#澹台烬×叶夕雾（黎苏苏）

[mynameisemo]

兜兜转转，晃眼光阴流转近五百年…… 在追逐中，澹台烬眼看就要迷失自我……

究竟…

「你们」—— 叶冰尝、萧澟、澹台烬、叶夕雾（黎苏苏) ——要的是什么？又在追寻什么！ ？ ！

[clara-maybe-ontheroad]

The impact of toxic family dynamics in Till the End of the Moon (长月烬明)

A bit random and I have never done character analysis posts so it might not be as good as some other posts on here but bear with me.

I'm watching Till the End of the Moon (ep 25) and the recent development of Ye Bingchang's character into a full blown villain has made me hate her, but also empathize with her in ways I didn't expect.

To contextualise, Ye Bingchang 叶冰裳 is the second child and first daughter of the Ye family, and she is basically the perfect daughter of a noble Chinese family. She's sweet and kind, beautiful but not attention seeking, smart but not a smart ass, dutiful and filial, delicate and thoughtful. She shares a beautiful love story with Prince Xiao Lin 萧凛, the 6th son of the Emperor, so she's going to marry in the Imperial Family and no doubt bring honor to the Ye Clan. She seems to be doing everything exactly right.

And yet she's a second class citizen in her own family, who openly favours her younger sister Ye Xiwu 叶夕雾.

Now there are two levels to this.

1) They're openly and unabashedly favouring one child over the 3 others, but then still ranking the other kids, and somehow Ye Bingchang ranks lower than her brother who is a lazy and stupid gambler. Her family simply doesn't see her, she's completely forgettable to them, like her existence only matters because sure, she's their blood, but she's a complete afterthought.

2) The daughter they favour over her is Ye Xiwu, and Ye Xiwu is a monster of a golden child. She's completely selfish and narcissistic, she explicitly abuses her husband, she schemes again and again to seduce and try to rape Prince Xiao Lin, her sister's one true love and fiancé, and when this doesn't work she becomes physically violent towards Ye Bingchang as well.

Ye Xiwu is an extremely abusive and horrible person, straight up. And her family continuously makes excuses for her violent behaviour, dotes on her, spoils her, and barely has a look for Ye Bingchang, expecting her to forgive and turn the other cheek. The golden child / black sheep dynamic is at its peak.

I find it quite rare that in this type of situation, a show will have the golden child as our hero ; almost always, if there are complicated family relationships, the main character is the one who's rejected, underestimated, and who has to rise through those challenges (which applies to our main male character Tantai Jin 澹台烬 btw, and I think we could say a lot of the parallels between Tantai Jin and Ye Bingchang).

I can think of other cases where the child who was favoured is the main character over the child who is rejected (Jiang Cheng 江澄 in The Untamed 陈情令, Feng Chang 丰苌 in Who Rules the World 且试天下) but they're not as clear cut as this (Jiang Cheng being his mom's favorite and the only actual son of the family while Wei Wuxian 魏无羡 is also a black sheep on many levels, Feng Chang's more favoured brother Feng Lanxi 丰兰息 being fairly rejected as well and having to fight not to be poisoned).

The golden child as a main character works here because it isn't actually Ye Xiwu : we discover her character and the situation when the spirit of Li Susu 黎苏苏 travels back in time and takes possession of Ye Xiwu's body. Our main character is really Li Susu, and like the audience she's horrified to learn everything Ye Xiwu has been doing, disgusted by her abusive behaviour towards her sister and her husband, and at first disapproves of how much the Ye family favours her over Ye Bingchang. But she also comes to love the Ye family as her own, and the fact that they would neglect one of their daughters so much doesn't impact her affection for them.

We only learn about Ye Xiwu's abuse through flashbacks, so it doesn't have the same emotional impact for us as an audience, and we only brief moments of those memories so we don't have to confront the full magnitude of how horrible she was, including to Ye Bingchang. Again, Ye Xiwu tried to rape her sister's one true love and fiancé, and even after getting married herself she continued to throw herself at him, and when it didn't work she turned to actual physical violence on Ye Bingchang.

And throughout this, the Ye family excuses it all away, and even Ye Bingchang excuses it away. She forgives before Ye Xiwu even apologizes, because she knows that's what's expected of her, and she just tries her best to be a kind soul still defending her sister from people spreading rumors about her. In a way, she's a victim of domestic violence who forgives an abuser and thinks she just needs to be softer, sweeter, weaker, so maybe they don't feel like bullying her anymore.

So when Ye Bingchang tries to use the affection of men to get protection, to feel love and be sheltered from her condition, it's very understandable and to me resembles a lot of things I've seen in real life. And when she turns to resentment over her condition and decides she needs to gain control over her situation through getting some amount of power so she can protect herself, it's an arc we could expect from a main character.

