#for Seon-ho I'm sure that person was Yeon

[mctna2019]

if Yeon was the last person that Seon-ho thinking about and maybe seeing her, did for Yeon, Seon-ho was the last one too?

[angryteapott]

Twenty Questions

@nutcasewithaknife thank you so much for tagging me! I had a lot of fun looking through all this

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

10

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

101,426

What fandoms do you write for?

Currently Mysterious Lotus Casebook, but whatever's on the mind honestly

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? (Edit: WHOOPS sorted by the wrong thing)

resiny and earthlike and fragrant- My beloathed incomplete fic for CQL, oh how I despise you (45.4k)

from a distance, in a crowd, i know the shape of your shoulders - the angsty beginning to my Mr. Queen series about what it means to know a replaced identity for Hong Yeon (3.0k)

all my life i’ve been waiting for a good time (let's ride)  in my Mr. Queen series; the Soyong gets her groove back fic (2.5k)

i chew chew chew cuz they hope i, choke - the raunchy end to my Mr. Queen series with Bong Hwan and Cheoljong. (6.4k)

i don't think plato had us in mind - A Do Revenge piece on Drea and Eleanor's bonkers vibes (2.4k)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Usually respond to the first ones but fall behind. I love any and all tho!! But when I do respond to a comment that accidentally sets off my brainrot I usually rant for an unhinged amount of word count. Sorry to those commenters. I love to run my mouth, see my too long answers here

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

If I go for sad I usually intentionally go for somewhat open ended; that said Hunminjeong'eum (my fic about the butterfly effect of conversation for Nam Seon Ho) is canon compliant to my country the new age and thus has an implied angsty ending. There's also the pending sad ending for my MLC series

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Definitely my Mr. Queen fix it series. My favorite of the bunch is all my life i’ve been waiting for a good time (let's ride) which is the least popular one of course. But I think that Soyong deserved her own proper happy ending away from the husband who despised her, so that's the happiest one to me.

Do you get hate on fics?

One person insisted I tag OOC which honestly cut deeper than it should have

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I wrote one pretty graphic smut piece, it is my second most popular work, and I think it is deeply unhot. Go figure

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

My only crossover is my My Country the New Age and The King: Eternal Monarch reincarnation fic from the perspective of a side character squared remembering their past life amongst political intrigue aka lately I'm a nervous wreck (i only have two real friends) (24,023 words). As I wouldn't wish The King: Eternal Monarch on my worst enemy, it's unfortunately incomprehensible to many people of taste.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I'd be flattered if it happened honestly

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No I am far too unpopular for that

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun from Reset! I love that they're couple that works better together than apart and that they're both mostly practical, very ordinary, and matter-of-factly devoted to each other by the end.

What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I have a Reset 2022 fic I need to finish, but I don't think it would have any readers and it's not on the brain so who knows if I'll find the time

What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm good at a funny, modern sort of voice with quirky character details. It's one of the many reasons I love my silly crossover fic- I think it's funny.

What are your writing weaknesses?

PACING AND PLOT. my white whale is that awful CQL fic that's by far the most popular thing I've written. Also probably culture I'm in a lot of fandoms where the culture is not my own and I'm sure I bungle it

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I do include non-English words sometimes, usually following the format of the subtitles I watched since that's how I experienced the work. In terms of full sentences, probably not.

First fandom you wrote for?

Self insert E/R fic that if anyone irl found I would need to flee the country. Except u my one tumblr irl crossover friend love u

Favorite fic you've written?

lately I'm a nervous wreck (i only have two real friends) by a wide margin. It's my second least popular work. It's my favorite thing I've every written writ large: I was working through some big feelings and philosophies when writing it that helped make me a better person. It's funny (to me). It's sort of dark. It has a cheesy Olivia Rodrigo lyric for the title. It centers a platonic relationship and has a bunch of carefully transcribed details from MCTNA, a show I love. I'm pretty sure literally no one else read the last chapter since I posted it a year after the others. I reread it regularly. I still find typos.

Tagging @rosyfingered-moon and @haraxvati and anyone else who wants to do it!

[consumeronionbulletin]

Crash Course in Romance (2023)

Really enjoyed this show. The writing and story felt familiar, but the actors were good enough that it still seems fresh. Could have done with 50% less obsessed crazy stalker people though.

What Worked

The leads were fun to watch both separately and together. The overall relationships were interesting and the drama does a good job of making something that should be rather dull (math class) seem exciting. Even the most detestable people in the show still had some moments of sympathy as well, which makes them seem like real people, and it also makes the show feel safer rather than super stressful.

