see how tempers could flare. I was surprised at how reasonable the price was for the yummy Donkatsu I ate at the top (lucky to get in before it closed shortly after). I also did the obligatory restroom break at the top- awkward with the mirror right in front of you as well as the window wall. ;)

You can take a girl out of K-dramas but you can't take K-dramas out of a girl!

Glad you are living it up!! Hope you make many many happy memories, eat delicious food, go to good places and just have tons of Fun.

I experienced this too! The comment thing being the most recent. I thought I must have done something because it had started after I restarted my phone haha

I wonder why this is happening.

Yes, I understand the switch to fewer comments on a page, but when you click the notifications, it doesn't (yet, I'm hoping) take you to the actual comment or reply in question. I'm sure they're still trying to iron it out, but I hope it's soon!

The notifications disappearing started for me months ago, and I really prefer it the other way, but I wasn't sure if it was a deliberate decision or not.

I’ve had issues with this site since day one and I always hear “they’re working on it”. The site has gotten extremely popular and to keep it up and running ad space must be sold. I’m not sure, but that seems to be part of the problem. You wait for not only the page to load but all the accompanying ads as well. Many times the site will not load at all, comments are lost after you spend time entering them, and we also might miss out on some beanies comments because they’ve restricted the number of comments per page.
I don’t know what the answer is, but I’ve considered giving up posting because of these issues. (Having the site glitch and eat my comments is especially depressing.)
The good news is it’s a great site with excellent recappers, articles, etc. How to resolve the issues of what appears to be a result of increased popularity and traffic which should be a good thing? You got me.

If there are a lot of comments, I decided to give up. 🤣
I almost died trying to reply to comments in the last OT (or maybe two weeks ago). The conversations were super long so we had to reply in new comments or earlier ones. That made the search IMPOSSIBLE. Because the sequence didn't make sense and the notification wouldn't take me to the right comment.
And I made the OG comment so that made everything more complicated, with the repeated notifications.
Crazy stuff.

Man, I am having the same issues and its not fun. I wish they could fix the comment thing to back the way it was.

The banner image on my fan wall disappeared, but I ended up finding one I liked better to replace it. Let’s hope it stays up this time.

I agree. I miss the old shows and X man was a favorite. I learned about many celebrities from that show and they used to have the popular groups take turns being on it. Those were the days!

I get missing the older variety shows. I'm still a loyal watcher of Running Man, but I admit I'm often tuned out on my phone because they're just eating (and eating, and eating...) I know they're getting older and some of the harder games were very physical and resulted in back injuries and such, but surely there's a middle ground.

I'm with you about this. The comments are what makes DB interesting but they make reading the comments uncomfortable :/

I have always checked for pages and gone in purposefully so the beanies in different time zones who comment later are not left with no responses. When the site is working well this is not a hassle, however when there are problems with slowness this tends to be something I put off until it is working properly again.

Again I thought I was just unobservant haha
I thought there was something weird about the comments.

I wonder how they decided on 10 comments per page. I get that 50 is too much, but 10 is too less.

I think the change was made so the page can load faster.

Same. Especially when just one page takes ages to load.
And also your comment goes to page 4 but it takes you back to page 1.

I have been trying to just get over this but it's SOOOOO inconvieient and discouraging. Not only the limited comments but the notifications not sending you to the comments in question.

I'm almost tempted to say the crashes were better than this

Doom got a bum rap in the comments when it aired. If a drama doesn't fit your preconceived notions that's not the fault of the drama but a fault of your own. People knew from the previews it was about a dying girl's relation to the personification of doom. That doesn't sound like a happy-go-luck rom-com premise.

omo omo dream come true!

Well done for sending out the Beanie signal🕵️‍♂️ We probably need to have some local Beanies on the case where they have access to the word on the street updates about dramas currently filming.

@welh640 could try koreandramaland.com but I’d guess they don’t post locations until a show broadcasts?

It could be anumber of dramas or varieties currently in production. Identifying the actors would help know which one it could be.

I am putting up a photo and more information on my fan wall.

Yikes. Prisons are not happy places in RL - I’ve been to a number of them for work - they are volatile, disturbing and highly surveilled places which sent chills down my spine every time.

This. I am really missing “real-life” settings like Marriage, Not Dating, Hospital Playlist or Secretary Kim, etc. It feels like every new show this year has time travel and reincarnation and/or the features you mentioned. My friend suggests that it’s because kdrama is notorious for seeing one success and then piling on with copies (like the years that feel like every show is lawyers and so on). I have been wondering what is so wrong in SK life that everyone needs to be entertained w fantasy components. (My viewing is limited to would-be romances as well, so I’m not counting the realistic crime shows). (And yes, I know many answers to what is so wrong in SK life.)
So, phhhttttt, I’m with you on this! Please bring back more reality!

