The thread is now open.
Gifs from seawherethesunsets’ tumblr
Yes, there’s a new password. My apologies for not giving you all a heads-up.
I’ve shared the password with only a handful of people I’m using as a sounding board. For now, I’m isolating myself and my posts. I’m practicing the Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) because I get cranky with too much information, extraneous data, or repetitive details. I need this personal space for self-care to avoid burnout from work stress.
Kindly do not ask for the password. I’ll give it out or unlock the threads in due course.
Enjoy the show.
It’s alright @ packmuke3. I only asked before and stopped asking because I knew you would open them in due time. Also because I am mostly a reader and not active when it comes to discussions.
Was already happy to get your password once. No problem with me. Long time lurker here.
Thanks for understanding. 🙂
Thank you for this post, @packmule3. I look forward to this weekend’s episodes.
Kalo mesimeri everyone!
Thank you @Packmule3 for the thread! Hopefully I will post later on…
Enjoy the episodes!
Thanks @packmule3, I applaud and take inspiration from your JOMO approach – it’s so vital.
Looking forward to this week’s episodes but already so worried about how freaking hard (for me at least) the 2-week wait will be. Have any of you seen whether Netflix USA will carry those 2 special episodes next week?
Woops sorry I didn’t see this earlier. Pm3, please take care and take as much time as you need. This place isn’t meant to be stressful, but your good place away from work.
I’ll continue reading in the mean time 🙂 and using my brains haha.
@packmule3, I don’t want the password. Just sending you this message. You need to do self care. You don’t need to burn out. Take time for yourself and even take a vacation from this Blog. You have a great group if contributors who can keep the discussions going if that is what you decide. In the words of K Dramas, don’t make this a burden.i imagine this started out to be a pleasure but it now seems otherwise.
At some time in the future, you’ll return to equilibrium. Right now please give yourself a break. Enjoy your garden, your family, eat well, get some good sleep. You deserve it. And if you choose to engage at any time, only do it for fun.
Think of this as going on a Sabbatical. If you can compartmentalize, do it. Now, however, work is bringing you stress, so let yourself destress in the other parts of your life. I am pulling for you and don’t want to stress you further.
@pm3, please take care!!!❤️
I’m a reader/lurker for this drama. I found this drama can generate a lot of theories. They can be a plot twist or aplot hole 🕳️. Too hard too tell so not sure how much/how to invest.
Totally understand your decision!!! We are very blessed to have this space. Your analysis is always a treat to read so whenever is good. Thank you so much and take good care!!! Will send you some Uber…no..virtual cookies 💐🍪🍪🍪
I’ve just watched episode 15. It has a big reveal. Here are my first impressions:
SPOILER ALERT:
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We see a younger Seo Yeom cremating his master’s dead body. Unbeknownst to him, the master had been practicing soul-shifting to verify if he had reached Kwansu. He was forced to go into the body of a recently dead child to survive. Master Lee Cheol went from being an exasperated old man to being an exasperated young boy. This is the secret of Master Lee’s relative youth. The curious thing I took away from this is that Seo Yeom knew all along that Master Lee was a soul-shifter despite his tut-tutting about sorcery.
We switch over to So-i’s story and see that Jin Mu’s new henchman is killing everyone who could recognise So-i. So WHY does she walk around with him in public with her face uncovered and dressed all in black? WHY does the henchman go with her into a gambling inn wearing a satgat, the Daeho equivalent of a face-obscuring baseball cap, and no one thinks either of them are unusual?
Those two do not get along. They bicker. She talks down to him. He calls her a fake. She says she will become a mage. “One who is far more prestigious than the likes of you.” … “I will continue to talk down to you while you speak to me with respect. That is how things will be.” One hapless man makes a break for it. So-i says, “Go after him. That is your job.” She is on a power trip. He isn’t much better. Two unpleasant people, one of whom will certainly end up dead at the hands of the other. Or maybe they will fall in love? Lol.
At the palace meeting between the royal family and the group of Songrim mages – Lee, Danggu, Yul and Uk – Lee gifts Sapsali to the king to identify soul shifters. Lee barking at the Queen, to demonstrate, was something I needed to see. Everyone refers to Gwigu as “A wily beast.” The translation seems off somehow. A fox is a wily beast. A coyote is a wily beast. Some people are wily beasts. I wonder what the Korean words were?
Somehow I thought that Uk knew that Fluffy/Sapsali was the Gwigu, but I guess Sapsali was under orders to behave from Lee. Yes, @packmule3 and others, why wasn’t Lee required to return Sapsali/Gwigu to Jinyowon? He’s a dog-napper.
Finally, the Queen’s celadon tea pot and cup set. 🤩 Darn this set designer.
When So-i is introduced to Jin Woo tak, He tells her “I am not the father of Jin Bu Yeon. The biological father of Jin Bu Yeon is someone else.” (I had wondered about a parallel birth secret with Uk, since the mother prefers Bu Yeon over Cho Yeon.) At first I thought he said this because he could be a soul-shifter but it seems the Jin daughters really have two different fathers. He said that the worm contained “…the blood of Cho-Yeon, my beloved daughter.” I wonder why he decided to tell So-i this when he could have just kept quiet? Is it something that Bu Yeon would have known? Won’t it put Cho-Yeon in danger from So-i? If Cho-Yeon is his daughter, why is he allied with Jin Mu and invested in taking the leadership place from her by trickery?
Kalispera,
The episode was great because several things happened at the same time.
We saw Master Lee’s story and what happened in the past with his body. @Fern already wrote about it and I am not going to repeat myself.
I am glad that in the Royal Court we saw that the Crown Prince was the logic one. The King is a weak man, the Queen was so afraid that they will find out the truth and the Crown Prince did the right thing.
I am also glad that Master Lee talked to them about the King’s Star and what means exactly. The person who has it is not to become a King, but the Hero who will save them all.
I am glad that Uk was not in the room when that was said. Because his absense was too important to miss.
As for So-I and the killings I might comment tomorrow. @Fern has written her thoughts and I don’t want to repeat myself.
I want to talk about the Jin Matriarch that actually saw Jin BuYeon in front of her and she didn’t even acknowledge her.
She is a fool and the way she treats others is awful.
As I have said before, they wook Cho Yeon’s DNA in order to install it into So-I. The thing is that they made it even worst, by making the worm poisonous if not treated with magic.
So, So-I became Jin Mu’s puppet and pays that price with her life. He doesn’t care so, if she dies it won’t matter.
Let’s go to the most important part!
