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Move over, Romeo and Juliet!! Your iconic balcony scene is now being challenged by Naksu/MuDeok and Uk.
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Let’s enjoy the show.
38 Comments On “Alchemy of Souls: Eps 11 & 12 Open Thread”
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Kalispera,
After watching Episode 11, I would say that I don’t like Naksu at the moment. And that’s all I want to say…
Let me change the subject though, on the good part, we get to find out that Master Seo also had a King’s Star in his naval chart when he was born and Master Lee knows it and revealed it to Songrim’s Park.
So, we are waiting to see and they are too if Jang Uk will be that stellar like Master Seo who stopped the havoc the Choi family created.
Also, yes the man we have seen before was from the Choi family. All our hypotheses are being correct. The Choi family was the destroyer of peace.
You’re good at predictions, @Cleopatra! Keep them coming.
I’m just scanning through episode. Too lazy to watch right now because I’m watching “Love like the Galaxy” to catch up with @agdr03 and @Kate.
But that bridge scene with Yul? I thought he was such a sweetheart. That was so cool when he walked away.
I giggled at the sight of Master Lee wearing the silk scarf.
Thank you my Queen.
I have heard from a friend that “Love like a Galaxy” is pretty good as well. I have managed to watch Episode 1, but because of the heat wave I am not in the mood to watch anything.
Yes, the episode was good. Check also the two little love birds. It was nice to watch them confirm their feelings for each other!
Yul is nice but I like the interactions with the Crown Prince. He grew on me…
Let us see what it will happen tomorrow. Once thing is certain they want to take the Jin Matriarch with them.
They are performing alchemy of souls in order to preserve some bad mages in new bodies…
And they want her body too. If you understand what I mean…
@Cleopatra, I agree with you about not liking Naksu in this episode. The look on poor UK’s face when he found out that she bet the precious blue jade.😭😭😭
Now we know for sure that Jin Mu and his followers (or rather the Queen and her followers) want immortality and use the ice stone to perform alchemy of souls.
They are not very different than Lord Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters.
The scene with the con artist girl was chilling. She is a wild card and I count on her to turn to the good side. I was surprised to see Lady Jin’s husband at the alchemy of souls demonstration event. Is he really after the power of immortality or just desperate to please his wife?
The Crown Prince is yummy, too. I agree.
Especially when he’s petty. I can wait to see the actor in another drama where he’s the leading man. He looks like he can go far… as long as he doesn’t have skeletons in the closet.
What exactly happened between pregnant Jin Ho Gyeong and Jang Gang?
@SnowFlower,
Naksu deliberately broke Uk’s heart and I am glad he told her off.
Now, she is going to be jealous of Master Heo’s granddaughter and I would be laughing from a corner.
True, they want immortality by killing innocent people. The scene at the secret room was chilling. They have kissed the Devil and they know it.
I believe that Jin’s husband is a soul shifter. I didn’t like that he pretended to smile to his wife. That means something. I also think he know what really happened to “his” daughter.
Also, we get to know that BuYeon actually died in her womb and the Jin Matriarch asked from Jang Kang to bring her back with the ice stone.
That’s why BuYeon is connected to the ice stone and hence my hypothesis that BuYeon / MuDeok will bring back Naksu’s body is valid.
Good that they are answering our questions. It seems they were working a lot on this script!
@Packmule3,
I agree with you. He can act. The Crown Prince as a character is the second one I like after Jang Uk.
I truly believe that those two will be a force to be reckon with, when thte truth will be out. They are cousins after all..
This episode frustrated me initially. If we look at the series as a whole, JU oscillates between periods of hard work and toil along with earnesty and a strong sense of purpose, and downright petulance and laziness along with amotivation. It is a study of contrasts and he is shown to yo-yo between these two polar opposites almost on an episode by episode basis. It almost doesn’t feel real.
Don’t get me wrong – the drama does try to give reasons for why JU is at each end of the spectrum at each timepoint. But the character is almost acting as though nothing before the here and now has ever happened, and there is no accounting of events in the past that might also influence his behaviour other than what the story demands as being the reason for JU to further work hard or to be lazy and petulant. I find it hard to believe a person can yo-yo between such polar opposites in personal states of mind and being on such a regular and short term basis!
On the other hand, after my comment ~6h ago about PDG as yet another Songrim mage who can’t express his feelings, I was most delighted to see this episode prove me wrong…
And PJ… still as slow witted as ever and unable to show his true feelings. Turning the place of your subject of affection into a pseudo florist shop is a bit too much? 😳😅
@Cleopatra and @pm3, the actor who plays the CP was in the drama “At Eighteen” ( or “A Moment at Eighteen”), a surprisingly good high school/coming of age drama.
