Divine Aria

I'm not miserable at all, just pointing out your contradictions. If you don't like it, then you don't like it, and you should prob just move on to a different drama. Watch something that won't make you freaked out or miserable

How is my reading bad? You said that he stares at the female lead like he's going to eat her alive. Then you proceeded to say that they give off sibling vibes. I was just saying that a sibling won't stare at his sister like he's about to eat her alive. Only a love interest will do that.

...siblings vibe...lol. If him looking at her like he's going to eat her alive is siblings vibe...well, dang.

Welcome to the club. I think it's the one drama I've watched that has made me so keenly aware of how single I am.

Thanks for sharing! Some say they didn't like the first 4 episodes of AASOL, but I enjoy the first four so much. I think I've rewatched those episodes the most, haha. Like, I always enjoy the relationship itself, of course, but the chase is some of the most interesting to me when it comes to romances. I actually really like the whole entire first half of the drama a great deal. Maybe it's just me.

And Shuyu is supposed to be willing to help her, both as her friend and as someone loyal to her family. Didn't even bother trying. He betrayed her. At that point, he basically became an enemy, so it's fair game. Nothing stupid about using your smarts to survive at all costs against your enemies. Ridiculous that you're expecting Changge to feel sorry for Shuyu and to help him and his family out by not stealing the fish token, but think it's totally fine for him to abandon her. He's choosing to be selfish as well. They're each doing what's best for themselves at that point, so it's fair game. If Shuyu is outsmarted, too bad for him.

Mimi dies in the comic/manhua too. Maybe they decided to keep her death consistent.

There are two things going on at the same time. Yes, there is war with Ashile Tribe(which is why Ashile representatives are in Chang'an). They plan to attack but are there pretending that they are seeking peace through marriage. That is just a coverup for why they are truly there. Ashile Sun(Leo Wu) is a powerful general of Ashile Tribe, and he is actually there doing spy work, seeking Tang's weaknesses, so that they can have the upper-hand when they eventually attack. The other thing going on is that there is family conflict between Li Jiancheng, the current Crown Prince and father of Changge, and his brother, Li Shimin(Changge's uncle). The two brothers have never gotten along and see one another as political foes. Even though Changge's father is the current Crown Prince, back in EP1, he indicated that he felt he was being betrayed by his brother, and that it was the last straw for him. Obviously, what you watched was one brother, Li Shimin(Changge's uncle), assassinating the other, Changge's father, and taking over as the new Crown Prince. Currently, Changge is an exiled Princess on the run. All of this is happening while Ashile Sun and his men are working in the background and taking advantage of the royal family's conflict to create more problems for Tang. Li Shimin, after taking over as the New CP is trying to figure out how to deal with the soldiers and men who've always been loyal to his brother. He's also dealing with Changge's anger and desire to kill him in return for slaughtering her family. That's the story so far after 3 EP.

And Changge is a tomboy character who is more stoic, practical, and not very comfortable with her feminine side, so Dilraba is doing a great job of portraying her character. She's not supposed to be overly emotional.

Really? When???
Thanks in advance, if anyone has any info.

My point is, the only thing the main leads lacked was the bedroom intimacy and skinship. They definitely had emotional connection and support. That was where they shined the brightest. The way they supported each other, understood one another, viewed one another as equal partners, respected, admired, and protected one another despite their loyalty lying with different nations is beautiful. Unlike the second couple, their relationship was actually much better developed. They had an actual foundation for a proper relationship(mutual admiration, respect, and understanding), proper reasons why they fell for each other(Changge falling for A'Sun because he was there for her many many times/willing to go through thick and thin with her, A'sun falling for Changge because he was impressed with her knowledge in battle tactics, her abilities, and her bravery). It's actually quite unclear to me why Hao Du ever fell for Princess Leyan. What attracted him to her??? One minute, he was obsessing over/chasing Changge while completely ignoring the fact that Leyan went missing under his watch. He didn't even go looking for her. Then, he was suddenly running around frantically searching for her as if he'd always been concerned. He found her, brought her back for, like, a day, and was suddenly in love with her. And Leyan was in love with someone else for a major part of the drama and really only accepted Hao Du because she was rejected by the guy she couldn't have. It's a pretty minimal love story that felt rather forced on both ends.

