#its just my opinion ok
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I’m so disappointed in megamind 2 or whatever this cash grabbing shit is! To be completely honest, i’m not a fan of dreamworks animation as a whole or modern kids movies in general. And any cgi movies from 2003 onwards have been shit. The only dreamworks animation i have been a fan of were prince of egypt and road to el dorado. But the rest are really bad and awful and lazy. I’m sorry. But with megamind i was completely blown away. It was amazing, funny and original. It definitely was an underrated gem. I cant believe they would tarnish the movie’s reputation.
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unorthodox murder mystery
#zosan#one piece#roronoa zoro#sanji vinsmoke#fanart#okay so basically this concept is ok so basically#its a murder mystery where those who are murdered on the ship actually turn into VAMPIRES#but theyre like#guys. how the fuck do we not know who the vampire is#like what do you mean you are literally still alive after being 'killed' and somehow you dont remember who killed and turned you#zoro: well whatever. im still gonna be the greatest swordsman#sanji: right ok so hello FUCKFACE. DUMBASS. GREATEST SWORDSMAN THAT IS ONLY AVAILABLE DURING THE NIGHT OR WHAT–#sanji: CAN WE FOCUS ON THE FACT THAT WE JUST DIED THAT WE JUST CAME BACK TO LIFE THAT WE'RE IMMORTAL NOW. THAT I CANT TASTE THE FOOD I MAKE#zoro: wat dat gotta do wit me#sanji would be suchhhh a good vampire feeder but a terrible vampire I think#thats my opinion stop throwing rocks at me what the hell#anyway i dont actually know who the vampire on the crew woudl be#thats the mystery#its a mystery to the creaotr of the au as well obviously... or else whats the point.....
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i meant to put this together days ago but here’s pim gifs from the new episode let’s all pretend it still just came out lalalala
#I’m about to be so insufferable about this pitiful little thing it could make a grown man cry#anyways#think the 5th one is my favourite i Love the awkward hopeful smile he does#AND THE LAUGH AFTERWARDSSSSNDD i feel like this isn’t actually as unpopular of an opinion that im thinking it is but#i Love that face so much. yknow like when it goes sorta detailed for a second like in the second last gif. that#I love it so much. it only happened like maybe twice in s1 and now its happened 2 times in the first ep im being so fed#HES SO CUUUUTTEEJEJKORUYYFUYU THUGYGUYG#seriously i could just. go on about all of these each for like 20 minutes#ok bue#smiling friends#pim pimling
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it was volo. its volo. im deeply in love w him
#i wont play the game until someone makes a romance mod#but i fear no one will cus everytime i see opinion polls NO ONE LOVES HIM !!!! i thought it was just reddit bc reddit sucks#but even his tumblr tag is like all polls where ppl pass on him big time#volo im your only ho but its ok i can draw you hairy and transmasc#no guy with a beard that good doesnt also have tons of body hair u cant change my mind#volothamp geddarm#volo bg3#anywaus i think if he was ronaneceable it should be SUPER awkward and he like does not realize things are flirting#and says really grandiose unsexy things all the time and tav still is trying to smansh#my art tag
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using a different brush doesnt make your art better, you can make good art with any brush, "but having a good one makes it easier!" no. making good art is a matter of skill and if your art looks dramatically worse with a different brush then thats because you are unskilled with stylizing it, experimentation is good but the idea that you need a specific brush setting to make your art good is an idea manufactered by people trying to market you their fuckin 20 dollar brush packs you wont use "i know you hate your art and think it looks bad, but dont worry! if you just buy this brush it will look better!" <- this is feeding off of your artistic insecurities to financially exploit you.
people ask me what brush i use somewhat often and it honestley makes me rlly sad. i understand it comes from a place of admiration, liking my style and how i draw and wanting to replicate and understand it on a deeper level. but its a question that ultimately flattens my years of skill and experience and work to a couple of settings on a random software made in 2015. my art looks good because i am good at art. and not because i use a 4px round brush with no antialiasing (the default pencil tool on MSpaint WIN10) its frankly insulting
#the beast speaks#retchid opinions#also this information is not only in my pinned post but in the tags of every single art post i have ever made so.#also a reading comprehension L#also to be clear im not vaugeposting somebody who just gave me an ask if it was a one off then like yeah whatever ok#its a general trend within people asking about my art as well as the larger art community
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I'm proud to say I don't think Luo Binghe would like to eat his boyfriends pussy. He'll do it but bitch he's not here for that. For 1 Binghe is absolutely the kind of guy who wants to see the whole body come undone not just have Shen Yuan tug on his hair. 2 the man's favorite places to kiss are things like forehead, hands, cheeks, he's a foreplay from the waist up man.
