toxicbybritneyspears
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Manipulate. Mansplain. Manslaughter.
Starting this drama I knew what to expect – angst, betrayal, tragedy, anguish – and this drama served exactly this to certain extent… plus gazillion of other plotlines that significantly weakened the whole story and made me pull my hair out with frustration. Thanks to that the plot was not executed in a way that would make me actually feel any stong emotions, at least not in the later part of this drama, which is a bummer because isn’t it the whole point of melodrama? To make me FEEL something?
In fact I really enjoyed the begining, the first 15 episodes or so, they were fast-paced, entertaining and played out on the screen like a very classic type of a tragedy. The gradual build up to the massacre of Danchi Clan with that scene where Li Chengyin is literally changing sides on the battleield is amazing (Top 10 anime betrayals btw). However anything that happens later (sans the Second Prince arc. Even if it wasnt the most original subplot) is just a perfect example of filler. Overstretched and mundane scenes with the characters that bring nothing to the plot. Or supbar palace schemes where some of the villains basically handed themselves on the silver platter. And please don’t forget the endless emo escapades of Gu Jian. It all could have been compressed into maximum 10 episodes not 30.
At some point it became clear that most of the the revenge/political plotlie exist to emphasize the tragic nature of the romance but on its own it was really simplified and overall poorly written. Except the beginning arc and the final 5 episodes, it was scattered all over the place. I think it’s a huge waste of a potential, because Li Chengyin could have efortlessly carried that side of the story (not to mention that Cheng Xing Xu showed that he has the acting chops to do so) and there definitely was a time to develop other characters, so they could have been more than walking stereotypes. Speaking of Chengyin, I think he was the IT factor of this show. He was ruthless, selfish, pragmatic, jelaous, but you could understand what shaped him to became like this. He’s definitely the most complex character, but I just wish he was more personally involved with the political part of his vengance plan because most of the time things just conveniently happened in his favour.
I had a hard time believing in Chengyin’s love for XiaoFeng because it wasn’t sincere in their „first life” and in the „second” it was just full blown narcissistic fixation. On the other side we have XiaoFeng who was very young, sheltered, naive and she wasn’t able to look at the bigger picture of things. Let’s face it, she wasn’t the smarterst cookie. I believe that her feelings were more genuine and pure, but her lack of insight and almost childish innocence made the whole dynamics between the leads more disturbing and disonant in my eyes. So I wasn’t on board with the romance and did not particulary care about how tragic and doomed was the fate of their relationship.
Arguably the most important part of the narrative is that the ultimate tragedy didn’t affect only the leads but everyone who was related (voluntarily or not) to the Imperial Palace. So once again the big bad wolf was the human desire to have power and control that in the end turns people into greedy hypocrites. In the grand scheme of things Xiao Feng was as much of a victim as Chengyin (the parallels between him and his father were nicely done) or Sese or General Gao (loved that guy btw) or even entire Clans. They all got their lives influenced, sometimes badly, by the destructive nature of power. How they dealt with that is a whole another story, but eventully they were all thrown into a figurative battleground because that’s just how humans work. I really liked that it was the final message here, it’s a little cliche, of course, but it works most of the time.
So, I think this drama disappointed me, it was really uneven. It started with a blast and it had a lot of room to develope or improve things, but it never fully went there. The characters were interesting (even though I think only Chengyin had the complexity worth mention) thanks to great acting performances, drama was also visually stunning (if you like strong saturation and bright colors), but there is a part of me that will be forever salty that it didn’t reach that level of greatness that would make me think „wow, that was a journey”. In the end I didn’t feel anything.
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Despite it’s flaws, I am proud to say that this has been the best, most heartbreaking, tear jerking, tragic, drama I have ever watched. It will forever remain in my heart, and I am so thankful that I had stumbled upon it. The depth of each character was wonderfully brought out, as well as each of their character development. I have to say that Xiaofeng has been the character with the most growth, and has won a special place in my heart as once of my most favorite female characters I have ever watched. Peng Xiao Ran had really done justice to Xiaofeng.
From every actors’ portrayal of their characters, to the beautiful settings and costumes, to the hauntingly beautiful OST. This drama will forever have a special place in my heart, and I’m afraid that no other one will be able to measure up to its place in my heart.
