Reviews

Drama of the Decade - an Evergreen Masterpiece

I have never been a fan of practical dramas, ones that portray raw emotions, real life hardships and just reality at its harshest. I was always of the opinion that entertainment was an escape so seeing characters suffer didn't help. But this drama changed my outlook on life completely. I know a drama cannot mature a person but this did. When life gives you tangerines, God, will there be another as beautifully heartwrenching as this?

A drama where no one is a villain, just life itself. The iron heart Yang Gwansik and the resilient Oh Aesun, navigating the sea of life, keeping on swimming. They shall forever live in my heart till the end. Each character had their own story. And everything woven together into this masterpiece, it was nothing less than perfect. The plot is so crisp and one can never get the feeling of the drama being dragged for long. Not even once. The way they divided the drama into 4 sections, man that was genius.

The casting is on another level. IU literally deserves an Oscar for this. The variety of roles - teenage Oh Aesun, Oh Aesun in her twenties into thirties, teen Yang Geummyeong and adult Geummyeong...that is a lot of to be and do. But the difference between her as Aesun and Geummyeong is so obvious, we don't feel it's the same person, just a daughter with her mother's face. When she cries, we cry, when she smiles, we smile. A truly outstanding actress! And then there is Park Bogum. Do we even need another example of eyes that speak? Park Bogum has that skill to make you wonder if he is actually alright because he becomes the character to an extent where it blurs reality and fiction. Every emotion is portrayed soooo well, one cannot deny the fact that he's a maestro at what he does. The character of Yang Gwansik itself is so well written, Park Bogum does not let him down. Then there are the other favourites of mine - Choi Daehoon as Bu Sanggil, Moon Sori as old Aesun, Park Haejoon as old Yang Gwansik, Yeom Hyeran as Aesun's mother, Kang Youseok as Yang Eunmyeong - they are literally people I know, that's how close I feel to all of them. Really really amazing.

The music is just beautiful. Starting from the intro to the instrument in the last scene of the last episode, nothing beats this layout.

Everything is just so good, yet I cannot express them in better words 😭 It's more like something the heart understands beyond human language. This drama taught me two main things I'd say. One - your parents would literally break their back just to give you the best they can and two - time as a human is very short. So living your best life and not waiting for the perfect moment is the best we can do. Also two lines really stuck with me. 1) "One day life might get so tough that you feel like you can't go on. Don't lie still. Struggle with all your might...Tell yourself you won't die and must survive, no matter what. Paddle your arms and legs like crazy. You'll get through the dark waters and see the sky." Oh Aesun's mother to her- 2) "There might have been nights I went to sleep hungry. But there was never a night that I was alone."- Oh Aesun about Yang Gwansik.

How can a drama be this good yet this heartbreaking; I just cannot make sense. Yet I feel if our stories were a series, won't we see the rawness of pain and sweetness of happiness in it too? Also, Alec Benjamin's 'If we have each other' is a song I will forever associate this drama, the lines about the lovers (iykyk). Rewatch if you want to rip your heart out again and again 😭 Evrything is just Uhhh!!! Crazy in the best way. This drama truly deserves the hype and it is a MUST WATCH, no matter what your preferred genre is. Thank you Baek Sangchoon for writing this great story and thank you Kim Wonseok and all the cast and crew members for breathing in life to it! 🌊🌼❤️

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I didn't feel any chemistry.

Okay, I'm not used to writing comments here, but I feel the need to. So, I just finished watching Love for Love's Sake, and I have to admit I was expecting a little more...

I won't lie, I did generally like the concept (kind of like a fantasy choice where the guy ends up in some kind of video game?), but being a series of only 8 episodes of 30 minutes each, I feel like there were a lot of gaps and things that happened too rushed.

One of them was Yeowoon's sudden change of attitude, literally from one episode to the next. It's like, what? From the beginning, they sold him to us as someone really, yeah, serious and cold, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, he gets super clingy with Mingha. Like, what? Ugh, I don't really like it.

Plus, they didn't quite wrap things up with what happened to Yeowoon's dad. And to top it all off, I feel like the series was trying to leave us with a message or reflection at the end, but it wasn't consistent with what was actually shown in the series.

