#tteotm thoughts

[epicrox]

Till The End Of The Moon Thoughts - Episode 1 part 2

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW

PARTS: 1.1 | 1.2 |

This is mostly for me to look back on and see the moments that I caught my eye. Nothing analytical. I offer nothing to the table

I'm also a visual person so there's a lot of screenshots x

From now on this is going to be called my thoughts because I refuse to call what I'm writing down as a review. Reviews inform people and this post does nothing for people.

A new chapter begins!

Love the make-up

3. This girl has mini peaches in her hair

4. She fell down a slope and looks like this?

5. It seems like the OG!Ye Xi Wu wasn’t well-liked.

6. Did OG!Xi Wu pay the bandits? They keep winking at her

7. She sounds like she entered a video game

8. Is that Tantai Jin?

9. Nope, it’s that guy that got stabbed and fell down the cliff. Did he also time travel?

10. Oh god, this is a villainess story. I’ve read my manhwas. She literally transmigrated to another body so I shouldn’t be surprised

11. Is Ye Bingchang gonna be a pure character that has an evil side? That feels too cliche tho.

12. Yh OG!Xi Wu is a textbook villainess. Hiring a bunch of bandits to get the prince’s attention. Is Prince Lin going to fall in love with her afterwards?

13. The way I gasped at this. She’s maRried to him?!

14. Wait what?

15. I know they previously told us he got abused in his mortal lifetime but I still thought he would be more powerful. How villainous is Xi Wu?

16. What is this the Lan Sect? I like the scenery tho.

17. He looks so ethereal. And a bit pitiful.

18. Girl stop being weird.

19. I keep stopping the episode every minute in this scene. She’s asking him to strangle her and he’s getting flustered and uncomfortable. I just wanna hug him.

20. Omg, you mostly see a ML doing this to a FL.

21. What are you inspecting?

22. He’s so adorable. He’s totally different from what I was expecting the mortal Tantai Jin was.

23. Oh, this man wants to kill you. Justifiably from what I’m currently seeing. Talking about the OG! Xi Wu, of course.

24. Oh, she was getting some kind of confirmation that it was him. She was having some traumatic flashbacks just by the way he glared at her

25. What are they? Cultivators? Because I can’t believe that’s possible. Does he not eat or sleep?

26. If Bingchang was the FL of this drama, Tantai Jin would be the second male lead. I know a bunch of manhwas where the villainess tries to romance the novel’s second male lead and then also gets the male lead’s attention. I think this drama might have the same format.

27. I snorted at Chuntao’s imitation of Xi Wu

28. Tantai Jin is a hostage prince?!

Ok, so this is not what I expected when I first heard about this drama when it was announced in 2021. I knew there was time travelling but thought the situation would be different. 

I saw posters like these and thought it was a modern girl falling into a fantasy world:

I was also under the assumption that Luo Yunxi was a demonic prince (sort of right about this) who woke off from a slumber then began to take over the world and reigned for over 500 years in darkness. Then they had to send Bai Lu to stop him. 

I know he’s going to turn evil in the future but I didn’t know that he would start off as a weak human. I’m not complaining, it’s a nice change from the usual male leads you see every time in dramas

[sinna-rou]

okay but WHO WAS GONNA TELL ME that luO YUNXI!!!! is cast as ChU WanNINg? I BEG YOUR FINEST PARDON?

someone’s gonna need to wipe me off the floor if Immortality ever airs because i am not ready

so you’re telling me that this

is the man gonna be playing THE pathetic wet cat, the “no one could ever possibly love me”

the stoic, the graceful yuheng elder

the desperately repressed

The White Cat, Chu Wanning????

i’m done. deceased. wake me up when it’s out

image credits: gifs 1&2 @xiaosean - 3&4 @kimp05 - 5 @trendingdrama - 6 @yilinglaozu - image 7 @inthefaceofadaffodil (also OP of the inciting post mentioned in the tags) - 8 official image

[deathbyoctopi]

By moonlight you shine on darkness of old

thy fate shall unfold on lovers divine.

A treasure to enshrine, a pearl bathed in gold

forever I hold your heart next to mine.

The Yiyue tribe has many courtship and wedding traditions, such as having the groom carve a crescent moon from white jade and a new moon from obsidian which match perfectly, like two halves of the same soul…

However, one tradition that had fallen into oblivion was chanting an ancient poem of love. These words echo in the tribe’s very soul, half-remembered and half-forgotten, and only in crumbling scrolls and the memory of the oldest and wisest can one still find them again.

Good thing Pang Yizhi remembers. Good thing Nian Baiyu recognizes it.

And good thing neither realize what those words really mean…

[moonsorchid]

Me: walking down the street saying hello to a pigeon

Tan Tai Jin: I taught you well

[thesinglelogbridge]

evil toxic cdrama male lead my beloved 💕

[aurantia-ignis]

Every now and then I see screencaps that people take of C-dramas with English subs and...... Good heavens. The translations are so bad and inaccurate and often sound awkward/unnatural... that I wonder if non-chinese viewers actually understand the writing/story they just watched....