@SnowFlower,
I answered your question about the connection between Jang Kang and the Jin Matriarch in my previous comment above. I did it before I saw that you asked. Hope that helps!
@SnowFlower,
Thank you for the info. I would look it up!
@pm3 Shin Seung ho, the CP will surely make a good modern day hero. Maybe a tsundere but not so tsundere Male lead in a rom com. He certainly has the chops to be male lead material and carry a show.
@Cleopatra the show has taken an interesting take with Bu yeon. Jang Gang probably bought the dead BY back and in return got the ice stone.
In that case, both BY and JU were born out of sorcery? I honestly can’t figure out what sorcery in the show’s definition means. Doing alchemy of souls through Hwansu is not socery but doing it through the soul ejector that comes from the ice stone is? But then the show also says that the ice stone is not sorcery. Idk if it is a subtitle issue or I haven’t grasped it yet. If the ice stone itself isn’t sorcery then getting the soul ejector through it shouldn’t be either. Or Master Lee is just confusing us (or the HS are).
I feel all those people in the Danju secret room were members of the Choi family in important persons or valuable bodies. For instance, the Jin husband is probably not him. In case he is, he may be after power that he does not have in the Jin matriach.
I feel Jin Mu plans to switch So yi with Jin ho gyeong, once she gains her trust. She has seen a lot already, they may not risk letting her be after she gets JHG. Plus So yi needs both survival and money. I guess she may not return to the good side unless Mu deok regains her memory and remembers her.
I’m waiting to see if they show a childhood connection between Jang Uk and Jin Bu Yeon. It would make sense that 2 children who couldn’t keep up with all of the games of their peers, would bond. I can see them sitting under a shady tree, while Uk tried to cool down and Bu Yeon told him stories about the magical objects her family guarded. Uk is old enough to have known her and been aware of her disappearance. I believe he claimed some interest in the artifacts through his reading , but what if he had another source? I know there was childhood connection in HDL, but is that a typical Hong Sisters’ trope?
Also, I find it interesting that Jang Kang might have started using sorcery to help others.Madame Jin begged him to use the power of the stone to restore life to her baby who had died in the womb. She later claimed to have been deceived by a mage who who stole a magical item. However, JK might have initially been trying to find other ways to use the alchemy of souls to help others. Eventually, he realized that he couldn’t handle the power and he was causing harm. He sealed the stone in the lake, where it stayed hidden until BY found it. He didn’t return it to the Jin vault ,because he knew Madame Jin was capable of using it , if it benefitted her. It interested me because Uk has said that sorcery should be used ,if it could help someone.
Watching Jin Mu in full evil glory today reminded me of a cast interview of DOTS. Funny story from The actor playing Jin Mu – he was the antagonist there too if you recall. He said each week he’d sit down to watch the episodes with his wife as they aired. He said his wife would get so angry at his onscreen actions, she’d be smacking him on the arm and telling him how awful he is and be mad at him in real life. He’s definitely very convincing as an evil snake-y character. 🤣
In this episode, I was most touched by the scene with Uk and Kim Do-Ju, especially when she said how for her he’ll always be her precious Young Master. I got a little teary. She’s really like his mum, so much warmth and love in how she talks to him and how he’s so caring back towards her as well.
That was a highlight for me, and also the Yul scene. Love how he was so perceptive and also so dignified and chivalrous in walking away with an offer to help her anytime she needed.
I’m continuously blown away by LJW’s acting. Uk’s every expression is so well done. Nuanced, realistic acting that feels so natural. I hope he wins many awards for his role here. Any other works of his do you think would be good to watch?
CP is just adorable haha Really likes how he combines tough with vulnerable, funny but shows his loneliness. He summed up the whole bet reason the best- getting to battle and this train against Songrim mages is a huge opportunity for Uk. It’s a privilege even CP didn’t have, and here he had to part with 10 golf roads to give Uk that opportunity. While Naksu’s execution was ruthless, her plan was genius. Uk will once again be all the better for having been pushed to the brink.
I’m hoping the next few episodes pick up the pace a bit now. And I want more UkiDeokie. while I love every single character here, I wish there had been more scenes with Naksu and Uk. Miss their banter. Hoping ep 12 will deliver for me!
Kalimera Everyone!
@wapz,
We were speculating about BuYeon. If you check the previous threads I wrote somewhere that when BuYeon found the ice stone, it “talked” to her.
I think I’ve got something there without knowing it back them.
BuYeon’s soul is / was innocent. She was a baby in a womb that couldn’t make it and the ice stone brought her back.
