Night Deity's Character - Spoilers

@MusicalVeggies, that was a brilliant analysis. I totally agree with everything except the fact that RY didn't love Jin Mi. He did. And here is why.

When they first met she saw him in his true form and accepted him (which he later confirms in his own words). Considering his heavy background, identity struggles, rejection by his mother, his own self-harm (when he peeled off his dragon's scales as a kid, already living with his dad by then), that was a hell of an imprint for him, to be SEEN and to be given a signal that he IS FINE. Anyone, who stays in contact with us at such an intimate moment, will remain our someone special forever. That was particularly powerful experience for Run Yu because of all his issues. On top of that, noone gives half of his lifespan for just a chess piece. He was everything you describe but not that hardcore psychopat. We can see that by his longing for being connected which psychopats don't have as such. 

To everyone who @me.

One: I never said Night had no feelings or love for Jin Mi. Please read my writings carefully. 

Two: I will only quote Night himself:- 

"I have also loved. Xu Feng, I have also loved. It's just that... my love was just too weak. It got swayed by my gains and losses. I wanted it but was unable to have it. Then one day, it got cold and what was left is hatred, envy, competitiveness. In the end... in the end it got so twisted that even I was disgusted with myself." 

As Night himself said... his love was TOO WEAK. It got swayed by GAINS and LOSSES. And it got COLD. 

Three: I didn't say that I dislike Night. If I did, I wouldn't bother writing such long character analysis (3 massive sections!) over him here. 

Four: I'm not going to reply anymore on this topic because I've said all I've had to say. 

After reading this I got my feelings back for him!  

Am I the only one who thinks like "Dude you deserve better, if you don't have jin mi you can have kuang Lu man she really loves him and if you don't want her then have me man!  Just don't be sad!  I can't see that! 

A brief dissertation on Run Yu/the Night Immortal:

In many ways Run Yu is a product of his environment, and coming from a mother who didn’t want him to being raised by a hostile step-mother and basically absentee father, he doesn’t have a clue what healthy love is. He knows how to scheme and hold his cards close to his chest because he must, with the Heavenly Empress gauging and watching his every move he cannot afford to make mistakes.

The interesting thing is when people say he wasn’t calculated when this is the one attribute that describes him most clearly. Run Yu is a strategist, you can tell by his detailed approach to solving problems and careful analysis of situations; he is seldom hasty and always at the ready to defend himself, either by playing possum or out-manoeuvring his competitor with a subtle yet deadly move. He’s a gorgeous man, but we can’t let his looks downplay the strategic mastermind lying beneath his cool demeanor.

Yet, Run Yu craves affection and warmth while simultaneously pushing against those who would try getting too close for fear of this perceived weakness being used against him. You can tell by the initial meeting with Jin Mi where he isn’t immediately taken by her; he’s startled and intrigued, but most of all apprehensive as he ought to be given his position as the illegitimate firstborn son. What enchants him is not her beauty, but the innocence belying an accepting heart; she isn’t like him and doesn’t think twenty steps ahead, taking life as it is. Jin Mi is just that, a simple, playful girl that makes him comfortable sitting back from his carefully laid plans. It’s why despite her best efforts, Kuang Lu cannot turn his eye, for she is far too swift of mind and sees too clearly as he does. Run Yu could never allow himself to be relaxed around her, especially since she entered his palace under dubious means.

Part of me thinks that had she approached Run Yu plainly about her interest in being closer to him, he may have been more receptive, but since this was not the case, the door to their romance is permanently shut. In disguising herself, Kuang Lu announces her slyness, a trait that Run Yu both possesses and despises. She is willing to scheme to get her way and this puts him on edge, unlike Jin Mi who is like the breeze with her blasé attitude. Jin Mi offers a reprieve from court life and her innocence is in many ways complimentary to Run Yu’s jaded nature that is until she makes it clear that her affections lie elsewhere.

Still, Run Yu doesn’t have to watch his back around his long-time betrothed, and to this man starving for affection of any kind, this looks like love. One must then imagine the mental state of such a person, constantly on edge, guarding himself because he believes that no one else will. Worse yet, he has just cause to be this way because those around him have passed over him, neglected, mocked and discounted him as inferior to his younger, more “legitimate” sibling. He’s used to receiving the hand-me downs, the pittance that Xu Feng discards, albeit unknowingly. So, when he finally has something of his own, appealing and shiny to his brother, he holds it close. Of course Jin Mi is not an object to be claimed, but she is his long-promised bride who his brother wants more than anything.

It is interesting when looking back at the series since moments like the Crimson Sword being given to Xu Feng over Run Yu, or the constant goading and wickedness of the Heavenly Empress coupled with the murder of his real mother by her hand make his eventual downfall seem inevitable. In an ideal world, Run Yu would be better than the people who treated him poorly, but he becomes just as bad as they are. He takes away Jin Mi’s agency and imposes his will on her while guilting her into remaining by his side. One would think that after being manipulated so thoroughly by the Heavenly Empress into forsaking his birthright, he’d choose a different path, but he disappoints in this regard and follows in the footsteps of those who abused him. He lies to Jin Mi, purposefully misleading and using her to achieve his purpose, yet calls his feelings for her love because he doesn’t have an accurate example of what love should be. To him, love is control and imposition, along with uncertainty for the person with more to lose, so he is never truly vulnerable with her. He shares details of his life with her, but his walls are still up because he doesn’t trust her to see and accept all of him.

This is in contrast to Kuang Lu’s steadfast devotion. She knows his darker nature, yet he is uninspired by her romantically because despite himself, Run Yu yearns to be more than who he is. It can be attributed to growing up being ridiculed for his differences, but Run Yu likes Jin Mi’s idealization of him and if he could, would be the “fish fairy” forever in her eyes. Alas, this is impossible as he quietly plots for vengeance and ascension to the throne. He wants his cake and to eat it, too.

Run Yu belies his cunning nature and portrays an image that he thinks people want to see because for so long he has been told that who he is, is unsavoury and unsatisfactory. In the most ironic way, the Heavenly Empress is one of the few people aware of his slick demeanor, but she played a big role in him turning out this way. Tragically, her constant fear of him challenging Xu Feng for the throne made her hostile and cruel towards him and drove Run Yu down his chosen path. I sometimes wonder at the type of person he would be with parents who accepted, encouraged and delighted in him. Perhaps he would not have felt the need to imprison Jin Mi in a cage much like the one he was trapped in for much of his life. If this were the case, he could let her go and see the possibilities for a future lived far from her, one more fulfilling than chasing after a love that was not his.

In the end, Run Yu is a victim of his own deviousness and a consequence of the wickedness imparted onto him by those who should have loved him the most. His birth mother both loved and hated him while the Heavenly Empress cared for no one aside for herself and protecting Xu Feng’s royal aspirations. The Heavenly Emperor is a stain on love itself as he destroys almost every relationship he has due to his corrupted views on love, selfishly indulging in his desires while discarding others once their purpose is served. To him love is self-serving and this view does little to shape his oldest son positively. Finally, Run Yu's actions are believable, yet heartbreaking in light of the fact that he could have been so much more...if only.

@Charlee thank you for your kind words! It's cathartic since I have so many feelings and thoughts after watching the show lol  ??

 meatball_head:

@Charlee thank you for your kind words! It's cathartic since I have so many feelings and thoughts after watching the show lol  ??

Amazing essay on the Night Immortal! You might enjoy watching the same actor portraying Tantai Jin in Till the end of the Moon....