My most favorite scene, and the scene that I have repeated so many times over the past few days, is the scene of Xiaofeng’s death. It was beautifully and hauntingly tragic, and was portrayed with so much emotion from the leads that I cried till I had no tears left. What had made the scene so beautiful was...
1. The main leads’ acting/emotional portrayal of their characters. Peng Xiao Ran’s heartbreaking and moving speech to the soldiers and Chengyin was amazing. And Chen Xing Xu did an outstanding performance with his reactions to Xiaofeng’s death. It was so believable and emotional that you can practically feel his pain and heartbreak through the screen, especially when he had broke into a smile as Xiaofeng had touched his cheek in her last moments.
2. The leads’ chemistry was once again incomparable. No one could’ve played Xiaofeng and Chengyin the way that these two did.
3. The editing, from the scenes to music was beautiful and so well done. The flashbacks that fit in so perfectly with the music made the scene 10x better. It allows the viewers to reminiscence on Xiao feng’s and Chenyin’s happy/sorrow filled moments of when they were together, and how far they have both come in their journey.
4. The background music was PERFECT during this scene. From playing Love Hurts, to Little Fox, and finally First Encounter (Li-language) when Xiaofeng had taken her final breath. It showed that she was finally home, and is at last free and is at peace.
An amazing drama that can’t be compared. I’m praying so much for a season 2, or any other project of these 2 together. Despite their age difference, I am absolutely hooked and blown away by their on and off screen chemistry.
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Revenge, betrayal, disappointment, regret, denial, trust, freedom, sacrifice, fear, happiness, loneliness - ALL this words are link to LOVE. Not only the romantic kind of love but also the love that connected everything ( love for family, parent, friends, country...) This drama portrait all of these so beautifly and touch the viewer heart in so many way.
A BIG compliment to writer, director, production team and cast. They all did an outstanding jobs keeping the viewer engaging to the last episode ( which is very rare for a 40+ episodes in Cdrama).
My respect to the 2 main leads. They mesmerized us from the very beginning with their chemistry and breath life into the characters. These characters are very complex, develops many drastic change in the story and they portrait them amazingly.
I can not believe that CXX play LCY, is only 21 and just turn 22 during this drama. What an talented actor, taking on the challenge to make us viewer love, hate, pity, understanding, and feel for his character. My highest respect and I am looking forward to his future project.
This drama is a MUST watch!!! It is a piece of art, with all the beautiful costumes and music framing this love story. Do not shy away from many comment about the sadness. It is worth the journey of emotions!!!
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Warning: This show will linger in your brain for a long time.
From the first episode, the questions are grim: You’ve committed to acquiring power and seeking revenge at any cost. Will you let your loved ones go? Or will you selfishly exploit them and see them crushed by your ambitions?
For 25 episodes, Goodbye My Princess is non-stop action and romance. It’s incredibly addicting and consuming. As things spiral, however, the dread sets in…how is this all going to resolve? Will Xiaofeng have any peace? I found it incredibly transfixing to watch.
But, I can see for those who wanted a romance romance, how the second-half would be disappointing.
Small points off for the story wasting time and then dropping a bunch of characters and plot lines at the end. Also there were some strange cuts and ambiguous scenes suggesting that the directors/producers/writers etc. were not on the same page.
The acting is top notch, Xiaofeng is not at all a frustrating, wishy-washy character – the actress creates deep sympathy for how she’s gotten trapped in this mess. The other actors also do a good job though the range is smaller – playful to furious to sad.
The opening credits are awful, but the music and end credits are well done. Plenty of scenes to rewatch.
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes - 10
(So many themes!: kind, generous love v. selfish, possessive obsession, the perils of avoiding consequences, what is family, power corrupting the soul etc.)
Character Growth - 8
(Xiaofeng undergoes the most change. She goes from a carefree, kind but entitled person to ever increasingly generous, self-less and community centered. The other characters have much more mild transformations).
Nuanced Women -8
(50-50 male female characters. There were lots of different female family and friend relationships. Xiaofeng is the only one with significant screentime and development. The female relationships are more on the sidelines whilst their relationship with men is more front and center).