The Love to Death confession…Park Jin you were left speechless right? So, Cho Yeong’s slip of tongue was rather beautiful and I am glad that Jang Uk told her to continue love him to death…
I loved that part…!
That’s all for now! More tomorrow!
Correction: repeat the same things.
@Cleopatra, you probably have some different ideas from me. If so, please let me know. I’m glad you mentioned the King’s star and its meaning. I wonder about the other 7 stars that haven’t come out yet.
Gosh, yes, there is some dreadful parenting in this drama. In addition to Jang Kang, both of the Jin parents (assuming that Mr. Jin isn’t soul-shifted) and Park Jin using a crime that he knows Mu Deok didn’t commit to get confessions from her and from Uk by threatening imprisonment and death. Nasty!
@Cleopatra, it occurs to me that So-i will not only have to obey Jin Mu but also have to protect him regardless of how she feels about him if he is the only person whose sorcery can keep the worm from eating her from the inside. He can kill her by withdrawing the sorcery or if he dies, she will die as well. I still don’t like her but that is a horrific fate. I noticed that he didn’t move his lips when the explanation was going on, but the understanding seemed to reach So-i.
@Cleopatra and @Fern, I was also wondering about Bu Yeon’s biological father. Was that the real Mr. Jin (forgot his name) before he got soul-shifted, or is it someone else? Lady Jin did mention something about a Songrim mage betraying her.
So-i is beginning to realize that she is in big trouble. She is an unscrupulous swindler, but not in the same league as Jin Mu, the Queen, and the whole secret soul-shifting society. I liked that she spared Yul’s life by not revealing to the henchman that Yul had seen her face before. Will she redeem herself?
This show really makes me frustrated with my inability to download only at certain times so it makes rewatching very difficult. After a quick viewing these are my thoughts:
@fern if I’m not mistaken, soul shifting through hwansu is not considered “sorcery” only when the rock is used like what Naksu and jin Mu use is it considered dark magic.
I’m pleased with how they handled master Lee. I think he actually is aging since obviously he’s grown from the boy. I remember in Vincenzo, the role he played had the same shtick of him looking younger than he is because there was a scene with a hoobae and they had to go through the whole elder/banmal discussion. So I don’t think he will look the same 20 years from now. I had originally assumed that he had the same face when he was teaching seo yeom as a young mage. A forever young man with a short root just feels ick.
I think sol-I does have a slight soft spot for Mudeok BUT I think had Buyeon surfaced in Mudeoks body and allowed some sense of recognition to show, she wouldn’t have hesitated to let her die. Luckily Naksu didn’t recognize her. I feel like Soli’s downfall will be her crush on Yul. First, he remembers her face and second, I think her trade for the umbrella and allowing the boy to see she’s not truly blind might come back to bite her. That worm scene was not pleasant and I’ve been impressed with this actress. Somehow I still manage to pity her and I’m not sure I would if there were someone else in that role.
The palace meeting
The queen really showed her hand and there was no need for a dog to bark. I assume her shifter reveal must be coming very soon because how can you come back from that. Even her son was like “wtf”. Of course the king only looked horrified once there was mention of the kings star. One thing I caught that Jin Mu said that sounded off was “the kings star being made by sorcery”. It’s not that there was sorcery done in chenbong or wherever that basin is, the sorcery was only done for the king to find a body that could perform. The appearance of the constellation was because Uk was born and he has the great power. I know I bungled that all up I just feel like there’s some differentiation to be made there.
I’m pleased the crown prince heard the part where the kings star indicated that they should take heart and feel relieved to know that as something as evil as the soul shifting that’s taking place is happening, there’s also a great power that can prevail and keep the balance. Hopefully he will see it that way because his father clearly only saw it as a threat to his place on the throne.
As far as Buyeon’s mother, I’m so over her. She’s a shitty parent to her younger daughter and Mudeok/Naksu/buyeon appeared before her on a silver platter and she still couldn’t “see” her. I feel like she should’ve at least recalled the time when “mudeok” was able to open the artifact wall.
Naksu and Jang Uk
I like that they’re always on the same page and can think what the other will do in situations. I’m wondering about the specific translation for the “love you to death” line. I will try and do some research on it. I do like the He Yeom girl and I think Jang Uk’s EQ level is high enough that he should start to notice her crush on him. I hope he’s clear and upfront with her so she doesn’t end up getting heartbroken. It doesn’t seem like his character would be blind to her feelings. Yul, yes but not Uk.
I think that’s all for this episode
The confession was my favourite part and a bit unexpected 😀
Uk seemed all business-like until she said the magic words.
Interestingly, Naksu wasn’t physically present but still there in many scenes. Naksu became UK in some of the narrations.
And I think the voice overs when MD (The actress Jung So Min) thinks are not her voice. I think they are of the heroine who plays Naksu! Transition has started 🙂
Uk only acts when it is about his Master. It is as though his reason for doing anything is keeping his Master safe or there.
Master Lee prophetically said : 7 stars and I was wondering who. Seja Joha, Naksu, Yul, Dangu, Young sister of the Jin household, Su-I (???), MD (???? But with so many references to death, I would have thought that she will be sacrificed)
Anyway, next week will be tough but I look forward to Sunday’s episode. I just wonder why in the world does UK said that if you use the sword first point it at me!!
(@Packmule3 — hope you can just break free and be 🙂 have lots of water, smell the roses and just be! Sending you good wishes. )
Thank you for all your comments. I am new to this board and found it by accident. I am SO loving AoS! Meoduk and Uk are an intriguing couple, and I am rooting for them so hard! I also hope Maidservant Kim and Master Lee finally become a couple.
Thank you whoever created this board. It is great reading!!! And yes, PackMule3, please get rest, take care and best wishes to you!
Kalimera Everyone,
I will write first my thoughts and then I will answer to you all.
Regarding Master Lee.
As you have seen for someone to reach Hwansu means that he is in deep meditating state. In a way they used what it is known when you are in a deep meditating state for enlightment for the yogis.
And from what I have read something similar Lord Buddha did.
Master Lee was in a deep meditating state and he was off his body. In that moment his pupil Heo thought he died. That was not the case, his cardiac pulse was light but it was there and he missed it.
So, he had to find another body and PAY ATTENTION here.
Master Lee didn’t performed Alchemy of Souls. He went into the boy’s body / avatar who had died moments ago and resurrected his body. The boy’s soul had already left the body. And that is the difference of reaching AoS via Hwansu.
It is the ultimate level that concludes and other virtues / Arete (I am talking about what Aristotle wrote about Αρετή) when you have managed every level from Jipsu until Chisu and not sorcery.
