Reviews for A Different Lesson |
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![]() ![]() ![]() Okay, as skeptical as I was about KFP 4, I actually found it really, really funny. Plus Zhen is the most badass, cinnamon bun character that the Kung Fu Panda franchise have ever produced and you can’t tell me otherwise! Anyway, I’ve had one hell of a problematic 6 months (don’t kill me, I know I said February *Hides*), but hallelujah, my laptop is FINALLY wanting to connect to the WiFi again, so now I can ignore all my other problems for an hour :P I seriously feared coming into this chapter, I was pretty sure they weren’t dead, coz that wouldn’t work with the story. - Going a bit AWOL to the review here, but have you heard of that one TV show ages ago that did that? It was at the pinnacle of its showing, and the producers decided to – for a big dramatic effect – kill off the main character at the end of the highest viewing season. They realized their mistake pretty quickly when the views dropped very significantly in the following season. Anyway, back to the track - 2 things happened that I didn’t fully expect – the story started off from the cliffhanger prior (Hurrah!) And that the opening made me laugh. It reminded me of an orchestra going hard out, building up to an expected beat-drop, but then just … stops (but in a humorous way). xD Loved the playful banter at the beginning. The “tighter” and “harder” comments gave me images that I’m not complaining about xD I won’t lie, the description of Tai dislocating his shoulder made me rub my own shoulder – Never did have a good stomach for limbs not going the way they should. But I did laugh at the way Tigress effortlessly took control of the entire situation which is completely in her character, and I know that she was secretly enjoying making Tai feel the same way she did a while back, even it was all good-natured. Did I think Vachir was going to die in this story? Yes. Was I wishing for it? Yes. Did I think I was going to feel bad for him when he did die? Not really … but turns out that yes, I do feel bad for him. It seems to be a bit of a common trend. Wishing for the demise of a villain and then the story turns so you actually feel bad for them when they do die. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised by how Vachir didn’t put the blame on anyone but him. He understood that it was his ultimate choice that led to everything that happened afterwards. As accurate as the phrase “revenge is a dish best served cold” is. The fact is that revenge hardly ever feels good afterwards. All it leaves is a bad aftertaste and a realization that it didn’t change the past. Nothing could. And with Vachir, it left something so much worse. I did like how both Tai and Vachir came to a mutual understanding. And for some reason the way I read Tigress’ dialogue when she’s grumbling at Tai over not mentioning that he knew about Chao prior actually made me chuckle. It’s probably the inside sarcasm over it being looked at as a small thing when its actually pretty big. As other reviews have stated, Tai forgiving Vachir is probably one of the strongest decisions he ever made. And the way you described the way Tai inwardly felt by finally letting go of it all was very accurate. “If things had turned out differently, we might have been friends” – honestly yeah I can see it … kinda. Sort of gives me Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy vibes, in a way. “As a friend … kill me” – not what I had in mind. But fair I guess. Out of mercy, let him die with as much honor as he can. I get that. I wonder if there might have been a more humane way to kill him, as slitting the throat seems a bit torturous … then again, considering everything that happened, maybe the pain is irrelevant. “Give ‘em hell for me, Tai” – I loved those final words. I actually laughed way more than I should have at the path the conversation took immediately after that, because truthfully I would have done the same thing. Even though you did address that it was odd, it somehow makes sense, I don’t know why but it does. Battles, blood, guts and near death … its such a romantic atmosphere for the both of them. Hehe! “Can we have sex again? Will you marry me? How are we going to keep Shifu from finding out and skinning the both of us?” This made me crack up. Can you imagine if it was that first one? Or even that second one? Completely unrealistic of course but hey, it would have made one hell of a story when asked about their proposal. He started falling for her on the thread of hope? Ohh I get it, so him nearly choking her to death with the vines was actually supposed to be a kink move … I don’t think she was a fan of it. *Laughs* sorry, I couldn’t resist xD Anyway, this whole next section screamed hurt/comfort which you know I’m a hopeless case for … so safe to say I loved it. Just the vulnerability of Tigress and the way Tai comforted her had me by the heart so much. All that was missing was him wiping her tears away and I would have just melted away to nothing. Haha. (then again, pretty sure I nearly died anyway when he lifted her face up to eventually kiss her. I might need a second to restart the brain, it’s gone to mush, hang on *chuckles*) Should have guessed it would get interrupted though. Horrid timing from Crane, but yes must keep us all on our toes though. And I love that you somehow found a way to incorporate Homeward Bound into it! (Yes, I saw the A/N, don’t worry. I also caught the Anastasia reference before reading the notes as well :P) I think the fight that Shifu and Tigress had must have not been very far from my thoughts because I understood exactly what Shifu was saying before I read the explanation first time. Either that or I had a sneaky hunch when I first read the fight that Shifu did know all those things (just knew better than to say them at the time of the fight.) Not saying he doesn’t have a long way to go but yes can agree it was a start that Tigress didn’t expect. Another 180 turn … Mantis nooooo… and Monkey – now him I do feel bad for, how on earth is he going to come back from that? I figured you must have had a good reason for taking Mantis out of the picture, but still! Do I want to know/can I remember how everyone is going to take it … not sure if I do *Turns the page anyway* |