Because at the end they put something like "happiness is somewhere in everyday life, etc., etc., etc." But what the series showed us was that Mingha only had to make Yaewoon happy if they were dating or if he liked someone. And it's like, what?

Even at one point Yaewoon was whining to Mingha because he wanted to break up with him since he only had 6 days left because otherwise he would literally die, and Yaewoon was being a real softie, saying things like, "Oh no, I'm not going to change," etc., etc., etc. Dude, you didn't do anything wrong. LMAO not me defending him, no, but oh well, I don't know what to tell you.

Also, something that bothered me the whole time was that Mingha was 29 years old and supposedly his "senior" sent him to a game, but like, being a 19-year-old student??? Which bothered me because, I mean, yes, technically he was a 19-year-old kid, but the guy in "reality¿?" is 29 and he was with an 18-year-old kid!! I think it's crazy, sorry, I'm not a fan of the age gap, what can I say, I didn't like it.

Besides, in the end I felt like they were forcing Mingha to give him more depth with that whole thing about him feeling so empty that he wanted to kill himself and all that, and okay, yeah, that's powerful, but I feel like it was too sudden.

And then there's this moment when the "senior" appears and gives him a second chance and bam, out of nowhere he's back to his 19-year-old self and meets Yaewoon and they're all happy???? So lol, if you ask me.

On top of that, they unnecessarily introduced a third party to force a love triangle that didn't work because there was no chemistry there, so why add a third person??? Poor Sangwon, they just had him there to try and compete with Yaewoon, damn it, it's so frustrating.

And on top of everything (well, I kept adding things, right?) I feel like they didn't give Yaewoon's character any depth, like, okay, we already know he's a cold and reserved guy and that his dad is an alcoholic and that he lost his grandmother who he lived with, but what else????

They didn't go into any depth about that, and honestly, I was left wanting to know more because it's not like everything is resolved thanks to "love" and so on and so forth...

I don't know, I feel like they could have stayed friends and explored that connection on both sides. Yaewoon needed someone to lean on, and Mingha needed someone to teach him how to love. And that, for me, would have been more meaningful than those kisses they shared.

Honestly, I didn't feel any chemistry or connection or anything. On the contrary, I felt much more of a brotherly, almost parental love from Mingha towards Yaewoon, from how he took care of him and everything (which, yes, was his "mission"). But they didn't do anything for me. Sorry, my loves...

In short, yes, it can be nice to watch lightly if that's what you want; I think it fulfills that function quite well. It's not wow, but it's not meh either. I feel it could have been much bigger than it is, and that's a shame of wasted potential.

And I think that's it? That's all for today's review, hehe. Follow me (or not) for more Alen reviews, okay? Bye! ✌️

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Another swooning chapter in Kim Go Eun’s romantic saga

As they always say, ‘third’s time a charm’ so Kim Go Eun and her cell village return for a heart-fluttering third and final season in the search for love.

After dating a nerd and a romantic and getting her heart broken on both occasions, Yumi chose to remain single and focused on her career as a writer. When the familiar butterflies in her stomach suddenly come back to life, it is none other than because of her associate publisher, Shin Soon Rok who is extremely calm, level-headed, and most importantly, younger than Yumi. This pairing gives off “calm bf and hyper gf” meme. The stark contrast in their personalities is glaring even in their first meeting. Can this noona workplace romance be the key to Yumi’s happily ever after?

I am fairly impressed with Kim Jae Won’s portrayal of a man of few words and few expressions while at work. He totally nails the neutral face emoji (😐) since he is the epitome of an introverted personality (pro max version). You can instantly tell hanging out with people is not his favorite thing and just depletes his social battery. Nothing seems to boost his mood while he is socializing at work. Hence, it is only natural that some can misunderstand his personality and dismiss him as rude and party pooper. No one but Jae Won can perfectly pull off Soon Rok’s dual charm of inscrutable face at work and adorable puppy look at home. He is emotionless but his acting does not look stiff and I think that is a great sign Jae Won totally nailed his role.