That means Master Lee managed to master Hwansu because he managed Aristotle’s Practical Wisdom / Phronesis / Mindfulness (την Αριστοτελική φρόνηση ). Hence, Master Lee is an ethical human being.
Regarding Jang Uk and the King’s Star.
Jang Uk has already manifested a part of his power and from I have read above, let me remind you that he already gathers those 7 Stars with him.
Jin BuYeon and Cho Yeon are his companion stars. As @Packmule3 pointed above Cho Yeon’s naval chart had two stars and we don’t know Jin BuYeon’s special birthday what stars has in it.
Connect here the scene we all saw in Cheonbugwan after BuYeon took back their energy from the Eunuch. Her hand fell into the water basin and we saw the milky way and some STARS in it. Magical connection, isn’t it?
So, Master Lee talked about the Seven (7) Stars.
For me, the most logical explnation is that the seven stars are other people. To connect this thought with what I have written on My Theories thread:
The seven stars are his companions in the Quest and we all know some of them…
1. Cho Yeong / Naksu
2. Jin BuYeon / MuDeok
Thοse two are holding the most of the Stars in their union.
3. Seo Yul
4. Go Won / The Crown Prince
5. Park Dang Gu
I think that Jin Cho Yeon and Heo Yoon Ok are in the mix as well, but I cannot say more about their interference. Heon Yoon Ok is the Healer of the Group.
So, here are the King’s Star and his 7 Stars.
P.S. I told you that the Crown Prince would be with the good guys…*winks*
Kalimera my dear @Fern,
Yes, parenting is dreadful in this show. Biological parents are worse vs the people who became parents for someone, like Kim Do Joo and Park Jin did for Jang Uk.
I didn’t write anything more about So-I because for me, she thought she could have a way out unscathed. As you said, those bad guys are in a whole another level.
No, that was a voice over. Jin Mu didn’t tell it out loud but. So-I realized by the pain she felt that this worm was not that simple…The point was taken. If she wanted to live then she had to follow the Jin Mu’s orders.
@SnowFlower,
In order to answer that we need to know how many years older BuYeon is from Cho Yeon. If she was born after BuYeon then there is a chance that her father is the soul shifter. It is the logical explanation after they got the Ice Stone to start perform AoS and changing bodies.
The thing is that Master Lee talked about the BLUE mark. Does that mean it doesn’t fade with time? This information is not explained fully to us.
She might redeem herself for Yul and not MuDeok. Especially when she realizes that she is the true Jin BuYeon after she goes to the Jin’s household and see the blindhold.
Master Lee was able to confirm who is in possession of the ice stone from their visit at the Palace. Jang Uk got a hunch too.
Yul is a great mage but he didn’t have a suspicion or the capacity to know that Jang Uk already knows about Naksu inside Mudeok’s body. He is concerned that Uk will be disappointed so he wanted to leave as soon as possible ad bring Mudeok with him after his training at Songrim. It’s the same way that Jang Uk didn’t notice or why he didn’t think that Master Lee could discover their secret? Yul and Uk has still a lot to learn.
Park Jin’s strategy to supposedly unleashed any secret from Jang Uk and Mudeok is kind of wise but our lovers/ leads are wiser. Both of them have their chemistry of their own mind to come up with the same answer.
I lost everything I wrote for @NoOne and @Birdie007.
Here we go again.
@Noone, I am glad you thought that the seven stars are people.
@Birdie007,
I don’t think that So-I had a soft spot for MuDeok, she most likely has a soft spot for Yul. I am curious to see what it will happen when Yul will see her as the fake BuYeon. What will he do then?
To Everyone,
This is the point when we will see that Jin BuYeon will start to take over MuDeok’s avatar. Embrace yourself because Cho Yeong will go back to her own body shortly. Most likely they will end it with a cliffhanger.
It’s great to wake up to these comments. @Snow Flower, of course the new question is ‘Who’s the father?’ for Bu Yeon. I wonder if it’s someone we already know is a great mage, i.e, Jang Kang before marrying someone else for example? But then why would the Jin matriarch agree to Uk marrying her younger daughter? Revenge?
@birdie007, thanks for the reminder that Kwansu soul-shifting isn’t sorcery. 🤦♀️
Lee Cheol’s young looks are accidental due to Heo Yeom’s haste with cremating; he is aging naturally in his new body because it was done with Kwansu. My thoughts have gone on a tangent with that: Heo Yeom has kept it a secret for perhaps 30 years. It is also embarrassing for him that he made the mistake.
The King’s reaction to the revelation of soul-shifting is worrying. I don’t see him as evil but vain. He seems to have little brain except for himself and his succession. It was good that Lee tried to tell him that having a King’s star didn’t necessarily mean that the person would wish to ascend to the throne but rather be a hero whose power is equivalent to the power of the evil to keep the world in balance. I’m not sure the King has absorbed that message. Finally, once the hero has vanquished the evil, is the hero gone as well to maintain balance?
I understand your explanation of why the stars aren’t the product of sorcery even if the birth was. It is similar for Bu Yeon, who was born alive, although I don’t know why Mrs Jin Ho Kyung referred to the date of Bu Yeon’s birth as being chosen by Jang Kang.
I like your phrase that Mu Deok appeared before Jin Ho Kyung on a silver platter. Jin Matriarch didn’t know that Mu Deok opened the wall because Cho Yeon lied and said that she did it. CY didn’t wish to be revealed to her mother and friends as the person who maliciously shut it behind her and caused the chaos that day. But the matriarch could start pondering these events surrounding Mu Deok, right? She has the clues. Naksu also has these clues and others now. I wonder what she will do with them?
@NoOne, I completely missed the voice over clues. Well spotted! When did it start? I guess I was too busy reading the subtitles. The only one I caught was when Jin Mu ‘spoke’ about the deadly worm.
Uk also startled me with his request about Naksu’s sword pointing first at him.
@Cleopatra, I will go to your Theories thread. I am relieved that you think the CP will stay on the side of Uk and the others.
@Fern,
From the first episode, every voiceover Cho Yeong is having, is in Naksu’s real voice.
Gosh, let me join @packmule in berating the choice of names in this drama. I’m getting confused with Cho Yeon vs Cho Yeong in the comments. Wikipedia has Cho Yeong spelt as Jo Yeong which is another variation. There is also the mage Kang who is being kept alive. Perhaps these variations are easier for the Korean audience.
I also think that So-i has her sights set on Yul. How dreadful it will be when she finds out that he knows her as So-i? If he refuses her, will she find a way to bind him to her? Speaking of wily beasts, she is a victim but also survivor at any cost, so I wouldn’t put it past her. This will be interesting.
