AmericanoLover

Because they sold rights to netflix

That isn't sad because Ashes of Love ends on the same premise with FL being reborn as human and the ML is immortal yet they start a family together and no one has called that a tragedy. I headcanon when her 27 years life she has left are up Shi Ying will pick her up (like the ending of Les Miserables) so they can truly be together forever and that's the beauty of imagination when it comes to Xianxia you can just make up the rules of how their universe works unless explicitly told.

As I understood from Zhi Yuan's explanations, the merfolk and Kongsang people have always coexisted peacefully since ancient times but eventually the humans became the stronger and more dominant force which led to the inequalities they live with today. Emperor Xingzun sealed the God of Dragon who was a key figure to the merfolk and without the Sea Emperor they have no leader to help them fight for their rights or evacuate them out to safety. The merfolk who live in KongSang have probably been born and raised there for generations, it's like trying to send Asian Americans back to Asia when it is just a place of ethnic origin but not their true home. That is why with the Marine Force led by Elder Jian he wanted to fight back with force at any cost because KongSang is their home just like anyone else while Zhi Yuan chose the evacuation route to lose the least amount of lives and ensure the safety of his people. I am sure that in the drama's post story KongSang under new rule will start to improve the relationship with the Merfolk but it will definitely take long to undo generations worth of racial prejudice so the merfolk are safer in Biluo Sea for now.

I love him 1000x more for being able to actually change what was prophesized for KongSang...no regrets

It's kinda funny how we can create a symbolic meaning behind the english title, but I wanna know any interpretation of the Chinese title 玉骨遙

Ok I did it and added more stuff, feel free to read

Really? Will people think I'm trying to invalidate their feelings lol

I should also add that this kind of mindset is expected from Xiao Zhan. He never pities himself for circumstances out of his control and wants to live life with no regrets, so this is probably how he personally connected to Shi Ying's story. There were times he was asked if he would go back to the past if he could (which hits hard when you remember he was the target of massive cyberbullying campaign) and he always refuses because living in the past would trap people in a cycle of negativity. The way he maintains a positive mindset on life after all he's been through and focus on improving himself is why he is such an admirable person to follow.

I just made that connection too lol!!! Another piece of evidence to add to my list ; w ; Others might hate it but I am weak for this kind of love story common in myths where gods take pity on two lovers and help them reunite.

Caught up to most of people's reactions here and other places after finishing the show and I would say watching XZ interviews and his interpretation of the story changed the perspective of the ending I originally had. People would say the blood oath spell and tribulations were useless in the end if the main couple didn't get to live out their lives together, which yes I totally get that point because we are the viewers and we want to see our main couple stay together after all the shit they've been through. In a Baidu interview XZ says: "[Shiying] is not really miserable, it's all due to his own choices, so I don't think he's miserable" and that interpretation struck a chord in me. He says he finds this drama unique because the main characters are mortals with one life so the choices they make are precious. And this mindset would resurface in interviews, his personal message to Shi Ying, and his studio promotional material where there is a big emphasis on Shi Ying having no regrets with the choices he made.

I just think it's interesting how everyone has different interpretation of the character's fate. You will hate it if you had the novel to compare it to and wanted to see the main couple living out their lives together and continue the family line. But with XZ's interpretation I can tell he really admires Shi Ying's dedication to change the fate of Kong Sang's downfall through his own sacrificial choices, even when he was already given a second chance of life with his loved one. Plus as an actor he probably did not put so much weight on what went down in the novel as we can see how different his Shi Ying and story events turned out. I think it's just funny how as viewers we pity Shi Ying for his tragic life from beginning to "end" while the actor sees Shiying having a fulfilling life albeit short-lived. NOT SAYING people's takes are right or wrong here, just wanted to include perspective from the actor himself which I found to be interesting and different from viewers which added another perspective to the story. Also just wanted to appreciate how deeply he analyzes his characters pov and motivations.

I'm in USA, didn't think they would region lock the press con

For me you have to scroll down past the episode numbers and then theres a section called "related videos (19)" and the press con is the first video in the playlist

Wetv has the full press con subbed but VIP only

I also considered that its not like the tanabata/qixi myth where they only reunite one day, because flowers can have seasons lasting for weeks/months soo it's more like the Persephone where she can only come up the surface for a few months for me.

LOL I'm catching up to these comments after avoiding this page for days and you made the same shadow conclusion too so glad I'm not the only one 🤝For me I think they put in enough detail in his last moments to let viewers conclude that really was him coming back and that was enough for me. The shadow detail might not be enough to convince people but the editing could have been more blatant with other additions eg. making him more transparent or start to fade away in the last shot

Was there a specific tweet you are referencing? I had to avoid that website until today for the VIP finale, unless you meant the scenes in ep 35 where she has to retrieve the spell from memories.

that ring claiming scene was badass, with the characters of the incantation popping up and the ring materializing on his hand OOF

I did see people's reaction to the ending days before VIP got to finish today and so I prepared for the very worst based on the description but I find it to be only bittersweet at most but not full on tragedy. I feel like they put thought into the little hints using common xianxia tropes that he really did return in the end so with MY personal interpretation I really don't have the same gut-wrenching feeling I did before finishing the show. I also read a novel vs drama tweet that explains why the drama ending is more significant to the overall conflict of the story so that also made me feel alot better. TLDR I went into the finale expecting to be left with a big hole in my heart but had my expectations subverted instead. Hope this cheers you up, I watched this drama along with other friends and they don't have a bleak take on the ending either.

They've done fast track for popular dramas last year too it seems no one is safe from the cash grab

WOW!!! THAT red ribbon