Logos, pathos, ethos — they’re not just for debates — Have you ever watched a movie or show and wondered, “Huh? What are we doing in this random flashback?” Flashbacks are a useful tool to introduce backstory. But just like every other part of the story, flashbacks need to serve a purpose towards character and plot. They shouldn’t be decorative…

What would make me an expert of “The East”? — I’ve often wondered if I’m an Asian in Yellowface. It must be a convincing mask. Koreans have told me, “I thought you were one of us.” Americans have said, well, you know. I’m taking a class on Greek tragedies. The instructor asked us why we signed up for the course…

Overcome harmful instincts — Mika’s ears perked up when she spotted the fox. It moved like a shadow across the road ahead of us. It was dark, and the only way we knew it wasn’t a cat was because it was slightly too large. Our Golden Retriever is a good girl. I’m biased, but…

Hope for the future of queer representation in Korea — I teared up watching “Hello, Dracula” (안녕 드라큘라), a lesbian miniseries from — I cannot emphasize this enough — South Korea. Half a lifetime ago I cowered on my sofa in Seoul, TV set to a whisper, watching a Pride Parade in Seoul as shown in the docuseries “Coming Out”…

As steamy as it is dreamy — The first time I sent a story with a sex scene in it to a writing workshop, I cried because I was mortified. I was nearly thirty at the time and happily married, yet I couldn’t get over the feeling that I was somehow “dirty” and that people would respect…

Healing with “The Marvels” — There was once an artist who felt so lonely she decided to draw a manga series about friends she never had. Her wishful thinking went on to become the global phenomenon “Sailor Moon.” That wishful thinking swelled within me while watching a motley trio of super-powered women become lifelong friends…

And so does Lesbian Jesus — On the first night of Pride Month, I patted myself on the back for outgrowing all that corny gay pride stuff. On the second night of Pride Month, I lost my voice shouting “GIRLS LIKE GIRLS LIKE BOYS DO” at a lesbian concert. When I first came out at the…

Hence, why it is so good — I ended up watching “Wednesday” in two days, which is surprising given I found it cringey. Horror-lite for people who didn’t normally consume horror or any sort of dark fantasy. The best actor was a severed hand, Thing. But I couldn’t turn the show off because it was a revival…

According to Aristotle — I spent the past week bingeing “The Fall of the House of Usher.” I didn’t want to sit around and wait years before I checked it out, which is exactly what I did with “The Haunting of Hill House.” Having watched almost all of Mike Flanagan’s work since then, I…