@Cleopatra, really? I didn’t notice that. Many thanks.
Two points to add:
Seo Heom (the medicine grand-dad’s grand daughter) might be one of the star’s or not. Am still not sure what role does she play beyond igniting jealousy in our heroine!
Given Jin MY’s reaction, I fear For Master Lee’s safety.
In passing, I read an Insta post which said that the director gave a statement that no one will die in season 1! (Disclaimer: I don’t know if this is true or misinformation) Only casualty as of now is the cute fluffy dog (if one were to believe the preview).
Happy Sunday
@Cleopatra I doubt GYJ’s voice was used from the beginning. It was in last weeks episodes and this weeks’.
Regarding the show, I’m quite surprised that Shaman Choi may turn out to be someone we already know. That’s a good twist there with Master Lee also being a soul shifter. It will be confirmed today but the previews seemed to hint to a face we’re quite familiar with.
I feel the odd episodes are still slow. And I’m not sold on the romance. Plus I want Naksu to know about Mu Deok more. We only have 5 episodes left and if there’s no JSM in part 2, I wonder how they’ll wrap up everything in these 5.
Regarding the Jin dad, I’m confused between, either he’s a soul shifter since in Daeho, the souls matter more than the body. Or he’s from Jin Ho gyeong’s second marriage.
@Cleopatra is right here, we need to know the age difference between the sisters. Only then it is possible to know if Dad is a soul shifter.
I suddenly have the urge to see if JG used soul ejector or Hwansu with the King. But I still think both Bu yeon and Uk are birthed from sorcery.
@pm3 rest well. Enjoy your holidays. It’s completely fine to take a break from the blog.
@Fern
The voice overs in this episode (15) are not in Jung So Min’s voice. Previously, she would put on a certain tone but it was her voice but I guess now that Naksu actress is on board they can make the distinction by using her voice.
Btw preview of episode 16 released today makes it clear that Uk still doesn’t think that she loves him >face palmmaybe I be proved wrong!<
Regarding Cho Yeong’s voiceocers.
If we want to be completely certain, then we have to check from the beginning to see when it was introduced and why.
When I said it was happening from the beginning, technically wise that was the right thing to do, in order to differentiate MuDeok’s inner voice from Naksu’s.
The most profound usage of Cho Yeong’s voice was in the episode with the tree.
Here is a video from AoS Ella posted and you can see the actress and her thoughts.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v0C24mk79po&feature=youtu.be
In storytelling, you don’t use something suddenly. You make it known and insert it here and there.
Thank you for the video link, @Cleopatra.
I think that I’m at a disadvantage in regards to the voices because I can’t differentiate between the two actresses’ voices. It could be my age.
Gosh, Gwiju went beyond just barking and paid the price. I’m rather surprised that Master Lee sacrificed him. The reaction many of us wondered about from the Jin family in response to one of ‘their’ powerful relics being taken finally came forth. They asked for it back and called Lee a thief.
So the Jin father isn’t a soul shifter but another ambitious Choi. This episode was packed with information. I was most interested in the conversation between Naksu and Cho Yeon about the power of Jinyowon priestesses and how is that any less disturbing than soul-shifting? I shall have to rewatch that because I can’t get my brain around it and why would it be introduced at this point? Does Songrim know about it?
I’m writing from my phone because I’m getting an error message on my laptop in BoD that says ‘Request Header Fields Too Large’. I get it regardless of which browser I use.
@Fern, I agree about the amount of new background information in Episode 16. Cho Yeon’s father is another ambitious Choi, but not a soul-shifter. I was under the impression that he genuinely cared for his daughter until he extracted her blood with the creepy worm. I guess noona’s orders are more important than parental attachment.
Is the plan for Shaman Choi to soul-shift into So-i’s body and, as Bu-yeon, gain access to all the morally questionable Jin relics stored away in the dungeon of doom? What will happen to So-i’s soul and the real Queen’s soul? The soul-shifting business is like a deadly game of musical chairs.
I am happy the the CP and Uk are almost on the same page. I was alarmed that they were openly discussing their findings in front of Shaman Bang.
Now we have to endure two weeks of anticipation anxiety while waiting for the next episode. So let the theories continue to flow!
I think the queen will die, based on Jin Mu and Soul Choi but queen’s body person.
So basically the Jin priestess has the power to suppress the powers of even the most powerful mage. And so we exonerate Naksu of any blame.
>my gripeend of gripe<
@Wapz I agree.
The two episodes could have been tighter! I have to say this again, why is the main female character not investigating instead of waiting for information to fall in her lap or for JU to find. Yes she tried once when she went to the inn but that is only in the 14th (almost 15th) episode! Yes lots is happening in her life but why work hard and not investigate as for all she knows she is stuck with the body as her original body is burnt!
I guess my gripe was just sacrificed to the system 😀
Anyway, what is gone is gone and now we can just enjoy the pleasures of waiting.
Happy new week.
Kalimera Everyone,
@Packmule3 this is for you.
The conversation between the two sisters, Cho Yeon and BuYeon / Yeong revealed to us the power of the Jin Priestess.
I am trascribing their conversation:
CY: I was never her favorite.My sister was her pride and joy. Even though she was blind, she could see energy and handle relics.
Even at a young age, her abilities were as powerful as my mother’s.
Y: Well, I heard that the Jin family members are born with more divine powers than spell-related powers.
CY: You saw me handle Gwigu, right? It is like that.
A really powreful priestess can control people’s souls and trap them to be helpless.”
Y: Trap the soul?
CY: Yes. If the priestess traps their powers, even the most powerful mage is helpless.
Y: I heard there are shamans who can erase or change memories of a soul.
CY: A Jinyowon priestess is a different league.
And that is the information we were missing since the beginning. It is also an important fact that as it seems it could have happened to Jin Seol Ran 200 years ago.
BuYeon went voluntarily to Naksu because she trapped her soul in her body, while Naksu thought she performed AoS. She did, but the upper hand in this exchange was also in BuYeon’s favor.
The reason Yeong is gaining her power back is :
1. Jang Uk
2. The fact that BuYeon is seeing how is Yeong is reacting after she lost her powers. She is capable of good and yes the love she feels for Jang Uk also counts.
Yeong hasn’t realize yet what has happened to her. She thinks the body / avater MuDeon is weak when this is not the case!
What a beautiful explanation! It is refreshing to have such a solid and believable revelation.
This was the essense of the episode. I am glad that Songrim has found out lots of information regarding the baddies.
We were waiting to see that Jang Kang would make an appearance and he will most likely talk to Jang Uk before he enters the capital.
