#mlshr: commentary

[krysyuy]

Hey there! Big fan of your blog and MLSHR. I've been going through a lot mlshr posts and I rarely seem to find anything Yeonhwa related. I wonder, what are your thoughts on her as a character?

First off, thanks, anon! Nearly four years later, I’m still happy to see others wander in and discover SHR.

I do have a Yeon Hwa tag, which you probably already figured out. I know it's hard to wade through since I reblog even the most miniscule things and tag them, but if you go chronologically, there should be at least a couple of long YH-centered metas that are really good. (When I first started reblogging SHR, I did so with edits and metas that were, in my opinon, really well done rather than reblogging/collecting *everything*, which I do now. So sometimes a lot of the gems are found at the beginning.) By user raindropsfallingup in particular. They deactivated but I believe they came back under another name, though all their SHR meta is lost unless you find it through other people's reblogs like mine.

As for my own opinion, I have a tag in regards to Yeon Hwa in which I say I hate her, but I also respect her. But when I say "hate", I mean I hate her as much as anyone typically would a "villain" in the narrative, who also serves as an obstacle to my OTP, lol. At best, I'm apathetic. (But in fanfiction, anything goes, and I once had an OT3 idea with SoSoo and Yeon Hwa, lmao.)

Bias aside, I think Yeon Hwa is a very well-written character and antagonist with understandable motivations. She forges ahead however she can, working with or around the restrictions put on her because of the time period. If she had been born a man, she would've been one of the top candidates in the running for the throne.

Yeon Hwa is smart and cunning, and I respect her more than Wook because she's unabashed about her desires and goals. She doesn't sugarcoat it under the guise of some moral high ground. She's also ruthless, lacking empathy and always looking out for #1. There's nothing wrong with that, especially for a woman in her position. Like everyone else, she's trying to survive and to survive, one needs power.

And while she's different from Wook in some ways, they're similar in others. For example, the Hwangbo siblings tend to misdirect blame, especially towards those they dislike. For Wook, So; for Yeon Hwa, Soo. Yeon Hwa casting all the blame on Soo in Episode 19 being the prime example.

Even though I do consider Yeon Hwa very intelligent, I also think her pride and ambition blinds her. Once she starts really "winning", her greed does not allow her to compromise. Her mother tells her she has to choose power or love, but Yeon Hwa believes she can have both. I do think she loves So, as genuinely as she can afford. So she wants all of him. For being so good at scheming and manipulation, she never considers coming to some kind of middle ground with Soo.

Yes, I know a certain amount of trust would've been needed in that type of situation, but this is also a time where it wouldn't be strange for a man to have multiple wives. Being born and raised in that time period unlike Soo, Yeon Hwa would've been naive to expect monogamy. She got lucky that So saw the error of their father's ways. I got a bit off track, but basically, I think she was thinking too simplistically when she believes getting rid of Soo means So will truly be hers.

Part of what makes SHR memorable is not only its protagonists, but its antagonists too. And the drama definitely wouldn't be the same without Hwangbo Yeon Hwa.

[krysyuy]

Hello! I keep seeing your tag #i'm salty af regarding seol, and I was wondering, could you elaborate (I have a lot of headcanons about Seol, lol)? Thanks!