[ginsoakedgirl80]

This post was the result of my idle moments at work thoughts yesterday and then Tumblr ate it, uuugh.

[ghcstvalleychief]

honestly, bing chang is oh so gorgeous but she's such a boring character. there's nothing dynamic about her; it's pretty sad. then again, her love interest is just as dull as she is. so much so that i forget he exists until he comes on-screen. 😒

[epicrox]

Till The End Of The Moon Thoughts - Episode 2

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW

PARTS: 1.1 | 1.2 | 2 |

This is mostly for me to look back on and see the moments that I caught my eye. Nothing analytical. I offer nothing to the table

I'm also a visual person so there's a lot of screenshots x

This is called my thoughts because I refuse to call what I'm writing down as a review. Reviews inform people and this post does nothing for people.

I’ve seen posts on Tumblr calling Tantai Jin a Disney princess cuz he’s being mistreated and talks to animals 🤨

The scenery is so pretty.

3. There seem to be Chinese subtitles on the right side of the screen indicating that background music is playing but I think they cut it out because I’m not hearing anything. Maybe it’s because I’m watching it on YouTube. I don’t know about other platforms.

4. Yeah, they cut the music now and it just sounds awkward and empty.

5. Omg she’s just leaving him there! Aren’t you supposed to keep him alive?

6. He legit looks like an old man because of the snow.

7. This man looks so delicate.

8. Even at the brink of getting hypothermia, he looks like he has a better chance of getting a modelling contract than me.

9. Disney Princess indeed.

10. Bingchang looks really sweet. I’m praying she doesn’t turn out evil or two-faced.

11. Wtf is this crow’s voice?!

12. It sounds like a demonic robot. This further proves my point about this show being sci-fi.

13. The crow’s basically a camera.

14. Then don’t let him die! That celestial being never told you to kill him and didn’t even mention the evil bone, your dad did. He literally told you that Tantai Jin’s torment and death triggered his demonic powers. All you need to do is prevent that! And what do you mean he deserves this?! He hasn’t done anything yet!

15. Her strategy is irritating me.

16. It looks like she’s cradling a head. Just the head.

17. I love that he just had to faint for her to understand the severity of the situation.

18. Wtf is that? His subconscious?

19. This demonic being reminds me of that demon that trains Luo Binghe after he gets pushed off the cliff.

20. He wants Tantai Jin to give him his soul to allow him eternal peace? Does he want to use Tantai Jin’s body as a vessel?

21. It’s the 2nd episode and we’ve got Xi Wu feeling him up.

22. Ma’am, how are you sleeping with that on your head?

23. She even got her dangly earrings on!

24. Get over what?

25. Ha! Xi Wu is having thoughts.

26. So am I.

27. She beats him?!

28. Why am I surprised?

29. OG!Xi Wu was an evil person.

30. The fact that she is hesitating about hitting him! Put the whip down! Even though he’ll see you’ve changed and would make him suspicious, at least he’ll be happy about not getting whipped.

31. She cares more about staying in character than changing the past.

32. At least take the gear off before you go to sleep.

33. After literally TORTURING HIM, you're worried for his health. It seems you’ve figured out actions have consequences.

34. AHHH!!!

35. Also as an otherworldly being, deity or whatever she is, Xi Wu can be really dense. I’d understand if she didn’t know how some things worked in the mortal world but for someone responsible for saving the world, your strategy is confusing.

36. I know she’s grieving for what had happened but she can prevent tragedies if she were a little smarter.

37. Is that even comfortable? I’ve always envied my parents for being able to sleep while sitting down because for some reason I can’t.

38. Awww. I love how confused he is.

39. He’s so delicate (This man is over 10 years older than me).

40. Yes, she’s possessed.

41. Just like villainess stories, is she hated by her family?

42. Oh no. She seems to be the favourite. Makes sense since the OG!Xi Wu was running around making trouble without much consequence. How can you be punished for your actions if you’re the Apple in your family’s eyes?

43. Also how many concubines does Xi Wu’s dad have? Does Bingchang and Xi Wu have different mothers?

44. It’s very clear from the beginning that the eldest brother is going to be useless.

45. Ze Yu just vanished. And make Xi Wu apologise to Bingchang. OG!Xi Wu must’ve thought she was entitled to everything. Bingchang must feel ostracised by her own family.

46. Wow, even the kitchen boys are bullying him. They’re probably gonna get beaten by Xi Wu and zapped when Tantai Jin gets into power.

47. This whole thing must be so humiliating as a prince.

48. How is he working in the kitchens and doing dishes while looking so pristine?

49. Is that ice?

50. Are they purposefully making him wash dishes in ice-cold water? Or is it something people did historically?

51. HE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING YET. But he’s going to.

52. I’m not sure you’re aware of this but you’re in the body of his abuser. Of course, he’s avoiding you. Like didn’t you whip him last night?