Also, the gates in Jinyowon didn’t open because of the worm So-I had in her. The gates opened because of BuYeon’s presence.
The Jin matriarch is a fool and an awful person.
Lastly, the Crown Prince realized that his mother is not his mother and that was a good development.
As for the sword, Master Lee gave it back to Jang Uk, not only for keeping Naksu in Mudeok’s identity. He gave it back, because the fight will start shortly and they will need her expertise.
He is testing them both. Jang Uk and Cho Yeong.
Yeong won’t become again an assassin. Yeong will become a mage.
That’s all for now.
I have so many questions.
If the worm is deadly, why wasn’t Cho Yeon pained by it as So-i was and could be if she disobeys?
My impression is that Shaman Choi is planning to soul shift into So-i’s body. Why would anyone want to shift into So-i’s body if it’s housing that deadly worm?
But since the preview showed everyone in the underground room bowing down to the So-i figure, it must be happening.
Will the souls of the true queen and So-i be sacrificed? If so, why keep the true queen’s soul alive in the shaman’s body?
Why teach So-i all sorts of Jin history if she will be removed from the picture?
At NoOne, if the Jin priestess really has the powers to suppress the most powerful mage, is Lee Cheol in danger from Matriarch Jin?
Was he really the one who betrayed her or was he a convenient target?
If the short root tea works, he can’t be Bu-Yeon’s father, right? But perhaps that is not the betrayal she has in mind.
Also, doesn’t that make the Jin Priestess the most powerful one of all – even before all of the soul-shifting controversy. How can that be considered to be balanced in this society? How interesting if we end up with a battle between the two most powerful women, once the Jin matriarch realises that she has been fooled.
I’m so confused!
@Fern,
I will answer to you shortly…
My dear @Fern,
Regarding your questions. Cho Yeon cannot be pained from the worm because the worm extracted her blood, her dna.
The only thing that pained her was that needle that created the worm.
Because So-I’s body is younger and stronger. If Shaman Choi is going to inhabit that body that means the worm would be neutralized somehow. They want access to Jinyowon and I have said from the very beginning.
It was said why they are keeping Queen Seo’s soul in Shaman Choi’s body. Because her Lantern is lit on her hometown’s fortress. That’s why they had held her captive for so long. If her brother General Seo realized that his sister was dead he would go to Daeho himself.
So-i brought the wrath upon her. That is the problem here. She is not innocent, we knew that. You cannot sympathize about her character, especially after she was present when all those people were murdered because they knew her.
Master Lee is the most powerful mage and the Jin Matriarch is not match to him.
The only person who can match Master Lee at the moment is Jin BuYeong along with Cho Yeong.
He was used as a decoy. She didn’t want to name the actual person who betrayed her.
The most powerful Jin Priestess is Jin BuYeon and not her mother. If we see a battle between the most powerful women the opponents will be :
Jin BuYeon and the Shaman Choi, which in my opinion is not that powerful without the ice stone. The granddaughter of Master Seo confirmed that for us.
If we get to see a battle that would be between the current Jin Matriarch who is a fool and being manipulated by Jin Mu against Songrim and Jin BuYeon whose destiny is to return the Ice Stone back to the Heavens.
I do hope I helped you a bit.
@Cleopatra, thank you for those theories. I understand what you wrote here. I forgot about the lantern.
Hello @Fern 🙂
The two sisters discuss the powers of the Jin priestess and I saw it as an explanation of why Naksu could not feel her powers as she was “trapped” by MD/BY.
I didn’t like the use of the word trapped as Naksu’s intentions were not the best either when she was aiming for a soul exchange. And personally for me, I think we are being set up to accept that MD will be sacrificed soon as MD is not as innocent as we were lead to the at the start of the serial.
I don’t think Lee Cheol is in danger from Senior Lady Jin. He is not her Master/Teacher so she doesn’t respect him. Also, if they ever fight I don’t know who would win because we really haven’t been shown how powerful Senior Lady Jin is.
In my opinion, there will be a battle but Senior Lady Jin will be swayed by where and how her elder daughter is treated. If she learns that Naksu was in her elder daughter’s body, shared or not, she could turn vengeful. But we will see.
Till episode 20, I think the bad guys we have are Bo-i (she is on the grey side), Shaman, Jin Mu. More grey faces could come up but chances are Shaman will die while Jin Mu will remain for the finale of season 2. On one hand, Jin Mu and Queen with Shaman’s soul conversation hints at Shaman shifting souls. However, somehow the preview scene with people bowing in front of Bo-i shows Bo-I with a look that makes me wonder if the shift happened but we will see.
I am just wondering why does Jin Mu side so much with the Shaman and hasn’t thought of sacrificing her for getting the throne? Why hold back when you can have it all?
And I can see the creators wanting to make Naksu give up assassinations/crime such that she can be white washed. I confess I didn’t realize how interesting and nuanced Uk and MD’s conversation during the sword scene (episode 16 second sequence of them together) is until I revisited the part today… and I did melt thinking that the young master really wants her to choose him and not crime/violence. But despite everything, killing is killing and if Manwoel got years of punishment for killing people and Hong sisters still stand by the same morality, Naksu will have to face some form of purgatory. I do not know what or when or if at all because the story already has too many threads/themes that are running.
Oh and I don’t think there is a balance in this world (Daeho), @Fern.
Thank you for the explanations and theories, @NoOne.
It will be interesting to hear the thoughts of Naksu when she realises that she is sharing a body with Bu Yeon. Will they be at odds or will they be allies? So far, they have had an alliance with Bu Yeon protecting both Naksu and Uk. The protection of her body could be thought of as self-serving, however. Master Lee said that she had no malice.
@Fern 🙂 it is a pleasure to just spend sometime thinking and writing about the story 🙂
I agree, would be nice to see Naksu’s and BY’s interactions within the same body once things become clear. I still wonder why did BY choose Naksu and I just hope it wasn’t because BY knew everything (like God!). Also, why would BY need another soul given that she is so powerful, why could she not have “done” something instead of wanting to “trap” an assassin’s soul?
Btw I was rewatching the sword sequence (Uk gives MD/Naksu the sword in episode 12) and I just find it a bit weird:
She says: once I get the ice stone and regain my strength!