![]() ![]() ![]() Combined review incoming! Ch 29: This chapter had to have been one of – if not the most – hardest chapter to read. And it was no easier rereading it than it was when I read it the first time round. Don’t get me wrong, your writing is astonishing, but the emotional storm I got from reading this one was through the roof. For starters, I enjoyed reading about A) Tai’s joy about Tigress and B) His frustrations at having to keep his and Tigress’s situation a secret. Even if the implication is that everyone knows anyway. It was all too realistic! I almost want to believe that Tigress is half toying with him a little with how convincing she is. Sounds like something she would do. And Mantis suggesting Tai must have a small bladder made me giggle. The whole part about the abandoned town had such an eerie tone to it. Like something to start off a good horror. And when they discovered all the graves had been emptied, there’s the tight calm right before the storm, which was the rather graphic description of the poor canine and his demise. You’ve described it well, but yikes, that description did make me shudder! On a slightly upper note, I thought it was sweet that Tai tucked Viper in to shield her from the cold. (Same with Tigress and Mantis) Rereading this chapter, I was reminded of just how dark ADL got at times, through descriptions and through Tai’s memories of Chorh-Gom. The memories especially in this chapter were the heart of why this chapter was very emotionally painful to read. Even if Tai may have somewhat deserved it to a degree, the reader almost forgets why he got placed in there in the first place and then has to weigh up exactly how much of the torment/ torture he received was deserved once they are reminded. It played with my head a bit. I wanted to say he didn’t deserve it ALL, but trying to justify WHY is hard. So many times, reading through the torture, I wanted to say “There’s no way he deserved THAT much!” But it was always followed up with “All he did was … destroy a whole village and … murder a lot of people…” I found myself thinking ‘If the way to the palace had been clear, if no one had stood in Tai’s path then no one would have been harmed.” But then the third memory came in with the part about the poor boar in the building and jostled all my thinking up. But then of course there was Shifu’s visit which was nothing short of gut-wretching. But it did give me a small positive about justifying why he didn’t deserve all of it – because Shifu basically forbade it. Even if Tai wouldn’t tell him anything and only spoke to tell him to leave. There’s punishment and then there’s just plain torture. I still want to stick to my guns and say that he didn’t deserve it all (Key word being “All”). I’m a very forgiving person – there’s my reasoning! :P Admittedly all this was written before I saw the A/N on the topic (Typical me, I know, I know. Be quiet :P), But I must say, after reading the notes at the end of this chapter, I was relieved that your whole point of showing the rampage was to make it difficult/ uncomfortable to decide who was right and who wasn’t. Because I was almost going to not say anything about it out of fear that I’d say the wrong thing or just get all my words jumbled up! (Not that there’s really a wrong or right thing to say when reviewing. But what can I say? this chapter rallied me! Which I guess means you succeeded!) As for the final part regarding “Prison Rape.” It didn’t even cross my mind the first-time round that that could potentially have been the route taken, so Mantis’s comment struck a chord for more reasons than one. Allow me to simply say that I appreciate and agree with all your reasons for not taking that path and leave it at that. *Exhales hard* What a chapter … seriously, what a chapter! Ch 30: Normally I’d say my usual “How dare you start a chapter with something non-related to the previous cliffhanger” But this time I took it almost as a respite from the emotional toil of the chapter prior. Well … the opening scene anyway. Despite your opening A/N making me nervous, I was happy to read about Zhuang and his perspective of defending Tai Lung, as well as how his romance with Xiulan came to light, which was quite bittersweet. Aaaaaand happy feelings gone. Good grief, what a disturbing scene to come upon. This has to be the worst one yet. Chang was a bit of an ass to Tai (okay, a big ass) but what happened to him is something I couldn’t wish on anyone. To lose his child and be left with his wife to die – rather gruesomely and painfully, I might add – is terrible. I already had a rather horrifying vision in my head of this scene before the picture you commissioned came to light – And I’m somewhat grateful that the picture only depicted Chang and not his wife or their boy. The opening argument between Tai, the Five and Vachir was intense! Sometimes the scariest tone of voice can be the complete and utter monotone such as Crane delivered at the beginning. This argument just got harder to read! Vachir, didn’t your mother ever tell you to never stoop down to the enemy’s level? I have to disagree with Vachir/Chao being right on any sort of level here. Job or not, there is a line that needs to be drawn, and going to “Tai’s rampage level” and beyond, by killing not only innocents but also children, completely flies over it. I’m just going to guess that Chao’s influence on everyone is climbing straight up into space right now and is having a field day with taking everyone’s mind off to bad places/ making them doubt everything. GO TIGRESS! Even though it did fall on deaf ears, I’m living for that speech of hers. “Every man is a river” Couldn’t agree more! I can’t work out if the Five were