#more like okay: drama

[nettlestonenell]

The Mess Jang Gang Left Us With

Citizens of the Republic, Subjects of the Kingdom, Mages of Daeho, and Gentle Readers, it’s time to talk about--

The Mess Jang Gang Left Us With

Part of the Mess is frankly, just unanswered questions:

Such as (but hardly limited to) Why use/attempt to use The Alchemy of Souls in the first place? Ticket me if I’m wrong, but the first time he used the Ice Stone/Alchemy of Souls for sketchy purposes was at the request of Lady Jin to save her dead child in-utero, Jin Bu-Yeon. Ostensibly, a compassionate use of its powers; to save a life. Did he do this for Lady Jin PRIOR to Jang Uk’s conception and birth? b/c Jang Gang seems pretty burnt by the magic he was playing with when we see him following that, and seems to have promptly disappeared following the closing of Uk’s gate of energy.

#outie

It's not a far leap to assume Jang Gang played around with the Alchemy of Souls because the power of it/the challenge of it hooked him. We know he was a magical prodigy. We know he was [among?] the most powerful mage[s], made Gwanju of Daeho, and not yet old. He had accomplished much, but in greed such men often wish to accomplish/possess More.

Subset unanswered question: Who IS Jin Bu-Yeon’s dad? Season One/Part One seemed to state definitively that Cho-Yeon’s dad was not him. Does/Did Jang Gang know? Is there any possibility it could have been Jang Gang?

The main reason Jang Gang’s Mess continues, is that he managed to harm most of our main characters in some way.

Prettiest. Hands Down, Fight Me, Get Out of the Chat if you can’t deal

Kim Do-Joo – unrequited love and decades (despite the fact she loves Uk) of caring for her crush’s child. She watched Jang Gang hurt her beloved Do-Hwa, up and til Do-Hwa died [it’s of a broken heart, fight me, it’s a Much Ado Hero’s death of shame at being accused of adultery], and then she continued to serve the Jang family even as Jang Gang closed up Uk’s gate of energy and abandoned him. Any slight Uk has felt, Kim Do-Joo has felt it, too.

This task has kept her from being able to move on and pursue her own life.

Park Jin – was left with Jang Gang’s responsibility (wrt Uk), attempting to carry out his best friend (and Gwanju’s) wishes, keep his secrets, despite his love and deep affection for Uk.

Because of Kim Do-Joo’s arrested life, as she had to care for Uk as a mother, steward, and chatelaine, he was unable to move on and pursue her fully (and she was unable to be open to this)

Is the treatment of JBY a metaphor for abuse? Um, no. It’s actual abuse.

Jin Bu-Yeon – She was born/reanimated out of some sorcery Jang Gang used with the Ice Stone/Alchemy of Souls. Once born, she appears to have suffered as a pawn of both her mother, stepfather and Jin Mu/half-uncle. While being manipulated by them, she seems to have lost her memory and become Mu-Deok, where she continued to be used, even enslaved—and all that before her mom stuck Naksu’s soul back into her body.

Please note: An invisible fridge is still a fridge.

Do-Hwa. Poor Do-Hwa. How her husband’s rejection of her after that night of passion must have confused and wounded her for nine months. Ignorant of what had transpired, she paid for her husband’s transgression with her life.

Cho-Yeong/Naksu – Here we have a cocktail of blame. And another Unanswered Question: why was her dad replaced w/ a soul shifter, and where was he put? We haven’t seen anything but a switch (not counting the unique co-habitation of two souls in Mu-Deok/Jin Bu-Yeon), not just a simple casting out of one soul. It’s a swap each time. Perhaps her father was swapped to keep his mouth shut. And then the body he was put in was killed. But that’s the thing, we don’t know. Jang Gang’s transgression created the NEED for Uk’s birth star plate to be hidden/disappeared. Which got her father (or at least his body, see Unanswered Question above) killed, along with the rest of her family and their servants/household.