She only becomes a villain after the arc of Bo're Life, in which our four main characters Tantai Jin, Ye Xiwu/Li Susu, Xiao Lin and Ye Bingchang are absorbed into a dragon's dreams of its past as a War God centuries ago. Ye Bingchang is "reincarnated" in this dream as a powerful immortal, a scorned lover but who has the power to actually be vengeful over the woman who steals the man she loves. The object of her ire being Ye Xiwu, reincarnated in a very sweet clam spirit woman, Ye Bingchang gets a taste of what power feels like, of what manipulation feels like, and of what revenge over Ye Xiwu would feel like. And when even in this dream life, Ye Xiwu is preferred over her and she ends up dying, she comes back to herself determined to change and not let others control her life anymore.

Every character (except Xiao Lin really) seems deeply influenced by what they lived in Bo're Life, having identity crises of sorts over who they actually are now. As an aside, it works as a pretty good plot device to suddenly get Tantai Jin a lot more open to Ye Xiwu/Li Susu and move their romance along, it almost feels like cheating but I'll allow it.

Anyway, Ye Bingchang has now slowly become as manipulative and cruel as her counterpart in Bo're Life, and it's easy to just see it as that counterpart taking over her body in a way.

But this manipulative and cruel streak is born out of the profound reality that she can not count on her family to protect her, and that the people who were supposed to love her unconditionally preferred her literal abuser over her.

She did everything right and it was never enough, so now it's time for her to claim her life back.

And again, in another show (like the Story of Yanxi Palace 延禧攻略 for example), this urge to climb to power so no one can hurt you anymore and take revenge on the people who ruined your life along the way, it would make you the hero.

But here, Ye Bingchang still can't win, and she actually turns into a villain.

[sifeng]

Upcoming CDramas

I’ve recently tumbled down the bilibili hole of cdrama edits and some of them do an amazing job hyping up upcoming dramas! So here are a few I’m personally super excited for. 

Till The End of the Moon (长月烬明)

Cast:

Luo Yunxi (罗云熙) as Tantai Jin (澹台烬)/Cang Jiumin (沧九旻)/Ming Ye (冥夜) - The demon god who has never cried since he was born. Even if his eyes were gouged out and his tendons were torn off, no one saw his fragile state. 

Bai Lu (白鹿) as Li Susu (黎苏苏)/Ye Xiwu (叶夕雾)/Sang Jiu (桑酒) - The adopted daughter of the head of the Immortal Sect. She possesses the blood of the most sacred phoenix in the world, and is the perfect adaptor of the ancient ruthless Tao. She lives in an era when demons are in power, monks and mortals are humble - the initiator of all this is being a cold-blooded and ruthless demon king.

Chen Duling (陈都灵) as Ye Bingchang (叶冰裳)/Mei Nü (妹女)/Tian Huan (天欢) - She originally appears as a weak and kind girl, but is secretly cruel. She eventually becomes fully evil. 

Plot: In an era when the demons are in power, they are the masters of the despicable cultivators and mortals. The cultivator elders deem it necessary to send someone back in time, to determine the origin of the demon lord and to prevent his awakening. Li Su Su accepts the mission, becoming the mortal Ye Xi Wu, General Ye's third daughter who is married to Tantai Jin, the hostage prince and future demon lord. She is determined to destroy Tantai Jin, who in the future will massacre many. But as a witness to Tantai Jin's past life and rise to power, an unexpected tale emerges, one complicating her quest. (Source: RedLotusPavilion at MyDramaList)

Behind the Scenes of the Photoshoot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FPR_BGI1fg

Finished Filming Special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX_u4sBItjA

Immortal Samsara (沉香如屑)

Cast:

Yang Zi (杨紫) as Yan Dan (颜淡) - Yan Dan was originally a relic of the ancients, the four-leaf hanli. Since ancient times, her whole body has been a treasure of medicine. She and her twin sister Zhixi were transformed into human beings at a feast a hundred years earlier.

Cheng Yi (成毅) as Tang Zhou (唐州)/Ying Yuan (应渊) - The seventh human reincarnation of the heavenly emperor is a heavenly teacher. He fell in love at first sight after meeting Yan Dan.