I mean, if you're talking physical intimacy, really, none of the couples had much of that in this drama, not even the second leads whom you claimed was more romantic. The second leads didn't have a lot of screen time at all, actually. I would also argue that it's not true that they had more romantic moments. It's what people remember them for because their roles were pretty much limited to a love story. They were very disjointed from the main plot of the story, which is the war between Tang and Ashile. The main leads, on the other hand, had roles that encompassed not just a love story between them but being involved with politics, major battles, and saving their world, so they're not as tied to just a love story. However, if you actually counted the number of times they went on dates, kissed each other(including forehead kisses), one putting their head on the other's shoulder, ML carrying FL, one writing a romantic note to the other, talking to one another about marriage, etc., etc., then they had more romance scenes than the second leads did. I can assure you that they were also together for a lot more longer than the second leads ever were. The second leads were separated for literally half the drama and then just didn't have much screen time in general.

If the two main leads didn't feel romantic enough for you, that's fine. I was simply saying that there is definitely romance in the drama, maybe just not the kind you were looking for, and I was just correcting you on the facts as far as who had more romantic scenes. I get that different couples appeal to different people. I personally did not care about the second leads at all. They put me to sleep and were, again, very disjointed from the main plot of the drama. I thought both had very bland personalities that led to dull interactions, which were even a bit cheesy, and spent more time just being awkward with each other(one following the other around town) than anything that was actually all that significant or meaningful. Because they were so disjointed from the main plot, they didn't necessarily even need to be in the drama, IMO. In the original comic/manhua, the second female lead didn't even exist. She was created specifically just for the drama(maybe because they needed more female characters and prob also a love interest for Hao Du's character). I watched them the first time and have been fast-forwarding their parts each time I've rewatched the drama. Luckily for me, they don't have much screen time anyway so I don't ever have to do too much skipping.

I didn't care that the kiss between the actor/actress wasn't real. The two characters still kissed. Also, that didn't negate the fact that Ashile Sun and Changge have one of the healthiest and most beautiful relationships ever. There wasn't any of the usual, annoying long, drawn-out misunderstandings, blaming, or grudge-holding. Their relationship wasn't merely about two people who liked each other romantically, but they also had something like that of a partnership where they mutually respected, admired, and believed in each other's capabilities. No toxicity.

Let me correct you: Romance story is great. The leads have one of the best and most healthy relationships I've seen in a while. Their love for each other is shown through the way they respect/understand one another and the amount of sacrifices they make for one another throughout the drama. But if your definition of romance is only skinship, bedroom intimacy, and lip-locking then, sure, don't waste your time.

She endangered her friend? She was fighting for survival, and all alone, dude. Your friends are the ones you're supposed to be able to rely on when you have no one else. If the roles were reversed and Shuyu needed her help, Changge is the type who would have risked her own neck for him. Shuyu is spineless and indecisive. There's a reason why Changge ends up falling for Ashile Sun and not him. Her conversation with Shuyu towards the end about how she can't imagine herself spending the rest of her life with anyone aside from A'Sun, because he was the one willing to go through thick and thin with her, says it all. I haven't even mentioned the fact that Shuyu and his father are supposed to be loyal to her family. It was basically an act of betrayal when he was hesitating and indecisive about whether to help or not. Shuyu's own father, who was willing to die for what he believed in, is more of a man than he is.

Personally, I don't really understand how anyone can think that Changge is self-centered. It is completely understandable that anyone who've had their entire family slaughtered, is being hunted, and has immensely been emotionally and psychologically traumatized would want revenge. She didn't just have one thing taken from her. In a span of a few hours, her entire world was destroyed by what Li Shimin did. And the minute she stepped back into the palace, they were out for her life as well. I think she's ALLOWED to feel betrayed, angry, and to want revenge. It's even worse when that act of betrayal is committed by someone that you loved and trusted with all your life, someone you believed could never harm you. He was like a second father to her and, yet, he destroyed her life and threw her into harm's way. Anyone in her shoes would be filled with hatred and, understandably, would seek revenge. Is she self-centered though? I don't see it. She started off naive and not knowing much about the world around her, but based on Li Shimin's act of betrayal, she also believed that he wasn't a good person, wasn't to be trusted, or fit to be emperor anyway. As she started realizing how much her country needed him, that even people who weren't necessarily loyal to him(like Gongsun Heng) could respect him to a degree, and that he was someone who was genuine about helping the people of Tang, she prioritized helping him survive over her own personal vengeance against him. If she was truly self-centered, that would have never been possible. To me, she's quite the opposite of self-centered and selfish. She's a better person than I would have been.

