Yesss, like the Monty Python sketch: "Oh that's one of Shaw's. Come on, Shawie." https://youtu.be/UxXW6tfl2Y0

I love Kdramas too, in the same way that I love eating certain candies: I binge on them until I make myself sick, then keep away for a while, but inevitably return to do it again. I haven't finished all too many series since I usually get burnt out before they end, but I've loved Coffee Prince, Flower Boy Ramen Shop (the second lead guy is sooooo handsome!), Let's Eat (so much food, so many chewing noises!), and Wild Romance (a troublemaking baseball player and a bodyguard!). I'm just starting She Was Beautiful and really enjoyed the first episode, even though it has such a cringe-worthy premise. Literally, the main girl used to be beautiful when she was a kid and, now that her first love is back into her life (and himself newly not-fat and now-hot), she is SO UNATTRACTIVE. Which in the shorthand of kdramas (and visual media in general) means that she has fluffy curly hair and obviously-artificial "bad skin".

I think I love these shows because of their outrageous plots and their dedication to outsized emotions, especially joy and embarrassment (man, people get so awkward when they are embarrassed in these shows). It's also the pleasure of seeing people I don't see on American shows on the screen and resetting my sense of "normal".

Oh, also, the smugness I feel when the hot, arrogant guy shows off his English to hit on someone and it is terrible and how I could totally take him down a peg - then my much-less-smug reflection that my [any other language] would be worse.

Miss Fisher Chic -

I see you around every so often and you are always wearing the coolest '20s-inspired outfits and I want to take a picture to send to my friends so we can all be impressed by how excellently you wear cloches and high heels on rainy, awful days.

Oooh, I have one that you reminded me of!

It seems so reasonable to want a picture of someone who is super-well-garbed, but so fraught with creepiness. I bet you guys' jammies would be snappy too.

That's okay, mine was Svidragailov from Crime and Punishment. And also Iago from Othello. Villians who do spiteful things in their last scenes, even though they know they've lost... yep. I see it.

Thanks for the sympathy! It is especially frustrating because some of my coworker friends recently left for new jobs so my usual people for this kind of venting and brainstorming aren't around. Also, I am hard at work on my new office code name: "That's Inappropriate". I have a lot of trouble saying anything even slightly rude or rude sounding when someone is "being nice" to me like this, especially when doing customer service-y work. I find, personally, that saying "that's inappropriate" keeps it about their behavior and not me, and also tends to really shut down the people who are generally nice people with weird ideas about what they can say to me, which seem to be my especial fear. So I told young volunteer that it wasn't appropriate to send me his phone number and I feel much better. If anything else happens after this, I think I will talk to the volunteer coordinator who works with him.

Oh FFS, he emailed me his phone number. That I can handle, that is solid behavior that I can point to and say "That? That is inappropriate. You need to not do that kind of thing when you are working." I guess it is more distressing to me when it is sufficiently abstract behavior that I might just be assuming too much so that addressing it directly might be overkill.

Toasties, I am encountering a situation that triggers unreasonable anxiety in me and I'm not sure what to do with it. I find it very upsetting when people express that they are attracted to me, especially if it is in the manner of a continued, socially-acceptable infatuation. I get really worked up about it and overthink every interaction and want to avoid that person as much as possible. In this case, a young volunteer who is learning English and possibly has a learning disability (because of the program he is participating in) is causing this at work. He stands too close to me and smiles at me and comes to my desk to talk and just ends up standing around when i try to end the conversation and get back to work. It is the kind of thing that other people might find endearing or mildly annoying, but to me, it is very upsetting. I don't know what to do about it. :( Advice?

"The status quo will scew us both, girl; let's you and me fight it together"

"I had a job, I had a girl, I didn't measure my worth by my employment and possession of other people"

I haven't gotten a chance to watch any of the videos, so I assume they all show tiny fish pouring from people's mouths when they talk. "Kids these days! Why, in my day, you saved those vocal fry up and made a good bouillabaisse!"