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viscountessevie · 1 year

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Benophie anon here (the first one!) Thank you so much for responding to my ask, it was part rant, part setting the record straight on how benophies were initially feeling after the s3 announcement. Also re: trivias response to my ask: I totally understand why you may not like the book, imo it's probably the worst written book out of the series as a whole, if irc it's also the shortest book in the series, and is at least a 100 pages shorter than rmb, which might explain the pacing (the book has like 7 scenes total) It's also pretty obvious jq just wanted to get the Ben's story out of the way and move on to polin already. I checked the publishing dates for the series and there is only 7 months between tvwlm and aofag, all the other books are a year apart!! So it was definitely rushed. I think the reason I like the story so much is because it has the potential to be phenomenal. Forbidden love, the inter class pairing and yes even the no 5 shenanigans. These tropes and ideas just do it for me. Their story has the potential to be great and I will forever hate jq for not having the skill or patience to deliver on that potential. As for the workplace harassment complaints: idk man let me enjoy my fantasy book in peace✌ . That's the beauty of having eight books in this series! There's something for everyone. The show has a golden opportunity to take what is the foundation for a great story and make some excellent television out of it. I do think that the the reason they skipped over ben is the cinderella aspect of the story, you must remember how much backlash that trope was getting a year ago, the producers probably got scared and pushed the season which is... fair ig? I just hope they don't feel the need to overcorrect the book, the cinderella trope is only like the first 5 chapters anyway and then its a straight forward forbidden lovers trope. The masquerade episode could be one of the best episodes on the show if done properly. Again: the ingredients for the perfect cake are there, The producers just have to follow the instructions and not add any weird shit in there. Sorry for the long reply lol, but you did ask us to write you and essay. (Also I might add on to this essay in a couple hours, I'm definitely forgetting some stuff)

Previous Ask by Benophie Anon

[Part 2 of this ask is below when I answer it!]

Hii bestie, I know this ask has been sitting in my drafts for a while but I'm briefly back to clear out my old asks :)

Thank you for the essay - I really do love reading them and it's just very nice to know that yall are willing to read mine and give the same energy back 😍 I truly have some of the best anons/mutuals/followers ever so thank you yall!

I'm always here to let yall vent and set the record straight - as I always say this blog is a safe space for anyone who wants to make this a safe space and isn't a bigot. I've also sent along your reply to Triv. I had a good chuckle at "Idk man let me enjoy my fantasy book in peace" you're so valid. Do let me know if you do end up reading The Millionaire Marquess since it's similar to Benophie - maybe it's the book that hits the potential of what you're talking abt with AOFAG!

Also hearing about how short the book is and the publication dates,,, JQ REALLY fucked over Benophie for Book!Polin huh that really sucks and I'm sorry to Benophies out there (well the valid ones, the homophobic and racist weirdos can get out of here).

I definitely understand your frustration with books not hitting the potential you see in them. I had that with a book I reviewed recently, Unladylike Lessons In Love (yes I am indeed showering you with all the HR recs because everyone deserves to read outside JQ)

Don't let the execs and higher ups off the hook, anon cos it's NOT fair that they completely messed up the order of the books. Not to mention how they butchered TVWLM. I don't think these people even care abour elevating the books - they just slapped the series name on it for the in built fanbase which ofc the racist part of that fandom got weeded out REAL QUICK after Regé's casting. Now they're using the characters of colour as props to switch out every season to draw in their POC audience. Well they can't do that with the cracker season so good luck to them.

I'm the same - I only enjoyed AOFAG BECAUSE of Luke T! I don't think I would have been as forgiving of Ben's privileged and lowkey creepy ass in the book if I had read the book first or if Ben was played by anyone else less charming.

I think they aged him down for the ignorance and navieté show version! Also to go with the Marina storyline. He needed to be young and dumb to be tricked by her I guess. Tbh your guess is as good as mine cos this show makes so many questionable choices.