For the short answer, I’m salty because Wang So has only ever wanted a real family and the drama had to drive in the fact yet AGAIN that he can’t ever, ever have one because apparently having literally everyone else judge and leave him (yes, I count even Baek Ah) wasn’t enough.Now for the long answer. (Some of this is c&p’d from my overall thoughts on the finale/series.)Yes, the daughter is adorable. But this is just another person the drama chooses to take away from So, reinforcing the fact that he can have no one and the palace is a toxic place. (As if this hadn’t been hammered in enough.) This seemed especially cruel to me because ever since his mother abandoned him, all So has truly wanted is a family to call his own. And then he wants one with Soo. Well, he gets that family but he’s also denied it. He respects Soo’s wishes to not bring their daughter into the palace and in doing so, makes a great sacrifice. He can never acknowledge her as his own.I just personally found the baby to be yet another plot device to shit on So in the drama’s final moments. I don’t care that he “gets” to be her uncle and probably saw her occasionally (like, what? Once or twice a year, if he’s lucky???) because he lifted Jung’s banishment. Whatever. He’s her father and he can never claim her.I also have issue with some people acting like Jung stepped up because So wouldn’t. I’m not disputing that Jung was her father in the ways that matter. I give him props for taking in and raising Seol as his own. But let’s not pretend like So abandoned her or was actually given a choice in this matter. He would’ve been her father - her dad - if he could’ve. The choice was taken out of his hands.I’m also disappointed that Soo probably never had any intention of ever telling So about Seol, even if they had eventually met before she died. This is of course my own personal interpretation, but she shows no indication that she would when she states she wants to see So and urges Jung to send off her letter(s). Ultimately, if SoSoo talked things out, I feel like So would’ve understood her decision, given the dangers at the palace (Yeon Hwa, for one).I’m a firm believer that we should’ve found out about Seol in Episode 19 instead of her being used as shock value for later in the final episode. The path the writer/director took instead was to the detriment of Soo’s character. Episode 19 should’ve been largely from her POV as she struggles with the revelation that she’s pregnant and that, while she loves So, she doesn’t want their baby raised in the toxic environment of the palace. This would have been one hundred times more heartbreaking, and yet with none of the frustration and irritation of what actually happened.Instead, we got the M E S S that was Episode 19. Seol being a revelation later does nothing to make up for my bitterness at how Soo left. Let’s be clear - I do not blame Soo for leaving and she had every right to go. I just hate how it played out on screen, and I personally would’ve had more sympathy and understanding if we knew about Seol earlier.Was Seol even the main reason for why Soo left? I think most people accept this as the case (and so do I), but Soo’s thoughts and feelings on this are never explicitly stated. Like, would she have stayed if she had never gotten pregnant? Because before we find out about Seol, we assume that Soo leaves because she can’t accept what happens to Chae Ryung and all the things So has to do in order to be king. But none of this is addressed in the final episode. Instead, she has all these hallucinations about So and yearns for him, and it becomes clear that yes, she does love him despite never saying it onscreen…. But we get literally none of this in Ep19 since she’s blaming and pushing him away the entire time.And whoops, I’m sorry for getting off track. I just really hate the last three episodes of SHR. lol ʅ(ツ)ʃI’m not saying I would have preferred Seol to not have happened at all. I personally could take her or leave her either way, but narratively, I recognize that this gives Soo much greater motive to leave. (Not that she didn’t have valid reasons beforehand, but I already went into all this above.) I know I stated earlier that I viewed the baby as a mere plot device. But viewed through an objective lens and on its own, it’s a good twist and refreshing take from the original, but - like this entire drama in general - the execution was lacking and exasperating.Some people have even said it’s a happy ending regarding Seol, and I simply do not agree. I’m a Wang So fan first before anything else, and for me, there will always be a bittersweetness in regards to Seol. It just all boils down to me wanting him to be the father he should’ve been and deserved to be, in every sense of the word. Not the uncle, not the secret father, but a real, true dad.

[krysyuy]

Hi! You are an expert with all things mlshr & i wanted to ask if you can give me a simple explanation as to why queen yoo hated wang so. My mom started watching it with me & she doesn't get what her deal was. It's also complicated to translate it for her because i have difficulty finding the right words to use. Thanks again & sorry to bother. (Btw i love your blog. You're one of the few blogs i turned on notifications for)

Hello Anon~♥ I was genuinely surprised to receive this ask because 1) I rarely get asks and 2) there are other more popular blogs that I see people usually go to for this type of thing. But being that my blog is like… 85-90% MLSHR, lmao, I’m happy to help!

I know a lot of people (myself included) were left unsatisfied with the way the drama handled Queen Yoo and So’s relationship. I think it had the potential to be a lot more layered than it came across.

However, with what the drama presented us with, my personal interpretation is this: Queen Yoo was ultimately narcissistic and power hungry. She loved her children largely in part because they were reflections of herself. Also, for a queen, it is your children (more specifically, your sons) that give you power in court.

To put it simply, I believe Queen Yoo hated So because he was a living reminder of her own weaknesses and flaws. In a fit of rage and grief, she scarred So - leaving behind a permanent reminder of her own weakness from the night she begged the king to stay, to mourn the loss of their first son together. So became a mirror through which her own ugliness was reflected. 

As someone with a great amount of pride, this was unacceptable. Despite the fact that she was the one to scar him, Queen Yoo felt no guilt and easily discarded him. So was no longer perfect, and therefore disposable. With that “cursed” face of his, he would also give her no power within the palace. 

This hatred was only further exacerbated when So was given away like a pawn to appease the Shinju Kang clan. (This was also precisely the excuse the queen needed to send him away from her sight.) Queen Yoo made it so that he was seen as an outsider and shunned in all possible ways. He would be seen as belonging to the Shinju Kangs instead of the Yoos. It did not matter that he was abused horrifically by his foster family - he would be seen as one of them to everyone in the palace. So did what he had to do to survive and ugly rumors surfaced as a result.

It was through no fault of So’s that Queen Yoo ended up hating him. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. She created the “animal” she so despised, but never acknowledged or took responsibility for it. Instead, So became her scapegoat for everything that went wrong. (Not that So isn’t at fault for some of his later actions, but that’s a whole other topic I won’t get into. lol)

… Umm, I know you asked for a simple explanation but I had to explain myself further, lmao. xD;; I’m sorry! But I hope this helps somewhat. (〃∀〃)ゞ 

(Btw i love your blog. You’re one of the few blogs i turned on notifications for)Anon, you left me speechless when I read this. I’m flattered honestly, and I apologize for any time I may have spammed you, haha. Thanks for the ask!

[krysyuy]

STOP PLAYING WITH MY HEART. o(；△；)o

[krysyuy]

I've been thinking , do you think Yeonhwa can qualify as a psychopath? Like girl has no remorse ,guilt or empathy towards anyone in her life. She has mentioned before that even though she had undeserved love from the princes, she was not satisfied and wanted more. She loves attention, having perfect appearances and seems to enjoy hitting others and mistakes attraction for love. She only felt guilt once but she was quick to blame someone else,What do u think?

