haineko

I’m hopeful, but I’m not optimistic. I feel as though the editing is barely catching up with the airing schedule, as per Youku’s standards.

But, here’s to hoping they can pull off the last few in time for an early access 🤞

No, the reason MN appears is to facilitate GYJW becoming stronger after discovering everyone has been treating him as a clone of XL (you wouldn’t want that to happen to you, now do you?). After that he’ll become part of TTJ’s plot to get rid of the Demon Lors forever. Everything happens for a reason.

And she will die.

Yes they are, even if they turn every episode into 50-55 minutes as long as there isn’t 58 episodes it’s not enough.

Guys, Mo Nv has 4 minutes of shared screen time with GYJW today (he has 6). I don’t think it’s going to help balance out LSS’s storyline as a whole. This whole next arc is about TTJ struggling to overcome the Demon’s control… if today’s episode hurt you, then tomorrow will be a shit show because the script is basically for the side characters (like prep before the final battle kind).

and not, definitely NOT from Youku. have you seen the hot search they’ve given her? it’s all to highlight her evilness and to amass people to hate her

ngl the couple is pretty popular in Chinese fandoms

Yeah, Youku has had a looooooooooonnnnng history of editing as they air - Word of Honor, Blood of Youth, The Starry Love - if you watch them you'll notice the quality gets progressively worse as the show nears the end. This is particularly obvious with Word of Honor, as in the first 8 episodes you'll see beautiful filters, the actors skin moderately smoothed still leaving natural texture, and when the show blew up and they sped up the schedule, it's so much worse. Like in episode 10 during the protagonists' fight you can BARELY see their features in 3D against the snow (especially WKX). Even though they've had tons of time to tweak and fix things most of it is set in stone and still till this day the first 8 episodes is a whole league above the rest.

And TTEOTM is special. If you didn't know, the production company basically launched the project for LYX in celebration of them setting up a new business together (this is a well known secret within the Chinese fandom). So of course the whole story is going to be fixated on him. Problem is, the script leaked about a year before airing, and so a lot of people who were already interested (and even those who don't - I got it by accident) read it way before. With the ad campaigns boasting DunHuang beauty and the script being SUPER good, let's just say the bar of expectation was set pretty high. The show was set at 58 episodes (though the script said 40 - but words cannot be the same length as video), then was cut to 50 and to be separated into 2 seasons.

Then came the new policy which says any romance/period drama that's above 40 episodes must be separated into 2 seasons airing 3 months apart. Because this will directly cause them to lose money, they transformed it into 40 episodes with roughly 50 minutes per episode rather than the usual 45 minutes. If you do the math, that's about 50 minutes cut off.

Then came the big day... and the show wasn't NEARLY as colorful and vibrant as the ad campaigns have promised. I kinda knew, because Youku has a reputation of making things super mute, but you can't expect everybody who has been hyped to understand your inability to, you know, deliver (which I know CGI is super expensive because I work in the industry, but they shouldn't have hyped this up so much).

And then came the problem with the dispersion of the show. Some fans did the math and the first 8 something episodes had about 300 minutes of story for TTJ and YXW each, and about 20 minutes of air time of XL and YBC. Like whoa. What's more, to cause discourse and chaos among the fans of the show, the production company had several very, very nasty hot search topics posted:

"YBC is born evil" "YBC is the master of sexual seduction" "Can you see how horrid YBC is" etc.

Like, what? She isn't even evil then lol. And so, due to the fight that have already occurred last year (some fans who haven't read the book and only commented how pretty Chen DuLing was in the posters got a HUGE lecturing from novel fans and some lead actor fans basically forbidding them to like her and this backfired pretty bad - evil or not, let me be the judge), the platform took advantage to reignite this fire in order to bring popularity to the show. Which I guess kind of worked for a little while.

The problem with that is YBC's character trope is actually pretty popular in Chinese fandoms nowadays. The kind of harmless person who was bullied all their life and one day had a flash of recognition and rose to become someone who doesn't want to be the victim anymore. The kind that puts themselves first and love second.

I mean I know you guys all hate YBC, I know, Bitchang, but the thing is if you read the script then you have her backstory, and it's much easier to sympathize with her character somewhat. She's still evil, but there's a backstory to that. Like all of the main cast agree with that because in some of their interviews, they talk about how they look to their character's backstory and reflect it in their acting. The problem with the show is that it basically rendered all side characters flat, and so their only purpose, whether or not they're evil, is to push the story forward.

And then, more discourse, more fighting. And the part where YBC was talking to the Demon Lord aired. Then.... hot topic search "Let me see who dares sympathize with YBC!". Needless to say this didn't sit well lmao. Like come on, ordering people around is just wrong.

Pretty much after that more and more people are deciding to take a step back and not be pushed by the platform's way of thinking. This is mainly due to the fact people started reading the script again, and found that there are soooo many layers to side characters that meet the eye.