Interesting post, hacja, fellow "spends many hours watching K-dramas" chingu. An early K-drama I watched was 49 Tears, which had a new-to-me cultural afterlife element that the drama played on. It was fascinating. So while I would say I am not a fantasy genre reader, I do like (and have watched) many fantasy/supernatural K-dramas. This surprises friends and family all the time, but somehow I am drawn in. The only element that is not my style is zombies. 🦉 anyhoot!

I, for one, prefer real life romances. I think the reason why many of these dramas do not get the ratings they deserve is because some people avoid such dramas. Don't judge me, but because of what I believe in, I am uncomfortable with watching a drama with a lead having a relationship with another lead who's reincarnated, a god, demon, etc. There may be a lot like me.

I miss the rom-coms of the old days. That's why I truly enjoyed dramas like King the Land, Buisiness Proposal, CLOY, 25/21. I don't mind the tropes.

I like fantasy & supernatural elements but I don't think I've watched that many this year (or maybe I just don't remember haha)

The only thing coming to mind is Heartbeat & Behind Your Touch

I think Kdramas work by cycle... this year the main theme was fantasy. But sometimes, it's lawyer, doctor, sageuk,...

I just hope 2024 trend is all romcoms and slice of life.

I wouldn't mind having a year full of shows like SWLouie, Still 17, Fight For My Way, MLNotes, Be Melo, and Gaus Electronics. 🤭

I don't mind fantasy. Alchemy of Souls was thrilling with a completely new "world" and "magic rules" - until, that is, they changed the rules and forgot the history of that new world.

And that's the difference in my mind between a really outstanding fantasy romance drama and a mediocre one that relies too much on the CGI/top star billing/whatever.

I just finished The Master's Sun (thanks to the Beannie who mentioned it) and although it wasn't perfect (too many "break-ups"), the story held together to the end, the "ghost rules" did not change or evolve, and the fantasy elements remained consistent. Plus, side stories of various ghosts, side characters with their own stories - it all came together in the end.

Color me shocked when I discovered the Hong Sisters wrote it.

Going to a concert with a group of friends sounds amazing. It is hard to get a group together to talk to in real life like us beanies but hopefully you are able to find some k drama friends online who are local enough or have a similar time zone so you can chat to them offsite. We did that with the K drama watch and discuss club.

I find it fascinating how many African countries have had K drama as part of their entertainment offer for years. Whereas in the UK it was a relatively recent find for me. I have met quite a few K drama fans amongst my contacts just by chance because I am always discussing what I am watching so don’t give up there are plenty of us Black fans out there.

One of the therapists I follow online organised a K drama filming sites tour in September and October and if I wasn’t already booked to be on a trip later this year I would have gone on that trip as another way to link with fellow K drama fans.

One of the things I'm most impressed by with K-dramas is the diversity of the audience they attract. In fact much of the time (maybe even most of the time?) I'm more impressed by the commentators on Dramabeans than I am by the kdramas!

As for being unable to share your interests with friends and family, that is very common, I can tell you, no matter what age you are.

Even my children laugh at me and I don't even bother to mention what I'm watching to my friends, (outside of my good friends I've met through kdramas.)

One strategy you might try is one that I use when I'm getting ridiculed by acquaintances who do find out. I tell the people who are laughing that I watch kdramas and listen to kpop because I'm studying global trends in popular media, and also because of my deep, intellectual interest in Korean history and culture. And that's why I have to sing along with New Jeans while I am watching Strong Girl Nam Soon. (No, don't add that part).

I hope you enjoyed the concert, Britney! ^^
And I'm glad you have a group of people you can go with.

When the people around you can't understand you, remember that beanies are here. We'll listen and share the joy with you. Fighting!

I hear you. That's why I love Dramabeans so much!

I was at a family dinner where everyone was discussing what tv shows they were watching and I was silent. My niece turned to me and asked, “so are you watching anything these days … that’s in English?” Everyone laughed. I’ve given up trying to talk to people about it. I’ve decided I can’t help it that they can’t appreciate greatness!😝
So glad you were able to enjoy LSG!

I’ve been thinking about your frustration, @britney and thought I’d come back to mention something in my town. Two black women started a business, KorKstl.com to promote love of K-pop and kculture and make a community for fans. They now have an actual store selling K-pop mdse in our biggest mall and do special events* and have links to other groups in cities nearby. Maybe where you live has something similar and you can find more friends there!
*their site says they’re planning a Running Man event in our biggest park!