53. Also, you haven’t spent long enough in that body to make this statement.

54. Yep. I think they put the ice in to torment him.

55. This reminds me of a trope you mostly see in isekai mangas/manhwas where the ML is so rude and aloof towards the FL that all the servants start to think they can do it too.

56. One thing that irks me about these tropes (it irks a lot of other people too) is that when the FL begins to stand up for herself against the servants, she slaps them.

57. Ooh, the music changed.

58. Not only does he speak to robotic crows, but he’s also talking to flies. Or was that a wasp?

59. I was under the impression Tantai Jin would commit murder but he just made the head cook (I think) swallow a fly. His reaction after swallowing the fly would have made you think he was being poisoned or choked.

60. It’s funny that she’s lecturing the staff about how rude they are even though this whole time she kept on saying he deserved it. You left him in the cold and whipped him. You know he’s a captured prince.

61. She’s putting all the blame on the servants rather than saying that OG! Xi Wu and even herself were wrong.

62. Instead of Xi Wu slapping them, they’re slapping themselves.

63. “If I had dignity, I would’ve died years ago” He really is a Disney princess.

64. More specifically, Cinderella. I saw a video essay from a channel called The Take. They talk about how people victim blame Cinderella a lot for not fighting back her abusers. In one part of the video, they talked about how Cinderella allows the abuse to continue as it is very likely that her stepmother would kick her out if she acted out.

65. Tantai Jin doesn’t know that the Xi Wu in front of him is not the original. So if I were him, I’d be more cautious about what type of food Xi Wu feeds me than the servants. Although, OG!Xi Wu could’ve ordered the servants to poison Tantai Jin’s food.

66. This man gives me Jin Xixun vibes or Mo Xuanyu’s cousin who died in the first episode of MDZS/The Untamed.

67. Oh, this is hard to watch.

68. That guy threw the cake on the ground and then stepped on it. Even if I was hungry I could never take a bite of it. It took me a while to even eat/drink something that someone else touched with their hand or mouth.

69. Is she drugged or drunk?

70. omg

71. They kissed! And we’re on the 2nd episode. I know it isn’t the FL but still. I count it.

72. Ok, they’re drugged.

73. I remember the two actors were together in a previous drama and there was a make-out scene that everyone freaked out about. So I assume they know what they’re doing in this drama.

74. So someone tried to make Bingchang and Jin Xixun prince spend the night together by drugging them but instead, they both ate it. It was 100% OG! Xi Wu.

75. Oh wait, they actually did it? But they’re clothed.

76. He has every right to be suspicious of you and the food you’ve given him.

77. Gosh. That crow’s voice is terrifyingly comedic. I giggle every time it opens its beak.

78. Tantai Jin is definitely planning something.

79. At least he’s pretty while doing it. Look at this shot.

80. This king looks familiar. Wasn’t he the emperor from Ashes of Love?

81. Tantai Jin is definitely ripping his head off.

82. This whole political drama is going to push Tantai Jin to join the dark side.

[thegreymoon]

The most beautiful 🖤

Luo Yunxi for Hunan Satellite TV Spring Festival Gala

[anshares]

Just full body designs from my Xianxia AU aka TTEOTM!RH AU

+ arc 1 plot below the cut

ARC 1

Dan Heng is a member of one of the last surviving sects in a world razed by the Demon lord, Ren. His sect has an artifact that could end Ren’s life so Ren is in the hunt for it since it is his only weakness. While they are holding back Ren’s onslaught on their sect his seniors himeko and welt decided to use the artifact and send Dan Heng to the past to prevent the Demon lord’s destruction. A few hundred years ago Ren was a human prince who was born with Shuhu’s flesh, the original demon lord.

It lays dormant within him but due to him being cursed the people treat him with disdain and suffer abuse, the moment he was killed from it is when he rose as the demon lord to return to them what he experienced tenfold. Dan Heng's mission is to ensure that Ren won’t experience the cruelties he suffered and that he would live on normally at the same time finding a way to destroy Shuhu’s flesh in him. As his seniors were completing the ritual to send him back in time, Ren has already breached the sect and is now standing in front of DH who witnessed the slaughter of his friends, before he disappeared he vowed that he would kill Ren.

DH wakes up 700 years in the past in the body of Dan Feng, a haughty second prince of the Luofu. He suddenly discover that one, he is married to Yingxing (Ren’s name before he became the Demon lord) for half a year already. Two he is also one of the people who abused him, three Yingxing is nothing like the Demon lord Ren he saw, where was the cruel Demon lord who plunged the world into chaos. This man seems docile and why is he kneeling in the garden in the middle of winter?! (“Master Dan Feng, you are the one who ordered him to do this….”his servant reminds him) Oh great! not off to a great start, why didn’t he travel to the time before he got married to him, how is he supposed to win the trust of someone who is wary of him already. also another hurdle is that he doesn’t know how he will interact with him esp the last time he saw him he slaughtered his friends how the heck would he interact with the murderer but that was him from the future, This is now and he will make sure he would succeed in his mission with the hand that he is dealt with but first he gets him out of there and stops the “punishment” that Dan Feng gave him.