I mean last week she was worried about going wild and right now not going wild should be a priority, gaining strength is too far fetched a jump for her as a character yet the writers think it is logical for her character to list the two together as goals? I guess, am just a little bummed with how I feel the female character isn’t being developed well. In the MD or Naksu confusion, the character is not being true to either! Naksu is practical, street smart and intelligent — she will do anything to survive. Given these characteristics, should she not realize that ice stone will be a difficult feat and then regaining power more so, given that she hasn’t don’t any research on how she will gain power and in what form. She thought someone should push power in her like it happened in the lake, her student now is at Chisu level so if getting power was that easy she could have gotten the push from there but she hasn’t done any research of how that would happen! Basically, she has to work to get power or to not go wild while in my opinion she is not “actively” working on it.
Kalimera Ladies,
@Noone you should take into consideration that Cho Yeong is for the first in her life in love with someone. She is putting a bravado and saying things that puts as a front.
CY is no longer Naksu. She has changed along with Jang Uk.
Jang Uk is not the only one who has changed. Their relationship is symbiotic and as I have said from the beginning a yin – yan, like the jade he gave her.
The reason she said that is because she wants Jang Uk to believe that she can leave him, when that is not the case. She won’t leave him, they go together, because they are stronger that way.
In the next episode she will unleash her sword when Jang Uk’s life will be in danger and a tear falls down her cheek. She will not only do it as his Master, but also as his lover.
So, there is character development in her. She is not who she used to be.
She has a lot to protect these days and not only herself, but also all the people who were kind to her, like the owner of the dancing house and Kim Do Joo.
Changes are subtle but there are there.
@NoOne, I understand what you mean. My practical sense says that she should be thinking about survival. Instead, her words seemed to indicate that her thoughts are reverting to what they were in the early days of her time with Uk. So it seems odd, right? I wish there was someone she trusted that she could tell about her thoughts. She isn’t telling Uk what she has learned from Cho Yeon about the Jin priestesses, about how she feels when she is around Jin relics, or about what Cho Yeon said about the scar on her arm.
One of the posters here (sorry can’t remember) wondered why Naksu/Cho Yeong wasn’t training herself along with Uk. Remember how she fell down near the shore when she was showing some moved to Uk? I will be rather surprised if she can suddenly use her sword as well as she did in Naksu’s body.
@Cleopatra, I agree that they have both changed. Some of her words are bluff and bluster to keep a distance between her and Uk. We are assuming that she doesn’t really mean it, but they are a type of habit. @packmule3 mentioned that the Hong Sisters like a theme of conflict due to perceived betrayal and that when Cho Yeong/Naksu finds out Jang Kang’s role in her family’s deaths she may take it out on him and on his household including Uk. It is all conjecture, but if that happens, I wonder if it will be after she separates from Bu Yeon, who would have protected Uk.
Does anyone think that Bu Yeon’s father could be Jang Kang so that Uk is her half-brother? I am only wondering because they both seem to be prodigies as well.
@Fern hello again 🙂
I am the poster who was wondering why did she not practice or do anything to build her strength! I am still wondering why does she not do anything “actively” to find out why are strange things happening to her or how would she get and use “strength/power” or ice stone (if and when she gets it) that she is making JU pursue for her (he is doing it willingly but) I don’t see her doing any “active” work towards it independently. She hasn’t tried to get into Jin household to find out how she entered the magic vault or could feel the broken stone. She goes to Jin household when she really has to! Naksu in episode 1 was ready to scale any walls (went to the magic school with a stolen key) to get access/pursue her goals.
Anyway, it is my problem with Hong Sisters and their female leads. According to me, the development arc and journey of the heroine becomes secondary to the hero and I don’t like it.
I guess, I don’t like subtle changes like a character going from single to caring about people. I guess, I want more dramatic changes 😀
But I agree with both you, @Fern and @Cleopatra that a lot of what Naksu says is just her putting up a front as she is in love with Jang Uk and she doesn’t want him to know. However, @Cleopatra I can’t call her Cho Jeong because the current Naksu in MD’s body is not the little innocent girl even if she might not be the cold hearted assassin we met in episode 1. Also, I find Cho Jeong and Cho Jeon very confusing 😀
@Fern: as for BY’s dad — ohh I did think about it then I was like it is a prime time serial with too much at stake (40million it was it 40 billion won project) so I don’t think they will risk scandalising people that much. I have been trying to think of likely candidates for Mommy Jin to have been fooled by and Seo ( the new character who has been hired for new season) comes to mind. But honestly, Unknown Seo is no fun in comparison to the known set of characters 🙂
20th is so far away!
I couldn’t resist this:
I see in episode 16: Uk telling MD that if you use the sword then kill me first and if you withdraw I will make a promise that secures our future connects to her contemplating if she can really kill as she used to now. I also understand that in the next episode or two she will unsheath her sword to protect what is hers (her lover’s life) rather than kill… so she has changed.
But (even if I am repeating myself, I will say it) what gets to me (now that I have time to absorb) is that she is not doing things even though she is in the story. Things are happening to her or the hero is left to find solutions while she is in the background. Maybe I am biased but I feel like a more active character would want to do things on their own to regain their strength or whatever. For eg: She wants to keep UK safe, she is scared that anything can happen to him because she can’t predict when will she absorb energy but she does not “do” anything to act on this instead she agrees to let Uk find the ice stone. I mean ice stone finding is not easy specially coz it is in a palace and what if more people decided that they wanted the ice stone to continue with their borrowed bodies… that means ice stone finding is (and should be) a difficult task so a young student who is still not the best mage is not enough/upto the task. She on the other hand is not actively seeking information as she obviously doesn’t know enough. Episode 3: she was proud of her accomplishments as an assassin and mage yet in episode 12 after seeing Jin Mu trap Uk in that circle (she doesn’t know the spell and looks worried when Jin Mu performs the spell) she doesn’t at any point speak out aloud her concern or state that ‘oh Jin Mu is more powerful with spells I don’t know’ so I should equip myself to secure Uk and myself as I will go against powerful mages!
To borrow a line from the reviewer on Dramabeans: Uk does not get anything easy, he works towards it… that makes him a real hero because he is flawed and relatable.
MD/Naksu for me is not a character that is as well developed or rounded. Like she might just end up opening her sword in the upcoming episodes not because she worked towards it but because of an external factor (like (theory) BY, just to protect UK (why does BY want to protect Naksu or Naksu and UK?) lets the powers of Mage Naksu be released (from her trap) during this instance).
Not sure if I make sense but this is more of what I feel (instinctively) and can’t explain that well. Sorry.
@NoOne, I get it, I believe. You are saying that in regards to her own *personal* development and situation, Naksu/Cho Yeong is passive. She is relying very much on Uk and she is supporting him, and herself only secondarily, because she is weak and counting on him to save her. Is that right? I’ve said before, this is my first Hong Sisters’ drama, so it’s interesting to hear that their FLs’ arcs become secondary over the course of the drama.
