Alysha Johnson

YBC is a despicable character. I respect the hustle to survive, the same way I respect TTJ's evil way for him to survive in the beginning. But the difference between YBC and TTJ is that he don't calculate against his loved one for survival.

In simple term, TTJ did not hurt those who care/love him until he is betrayed and put in harm way. Then he did what he must to survive. YBC on the other hand is not trying to survive, but she want POWER. Otherwise, there is no need to ally with the strongest man. Her turning point for me was when she schemed against XL who did nothing but love and care for her. She led him to his death/capture so she can gain something out of it. It's pathetic. And the way she victimized herself saying she's only trying to survive make me laugh because it's an insult for character like TTJ who truly were in 1000x worse position than her who really did just tried to survive.
People can't dictate their circumstances but they can control their own action. Her environment of being born a concubine's daughter and suffered mistreatments were very pitiable. But her character/personality is not pitiable. If she was a decent person, she can live in peace/bliss with XL for the rest of her life, but of course that's not all she really wanted despite swearing down the world own her. Sound like a greedy opportunist to me than a decent person.

i saw a trailer/analysis a couple days ago. the poster in the video said XL realized YXW is not the real YXW because her personalities is different. He said he grew up with YXW and the YXW he know would not be so caring and doing this.

Dream arc is from ep 12 to 19. It has the main love story and also clues/catalyst for the later arc. The love story is between god of war Mingyue and clam princess, SangJiu. They got married, SJ had a crush on him, he didn't know but eventually like her back. 2FL tricked them both into thinking the other don't like them. Mingyue had to go into a major battle with the Demon God and thought he would die so he divorced her. In the end, all the gods died except MY who SJ rescued. They spent happy time together, but 2FL tricked them again. When MY wasn't looking, 2FL wiped out SJ's entire clan. SJ turned into a demon and killed her enemy. She lost her physical body when she turned into a demon. MY wanted to save her but it was too late. After her revenge, she was punished by thunder and vanished. MY was so devastated that he almost turn into a demon himself, but SJ's soul stopped him. SJ here is YXW who entered the dream. MY lived with regrets for 10,000 years and had been waiting in the river until YXW and TTJ show up.
The dream arc has several clues. First, it's a foreshadow of TTJ. Like MY who can turn into a demon, so can TTJ, but he who had a choice and chose not to, so can TTJ. Second, it explained why there are no gods in the beginning. It also show YXW the method to save someone from being a demon, like when MY tried to save SJ but failed. YXW will copy his method. It's also dropped hints on who YXW really is - although it's very light clue but you will connect to it in the later arc. It also show the demon bone-refining object that MY used to try to save SJ - that showed up as one of the weapon in the 1st episode used by the demon god. But it will have a different use later on, which is crucial.

Just 2 is not enough

True. I wanted more scenes of her terrified and hating him in the beginning when she first got back. And the slaughter should have been more gory so we felt a bigger impact of how traumatic it was for LSS. This story is fast paced but there's so much going on that it could really have used more episodes.

Idk why people complain about XYW but I freaking love her and TTJ dynamic. Their romance is the most toxic but delicious and train-wrecking romance I've seen in a while.

It's very frustrating seeing them both fighting against themselves from falling into this destined love, but at the same time, the set up already let you know this is the only way. People are so complex, and romance is just one of the many things we feel. So even when both feel love toward the other, they also feel a million other feelings that fighting them every step of the way.

TTJ feel the destitution of abandonment, the pain of betrayal, and although he don't want to admit it, the misery of disappointments. I remember the older nanny that betrayed him said it best, TTJ can't feel but yearn for attention and care. Or is it because he was never loved that he is numb to feeling? They said he is that way because he was born with the devil bone, but was he made that way because people tend to fulfilled their self-prophecy? At these time, I dare to say TTJ the devil was not born, but made. And why it make sense that destiny set YXW to come back. Because if the devil was made, he can also be undone.

XYW was never suppose to love TTJ. If I saw my enemy killed my own family in front of my eyes, that door would be shut forever. For the fact that YXW feel pity for TTJ, and even tried to convince herself that he is innocent because he is not the same person that murder her family, speak volume to the empathy of this character. So her struggle to truly love him - or might I say, her denial and resistance to love him, is totally understandable. What kind of person would she be if she so easily fall for someone she saw murder her own family? Sometime she let herself forget, but TTJ also never fail to show that murderous side of him over and over to remind her.