But even this doesn’t solely create the Shadow Assassin. No, it is Jin Mu—the particular creation of Jang Gang--that shapes the rage Cho-Yeong feels. Jin Mu, Jang Gang’s servant and unofficial pupil. The man Jang Gang had to instruct in the Alchemy of Souls in order to get himself free of the King’s dying body.

What? You wouldn’t want to live in it?

It is Jin Mu who finds and Thanoses Cho-Yeong into his personal Gamorra.

Did you see this moment? Baby Cho-Yeong taking Jin Mu’s hand?

Jang Gang’s transgression came at Cho-Yeong from two directions, and it grinds her chance at normalcy and a potential to love and be loved to bits. Because 1. Jang Gang put huge power into the hands of his unofficial pupil [he had to if he wished to escape his self-made predicament] and 2. Jang Gang had to conceal the truth of Uk’s birth in order to first and fore-most protect HIMSELF from what he had done coming to light. That’s right, I’m not giving him the pass that he’s some version of Daeho Dumbledore and everything he does is in service of protecting Harry [we see how well that’s held up in ensuing years].

And then we come to Uk...in the second part of this post.

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[seikiro]

Blank the Series 2x3 - Part 3/3

[crimeronan]

it's sometimes so silly to look in the notes of a polyamory art/post and see people like "is this cheating art....?" when the characters in canon are all extremely close friends. i know it's not malicious because most people think of monogamy as the default and anything outside that Must be cheating, but truly i'm always like. guys. guys Please.

please think about this for like 2 seconds.

under what circumstances do we think this non-canon couple might hold hands directly in front of their canon partners. and under what circumstances do we think the canon partners might be okay with this. do we Truly think this is a secret relationship. do we Truly think these guys would sneak around behind their canon partners' backs when all of them are extremely close friends with a high level of trust and commitment to each other.

would assuming that these extremely close friends have actually communicated with one another Exactly The Same Way They Do In The Canon Source Material perhaps cause less despair.....

[gunsatthaphan]

lv 100 // lv 1

[shopcat]

i think in the hamster wheel of my mind a big part of where people go wrong with eddie and his shitty garage band as an extension is that they for some bizarre reason think he's gene simmons metal when he's jack black metal. heavy metal. he's tenacious d metal. he's school of rock. he's stoner lord of the rings metal he nearly wore blue jeans and plaid. jack black literally in real life once said eddie was the best character bc he's heavy metal like him. LOOK AT THIS

[egophiliac]

WHO IS THIS PINK HAIR GENTLEMAN YOU JUST POSTED? HES SO PRETTY???

he's Hayate from Ride Kamens! 🦩 he is my bird son a very silly guy who's part of a superhero (well...hero-ish) group trying to take down a cult, although his real passion is lattes. also, he is very pink!

(the fancy outfit was just for a game event, alas, although I spent way too much time grinding to get the pink variant so now it is mine forever, mwahaha. >:)

[casualavocados]

An idiot like you...an idiot like you...

KISEKI: DEAR TO ME Ep. 9

[yohankang]

Rage is gripped in the hands. Rage gets stuck in the throat, suppressed. Rage is a promise kept.

Happy Holidays @natahjikio! May the new year bless you with health, wealth, happiness, and lots of amazing dramas!

[tinybro]

jasico server was chatting about the cupid scene and jason getting nico's memories blasted straight into his brain and how jason being shot with one of cupid's arrows while with nico and this was just never brought up in canon again and now i'm thinking like...what if that's just how cupid's arrows work? not by magically manifesting love for someone out of nothing, but by giving someone the perspective that'd make them fall in love naturally? jason gets a front row seat to nico's memories and instantly understands him intimately and can trust him completely without any doubt or suspicion

so what if jason, after slowly realizing he's totally in love with nico, just thought back to the arrow incident and it made him second-guess everything? because maybe he's only feeling this way because cupid hit him with an arrow with only nico was around and it's no different than any other god messing with his love life

[sugurugayto]

used to be a hater of best friends to lovers trope until satosugu and itafushi showed me its true potential

[nettlestonenell]

The Mess Jang Gang Left Us With 2

Citizens of the Republic, Subjects of the Kingdom, Mages of Daeho, and Gentle Readers, it’s time to continue talking about--

The Mess Jang Gang Left Us With

Jang Uk – The man who is not supposed to exist, who only does by the Alchemy of Souls

First – What? I mean, yes, Uk was conceived in a non-consensual encounter/assault [choose your terminology] while one body was occupied by a different soul than that of its owner. Biologically, Uk IS the son of Jang Gang. He carries his DNA, he is genetically his offspring.