He'd fingerblast to next year granted but Shizun asks for a kiss and a downstairs buffet he says yes but in his head he's thinking about how much he just wants to massage and bite that man's shoulders/chest and touch every part of his skin till they're the same person. He needs to use his hands and teeth simultaneously and not doing so is bad for his health. Man can't dine on pussy alone. Shizun let me fingerblast you from the front while taking you from behind while I cradle you in my arms and scream how you love me!!!!! Shizun plssssssss!!!!
#svsss#svsss shitpost#scumbag system#bingqiu#90% a joke#and 10% ive yet to read a fanfic that convices me on that specific element#some men dont eat pussy#not because they hate women.#but because they branched on a different path on the skill tree and thats ok#shen qingqiu#shen yuan#sqq#luo binghe#i should mention that this applies more specifically to bingmei#bingge eats pussy as like the occasional treat#he likes it#thinks its great#but in my opinion hes like dissociating while muching down on the clambake#hes feeling it but hes not FEELING IT#what im saying is you should write a fic where SQQ knows something is wrong because his husband is way to enthuastic for oral#and usually thats HIS thing#im just saying realizing your husband is replaced by his evil alternate universe twin because hes doing good at sex is one thing#not realizing because theres no way hed ask on his own to eat you out like youre the#spread a golden corral on half price day is another
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son boy raccoon trash can man suffering in a dnd au as a cleric bc his warlock will not stop committing murders and he has to keep coming up with reasons murder is valid to convince the gm its fine and under control
#my characters#oops i fell in love#right is trying his best in the au to think about all the logic behind killing someone despite being a cleric SPECIFICALLY#bc he refuses to hurt anyone irl or in dnd and ok fine their warlock can have a little murder as a treat#and the body count is adding up and hes like ... so tired..... please can you not kill for five minutes im running out of excuses#fwiw he has the weird logic of the group in the base plot and the guy who is the gm here#is v open about ok but if we ask right then hell give an unhinged answer completely thought out and rationalized#and in fact asks him hey i know you refuse to hurt people but im having a debate with these two coworkers#if you had to commit a crime for aaaaaanyone on the planet who would you commit a crime for#and he doesnt even hesitate to say luca obviously to which the asker is like WHAT ABOUT MY DAUGHTER#YOU WANNA MARRY HER AND WONT COMMIT A CRIME FOR HER? but LUCA? of all people???? not even brent?#and right is just so confused because first off brent would probably be the one committing a crime for him without being forced#(brent agrees with this statement with a shrug) and second off luca has really weird coworkers and thought he was getting stalked for a bit#due to a misunderstanding with said one weird coworker so yeah obviously right would threaten the guy with a gun which is illegal and#third and final how could he face his beloved angel (the daughter mentioned above) if he was a criminal#he cant tarnish a sweet little innocent girls opinion by committing a crime IN HER NAME gosh fuck off with that attitude#he has STANDARDS thank you very much#and the three at the table are all like okay yeah that was really thought out on the fly youre right#also brent do not commit any crimes for him please and brent just nods in agreement bc ok he wont commit a crime unprompted#also hi animal crossing emotes are so fun to doodle for bye#once again i am baffled by how different the colors look on my laptop in the art program vs posting to tumblr#im going to go insane at how different they look#IM COLOR PICKING FOR MY OWN OCS AND ITS SO WRONG LOOKING IDK MAN
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Im not really a fan of Speeding Bullet. But Running Blind is still my favourite tf2 fic. And I think it is objectively the best Scout ship. And I reblog most fanart I see of it. Truly a conundrum.