For example, the show deleted YQY's arc almost completely. How he felt so guilty after betraying his country because he'd be leaving his people behind, how his father was so mad he almost cut ties with his son, how, even after TTJ became emperor he still felt like a traitor despite his efforts. Or the fact that grandmother is actually the Princess of her original country and that despite her family defecting, she never wanted to associate with TTJ? Like, there are parts where you watch for fun, but there are parts where the minute you think just for a little more than a minute the character collapses.

Unfortunately, a significant chunk of it makes TTJ look bad. Which is fine, I still like to think of him as a mix between good and bad, and so for him to be 100% good is just not realistic given his background. It'll be much better if he knows he's bad but struggles to be good and control his impulses. But anyway, from that point on the show has had so many tweaks in dialogue it basically broke the story in some parts.

For example, when TTJ killed XL, he made sure to use this artifact that will shatter his soul and make sure he can't reincarnate, which is why PYZ went through the last ditch effort to save XL from disappearing completely. After this was discussed, the show changed his way of reincarnation from using 'a sliver of essence/soul' into 'an essence/soul', which just makes PYZ look absolutely dumb for making a pointless sacrifice.

For example, despite YBC being a villain, the love between her and XL are reciprocated and they each have a line of dialogue which reflects this before their respective deaths. After this was discussed as compared to how the main couple fights for the tiniest things, the lines of dialogue were deleted.

For example, before YXW died she had a famous line of dialogue which goes "You are now no longer a reincarnation of Demon, you bear the essence of a God and I pray you will become one that loves everything in this world." After it was discussed how she was so much greater than TTJ in this scene, this line of dialogue was deleted.

For example, TTJ fed PR poison in the beginning to tame her. After this was discussed, they intentionally added a line to the script to turn this into 'it was medicine I fed her'.

For example, in today's update, when GYJW was mesmerized by the Night Demon his eyes turned purplish in the preview. After it was discussed how much prettier he has become, his eyes were made black.

For example, in today's update, where MN is actually just setting up a small refuge for other weaker demons and is a much better reflection than YBC. After this was discussed, they changed the dialogue from "We're only weak demons seeking to survive. It's still so surreal that you came and set this place up so we can all be together." to "It's still so surreal that you came and set this place up so we have evade people and sometimes feast upon the essence of perverts who come across."

And so on. There's more but I don't got time. These changes imo just render TTJ so flat and severed from his past and not believable.

You know? One is a coincidence, two might be an accident, but like this? This is intentional. It's for this reason when I see other people get so worked up on the drama I just sigh. And feel bad for the actors and characters who are being so used and abused and the hectic editing schedule which might actually be killing the editors.

I know you guys all hate YBC. I know most of you love LSS. I know a lot of you like XL. I know everyone probably LOVE TTJ. I don't.

I just pity them.

So if we’re to assume that the last 7 episodes would be at least 50 minutes each then 7x50=350+1714=2064min.

The completionist in me hurts, not only because none of the characters are complete, but because of how they decided disperse the story it’s far from being balanced. Oh well, here’s to hoping there’s going to be a LOT of paid “Easter eggs” at the end because I need them.

So not much change then. They chose to cut it that way.

What she actually thought was “I’m a demon now too.”, not that she’s evil. This was in reference of GYJW saying he’s out taking/slaying demons.

Unfortunately we can’t blame all that on the censorship. The official paper submitted to be approved before the new rule set in (shows longer than 40 episodes have to be separated into 2 seasons airing at least 3 months apart) shows that it was 50 episodes. so if a regular episode in C-Drama is about 45 minutes then 45x50=2250min. The show is about 50 minutes long per episode now so 40x50=2000min.

Personally, though 50 minutes is pretty drastic, it’s not enough to cover all the plot holes. Maybe explain better how YFY was kept in a dormant state until she recovered and thus why she looks like a child?

The editing is barely catching up with the release schedule, it’s pretty obvious. And with all those tiny little edits for future episodes (a change in dialogue, a different angle, etc.) every time new episodes air and there is discourse, it add even more weight to the already unnecessarily heavy schedule the editors have. Honestly, not surprising for Youku, they do it all the time. Quality dips the more it progresses.

Please forgive me if I offend you, but I must ask: why do people feel as though LSS owes TTJ anything?

Like, she traveled back to the past because she witnessed the Demon Lord slaughter everyone she loved. Not only did she not resort to continuously torture him while she was YXW, she spent time getting to know him and helped him several times. It’s also pretty clear in the beginning that TTJ considered killing her as well. All in all I think she did pretty okay.

I mean, you wouldn’t just fall head over heels for someone that not only killed your family in front of you, but you know that if he isn’t stopped, he’ll do it again, right? There’s gotta be some level of use and control in there, right?

After Bo’re, she changed her mind somewhat. They became way more intimate. And even though these have been deleted, 1. she had a backup plan to fall on if her plan to pin needles inside him failed (which isn’t nearly as bad as what happened if he gave her a chance), 2. she notes before dying ‘You are no longer an incarnate of the Demon Lord, you possess the essence of a God and I pray you will become one that loves everything within it.’. That was the plan all along. She was there to stop him. Before death, she wished him kindness and longevity.

