For this story so far, it’s developed into the Kami influencing 4 elements, fire, water, air and earth then after the shamans make the Kami known to the couple the effects shift to a bringer of prosperity or misfortune. (misfortune because it’s a very unhappy Kami at being removed for it’s home/environment.)
A more detailed break down in the summary in this post.
The only thing I had not offered as an idea is the shape shifting aspect, as that is just something I don’t associate with kamis. But hey, the Kami is a hotel bathrobe at the moment, if we have to use some creative licence to bring in shape shifting to have more plots and fill air time, so be it!
The shamans are the only ones who can see and communicate with the Kami as they have the gift. They could be talking to thin air next to the couple and explain to them the Kami has taken a form of one of their ancestors or talking to the wall clock. The characters of Ha-Neul and Haruto is taking form. They are of the modern power couple type. Haruto may go through the motions of prayer at every festival but more out of tradition than an actual belief in these modern times. (Until now!)
Neither of the couple can see the Kami, and up until now would not have seen ghosts and apparitions or experienced any kind of phenomena so may have been slightly sceptical at first, hence it took a fair amount of attention grabbing phenomena to occur before the couple seek the help of the shamans.
Although now convinced of the existence of the ‘other world’ that the shamans deal with, going from sceptic to believers does not change that fact that they do not have the gift and are still reliant on the shamans.
This very much aligns with ordinary people in the real world who consults psychics, mediums, fortune tellers or the tribe’s shaman etc
Well, I imagine that there are probably no kami of terrycloth products, but I have no doubt there are kami for different kinds of bodies of water. And Shintoism places great emphasis on cleanliness and cleaning as signs of spiritual devotioon.
If you have never watched the anime series Bleach, that is just the wiggiest outworking of Shintoism in cartoon form that you’ll ever see. And there is an anime called Kamisama Kiss that is alternately very funny and very dark having to do with a homeless high school girl who gets free housing in a local Shinto shrine . . . but only if she agrees to somehow become the deity of that shrine.
(Hulu)
I figure if Hulu is showing such an irreverent anime and isn’t worrying about the response of outraged subscribers . . . we can probably fiddle around with the concept of kami as well and not be too concerned.
Excuse me, but can we not get too much into the religion part? Firstly, I don’t want it to be offensive to anyone who comes across it. And secondly, I just don’t want to go there
We can have the Kami and shamans, but let’s not take things too far there… we’re doing a drama for everyone to enjoy and walking on thin lines isn’t something I like doing.
Please explain what you mean. Within the context of this thread, I have yet to read any explanation of the facts of belief systems where anyone was mean, disrespectful, or willfully inaccurate.
The desire of all on this thread to understand the universal principles that are foundational to living a meaningful life is something that impresses me constantly.
If you would like to “PM” me at any time and point out where I may have fallen into error in explaining any religious system (as far as I am able), it would certainly expand my education and awareness. I am sure others feel the same.
As I have pointed out, Shintoism and its kami figures are considered benevolent, and within Japanese society, the humorous references to them–in television shows, in manga, in statues and architecture indicate that they are not seen as offensive.
I am not sure what you mean by “the religion part.” If there were no Shintoism, there would be no kami. Shintoism is a religion. The two go hand in hand.
You do an excellent job of explaining information about your belief system with charm and grace. Your sensitivity to others’ possible feelings of being offended, being misunderstood, or being ridiculed shows that you have great compassion and intellectual awareness.
But if factual information about systems of thought and belief cannot be discussed here in the name of authenticity and true understanding, then we might as well call it a day and stop and say, “it was fun while it lasted.”
Because, as the song says, “Girls just want to have fun.” Being on the Discussion Board and doing this thread is the most fun I have all week. I don’t know what I’d do if it suddenly went away.
I’m thinking these threads may be useful so, I’ve dragged them here as references, and resources. If she hasn’t already, I know who’ll be making use of thread number two, and if you’ve been following this thread, you do too
All right, I understand it now. Since no one’s offended, let’s continue
Blame it on my duty as a filter/editor for both school and church student-led activities… I’m the one who checks for anything that could offend or hurt people in any way I’ve been in some nasty situations, so I just wanted to check if everyone is comfortable^^
Thanks for explaining where you’re coming from. I was very worried when you chimed in for a second time about religion and being offensive. I thought you might have been coming from the extremes of current (western) progressive ideology and being Maknae was treading on eggshells. An ideology that is incredibly damaging to the coming generation’s mental health/state of mind as they struggle to keep themselves from being destroyed by each other to maintain an unsustainable standard set by a vocal minority.
I for one can’t wait for that generation to finally snap and scream “Enough is enough!” and see what kind of counter culture that will arise against it and the children can finally breathe again.
PD-nim will never let that happen, he was parachuted in to bring traction to a writing topic. Having risen from a ditch and survived a recent office coup, he would quickly conclude the drama in a tidy manor.
He would have picked another drama
as an alternative to the rodent company’s
but that entails moving into C-dramas and taking on the mighty House of Mouse Productions with the very real threat of being arrested and having his organs removed against his will by the chief rodent that comes along with such an endeavour, but thankfully he no longer has to go there as @vivi_1485 still remains onboard.
As I write [somewhere in the Real Universe], it is 12:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time (modern time telling and its frame of reference is so Western and yet I’m in an Eastern time zone . . . and duh, of course it’s daylight . . .).