#tf2#the second best is flashfire hopscotch or micenmen#and shout out to batting helmet i personally think its funny#texas two step is. ok#not too fond of the obvious age gap with little prick but at the end of the day theyre both consenting adults so#and the forbidden ship is. well. forbidden#scout x scout is kind of hot the way underfell sans kissing regular sans is hot#so ???#these are just opinions dont bash pls#i bounce headcanons and ships around my mind like a dvd screensaver#so if you interpet ships/dynamics different then thats cool 👍#unless its the forbidden ship in which case screw off and ask yourself why this appeals to you#team fortress 2#tf2 ships#tf2 scout#tf2 sniper#running blind#speeding bullet#also my second favourite fic is probably the speedingbullet time loop one thats ongoing#gah
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My opinions on some ships and characters 😼😼😼
Ill explain some stuff in the tags if yall are curious hehe ALSO IN THE REBLOGS. TUMBLR SILENCED ME 😔💔
Template by @stervil !!!
#minecraft story mode#mcsm#OK SO.#first of all these are MY OPINIONS ship what you want#I truly couldn't care less. I actually LOVE hearing about people's ships. Even the ones I don't like. PLEASE YAP ABOUT IT#Also by IDK I mean I genuinely don't know how to feel. Not a negative idk. Just a genuine idk#OKOK ANYWAY#first. I'm so sorry y'all but I find jetra and jeskas so boring and bland... I just. YK when something is so overdone it ruins your opinion#Yeah..#OBVIOUSLY I LOVE JURM. MORE THAN ANYTHING OMG#jack x Ivor and jack X Romeo are ships I've seen. I personally don't see it but I think it could be cute!#Romeo could either be SUPER TOXIC AND ANGSTY 😼😼 or if he's redeemed pretty nice? But still angst. Hehe#ALSO. AM I CRAZY FOR NURM X BINTA??? AGAIN ITS NOT MY MAIN SHIP BUT LIKE.. I KINDA SEE IT-#LIKE#My Nurm and Binta are BEST FRIENDS. like they'll trauma dump. Then have the most TMI wild convo ever. Then gossip and share cat memes.#In the span of ten minutes THEYRE INSEPARABLE LMAOOO#But honestly thinking about it... I kinda ship it-#HELP#ITS CUTE#Especially since both are creatures to me. Critter X critter#Isa Milo and Reggie. I do not care I just need any of them to kiss. Same with the old order#Like I don't care who's with who I just think it's TASTY#My friend introduced me to Nell x Binta and omg.. YES#SOME OTHER SHIPS IVE SEEN THAT I THINK ARE AWESOME: Petra x Xara. Axel x gill. Jesse x Radar#Ummmm IM SO SORRY ABOUT RADAR X PAMA. I've seen some adorable art on this app but I just. Can't get behind it I'm so sorry 😭🩷🩷#PAMA x harper I don't apologise for. The only ship on here that makes me physically recoil#That's her baby..#UHHH I MIGHT ADD MORE HERE LATER THIS IS JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD#Actually scratch that. Change Nurm x Binta to like. THE MORE I THINK ABOUT IT THE MORE I GIGGLE AND KICK MY FEET#I have beef with Aiden. He doesn't deserve love
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Loving your HC's! Regarding Charles' singing, I vaguely recall that in the comics Jubilee mentioned that he sings Sinatra in the shower. Whether he does it well is up to our imaginations XD TAS Charles can absolutely sing because his first VA (Cedric Smith) was a folk singer in the 1970's. Here's a clip of him singing from Road to Avonlea which he filmed around the same time as TAS: https://youtu.be/qycFlUXYeHw?si=sn1rN2eB_xnVJex8&t=71
if one things for certain, he's gotta be singing LOUD as hell if anyone can hear him in his soundproofed mansion 😭😭😭 three possibilities exist really:
he Somehow thinks hes alone because he's so caught up in singing he can't sense anyone nearby
he's too confident in how soundproofed his house is/how far his shower is from the hallway
xmen be damned he needs his shower concert
and theyre all equally funny and all come with their own sets of implications and i love it. all in all i know he's an orator but DAMN brother's got some pipes ....