The thing is that the Jin Matriarch is not that innocent herself. She wanted to save her baby and she did everything she could and in a way she went against her family’s history and ethical code. She couldn’t accept that her first born was not going to make it.
So, we have BuYeon who is a product of her parent’s lovemaking, but also BuYeon is touched by the ice stoned and hence altered forever.
Now, I am starting to believe that BuYeon knows what is going to happen to Daeho with Jin Mu and the Chois. So, she came back to fight them off.
But she cannot alone, due to the fact her body was weak. She needed someone more skilled and she found what she was looking for with Naksu the wicked assassin.
As for the ice stone.
The story we have seen so far says that it came down after the Jin Matriarch prayed in that rain ritual because of the severe drought 200 years ago.
So, the ice stone per se is an answer from the Heavens. An answer to Jin Seol Ran’s praying and believing that she could bring the rain.
Regarding your question about what is good magic and bad magic.
They are using their gates of energy to perform a magic, that means they are using their own power to create a spell.
Master Lee said that the ice stone is not bad, the thing that they – The Chois- used it to create the soul ejector make their actions bad.
So, my understanding is this:
The Choi family was not that strong regarding their gates of energy.
So, they used the Ice Stone to perform Alchemy of Souls in order to gain stronger bodies aka stronger gates of energy and that is why this sorcery is forbidden.
They are not a big thing, but they think they have become a great thing because they are masking their expertise with the expertise of others.
For me, as I have said before, MuDeok / BuYeon will claim her body and will inform Naksu about it.
Now, that is on the open that BuYeon is brought back from the ice stone, we can say that Naksu might really be a reincarnation of Jin Seol Ran, making their combination very powerful. We still don’t know Naksu’s real name and naval chart, but one thing is for certain.
Jang Uk’s having the King Star means that he is like “Heracle’s – I used the greek name, you know the latin form – Hercules’ and his twelve labors.
Jang Uk is not only King material, but Jang Uk is the Archetypical Hero who is going on a Quest (like in the myth Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece) and so far we have seen his labors, haven’t we?
So, yes, characher wise, there are also details from the greek myths regarding how Jang Uk is made.
@Cleopatra I love reading your theories. This is interesting. Thanks for explaining the bad and good magic. Yeah there’s a chance the Choi family wasn’t strong enough and wanted more power. Though I’m not sure how any Alchemy of souls is not wrong. Even performed with Hwansu, it is soul shifting which shouldn’t be right. Regarding the ice stone, it has many properties, such as bringing the dead back so its virtue can be seen which isn’t limited to the soul ejector.
Regarding the King’s star, I’m surprised Seo gyeong had it too. This means having the King’s star is equal to leadership roles. I would say rather than being a King it is like being a general in war. Uk does not necessarily have to inherit the throne. He can like Seo gyeong become a leader remembered for curbing sorcery.
Regarding Naksu and Bu Yeon I feel your prediction holds weight. Bu yeon went there knowingly.
@MrsRJH1 isn’t LJW amazing? He is a very good actor for so little experience. He has only been in one lead role which is Do sol sol la, it has a very long name. Anyways that show isn’t loved by many. He was great in all of his supporting, second lead roles in When the weather is fine, Extraordinary You,Search WWW and also in the ver small role in his debut drama Memories of Alhambra. Here’s a clip from The swoon to see his range.
https://youtu.be/y6yU5YYuZ70
Ooh thank you @wapz Will check that out to help me get through the long week until it’s Saturday again.
@Wapz,
You are welcome. Well, even in theories we need to take into consideration how are things going. And since I have written my stories as well, I am trying to see the logical explanation even though it might be weird.
Jang Uk is not necessarily to take the throne with the King’s star, but he is also the son of the previous King, so he is a valid candidate.
I have said before that I don’t believe that he will take the throne. He will let that to his cousin and antagonist the Crown Prince.
As for Naksu and BuYeon / MuDeok their symbiosis is bringing to the front what BuYeon really needs to become, when they will have to fight against the Baddies.
Naksu is older than Jang Uk and BuYeon. BuYeon is younger than Jang Uk.
So we have a triangle that has some precious meaning. We know about Jang Uk’s star, about BuYeon’s affinity with the Ice Stone. What we really don’t know about is Naksu’s name and naval chart.
I agree with @Packmule3, when she says that there are two stars in her naval chart that not only could represent something as a unit for Naksu herself, but also could represent the fateful meeting she had with Jang Uk and BuYeon.
If someone can help that is Master Lee. He is the one who knows it all. I had a hunch when he started helping them, that he realized they represent something important.