@britney You should meet these people!!!!!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxiwdJFMpxg/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I feel so lucky to have my sister also interested because everyone else just isn’t 😅. (Although we did make mum watch Vagabond and she’s like “he’s quite handsome isn’t he” without prompting which goes to show we all have the same taste 😂)

I’m off to a super junior D&E fan con this week (In New Zealand!) and I basically haven’t mentioned it to anyone even though I’m super excited 😄

My family and friends know I watch K-dramas and enjoy them but they don't know how deep I'm in. They have no idea I spend days and nights reading Dramabeans and other sites, and sometimes posting too. They sometimes praise me for remembering actors' names, and must think I watch a lot, only I know that the numbers of K-dramas I have watched is nothing compared to other beanies here, because I spend a lot of time rewatching. But when you spend that much time reading about K-dramas, you'll naturally remember actors' names even for those you haven't watched.

When they ask me what my fav shows are, I always say Strangers 1, 2 and that'll put an end to the discussion (as I expected haha) as no one in my family and friend circle has watched that. Their fav are the popular shows like What's wrong with Secretary Kim, CLOY.... I may have watched those shows too but I don't have the need to talk to anyone in real life about K-dramas, except my bestie. I don't live in the same city country as my bestie, but every now and then we text each other about shows we are watching. Our fav genres are different but we are both hard core introverts and share the same perspectives of life, so we understand each other well and share the love for K-dramas. Her lifelong fav actor is Wookie while mine changes every now and then haha.

Recently, while browsing instagram, I found an account devoted to my fav actor. Then I realised she's from my home country too, so we started messaging each other and we've been having really good times sharing info and chatting about trivia that we'd have no chance to if we didn't meet the right person. I always find it amazing and wonderful that K-drama lovers speak the same language regardless of where we are from.

A big virtual 🤗hug of solidarity for you.

Oh wow! What a fun chat.

@Britney That is so cool and so very brave of you to go to attend Lee Seung-gi's concert. Hope you had a blast and made lots of friends you can keep in touch with for a long time.

I think most Beanies do not have any person IRL with whom they can connect with about K-dramas. Some lucky Beanies may have a couple of "real" friends but that is few and far between.

Nevertheless as @enriquequierecagar has rightly stated "beanies are here. We'll listen and share the joy with you. Fighting!"

I love that predictive text knows you so well🤣 Have fun and I hope your friends do make the trip to visit you in 2024 so they can enjoy the change of scenery.

MLSHR is Moon Lovers Scarlet Heart Ryeo!

It can be hard to keep up with all the acronyms, but I feel like trying to make a list of all of them would be even harder! When it doubt, it doesn't hurt to ask! :) We don't mind!

Don’t worry there are loads of us newbie and old Beanies campaigning for that list of dramas to be released so we can bookmark it for future reference.

I can understand. Sometimes its even hard foe mw to remember it all. Pro tip: if you are hesitant to ask, you can always ask google and just add "kdrama" at the end of the acronyms. It will not lead you astray.

the acronyms give me a head lol. sometimes I just google it when I don't want to use my brain too much. and surprisingly, google search will have the right answer

Thanks for all your valuable advice.
Actually, I often used Google to decipher some acronyms.
Sometimes I succeed to find out the meaning, sometimes it's a little more complicated.
Btw, the biggest disappointment is discovering that many dramas, unfortunately, are not available here in Italy 8-(

I am bad at many things but definitely worst at the acronym guess game 😂 My brain surrenders those acronyms all the time. That's one reason why I rarely use acronyms myself unless, say, in a drama hangout where the topic is specific and no one has to guess.

Oh I need to pick that up again. I'm one of the weirdos who love hearing Jung Woo yelling and all fired up lol!

It really is quite a sweet love triangle.

Ohhhh, I just finished Holo Love too! I read a few comments here last week and decided to check it out. That's why l love Dramabeans!!!

Going back to Holo Love, I really love both versions of the male lead! How did I miss this drama? It was really good! I binged watch over the weekend!

😆 Guilty as charged.

Maybe - maybe - it would help if those rom-coms had no slasher/serial killer in the first place. I can think of some recent examples of shows that had little or none of that and no corresponding drop-off.

What's Super Junior D&E?
And congrats!

I think about stuff like this all the time especially now that the site is wonky which is likely to discouraging more folks from engaging. Too bad we don't have another means of staying connected.

This is interesting as it doesn’t seem like the guys know each other well enough to have been out on a regular basis so this sounds like a first experience for them. Guy 2 should have said he had double booked by mistake and to make up for it left some money to cover a drink for each friend. Guy 3 should have said he wouldn’t be drinking but wanted to have fun with his friends. Guy 1 as the only drinker should pay for his own drinks, why should the other person cover his half his bill especially as he chose high end drinks as his personal preference? I am aware that it is cultural how people cover this kind of situation though so if it’s usual to split the bill regardless then guy 3 is going to be seen as being cheap.