AND THE CLIP YOU SENT i love finding out VAs sing omg ...... i fear i'll have to listen to come back tot his every now and then thank you for this cherished gift .....
#charles xavier#professor x#snap chats#giggling and kicking my feet as we speak rn hey. i love charles#I KNEW HE HAD A MUSICAL BONE IN HIS BODY it's only natural. somehow. Dude Trust Me vjfalekjaekLKJEJ#maybe its the filipino in my blood but singing can be something so personal and special. i love it..#showers gotta be his only place of refuge at this point let the man sing !!!!!!!#ok but sinatra specifically is makin me laugh And This Is Only Topically Related#but i just immedately thought of that fuckinnn Toad Sings 'My Way' video cause Shamefully its one of my favorites jvlkejlkae#i love smith's work as chalres like Gen no better voice fitted for him me thinks . in my opinion. it just sounds right ....#is My Way fitting for charles on that note ??? maybe ..... no time to think bout that tho. ... my next class soon and i wanna finish my tea#if you ever find out which comic jubilee says that id LOVE to know. any excuse to add to my ever-increasing collection....
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omw to see a guy im not interested in bc he has my coat
#basically chat i am Not bi i truly tried i just feel nothing . and i went on a date w a beautiful butch and the way my heart went crazyyy#it rly confirmed it#however . this guy . ok so we went on 2 dates and he had some rly bad takes at the end of the second date out of nowhere#i alrdy felt nothing and by then i felt even more. nothing. BUT#in other ways hes like green flags all around except for those specific takes . anyway. i thrifted this coat in bordeaux and me and my#friend have joint custody over it like it is Our Coat and we share it etc etc it spends equal time at our houses#given those takes i fear if i tell him in advance that im not interested there is a very low chance he might like#not give me the coat back ? idk#anyway I WANT MY COAT BACK ik its unrealistic that hed do smth like that but . idk idk The Takes TM worried me#anyway idk how to break it to him. like . hi ik im in ur house and u wanted to cook for me but i rly want my coat back and also ur opinions#abt feminism and the military are Worrying and also goodbye im a lesbian
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why do people pick and choose what definition of canon they use for which situation and then get angry that anyone disagrees with any part of it 😭
personally, im much less interested in going strictly by the definition that appearances are the things that make canon and much more in what the authors intentions behind those appearances were... and like i feel that i should be allowed to do that without people screaming about how "well this is what i SEE when i watch the show so ur STUPID" LIKE PLEASEEE IM ALLOWED TO THINK DEEPER THAN THAT 😭
like... if i took EVERYTHING at face value, the scene where aiura tries to fake a lucky feel would just actually be attempted sexual assault 😭 but its an out of character moment and im 100% sure that the author didnt intend to make her creepy or an assaulter (more likely, it was one of those "sa isnt sa when its by a woman" moments by the author, so its not supposed to come off as sa and instead just her being a sexual person) ... so i dont see her as one 🤷🏻♀️ but again, if you see canon as only whats seen on screen then thats what it was, so you cant just like... refuse to see it that way and then get mad that there are similar things that OTHER people choose to do the same thing with just because you dont do it for those particular things
#im not making any sense i fear but its ok im just ranting#this is just my opinion but it honestly just doesnt make sense in most cases to NOT take the authors intention into account#like the aiura thing ? was completely out of character and doesnt make sense in the context of like everything else she does#so imo it doesnt make sense to see it as canon that she tried to sa him#anyway kuniharu is a pathetic loser and some things he does would be abusive irl but im 100% sure he was not INTENDED to be abusive#and it doesnt fit into the story and doesnt make sense with his character and his relationship with kusuo to interpret it that way imo#its okay to see it that way but it wasnt written with that intention and i refuse to be treated like im stupid for going by that#once again my opinion and nobody is stupid or wrong if they disagree#anyway the point is its perfectly valid to enjoy a manga the way U want to#and only u get to decide how YOU interpret it#but you cant pick and choose with no rhyme or reason and then get mad when other people didnt pick and choose the exact same way#you cant just say 'this thing that happened isnt canon because i think it didnt fit but oh oh if YOU guys think THAT isnt canon cuz it-#doesnt fit then ur literally stupid wtf !! whats wrong with u why are you enjoying canon the way YOU choose !!!'#'i chose canon already guys no doubles 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺'#'yea this thing happened but it wasnt intended that way... oh but that thing wasnt intended that way but it doesnt count cuz i said so'#you are not the author dawg#saiki k#tdlosk#the disastrous life of saiki k.#meows post