So far the eyes of Songrim’s Park are on Jang Uk, but they haven’t realized that there is also a secret weapon that holds 2 people into 1 body.
I am starting to wonder if both Naksu and BuYeon are representing in total Jin Seol Ran’s soul.
If they have both one part of her, it also can explain why they bonded that much with AoS. Since Jinyowon is full with artifacts that were created with the Ice Stone, this could have actually happenned.
We don’t really know what happened in the past and why Master Seo and the Jin Matriarch didn’t end together…
@Cleopatra
Your theory of half of Jin Seol ran’s reincarnation being in Bu Yeon and half in Naksu makes sense to me. Now I wish HS thought the same because that is a kind of neat way to wrap up things. There are not one person but that’s the closest that can come to allude that they are one. I also feel Uk may be a reincarnation of Seo gyeong.
Today’s episode revealed a few things. The shaman Choi turning to Queen was somewhat predictable, her brother is also in the body of Jin husband. But what surprised me was Eunuch oh saying that should he go meet the Queen sometimes. Does that indicate that the Queen is alive or did he mean the Queen’s grave? It’s unlikley that they will keep someone alive afer soul shifting and them not being petrified.
The ending confuses me though. Idk what the show wants. Maybe all of these incidents are bringing Uk close to fighting people who spread sorcery. But it felt weirdly unnecessary. I know they want to get rid of the King’s star but do they really think it’s going to be that easy? Isn’t that a very rare occurence? So is diminshing sth valuable really that easy? As for Mu deok, I feel it wasn’t her feeding energy off the soul shifter, it was rather Bu yeon curbing it. For one moment she wasn’t herself and as usual was emitting the blue light. When Naksu gained consciousness in the body, she thought she fed off his energy because of what was happening but i doubt that’s the case.
Whoa! I binged watched the previous episodes let week. Now it’s going to be a long week.Uk’s love for Me-deok is truly unconditional.
I’m making a prediction that Yul will step up to fight in Uk’s last battle. He will believe it is his duty to break what he sees as a dangerous bond between Uk and Me-deok. Uk has no chance of beating Yul , unless Yul gets flustered as loses his sense of direction. Me-deok will cause that by blowing the whistle in the midst of the match.
On a lighter note, I wonder if Uk and C.P. have the same breathing pattern, since on some level they are cousins. If they do,could that have triggered the jade stones to react? I’m still confused by the whole family breathing thing. Is the breathing pattern passed through the male line or maternal line. Why would Seo Yul have at the same pattern as Heo?
@Cleopatra
Why did you say the By Yeon is younger than Uk? I assume that her conception began Jang Kang’s experimentation with the Ice Stone, or at at least happened during the year he was away from home working on his “new spell.” Uk’s conception would have been later. Did I miss something about BuYeon?
Have we seen the real queen yet? Are there shaman’s at Jinyowan? How stupid was that eunuch? He tells Queen Shaman she can’t afford to kill him and then lists a bunch of reasons why she really should. Why would she cooperate with her evil sister? ( I guess she could be trying to protect the C.P.)
I wondered why Naksu had been killing mages outside the 4 families. Thank you Park Jin for explaining it.
I’m going to have a week to rewatch. That was pretty intense.
Episode 12 gave us some answers.
We now know for sure that Songrim’s Park while talking to Master Lee has realized that Naksu was a scapegoat to get rid of all those soul shifters whose bodies the baddies have been hijacking. At least her name is cleared in his consciousness. She is not a bad person anymore, but someone who Jin Mu manipulated.
I am glad that Jang Uk listened to their conversation and was there for her, even though she didn’t know. This is another episode that Jang Uk is giving her strenght by being there for her, when she is fighting with herself and when she is insecure.
@wapz as you said above the Queen has changed souls with Shaman Choi. They have kept her body alive and consequently the Queen’s soul, but she is locked somewhere and unable to communicate with the outer world.
If the Crown Prince finds that out, he will furious.
The Shaman’s brother is indeed with the Jin Matriarch, so I don’t think he is a soul shifter, but he changed his identity to marry into Jin’s. The Jin Matriarch would have seen if her husband had a blue mark on his body. It would betrayed him.
Now, we have Jin Mu who has become so greedy that he wanted to give Jang Uk’s body to the Eunuch and to feed him with MuDeok.
@wapz,
My explanation to the last scene is the following:
Jang Uk was locked to that place, while the Eunuch was trying to feed of from MuDeok and he was succeeding. We have seen that in Naksu’s last breath, she called Uk’s name.
What happened when Uk came out is the following:
MuDeok / BuYeon took the living energy from the Eunuch. Yes, she made him petrified. That is also true. But let us see closely what happened.