Now at the heels of QC, S3 has a LOT stacked against it. But I don't think the execs or forerunners are gonna even bother trying to redeem her 🤡 so good luck getting the audience to root for her. They're just gonna She's All That it and call it a day tbh. It's going to be bland af and I won't be tuning in. I really am over Bton the show tbh. I'm only still discussing these things cos my blog is so tied to it and my friends are still in it lol. But as you and everyone who follows can see, I have been slowly moving away and expanding my tastes.

To end off, again thanks so much for all your asks! I really do hope S4 is Benophie and they do it justice! For you and my Benophie friends ❤

#Bridgerton #Benophie Anon #Benophie #AOFAG #The Viscountess Answers

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not-joan-of-arc · 1 year

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heaven official's blessing by mxtx (pt. 1)

(finished reading on April 1 2022)

unedited digital annotations for books one to three:

(SPOILERS AHEAD FOR BOOKS ONE TO THREE)

okay so I didn't think I would be doing annotations because this book is so fucking long (even though I never want it to end and actually doesn't feel that long) and I'm already almost halfway through

but

I need somewhere to record all my internal screaming otherwise I'm literally going to combust

thoughts thus far -

BOOK ONE

took a while for me to understand the world but the world-building is so insane and immersive that when I did get it it just took the whole story to a whole new level

also having watched the donghua really helped visualise the characters/scenes

I love Xie Lian with all my heart, he's like the epitome of contradiction and the storytelling is fabulous how with every new story we peel back a little bit more of his character and see a new unexpected side to him

Hua Cheng is also my love and I was literally screaming for all his scenes because to us the reader it is so obvious he is so far gone for Xie Lian and yet Xie Lian is so fucking blind to it

I am an absolute sucker for the trope where a big scary evil person is unbelievably soft for their sweet and innocent love

and also shoutout to my fave the iconic gender-fluid Wind Master, we stan

sidenote - the translation was a little rough at first but the more I read the more I got into it and even the translated writing has some truly stunning lines

BOOK TWO

didn't love a lot of this tbh, but only because it was 400 pages of Xie Lian having a full-on breakdown and like the character development and storytelling where phenomenal but all the while my heart was breaking for him

lots of interesting ethics and philosophy stuff

also - we love Feng Xin, Mu Qing is a shady bitch, and calling it now but those two were definitely the deputy gods in disguise in the first book

what I really was living for in this book though was young Hua Cheng's and Xie Lian's interactions, like could they be any more adorable

also was screaming because from the donghua I thought Xie Lian had only met Hua Cheng once but no, they actually met like a dozen times? and all pivotal moments in Xie Lian's life too?? how the fuck does he not remember him?? I mean maybe it's because Xie Lian just finds older Hua Cheng too handsome (it's literally said in every scene where they meet) and his brain can't think of anything else when looking at him but what do I know

also also Qi Rong is one disturbed fucker

BOOK THREE - where we are when starting these annotations

okay so (minus Qi Rong) I love this ragtag group of misfits just chilling at Puqi Shrine, also love the rivalry between a knife and a scrap of silk

the kiss scene!! and I can't believe Xie Lian had a full on meltdown about it then literally asked Hua Cheng out on a date like two seconds later (also their whole date was so freaking cute and we appreciate ghost henchpeople supporting their overlord gallivanting around with the love of his life)

also we stan Hua Cheng being a supportive bf even if his bf is an oblivious ass

at the same time though a lot of this book seems like it was written on crack - like the whole accidental poisoning thing was so fucking hilarious but so completely random

that being said I've laughed out loud at several chapters in this book - perhaps my fave was Xie Lian's failed attempt at a street performance, like yeah that's my boi

wow I've literally written a whole ass essay

but now back to my regularly scheduled reading

I never want this to end though

BOOK 3 CONTINUED

not Xie Lian being embarrassed about asking for his bf's phone number

“To watch with your own eyes your beloved be trampled and ridiculed, yet be unable to do anything. That’s the worst suffering in the world.” - okay but can he make it any more obvious

after eight hundred years of nothing, Hua Cheng just has a marriage proposal and an offer to move in together within the span of a day? I can't decide whether he's moving too slow or too fast