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my #1 fear with da:v is that they woobify and romanticize solas and rob him of the qualities that make him the dread wolf, fen'harel, great betrayer and bringer of nightmares etc. etc. etc, the kind of person who killed an old friend who got in his way, who orchestrated a successful but bloody coup, who mercilessly hunts down and kills mages who bind spirits, who we would have seen drag a low-approval inquisitor through an eluvian and shut it on them to chop off their arm if time had allowed, qualities like his cunning, ruthlessness and, most importantly, arrogance, in an attempt to make him more palatable to a new audience or to win over the players who have decided they hate him for those same reasons. but every time we get new footage of him being an conceited, condescending asshole (affectionate) like in vows & vengeance i am so so relieved <3
#hes so compelling BECAUSE he is both kind and approves of you helping refugees AND will literally kill anyone who gets in his way#his behavior and opinion on the world is soooo susceptible to his environment#kind of like a spirit huh...#anyway please do not mistake this for criticism of the character#he is a bad person and a good person at the same time for different reasons#just like we all are :)#that is why i love him so much#not tagging this one bc no shade to them but a lot of solas fans struggle with accepting this and want him to be perfect and morally right#its ok for him to be a little bit evil and fucked up. as a treat#its also sexy#“kindly remove your knife from my neck” AWOOOOOOOOOOOGA
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confession time while im mildly sleep deprived and thus can't be held accountable for my conclusions: isabeau is my least favourite isat character. this is because i am allophobic
#or well mildly romance repulsed i think#but even if i was i think the way the fandom and arguably even the game itself#sorta limit him by putting him as a mildly generic Safe Masc Love Interest#sucks a bit and makes him uninteresting#if only by how unexplored he is when removed from the context of his crush#ok#sure hes an insecure smart guy whos buff and thinks he needs to downplay that#so hes transgender#but thats about. all we really know of him#who is he separated from siffrin and from his insecurities??? people dont talk about this#its sorta the same with mirabelle#i think.#cause most people focus on the aroache part and not nearly enough on her faith#but thats just my opinion
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Just ended a call with my friend where she revealed that her roommate's boyfriend got mad because they (my friend and her roommate) both find Firefly boring and he started going on a tangent about how Firefly is an absolute angel who didn't do anything wrong and that their tastes are whack.
And here I thought we've moved past this era.
Damn 😭
Honestly I love Firefly and I think both parties just don’t get the appeal of her.
Girl who is slowly losing her grip on reality both literally and metaphorically joins a group of morally questionable but well intentioned people set on creating the best possible future for everyone, all while she attempts to make the most of what life she has left, burning brightly like her namesake.
And she has a kickass mecha suit from the ancient times tm* that basically functions as the aid to her disability
Her roommates boyfriend getting mad because Firefly is an angel that does no wrong is incorrect, because as heroic as their goals are, they are still considered intergalactic terrorists for a reason
Your friend and her roommate finding Firefly is a matter of personal opinion, but objectively I don’t think she’s boring in the slightest, in fact I think she’s one of the coolest characters in the game, the only boring thing about her is her non-SAM design imo
Honestly I thought we moved past this too but hopefully 2.3 changes their minds and we get some good Firefly content lol
#honkai star rail#hsr#firefly#firefly hsr#firefly honkai star rail#i feel like they all see her as just a love interest which is where the opinions came from#Shes far more interesting when you disconnect her from the TB#Shame her design is that bland though#her face gives npc im sorry#She looks so much cooler in my brain its ok#Also anyone who finds her relationship to SAM boring needs some help because what#ask me anything
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Tbh? I think the radiant emperor duology deserves more critique than it gets in its tag, so after stewing it over for a couple weeks and also discussing it with my friend, I have decided to do it myself.