BuYeon is a product of the “ice stone” herself and propably when her body was truly threatened, she took over from Naksu who has lost consciousness as the primary soul, to defend them both. MuDeok / BuYeon took back their energy the eunuch absorbed from her.
Of course, Naksu would be devastated that she is running wild and she will start doing harm to others. I am glad that Jang Uk went and hugged her anyway, showing that he is not afraid of her and the situation she is in and at the same time, Uk calmed her down.
So, both will think that Naksu is running wild, when that is not the case here.
Also, did you see the divination chart that was around them at that moment. I think we were watching BuYeon’s chart, because it was her hand in the water.
P.S. Master Lee is going to help Naksu take her identity back? Based on the preview, he said something about the Cho’s to Maidservant Kim and then we saw a ritual for the dead and MuDeok was bowing respectfully. Things are escalating.
P.S.2. Stop Yul from being that miserable and jealous. He shouldn’t get involved if Jang Uk wants to find the ice stone for Naksu. I don’t like that. He is moody for so long. Give him a break!
P.S.3. As it seem the Crown Prince would become petty as well. He wants MuDeok for himself. Jealous man Number 3.
I don’t not like it as well… 😋😋😁😂🤣
@Dlia,
What I have realized while watching yesterday’s episode is that the Jin matriarch went to Jang Kang when he had mastered some things and not before that.
She was already pregnant in her 13th month and the baby was born on a special day. That’s what we have heard so far. It is not explained with more information at the moment.
If Jang Kang has mastered alchemy of souls, that means that DoHwa was pregnant as well at the time of her visit. That’s why she went there in the first place. To help her with her baby.
If BuYeon is born first as you say that means she is older by some months.
I just wanted to specify my thoughts regarding the Ice stone.
For me, the Ice Stone was not hidden in Jinyowon and the Jin Matriarch didn’t give it to Jang Kang.
Jang Kang found out where the Ice Stone was and he started to perform the Alchemy of Souls because he was a fool and he committed hubris.
He made several soul shifters like the man in the first episode that went wild and his mother wanted to feed him with the energy of a homeless mother and her child.
He was involved in Naksu’s father soul shifting thingy but it is not clear if he asked him to bring Jang Uk’s naval chart to him. Let’s say he did ask him.
The thing is why did that mage became a soul shifter and where Naksu father’s soul was? With whom did he change souls? That is a questionmark for me.
Jang Kang was asked by the Jin Matriarch to bring her daughter that she had in her womb back in life with the ice stone. So, she knew it was in his possession.
Just because she said she was fooled once, that doesn’t mean that she gave him the ice stone.
Master Lee knows the truth. If you remember Songrim’s Park asked him, wasn’t it destroyed by Master Seo? He didn’t say it was in Jinyowon.
It was hidden somewhere and Jang Kang retrieved it. Like BuYeon did that fateful day, she found it first and then she disappeared.
So, Jang Uk has a long way to undone what his father did, not only to his mother and him, but also to other people in Daeho.
I agree with @Packmule3 and I have said so before, Jang Kang is the most unethical character in AoS.
Thanks for the summary, @Cleopatra.
I’m on vacation. If you need me to repost your theories on the blog so it’s easier to find, just shoot me an email. I’ll put the banner that you made (i.e., credit you…)
As for Jang Kang…haha. He has GOOD motivations to perform AoS each damned time. His “clients” all seemed to want to prolong death.
The King requested AoS so he could have the fulfillment of his King’s Star astrology before he died.
And now, Lady Jin, too.
The mother in Episode 1 agreed to AoS because — I’m assuming — her son passed away and she couldn’t let go of her grief over his death.
Pffft.
His “good” intention is never enough.
Jang Gang is the Capt Firefly in this drama. And like Capt Firefly in “Hotel Del Luna,” he’ll be missing in action, only hovering in the background, instead of cleaning up his own mess.
@Packmule3!
Kalispera! Please enjoy your vacations!
Thank you! If I am to send you an email then I have to find the most important ones and make it presentable.
Jang Gang has made a mess really. I totally agree with you.
He was thinking high of himself and in my opinion he lost himself in the process. That’s why he committed hubris. He was not grateful for what he had, he wanted more.
To perform AoS the way he did and wanted, was also his Fall not from grace, he had lost that place already. He lost his wife first, his friend (Naksu’s father) and from this guilt he tried to “protect” his son Uk.
Little did he know, the mess he created is prolonged by his evil pupil Jin Mu and the Choi Family like 200 years ago.
Jang Uk won’t go to the Dark side, as some is speculating since I have seen comparisons with Anakin Skywalker on MDL.