Yingxing was confused on the sudden change of attitude with Dan Feng, he was suspicious and distrustful of this “new” Dan Feng since it might be another one of his ploys and it's back to beatings again.DH also finds out that the servants disrespect him and DF does nothing about it and just lets his servants, he doesn't really care about his husband cuz he is just a hostage prince.

Yingxing is a prince from Zhuming who was sent to Luofu as hostage as part of the peace treaty between two kingdoms and was chosen to be Dan Feng’s betrothed. DH tries to be nice to him but all he get is wary glances, one time he was able to make Yingxing talk, YX tries to warn him that whatever he is planning now gotta stop as if it would change his opinion of him because at the end of the day DF would still treat him as he always does. DH asks why he thinks that and finds out what he thought of everyone of how everyone simply enjoys on hurting the weak altho he hasn’t done anything to warrant such treatment” so DH asks him if he has any grudges he just answers with its already exhausting enough to survive in this hellish place he doesn't have energy to think about anything else.

It gave DH insight on YX and how he became Demon lord in the first place, no one showed him kindness and guided him on the right path since he was only shown cruelty so he will give back cruelty so he decided to be that person the one who will guide him to the right path.

After that, their relationship changes, DH tries to do things for him like feeding him proper food, buying him proper winter clothes, and hanging out with him. YX slowly warms up to DH since even though they don't talk much his presence is comforting since he is not alone anymore. YX thought that DF is starting to care for him but all of that was dashed when he accidentally eavesdrop on DF and crown prince Yubie, DH tries to act like the haughty prince that DF is since his brother inquired on the sudden shift in attitude with YX, He thought he hated him so he tells his brother that he extended kindness since he is worried that it wouldn't be good for the kingdom if Zhuming finds out they mistreated their prince, The peace treaty is already delicate as it is. If Yubie thinks that DF cares for YX, don't because he can’t truly care for him, it’s impossible ... he never liked him from the start anyway, he hates him with every fiber of his being.

YX was disappointed and furious because all of the kindness that was shown to him by DF wasn't genuine and was all just a ploy. Most of all he was angry with himself for believing it, he should've known, people dont change that easily. He was deceived by that kindness, that DF only cares so that Luofu would be safe but in the end they still think that he is a jinx who only brings disasters. For the first time, he wanted vengeance which activated his dormant powers

YX tried to unleash his newfound powers at a royal banquet hosted by Yubie by summoning spirits, he was surprised on how DF was able to protect his brother with warding charms, he didn’t expect DF to be capable like that. DH found YX and tried to protect him with his body from the spirits that surrounded them, this left YX perplexed so he got rid of the spirits.

DH was relieved that they are both safe now and checks if YX is injured anywhere while YX internally wonders if DF hates him why would he sacrifice himself to save him? YX is prepared to trust him again since for him actions speak louder than words, so he confronts DF on why go back and save him since he saw that he was running out of the mansion. DH tells him that they are husbands am i not suppose to protect you and be with you for better or worse

YX asks if he likes him, DH reluctantly answers yes and reasons out that they have grown fond of each other since they have spent time together recently.

YX: If you like me, teach me those charms you used this way we can spend more time together

DH: why would you want to learn that?

YX: because i also want to be capable of protecting my loved one

DH is surprised that someone like him suddenly has something he wants to protect, so he agrees and makes him promise to take care of himself too because he really doesn’t want to risk his life to save him again.

They spend time in the library with DH teaching YX illusion charms, he shows him an illusion of maple forest, and a vast galaxy of stars. They became closer and fell asleep on each other till Yubie found them the next day which embarrassed DH greatly.

They also went out and spent the whole day at a festival which made YX loosen up and felt special since all of DF's attention was on him, they even played in the snow and lit up fireworks. YX was smiling at DF as he watched him light up fireworks, he starts falling for him now.

Messengers from zhuming secretly contacted yx to let him know that he needs to go back to his kingdom and take back the throne from the usurpers since his father is now bedridden but why should he when they were the ones who threw him here in the first place being a cursed prince.

Also he doesn't want to go back since DF is in luofu but the situation seems dire if the messengers started begging so YX tried to take DF with him but refused since it can be seen as DF defecting and betraying the luofu if DF goes with him so yx has kidnaps him instead.

While on the boat to zhuming, it was revealed that the messengers were in on it too and tried assassinating yx but with yx powers slaughtering them was easy and DH who managed to escape from captivity witnessed this scene.

Even after all the time they spent dh still doesn't trust yx after all it's still his mission to prevent the demon lord rising. And his current actions just proves that his real nature cant be changed as he could easily slaughter people.

DH escaped by jumping from the ship, YX also follows later even with his powers he is still human, injured and outnumbered. Once ashore, he also find yx weak from injuries and apparently poisoned too so he tries to nurse him back to health and tells him he isn't allowed to die. When he is well enough, DH leaves him near zhuming where attendants who are still on yx side found him. He returned to Zhuming, overthrew the usurpers and was crowned emperor.

