Of Serpents & Songs

Moontime began today. My cramps were affecting me even before my moontime began. I got skin patches that are supposed to be for sleep, because they have magnesium, L-theanine and valerian which also relieve cramps. I tried them and they work! The patches also have melatonin and chamomile and so on for sleep, but wearing one during the day didn't make me sleepy. Taking a walk for an hour helped ease the cramps, too.

My gut is absolutely wrecked though, and I don't know what to do about that. It's utterly exhausting me. Probably the prostaglandins going overboard.

I started watching Bon Appetit, Your Majesty in which a modern-day chef goes back in time to the Joseon era and captivates people's tastebuds, ending up in the royal kitchens. I was expecting it to be cozy but while the cooking and eating bits are cozy, the rest of it is hella stressful because the royals are all pieces of work and the male lead is a tyrant king. Our chef is in mortal danger every episode even though all she's trying to do is cook and get by peacefully until she can find her way back to 2025 😭 not the ideal moontime watch, so I'm looking for something else. I do have a bunch of cozy fantasy books amassed from a couple of sales. I'm currently reading an ARC of Lidiya Foxglove's Wanted: Brooding Man, Tragic Past which releases in a couple of days and which is delightful. Not cozy but not uncozy either, and that's a middle ground I enjoy.

( Figuring out an author newsletter )

The ol' chronic illness has been striking again the last few days. Can't begin to guess at what set it off, but I'm setting about making myself as comfortable as possible. I went thrifting yesterday and found a comfy sweatshirt and jogger set. Perfect for the weather here right now, which is in its can't-decide-what-it-wants-to-be phase. My friend has been taking some probiotics that she found helped (she shares some symptoms with me) so I've started on those. Also have some ayurvedic medicine.

My Dreamwidth paid time has run out but I think I'll wait until December to renew it, for the points bonus. In the meanwhile it's actually kind of restful not having to pick from a hundred icons? Maybe I need to downsize.

I was watching this Korean vlog for language practice and it's lovely even if you don't understand the language (I didn't understand all of it). She seems to be making accessories for pets, dogs and cats mostly. And selling them at some sort of fair or convention for pet owners? We get to see many cute pets wearing gingham bow hair accessories that look like hairclips but aren't: they're actually tiny combs that sit in their fur without pressing. Smartly and adorably designed.

CIX had a comeback today! It's my first comeback with them since the one that started me on the path of becoming their fan (Thunder). I like this new song! Its official translated title is 'Wonder You' though if I was phrasing it I'd say something like 'Wondering About You'. The sound of the song is very CIX, it sounds like their music. I've yet to listen to the rest of the EP. Seunghun is wearing glasses here and I love that.



The actual MV:


I love the blonde hair on Yonghee, and Hyunsuk looks even more angelic than usual. However, it looks like their company used AI for the sets instead of CGI or like, actual sets, and the fandom is collectively disappointed by that. I saw user storkmuffin say on tumblr the other day that loving our k-pop idols whilst hating their company is like the definitive/universal k-pop fan experience (I'm paraphrasing but you get the gist).

The boys are perfect, the song is very Them so I approve, but the video is an injustice. Their suit dance is a better watch.