#alchemy of souls spoilers

[baifengxis]

cannot believe jang uk wants to die because he misses his wife (who killed him in the first place without wanting to) and he WANTS HER TO KILL HIM without knowing it's her THE IRONY THE ANGST THE TRAGEDY I LOVE THIS STORYLINE

#I'M SORRY BUT THIS WAS THE BEST ALCHEMY EP #I'M SO INTO THIS #ALSO JAE WOOK CAN HAVE CHEMISTRY WITH A TREE BUT #THEY'RE SO NICE #alchemy of souls: light and shadow #alchemy of souls spoilers #alchemy of souls #jang uk x naksu #jang uk #naksu #anny watching

[recapitulation]

[ID: two scenes from the series “Alchemy of Souls” shown in alternating gifs, one in color and one in black and white. The black and white scene is chronologically first, part 1 episode 5, showing Naksu as Mu Deok throwing various kitchen utensils and ingredients at Jang Uk, who tries to dodge. At the end, she throws a knife. The scene in color, from part 2 episode 10, shows Naksu in her original body talking to Jang Uk while they collect chestnuts. He says, “Do you remember throwing things at me while I was cooking last time?” She says innocently, “I did?” He repeats “I did?” in a mocking tone, continuing, “You even threw a knife at me.” She throws a chestnut at him, saying, “Like this?” He smiles and says, “Stop it.” She says, “I bet I threw it like this.” /end ID]

#this made me laugh :) and then i cried for a solid 50 minutes :) #alchemyofsoulsedit #alchemy of souls #mu deok #naksu #jang uk #my gifs #alchemy of souls part 2 #alchemy of souls spoilers

[alderaans]

I already stole your King’s Star. Now I will even be using your Gold Plaque.

Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow (2022)

#Alchemy of Souls #kdramaedit #alchemyofsoulsedit #Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow #alchemy of souls spoilers #Lee Jae Wook #shin seung ho #tv: kdrama #gif: mine

[crookedwesper]

Jang Uk: Dark, brooding and intimidating. Everyone avoids him because they are scared of him and view him as a monster. Is cold due to losing the love of his life and is haunted by the wraiths. Drinks strong liquor to drown out and hide his pain. Stand offish.

Naksu: *Seeing and knowing all of this* “Yep. That one! He is the one I want! He’s perfect!”

#she is an adorable bean y'all #alchemy of souls #alchemy of souls spoilers #jang uk #naksu #cho yeong

[brucewaynes]

cho yeong is told the 4 eligible bachelors of daeho, one of them is the actual crown prince, and she chooses the unhinged man, who spends his time killing evil spirits and drinking his pain away bc he has been nursing a broken heart since the love of his life, the woman who he gave his unconditional love to, stabbed him in the heart and died but no. literally nothing not even amnesia or 3 years apart can stop them from meeting and wanting each other again. and they dont even recognize each other im gonna be sick.

#ITS YOU #HE IS MOURNING YOUUUUUUU #WAKE UP AND REMEMBER #AHHHHHH #moots ignore me while i freak out about aos 2 #alchemy of souls spoilers #alchemy of souls

[sun-pluto]

rip to you but i’m laughing at how some people think CP has gone evil when he literally loves his turtle so fucking much and now jin mu got rid of it. 🧍🏻‍♀️ the CP is literally counting down the seconds of JM’s remaining lifespan in his eyes LMFAO are we watching the same show???

#THE SIDE EYE LOOK WHEN HE NOTICES THE EMPTY TURTLE POND #THE ANGER AND SADNESS AND VENGEANCE IS RIGHT THERE IN HIS EYES LMFAO #OUR BEST BOY WILL NOT DISAPPOINT #m #talking #aos #alchemy of souls #alchemy of souls spoilers #aos spoilers #this is a prediction so it’s not technically a spoiler but we’ll see how this show ends

[meenawrites]

Seo Yul Deep Dive - Part 1

Well, since my class ended early and I have 20 min to kill, why not.

SO Seo Yul.

First off, I think he's a fantastic second male lead, specifically because he's more complex than just being a secondary love interest to bring drama to the main couple. He's not at all, in fact he's the opposite of that.

Seo Yul is everything all the adults wanted Jang Uk to be in terms of obedience, principles, and morals. He is upright with a strict moral compass, obedient to his elders, and is prone to agonizing over what the right thing to do is, especially once Naksu enters the picture.