Kim Go Eun has consistently brought to life the comical and tearjerker events in Yumi’s life. Her comedic timings are still spot-on. Go Eun’s hilariously funny and painfully relatable thoughts is one of the reasons viewers cheered in her quest of love and dreams. She never misses a beat, whether it’s getting flustered while caught up in an awkward situation, getting riled up over a coworker’s behavior, or suddenly realizing she has fallen head over heels again. In this last season, she has notably displayed maturity and sensibility. She clears the air as soon as possible to avoid further conflicts. She is no longer easily swayed and swept up by her emotions, but falling in love is clearly an exception. However, emotional numbness poses a threat both in her cell village and in her job as a writer. Thankfully, Soon Rok comes her way, wreaks havoc and revives Yumi’s deserted cell village.

It has been a while since I giggled, twirled my hair and kicked my feet in the air while watching a K-Drama. Yumi's Cells truly captures the feeling of diving blindly, headfirst into love. I missed this feeling of giddiness. K-Dramas nowadays feel too contrived, the chemistry feels forced and the outfits are overly flashy.

This season is the epitome of the phrase 'the more you hate, the more you love' because you can't hate someone without spending your precious time thinking and nitpicking everything about them. I love how Yumi's Cells continue to highlight that people have layers and a single encounter with someone doesn't define them. We all carry contradictions, passions and habits that can only truly be understood after spending some time with someone.

I love the enamored look at Soon Rok’s eyes whenever he or looks at Yumi. You can instantly tell he really cherishes Yumi and he’s got his eyes only for her. He is also unfazed when he learns Babi is Yumi’s ex. He didn’t get defensive nor did he probe Yumi about it. This is what everyone should aim for: a love that feels easy and secure.

A subtle parallelism between Yumi’s apathy and Soon Rok’s robotic personality is also highlighted in the show. The lack of emotions is far different from a lack of social energy. The former can unintentionally cause us to lose our spark in life while the latter is simply a way of conserving energy for the activities we truly enjoy. In the end, Yumi and Soon Rok found solace and rest in one another.

However, the question still remains: how can you choose the person you want to spend the rest of your life with when even your feelings are contradictory and unreliable? The answer is: when you know, you know.

My only issue is, just like everybody else is saying, this was way too short. Yumi and Soon Rok’s relationship timeline feels hastened. At one point, they were having an honest and open conversation and the two of them reached a mutual decision. But then parents suddenly barged in and everything they talked about felt like it disappeared into thin air just like that.

But then again, the length of dating does not really dictate the longevity or happiness of a marriage. Some couples date for less than a year, yet their marriage is still blissful. Meanwhile, others have even conquered the seven-year itch, only to learn they don’t work well living together. Indeed, love is a hit or miss. You are never going to know what you will get unless you take a chance and gamble your fragile little heart, putting it on the line. I was hoping for more of Yumi and Soon Rok’s relationship dynamics, but we already caught glimpses of that in later episodes which even revealed Soon Rok’s laidback, childlike charm at home which is unknown to many.

What I noticed in Season 2 is it perfectly balances the storyline of Yumi's dreams and love whereas Season 3 heavily focused on finding her endgame. It wouldn’t have hurt if we peeked a bit into how she balanced dating Soon Rok while still staying on top of her game. I also wondered whether Soon Rok got reassigned to a new writer. Maybe the director intended such conclusion up to the viewer’s interpretation. Open endings are built like that to keep us, viewers, from reeling long after watching.

I don't harbor any ill feelings toward Woong or Babi because they both shaped Yumi to who she is today. They both boosted her confidence and helped her pursue her dreams of being a writer. Woong gifted her a typewriter to reignite her passion for writing while Babi fully supported her in her decision to write full-time and join contests. Yumi will not be the successful writer that she is today without her past heartbreaks and betrayals. She transformed her sadness and gloom into art which is her romance books. Isn’t it fascinating how our darkest times can be a steppingstone and catapult as to our crowning moments?

I’m truly going to miss this show, especially Swear Cell and Naughty Cell haha. But then again, I’m the captain of my cell village and I can make each day as exciting and worthwhile as Yumi’s. I may not have men as handsome as Yumi’s exes ☹️, but I can allow myself to experience life in ways that shape me into the very best version of myself. After all, emotional turmoil is what makes us human. Feelings waver, lifelong principles are broken, people come and go, and that’s all part of the human experience. Amidst all this uncertainty, we can still choose how we react and decide which people and things we want to pour our energy, feelings, and time into.