Yes, we don’t know why Bu Yeong chose Naksu or why she protects either or both of them, except that if she didn’t protect her body along with Naksu, both her and Naksu’s souls would expire. That’s what I meant by some self-interest in keeping her body safe. She does push the limits sometimes, such as when she got punished for poisoning Uk. It was a means to an end.
Yes, having Jang Kang be the dad would go deep into makjang territory. It also makes me think of Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker a bit. It might explain that weirdly fond smile on Bu Yeon’s face when she was looking at Uk in the alchemical pool. Lol. Naksu never looked at him like that…🤨😆 But I like your theory that the new character is the father. It makes more sense.
Yes, my dear @Fern! You got what I was trying to say. I felt the same way in Hotel Del Luna with the FL. Somewhere along the lines her development became restricted except in “learning to love the ML” area. In Master’s Sun story (after episode 11) is a mess so character arcs become weird 😀
My girl and My girlfriend is a gumhiho follow Master’s sun — they are lots of fun with bickering until they are not and structure falls apart.
And @Fern given how Naksu’s character is, do you really think she will not want to play a part in achieving her own goals? As a character would she not want to do something than leave things to chance or UK? Does that not strike as an anomaly to you?
She hasn’t had a han moment. She still wants. She believes that if UK commits to her then they have a future because she has a chance to survive (even though getting the ice stone is difficult). she is still actively wanting the ice stone *and* her powers back yet she never acts on it but is ok with only UK “doing” things to make that happen? Eg: She actively sought to get into Songrim, yes but to be with the Hero. Why? Because she wanted to become powerful again but beyond pushing UK to fight more, what did she do for herself? Again, after UK got Chisu did she try at all to get him to be her Lake and push power into her (she didn’t because she doesn’t know how and she hasn’t tried to find out how — simply put, magic happens to her but she doesn’t do magic! In the lake or in the mirror, she felt the power but she can’t summon it and hasn’t even tried to find a way to summon it.).do you see what I mean?
Is this because of MD and Naksu combination that we are served right now or because the character has not been developed enough?
As women writers their male leads are perfect or saintly or ideal but why should female leads take a second seat to make that happen. People told me that Man Woel gets her own development in Hotel Del Luna and it is subtle but for me that is not clear in the actual series. And for now, same goes for our FL in AoS. Maybe just To develop so many different characters, the FL development has taken a back seat.
Despite this, I will watch and finish this season 🙂 just because I like the two of them together on screen and a good bicker is always fun.
Oh and UK’s only motivation to do things is MD/Naksu, yes. But he “does” things and somethings happen to him. It is a balance, mostly.
FL only does things to affect the hero but not herself.
Is it because we are in a love story? Is it because I am getting into a very feminist reading of the drama? Or is it really unequal character development? I can’t tell… so I end up writing presenting examples and counter examples 😀
I have wondered about the feminist side of it as well. On one hand we started with a strong female warrior/assassin. But if she is developing, it is behind the scenes and we viewers aren’t experiencing it in what the drama is showing us. I realise that she doesn’t want to blow her cover, but there are 24 hours in a day. Didn’t she spend any time wondering about her adopted body or why she gets the strange sensations? If Bu Yeon’s body is weak compared to Naksu’s, I won’t be able to believe that she can fight well even if she gets the magic back. Or if she can, perhaps the writers haven’t explained well enough how her former powers worked.
I’m probably only writing the obvious here. Looking at the structure of Daeho altogether, it seems that the sexes are separate in their professions. Being a mage is a males-only occupation (Songrim is full of male mage trainees and no women). The women in Jinyowon are called priestesses and they are strong, too, but I can’t imagine one of them fighting with a sword as Naksu and the mages do. The priestess magic is not related to physical skills. Either sex can be a shaman, though. Naksu seems to have been a rare female with some of both skills, but she can’t use them in her current weak and unsuitable form.
Kalimera Ladies,
I am reading with interest what you have written above.
I would like to say the following about what happens in literature and especially how the critiques are written.
First of all, let’s say that the Hong Sisters are writers and not script writers.
Second of all, we need to pay attention from where they are from. Their cultural heritage and way of view.
Third of all, if you have done an psychological aspect of the novel you can see what is deep hidden in the text.
So, we cannot be sad or feel weird about the feministic part of the Show, because it is something that it was manifested first in the West, especially with Simone De Beauvoir’s manifesto “The Second Sex”.
We cannot be frustrated with how the Hong Sister’s are building their female characters. We need to take into consideration that there is no feminism in S. Korea and they are protesting against it.
It is the first show I am watching from the Hong sisters and some of you know that I have taken creative writing courses and I am interesting in doing a critique msc degree.
We cannot be frustrated in what happens into a fantasy world, this is not a contemporary novel of every day lives.
The Hong Sisters have a specific worldviews, where the heroine might be dynamic, but the hero is the one who saves her.
That is what they believe about Love and that is how they are crafting their stories.
We can accept that condition of theirs or not. That way we can enjoy the show or not.
@Fern by the way, I have been thinking… everyone is wondering who BY’s dad is but I was wondering who Cho Yeong (Naksu)‘s mom is? Interestingly, there is no mom figure in her life!
Also, think Daeho is the world of the privileged so it is definitely not balanced.
Now coming back to our earlier discussion: I think they have sacrificed some detailing for creating a more extensive and character filled drama.
@Cleopatra I think saying that feminism is a western concept is a problematic statement. For this statement to stand and stand strongly you will need to define feminism 🙂
Women might be fighting to become more visible or get more rights in their country contexts but like you said, the scale/measurement/how this plays out will be country specific.
And because this is a fantasy drama, the writers/creators could have pushed the limits.
Having said that, I will ask a question about this drama at a purely storytelling level: if two characters are the leads of a story would you not want to be a part of both of their developments? What if I am more invested in character B than A and I am seeing the series to see what happens to them individually and together in their relation? And in my opinion, one lead character who had so much happen to them is not well developed or all rounded instead what is shown to me is just one side of their personality. So, I am speaking about a choice made for storytelling that has impacted the story itself.
For example: Great Expectations is about Pip’s journey and no other character’s development counts — if it happens then great but if it doesn’t then the reader is not left in the high and dry as the author never promised anything else.
You have often used the Greek hero for a comparison. And in that case any epic is just about the hero, everyone else is secondary. Do I make sense? One day we should sit and discuss storytelling and art aesthetics… I would love to learn more about Greek myths.