So. Spoilers for She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned The World ahead.
First off, so nobody accuses me of hating the series, I liked the series. I'd say I'd give the first book a 4.5/5, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I like both books. I truthfully skipped the fisting scene, it triggered some dysphoria that I wasn't comfortable with personally but I don't have problem with it existing in the book, it's good where it is, no changes.
No, my critiques come mostly from the second book, hwdts. Which sucks because I absolutely loved Baoxiang in it, it's a well known fact that my ideal type is pretty, really mean, characters. ('What about Madam Zhang?!!!???!? Shes mean and pretty!!' I hear you ask. Give it a second cause i will get to my beloved madam zhang) So, my critiques are mostly organized as 'The first part I didn't like in Hwdtw that signals the thing that became my biggest issue, the bits in the middle that i did like along with the bits that I felt didn't really work well, and Act 3 which is where my issues really were exacerbated.'
By the end of book one, I had a general annoyance but acceptance that Ma Xiuying was a bit of a weak character, and not weak as in 'dang shes a woman and cant fight' or any other sexist way you may interpret that, but weak as in structurally, she didn't really have as much depth as other characters. I thought she didn't have as much time put into her character as others. And yeah you could have a million character analysis essays over Ma and her place in the story and etc, but for me, her setup for the next book as potentially having conflict with Zhu or her own morals was the most interesting part of Ma. In general I think a lot of people tend to overlook this flaw partly because Ma is a cis lesbian character and the main 'love interest' in a book that is usually marketed to people as sapphic, which yeah there is certainly a sapphic relationship in the book but I think saying it's a major part of the book is really giving the relationship a load bearing wall ot isn't strong enough to carry. The Radiant Emperor Duology is not a romance, first and foremost. To describe it as a wlw romance is gonna leave people who read ot specifically for that reason kinda dissappointed by the end of book 2.
My big critiques didn't start until book two, and a particular scene, though. Ma, at the start of book two, was generally filling the niche of 'nagging wife' to zhu, which yknow, is a fine place to start from. I was a little disappointed there was no further discussion of Ma's disapproval of the morality of Zhu's actions, and in fact the dead child was pretty much entirely forgotten by Ma in favor of being Zhu's wife. Which, yknow, sure.
The Scene I had issue with happened (Spoilers once again) after Zhu finally captures Ouyang and imprisons him at her base of operations. Ma, dressed in her empressly regalia enters his room with the intention of being the bigger person. She walks in, looks at the stripped down and humiliated general who killed her father and famously is also really a women hater, and tells him she forgives him for killing her father. And then she gets upset and cries when the prideful general who hates women gives her a dressing down and taunts her and is like 'I'm glad I killed your father'? She nearly cries because Ouyang was mean to her (notably only cause he was mean to her and didn't gracefully accept her forgiveness, not because he killed ehr father) and runs off to Zhu. And Zhu responds with 'Wow, he's just a weirdo, everyone likes you and everyone in existance immediately knows you're a good person and you change people.' Which, my friend suggested before she finished the book, was a case of Zhu placating Ma and dismissing her feelings which would be an interesting dynamic.
Really my hangups with this scene come from multiple parts.
1. Ma' few character traits including being observant and reading people really well (a thing she's praised for in book 1) and having good social intuition are completely thrown out by her thinking being alone with ouyang and forgiving him would be a good idea and then her being shocked and upset when he spat on her forgiveness. And
2. Zhu's response is never once treated by the text as her dismissing Ma and placating her, and Zhu's statement despite never being shown to be true before and that moment being the first time it's ever mentioned, ends up becoming Chekov's moral purity by the end of the book, where the plot hinges on Ma being able to magically heal a damaged character's mind enough for Zhu to win in the end. Which I will get back to. There's a lot of other stuff happening between here and the end.
So, before I get back to Ma and her role in the story, I'll address some other bits from after this scene. Both problems and things I enjoyed generally.
