@NoOne,

I’ll respond to your comments here.

pm3

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Part I

So this is what I think and am not good at predictions 🙂

I hear you. That’s another reason for my password-protected posts. I’m afraid of steering people wrong ala Jang Gang.

– BY is MD. I do not know how BY survived Jin Mu or that lake but she did. I also don’t know how did her crested blindfold remained that clean after so many years (maybe some magic!) but it did.

Whut? They don’t have Mr. Clean to keep her crested blindfold clean?? Yes, the clean blindfold, Uk getting inside Songrim without his Spirit Plaque, the timeline, I’m sure there’s more.

I’m furiously clicking on my “suspension of disbelief” button.

– If JU has SG’s (the savior) star then this is like Bodhisatva— Buddha coming back to earth in different incarnations then BY could be a carnation of SR too. This could be not because of JG but because Ice stone is mystical. If the blind MD can save Uk from soul exchange randomly because she is the ice stone so why can ice stone not do what it likes?

True. I’ll talk about this more.

– MD will perish or cease to exist or will be sacrificed while Naksu will return as we have a season 2.

I don’t know if the writers will revise Season 2 to accommodate fans after they caused a ruckus. As much as I like Jung SoMin’s acting, I’m ship the script, not the ‘ships. (I own the trademark on this. Lol.)

– the other day I was just imagining Our lady Kim or the boasting student who is to fight UK getting a soul exchanged. But then I think at this point the writers have enough fun and simple loops going that they might not want to go that way.

I heard from @Cleopatra that the preview showed Yul fighting Uk. That makes sense because we want to know Uk’s level now. He was only a Jipsu-level mage when the Crown Prince challenged him to a duel. That time, Jin Mu told the Crown Prince that only he and Yul were at Ryusu level.

But now, it seems Yul has advanced to Chisu. So it’ll be interesting to see how Yul and Uk will duke it out.

After Chisu comes Hwansu, right? And that’s god-level or Masters Seo and Lee’s rank.

– I have been super worried about the end so am really hoping that they continue with their conflicts that can be sorted logically within the rules that they have set. They already have their deux machina or two! Our Master Lee is almost like a god figure who is more interfering that the lady god in Hotel Del Luna but he is the help that our OTP needs. Hong Sisters, please do not cheat me through some shortcuts. I am ready to cry if the story demands. Just follow the story and be true to the characters.

Yes, Master Lee is like the Mago in “Hotel Del Luna” but there’s only one of him and the Mago had clones. Were they sextuplets? I thought the existence of the Magos was dei ex machina. They just popped to push the story along.

– btw it might be me but @Packmule3, I was thinking of a blog of yours in the King and strangely, for me the concept is similar. There the evil uncle was replacing people in one world and killing them in others (of course there was some physics and time travel too but if we keep that aside for now) then effectively Jin Mu is doing the same in AoS while Naksu was his clean up agent. Ohh the treatment makes all the difference and am not sure if Hong Sisters will prepare an epic battle for us but… I thought it was still interesting 🙂

Oh, you’re right! The evil Uncle in “The King: Eternal Monarch” was replacing the real people in Korea with the citizens from the alternate world, the Kingdom of Corea.

The soul-shifters have a blue mark so it’s easier to spot them. Naksu/MuDeok is the exception.

Another random thought:

How awkward would UK feel with a not so short Naksu in her real body, I don’t know 🙂

I somehow tend to agree with @wapz that faces of young actors may not have a lot of facial likeness to the adult versions but at this point I am enjoying too much to care.

I can’t comment on the faces because to tell you the truth, I thought the Naksu actress was Jung SoMin!!! It was only when Jung SoMin showed up on the boat that I realized that there were two different actresses all along.

Duhhhhh.

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Part 2

I agree about water and UK 🙂

His baths are definitely used liberally in the script. I just feel bad for MD and her relation to stones but what is.. is!

Yes. Uk = water
Naksu/MD = stones, which can refer to Naksu’s petrification and MD’s ice stone

When you think about this, water and stone are like yin-and-yang. They’re two contrasting energies that complement each other. Water flows. Stone endures.

When I realized Uk’s and Naksu’s elements, they made sense to me.

I was wondering if end of episode 12 is the Han moment for MD!

Hahaha. No, I don’t see a “Han” moment yet.

Btw the honey biscuits became a plot point just like the jade. Am wondering how will Master Seo’s grand-daughter contribute to the plot.

Yes, I’m glad that the honey biscuits weren’t just a random prop or worse! a product placement like the Songrim version of a Subway sandwich.

And CP looks angry in the preview when he asks MD to become the prize for the bet (that is so epic!)… so I was wondering if Jim Mu will blame JU for killing his favourite eunuch or something. A wild theory I read was that JU would use the had for calling the CP and getting out of Jin MY’s territory.

To be honest, I skip previews because they get me excited/furious/anxious over nothing. There’s enough content to discuss in the episodes themselves that I don’t  want to speculate on the previews.

Que sera sera.

My gripe is why do the two not analyze anything that happens to them post an event? I get that Naksu is weapon-and-power smart and not someone who has had a chance to read a lot of magical spells but Uk should go to the library and add to his knowledge! Reviewing what happened is important for them after a duel so why not after weird events in their life?

That’s one of the complaints about Jeongjingak: the over-reliance on magic. Isn’t there any room for science, math, and technology in a Magic School? Scholarship on these non-magical subjects would have weaned them from their dependence on magic to solve their problems.