He is the foil against which Jang Uk is being measured.

It would have been quite easy and probably acceptable to just make him one dimensional and have him be there mainly to pursue Naksu and be another obstacle in the way of our main couple, but they didn't do that AT ALL! And I'm glad they didn't. In fact, Seo Yul is one of Jang Uk's dearest friends and he cares about him a lot and vice versa continuously throughout the run of the show.

Seo Yul's love for Naksu, or lingering love from his romanticized memories of his time in Danhyangeok serve to further Seo Yul's own character development as well as highlight just why Jang Uk is actually a better romantic partner for Naksu.

The way they love her is very different. I'm not trying to discount Seo Yul's love for Naksu in any way, I think he definitely does and did love her, but he is someone who is incredibly committed to his principles and to following the rules; it's just how he's constructed himself across his life. So Naksu's very existence throws him completely off balance. On the one hand, he's so glad the girl he once loved and thought would never see again is alive. On the other hand, everything he's been taught and everything he believes in is screaming at him to kill her, that her existence as a soul shifter is not right and cannot be allowed to continue. Yet she is also giving his best friend, Jang Uk, everything he's ever wanted–she is making him HAPPY. So Seo Yul is just kind of going back and forth in his agony over what to do. He feels a great sense of responsibility because he believed he was the only one who knew her identity for a while, and he's generally relied on by the adults in his life like Park Jin and Heo Yeom to kind of be their sword and do the right thing.

Jang Uk on the other hand (as I've seen described in a post somewhere) is more loyal to people than he is to principles, whereas Seo Yul leans a bit more towards the opposite.

So for Jang Uk, he's willing to bend his morals or defy what everyone around him says is wrong out of loyalty to the people he cares about, and Naksu quickly becomes one of those people to him. Like she tells him, everyone has always wanted her dead; no one has ever actually attempted to save her. And I think that strikes deep into Jang Uk's heart and he makes a decision very early on that he will be the one to protect her, and he accepts any collateral damage that comes with it.

Where Seo Yul is sitting and agonizing over the principle of Naksu's existence, all Jang Uk is thinking is how he's going to protect her and keep her by his side. There's no question in his mind, no moral quandary about it. He is as loyal to her as he is to Seo Yul or Park Danggu, or Maidservant Kim–some of the most important people in his life.

In essence, Jang Uk is the type of male lead who would let the world burn for the person he loves while Seo Yul would be willing to make the sacrifice if it meant saving the world.

I don't know if either is necessarily better as an attitude, and I don't feel qualified to comment on that. But Jang Uk's attitude is why he is better of a romantic partner for Naksu, because she needs someone like that, to feel like someone will love her to such an extent. She's been betrayed and discarded and used so many times across her life that she needs and wants that kind of unconditional love–chosen unconditional love, I should say. Because Jang Uk CHOOSES to be loyal to her no matter what.

This stark difference between Jang Uk and Seo Yul really comes to a head in the conversation they have (can't remember the episode) that goes something like this:

Seo Yul: We have a duty to protect the world from monsters. [referencing soul shifters and citing what he's been told his whole life]

Jang Uk: But we can also protect the monsters from the world.

I'm totally paraphrasing because I don't have time to go look up the quote, but yeah.

Underlying this conversation, they're both really talking about Naksu, but I'm not sure how aware both of them are that are each referencing her.

This continues on later, once Seo Yul has kind of finally made the decision to let them be, to let Naksu be happy because he does really want that for her. He was even planning on whisking her away to Seo Fortress to protect her and to take responsibility for her which weighs heavily on his shoulders. So we know he cares about her a great deal, maybe even more than his principles, which is what puts him in such mental agony in the first place.

I'm really glad actually that Seo Yul and Naksu got to have a closure conversation near the end of Part 1 (even if it all went to shit after) because they had so much history that needed to be addressed.

This conversation was really a turning point for Yul (again before the tragedy of the last episode) because he had finally made his peace with disregarding some of his principles that have been drilled into him and that he's held onto steadfastly for so long in favor of both his friends' happiness. His loyalty to people superseded his loyalty to his principles.

But then the tragedy happens. And not only does his worst fear come true that Naksu will run wild and cause havoc upon his world, but it comes with a huge price. Danggu and Choyeon's happiness is ruined, many people are killed by her hand or injured, and worst of all, Jang Uk dies on her sword.