Plot: Yan Dan is the sole descendant of the ancient tribe the Four-Leaved Scorpion.  Yan Dan’s entire being is a treasure trove of medicines.  She and twin sister Zhi Xi transformed into human form a century before while attending the Queen Mother's Feast, but Yan Dan faced the greatest trial of her life - the love trial. Falling in love with Lord Ying Yuan resulted in her wasting the following  800 years forgetting him. Such a high price to pay! Now the supportive Yu Mo enters her life, encouraging her daily to perform good deeds. While punishing evil, they encounter Lord Ying Yuan's current reincarnation, Tang Zhou, the demon hunter. They assist Tang Zhou in his quest to locate the four ancient artifacts, uncovering an even more mysterious secret. Can the trio find the evidence they need despite the dangers?   (Source: DramaWiki, edited by Lee C at MyDramaList)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToryhgoYo8A

Behind the Scenes of Photoshoots + Finished Filming Special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3RB1l4rxt4

OST + Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu-gxJk1cNE

Love You Seven Times (七时吉祥)

Cast:

Yang Chaoyue (杨超越) as Xiang Yun (祥云) - She was originally a cloud, but was later turned into a fairy by Yue Lao. She works in Yue Lao Pavilion and develops a seven-life love with Chu Kong because of a misunderstanding.

Ding Yuxi (丁禹兮) as Chu Kong (初空) - He is a disciple of the King of the Stars of the Sun. When he accidentally enters the Yuelao Pavilion he is seen as a villain. Chu Kong accidentally broke Xiang Yun's fan, causing the two to quarrel and accidentally mess up the red rope, causing chaos in the marriage of the Three Realms. The Jade Emperor learns of this, and punished the two of them to go through seven worlds of love calamities before they could return to the heaven, and the story began from there.

Fun Fact: the writer of the novel this drama is based on also wrote The Legends (招摇) and The Blue Whisper (与君初相识). The original novel has a 7.5 rating on douban.

Trailer 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAWZNn0l61k

Trailer 2 (Romance): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qkXd0vxzhY

Finished Filming Special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeIMiJhysm8

Fanmade edit: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1oZ4y1h7eE?share_source=copy_web

Love Between Fairy and Devil (苍兰诀)

Cast:

Yu Shuxin (虞书欣) as Xiaolanhua (小兰花) - The pure and kind-hearted low-level fairy in the heavens, Xiao Lanhua, was the goddess of the Po Xin clan in her previous life. A series of ironic stories happened after the encounter with Mozun by accident, and she fell in love with Mozun.

Wang Hedi (王鹤棣) as Dongfang Qingcang (东方青苍) - In ancient times, the Demon Venerable who covered the sky with one hand was injured after a battle with the Chidi woman, and was later executed by the gods. After being rescued by the Prime Minister of the Demon World, he still obsessed with resurrecting the Chidi woman and defeating her, and then met Xiao Lanhua and started a life of tragic love.

Plot: An immortal girl from the Po Xin tribe had her tribe vanquished by the Demon Lord, Dong Fang Qing Cang. She was reborn ten thousand years later as a lowly immortal of the Heavenly Tribe, Xiao Lan Hua (Little Orchid). Lan Hua unknowingly revived Dong Fang Qing Cang, her mortal enemy, who was trapped in the Hao Tian Tower. In order to regain his freedom, Dong Fang Qing Cang wants to sacrifice Xiao Lan Hua's immortal soul to unleash the curse placed on his body. In the process, the heartless demon falls for the gentle and adorable young fairy... (Source: DramaWiki)

Trailer 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvinyenMSPQ

Trailer 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=553H1TyHwhM

Love Never Fails (落花时节又逢君)

Cast:

Yuan Bingyan (袁冰妍) as Hong Ning (红凝) - She was originally a little camellia demon on Baizhou Mountain. She was cute and straightforward, and she didn't understand anything, but accidentally strayed into fairyland and experienced several lifetimes of love and reincarnation. She used a demon hunter with swords, and a witch who slaughtered gods in an uprising. She dared to love and hate. Love and equality break all bonds.

Liu Xueyi (刘学义) as Jin Xia (锦绣) - The god of the sky, the leader of the flower world, the highest boss of Hong Ning. He was trained as a successor to the heavenly realm since he was a child. He is a responsible and mission-driven veteran cadre who is extremely disciplined. Cold and arrogant on the outside, sullen on the inside, straight in the mouth, always fragrant, often provoked by Hong Ning and shy, it will turn back to the prototype of golden peony. Forbidden and affectionate, for the sake of Hong Ning, he was willing to bear the punishment of all kinds of heaven and earth, and set up a beautiful and tragic person. In the end, he painfully found that his life experience was the biggest joke, and the justice he insisted on was a big lie.