I don’t think Jang Gang disputes this, I don’t even think that’s what he means to say when he says Uk is not his. In his mind Uk is not the son of his “spirit”, not the fulfillment of his actions.

But he is wrong.

Yes, it was the King animating the body of Jang Gang that impregnated Do-Hwa (with sperm made by Jang Gang’s body). It is the fact it is the King’s immediate doing that brings about Uk’s conception, but it is Jang Gang’s greed that allowed such a perversion to happen. Whatever has powered Jang Gang to investigate and use the Alchemy of Souls has brought him to that place, has created Uk. Uk is a product of that. 

Sidenote: I don’t know how much Koreans are into Arthurian Legend (The King: Eternal Monarch seems to indicate some of them might be), but Uk’s birth is very similar to that of Arthur’s (Uther gets Merlin to magically disguise him as Igraine’s husband, Gorlois, then sleeps with her and Arthur is the result who must be raised in secret)

Here, Uk is a manifestation of Jang Gang’s transgression. 

Uk’s fate is set as much by the King in another man’s body as by Jang Gang himself.

Uk suffers because Jang Gang tries to avert the fate he believes he sees for him, by closing his gate of energy and getting out of Dodge, instead of staying, training Uk and maybe, just like challenging anyone who disputed Uk’s parentage to a mage duel. We’re in young Luke Skywalker territory, here. Hide him, prevent him from coming into contact with magic, perhaps he can be saved from the hand life has dealt him.

Jang Gang both pities and fears Uk. And it’s easier for him to leave town and the reminder of his transgression (Uk) than to stay and make amends for it. 

Jang Gang is not into the 12 Steps. 

He makes no list of all persons he has harmed, and doesn’t become willing to make amends to them at all. Ultimately he dies “to take responsibility” we’re told, though this Western viewer really disagrees with that notion. Because dying solves nothing, heals nothing--other than ending your own earthly story, and leaving everyone else with a mess.

To clean up.

I mean, explain your treatment to your innocent wife. Were you resentful that she hadn’t noticed the man in the body coming in to her bedroom wasn’t you?

Did you fear the King did her harm? Or that he gave her pleasures beyond your mastery? For nine months you left her untouched, without any explanation. Why had you not cared to be concerned before making the Alchemy that the King might abuse or attack other women—those not related to you?

There are so many questions, two episodes will likely not answer them all—if any. I’m here for it, Netflix, if you decide to give it over: Season 3 as prequel. 

I’d watch that show.

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[good-beanswrites]

I talked about my Milgram actors theory earlier, but @amugoffandoms reminded me I also have a little emotional support au version of the idea I’ve been meaning to chat about! It's actually not a typical actors au -- the canon events still happen, but are staged by the in-universe Milgram organization.

(Edit, now with a fic!)

Just like in canon, the organization has a mysterious/supernatural ability to identify and track down ten specific people at their breaking point. In this au, though, it's ten people who could have committed crimes soon. They discreetly reach out to these individuals, requesting for them to be actors in their experiment. They say there will be someone playing a prison guard, and explain the premise. With a bit of coaxing or bribing for a few, they all accept.

Milgram ensures these newfound “prisoners” don’t need to change many details about their lives – the less lies to keep track of, the easier it would be for these ordinary people to pull off such an extensive con. 

Some of them are exactly as they were right before their murders, such as Yuno, Fuuta, Muu, and Kotoko. Haruka, his sister, and Amane did go through traumatic abuse, but it was Milgram that pulled them out of the situation before they resorted to murder. Mikoto is/has been aware of his alters for a while at this point.