Jang Uk is not his father’s son in that part.
Jang Uk’s only wish is to protect those he loves, MuDeok and the mother who raised him aka Miss Kim. He wants to take his father’s place that’s for sure, but that is not his priority at the moment.
He wants to save Naksu from running wild – that is what they have interpreted what really happened. That’s why in tonight’s episode, Uk told to Yul (foreshadow) that he will follow his heart. His heart belongs to Naksu anyway, but we get the point.
In contrary with his father(s)*, Jang Uk is the archetypical Hero and the Noble one. And he has to clean up his father’s mess, in order to finish his Labor and Quest.
@Cleopatra
Thank you for your response. I understand where your thoughts are coming from. I still think that my theory (it’s only a theory after all) could be valid at this point, based on what information we have. Master Seo could have hid the stone in Jinyowan. Jinyowan
was founded around that time by the woman he loved. He might have trusted her and / or her line to safeguard it. (Wherever he hid it, it stayed hidden for about 200 years. Jang Kang’s hiding place barely lasted 10 years.)If Madame Jin knew where the stone was hidden, she might have asked the most powerful mage in the area to study the stone and learn how to harness its power to save her pregnancy. It might have taken him a few months to figure how to do it. That could explain the 13 month pregnancy. Madame Jin’s complicity also makes her guilty of practicing sorcery. That might explain why she was willing to let her daughter twice become engaged to Uk ,despite his reputation. She couldn’t afford to throw shade on the Jang family. I also think that Shaman Choi was associated with Jinyowan and figured out what had gone on. thus the conspiracy with Jin Mu was born. Two of the houses of Daeho were involved in sorcery, resulting in the births of two pivotal characters.
I am in no way exonerating what Jang Kang did, including bringing BuYeon back to life. He had no right to play God. I am trying to trace back how a well respected mage, loved by 2 admirable women, went bad. I think it’s possible that restoring BuYeon’s life went to his head. He thought that he did a good thing and he thought he could do more. He lost control and set in place the coming disaster. Just playing devil’s advocate, he might have put a dying boy’s soul in a serial murderer’s body, thinking he’d rid the world of an evil person and given the boy a few more months with his mother.It didn’t work out that way.Again he was playing God.
I’m just throwing my idea out here.
I do think that the Hong Sisters are going to bring him back to Daeho at some point either in this season or next, and give JK a redemption story.
The scene in the Constellation Chart Room in Cheobungwan reminded me of the scene in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5). In HP, a group of Hogwarts students snuck into the Ministry of Magic in order to retrieve a prophecy concerning HP and Voldemort. V’s followers were after the same prophecy and showed up as well.
In AoS, we have star charts instead of prophecies. I wonder if the star chart which appeared when Naksu/Mudeok dipped her finger in the water is for Bu Yeon or Naksu herself. In HP, prophecies could only be retrieved by the one about whom they were made.
@Cleopatra, I also think that Bu Yeon energy prevented Eunuch Kim from feeding on Mudeok. Mudeok believed that she had fed on the eunuch’s energy, but she could not remember anything. There was a similar scene of Mudeok not remembering. It was in one of the early episodes when MD and JU first met Master Lee.
We know for sure now that the Queen is Shaman Choi soul-shifted in Queen Seo’s body. My guess is that shamans are not as powerful as mages, so I agree with @Cleopatra’s theory that shamans/less powerful mages would desire the Ice Stone and use its soul-shifting properties to gain more power.
Agree, @Snowflower, that it was MuDeok/Buyeon/ice stone carrier/whatever who was feeding on the Eunuch’s energy. It wasn’t Naksu’s soul and she should be fine.
Naksu lost consciousness when the Eunuch gripped her head. I think the spirit/blue energy inside MuDeok’s body emerged. It’s the same energy/spirit that emerged from her body when:
a. Naksu decided to commit suicide by jumping off the cliff. Uk met her on the rocks and she pointed her sword at him, but she was in a trance then.
b. Master Lee was about to kill her sleeping body in the hut.
c. she came out of the hut and Uk rushed to protect her. Naksu/MuDeok was in a trance then, too. The blue energy/spirit/force was protecting Uk and Naksu’s soul/MuDeok’s sleeping body.
d. Naksu and Uk were laid hands on the Mirror of Longing.
e. Uk was about to be switched souls with GilJu. Naksu embraced Uk with her body to protect him. But MuDeok/Buyeon/soul/ice stone/energy/force/whatever it was did the rest.
So the blue thing/energy/spirit/Buyeon/MuDeok/whatever rescued Naksu from the Eunuch by siphoning the energy of the Eunuch.