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A Somewhat Realistic Life Variety Show that manages to deliver laughs

The first few episodes of Grumpy Secretaries was really a hit or miss because some of the gags land while others not so well. Some episode it felt like they treated the guests not as well as the others and sometimes it feels like the guests comes on too strong that makes it quite hard for me to enjoy. However ever since episode 11, in my opinion the show got so much better. Could be due to Seo-Jin and Kwang-Kyu got used to taking care of the guests much more naturally. However Seo-Jin's and Kwang-Kyu's friendship and gags really makes it up. They're such a Tom and Jerry duo.

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Is an outstanding woman just an average man?

I originally skipped this show when I back-wrote all my reviews, because I disliked it so much. But I’m feeling extra petty today, so here goes.

What bothers me most about this show is its casual sexism. It’s not the obvious kind that we can all agree to rage about; it’s a more subversive kind that quietly reinforces implicit biases and sends insidious messages about who is capable of what.

Here is a female lead who’s clearly supposed to be capable and strong. But, it turns out, she’s only capable FOR A GIRL. Whether it’s her technical abilities or skills in the game, she only stands out because of her gender- there are still a bunch of guys who are casually as good as or better than her.

As far as I remember, her technical abilities are limited to fixing a laptop at the beginning (btw I am an electrical engineer and that made me facepalm, like at least hand the girl a multimeter). Later she joins her boyfriend’s startup, but she doesn’t actually do anything real, whereas the rest of the company is full of genius dudes. I think it’s kind of telling that his career and professional successes are so central to the plot, whereas her story arcs mostly deal with love triangles.

As for the game, sure she’s pretty good, but obviously nowhere near the ML. His (male) friends are all pretty decent, yet most of the girls in the game seem to only be there to hit on guys. And what even is this game? At first I was excited at the premise because I’ve played quite a few MMORPGs, but it turns out this game is all about in-game marriages and couples quests. Errm, what? I’ve never played a MMORPG where the gender of the character is even relevant. And, just sayin, most of my guy friends like to play female characters.

Well, one thing the FL DOES stand out for, even above the ML, is... dundundun... her looks. What even is this college-wide beauty contest? Is this a real thing in Chinese universities? Surely I don’t need to go into why this is problematic. And yet they are all sooo into it.

As it turns out, looking pretty is her ticket to respect. It is abundantly clear in this show that women are judged heavily based on looks, the pretty ones get admiration and respect, and the less pretty ones get bullied. ...it's definitely annoying that beauty seems to be what matters most for women in this show. But actually this premise isn’t what bothered me the most, since it’s more a function of the society they’re portraying rather than the reality of the show.

It's just that the reality of the show is also problematic. The FL is good, the ML is better. The ML is amazing at everything and admired by everyone, always in control and always winning. He’s just somebody’s stereotype of a dreamboat guy, and I guess part of that is taking care of and saving the girl.

For the plot itself, I thought the first part of getting the couple together was alright, kind of cute. But then the plot moves on to things like the raging success of his underdog startup, and an endless stream of love triangles. The love triangles are no contest from the beginning, and seem meant instead to just highlight how amazing and desirable the leads are. It’s a whole bunch of whiny men and whiny women with ridiculous love brains.

Even if you don’t have a problem with the gender dynamics of this show, I still think the plot is not very interesting. I was at least mildly entertained at the beginning with all the game drama (my issues with the game nonetheless, I still liked watching a girl impress people), but they stop showing it, and then it’s just a bunch of petty real-life drama with resounding successes from our leads. I think the show relies a lot on you the viewer being proud of how amazing the leads are, and having fun watching them put everyone in their place. Clearly that didn’t work for me.

As for the acting, I was kind of annoyed by the FL’s voice actress making so many breathy little noises. Zheng Shuang is also creepy skinny, like ED (eating disorder)-trigger-level skinny. Yang Yang does an excellent job being too cool for school, as usual. It was probably more about his character, but sometimes I just wanted to smack that confident smirk off his face. Neither of them do that well in the in-game reenactments, which are particularly awkward.