DH travels all around zhuming trying to find a clue about shuhu’s flesh, DH believes he can find information about it on yx homeland. At the same time Yubie deploys an army to rescue his brother that yx kidnapped and orders they kill yx afterwards.

-ARC 1 END-

Stay tuned for Arc 2~

[starmist]

Li Susu, Tantai Jin, Xiao Lin and the "Miscommunication" Trope

One thing a lot of people don't understand about tteotm's "miscommunication trope" is that it's very much based in the reality and experiences of the characters.

Susu and Tantai Jin do NOT trust each other and that's a direct consequence of what happened in the Sheng/Boat arc.

Li Susu

In Sheng, Susu genuinely believed that Tantai Jin was changing and becoming a better person only to learn that he had been practicing demonic cultivation and was kidnapped by him immediately afterwards.

After having experienced Tantai Jin's heavy backtrack and her experiences with the devil god, her trust in him is precarious. She'd looked past her prejudices and trusted him once only to be kidnapped, learned she'd been manipulated into marriage by a man who drove his nanny mad, killed a man and then told by that she would suffer the same fate. Why should she rely on this man when he'd already tricked her multiple times?

Not to mention she had in fact had pleaded for mercy on Xiao Lin once already and been denied before the words manged to come out of her mouth. Of course she assumed the worst of Tantai Jin when he killed the king and the later went on to go behind his back to save Xiao Lin.

Tantai Jin

Tantai Jin also began to believe that Susu cared about him but then heard her tell Xiao Lin how badly she wanted to kill him. Then, when he managed to trust her again after he'd been poisoned and she'd refused to abandon him, she then she disappeared on him showing up 4 months later with Xiao Lin at her back whom she then left with again.

In his point of view Susu has repeated chosen Xiao Lin over him, a man he believes she once loved. Something that is proved to him by her trying to save him because the definition of love he knows is wanting to see someone and wanting to protect them.

He has seen her go back to him time and time again. Protect him in the Mohe River, go to his camp when she'd thought he was launching a surprise attack, even trying to protect Xiao Lin when he'd just tried to ASSASSINATE him.

(Side note: a lot of people a quite frustrated with Susu trying to protect Xiao Lin asking what her skin in the game is but she even tried to protect Bingchang like hello?? Also that man has all but been her BROTHER twice not to mention protected and cared for even in this life, ofc she doesn't want to see him die again)

Miscommunication and Mistrust

Their "miscommunication" is deeply rooted in, if not is entirely mistrust and i feel like once you understand that and why it like that the "trope" becomes not only a lot more understandable but also adds to the story. Susu very reasonably does not trust Tantai Jin, and he the same, and that's the true tragedy, how can you devote yourself or the WORLD to a person you don't trust with your heart or well being?

You don't, you cant, no matter how much you love them. You have to have a foundation for something to be built

[gusucloud]

TILL THE END OF THE MOON I Me and the Devil (Their Story)

Happy first anniversary to this C drama that has impacted so many of us in 2023 ! It was quite hard to make this edit, reliving these 40 episodes in a week, in this longer edit than what I usually do ; But I thought TTEOTM deserved this ! (I've personally edited the song a lot too, to allow me to edit nearly 6 minutes.)

[blackmoonlightexpress]

About the mixed response in China & why I think TTEOTM will prevail in the end 💪

Saw the "Badly Received in China?" post earlier and thought to share a longer take on the situation in China, why are there so many antis, and my own predictions on its future.

First, a clarification, TTEOTM has been an massive hit in China. The data speaks for itself in every way you can measure commercial success: viewership, platform membership, app downloads, social media heat index, advertisements, merchandise sales, unintended tourism GDP contribution. The drama has shattered records and outperformed all the recent xianxias, which you'd never dare to expect for a drama with no dingliu (顶流) that airs exclusively in the dead April slot on a platform that's 3rd (sometimes 4th) amongst online streamers. (Some day I'll create a master post just on the stats.)

The only area it falls short on is critical response. It's not just the low Douban rating (opened at 6.x and now dropped to 5.6). The three Bs - Douban, Weibo, and Bilibili (which you can think of as China's IMDB, Twitter, and Youtube) were full of attacks against the show. This included trending topics on how the actors looked (LYX too thin, BL looking old/big/overshadowed by CDL, CDL 照骗 not looking as good as in photo) as well as allegations of plagiarism and drama behind the scenes between cast & crew members. A lot of people watched video edits that twisted the facts and had a poor impression of the drama and even left 1/2-star reviews on Douban without ever watching an episode. (This type of brainwashing is more effective than you'd think. I've been reading a lot of negative posts about the Little Mermaid movie and almost caught myself writing something negative about it without ever watching.)

As all of this unfolded, I kept asking myself, why all the smearing? Who is behind it? And why TTEOTM in particular?