Just when he's finally made peace within himself, it all falls apart, and he interprets it as the world telling him that he was wrong. That he should have intervened, done something, even if that meant killing Naksu. That he should have been more pro-active. That everyone else was right, and he should have done something about the monster.

He's a very subtle but very interesting character, especially when contrasted with Jang Uk.

He puts a lot of pressure on himself (possibly an attitude adopted because of other people's expectations of him growing up as the only Seo heir but we don't really know) and tends to take on everything quietly. He loves very deeply, and you can see it in the way he interacts with all the people he considers dear to him. He's very thoughtful and considerate and is always thinking of others at his own expense. His love for Naksu and for Jang Uk only added complexity to his character, and I absolutely love him. I think he's one of the highlights of the show.

I have to go to class but I will return for my thoughts on Seo Yul in part 2.

Let me know what you guys think or if I missing anything you thought was important!

#Alchemy of Souls #alchemy of souls spoilers #tvn alchemy of souls #kdrama thoughts #Seo Yul #Jang Uk #Naksu #Alchemy of Souls part 1 #hwang minhyun #Character thoughts #AOS rambles #Meena's thoughts #Meena's posts

[jungleslang]

I am absolutely losing my mind over Yeong/Naksu's character in part 2!!!!

It's so insane to me how we're seeing all these different facets of one single character. She was born as Cho Yeong, but we see her first as Naksu, then as Mu-deok, and now as Jin Bu-yeon.

As Naksu she was cold and ruthless and only cared about her mission. In episode 1 of the first part we saw her brutally push a blind girl out of the way and forcefully grab another so she could shift her soul into her body. As Mu-deok, we see her warming up and caring about those around her. She becomes reluctantly heroic and decides to save everyone who's trapped in the ice stone, even giving up her power to do so. And now, as Jin Bu-yeon, she is a sheltered but kind and playful noble lady.

We have seen Yeong in so many contexts. As an infamous assassin, an impertinent maid, and a sheltered lady. But her core personality is still there in all of them. Cho Yeong as Naksu, Mu-deok, and Bu-yeon are all different and yet soooo similar.

Regardless of what name she goes by, I can still tell it's her because she has that exact same boldness and fighting spirit. As Bu-yeon, she is unhappy with her circumstances and so she does everything in her limited power to change them. You would think that having no memories of anything but confinement would make her obedient and docile, but nope. Even though she believes that Lady Jin is her mother and she doesn't want to hurt her, she refuses to go along with the future her (fake) mother has mapped out for her. Mama Jin also talks about the times Yeong has escaped before. That means that Yeong ran away multiple times despite knowing that they would always be able to track her down with the bracelet because she simply cannot stand to do nothing. She herself says that escape is not possible and tells Uk that if she leaves, it would only be an outing. But she does it anyway. Because doing nothing is just not in her nature.

I just love love love that we still see hints of Mu-deok and Naksu in her role as Bu-yeon. Like she points that fire poker straight at Uk's throat with zero hesitation and she even managed to sneak up on him. Uk is a Hwansu level mage now, but he didn't notice her creeping up behind him until she spoke. She still has Mu-deok's cunning and resourceful nature and her quirky charm, too. She knew how powerful Uk was by the way he managed to break the barrier and embed that fire poker into the wall, and she still dared to deceive him. She purposefully made him think that she was more powerful than she actually was so that she could appear useful to him and he would help her. Her first thought upon meeting a powerful stranger who could easily harm her was "how can I use him to get what I want?" That along with the way she slams her hands against the table when she doesn't get her way is such a Mu-deok thing to me.

And that's not even talking about how utterly fucking unimpressed she was when she confronted that body-snatching water monster thing in the second episode. The only memories she has are of being locked in the same room for three years and yet she didn't flinch at that thing for even a second. She actively chased after that monster, coldly stared it down and essentially told it to fuck off before turning her back to walk away. You cannot deny the sheer big dick energy of that move. That cold confidence and fearlessness scream Naksu and you cannot convince me otherwise.

I can't wait to see how all of these versions of her come together when she gets her memories back!!!!!!!!

It's so sad to me that we never got to see her live under her true name, and I really hope the show takes us there by the end. She deserves to finally be able to live as Cho Yeong, the person she really is. And when she does get to live as Yeong, I hope we see elements of all three of her aliases in her personality because they've all shaped her in some way.