Plot: Jin Xiu, the King of the Central Heavens, intended to help a little camellia demon become immortal but he became mortal for her in the end. At the Flower Festival held once every 100 years in the heavenly realm, camellia demon Hong Ning boldly confessed to Jin Xiu her intention to become his queen. When she is told that demon and god can never be, she takes his advice to heart to cultivate and achieve immortality. Upon her ascension, Hong Ning learns that Jin Xiu is marrying someone else. She resolutely abandons an immortal life to enter the cycle of reincarnation, simply to forget him. Jin Xiu defies fate itself in order for Hong Ning to be reborn. He hopes to repay his debts and protect her for a lifetime. A misunderstanding that cannot be avoided, an identity for which there is no escape; when spring ends, the two meet again. Hong Ning is destined to become Jin Xiu's trial in love. (Source: ChineseDrama.info)

Trailer: https://movie.douban.com/trailer/289541/#content

[deng-yi-deng]

✨🎇✨🎇

[mynameisemo]

我果然越来越看不了仙魔剧…不,正确来说是我看不了太多特效的剧!因为会把人看的眼花撩乱,而且看多了也闹心啊……是说…为毛用那么多特效?小时候看神话故事里的特效都没那么多…真受不了!!!

92年那会儿看白蛇传（赵雅芝、叶童主演）也有惊艳一把时下的特效之唯美;可人家那时也没搞那么多让人眼花的特效啊!

怎么时代越进步、科技越发达的今天,弄出来的特效越发教人无语了呢!成堆的特效不但没叫人惊喜,反而更多的叫人心烦…到底问题出在哪??!!?是技术的滥用、剧情的过份粗制滥造?还是……其他???

注：图片来源《台湾•女生日常》

[mynameisemo]

一场般若梦境彷佛道尽了，仙人魔之所以走向穷途末路的因果；也像是在展现一场〈蝴蝶效应〉，告诉人们起心动念的可怖……

似乎有什么在告诉芸芸众生：管你什么爱恨情仇也不过似梦一场！生死爱憎��历般若浮生，出了梦谁谁都是无生无灭、无染无净，有何可执着？

可惜众生总为万象迷眼，生执着、生罣碍…总也跳脱不出当下的喜、怒、哀、惧、爱、恶、欲，摆脱不掉眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意……也没什么对错、该或不该，谁教我们个个都是肉体凡胎；说好听了是叫入世历刧，说不好听些…也就下凡来被教个乖、尝回滋味儿罢了。

有人尝过滋味了然后乖乖出梦；有人却就此沉沦不舍、不甘、不愿就此撒手出梦！那就更别提说什么大悟、了然成长那种精进、懂事的话语了…这些沉沦于梦境里的，有人、有神更有妖魔——端看个人在梦境里怎么修了…呵呵…。

其实，待在梦里也没什么，也跟境外的那些「冷静／自持」的家伙一般〝过日子〞而已，只是在境外人眼里，境内的太过痴迷与执着；其实以境内人的眼光看他们，他们又何尝不是冷血无情的一群呢！？

我也时不时的好奇—— 「我」这个存在究竟是身在梦境中？还是梦境外？ 没办法…我偶尔也会有那种「与世界格格不入」之感…… 呵呵……怎么回事呢？

出了梦境——谁是谁…

这、重、要、吗？！

[mynameisemo]

把一生经历看作一场般若梦境的话，我只能说《长月���明》这一番故事，不过是一只名为〝桑酒〞的小妖，她的一个起心动念下之蝴蝶效应！这个效应所引发出来的山崩式般地海啸，想来也是她始料未及的吧——想来…让她再选择一回，也不知道她还有没有勇气再爱一遍冥夜？

〈色不异空，空不异色，色即是空，空即是色，受想行识，亦复如是。〉

私以为若非〝桑酒〞的一场仰慕及爱恋，她不会起心动念的想带回伤重的冥夜；她若避开了战神，战神或许就此殒落，天欢也就没有机会变成疯狂的人！天界失了一名战神还会再有一名新的战神——冥夜不是不可取代的存在，就像天欢的父亲〈天昊战神〉一样。

是小妖〝桑酒〞打破了本来的平衡点，这点倒没有什么对错，毕竟谁也不知道自己的一个起心动念会演变成善果还是恶果。只能说，冥夜、桑酒、天欢乃至于从中间接搅乱一池春水的〝魔神〞…他们都有自己的劫，彼此间的纠葛其实在我看来虽然是可以避免的，只不过，身在其中者沉沦七情六欲之海难以自持……其中有人选择沉沦其间，因为爱因为欲；也有人不自知地被淹没其中，欲罢不能，着实可叹；而另有些人或许只为应刧而不得已而为之…吧……谁知道呢……只能道声「皆是可叹、可惜之人哪」！

把一生经历看作一场般若梦境的话，我希望这场梦能快点醒 ——从小到大我一直、一直都这么希望着！ 总跟着这些那些人有着牵连罣礙，或亏欠或爱择……

[mynameisemo]

既怨魔生事，又要造魔胎… 什么道理？

怎么感觉那么可笑呢？

无事生事…… 让被创造出来的（魔）活的也很无奈 好吗……

唉…好吧…… 也是场历练啊……