Xie Lian literally about to combust at the sight of a shirtless Hua Cheng is absolutely priceless

oof okay this coffin scene is getting intense

ngl, I really hope there aren't any super explicit scenes in the book because MXTX's attitude towards consent in the few scenes I read in Mo Dao Zu Shi made me feel kinda gross and ruined novel!WangXian's relationship a bit for me - that being said, I think it might just be for those characters specifically and so maybe if HuaLian do have any explicit scenes it'll be a lot softer and wholly consensual - and tbf, especially with Xie Lian's whole purity thing, the affectionate touches and kiss scene thus far have been wholly respectful and consensual, like Hua Cheng is so soft with Xie Lian it's actually adorable

their heart-to-heart moment on the beach is making me scream for various reasons but mostly because Hua Cheng is literally confessing his love?? like could he be any more obvious?? and the dumbass Xie Lian is just like ‘hmm what are these strange feelings, is that jealousy? nah, we're just bros’ - I love him but he's so fucking stupid at times

oh man, I thought Ming Yi was sus but then the dice game seemed to clear his name - that's a very clever plot device

this whole plot twist is just so well-written and well-thought out in general, like the writing for this part of the story is amazing and yeah I thought it was more than coincidence that the Wind Master and the Water Demon had the name Xuan but I never suspected this extent of conspiracy - just wow, flawlessly done

I don't really understand Quan Yizhen's character but the whole accidentally eating Xie Lian's poison was just too funny, again that's another scene I could easily imagine in the donghua

I am living for Hua Cheng disguising himself as Lan Ying - also this entire story arc Xie Lian constantly seems like he doesn't know ‘whether to laugh or to cry’

Xie Lian is simultaneously terrifying and a complete and utter cinnamon roll, we stan

Crown Prince Xie Lan? More like Genius Detective Xie Lian, uncovering corrupt Heavenly Officials one god at a time

yeah Fu Yao is definitely Mu Qing and Hua Cheng knows it, whether Xie Lian has figured it out too is anyone's guess, he can be something of an unreliable narrator even if it is a third person POV

okay I like Feng Xin and I feel bad for him now, like he's so obviously heartbroken and its sad to think no one knew he once had a wife he loved for almost a thousand years - I mean, it's nowhere near as tragic as Xie Lian's life, but still

it really does seem like every major god or ghost is somehow related to Xie Lian - Hua Cheng, Feng Xin, Mu Qing, Qi Rong, Lan Chang, Pei Su, Banyue, and the other Crown Prince of Yong'an whose name I forget

who knew Pei Ming would be the one to ship Hua Cheng and Xie Lian - like he literally clocks onto their relationship right away with the whole getting Xie Lian to kiss E'ming and then two seconds later telling him to actually kiss Hua Cheng to save him lol - Pei Ming is a bit of a dickhead but we appreciate an ally

at this point it's pretty clear Xie Lian enjoys ‘accidentally’ poisoning people - just waiting to see if this is a comedic trope or an actual plot device

Pei Ming being done with how insufferably in love Hua Cheng and Xie Lian are is a fat mood

also I suspect this white-clothed Crown Prince is the white-clothed calamity in the smiling-crying mask

so basically every heavenly official ever has somehow ended up at demon realm central

okay but Ling Wen is a badass, like sure she murdered a bunch of people, but most of those people were a bunch of sexist knobs and compared to the shit some of the other heavenly officials have done it’s actually pretty minor? also this woman was literally holding heaven together for centuries, like as soon as she dips literally everything falls into chaos because the male gods don’t know how to do shit

I love scenes like this one now where Xie Lian and Pei Ming are caught in the net because its just so hilariously chaotic, like the whole dialogue where Xie Lian is all ‘can you please not kill me, thank you’ and Ling Wen is like ‘hmm nah sorry, no can do’ and Xie Lian is like ‘but I’m just here for the bants’ literally had me crying

red string of fate!! Hua Cheng tying him and his boyf together both literally and symbolically, we love to see it

