Bubble Tea Without Bubble Is Just Tea

she/her • side blog • mostly kdramas —————— follows & replies with: @coookkiieedooughh —————— cw: Alchemy of Souls, Extraordinary Attorney Woo

[bittergloss]

Rang Rang, go to the balcony.

WHEN I FLY TOWARDS YOU - EP. 20 Dir. by Mao De Shu

[wolha]

WHEN I FLY TOWARDS YOU 当我飞奔向你 (2023) dir. Mao De Shu

[smittenskitten]

Moon Sang Min as Grand Prince Seongnam

[seawherethesunsets]

✅ Looking around the palace holding his hands ✅ Taking a stroll with him

UNDER THE QUEEN’S UMBRELLA (2022)

[kdramaladies]

Sure. If I am responsible for something, then I shall accept the request. However, if anyone tries to frame me, I do not care who it is, I will gnaw on them and slowly finish their last breath.

UNDER THE QUEEN’S UMBRELLA (2022) dir. kim hyung shik | writ. park ba ra

[smittenskitten]

Who will be the next Crown Prince

[jahe]

Seongnam Daegun’s journey to the throne

[smittenskitten]

[seawherethesunsets]

I only chose her as the Crown Princess because she is the most outstanding. I saw your eldest daughter by coincidence. Unlike other young ladies who only learn from their books, she is like a gemstone. Not only did she step up and help the weak, but she was also very compassionate.  

UNDER THE QUEEN’S UMBRELLA (2022)

[oceansawayfromyouuu]

weekends are just not the same without alchemy of souls 😞

[oceansawayfromyouuu]

Episode 14 is a whole new level. I LOVE IT!!!

[oceansawayfromyouuu]

AHHHHHHH I’VE NEVER WAITED FOR A FIRST KISS FOR SO LONG FJKDKDKDKDL DAMN 14 EPISODES????????????????,?

[oceansawayfromyouuu]

What I’ve always loved about kdramas are the stark differences between the first and second leads and episode 12 really highlighted that for me.

Seo Yul is and foremost a follower and a perfect student. He calls soul shifters who run wild “monsters” and defends having to kill them as they are a threat and no longer human. Because he was taught that soul shifters as unnatural and an imbalance, his instinct is obviously to wield his sword. While he has lived all his life comfortably as the young master he is, it seems as though he’s been hardened and moulded into the values of a traditional mage: one who sees the world in black and white rather than in full colour. It also seems as though his values are always clashing with how he really feels. He probably didn’t mean to indirectly call Mu Deok a “monster”. It’s just what’s expected of a mage of Songrim. It’s what all the training and the studying is for: to wield his two swords to keep the peace and kill the unnatural things that disturb the peace.

Jang Uk, on the other hand, has a wild spirit and somewhat of a rebellious streak. He thinks that the soul shifters Yul calls “monsters” can be tamed and contained. In other words, they can be saved. That’s probably because he didn’t really grow up with a single type of teaching considering no one really wanted to take him in. Heck, he didn’t get much teaching at all it seems. Rather than “monsters”, he sees soul shifters as people who can still be saved, as people who may need saving against a world that has labelled them as otherwise. Coming from a guy who’s been rejected and cast out and called names all his life, he has a pretty positive and open-minded outlook in life. And it’s because of these that he’s able to not only look a “monster” in the eye and tell her that she’s fine after (allegedly) sucking out someone else’s energy, but he’s also able to take her in his arms to comfort her. To comfort Naksu: an infamous assassin, the strongest mage, a soul shifter - a monster.

[oceansawayfromyouuu]

the things that these people do to live forever, yikes 💀 that eunuch running wild was the creepiest and scariest soul shifter I have ever seen in all the twelve episodes of this show.

[oceansawayfromyouuu]

childhood lovers trope? office love trope?? best friend trope??? rich and poor trope???? sunshine-grumpy trope?????

forget those.

I only want: master-pupil trope and young master-maid trope and “bring me up that tree so i can see the majestic view again” trope and of course the top tier yin-yang jade egg trope

[oceansawayfromyouuu]

You know what? I’m so happy that Naksu finally has someone looking out for her. She’s finally got someone who protects her, stays by her side, and chooses her time and time again. It’s so apparent that her love language is through (affectionate) threats and (occasional) slaps/hits but despite how harsh and cold her words are, Jang Uk sees through her.

All her life she’s had to become cold and uncaring and violent. To see how her character has grown from her first appearance in the first episode to now is honestly amazing because her personality didn’t change. Jang Uk didn’t change her. She isn’t nicer or any less harsh but she definitely sees the world in a different way now that she’s got her student to take care of apart from herself. Isn’t that amazing? To find someone who will love you despite all that you are, and doesn’t even ask anything of you but to stay by their side? That’s literally what they’re doing for each other. Anything and everything is possible now that she sees the world with someone by her side.

And despite her thinking that they’ll both fly away from one another once they crack and this all ends, as her egg metaphor goes, I don’t see why they can’t continue to grow and fly beside each other, supporting and occasionally fighting with and for each other. She’s always been selfish anyway so why can’t she be selfish about this one thing that she so rightly deserves? Why can’t she be selfish about Jang Uk?

[oceansawayfromyouuu]

I love that Mu Deok/Naksu isn’t afraid of playing bad cop in her relationship with Jang Uk. She’s literally out here trying to get him to improve at all cost, and while it might’ve started out selfishly for her own benefit, it’s clear that she’s pushing him to be the best version of himself for himself. Because as his master, she wants nothing more but for her student to succeed.