So the push and pull in these context make perfect sense, and that's why the angst is just so delicious. The color of romance are not always pink and lovey dovey. Sometime they are crimson red. It breaks your bones and bleeds you dry. For these two, the trauma of the past cannot be overcome with anything less than a love worth dying for. In order for them to move forward, this twisted fate between them need to be undone for them to heal. And I can't wait to see their journey unfold. I just freaking love them so much. They are so flaw and so twisted but so endearing, so out of this world magical but so relatable in their fundamental human nature. Okay Rant Over. I just need to get out of my chest how much I love them.

They haven't explain how TTJ got the bone yet. In episode 1 they only mentioned he was born with it.

TTJ is a human and was born 500 years before the first episode time line.
The evil bone was never burnt. It was sealed in the towel where Dragon had his battle with the Devil God.

Jize is the god of time, and his spirit is trapped in the Abyss because it was his mission. When he saw YXW in the dream, he just have the flashback of his meeting with her in the Abyss- the mission that he needed to accomplish before he join the rest of the other gods that died. Maybe he saw through that this is a dream, so he nudge a reminder at her to remember why she came here. She came back from the past, and her being in this dream - there is a reason.

As for Sang Jiu, we're not there yet but in one of the trailer, I saw Sang Jiu said that her soul has been destroyed. This will play out in episode 18. The world-alluring object she made is at the bottom of Mohe river. It was the object that saved YXW, not necessarily Sang Jiu. The dragon have also been sleeping at the bottom of the Mohe river.

I think the event where YXW and TTJ got into the dragon's dream is their pre-determined fate. Everything aligned so that happened for them. And this dream is the catalyst on how they both can save the world.

it's pretty evident that this dream arc is very important, with soo many clues being dropped. BUT even if it's important, it's still terrible, especially with Tian Huan. Idk how it is in the book, but TH is more one dimensional than a sheet of paper. The miscommunication is gravity defying dumb. I heard that in the book, there's more to TH than her stupid crush on MY? I wished they had kept that.
This dream arc could have been done so much better. I'm so over it because of how dumb MY and SJ been acting the whole time. The angst is not there because the misunderstanding is beyond stupid.

Well he's terrible as a partner. All he does is assume what is right for everyone and push people into it. He never once ask "what do you want to do? and how can I help you?" The non-communication is frustrating. But at this point, it's not even miscommunication anymore. She already told him what she want but he doesn't care, he's just going to insist that he want to "fix" her. If he was so mighty and always so right then why did all of this happened under his nose? I think he's too arrogant. Now he's going to stopped her? Never helped her when she needed most but stopped her. With a lover like him, who needs enemy.

Yeah it was stupid. If I was her I'll keep the crystal and do the revenge too. But I think she was too emotional and didn't want to accept that "help" from TH's tribe AND MY's power.

Talking about the dream arc, anyone remember when YXW fell into the river and was rescue by that world-alluring object? It was at the bottom of the Mohe river. The dragon they are in is also in the Mohe River. And Sang Jiu tribe is from the Mohe River. Remember in the small flash back in ep. 9, we saw glimpse of the "witch" that forged the world-alluring object? It look so much like Sang Jiu in ep.17. And the bone object that MY cleanse out to refine the devil energy for Sang Jiu - is the same bone object that TTJ the devil used in the 1st episode.
I think it's all coming together now why YXW was rescued by the object. It was her fate to come into the dream and goes through this to finally release MY from his continuous nightmare. I think it was SJ way to forgive MY and let him go.

I just saw the trailer for ep.18, is Ming Yue serious?
Okay I didn't hate him before but I hate him now. Sang Jiu is so right. I hate his judicial justice gut. At this point, I don't even feel bad for him anymore. He just going to bulldoze over Sang Jiu and do what he want. The whole time, they don't communicate. Now even after knowing what happened and after what Sang Jiu told him what she wants, he still going to ignore her. Yeah, he deserve to sleep for 10000 years in regret.

If the Emperor didn't care, he wouldn't feel guilt. And the truth is the majority of these royalty men would never felt guilt. They all felt entitled to have many spouses because that just the social norms. And that all these spouse are LUCKY to be with them. These royalty men think they doing their multiple spouses a favor.

Empress Xuan never said that to make him feel guilty. She had been living as a dutiful person to others, but not to herself. So I think she used her last dying breath to reclaimed a little of herself before she died. It's her way of saying "I have lived this life for you. We don't own each other anything anymore."

words on the street that they cut out 10 episodes worth of material at the end... idk how to feel about it.

I love Imperial Coroner!!! It’s a slow burn as well and a healthy relationship. The pudding is in the small interaction and words from the ML. They are not grand but full of sensibility and respect for the FL.