Master Lee is confident that this spirit/soul/energy in MuDeok’s body will protect both Uk and Naksu.
As for the Harry Potter connection, thanks, @Snowflower. The Hong sisters would have known about the book, but not all the series. They’re known to get inspiration from Western movies anyway.
“Couple or Trouble” from “Overboard”
“Big” from “Big”
“Warm and Cozy” from “The Great Gatsby”
Can’t tell if the star chart belongs to Buyeon or Naksu. All I know is Naksu’s constellation map shows a double star. (I posted the screenshot).
Kalimera,
This is the latest video Ella updated for AoS. This girl has talent that is for sure…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVaHa5LE66k
Enjoy!
P.S. I will answer later on on the thread!
I still have to catch up but three quick thoughts:
(1) what is the rule when it comes to soul shifter trying to get human energy from another soul shifter?
I think what we see at the end of episode 12 is some form of chisu (or the level that is required to climb the tree or the level that Yul has). I just don’t know what activates the magic power mode in MD (post effect is need to protect eyes/ not being able to see)
(2) why does this drama not get people to read to understand more about magic objects or powers?? It might help JU and MD as they are not even analyzing how MD got into the cave or the mirror (episode 7, I think) or now this!
(3) me thinks, sorcery according to the drama is anything against “nature” (resurrecting the dead or soul shifting as this is against the principle of most religions- no? Yet, it is the basic of most eastern religions — energy never dies but changes shape. Soul moves bodies but doesn’t die though god/some supernatural power decides which body while through alchemy of souls one is questioning all the tenets — humans don’t die, they shift bodies according to their choice) while magic is anything that is done by the rule book or nature.
I was swooning and squealing all through episode 12. Should I just start watching all Sunday episodes as odd numbered ones somehow don’t feel complete. I have no idea how Uk could care about MD’s wet shoes given that he has been hurt but that out of the blue hug was so “warm”. The boy has a big heart as he felt bad for his beloved and became a bigger person by ignoring how his confession had been treating cold-heartedly and just offering warmth at a human level.
And I just searched, dictionary says sorcery is black magic 🙂
I was actually surprised by the ending in Ep 12 – a more usual cliffhanger would be to leave it at whether Uk and Mudeok could escape the soul-shifter eunuch. But this ending leads to further questions and implications –
(1) did Naksu-Mudeok’s energy “run wild” and Naksu has started on the evil path of absorbing energy from the living,
(2) did Buyeon/ice-stone get activated when the eunuch started sucking her life force, and reversed the energy sucking process, but with Naksu being unaware of it (my hypothesis), or
(3) other?
If it’s (1), what can they do next to prevent it from happening again? If they can’t prevent it, what will they do? We know Uk and Yul will likely choose different paths. What about Naksu? Will anyone choose the way of the noble idiot?
If it’s (2), what can they do to activate the latent powers? Is it considered sorcery or magic? Are there side-effects?
Further to that, I have more questions: how does Naksu/Buyeon coexist in the body? Can they be separated without harm? Like what @packmule3 mentioned, we’ve seen Buyeon/Ice-stone(?) get activated several times previously when Naksu-Mudeok or Uk was in grave danger. Is it similar to the Queen and Shaman Choi?
(While watching on Netflix, I thought the eunuch meant that Shaman Choi and the Queen is sharing the same body when he said something about “I’d like to meet the Queen sometime”. I think the queen’s consciousness is being suppressed somewhere in the same body rather than being soul-shifted somewhere else. I also think Shaman Choi and Jin Muk are related – cousins? (half-) siblings?)
These two episodes have powerful revelations, truths and some answers such as:
– When Jang Uk was able to read that secret love letter in that book by Master Sep, his feelings for Mudeok/Naksu were more vivid and he became like a poet himself
– Jang Uk’s and BuYeon’s birth were manipulated by sorcery. Jang Uk was concerived by alchemy of souls and BuYeon’s life inside Jin Ho-Gyeong’s womb was brought back to life through the power of the ice stone.
– The Queen’s body is not the real Queen, she can make the ice stone (?) but is has no power to petrify.
-Jang Uk read the book of Master Seo by saying the name of the then leader Jin Seol Ran. At the critical moment when Jang Uk was inside the barrier of Jin Mu and Mudeok/Nakdu was attack by the eunuch, as their thoughts were connected, Mudeok/Naksu say Jang Uk’s name before she lost consciousness, Jang Uk was able to come out of the barrier.
aNNyeong 🌼
haha @PM3, move over Romeo + Juliet – balcony scene challenged by bridge scene of UkieDeokie (per @MrsRJH1 – this is so cute. love the “couple nickname” that sounds like Okiedokie hahaha).
i enjoyed reading everyone here. good stuff 🌟⭐✨ Thank you for sharing your thoughts and predictions.
