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waterscrollI think I'm going to need to sit with that ending for a bit. I'm glad I was completely spoiled for it, as I don't think I'd have had the emotional stamina to watch it unspoiled. And now I am overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings and it's the middle of the night.
1. I loved Zhu Hong using her crush on Zhao Yunlan to self-mythologize. She was love rival to the Black Cloak Envoy! I thought it was sweet, and silly, and also kind of impressive in what good use she could make of an unrequited crush.
2. Spoilers did not prepare me for Zhao Xinci having to be there while the alien in his body told his son exactly how to kill himself. That hit hard. And then for the rest of his life he has to pretend that this alien *is* his son, and the fact that he probably gets along with Zhang Shi better than he ever did with Zhao Yunlan probably in its own way makes it hurt more. On the other hand, Haxing is safe. Oh, ZXC.
3. I still do not understand the Hallows, like at all. They were made by Ma Gui and Fu You, who were the same people who made the treaty that was so unfortunate for Dixing, and this makes me a little bit suspicious of them. And they keep causing harm. So I am not really following Zhao Yunlan's decision to give his life for the lamp. I'm not questioning it, I'm just not following the thought process that got him there from what he saw. How did he know that the lamp would give light to Dixing? And, like, not in a way that would somehow make everything worse? If anyone has any meta on the Hallows and how they work I'd be super-grateful.
4. The final scene between Shen Wei and Ye Zun met all the (substantial) emotional needs that I brought to it, thank you show. And now I understand why Ye Zun is popular in the fandom, the way he turns on a dime from murdery to loving based on new information is quite compelling and leaves open a lot of questions about where his arc could go after that.
5. And the story just keeps on going. I'm glad I was completely expecting Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan to die, because then I could be pleasantly surprised that...they sort of didn't. I mean they did, but they're still around, in a place that they could come back from, and they're still together. It felt very much not like the end of their lives or even their character arcs, just of the piece of story that was being told right now.
Much more to think about. I'll probably write more soon.
1. I loved Zhu Hong using her crush on Zhao Yunlan to self-mythologize. She was love rival to the Black Cloak Envoy! I thought it was sweet, and silly, and also kind of impressive in what good use she could make of an unrequited crush.
2. Spoilers did not prepare me for Zhao Xinci having to be there while the alien in his body told his son exactly how to kill himself. That hit hard. And then for the rest of his life he has to pretend that this alien *is* his son, and the fact that he probably gets along with Zhang Shi better than he ever did with Zhao Yunlan probably in its own way makes it hurt more. On the other hand, Haxing is safe. Oh, ZXC.
3. I still do not understand the Hallows, like at all. They were made by Ma Gui and Fu You, who were the same people who made the treaty that was so unfortunate for Dixing, and this makes me a little bit suspicious of them. And they keep causing harm. So I am not really following Zhao Yunlan's decision to give his life for the lamp. I'm not questioning it, I'm just not following the thought process that got him there from what he saw. How did he know that the lamp would give light to Dixing? And, like, not in a way that would somehow make everything worse? If anyone has any meta on the Hallows and how they work I'd be super-grateful.
4. The final scene between Shen Wei and Ye Zun met all the (substantial) emotional needs that I brought to it, thank you show. And now I understand why Ye Zun is popular in the fandom, the way he turns on a dime from murdery to loving based on new information is quite compelling and leaves open a lot of questions about where his arc could go after that.
5. And the story just keeps on going. I'm glad I was completely expecting Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan to die, because then I could be pleasantly surprised that...they sort of didn't. I mean they did, but they're still around, in a place that they could come back from, and they're still together. It felt very much not like the end of their lives or even their character arcs, just of the piece of story that was being told right now.
Much more to think about. I'll probably write more soon.