A lot of what appears to be normal user activity is driven by water armies, marketing accounts, and "black" hot search ranking, all paid. This is all backed up by photo evidence captured by netizens. It comes down to commercial interests of rival platforms, productions, actors. This actually happens to every drama that is threatening in some way (almost a proof of success), but TTEOTM attracted more anti $$$. Why? For one, it's seen as the secret weapon that could elevate Youku's status as a 3rd/4th player to a close 2nd to rival and even at times overshadow Tencent. It's no coincidence that, Bilibili, which is owned by Tencent and has way more daily active users than Youku, has promoted hate videos and limited the traffic of fan videos - at some point not even recognizing the drama's Chinese title in search results. (Bilibili used to be a haven for LYX fans and a platform LYX has partnered with extensively. This flipped 180 degrees since he no longer has any unaired dramas with Tencent.)

TTEOTM is also a target for rival productions. It's got big name stars with solid acting reputation, one of the hottest IPs, and high anticipation from all the promotional materials - they've been super loud in letting everyone know that they have better costumes, special effects etc Meanwhile, there's a massive pipeline of unaired xianxia dramas that stick to the old formula and will likely feel dated after people have watched TTEOTM. People even started questioning how some productions with bigger rumored budgets ended up with cheaper-looking promotional materials, costumes, CGI (read: embezzling). So if you've invested in xianxia 101, you'd really want to discredit TTEOTM and stop people from watching it.

But there's also rival fandom jealousy, which is almost worse. Someone asked which fandom is behind it, I would say everyone. There are only so many "resources" to go around in the "entertainment winter" and it's a zero sum game. LYX and BL are both already big stars but still not at the top yet. They are big enough to threaten the dinglius, but not big enough to be accepted as having "made it" by other rising stars. E.g. Yang Mi, Yang Zi, Xiao Zhan receive a lot of hate too, but it's less realistic as a prospect to bring them down. In contrast, the smearing of Bai Lu actually kind of worked. (And I'm really talking about the fans. The actors probably leave it to their agencies/companies.)

Other fandoms are especially bitter in this case because TTEOTM really upset the status quo and commonly accepted truths in a way that kind of discredits everyone else. A lot of the below have been used by fans of dinglius as excuses for when a drama doesn't perform:

Youku is a rubbish platform and Youku exclusive web dramas will never have high viewership

It’s impossible for an actor to break out twice within the same genre

An actor can only develop a big dedicated fan base with CP marketing

Breakout hits are always unanticipated dramas that come out of nowhere

Autumn/Spring is a dead slot. Hits can only come out of the summer and winter holidays.

IMHO A lot of the intense hatred comes from long held beliefs being proven wrong. LYX has always been thought of someone who’s borderline A list and B list, yet the opening viewership of TTEOTM is like double that of dramas led by bigger stars. It would have been less threatening if it started low and slowly gained traction because the drama proved to be good. But the initial hype speaks to the market power of a LYX xianxia, so a lot of people wanted to see it fail and looked for faults everywhere.

Moreover, because TTEOTM had an explosive opening, it did not have enough time for word of mouth to develop before people started bashing it. If you look at Douban ratings, shows that fewer people watched tend to have better reviews because only fans bother to rate it. Starry Love and Back from the Brink, both harshly dismissed as flops by the industry, both have >7.0 on Douban. Meanwhile, people love to hate on a show that is receiving a lot of hype - suddenly they are held to completely different standards even if the budget is similar. Why are people more accepting of the rise of Dylan Wang and Esther Yu in LBFAD? In the end because the expectations were pretty low. They were able to build up a fan base while no one was watching.

Finally, TTEOTM does have lots of production problems, some of their own doing and others not their fault. Either way this left the drama less defensible in the face of scrutiny or tucao (吐槽) culture. The production is very ambitious and took risks, but did not deliver everywhere. It's got parts that look like a blockbuster film and parts that look like a B grade TV show. I personally did not like some of the editing, lighting, cinematography, color grading, special effects, makeup. AND this is precisely the type of production details Chinese viewers LOVE to fixate on. Meanwhile, compared to western viewers, they are more forgiving about things like mediocre acting, dubbing, slow pacing, repetitive tropes or storylines, uninteresting characters. (I think this has something to do with cultural differences around rewarding perfect execution over innovation/risk-taking, sum of the parts over parts that carry the sum.)

And then, there are creative choices that are daring and controversial. These are not problems per se - for every viewer that hates it, someone loves it because it's different. But this perhaps explain why its score has dropped further, even in non-Chinese platforms like MDL, even amongst fans of the show. For example... (spoilers ahead)

Opting for a bad/open ending, knowing that it'll upset some fans, but sticking to it because they feel that it protects the overall integrity of the story (no deus ex machina). Of course, most viewers prefer a happy ending. It would have been easy to just give people what they want. The screenwriter doesn't even have to come up with a new ending for god's sake! However, almost every xianxia that has come before has resurrected the lead character after the big climax. Viewers have been making fun of the cop out: What's the significance of life and death if everyone just reincarnates?