#alchemy of souls #alchemy of souls: light and shadow #alchemy of souls spoilers #naksu #cho yeong

[nikiiwi]

something about mu-deok and the cycle of death and rebirth

cho yeong, who died the night her father did. not when she watched as he was cut down, but when she was embraced by a power hungry manipulator. when her innocence died with her name.

naksu, who was born from the ashes of yeong's childhood. who carried death with her wherever she went. who haunted the nightmares of countless people she never even met with the spectre of it. whose face was rarely seen by those who would live to remember it. naksu who died in battle, choosing to keep her soul alive by killing with that body one last time. naksu, whose name died with her body, but lingered everywhere like a ghost.

mu-deok, who had died long ago. mu-deok, who would now be forgotten in all but name. the name of an anonymous dead girl bestowed onto a girl who had been found alive, then carried on by a woman who had tried not to die. mu-deok, who clings to life even when she's too weak to survive on her own. mu-deok, the disguise of a dead girl worn by two "dead" girls until they could find new life. mu-deok, who was dead and forgotten because she was alive and looked over, alive again and remembered as a killer. mu-deok the dead, mu-deok the blind, mu-deok the deceptive servant. all left behind in the wake of naksu the assassin.

jin bu-yeon, who died ten years ago then was miraculously found alive. bu-yeon, who accepted the name of a girl she knew was dead and lived as mu-deok for a decade. bu-yeon, who might have remembered her own "death" and how it came by the hands of her own uncle. an uncle who killed another girl she would later become, by giving that girl a new name. bu-yeon, who chose to "die" again when she sensed an assassin's final gambit. bu-yeon, who gave up her body and mu-deok's name, repenting for her uncle's crime whether or not she knew it.

"bu-yeon", who was found again through the death of naksu and mu-deok. kept alive and punished for the crime of living. bu-yeon, whose soul rested in a half-life for years, giving up her body then name to the one who ostensibly killed her. "bu-yeon", whose name and body once again do not belong to her, though her face now does. but so few lived to remember that face. "bu-yeon", who shares a body with the soul of her namesake. "bu-yeon", who shares a husband with the names she's forgotten. bu-yeon, who accepts her half-life because she had been dead for over a century anyway.

jin seol-ran, who accepted her death when the greatest power in existence could save her. seol-ran, who somehow lingered past that death. who chose the body of a dead child to inhabit before she was even born. who was revived in that child's body with the power that could have kept her alive a century ago. seol-ran, who chose to live again solely for the purpose of keeping others alive. seol-ran, who was never truly bu-yeon, or mu-deok, but may not have known that until her purpose was fulfilled. seol-ran, who lives a whole new life for that singular moment, then gives up her life and her body entirely at the end. jin seol-ran, who never did get to live again with her name.

cho yeong, who never really died and is revived with her name. who is not in her original body, with the power her father would have given her. who is in a body that was given to her, with the powers of the soul who sacrificed herself for yeong to live. yeong, who was feared as naksu the shadow assassin, being praised as bu-yeon the divine priestess. yeong, who had to die as herself, then naksu, then mu-deok, then bu-yeon, before she could live on with her own name. yeong, who embraced light this time around. who married a man who loved her other face and three other names. yeong, who is loved with her own name by the ones who know her story.

something about these two souls and two bodies and five names and separate lives made singular. something about them intertwining through a pattern of repeated survival after death. something about the cycle existing around them, not just within them, as they kill and save lives and the legends of them doing so stretch far past what they can touch.

#alchemy of souls #alchemy of souls spoilers #brain blogging #this isn't an essay. it's musings with no solid point but maybe consistent themes

[brewingbi]

Hi tumblr. I'm Rin, a self taught traditional artist and I've never had the confidence to think my art deserved to take on its own space. But I thought hey, might as well. Of course, I'd hope no one steals this or uses it without permission and credits :).

Now I'm manifesting a happy ending for these two. I'll complain about the poor writing after of course but always, I'd take the happy ending first.