Some of the others are taken from their lives after things that could have ended fatally turned out alright: Shidou’s family got into an accident but all recovered; Milgram picked up on his private realization that he would have done anything to save them, were the damage worse. Mahiru and Kazui’s partners attempted/considered suicide, but did not succeed. In Mahiru’s case, they reached a friendship despite breaking up. I still don’t know enough about Kazui’s wife, but I like to think they’re pretty separate now. 

The ten prisoners weren’t allowed to meet beforehand, but they individually collaborated with the Milgram team to write the lyrics for their t1 songs and film their videos. I'll mention more about the other actors later, but the filming process is a lot of fun. Though the topics confront them with some unsavory thoughts about themselves, it's a good time singing and acting and getting the giggles on set and everything.

Milgram pulls Es from wherever they were for whatever reason, wipes their memory, and drops them into the prison. The prisoners are unaware that Es didn't come willingly, as they all did.

Once the experiment begins, everyone’s interactions that we’ve seen to this point are genuine. The prisoners get to know each other, while they come to terms with the fact that themselves and these others all had murderous potential. Their personalities, behaviors, and stories from their lives are all true. In the interrogations, they speak honestly to Es about their values and choices. The only faked things are the actual references to the murders, and the “invisible force” that they pretend to hit when acting in violence. Mikoto is instructed to use a bit of violence during his interrogation, though Kotoko sneaking in wasn’t scripted – she genuinely had her concerns about his character and acted accordingly. 

While Es sleeps after T1, the prisoners are treated the same regardless of verdict. They provide the team with their genuine thoughts about one another to decide what the staged incidents should be. Kotoko doesn’t actually hate the guilty prisoners, but she recognizes she would’ve wanted to take justice into her own hands in a real situation. Amane is very upset but Es' verdict, but the team helps her dramatize her transformation a bit. Haruka and Muu genuinely get that close. Yuno does wish to be left alone.

They film their second trial videos, now allowed to be around the other prisoners as they do so. They also invite people in their life to come in and play their victims. Yes, it’s just as awkward as it sounds. This is where the prisoners do their real reflection – they think about Es’ verdict for them and what they could have been capable of. There’s a bit of relief from both parties knowing that things will turn out alright now that Milgram intervened (ironic, I know, but this is my fix-it hehe). Shidou’s kids are excited to be filmed, not really understanding the context. Haruka once again works with an actor playing his younger self, a bit put off by how similar they look and the memories he bring back. Haruka’s mother, Rei, and Amane’s cult members (if they appear) are some of the only characters played by strangers, though they do look strikingly similar to the real people. Fuuta’s victim is also played by a stranger. Things are still tense with Hinako, but she agrees to appear. 

The team helps the prisoners fake injuries with lots bandages and slings. Then they wake Es. The same is repeated for T2/T3.

Now, I’ve played out a few different paths depending on my angst tolerance at the moment – sometimes Es goes through with the third trial verdicts and is forced to watch the executions (not realizing they're cleverly staged). Sometimes they refuse, finding a way to stop the whole experiment. Sometimes the prisoners realize that Es has been an unwilling participant, and bring the experiment to a stop themselves. Sometimes someone jams a wrench in the mv machine and try to blow it up in order for everything to end before final verdicts.

Because of limited details, the ending can play out however one wants. But my go-to is that Es wake up sometime afterwards in a clean facility filled with scientists. They’re brought to an interrogation room – this time on the other side of the questioning. They’re asked about their motivations, actions, emotions, choices, verdicts (or the reason they rebelled at the very end). A few doors down, the prisoners are being asked similar questions of self-reflection and morality. 

Es demands to know what’s going on, while the team tries to assure them that the prisoners are all fine. Es doesn’t buy this, though. They know what kind of mind games the experiment has tried to pull, and can’t tell what’s truth or lie anymore. Things get heated as they demand to see the prisoners. Meanwhile, the prisoners are getting worked up asking about Es. If they haven't already, this is when they learn that Es was an actual prisoner there the whole time. The last time they were together the situation was very intense, and they’re all incredibly worried about them. 