@Wapz, i’ve seen all the LJW works you’ve mentioned here. cool stuff. i’m surprised to hear that he was in all these shows (where he played *small parts). thanks for the link. it helped me remember the small roles he played in these shows. small roles but done well 💗😎
@Cleo i don’t like that both Yul and CP are after Mudeok either. that scene where CP and Uk ended up on the bridge with the Jade stone full of their energies, hilarious! i was hoping they would see they have a connection, that they’re cousins. instead, they think they are turned on by each other haha. it’s like EWWW haha. and Yul got to make his confession to Naksu on the bridge. all these bridge scenes. like the movie – bridges of madison county? haha
who was born the same day? naksu and uk? coz @PM3 says that Naksu’s constellation has a double star? i am confused.
@Eureka, good point that Uk was born through AoS and Buyeon was born with the help of the ice stone. both through sorcery. their connection?
so we see a Jealous Uk in episode 11. poor Ukie. when Mudeok tried to wake up depressed Uk the next morning with her happy face – adorable. is that aegyo? i think Uk liked it, *i liked it -but acted like he didn’t appreciate it. yes, love the warm hug Uk gave her after he heard that naksu was used by Jin mu 💗 poor mudeok also when she tried to stop Uk from going to his room to change coz the Lady Heo was there waiting for him. did Uk realized that Mudeok was jealous also? or did he just realize that Lady Heo was there? Lady Heo seems to be the lady in waiting here. it seems she doesn’t mind waiting for hours to the point of boredom for Uk. except this time, she left. did she realize that mudeok went looking for him? i’m glad that Uk didn’t give up fighting even though he kept losing. i wonder if once he retrieve the blue jade, will Buyeon’s energy light it up? since Mudeok does not have energy per CP and Uk.
can’t wait for Saturday to come 😁
Real world has kept me busy, so I’m behind reading the flurry of AoS posts and comments.
I found these two episodes of AoS engaging, but there was a lot of spoken exposition. The Hong sisters have been doing so much “show, don’t tell” that we’ve been unable to sort out what we’re seeing. These two episodes gave us clarity, almost as if the Hong sisters perceived viewers demanding, “…you’ve got some splainin’ to do!” (For those not old like me, that’s a catchphrase associated with the “I Love Lucy” TV show.)
About the final scene: I find it interesting that only MuDeok’s fingers in the water (looks like a baptismal font, doesn’t it?) activated the projection of the stars. When we’ve seen it done before, a mage floated a record plate in the water. The water + plate releases the information magically recorded in the plate. The water + MuDeok’s fingers magically releases the pattern of the stars from a specific date. We have yet to learn what date, and its significance. Bu Yeon’s date of birth? We have learned that Jang Kang foretold something special about Bu Yeon’s birth, and she was born–four months beyond a normal pregnancy’s duration–on the date he’d predicted. (I agree she had died in utero, and Mage Jin persuaded Jang Kang to use the power of the ice stone to revive her baby; however, there are instances in real life when pregnancies stretch months beyond normal because the fetus’s development is delayed. https://www.mamamia.com.au/longest-human-pregnancy/)
It seems at the moment the episode ended, neither Uk nor MuDeok were aware of the star projection swirling around them: they were too focused on each other, comforting and being comforted. And as others above pointed out, MuDeok is not aware of exactly what happened between the eunuch and herself, just assuming she ran wild and fed on his energy. We saw the eunuch was so low on energy that he was moments from becoming petrified, so there wasn’t much there–besides the energy he drew from her–for MuDeok to take from him.
I’m glad to finally understand why some soul shifters become petrified quicker than others: if they shed blood and/or expend a lot of energy (both magical and physical?), they’ll turn to stone rapidly. I assume those with lower magical energy succumb sooner. We’ve seen several instances of petrification happening, or starting, when someone is impaled with a sword.
Naksu’s father does not follow the pattern we’ve been shown for soul shifters running wild. He was killing his household in a frenzy, without stopping to draw energy and rehumanize himself. His becoming a soul shifter, and his behavior during his final moments, are mysteries that have yet to be revealed.
On a lighter note, I was amused with the effect the activated jade eggs had on the Crown Prince and Uk. Bromance, indeed! I wonder if some of their magically heightened connection will remain after (just predicting here) Uk gives the blue egg back to MuDeok. I’m all for anything that draws CP closer to Uk and MuDeok and away from Jin Mu and the soul-shifted Sorceress Queen.