And because it is SUCH a lovely, lovely early autumn afternoon, I am having iced coffee and, finally, as a mini-celebration, a entire box of Pocky matcha–flavored bikki stix and an entire box of Pepero chocolate and almond bikki stix.
Doing it because I can. And because it’s fun.
(Giphy)
Maknae Vivi obviously has the personality and experience that would enable her to be outstanding in any of what (these days) are called the helping professions. She is a dreamer as well as a doer. She loves and she admonishes. She has a huge imagination and has practical skills that keep imagination from being just a lump of pretty porridge.
As far as anyone can be known through writings alone, Maknae Viki strikes me as being an empath. She doesn’t merely express a general, decent human concern for others’ feelings, she can identify with others so deeply that she doesn’t merely know what they know, she feels what they feel.
I have been that way all my life. It’s a gift, and it’s an annoyance. When I start feeling hinky (great English word) about any issue, it takes me forever to figure out that the feelings I feel are not mine per se, aand they are not being generated as a result of anything I am currently experiencing.
And it always takes me forever (or so it seems) to convince myself of what a wise friend said a few years ago:
"Feelings are a response to reality; they are not reality. Feelings may ‘feel’ like they can kill if they are not somehow banished, suppressed, or avoided all together. However, it is not what I ‘feel’ about feelings that can do me or anyone else harm; it is what I ‘do’ about feelings that can hurt my soul, my body, my relationships, my world.’"
Maknae Viki is the standout, as far as I am concerned, when it comes to basic compassion and decency, though of course her treatment of certain other participants in this thread–about certain Korean actors–might cause the casual observer to think she is just a little too mean at times . . .
(Giphy)
(Giphy)
Innate sensitivity and intelligence of a high caliber don’t make life simple for the possessor(s) of such qualities, but it makes life simpler and more peaceful for everyone else.
I have no idea why I’m receiving such high praise!
Summary
I took the Empath test and I don’t think I’m one. I’m extroverted, like noise and crowds, have been called insensitive because I can stomach lots of stuff others find gross like blood and surgeries, and I’ve been told I have a high pain thresh-hold. I joined these Discussions because I can’t stand loneliness. I like multitasking and I ignore energy vampires.
If you want to know what I am from the 16 Personalities, I fall under the ESFP-T category(Turbulent Entertainers)
Aaaaanyway, enough talk about the maknae screenwriter. I might die from too much praise.
Let’s find out what our MC’s characters turn out to be as we write, so we don’t have to spend time debating on them. For now, they’re just normal people.
Where do we start the story from? Them falling in love? Or should we leave that as a flashback for later and start from them flying to Seoul?
As @entwyfhasbeenfound said it will set the tone for what follows. I would approach the start as the hook, a chance to answer the question ‘what’s this show about and why should I stick around?’
It can be full of action with explosions, car chase, fight scene, battles etc
It can be suspenseful, piquing the viewers enough to want to continue watching to find out what happens next. Perhaps a mystery or a killer on the loose, that will require a longer commitment before the case is solved or the killer caught.
Just a couple of opening types to hook in viewers.
If we start with them falling in love, it would take a long time before we even reach the first occurrence of the supernatural phenomena.
If we start with them flying to Seoul we can then shift the romance in a flashback as you suggested. I’m thinking maybe, couple surprise parents, parents react, Ha-Neul recount her trip to parents, [mulberry farm, how they met, fell in love and married] in a recounting flashback ‘mini series’ then jumping back to the main drama Ha-Neul concluding the recount and the main drama continues.
The flying back to Seoul opening will allow us to immediately introduce phenomena.
I already have an idea but I want to see other people’s ideas for the opening scene before posting my version. (reasonably detailed for that all important first impression)
Sounds like you are favoring a “cold opening” with a brief bit of back story.
(Gimp did this for me . . .)
Since we are doing this for fun, short and sweet (a la an itsy bitsy teeny weeny polka dot Bikini Bottoms meme), packing in major backstory via webtoon visuals (and not via saeguk wordiness) would be advantageous, would it not?
I could see this as a sort of five-episode PSA for human kindness. There is a recent very short K-drama which does something similar, essentially saying that its not good to run over people in your car. (Duh.)
Kami-Sama Kick Ass essentially says its very good to be clean, warm, loved, and safe in a familiar place. (Super-duh.)
(And you know, I’ve been thinking that, since we are so amazing , we could actually share what we create via a Facebook Page. “Gimbap and Bebop, a Viki a page for folks who think Viki is too cool for school.” Something like that. Of course disclaimers would be nice, even though none of our characters originate anywhere within the actual Viki structure.
And light (and possibly refreshing) warnings that, if people claim any of our hard work is theirs and we hear about it, kimchi slaps will be publicly administered. Viki-ites understand this respect for creativity well, but people who aren’t Viki-ites don’t.
I think that sharing what we do for others to see outside our own little Viki world would certainly give us incentive to take ourselves and our creativity seriously.
Fun worth having is fun worth doing well and sharing widely . . . and by gum, we are some of the most astute observers of what makes Viki tick that I know of.
The famous joke in English: “Be astute . . . we need more stutes.”
If she hasn’t already, I know who’ll be making use of thread number two, 
and if you’ve been following this thread, you do too 
I have no idea why I’m receiving such high praise!
Such a fun, and innocent time. 