Madam Zhang and her parallels to Baoxiang and her being the absolute queen of dissociating really was interesting (before act 3). She was a very compelling character who I completely understood and felt positively about. She had a way more interesting relationship with gender imo than Ma did, especially in book 2. I didn't really like that she was overwhelmingly shown having sexual villence done to her, that felt weirdly like a punishment. But, I did like her a whole bunch, and I liked the look we got into her head. She was probably my second, maybe third, favorite character in the whole book until Act 3.
I really, really liked Ouyangs dynamic and relationship with Zhu. The weird sexual tension between them, their weird kinda nonsexual but also kinda very sexual S&M relationship. It was somehow the most sensual, sexual part of a book that featured Madam Zhang having sex with multiple people, and Zhu going down on Ma, and a lot of other mentions of sex or scenes involving sex. Tbh I feel like, in a way, Ma was left to the sidelines for most of the book because Ouyang became the primary 'love' interest for a hot second there and the only reason Ma could get her spot back was Ouyang and Zbu's separation. Also, from what I've seen when people talk about this book, they always kinda try to express Zhu and Ouyang's dynamic as very nonsexual and nonromantic, as platonic mostly. And there is no inherent superiority of romantic over platonic, but I think to insist that it is only platonic, and not a strange swirl of romantic, platonic, sexual, frustration and relief, and a swirl of familiarity and vulnerability all wrapped into one, is doing the dynamic a bit of a disservice. And ther is, imo, very clearly a subtle hint of romantic intent and interest on Ouyang's part before he realizes Zhu has a body he hates.
Which is also another point I didn't like. Ouyang and Zhu's relationship end felt off. The entire bit with the pirates felt off, but especially how Ouyang found out about Zbu's body, and how Zhu reacted. I think Ouyang finding out second hand, from a combination of being suspicious and from Jiang saying it, was a poor way for that to be revealed. I think there was a better way for that to happen that woyld have felt more like a betrayl to zhu than this did. The fact that Zhu and Ouyang were so in tune and could see each other perfectly, but this one thing was a blind spot for both of them because of how unaffected by gender Zhu was compared to how overaffected by gender Ouyang was is a really interesting thing to explore, an interesting disconnect between two character's whose entire basis for their relationship is 'like recognizes like'. I think Zhu seeing it as a betrayl would have been more impactful if she had presented this informatuon to Ouyang herself and been rejected than how it went down. And, I think her not realizing Ouyang would be disgusted that he felt connected and felt a sameness to someone with a body he found grotesque and that he feared would have been more interesting for zhu, who views herself outside of womanhood and didnt really think that other people would not see her outside of womanhood, if she was the one who told ouyang herself.
Also, less importantly, think going into Ouyangs annoyance that zhu kept moving his target further away was a good move but it wasn't expanded on as much for my taste. I also really liked it when (spoiler) Xu Da dies, and that entire part despite some minir bits, was extremely good in that Zhu finally has tasted loss. She had, up until that point, been riding a wave of positivity, she was the underdog who won over and over again despite all the odds and despite her own reckless choices. So I did appreciate that everything went wrong for her at least once. that would have been, imo if other things were changed, a good place to end a book two in a three book series. Which will make sense as to why I mention it im a bit.
I also didn't like how Ma was nonexistant unless the plot was like 'ok we need to remind people that Ma exists.'
And there's of course other stuff but those are the main points of acts 1 and 2 that i wasn't fond of or that i liked.
Act 3 is a wholely different behemoth which can be encapsulated with 'I wish it was longer but also different' (courtesy of the convo my friend and I had).
My friend and I both agreed that we liked this kind of courtly drama game it was playing. My friend doesn't tend to like the structure or writing style of a lot of the chinese wuxia, danmei, or courtly drama translated books i read, so it was nice to know that the genre content isn't the issue for her there.
The biggest problems I had with the ending though was 1. I think Baoxiang and Ma had an interesting dynamic despite it being really rushed and how distasteful I found the entire concept of Ma being such a good wholesome goody good good person that she could change Baoxiang, quiet his demons and fix him in some way. That was annoying in an otherwise interesting dynamic. And 2. I think Madam Zhang's character traits and cleverness and all that were wiped away to make her inexplicably jealous of Ma in a way that I don't think fit her character and just served to fit a trope of jealous empress who hates the favored concubine.