Cinematography/Production Values - 9
(There was a large budget, so everything was done well, from exterior, outdoor shots and battle scenes, to set design, to costumes. There were some lovely uses of light as well. But, nothing really led to me thinking I’ve never seen that before)
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I didn't think I would finish this in a blink of an eye, I got a heads up that it was a sad ending and I really really hate sad ending an I avoid them like a plague lol. But this one really made my eyes open and heart ache a lot. I hate that this isn't a xuanhuan drama where they can still come back alive. So many sacrifices, so many deaths. Did it perhaps come into their minds that death was unnecessary and there's another way out other than death? There were so many choices that could lead to a better outcome but who am I to say this. Sigh, but things have escalated to a point of no return, and death was their only way out.
Acting is superb! This is my first time seeing PXR and CXX act but wow, they amazed me so much! I want to see them act again but with a happy ending HUHUHU. There's a few problems with their characters though. (tbf, which one doesn't?)
Xiaofeng- a bubbly girl, naive though as she may be, she brings liveliness wherever she goes and that's a point. As a young girl she went through a lot yet still remained as a kind and trusting girl which unfortunately was used against her. If Iwas in her poisition i'd want to jump into the river of oblivion too. Unpopular opinion though, as the crown princess and supposed future empress she's tasked with a heavy responsibility on her shoulders and for her to carry those responsibilities, she should get pass (or past?) her feelings especially since she was there for a political marriage and the XI province's people's fate lies on her hand. IF she wasn't the MC and just a minor character, I don't know how many times the Xi province will be annihilated because she escapes so so much. But in the end, at least she bought the Xi province peace, though for a hefty price.
Li Chengyin- A pitiful and hateful man. WHEN THEY ADDED THE TAG ' JERK ML' THEY WEREN'T KIDDING. He used Xiaofeng for his revenge as GXW but fell for her and that's when you know shit was going down because even though he loves her, he still went on and annihilated Danchi even though he knows it'd going to cause her pain. He was stuck up with revenge that he lost sight of what was in front of him. I can't say I like him because he really causes QXF so much pain and Sese too. He was protecting QXF, but his way of protecting her was really shit and he says he has no other choice?? Bitch could've had told QXF that it was he was his way of protecting her so they can act together instead of pushing her into a pit of hell thinking that he doesn't like her. Protecting QXF however, projected very badly on Sese. He knows the empress hates Sese but still openly protects Sese causing her to be punished. He pushed General Pei and Gu Jian to a path of no return just because they both like QXF when he's incapable of bringing her happiness. I even thought that the previous crown prince (2nd prince), although won't love QXF, he would at least treat QXF with respect. His ending.... he deserves it.
Gu Jian- HE DESERVES BETTER THE FUCK. If this was a rebirth novel, he would be the Ml and Li chengyin is the hateful person Mc would strive to avoid. He sacrificed so much for the MC and was really really remorseful for his action. Li Chengyin pales in comparison. If there is a 2nd life, I wish him a smooth sailing life, he deserves really better.
Sese- her only sin is loving Li Chengyin. I SAID WHAT I SAID.
General Pei- i fucking love him and i hate ML for forcing him into a marriage just because he was jealous.
Special mention: 2nd prince- the previous crown prince and Li Yan- I really really like the relationship of the two of them. Both are scums and that makes them perfect for each other. Li Yan is really loyal and even in death, he only wants the 2nd prince's sword ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) i feel like there's a special relationship between the two of them, and you can really see by the way they care for each other and I think that's beautiful.
THAT'S ALL Li Chengyin is a scum his only redeeming point is his pretty face LOL.