What Didn't Work

The weird murder plot, but this was less offensive than most and they didn't allow it to take over the show.

The Performances

Jeon Do-yeon as Nam Haeng-seon. I'm not sure if it's groundbreaking to take a character that is super common in romance (the plucky young woman who just wants to take care of her family, but OMG life is terrible) and just age her up 15 years. Sadly, it kind of feels that way. In any case, this actor is great, she's apparently a big deal in K-film and I'm so glad we got to see her here.

Jung Kyung-ho as Choi Chi-yeol. He's not all that different from the character he played in Hospital Playlist (I enjoyed him in that), but his story is different enough that it still seemed interesting. Jung Kyung-ho did a great job as a lead, and I liked all the different character moments the writers put out there for him. Not all of them stuck (for example, the tragic student death that he seems to have forgotten about after five episodes), but overall it was more hits than misses.

Oh Eui-shik as Nam Jae-woo. Every time I see a character in these dramas who is on the Asperger's spectrum, I start to wonder if the writers are ticking a box or something. But as long as they make sure and put in the work to make the character feel real, then I'm okay with it. Oh Eui-shik did the work, and I was okay with it.

Lee Bong-ryun as Kim Young-joo. I enjoyed seeing her in Hometown Cha x 3 and she did a great job here (though her character is a little more one-note here). I felt her romance arc at the end was actually kind of nice.

Roh Yoon-seo as Nam Hae-yi. Really good job by a young actress who was only in her second drama. Hopefully, she'll have a long career, because she was fun to watch and the character was well done as well.

Jang Young-nam as Jang Seo-jin. The only other role I've seen her in was as kind of a bad person in IOK2NBO. She wasn't a great person here, but I had alot more sympathy for her, partly because the actor did a good job of making her relatable even during all the crazy plot stuff. I'm glad the writers left the character in a pretty good place overall.

Kim Mi-kyung as Haeng-seon's mother. I have already raved about how cool this actor is in other places. She was only in two episodes, and her character didn't even get a real name, but it was still just nice to see her on screen.

The High School Kiddos. I think they all did a good job. The writers didn't try and make them too cutesy or turn it into an afterschool special. They were fun to watch when they were on screen, and they all had good moments in the show.

The Gang of Bad Mothers With Money. I kind of enjoyed their antics, even if it felt like the writers were giving them the job of creating pointless drama at times. They were funny when they needed to be, and detestable when they needed to be, but none of them were too memorable.

The Evil Baddie Assistant Guy. Kind of a spoiler though it's not really a huge secret. I think the actor did a decent job of playing subtle with a character that slowly turns into a mustache twirling villain by the end of the series. I didn't need an interesting villain, in fact I'd rather not bother with him at all, but if you have to have a murder spree in your drama, this guy is an acceptable choice.

TL; DR:

Fun little romance / relationship drama with good casting that hit a sweet spot between familiar and fresh. Had some funny moments, and a few genuine feels but you knew going in that you'd end up with a HEA.

[letsflytoasiarenata]

So I'm supposed to believe that SH and Yeon's relationship was nothing more than brotherly love??? I mean guy slayed a whole army, shielded her with his body, took an arrow to the shoulder and killed his father's men just to make sure she could escape. The devastated state he was in, the drugs, the bawling his soul out in her room, the ribbon on his sword makes me feel differently. To me, he loved her. Maybe in the time that he kept her safe his feelings changed. He just didn't know it. I'm sad

Same anon, also they were going to run away together! He had made up his mind to leave everything behind to keep her safe. I think if they had, since she already loved him they could have been happy together

I think some of us at some point started seeing a possibility of Seo Yeon and Seon Ho getting together and had no problem with it, we even were rooting for that. It really seemed like a great option for those two. Maybe Seo Yeon would have stayed alive and Seon Ho would have healed his soul. But you know, considering what a monster his dad was, I feel like he could track them down and get Seo Yeon killed.

Also, that scene when she was leaving him and he was standing on the street surrounded by bodies, all alone - oh

I don’t think from Seon Ho it was romantic. She was like a sister for him.. Yeon was that last thing that connected him to his past self, she the was the only person who saw only good in him and he desperately needed someone to look at him as he’s still a good person, that he’s not a lost soul yet. Maybe that affection had a room for romantic development. But them running away certainly would have been a good thing.

[mctna2019]

A chance

+Here.

Seon-ho throws himself on the ground as he slowly pulls his hand out of Hwi's arms. he sits in silence staring at the man who is sleeping.