Also, TTJ isn’t completely innocent in the final outcome of things. Had he had just a little more faith in LSS, thing wouldn’t have ended this way. Instead, he chose to believe she wants to kill him, while fully aware of YBC’s presence and what that may entail, and chose to ignore other possibilities. And when that backfires somehow YBC takes like 100% of the blame? Um, I mean, he used to do similar things so…

Saying that he is fundamentally flawed (horrible childhood) is a weak excuse, as LSS has the blood and lives of everyone in her world on her shoulders too.

Love is a 2-way road, imo. They both made mistakes, and together they suffered. TTJ’s decision to not trust LSS was what killed her (directly I mean, of course the villains are the root causes to everything), so he suffers. I’d imagine the experience was just as traumatic for LSS as well, hence why she’s keeping him at a distance, and let’s not forget she has the bone, so it could just be another layer of caution, and hence, protection.

They’re all just people wounded by love and trauma. Why wish them a bad ending?

First paragraph: basically the plot of the preview for episodes 33-35
Second paragraph: if not then GYJW would serve as a 3rd wheel in TTJ and LSS’s relationship anyway. I guess you pick and choose how he gets hurt?

The Night Demon is a segment about GYJW and LSS. Plus, after the whole "I put his whole essence (or 元神, whatever way you guys translate it) into this thing with some other stuff and rebirthed him" PYZ is just stupid. I know you guys probably don't really understand how XianXia and Chinese mythology works in a more systematic and thorough way, but there was absolutely no way PYZ needed to resort to this if XL's soul/essence was complete. He could've just waited for XL to reincarnate and that's it. There's a reason why both in the original novel AND in the script it was clearly stated XL soul had shattered, because that's reason enough for PYZ to forfeit his cultivation and make a last ditch effort.

Make YBC the bitch everyone needs to be their worst selves and blame all their problems on, she was made for this purpose anyway. Make TTJ the best person ever even though it doesn't correlate with his back story, change it all you want, he's the main character anyway. But at this point I'm really, really fed up that the platform would go to such lengths to 'tweak' the story so that TTJ would be the hero forever.

First they make YBC the villain that did all the bad things and didn't profit off of it at all. Then they cut out all of YQY's inner turmoil caused by his betrayal and he just looks really fake. They even HAD to take out YXW's last words of wisdom "You are now no longer a reincarnation of the Demon God, you bear the essence of a God and I pray that you will become one that loves everything in it." And to think that in the end they took out the logic behind PYZ's sacrifice so that TTJ would look blameless. Because every single one was a hot topic discussed in Chinese fandoms that would potentially make TTJ look bad, and then when new episodes air, these changes would just magically appear.

As someone who has bought and read both the novel and the script with my own money, this hurts me.

Also, when you say that PYZ would be VERY disappointed, I'd argue before LSS changed history, her love story with TTJ would make everyone in her world VERY disappointed. It all just depends on which spectrum of the story you're standing on.

Um no, it’s not mind twisting, she gave him full right to do what he wanted, the seduction/demon blood thing was just the one night stand (which 99% will get cut out anyway).

I know YBC is despicable, but to assume someone will not take painful experience as advice and change is like denying a person the ability to change if they want to.

Annnd…this is why people should read the novel for themselves instead of just following the hype. You can’t actually be expecting a lovey-dovey harmless cutesy relationship as long as you know how she was written, really the show made her appear better (maybe because of her appearance in the 3rd life)

They weren’t promoted - they are the 2nd main couple in the novel. However, in the novel XL turns into the 2nd love interest of LSS, after experiencing Bo’re’s version of the life of a demon wolf who fell in love with the clam princess he fell deeply in love with LSS back in the real world. This caused YBC to panic as LX’s loss of love for her meant she was on the path to die a horrible death as was foretold by a nightmare years ago (人彘 - human pig - don’t look it up please).

But if you think XL is a 2nd ML no he’s really just there to cause the most idiotic confusion ever, he’s just as big of a tool as he appears to be. Plus the author broke his character by having him be the noble guy who knows he shouldn’t betray his wife, but then to lose it because he intentionally died in battle so that LSS wouldn’t be sad but not for the sake of his people??????? Whether or not he loves YBC for real the script version of this character is wayyyyy better.

Also the 2nd love thread belonged to Chu Huang’s love interest in the novel, not PR.

Neither PR nor YQY (I think) nor YBC made it into the 3rd lifetime.

Yeah stay true to a novel while in a Xian Xia drama? there’s a reason these are called 仙偶 (immortal idols) and not 仙侠 (immortal heroes) in China by some people…that ship has sailed looooong ago when they first started filming these and got the messages wrong, Xian Xia is ALWAYS world & its people first, redemption second and love last (if there if even a chance for the characters to have it).

Don’t know if this still holds true in the show, but I vaguely remember in the novel if all 9 nails go into his heart she can extract the bones but he’d die as a result, he just wouldn’t have the chance to turn into the Demon Lord. So it’s kind of like she’s trying to kill him.
Besides, even if that’s not the case, it’s still a betrayal, what kind of excuses would get her through that?