In the end, they manage to break out of their rooms and reunite in the middle of the facility, and Es is shocked. All ten are alive and well, even those they may have seen die. No eyes or limbs are missing. They’re all laughing and getting along, no matter what kinds of fights they got into between trials. Even more shocking is when the victims join them later – also all alive and happy. 

The ending has a bit of unavoidable angst since Es would be pretty fucked up by the whole experiment. They’d struggle with trust issues and knowing what’s reality. However, it’s still an overwhelmingly happy ending. They get to befriend the prisoners and their families outside of the painful context they met in. Regretting their ignorance of the situation, the prisoners decide to make up for lost time and spend a lot of positive, quality time with Es. The kids are finally allowed to play, and the they finally let the adults act a bit protective over them. This is when the found family completely kicks in lol. Es gets to sleep easy knowing they are all alive and happy, they receive all their memories again, and they get to return home to their own family.

I added it to a reblog but editing with @/qrevo's tags because this is what I was looking for but couldn't quite pin down to make it healing for Es too:

[cementcornfield]

are you like.. actually a believer that joe and ja’marr are a thing or are you just joking.

it's real, i've Seen Them 👀

[gunsatthaphan]

"please make it clear."

[witchinatree]

making a list of my favorite quote/ones that stuck with me from each season 1 episode because i feel like it

(i'm starting this after episode 4 but it will be a WHILE before i post it)

episode 1: "bones are a lie peddled by Big Milk" - alice

i love this one because it's a great introduction to alice i think. also it radiates spiral so i hope we get avatar alice not dead alice (isnt there a podcast called alice isnt dead?)

episode 2: "If I wanted to clear the canvas, I would have used turpentine." - statement

this one was just fucking powerful and caught me so off guard like 😶

episode 3: "What would I do without her?" - statement

the norris statement <3 it feels like martin asking what he would do without jon which makes mag200 a lot sadder and i love them

episode 4: "Perhaps you shall prove a stronger will than I, and will yet find it within yourself to destroy this hungry thing of wood and cat-gut." - statement

augustus sighting #1 and we immediately get jonah magnus expressing that it may be possible for gwen bouchard unknown family member to overcome the eye's hunger spooky violin

episode 5: "Voyeur needs to be seen to be believed." - statement

i feel like this one is pretty reflective of how the seasons gonna go? like if you explain the events of tma (mag200 specifically) no one's gonna believe you, it must be seen to be believed!! and also seen!! like the eye!!!

episode 6: "Not sca- This isn’t some poxy blood test, some little pinprick, this is hundreds, thousands of razor sharp points pushing into your flesh." - needles

i love needles so much and i thought this was really funny because it was like "you dont find me scary!! what the fuck!!!" just kind of toddler michael energy

episode 7: "It’s not like we’re wrestling with tape recorders and manila folders." - celia

STOP IT. celia you can't say that you just cannot!!!!!! you Know™ too much maam i cant with you

episode 8: "Pleasure to meet you both. I’m Gerry!"

RAGHHHHH OH MY GOD GERRY!!!! i love him so much and idk how to handle him being alive in the tmagp universe!! gertrude too but idk we got so much of her in tma and not nearly enough of gerry

episode 9: "And honestly, it’s kind of compelling by this point." - sam

they got him 😔😔 the horrors got sam 😔😔 also i found this to be an interesting contrast to jon's heavy resistance in season 1 like he was being compelled but he wasn't going to let anyone know that vs sam "its kinda compelling to trauma dump on this paperwork :]" how is he somehow even more victim material

episode 10: "Gosh you’re sexy, here’s a twenty for your trouble.” - alice

does this count as a quote if shes also quoting what she thinks sam should say? idk anyway i love her i would say that to her if given the chance and it was very silly. i will not be addressing bonzo i am scared.