#alchemy of souls #alchemy of souls light and shadow #aos season 2 #jang uk x naksu #jang uk #naksu #jin buyeon #tvn alchemy of souls #alchemy of souls season 2 #cho yeong #seo yul #alchemy of souls spoilers #traditional art #fanart

[baifengxis]

there's something i love so much about the tragedy and angst of jang uk missing the love of his life, being depressed and clearly a changed person without her and then meeting her again in another body without knowing but already feeling a connection with her due to the fact that they both are paying for the crime of being alive when they shouldn't

#this is the storyline i deserveeeeeee #i love love love such things what can i tell you #i'm crying for them already #can't wait for them to fall in love all over again #alchemy of souls #alchemy of souls spoilers #alchemy of souls: light and shadow #jang uk x naksu #jang uk #naksu #anny watching

[gegefangirl]

Ok, so. I get the feeling that something big is gonna happen in between the end of episode 5 and the beginning of episode six regarding Yeong's memory loss because to me this preview has the vibes of a calm-before-the-storm episode (we all know what kind of episode I'm talking about). Like, finally Uk has taken the first in moving on from Mu Deok, going to the cliff and then allowing himself to finally cry for her, and now he sees this persone, his wife, that he kinda finds interesting? that he thinks he might maybe care for, a bit?

So it feels a lot like they're gonna go "look, he's finally ready to move on and take an interest in his wife romantically" and then wham! they're gonna hit us with the angst of "yeah, but his wife is the same woman who stabbed him to death and then died and that he spent three years refusing to grieve in the hopes she would come back"

Also, if he doesn't even gives us a hint of suspicion after this, I'm gonna literally whack Uk upside the head with Naksu's sword, I swear. Baby can be dumb if he wants, but there's a limit

#I might be wilding a bit with this #but while I enjoy uk falling for the same woman twice only different sides of her #I'm also very ready for them to recognize each other #and make a mess of everyone who messed with them #alchemy of souls light and shadow #alchemy of souls spoilers #alchemy of souls #alchemy of souls s2 #jang uk #cho yeong #naksu #jin bu yeon #we'll be halfway through the season #it's time to quit it with the amnesia #but I enjoyed what the amnesia gave us #kdrama #lee jae wook #go yoon jung

[girlandthedarkness]

jang uk is a beautiful written character, like he's a standart for men written by women, cause he's gentle and sweet, but also strong and determined, he really fully understandd the power that he has, but doesn't use it to abuse people, he's funny, charming, but most important he's not afraid of his woman having more power than him, he admires naksu and is sure enough to make her his teacher, despite being rised in environment where teachers/masters are usually men, accepting and loving her as she is, truly a dream boy 🥺

#jang uk #you'll always be popular #he's so beautiful #inside and out #i love him and his wife ❤️ #alchemy of souls spoilers #alchemy of souls #naksu #lee jae wook #kdrama

[crookedwesper]

I’ve seen people not liking how innocent Naksu is now. But y’all have got to realise we are seeing Naksu as she would be if she hadn’t seen her father die, been raised as an assassin and forced to live alone in a harsh climate from childhood. She has no memories of the hell she has lived through. So she is innocent and acting that way because she hasn’t seen any horror.

She’ll eventually regain her memories but until she does it makes sense that she is acting the way she is currently. She’s still Naksu/Mudeok, all of her mannerisms and traits are still there. There’s just a layer of innocence that wasn’t there before.

And I dunno about y’all but I love her. Especially when her overly innocent self interacts with our newly dark and brooding Uk. The change in their dynamic is fun and interesting. and I cannot wait to see it develop more.

#she is different yes but she's still naksu #alchemy of souls #alchemy of souls spoilers #naksu #jang uk

[femininemenon]

Alchemy of Souls (2022-)

#alchemyofsoulsedit #alchemy of souls #kdramaedit #naksu #ko yoon jung #alchemy of souls spoilers #aos spoilers #gifs #byzil

[sun-pluto]

unrelated to anything, but i just love those tropes where character A and character B are so close that when either of them gets kidnapped/taken and a doppelgänger/imitation replaces them, the other STILL recognises the fake. and what i absolutely love MORE is when the other recognises the fake through some character flaw of the kidnapped person turned hilarious, such as this meme:

fake character A: you’re right, you’re always right

character B: hold on, [character A] would never say that

or

[character A’s clone]: *points at character A* Shoot them! they’re the clone!

character B: *aims gun at clone* the REAL [character A] would never pass up the opportunity to die!

or even in alchemy of souls in the mirror episode, the point is that it’s just so unfortunate for the doppelgänger to imitate someone so full of rage and distrust and then act seductive like it’s hILARIOUS. character flaws turning into something so unique and special to the person makes it hilarious and cute to me when the other characters see through the bs idk

#i just can’t #m #talking #aos spoilers #? #alchemy of souls spoilers #i guess #this wasn’t supposed to be about aos but ig it is now #but the point is!!! #the flaws being part of why someone is special is my jam #and then making it hilarious