Packing lots of details in a fast-paced, highly complicated, non-linear plot, trusting viewers to be engaged enough to use their brain, rewatch, and discuss outside the show (a bit like Christopher Nolan films). The downside of this is that it's hard to edit out a scene. There's also high risk of viewers getting confused and complaining that the plot makes no sense. Even though most things do if you go several layers down, some rightly point out that they just want to be entertained and the drama should stand on its own.

Making this a male lead centric (大男主) drama, which is rare in the xianxia genre that more recently has targeted young women exclusively. The story shifts from focusing on LSS's mission to TTJ overcoming his fate, perhaps at the expense of the romance (a criticism I see a lot from viewers looking for a pure love story). However, for context, viewers in China (including CCTV itself) have been complaining that the xianxia genre has lost the "xia” (heroism). It's gone from Chinese Paladin, which is about ordinary people overcoming odds to become heroes, to stories that are just about pretty people, who happen to be gods, falling in love since the success of Eternal Love and Journey of the Flower. TTEOTM brings the focus back to "zero to hero" character development, so this is also a change that many welcome.

Allocating a crazy portion of budget and screentime to superhero fight sequences. I agree with all the critics who say these scenes don't add much to the story, the B roll looks better without CGI, and they could have kept other scenes instead. BUT guess which scenes I find myself rewatching and showing off to friends the most? Episodes 14, 15, 32. Because it is thrilling and glorious. Plus after enduring so many Marvel films over the years, I'm pleased to see a version that's genuinely Chinese (not some pan-Asian BS), rooted in our philosophy and martial arts tradition, featuring Chinese faces that have real kungfu training.

Going over the top on aesthetics - colorful costumes, hair accessories, and heavy makeup. A violent reaction against the simple pastel aesthetics that have dominated xianxias over the years. Of course, lots of people hated on the eyeliner and found the extravagant visuals distracting.

However, even with all its flaws, I'm glad it aired and did not wait for perfection. (A lot of May dramas did not go live last minute due to "technical problems" i.e. government censorship. These days, airing = success.) In addition, I predict that over time people will come to appreciate TTEOTM more. Here's why:

1) A lot of dramas now widely lauded as classics started out with poor ratings. Over time, the noise will die down and make way for what really matters - compelling acting and story. Empresses in the Palace (2011) opened with a Douban rating of 2.7 out of 10 (yes, this bad). Viewers didn't like the casting choice. They thought the actors looked bad. There were also issues with the costumes. Over time, its rating increased to 9.4. It's now a show rewatched so loyally that data analysts use its viewership to track market size. Similarly, a lot of the issues people have with TTEOTM are superficial. The things that matter most like acting are good, and even if you dislike the story and editing choices, it did manage to keep 70M people watching and engaged till the end, incl. people who don't watch a lot of TV or like this genre.

2) Moreover, when people look back or rewatch, they tend to focus on just the highlights, and TTEOTM is full of memorable scenes. There are also so many standout memes/gags (出圈梗) that will live in our cultural fabric forever. Fans on Douban were surveyed on who they would have chosen as the director instead and still overwhelming "rehired" Kuk Kok Leung. Biases aside, I think people realize that you could have a better executed drama overall - higher production value, greater consistency, more attention to detail, BUT you might also lose a lot of the things we loved. I don't know if another director would have allowed TTJ go full creepy/evil/weak in the first few episodes or filmed all the steamy love scenes without a modesty backlight. TTEOTM feels so different because it breaks ALL the rules (see above) that I'm not sure if dramas in the future will try to replicate. If they do, TTEOTM would have started a trend. If they don't, TTEOTM will remain the only option.

3) Only dramas that inspire passion will stand the test of time. There are plenty of dramas that score well but don't inspire passion - they will fade away over time. The TTEOTM fan community is intense - there's so much discussion and engagement everywhere. Its Douban group is the #3 most active ever (measured by # of comments). Its MDL page has 68K comments, highest of all aired CDrama. Its Douyin topic has close to 29B views, highest of all costume drama. (Interesting to note that TTEOTM has an excellent reputation on Douyin, the platform with the most active users and least amount of toxic fan activity.) Fans have spent >25M RMB on merchandise, an unprecedented amount - 3M RMB on a character that appears for <10 mins (OG Devil God). It's got to have done something right because this is way more buying power than the fans of LYX and BL combined. And in my N=1, I've not been this excited about a franchise since Game of Thrones and then Harry Potter.

Bottom line, you might have liked it, liked it with regrets, hated it... but if you're spending the time to read this post, all the way till the end, you've become a luna-tic (or 烬神病人)!

[crookedfandomquill]

Alright, folks, I rewatched the Bo’re Life arc this week, and I have thoughts and a newfound appreciation for it (what? Me? Liking the Bo’re arc?It’s more likely than you’d think). As my mom used to say at the start of road trips or our semi-annual family viewing of The Sound of Music: buckle up, chitlins. 