episode 11: "...Thank you, Alice" - gwen

dyhard dyhard dyhard dyhard dyhard. okay also, the way she CRUMBLED at the idea of anyone doing anything nice for her please someone give her a hug and let it be ME. this series is tossing me back and forth between sam & alice (what is their ship name) and dyhard but this put me back to dyhard

episode 12: "You know it's rude to have absolutely no game?" - alice

she's so fucking funny i need her to be okay so badly!!!! i don't think even tim made me laugh as much as she makes me chuckle and this one really got me. it's hard to write such a comedic character in a podcast since you only have the voice but they really nailed it i adore her

episode 13: "Is it my fault?" - gwen

each of these episodes just reveal a little bit more about how loving and soft gwen is and idk i love her so unbelievably much so seeing that she felt guilt about the bonzo stuff just made her so much more real :(

episode 14: "Christ, they’re in the walls…" - statement

theyre in the walls!!! theyre in the goddamn walls!!!!! anyway that got me because i realized the hole before the statement said it. made more sad than scared tbh

episode 15: "Babies are cool!" - alice this entire interaction between her and sam & celia was so awkward, she is so obvious and i love her anyway

episode 16: "It’s not like I was holding doors open for Mr Bonzo or anything." - gwen my wife is so so so stupid but i adore her AND this gives room for character development. i wish she did not do that though. i love when characters are flawed and have depth but i struggled to get past THIS flaw of hers

episode 17: "Thanks, I guess. Not exactly the same, though, is it?" - celia shes talking TO JON IN THE COMPUTER. SHE KNOWS. i lost my damn mind i love her i love her. get the gay people out of the puter please queen

episode 18: "Why would I need to talk to you? Your work is satisfactory. Unless you have a work-related issue I could assist you with?" - lena solidified my opinion that lena is the best boss to ever have, i adore her and i would want to work for her if she wasn't the boss of Creepy Establishment #1

episode 19: "You’re going to throw it in the fishtank, aren’t you?" - alice colin's behavior is like really worrying BUT i'm glad he's back. i was not convinced he was still alive

episode 20: "I suppose it’s too late for remorse, isn’t it? And why should I be sorry? This is what I deserve!" - ink5oul/statement they reminded me of jon a lot, like especially his season 3/4 transformation when he doesn't quite know everything but he knows he isn't who he was in season 1 anymore, i hope we see more of their life and they can be helped :(

episode 21: [Tape Recorder Bites Ink5oul] - audio description i know it's not technically a quote but this is just so fucking funny. why does it have teeth. what does this mean for the lore. holy shit.

episode 22: "Jonathan Sims and Martin Blackwood" - celia. knawing at the walls of my enclosure i am so not okay. i'm not okay. wtf. wtf. wtf. they're real. wtf.

episode 23: "I had a favorite mug. It said “love you, bitch” and had a picture of a drunk dog on it." - alice. okay i just love this entire interaction because gwen got to open up a little bit and my dyhard heart is so full

episode 24: "I am told that children like me, and I’ve always held the opinion that the world would be a better place if everyone just thought more." - basira. once again this whole interaction was so fun but like idk i loved hearing basira somewhat happy and in a safe place :] my wife <3

episode 25: " I am trying to help, to save us from this goddamned fucking nightmare machine!" - colin. MAN I REALLY WAS ROOTING FOR YOU!!! I WAS SO CONFIDENT YOU WEREN'T GONNA DIE!!!! it's over

episode 26: "I was worrying for a moment that you were Magnussing." - alice. MAGNUSSING BEING CANON MADE ME SAY IT EVEN MORE I'VE SAID IT LIKE TWICE ALREADY

episode 27: "You didn’t tell me the room was labelled, “Archivist.”" - celia. oooooh somebody's got TRAUMAAAAA LMAO

episode 28: "So you’re telling me you know nothing about an OIAR external contract being found with the bodies of two tattooed thugs who met rather grisly ends?" - TREVOR HERBERT???? anyway. ink5oul mention!!!!! i hope they stop killing people it's really rude

episode 29: "Alice, er… we’ve got to talk. It’s important." - teddy. i knew it was over for him but i didn't think it was gonna be THIS bad??? bye babe i guess??? 😭

episode 30: how do i even pick. the whole fucking episode. i can't. i am in a state of shock. i need to lay down for 30 years.

[leviiackrman]

Had a surge of inspiration so enjoy Mineyo’s Completed Timeline!

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