Oh well, that’s the Hong sisters’ worldbuilding for you.

On a sidenote: that’s one of the unheralded contributions of the Christian clergy to Western civilization. Those monasteries and abbeys of those monks and religious orders were the foundation of the modern universities in Europe. The religious communities led the advancement in agriculture, astronomy, mathematics, number theory, meteorology, botany, biology, astronomy, engineering, physics, history, logic, etc.

That’s because they believed in God who’s supremely intelligent. And since we are created in God’s image, we are also intelligent. The whole universe can be studied and understood because it’s created by an intelligent Creator for His intelligent creatures.

One good point was: they explained that the magic school run by Mr Park does not force students to do anything. They can spend years on themselves or days… totally up to them. Cool schooling system but I wonder how happy are parents with the results of their children 😀

I’d hate a school like that. Sure, if the students are all gifted and talented, and motivated to succeed, I can see how that theory and praxis work to the advantage of the students.

But if you’re a mediocre student or a slacker, good luck with getting help.

Now will run away until I rewatch parts of the drama. It was a clip to show the episode 12 preview but ended up being cut at the point when Uk falls in the pond.

Oh and I agree: the translation is generally off in places. I can’t claim to know the language but the dialogue between Jin Mu and Mr. park about JU’s astro plate was badly translated. Episode 11 beginning— argument between MD and JU— essence is there but it is not 💯 there. I think MD says something like I am grateful that we share this weakness. Anyway, I totally missed the fact that she actually agrees that he can see her feelings for him (that she missed hin) just like he saw the blue mark in her eyes… of course then she makes him angry and then he assumes that he was the only one who missed her and she loves Seo Yul… so now my question is he is ok with her not liking him — he refers to her only as Master in episode 12 hall scene until she stops him?

No. He wasn’t okay with her not liking him. But he was sulking. So he called her “Master” to make a point that from now on, their relationship is only business-like…or professional Master/Pupil. He was retracting his “I miss you” confession.

and he feels so bad for her when he hears her back story that everything is forgotten?
I am not complaining but am trying to understand how does this push pull work 😀

More later on the push pull thread

I tell you: I’m not into push-pull. Too much drama. Just be upfront about what you like and don’t like, and work it out. Why make life complicated?

Anyway, here’s the gif set by ingukk’s tumblr

source: ingukk’s tumblr

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Part 3

I guess, I love well executed tropes, bad girls and I love a beautiful [love] story.

I like to make a game of spotting the tropes. Kinda like the “I spy” games I used to play with my children.

So, I do like Hong Sisters though they can frustrate me with their endings. My first ever proper viewing of a kdrama was that of “Master’s Sun” and it was a royal mess after 11 (or was it 12) episode. Hotel Del Luna was fun until I lost interest. Let us see how long with MD and Uk keep me hooked.

I’m comfortable with the Hong sisters’ value system and worldview. Most of the time, I get where they’re coming from. I remember in “Hwayugi,” they made social commentaries on the issues of Japanese collaborators, the high-tech peeping toms in South Korea, and suicide.

But I’m not blind to their faults. Their endings suck. It’s as if they purposely avoid writing a happy ending so they mess up a sure slam-dunk. Do they consider happy endings for the plebeians only?

I feel bad for Naksu but I also know that she will not pay the price of her sins. But it would be nice to see Uk and Naksu on the run and fighting in season 2.

With the recent revelation that she was exploited by Jin Mu to assassinate the “pawns” of powerful mages (or the “throwaways” as Park Jin called them), she’ll have diminished responsibility.

Now that I revisited 4 of their one-on-one scenes (episode 11 & 12), I can now understand some of the transition in their interactions.

Episode 11: Naksu and Uk emotionally charged scene over the jade where Uk leaves with the dialogue that maybe MD isn’t worth the jade either.
End of episode 11 is not a one-on-one but it makes it clear that these two haven’t spoken since.
Episode 12 beginning sequence of them meeting in the hall: He holds her at a distance and keeps her at the Master level. He only shows a little caring when she stops him but he is angry/annoyed and more so when she had added that everyone treats her well as she is close to Dangu.

Yes, he didn’t like to hear that she used her relationship with Danggu to get special (?) treatment. But then later in the episode, when they met at the bridge and after he heard her backstory, he told her to use him as an excuse to get off work.

Then, of course, the scene that is so innocently warm and for once MD/Naksu is being a simpleton. The hug on the bridge that is UK’s method of comforting MD. He really did forgive her and (just like me) felt bad for this girl who has not had many happy moments in her life. He actually skirts mentioning anything about their fight and actually says that because she gave the jade to the CP, he learnt about its power. She expects him to hit (verbally) as he shows the jade but it never comes. Oh, I love how he really knows her. He made the jade into a powerful tool and now MD wants it back.

Yes, he knows her through-and-through. Once he told her that the jade had special powers, Naksu wanted it. She thought it could be used as a lethal weapon. She’s got a one-track mind.

But did you notice that he doubled back to pick up the bucket and carried it for her? That was sweet, too.

He was concerned about her overworking, so he carried the bucket for her. He’s come a long way from ordering her to get buckets and buckets of water for his bath.

So, now I see his transition from anger to going back to normal.

But despite everything, a part of me now wants MD to do something equally (and more) nice to Uk as she never did say sorry.

Ditto.