Ok, so what did this show do well?

I like the friendships with the roommates, on both the ML and the FL side. These friendships are all really healthy and supportive, no backstabbing or cattiness or anything. I love how the girls laugh together at the ML's excessively confident courtship style and try to figure out the situation together, like gal pals would. I think anyone who’s lucky enough to have a pack of good friends like that would really appreciate their dynamics. The side stories about the friends are also not bad.

The other thing I really like is the flash of scenes as they approach college graduation. It's so nostalgic, I actually cried. Very on point and reminded me of my own last days of uni.

I saw somebody say, you have to understand that Bei Weiwei was still revolutionary for her time, because she was a strong FL that didn’t need saving. I admit I wasn’t watching Cdramas in 2016 so I don’t know what standards we’re comparing to here. But I almost think a FL who passes off as strong but, it turns out, only stands out because she can do all these things WHILE BEING FEMALE, is actually worse. This only reinforces the idea that the standards are different and we should expect less from our girls.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





I’m still putting this section in, but I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler to say that everything goes well. The show is way too fluffy for anything else and it's not like anything in between failed. His company is a raging success, she is signed up to work for them after graduation, they get married and buy a condo, etc. Friends do well too.

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An EPICCC!

Gosh!!! If you are looking into Asian dramas and this isn't in your top 5 at least, we just cannot be friends. This is just what every viewer can everrr wish for. Where do I start, where do I stop? Because every time I finish, I want to rewatch it again. It's a form of existence at this point. Rewatched 5 times, 6th time soon!

The plot was sooo refreshing! It keeps surprising you. I was introduced to the MDZS universe (Mo Dao Zu Shi - the original novel, which thank you Mo Xiang Tong Xiu for writing this masterpiece 😭) through this drama. So unlike many others, I did not know this was supposed to be BL drama-ish. In fact, this could be my first so called "BL" drama. And so, even now, the first term to describe Wei Ying and Lan Zhan would be 知己 (Zhījǐ, which, if literally translated, someone who knows all of you). And I know that sounds like lovers and yes they are, but through this drama, for me, it's definitely more about this one person who will stay by your side no matter what, who you know you can turn to even if the world turns its back on you. And that I feel is wayyy more than just romance and chemistry. So if you are capable of picking up the subtleties and happy with old soft love bromance, this is 100/10 👍🏻

Next, the cast. Ever heard of the perfect cast for the perfect drama. THIS IS IT! And there is nooo doubt. I still cannot believe they are not the actual people. Because I know for sure, if I were to ever meet them in person, I'll call them their character's name 😂 The more I rewatch, the more each character's part becomes clearer. The visuals and shots are really beautiful. Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo are legit one of the best pairs I've seen. It just makes sense, them as Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. And to anyone who says Wang Yibo isn't being expressive, let's fight, period 😤 And most important of all, THE ONE AND ONLY WEI WUXIAN AKA XIAO ZHAN. Man, he was born for this. If Wei Ying was a person in real life, he better be looking like Xiao Zhan. His acting skills are insane. So fine that you forget he is just the actor, not the actual person. 😭😭❤️❤️(Lowkey I'm sad about it, but we'll talk about that later).

The OSTs. Yes, Chinese dramas have really good songs, but this one has real good music. Especially if you like the Chinese instruments. Whether it's Wei Ying's 'Qu Jin Chenqing' by Xiao Zhan or Lan Zhan's 'Bu Wang' by Wang Yibo or 'Yi Nan Ping', pure chef's kiss. Even the plain instrument pieces like 'Zui Meng' are art of its own. But the most iconic would definitely be 'Wuji', the theme song itself. I like this version of Wangxian song the best of all across anime and voice drama and all.

Recently I've been watching the animated version and yes there are quite a lot of differences in the flow of the story. But definitely not in a way that reduces this drama's position in my heart. I have recommended this to literally anyone who has asked me a drama suggestion. The more I watch, the more nostalgic and closer I find myself to this drama. I could yap about it forever! 😁

Yup, as a fan of fantasy, action, smart plot and good relationships, ones that can stick the test of time, this is forever my FAVOURITE DRAMA EVER!