So, here's my major proposed changes.
1. Ma gets sent to Khanbaliq extremely early on. Like, act one maybe after ouyang is captured early. This serves three purposes. A. Ma has something to do and is more present in the story. this could be a good xhance to let her actually feel frustrated or upset at Zhu in some tangible way that needs to be resolved or talked thru eventually. B. she gets more time to build a relationship with Baoxiang, whose entire defeat hinges on him having a strong connection with her. and C. Her absence in the other parts of the book feel less like she's being ignored or forgotten. It makes Zhu's lack of haste more than just a way to annoy Ouyang, and turns it into an interesting moral choice. Should she rush to Khanbaliq to save Ma or trust that Ma will be ok in favor of gaining power? Her lack of haste means Ouyang leaves, depressed, and she loses Xu Da, all while she doesn't even have the assurance that Ma is ok, she is truly at her lowest point with nobody with her. If Ma is in Khanbaliq and that's explored, then Zhu and Ouyang can also explore their dynamic without Ma feeling a bit like she is battling for Zhu's attention.
2. Madam Zhang is suspicious of Ma, or feels actually tangibly threatened by Ma. In act 3, Madam Zhang's anger towards Ma feels really out of place. She got exactly what she wants, she is empress, her emperor isn't interested in removing her from her position and her position isn't threatened by anyone. Baoxiang won't get rid of her, he won't demote her, he has shown zero sign of ever even considering it. So, why is Madam Zhang jealous of Ma? Imo, especially since she very clearly has dissociated into oblivion and has no love or affection for anyone anymore, and no real desire or motivation to secure her position further aside from maybe producing an heir to make sure shes taken care of after Baoxiang dies, there's no reason for her to be inextricably jealous of Ma. It kinda just erases all of Madam Zhang's political savvy and cunning into jealous, petty woman, and that sucks. If she was suspicious of Ma's intention, or Baoxiang genuinely expressed spmething that actively threatened her position, her hatred of Ma would make sense, but instead she hates Ma cause Ma is ugly and spends every night with Baoxiang. She hated rice buckets concubine cause that concubine used a lot of funds and competition genuinely made her position less stable. She needs better motivation for hating Ma.
3. As I mentioned earlier, Zhu needs to be the one to tell Ouyang that she does not have a dick. That's just all around better, it feels more like a betrayl to bare your secrets and be rejected, etc etc.
4. The duology should have been a trilogy, with book 3 starting when Zhu is at her lowest, ouyang is dead, ma is in khanbaliq, Xu Da is dead, a new guy is the emperor. This is where a book three should have started. in a series that has so many important characters, i feel like it needs more space. she's in a 10 gallon tank when really she needs a 30 gallon tank. Lots of it, especially towards the end of book 2, felt rushed and the extra book will absolutely push that back a bit and make it less rushed.
Anyways that's my critique of The Radiant emperor duology. Once Again, I liked the series, its one of my favorites i've read all year. I don't dislike it, and having a critique or opinion about something doesnt mean I didn't like the book or understand the book (because obviously if i understood it i would understand why its flawless). I liked it, there are things I wish were different, that's it.
#radiant emperor#he who drowned the world#she who became the sun#radiant emperor spoilers#spoiler#i wrote this in like 2 hours at 4 am and i got lazy halfway thru editing it so if theres typos rip#i just needed to get it out of my brain#organized in text somewhere other than jamies discord dms#thank you jamie also#i have a lot of opinions on this duology#some i didnt even mention cause its 6:30 and i forgot#i think shelley parker chan wants to write nblm or mlm books tbh#i dont think they really wanna write sapphic books#and tbh im ok with that i think there should be more books about transmascs#the tiktok/tumblr habit of describing a book with tags really also doesnt help this book also#i think to say 'sapphic enemies to lovers' for this kind of book gives people the wrong impression#especially since once again i wouldnt really describe it as sapphic in the genre way#anyhow again so nobody kills me#i did like the books#i enjoyed them i loved them i did not hate them at all
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