Of course like you said what is not the creator’s world view will not make it to the actual text and I can like or hate it but it is what it is. However, one important aspect of art is that it should evoke a discourse around it. Whether art reflects society of society reflects art is a Catch 22 situation and I have no stances there (because anyway a stance will not break the cycle). So considering that AoS is a piece of art, my comment is on the storytelling and how it falls short for me in terms of character building and development even though it delivers on other counts. When it totally crosses my red line, I will disengage.
Based on what I have learnt, I am just saying that Hong Sisters have two main characters : Uk and Naksu and one world to save (Daeho). UK’s journey is more of a doers and visible. Naksu’s journey is passive and hidden. And in my opinion Naksu is not dynamic. She is a character to whom things happen even though she is the main lead. (I complete this thought a little lower in the para.)
To borrow @Fern’s words, Naksu’s development is not visible and this means that we don’t see it or it is not in the canon! If something is not there in the actual text then we can only assume and second guess. And this is what can create problems with the structure of the story because your assumption can be different from mine and a perfectly good piece of art can fall apart for different audience based on their understandings. And, everything aside, creators world views comes across through their characters and creations but a good story (in my opinion) is one where characters live and breathe on their own. They do what their character demands of them. I don’t care if there are No women in a story I.E. if I am interested in the storyline but the story has to come through on what it promises. AoS is about UK and Naksu (separately) and then about their journey together. So, I am just questioning that why is Naksu ignored except when it comes to supporting Uk.
I do not know if this makes sense or not as none of the above is to say that this is not a good drama or that we can’t love Uk or Naksu despite the absence of a good character development arc. It just means that our (my) wishlist becomes longer and I wish with HS’s awesome dialogue writing skills and good character set-ups we could have a good and balanced development journey of each main character.
@Cleopatra, I started to watch 5his drama but got involved with Extraordinary Attorney Woo.i’ll get back to this drama when I can pay more attention to it. The discussions here have gotten me interested in finishing it. Your take on the Hong Sisters will make me look at them differently. Korean feminism is different from what we see in the west. These comments help me put what I see in context. Will definitely binge read this thread when I get back to watching this drama. So much temptation here.
Greetings all
I am glad that parent relationships are being discussed in these two episodes. It is something that stood out for me too.
When So-I called Master Jin “father”, he detested the idea of being a father-figure to Bu-Yeon. Did Master Jin marry Lady Jin for love or was it a strategic move for the Shamans to gain entry to Jinyowon? And when did he marry Lady Jin in relation to Bu-Yeon’s conception since he is not her biological father?
When Lady Jin went to Songrim to collect Gwigu, Park Jin said it was the second time she is referencing relics belonging to Jinyowon vs Songrim.
Lady Jin: “You boldy assume everything in Jinyowon is yours to take”
I doubt she is referring to only relics here.
She does not have the most loving relationship with her daughter Cho-Yeon. Even though Bu-Yeon has been missing for ten years, Bu-Yeon was still her favourite. She carried Bu-Yeon for thirteen months. She did anything she could to save her, including begging Jang-Kang to use Alchemy of Souls to bring her back. And also, Bu-Yeon was so powerful at a young age before going missing. A really powerful Jinyowon priestess. Could Lady Jin’s relationship with Bu-Yeon’s biological father be a reason for the difference in love and affection shown between her two daughters?
Lady Jin has been in the presence of Mu-Deok a few times now. Mu-Deok has been to Jinyowon twice before. Yet, Bu-Yeon has not presented herself even when home. She presented herself when protecting Jang-Uk and Naksu. Bu-Yeon still has her powers but does she have her memory? Does Shaman Choi have anything to do with her memory loss?
When showing Jang-Uk, Seo-Yul and Dang-Gu as boys grappling with honesty vs getting into trouble, it was easy to identify each of them because they resembled their older selves. It is interesting then that Lady Jin struggles with the identity of Bu-Yeon – both physically or through the use of her powers. And Bu-Yeon was older when she went missing compared to the ages depicted by the boys. She also looks at Bu-Yeon’s portrait almost every day. How will she accept So-I so easily?
@Su, these are good points. I wondered whether Cho Yeon was from a different father even before we heard that Bu Yeon had another father. The way her mother treats her was so similar to the way Jang Kang treated Uk. Yes, I believe that Bu Yeon’s skills are inherited from her father as well. I imagine that he is a mage with a great deal of power.
What I took away from the boys grappling with honesty was how it affected Yul who is so extremely honest and principled. It literally made him sick and this hasn’t changed. It was as though he experienced a living purgatory as a reaction to the lie and secret. I think we will see this in his relationship with Naksu.
Kalimera Ladies,
I am on my vacations and my internet connection is not steady, so I am enjoying the silence so far.
@Noone,
I think that starting a sentence with the phrase “problematic sentence” is problematic itself. When I am writing on B.o.D. I am using historical facts or facta as they are called.
Here is not a place to start a conversation about feminism, but I said above where historically this movement started. I am aware that there were movements around the world, but from individuals.
The things you are asking me cannot be answered here. Mostly because the answers you are seeking can be answered by an academic degree or even a master degree.
The only thing I can answer to you is that you are asking me to tell you WHY the Hong Sisters are not structuring their female characters “while pushing the limits” as you wrote above.
It is not my call to tell. I am not inside their minds. This is a question you need to redirect to them solely. Keep in mind, though, AoS is a work in progress.
Every writer has their obsessions and universal mysteries they are visiting and revisiting every single time. This aspect is not even answered by a Literature Critic. It is for the Researchers to do so.
I am enjoying AoS and its fantasy world and I will continue to explain what I think about its plot. That is what I enjoy in the moment. 🙂
My dear @OAL,
Whenever you have time, we will be around here. I will be waiting for you! <3
@Cleopatra, I love your comments about b watching AOS. I started it but got involved with other dramas and my personal life. I am going to save it for when there is a lull in my life for the pure appreciation of the mythology and world building. I generally enjoy the Hong Sisters but don’t want to get into politics I can’t remember who made the quote about Freud, but it goes like this:sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. So here’ s to your enjoyment in watch8ng and the fun of looking at the plotting and character and trying to figure out what happens next.
I hope you have a wonderful vacation. I am having spanakopita and salad for summer dinner(my small culinary trip to Greece].Yum!
Kalispera my dear @OAL,
It is good to eat spanakopita and salad. It brings you near to us. Just imagine you are actually somewhere in the Cyclades and you are watching the Aegean Sea.
I am watching a story in order to be entertained. And that is what good fiction makes us do, among other things.
Thank you for approving my enjoyment, I feel like you are doing the same as well…
I will be waiting for your news!
Sending a kiss and hugs!