For the music,, I was waiting for Love Catastrophe because I really like that song but they only played it for like two times and it's not even a full song. lol
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"Romance That Hurts So Good"
This drama truly lives up to its praises. From the epic love story, lively portrayals, the buildup of the plot, and the beautiful cinematography. In historical fantasy drama like this, I usually get bored or skipped the first 1-2 chapters because they were intros and boring, or even dropped them if it was so awfully boring. But this drama, I was hooked since the first. Even when I want to skip some scenery scenes, I can't do so because they were shot so beautifully. For a drama with tragedy genre, this drama did a very good job, by not forcing sadness on each scene, but curated them so that when it hits, it hits you like a truck.Chen Xingxu as Li Chengyin is the death of me. His performance is top notch, that even during his dark scenes, I sip them like I would cherish a fine wine. I swoon for him, I laugh, I cry, I get frustrated and I sigh. To be honest, I sigh a lot when I watch this drama. Especially when nearing the end, my sigh got longer and deeper. It was... how do I say it, Chengyin and Xiaofeng is everything I want in a story. Fluff, humor, enemies to lovers, angst, comedy, soulmates, you name them. You can clearly see that they were destined to fall in love no matter how, but their situations make it harder for them to be together peacefully. You can probably see a mutual friend of them, Pei Zhao, rolling his eyes. You can probably see 'u dumb bitch' written in his gaze.
Commenting about Xiaofeng would spoil so much, since she was the center of this story. I was actually surprised that she doesn't turn to be a villain because her circumstances are literally the perfect backstory for it.
All the side characters are really good, every characters were lively and essential for the plot, and the cinematography, the color palettes are super nice to look at. Sometimes it was funny, because there will be a sad scene, and the director would shoot the evening sun peeking from behind a mountain, casting a golden glow to the picture, and I would forget why I'm sad.
You might find this a rambling, but trust me, after this drama you will be a mess too, but it doesn't feel so bad.
Well, like Peng Xiaoran said, "whether you like sweet scenes or sad scenes, you will find what you like in Goodbye My Princess"
So happy watching!
P.S. You must watch the special scenes!! I think they have like 4 scenes, it's a cure for the heart.
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Highly recommended but do not binge watch this drama!
If you try to binge watch this drama you will end up dropping it before you reach episode 25. However, if you take a day break, after binge watching every 15 episodes (e.g. 1-15 (then a break), 16-31 (then a break), and 32+), then you will fall in love with this drama.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Review of episodes 1-19
This drama really had the potential to be a 10. However, the romance between the two leads in the first 6 episodes was not well developed. Meaning it was not believable for adults over the age of 25. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the romance, but it's seemed a bit too rushed. She barely even knows the male lead but because she thought he saved her life she developed strong feelings for him within 2 episodes. It isn't too far fetched but on top of developing feelings she ditched her first love who she had been crazy in love with for years, for the new guy and this all happens all within the first 5 episodes.
If the screenwriters would have invested one more episode, in between episodes 3-6 solely to dedicate more conversations between the two leads, then it would have made episodes 1-6 more realistic. What I am surprised by is the sexy flirtation coming from the male lead, specifically in episode 6. He tries to do the do, after their engagement but before their marriage. That is pretty uncommon in C and K dramas. Note: I just finished watching episode 7 and I am glad towards the end of that episode, the second male lead basically tells the female lead what I wrote above this line lol. "You've known him for how many days, and you want to get married?" "You cannot be reckless."
My favorite episode is episode 9 (around the 15 minute mark), because I think the female lead actor did a fantastic job portraying her emotions. If you can get past the female lead character in the first episode, you can make it through this drama. To be honest, I didn't like the female lead character (not the actress) in the first 19 episodes. While it's not the worst that I've seen in Chinese period dramas, it definitely isn't the best. I would have preferred the female lead character to be cute, playful, but cautious about who she befriends. However, the character is cute, playful, but has no sense of caution, actually she's pretty naive, and foolish.Episode 8 at the 31 minute mark had me screaming. Basically, I intentionally acted dramatic because of the betrayal (e.g. imagine the scenes in movies when someone is screaming and they kneel down and rip their shirt off because something painful happened).
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Review of episodes 20-52
•The female lead character gets better starting with episode 20.
•The male lead character is drugged and was supposed to be raped by a servant. I hate this because the scriptwriter did not write how wrong it was. RAPE IS WRONG, WHETHER IT'S A WOMAN OR MAN WHO IS THE RAPIST.
•The male lead character slaps the female lead in episode 37, and the scriptwriter wants us to be okay with it by saying he had to physical abuse the female lead character in order to protect her. PHYSICAL ABUSE IS WRONG IF IT IS NOT SELF DEFENSE, NO MATTER WHAT!