Yin Yu is too good, and like I know he's barely had any pagetime thus far but he's now one of my fav characters okay, like he's such a mood - also he's so obviously aware of how his master Hua Cheng is whipped for Xie Lian and whole-heartedly supports it and that just makes me like him even more

I also still don’t know how I feel about Quan Yizhen

okay so there's definitely a conspiracy with the Crown Prince of Wuyong and Xie Lian, I'm guessing this is building up to what book four will be about - also I read a comment that said book four was epically tragic and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that, I don't want Xie Lian to suffer anymore :(

Xie Lian outwardly: yes yes the red string is a very practical spell; Xie Lian internally: what a relief to know my boyf- uh I mean my friend is safe and that I'll always be able to find him

and then the next scene is Hua Cheng literally telling him to have a bit more self-preservation (which tbf, Xie Lian really does need because he's just like so casual about literally dying multiple times??) - how soft these two are for each other is literally going to be the death of me

wow Hua Cheng is so jealous but like, tbf, Xie Lian is being so vague in trying to say he trusts Hua Cheng?? like just tell him directly dude

so we're getting the story of how Xie Lian forged Ruoye too? oof I already know it's going to make me bawl

so this is the other group of gods and ghosts who are all a little older than the Xianle lot (except Pei Su) and are instead centred around Pei Ming - Ling Wen, Xuan Ji, the Rain Master, Rong Guang, that other statue civil god

so is it the Rain Master throwing Pei Ming off the ox or is it Xie Lian in retaliation for Pei Ming being rude to Hua Cheng? I guess we'll never know

no but literally, who isn't at Mount Tongl'u at this point? like even Feng Xin and Mu Qing are here now

Hua Cheng acting sus - he definitely rescued Xie Lian and brought him to the mountain cave - okay Hua Cheng is undoubtedly lying now, my theory is that Hua Cheng carved all these sculptures of Xie Lian in the ten years he was in Mount Tongl'u and that's also why some of the sculptures are better than others as he improved over time

also Hua Cheng trapping Mu Qing and Feng Xin is low-key hilarious

so yeah Xie Lian knew it was Mu Qing and Feng Xin since book one - called it! he really is an unreliable narrator

I CAN'T BELIEVE THE BIG REVEAL IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING

ngl the statues are kind of creepy, like it's almost stalkery?

it's honestly perfectly understandable why Mu Qing and Feng Xin are freaking out, like they genuinely are just trying to be good friends - I just want to hear Hua Cheng's explanation for everything

at the same time I too am very much freaking out wow

ITS HAPPENING AHHH

no but the murals are actually really sweet? - oof except the one that is very obviously from the Land of Tender with a probably naked Xie Lian lol

also I really want to know what the fuck is going on in Xie Lian's mind right now but the storytelling is done very well in that it's Feng Xin and Mu Qing who are voicing their discoveries out loud

noo Hua Cheng don't listen to them!! they're just trying to be good friends but don't let them think Xie Lian rejected you when he still doesn't know that you love him!!

being queer and being called ‘disgusting’ hurts more than non-queer people could ever understand - of course this makes Hua Cheng vulnerable, my poor sweet gay, honestly I would punch Mu Qing now too

but tbf again to both Mu Qing and Feng Xin, they don't understand Hua Cheng and how pure his love is and are freaked out by all that they've learnt so probably think Hua Cheng's going to assault Xie Lian - obvs not going to happen though

OH FUCK ME ITS HAPPENED THEY'VE CONFESSED AND LIKE THEY STILL HAVENT SAID ANYTHING REALLY BUT THEY BOTH NOW KNOW AND MY HEART FEELS SO FULL IM LITERALLY ABOUT TO START SOBBING WITH HAPPINESS

lol Xie Lian finally admitting how attracted he is to capable and aggressive Hua Cheng

things are getting intense!! what the fuck does this White No-face want?? like I have a few ideas but nothing concrete yet

also I can't believe I'm at the end of book three?? and only 500 pages left to go?? I genuinely never want this story to end, it's just too good

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my annotation system

#books #bookish #reading #tgcf #heaven official's blessing #mxtx #hualian #book review

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