I feel so empty now that this has ended. This show has been my companion for the past month. I laugh, I cried, I feel, I regret and I was in pain for each of the character. I sometime disagree with their action but I still could understand them. Sometime I was disappointed in them and sometime I was so proud of how far they’ve come. There was some minor pacing issues in part 2 but I’m not worry as the director is going to re-edit them. Overall the pacing of the story was great and the cinematography was excellent. The story felt larger than life and yet also very personal. Each actor was so well casted I forgot they were acting. I felt like I was a special guest who got honorably invited to the character home and witness their journey. This is one of those dramas that I would remember fondly years from now not just what happened but how it made me felt, together with HZGG, Romance in the Rain, nirvana in fire, Scarlet Heart and Story of Minglan. Hundreds and thousand dramas I have watched but only a few make me so feel intensely and fall so deeply. It was not a perfect drama but it was perfect for me in every sense.
I will sure check out more dramas from our lovely lead actors and the director. And I can’t wait to re-watch it again and again.

P.S. I love our discussions here for the past
month. We laugh, cry, share funny bts scenes, swoon by our lead chemistry and most importantly, kept each other company through the tortuous weekend wait. You all had made this wild ride all the more special.

Imagine when they was filming this he was 21. Exact age as LBY :)

Seeing clips of the livestream, I have to say why is ZLS so stinking cute? She has the best pouty face that just melt your heart and she isn’t even trying. I think she has to restrain her real life cuteness in the series or we had already been dead

https://youtu.be/nN-CA5Xx8TA

I prefer the story in LTTG because I think the drama was better executed from the source novel.
Secondly, I think the biggest different between TB and LTTG is the scale. Chang-ge deal with matter on a much higher stake like national interest, family tragedy. LTTG deal with things on a much personal level, family conflict, mom-daughter relationship, love and marriage. The focus on both drama are a lot different. The main character goal are also different. TB was always what good for the people, LTTG was about achieving personal goal, freedom for CSS and revenge for LBY, Ofc they also can do good as well but it’s not the main focus.
As for character I prefer LBY than Ashili Sun because LBY is a more grey character. Ashili is like a shining sun while LBY is like an ominous grey cloud.
The story is a lot different so it depend on the person taste. Mine is LTTG because of how tasteful the director been able to deliver the story and all the cast have done an excellent job.

There a lot but I will highlight some famous scenes. They also cut out 2 story arcs but I don’t mind.

1. When LBY found out CSS overheard his answer to the Empress he went mad and wanted to take it back. Empress needed people to pin him down while he try to hold on to CSS
2. At first LBY wanted to let CSS go but he changed his mind after CSS came to his defense. Someone accuse LBY of wiping out an entire village and CSS show up as the witness because he was with her.
3. LBY chased after CSS and got stopped by YS - all of them got on the carriage with the 5th Prince and LBY told CSS to break up her engagement with YS because she doesn’t love YS. Then he also ratted out the fact that CSS proposed marriage to be the Crown Prince and 5th Prince before accepting YS. It was a very funny scene, too bad it wasn’t included.
4. LJT met with CSS and saw the lovebite scar. She then told LBY that CSS scar has almost fade. LJT and LBY had a confrontation and this is when we learn LBY do not intend to marry anyone else. He don’t care if Huo clan end with him. He said that he only want to bring children to this world out of love and not for any other reason like continuation of the clan. (I think this scene is sweet in a twisted way)
5. Famous scene: LBY saw CSS at a birthday banquet and dragged her somewhere quiet. He saw her scars almost faded and she told him that she spent a lot of effort to get rid of it so it should be gone before she marry. He went mad and bite her again, she got really angry and start swinging and scratching his face to resist. Afterward he put medicine on the bite and when she try to leave, he hold on to her and got on his knees, grabbing her waist and begging her to give him another chance. He said he knew that he did wrong but he can see she still love him. She told him that she will never forgive anyone that betray her. He was crying and begging saying “please don’t be so cruel to me.” Then people walked in on them and news spread again.
6. There was an avalanche scene that happened before the revenge where CSS help wash LBY feet because he was injured - that was how she learn of his birthmark/ they replaced this with almond allergy in the drama.
7. After they got back together they went to investigate cases that involve LJT and Yuan Shen. This was when CSS knew what LBY did for her to keep her save this past 5 years, and she also heard him saying to Lou Ben wife how he regret his choice of vengeance everyday, wishing that if he had the chance he would have been more patient and do it different. This was the moment CSS finally finally forgive him. During this investigation period CSS also see how kind LBY is toward the people underneath his ruthless and cold exterior, how pure his heart is despite wanting revenge. This is when CSS truly love him. Before the revenge she didn’t love him 100% like in the drama.