•The male lead character is VERY toxic. He basically uses the female lead and his concubine to get what he wants, and then is surprised when they don't respond with love. Unfortunately, out of all the historical k and c-dramas that I've watched, I believe his character matches how a crown prince in prehistoric times would have really been like (TOXIC).
•Although back in the first to fifth century, it was normal for women to start marrying as early as 12. It's gross to see a 60+ year old emperor, marry, and have a child with a 18-20 concubine. I am a bit disgusted by the scenes in which they appear together.
•There were a lot of filler episodes (e.g. 25-31, 44-46). I believe Chinese period and historical dramas should have 30-40 episodes, instead of 60-70. Let's make this a thing in 2022!
•Originally I rated this drama a 9.5 but took away .5 because of the end of episode 46 and beginning of 47. It's just not realistic. They are trying to escape so that they can go back to the female lead's country. Yet they stop to attend a festival where the court officials and the king will be at. Additionally, they stop and stand below the King, male lead, and the male lead other wife (the same people they are running from). SIGHHHHH C'mon now!
•The acting in episode 48 deserves an oscar. WOW
•Unlike other reviewers, I actually liked the ending. I don't think a toxic character like the male lead deserved to have had everything go his way, it's not realistic. He murdered the female lead family, lied to her, stalked her, threatened her, slapped her, in a rage of jealousy he killed her teacher, and tried to kill her best friend. How could their relationship ever recover if they ended up together?
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Upside:
Xiao Feng comes across as someone I could have a few beers with and watch c-dramas… she seems that fun and real. She’s not ms. perfect and is kind of headstrong, and I appreciate that in a female lead. I really liked almost every female character in this and when they were all hanging out together, I would have wanted to hang out with them- and I don’t think there’s another show that really has me saying that. It’s nice to see this kind of camaraderie, especially between women. Too often every other woman hates the main character, and it’s tiring. On a completely frivolous note, how cute is Serena Cheng, aka Yong Ning, with that haircut? If I had her face I would just run with that chin length hairstyle forever. And can I have A Du as a bestie even if she decides to not vocalize for half our friendship?
Also, I could watch the General Pei’s facial expressions forever. Always subtle. Occasionally hilarious. He has a gift. I ended up really, really liking him. On a side note, I appreciate the way he was able to carry a girl down a half dozen hallways without showing any strain. It kind of ruins it when a guy lifts the girl and there’s a noticeable struggle. (cough cough.) There was no struggle here. Definitely one of my favorite characters.
Oh, and Gu Jian. Again, the secondary male lead won my heart. Why does this always happen? Well, in this it is truly and deeply justified. He’s an amazing person, noble, self sacrificing for our female lead, sensible most of the time. He chips away at the wall you have up to keep you from voting for the second lead because you know he’ll lose in the end. Well done, sir. Not the heartbreak, I’m a little resentful over that, but Shawn Wei gently and slowly wins your over to the point where you’re thinking, why the hell don’t you just run off with this guy already? You were in love with him once, why do you keep getting sucked in by the other one?
Downside:
Which brings me to Li ChengYin. Keep in mind I am not panning the actor, even if he does look a little too much like Keanu Reeves to me. He played his role really well. Seriously. It was the character itself that I deeply disliked right from the start. I hated that they had such amazing chemistry together, because he was such. A. Jerk. When you’re watching a drama and you just really hate the male lead, what’s the point? Even so, she wanted him, so I selflessly tried to stop rooting for Gu Jian- hey maybe I can have him if you don’t want him?- and tried to have faith in her and let her figure things out on her own.
NO. Some people just do not make good life decisions. Without utterly spoiling it, the ending made me just want to yeet myself off my balcony. And as I treasure this life, that made me resent it too.
To sum up: If you want something that will make you laugh, cry, watch with ease, and eventually make you want to slash your wrists in the end, this one's for you. If you want a male lead and story line that doesn’t ultimately make you sad in a very dastardly way, skip it.
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Heartbreaking, stunning,epic and wondrous...