+Mun-bok stiched his wounds. here the clean clothes.

Seon-ho takes the clothes from Hwi.

+do you want me to stay and help you?

Seon-ho shakes his head in the negative.

+call me when it finishes. and be careful about your wounds.

-thank you.

Hwi puts his hand gently on Seon-ho's shoulder and leaves room. Seon-ho pulls himself forward, towards him. this is the last time he can see him.

many things had changed in all these 12 years. that rough man who ordered Seon-ho to kneel down to take the bow had now given his life to protect Seon-ho. he tries his best not to cry, not to break. because this time he isn't there, who could collect Seon-ho's broken pieces and pour them into his empty shell.

he brushes away his unshed tears and placed his trembling hand on his cold hand.

-thank you for everything.

he doesn't smile, like always.

when he opens the bag, it's a silk dress exactly the same color as the one Seon-ho had taken to Hwi's father's burial. Seon-ho knows it isn’t an accident. he had never been trained to prepare the dead, and Hwi's father was the only person Seon-ho had helped Hwi with his burial. but over and over in his mind, Seon-ho had a glorious funeral for his mother and Yeon.

he removes his clothes and see his whole body is bandaged. ignoring the pain that shots through his body with every movement, he silently dresses him in a clean silk dress. it's different from usual but graceful. if he saw himself in such a situation, he certainly wouldn't have left Seon-ho and Hwi alive. Seon-ho laughs bitterly at the thought. he arranges the clothes and put his sword next to him. as always, he looks powerful and magnificent.

-I could never protect people who was precious to me. I'm sorry, but I won't fail this time.

Seon-ho immediately wipes away his tears.

-when I'm sure that Hwi is safe... then... I'll sleep forever. it doesn't matter where it is.

something weighs on his chest like all the times his loved ones were lost and he was left alone. he needs opium and alcohol. so that he can forget this torment a little. but he knows Sung-rok wouldn't be pleased, just as he knew his mother and Yeon weren't. he only puts his hand on his chest and press it on his painful wounds so that he could breathe. this time is the last time. he promises Sung-rok. while he knows it makes him angry.

he just sits there and stares at his face. remembering every moments they had. the life he could have with him. far from others and maybe a little piece?

Seon-ho doesn't know why he's thinking about Min-ho, his older brother. he had forgotten him for a long time and now, seeing Sung-rok's corpse, he remembers the day when Min-ho's lifeless body was pulled out of the water.

at least this time he has the chance to farewell and bury him, among all of them.

[mctna2019]

Seon-ho and Sung-rok relationship(1)

Since Seon-ho has other layers apart from being emotional he was an interesting and complex character so his relationships with other characters are very interesting. here is belong to him (although I'll put from other series and characters) and I want to write my personal understanding of his relationships with other characters (this time for Seon-ho and Sung-rok,the relationship that I'm sure has many fans, including myself)

They don't have many scenes together, but it is strong enough to make a big impact on the series, and one of the reasons for that is the complexity of both of them.

About Seon-ho: Well he is always in trouble for his situation (being a bastard and also his mother's social status) so he had a certain guard against everyone even if he doesn't show it (except Hwi, Yeon and to some extent Hui-jae because they never humiliate him for this reason) well, Song-Rok humiliates him (of course not because of being a bastard, we will talk about it in Song-Rok's section), so the beginning of their relationship is not good so we can't imagine they going to work together But the scene where Seon-ho tells Sung-rok that he will take orders from him one day is shocking, both because of Seon-ho's gaze and the fact that it happens right next episode.(Seon-ho has a calm and introverted personality, the times when he threatens someone seems to be very different, that's why I like those sequences so much) Seon-ho needs Sung-rok, Sung-rok is also abandoned and he needs new master , so Seon-ho takes the opportunity and their relationship moves forward more seriously. At first, there is no emotion (for either of them), it is just their mutual work commitment (especially Sung-rok). Song-Rok isn't a treacherous person and doesn't involve emotions in his work, this is enough for Seon-ho to keep him (actually, Seon-ho is never the one to leave Sung-rok like Lee Seung Gi) their relationship continues like this. until he get uses to Sung-rok's presence with him . Sung-rok keeps telling him the consequences of Seon-ho's decisions (for Seon-ho himself). But Seon-ho is so obsessed with Hwi that he doesn't listen to him and always gets into trouble while Hwi won't be there to save him (although Seon-ho knows everything before Sung-rok's words) when Hwi stabbed Seon-ho and this incident makes Seon-ho finally able to give up on him (I'm not stupid, he still hasn't given up on Hwi, he just managed to show him how broken he was for the first time in action), when Sung-rok tells him That touching dialogue about the relationship between a master and his warrior could be the point that Seon-ho becomes emotionally attached to him (or perhaps earlier, when he throws Seon-ho's sword at him with Yeon's ribbon he tied to it )To be honest, we know that until this scen he has been by Seon-ho's side, but right at this point, our perspective changes and we see him as an important person next to Seon-ho, who is like a family to Seon-ho in a way. He becomes an older brother and even a father that he has never experienced. Seon-ho tells him that he knows Sung-rok protects him , which means he's never careless about him, it's just that circumstances don't allow him to take care of Sung-rok as well (we know who I'm talking about).Seon-ho allows him to be with him in the attack on Bang-won's residence even though he knows he will be killed, maybe because Seon-ho knows how it feels to protect someone you care about, and he knows him well (like him) and on the other hand he has no attachment to life and he is sure that he'll be killed, he didn’t think that Sung-rok would die before him and this is such a big shock for him that he drops his sword slow down and give in to Bang Won to kill him (I really didn't expect that look and cry from him), then he grabs Sung-rok's body again and can't leave him. They couldn't tell their last words to each other(especially Seon-ho). He returned Sung-rok's sword, either because he knowed himself as guilty as ever, or because he wanted to die more than ever. When he thanked Sung-rok for everything, even though Hwi considered him his friend again and was by his side, I found him very lonely.