Also, she had to think that she could do everything and anything. She had no choice. After all, she had no one else to turn to or to rely on, and she wasn't about to start trusting any random person when she couldn't even trust the one person whom she was closest to. The only person she could trust or rely on was herself, so she had to do her best with whatever she had. As far as doing nothing...not true at all. Some people don't give her enough credit for all the things that she successfully did or at least initiated in order for change to happen. Aside from Ashile Sun, you won't be able to name anyone who did more than her. Some claim that she was useless and didn't do anything. Others claim that they made her too invincible and too capable at everything to be realistic. It's kind of funny that people have such polarizing views about her.

I'm not triggered, hun. I genuinely like having conversations and asking questions when things don't make sense. You were very polite about it? Well, so was I. You're the one obviously getting all triggered over being questioned. I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to respond to you just like how you've been responding to others. And if you don't care enough to respond back to me, then don't. Why do you feel the need to type back in capital letters?

You did say that she was very flawed but that the writers made up for that with ZLS. It just seemed to me like you were quite biased in some of your assessments and views, so I was merely looking to have a proper conversation. If you would rather not though, it's all good. No one's forcing you to.

I'm sorry, but didn't most of the characters have flaws, including Leyan? Didn't they both have to grow in many ways? And if you thought Wu Lei was robotic in this drama, then what did you think of him in LLTG? And uncompromising is definitely not one of Changge's flaws...otherwise, when push came to pull, how was she always prioritizing her people and her country above her own personal need for revenge? What I like so much about Changge is that, while she starts off with certain feelings and certain beliefs, she is always learning and also mature enough to acknowledge her errors and to want to better herself as a person. She never victimizes herself, blame others, or give herself excuses for her actions/decisions.

People like Changge and flock to her for no reason except that she's the main character? I don't think that's true at all. For the majority of them, they either knew her personality/character from a young age and believed deeply that she would ultimately do the right thing, or she gained each of their respect, admiration, trust, and following through her good decisions and actions throughout the drama.

And anyone in Changge's position would have been angry enough to want revenge after her entire world was destroyed and she was forced to become a fugitive as well. Were you expecting her to embrace Li Shimin who betrayed her, killed off all her loved ones, and caused her so much emotional and traumatic suffering? So, yes, understandably, she set out with the intention of seeking revenge against those who'd destroyed everything she loved. When so much is taken from you, anyone would be filled with hatred. Minister Du is overly self-righteous, has no empathy, and is unnecessarily cruel. I would have loved to see his entire family slaughtered just to see how he would react. And Leyan isn't wrong that Changge hasn't actually done anything to harm Tang. Despite her initial intentions, every time it came down to truly facing the decision of fulfilling her desire for revenge or helping Tang, she always chose to prioritize her country and her people above her personal needs. Despite her emotional traumas, she still has her priorities straight. The main reason why Leyan slapped Hao Du was because his actions weren't actually based on the idea that he cared about the country. He really didn't care about Tang at all(which is why he got a lecture from Changge at one point), but only about following orders like a puppet. Sometimes you have to be able to set aside your personal endeavors for the greater good...which is what Changge had already been doing(prioritizing her people above her desire for revenge). Hao Du had yet to arrive at that point. He didn't seem to understand that he needed to set aside his selfish desire to please his father, and leave Changge alone, because Changge was actually beneficial to Tang and helping the people. Minister Du was acting on assumptions so he was ordering Hao Du to get rid of Changge, but, by that point, Hao Du should have known better since he himself had already been witness to many, many of Changge's actions and good deeds. He should have been using his heart and head to decide for himself in doing the right thing rather than continuing to blindly follow orders for his own favorability with his foster father.

I see. Anyway, It's even pretty clear early on that Hongyi also had feelings for Hongshuo(judging by the fact that she didn't want to be parted from him, followed him all the way to Li City, and was quite reluctant to leave him when she had to return home), but because there's a sibling-like close bond in their relationship in the beginning, I think she was confused, didn't realize her deeper feelings, and was even in denial about them. But it was evident that whenever he would pamper her, she was extremely pleased and, at times, would even unconsciously look at him shyly and adoringly(as a girl would someone that they romantically like). She later on realized her feelings and, at two different points in the drama, admitted her feelings.

There is something of a love triangle in this series. The male lead's parents found the female lead(Hongyi) when she was a young girl and adopted her into their family. She was raised alongside the male lead character(Hongshuo). Because the two grew up knowing that they weren't blood related, Hongshuo was always in love with Hongyi. Their relationship slowly evolved into something more romantic over the first 8 or so episodes, and Hongyi, later on, eventually admitted feelings for Hongshuo too(though she was quite in denial about her feelings at first). The other party in the triangle is someone from Hongyi's past.