I'm not an expert on the subject at all, and this is from my layman's understanding of one, but no, I don't believe Yeon Hwa qualifies as a psychopath.

From an article in Psychology Today:

Yeon Hwa checks off things the most from the affective traits... But I don't think it's that she's felt none of those things at all, but rather, she cares more about herself when it all comes down to it. And this is clearly rooted in her upbringing and circumstances. She's a princess living in a patriarchal society, who has known what it's like to be at the mercy of the throne and for her family to be stripped of power due to false accusations. At the end of the day, she wants to survive, and if that means stepping on others (and her emotions) to do it, she will.

For the interpersonal traits, she clearly checks off manipulation but the others... She'll lie if it suits her (e.g. the poison plot), but this is deliberate not pathological. I suppose, if you really wanted, you can make arguments for glibness, superficial charm and grandiosity, but I don't really see that either.

The lifestyle and antisocial behaviors don't apply to her at all. And she would need to possess all the distinct personality traits listed above on some level to be considered a psychopath, according to that article.

She loves attention, having perfect appearances

I never got this impression. She didn't really seek out attention... And I don't think of her as particularly vain either, not more so than any other beautiful woman who also happens to be a princess, lol. But if you're referring to how she reacts to So's face, that was more about their society in general as everyone else pretty much had the same reaction (sans Soo for obvious reasons).

and seems to enjoy hitting others

I might be forgetting something, but isn't the only instance of this when she punishes Soo for CR going into So's room? Rather than enjoying the violence of the act itself, I think she enjoyed seeing someone she dislikes being brought down (and being the one doling out the punishment).

and mistakes attraction for love

I don't believe she mistakes attraction for love. I was actually under the impression that she fell in love with So some time during their childhood, and these feelings are strong enough to last into adulthood. Her love for So humanizes her. She confesses and proposes to him, and his rejection is one of the few times we see her genuinely upset and vulnerable. And maybe it's not real love as we see it, but it is love for her. One of the reasons she drags her feet on accepting Yo's advances is that she doesn't like/love him. Of course, she probably also wanted to see how his rebellion would go before committing to being just another numbered wife. But these reasons are not mutually exclusive. If she cared only about being safe and having power, she could've easily agreed and backed Yo from the start. I'm sure she would've been more than capable of seducing and manipulating Yo to her whims, especially since he seemed enamored of her before Wook ruined that with his betrayal.

I'll be honest, I didn't address some of the other points because I don't really remember them, lol. But with things like a lack of remorse, guilt or empathy... I already addressed this above and I do agree she lacks them to varying degrees, but definitely not on a psychopathic level.

[krysyuy]

Ohmygod, Lego Li has a new t-drama coming out in December. The King of Romance might be what finally gets me out of my Moon Lovers funk. (Though I'm secretly hoping for news on the SoSoo modern scene and/or ML DVD release. ;____; Seriously, everyone pray and hope for a DVD/Blu-ray - or, y'know, sign the demand survey if you're interested in buying a copy.) Anyways, The King of Romance summary from Viki:

A popular Chinese folklore tells of how the Jade Emperor, the king of gods, expelled the angels Golden Boy and Jade Girl from heaven to the human world. There, they are cursed to a romance that spans seven lives, during which they could never be together. Gao Bing Bing (Cindy Lien) is a modern-day woman who believes she is the reincarnated Jade Girl. When she is reunited with two childhood friends, Wang Zhen (Lego Li) and Li Ru Long (Gabriel Lan), can she determine which is her Golden Boy and break the ancient curse? “The King of Romance” is a 2016-2017 Taiwanese drama series.

This drama sounds right up my alley, tbh. Romance! Fantasy! Angst! Bonus points for being set across various time periods. Hijinks will obviously ensue as the heroine tries to determine who is her "Golden Boy". And, of course, one of my favorite lead actors is in the mix~ Plus the possibility of a happy ending is much higher than ML, which was doomed from the start. I doubt the OTP of this drama will pull me in like SoSoo, butttt Lego Li at least guarantees my interest.

I died at this teaser though, lmao:

On another note, Lego Li is a handsome 30 but still looks older than Lee Joon Gi to me, lmao. My bias is showing. LJG, please just share the location of the fountain of youth already. (Also, please get cast in another drama preferably romcom so I have something to look forward to that will truly save me from ML withdrawal.)

[krysyuy]

So, while Moon Lovers was airing, I liked a lot of posts but didn't reblog because I was in the middle of revamping the look of my Tumblr. But since I finally tidied up my new theme, I've gone back through my likes and queued a lot of posts which are old now, lol. (A lot of which are text posts by @elirian, @lavenderbyun and a few others - I just want to apologize in advance now since my reblogs will probably seem really random and late, haha.)

My queue is basically just alllllllll Moon Lovers right now. xD I’ll of course be posting/reblogging other things meanwhile, but yeah. I will basically never be free of this drama.