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I am all for the spicer side of things... but this was awful.

I liked Poom in the last series he was in, but the way he was acting "coy" in this just felt super fake and inauthentic, even though he is meant to portray someone who is authentic and genuine. At least that's what I got from the show.

The script was bad. The acting was bad - even from the veterans who are genuinely good - which makes me think it was the direction.

Not worth the 1st watch, forget a rewatch.

Some people were put off by the AI used, to me it wasn't that bad - it was more the script and acting that was unbearable.

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Not your typical drama

For everyone who's looking for a typical romance cdrama, this is NOT that. I think this show did a really good job at showing ALS's physical AND mental effect on the person diagnosed with it, as well as on everyone who cares about them. It's a really interesting to think about what you'd do in this situation — both if you'd want to put your loved ones through the pressure of caretaking, and also if you would be willing to become one if someone you loved was diagnosed. Lin Yi does a really good job at showing the progression of ALS, and Landy Li also does a really good job with emotional scenes.

Other than that, I actually found this drama to unfortunately be not as engaging. While I understand that the romance and "getting together" part wasn't the point of this show, I felt like the leads got together too early and quickly for me to connect with their love story, and the second couple was also a skip for me — I found them more irritating than anything else and their tone really clashed with the seriousness of the ALS plot. The second male lead also did not really add much. It's weird because all of these characters were great when they were reacting to the male lead or interacting with the ALS plot, but their love lines were not fun to watch.

Ultimately, while I like how this tackles a heavy topic pretty well, I don't think I actually really connected to the characters and story as much as the disease just being sad. For a similar plot, I'd highly recommend One Liter of Tears (jdrama) instead, though that one is about SCA and not ALS.

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Good , engaging show.

I see some negative reviews and I get it. They both cheated on their past partners. Which I don’t agree with. However i do think she sincerely in love with him and so does he. It is not she just try to steal somebody man. Nor does he. They have good chemistry. And they both very attractive. In this show they show the female lead thoughts and fear, you can she her struggle. I wish they show his side of the story as well, what cause him acting this way. Like the show call Liar. It show both side of female and male leads which help viewers understanding where they are coming from. Which is quite adorable. Most of the time is miscommunication. If they ever show that in this show I think the made lead did love her. He just has different way of thinking/ insecurities to act that way. Because I can see him paying attention to her. Look at her while she didn’t.
the male lead looks very dashing in this show . Which fit his role as a player. I was rooting for them to be together. The ending is kinda open. But I did see why. Since he cheated with his last girl friend with her. Now would he does the same . I guess in someway they did pay for their crime. People usually upset with cheaters and wonder what would happen when they ended up together. Here the dilemma. They will constantly wonder if their partner would cheat on them with someone else.

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And then...

This series reminded me very much of an extremely long, extremely elaborate stage play where they decided to just keep the audience on the hook for that big moment... that never really came. It had a beginning, a middle which consisted of a beginning, a middle, and an end, another beginning, another middle, and another end, and yet another beginning, middle, and end, and then it had the final ending which was exactly what we all saw coming except that it never had the big event that we thought was going to take place during one of the 3 major timelines. I even waiting until after the final credits because sometimes they like to throw in that final scene that gives you closure, but alas, it was not to be had. Music was great, acting was pretty good, plot was mediocre, and timing was sloooooooooooooow. I can't say I will ever watch this one again because even though it was only 33 episodes, it felt longer than some CDramas with 40-50 episodes. Still, I'm not mad I watched it, just not in love with it either.

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One narcissistic loser and his enabler friends

Besides all the other idiotic things going on in this show, including the main character that’s utterly unbearable, the most annoying thing about this show is how passive this friend group is. They hate the main character but they just sit there looking uncomfortable. Say something! Just freaking tell him to leave. And they keep bring him back into the group!!! Why? So the show can happen.

“You almost died but I’m so happy because I’m not crazy and destructive”. WTH. Narcissism at its finest.

This writer seems to think that being depressed is some type of privilege. They can act like @$$holes because they have crappy lives and it’s ok.

Tell me something funny = worship me. Hahahahaha.

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