[seamayweed]

okay, so here's some more that I missed:

(more underneath the cut)

Firstly, a very unorganized assortment of mctna metas I love: here by an anon & @rain-hat (Seon-ho & Seonrok), here (Seonrok early interactions) + here about the post-ep. 12 opium den scene (Seonhwi) + here about Seon-ho & his scars (Seonrok & Seonhwi) by @hedvig-ulrika, here is more about scars (Hwi's vs. Seon-ho's) by @nichester & @thenotsosecretbits, here @blueberry-cheese-pizza raises a really good question for ep. 7, this Seon-ho blorbo rating by @convenientalias, this feelsy text caption by @lethal-desires under their ep. 12 gifset, this very good web weaving (with a parallel between Banghwi & Seonhwi) by evakant, this one by @tlanwen, this heartfelt appeal for more people to watch mctna by @apocketfullofhobbits, this assessment of the relationships in mctna (love/unrequited love/hate) by @mctna that I find sums it up really well; @fulltimehabibti & @utterlyhooked have a lot of meta in their respective 'my country the new age' tags too.

These hilarious mctna reactions/memes: here by @winteams and here by @devil-breaker. These two by @wizardslizards are a classic! Then there is this Sung-rok one by @bienmoreau, this one by @pendraegon (they also have an 'ellian's mctna lb' liveblog tag), and here is some very funny, well-deserved Nam Jeon hate by @crying-crow and @eight-of-cups.

Rewatches: @winteams did one recently and has an 'mctna rewatch' tag, though most of the posts you'll have to search for in the 'k.txt' tag. @baek1nho did a rewatch two months ago, not sure if she had a tag for that, and @convenientalias did one back in April with very meaty and delicious reviews/thoughts for you to dig your teeth into!

Seon-ho & Yeon meta: I can only recall this post by @navramanan right now... but I'm sure you'll find more by @iskarieot (really entertaining reactions in the tags for 'my country the new age' posts in general) or @rotblut (has a 'you make flowers grow' tag for them) - aside from their respective beautiful graphics & gifsets which you should def check out too - who were/are big shippers of them.

Bang-won meta: here and here by @navramanan, this funny exchange between @navramanan & @afroasiamerican, this rec (of a very sexy Bang-won fanvid) by @drivingsideways with comments/discussions about mctna and other characters like Seon-ho or Hwi in the notes (but be warned, it's rather Hwi-negative). In this post @utterlyhooked and more people are losing their minds over that same fanvid and Bang-won + his fan too, and this post about the historical person is a hilarious must-read for any Bang-won fan!

Lady Min/Queen Wongyeong (Bang-won's historical wife) meta: she did not actually appear in the show, but @bending-sickle would have loved to see her in mctna and shares a few facts about Bang-won & her here, and @rain-hat wove a compelling version of her into an amazing Seon-ho/Bang-won ficlet, sparking an interesting discussion in the notes between @rain-hat & @angryteapott about how Hwi took over parts of Queen Wongyeong's role + how there should have been more women in mctna in general. Also, here are more of @rain-hat 's thoughts about Bang-won & Lady Min + concubinage/polygamy in Goryeo + some comparisons of mctna to Six Flying Dragons.