Okay, first off: this arc is a lot easier and more interesting to watch the second time around. I suspect that’s because I’m not chomping at the bit to just get back to Tantai Jin and Susu in the real world, since I already know what happens. This time, I can settle in and appreciate Bo’re Life without the urgency of “when is the actual story going to come back, fuck you writers”. It’s also very fun for me to draw parallels and find foreshadowing I didn’t notice before. And, having done so, I present the following thesis: the Bo’re Life arc strengthened the overall story both as a tragedy, and as a “happy” ending.

Addendum: I have a lot of thoughts about what constitutes a happy ending, and my thoughts on TTEOTM in this regard are complicated. Essentially, I would argue that the ending, while certainly sad, isn’t a “tragedy” in the narrative sense. While the individual happiness of the characters takes a real blow in the end, they do accomplish their ultimate goal. It’s a pyrrhic victory, but a victory nonetheless, and it’s implied that they will get a much happier ending as individuals sometime in the future. That doesn’t mean it was as satisfying as it could have been (it seems clear that TTJ will come back but I'm pissed we didn't get to see it), and I know a lot of viewers will totally disagree with my opinion. But I digress! Let’s get into Bo’re Life.

Bo’re Life threw a LOT of information at both protagonists, and the roles they played in it didn’t correspond neatly with their own destinies, which kind of baffled me the first time around. Ming Ye represented both what Tantai Jin could aspire to be, and the mistakes Susu needed to avoid in neutralizing him. Sang Jiu represented both Susu’s traumas and doomed loveline, and Tantai Jin’s fate if Susu failed as Ming Ye had.

The parallels between Bo’re life and real life perfectly underline the tragedy of the story: both protagonists are shown beforehand the choices they must not make, but because of who they are, they make them anyway.

Susu was an idealistic and traumatized woman with a mission, so she was always going to fail like Ming Ye did by putting the greater good ahead of love and communication. Tantai Jin was a disempowered and naive man falling in love for the first time, so he was always going to be just like Sang Jiu and give his fragile heart too fully, then shatter under the weight of betrayal. Bo’re Life both foretold the tragedy, and failed to prevent it. 

It could be argued that Tantai Jin and Susu played the wrong roles in Bo’re Life to avoid tragedy in the Jing arc, but they played the right roles to avoid it in the cultivator arc. In the mortal world, Susu needed Ming Ye’s experience of losing everything because he neglected his heart. And Tantai Jin needed Sang Jiu’s experience of subsuming herself in another person so recklessly that she lost her soul to it. Neither of them got that, and so they repeated the tragedy of 10,000 years ago: Susu by loving and then betraying Tantai Jin, and Tantai Jin by allowing his obsessive love to run unchecked.

But as cultivators, 500 years later, they both ended up relying on the virtues of the roles they played in Bo’re Life. Susu channeled Sang Jiu’s optimistic love and staunch loyalty to repair her relationship with Tantai Jin and become someone he could genuinely rely on. And Tantai Jin needed Ming Ye’s sacrificial love and dedication to the greater good to understand and execute his subversion of destiny.

This time around, they were both where they needed to be, playing the roles fate assigned them… but drastically changing the lines. Susu became a goddess, just like her mother, the only being who could defeat the Devil Lord. And Tantai Jin became the Devil Lord, just as he was born to do. But there was no battle between them, no great war like 10,000 years ago. Just like during their dance at the Jing water festival, Tantai Jin played his part, then surrendered.

And, just as she removed his mask 500 years ago, Susu saw through his act to who he really was, who he’d always been.

They redeemed the very mistakes they made at the end of their story in Jing: Susu, who couldn’t trust him and destroyed him as a result, finally gave him her trust, even as he wore the image of her greatest fears. And Tantai Jin, who was so desperate for her love that he killed her trying to keep her, finally let her go to save the world. 

The Jing arc ended with both of them as the worst versions of themselves: Susu vengeful and traumatized, Tantai Jin obsessive and broken. As she died, Susu threw Tantai Jin’s destiny in his face, calling him the greatest curse and rejecting him in this life and the next. In his last days in Jing, Tantai Jin devolved into despair and denial, unable to cope with the grief and betrayal. They didn't learn the correct lessons in Bo're life, not this time around.

By contrast, the cultivator arc ended with both of them as the best versions of themselves: Susu capable of trust and forgiveness and elevated to godhood, Tantai Jin whole and loved and able to overturn his evil destiny. They learned, not just from their own mistakes, but from those of Ming Ye and Sang Jiu. And it helped them win.

[mirageofadesert]

Essay Master Post: Till The End Of The Moon

This is a collection of all my essays about the show Till The End of The Moon. I have explored most of the main characters and themes in length. The show excels in its literary story-telling full of complex characters, subtle symbolism and deliberate references to (modern) social issues. This makes it so fun to explore - in detail!

☾ Tantai Jin

☾ Li Susu / Ye Xiwu

☾ Pian Ran

☾ Ye Bingchang