"A Fox sits atop a sand dune, sitting on the sand dunes, gazing at the moon. Turns out that his gaze is not upon the moon. Alone waiting for the shepherd girl to return." -Ost "Little Fox"Historical epic romantic adventure filled with politic intrigues and how awful deceptive greed brings everyone down in this story. "Goodbye my princess" is based on a novel Eastern Palace written by the famous chinese author Fei Wo Si Cun (who also wrote masterpieces like "Too Late to say i love you" and "Siege in Fog" and "Sealed with a Kiss".) " Goodbye my princess" stars Chen Xing Xu as the becoming Crown Prince Li Cheng Yin and Peng Xiao Ran as the very beautiful princess Xiao Feng. All the characters had their purpose and the story was haunting in its clear sad beauty. Their love-story was cursed before it even began, how they jump into the river of forgetfullness and how their souls still never forgot each other when their minds did. All the actors did a terrific job, Li Cheng Yin never ceased to make me surprised by how calculating and ruthless he could be, bordering on being a monster. This story made my heart bleed. I don`t know what I can write anymore, this drama has made me at loss for words.
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Firstly, the great parts:
Acting wise this drama is a gem. The happiness of the characters would make you giddy yourself and the sad parts would make you feel their pain. Also, the choices of how some scenes were supposed to be acted out were done very well. The visuals and the costumes of the cast were also very nice to look at.
For a relatively short beginning (considering the length of this drama), we got to experience very sweet, fluffy, somewhat cliche and with a hint of thrilling story. To be fair, I loved everything about it. The story felt real and made you want to be there with the characters yourself. It was a prelude for the main story and I was okay with it being cut short.
The trouble lies later on.
Where you'd expect to be some relief or strong positive emotions to counter the sad ones, they just weren't up to par. From the moment the fluffy beginning ended, throughout the rest of the drama the main feeling that I felt was - helplessness, raw, agonizing helplessness. I always rooted for the heroine and she never felt annoying to me, her choices or behavior never annoyed me either. It's just...her life sucked, I guess? Perhaps that's what we were supposed to get from all that. And the male lead.. well, he could have been a lot more. He had all the requirements to be something more but his storyline just didin't allow him to.
Basically, for a long long time the story was stuck in one place and it was impossible to see any movement. Like picking on a raw wound over and over again without letting it really heal.
Rewatch value: I'd love to rewatch the beginning but no way in hell would I rewatch the later parts.
Either way, if you decide to watch this after all, you have to prepare your heart. It's a very hard watch.
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Good acting especially main leads, strong promising beginning, disappointing climax, tragic ending... There was just too many misunderstandings, schemes, sufferings and killings for my like. There was little to no romance except for the first 10 episodes. Therefore, why drag it so much for such a poor ending? it was literately 40 episode of the same thing over and over again; to sum it all up, it was a total waste of my time. I am not disagreeing with them two ending up dead or even killed by one another but, the way the resolution was done, I just don’t agree with it. They never had a chance to be sincere with the other saying their absolute truth, a chance to speak their heart out without interruptions of third party involvement. I mean, the story was very long and I think that was key point that shouldn’t have been left out
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Heartwrenching cycle of love and betrayal ended with poetic justice
The first time I watched this series it was such an emotional rollercoaster. Having watched it a second time, I am able to have a more detached perspective.The acting delivered here, particularly by the protagonists, was trully impressive to me. It was the reason I continued watching the drama in the first place, despite its emotionally draining tone. The story has some lighthearted moments, but overall it is a sad and tragic account of choices and their consequences and how destiny repeats itself.
XF is a sheltered princess used and sacrificed by two men she trust and loved, all in the struggle for power. Could they have done things differently? Maybe, maybe not. Both men had heavy burdens influencing their choices and thus decided that the end justified the means.
Even after what was supposed to be a fresh start, XF's journey is filled with heartbreak. She cannot escape the karmic relationship with LCY and falls once more in love with him, while LCY hurts and uses her as a pawn in his quest for ultimate power. LCY is also in love with her, yet his love is very selfish and all consuming.
I do not like tragic endings, but here I found it very fitting for the story and the characters' journey. XF was finally able to find peace and LCY was forced to live a long life without her.
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