Bang-won & Seon-ho meta: this exchange between @navramanan & @afroasiamerican, this meta by @navramanan, thoughts about Seon-ho/Bang-won + playful by @convenientalias that I really love to read and reread. I also rediscovered this interesting conversation (most of it in the tags) @eohachu & I had about Bang-won & Seon-ho and how these two aren't the only 'antagonistic soulmates' in mctna. Fatallist saw them as swordmates too (iirc) and def had a lot of good posts/playlists/web weavings about swordmates in general (for mctna & other media), such as this or this (@fulltimehabibti has reblogged most of the other parts of that swordmates series, I think). Also @hedvig-ulrika has this swordmates post (Seonhwi).

I have just gotten in mctna clearly very late to the party. Thank you for all the beautiful gifs. ❤️❤️❤️🍑

I just wanted to know if you knew any meta posts or discussions about the characters out there I can delve into?

Yaaay, welcome, welcome, we are always happy (starved) for fresh blood in the fandom! \o/ 💙💙💙 Ahhh sdjfklsdflsfd thank you for paying attention to my gifs and calling them beautiful!! 🥰 *dances in a circle like an overexcited puppy*

Please beware: these are most likely not spoiler-free!

For the older meta/discussions, @convenientalias and her ‘my country the new age’ tag (starts at page 20) is a good place to start. I remember this Seon-ho meta and also love reading everyone's responses to this mctna list of questions she created. There’s @dangermousie and their ‘my country’ tag (starts at page 11), @hedvig-ulrika has a lot of good meta posts as well, right now I can only think of this one (marketplace scene) and this one (Seonhwi scene towards the end), and this one for Seon-ho & Sung-rok. For Seonrok stuff in general, platonic or otherwise, the ‘seonrok’ tag by @pashminabitch is a treasure trove, @sadviper has great thoughts about them too (and I enjoyed reading their top 5 mctna scenes), @valarinde has meta about this very heart-wrenching scene, and @eohachu has written compelling meta about them too; their ‘seonrok’ and ‘nn meta’ tags are def worth checking out. @strandedchesspiece has an amazing series of mctna meta posts. I really love @the2headedcalf ’s Seonhwi meta (1, 2). @ciriwrites has written this excellent meta that led to an interesting discussion and other meta, @staidwaters has this headcanon about how Seonhwi became best friends, and @rain-hat has a lot of intelligent and eloquent meta in her ‘my country the new age’ tag and got a lot of mctna asks a while ago. You can also read @crayonflop 's very entertaining commentary in their ‘my country’ tag (starts at page 28), then there’s @husberttee with an interesting discussion about Sung-rok and his scar. This funny text post about Sung-rok + Seonhwi by @petekaos always makes me smile. This one is good too - all the Seon-ho feels! @bienmoreau has meta posts like this one about Seon-ho and his brother and @tlanwen has good meta and web weavings too. And @elderflowergin 's description of Bang-won's voice is perfect. There are others like @crithir, @eremin0109, @asena-queenslayer, @monstersqueen, @mctna, @doorhine with a scene comparison here and dozens of others who I remember writing mctna meta, in the tags or otherwise! This anon ask sent to fatallist (who has sadly deactivated) about the water/river symbolism is interesting too. 

For more recent stuff, we have @howlingmusketeers ’s Bang-won meta, @nubreed73 ’s thought-provoking commentary here (you can find more in their ‘meta’ or ‘my country the new age’ tag), @wangkuans here (there's more in their ‘my country the new age’ tag too), @navramanan has this edit/tags-meta and meta, and @itsza recently watched mctna and has made some posts too.

Of course, you can also feel free to check out my ‘mctna meta’ tag or ‘color meta’ tag! :D

I’m sure I missed a lot of the early discussions since I only discovered the fandom a year after mctna was airing... Please forgive me, friends, if I missed anyone /o\

A small caveat: I’m very clearly biased towards Seon-ho who's my fave, and there are some Hwi-resenting meta posts/tags you may encounter on my or other people’s blogs. I started out being quite critical of him, but after many good discussions with some of my friends I’ve come to understand his side of things more. As such, I'm trying to avoid being too harsh on him and am determined to love the boys more equally now!

There are a few critical takes on Seon-ho or Bang-won or Hui-jae too, but I think it’s a sign of what amazing, complex characters they are that they elicit such strong emotions in us and we feel compelled to take sides!

Thank you for the ask and have fun in the mctna fandom!! <333