starting to see that Vachir was being controlled here or not, but either way, kudos to them for trying to bring his conscience back, deliberately or not. So even though the line “The past comes back to haunt you” is normally more in a figurative sense, this time it’s horrifyingly quite literal! That description of the zombified Anvil of Heaven was bone chilling! That was one hell of a fight! Aside from the story’s ending battle, I want to say this came runner up for the most intense battle in ADL. I was hooked the entire way through. “Bloody wanker’s stealing pages out of my book” I found that line funnier than what I should have. The best bit was when both Tai and Tigress mirrored the battle on the Thread of Hope. That was amazing! But Shifu threw in some killer movies in there as well. Such a shame that Vachir – or Chao – I guess, remained basically unaffected by most of it. FINALLY, someone figures out what was wrong with Monkey … and then … Paid one hell of a price for it! It’s not actually Monkey, it’s not actually Monkey, it’s not actually Monkey … Yikes! Am I the only one that got “Lion King” vibes right before Monkey delivered the final blow to Mantis? I read “Say hello … to Oogway for me” The same way as Scar said, “Long live the King!” to Mufasa! I felt for Crane and Viper; nothing would make your heart stop faster than hearing the scream of a fellow comrade mid battle, especially a close friend. “The Li Dai Graduate and the Protector of the Moon Festival” – You really did come up with a vast variety of nouns for each character, and I compliment it greatly! After all the horrific torture Vachor put Tai through, Tai offered himself back into the Rhino’s clutches without hesitation to save Tigress? *Hand to heart* My Taigress heart will always love being refuelled! But at the same time, Woohoo! 3 Cheers for Tigress! Girl don’t need no man to solve her issues! A sword would be handy though! You just had to make everyone hate monkey more than we already did, didn’t you? (I mean, amazing move for the story, but still!) Everything escalated ridiculously quickly from here til the end of the chapter. And what a cliffhanger! A stabbed Tai; severity unknown, holding Tigress and an apparently dead Vachir in a – newly “black Chi” free – black hole! I can imagine I was thinking “I swear if the opening to chapter 31 isn’t where this cliffhanger left off …” |
![]() ![]() ![]() Well, well, well. I was scrolling the Facebook feed earlier today and came across the Kung Fu Panda page saying that Kung Fu Panda 4 is in production, scheduled for release in March 2024. Quite the surprise, will be interesting to see what that story line entails and where the producers have decided to take it. It also gave me motivation to sit down and get another review out, so enjoy! (This was supposed to be a combined review, but I underestimated just how much meat was in Ch-28 so … fail! *chuckles*) I already knew first time round that you were not going to carry on where you left off on Ch-27, but man did I want to skim read until I got back to them. I didn’t, but it was tempting! xD The food items you gave the restaurant menu sounded delicious! I don’t think you’re the only one who has gone for the characteristics of the trio the way you did, but I enjoyed it all the same, oldest being the evilest, middle being standard, and the youngest being the innocent one. What you did do that I haven’t seen before is give the innocent one a back story, which is honestly one of the most heart-wrenching things I’ve ever read. I already had a soft spot for Jia, but now I truly feel for her. Guilt is an awful thing to have burdened on someone. And how horrible to feel trapped with no way out anymore after being framed for her father’s murder. Xiu is … something else. As much as I wish I could hate Xiu, I love how evil she is and has been her entire life. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for heroes winning at the end of the day (and it is a very satisfying read on Xiu at the end battle) but my gawd do I love a good villain and she’s written so deliciously evil that I just can’t hate her. In another reality where this story gets made into a Broadway show, she would be the character I’d go for; villains have so much meat in their role to sink teeth into and Xiu would be so much fun to play … *clears throat* I see that I haven’t lost the art of rambling yet … Maybe Ping would be a better choice. xD Speaking of - Ping is hilarious! The way he goes on about Po is adorable. You wrote him perfectly. Considering the sequels weren’t out at this time and seeing how Ping is in the sequels (and we don’t really see his gushiness over Po much in the first one), I’d say you nailed him on the head (along with every other character in this story, truthfully.) -Did I have a theory that the Wu sisters and Tai were related? Yes. (Was I wrong? Also, yes. xD) -Did I love the interruption before reveal cliché on how they knew Ping? Absolutely! -Can I remember the story on how they know Po and Ping? Nope. Going in with a completely fresh mind on this arc of the story from here on in. This is so small, and I apologize for this, but my mind is not giving me the right image (I don’t think). Mei is sitting on Shifu’s chair with her feet off the floor, how? Is Mei just abnormally short, or did they make the chair incredibly big for Shifu (which doesn’t sound right coz you said it was made with his size in mind which makes me think it was made on the smaller scale) again, a small thing, so sorry, I just can’t picture it right, it’s giving me some hilarious images. Mei having feelings for a guy she doesn’t think she stands a chance with? Know the feeling, it sucks. Nice to know that her feelings on Tai Lung and the limits of where their relationship could go is exactly where I was thinking. They would make perfect friends with benefits, but nothing beyond that. There’s one way to tell if I like a good dialogue moment in a story and that is if I am outwardly speaking the lines aloud as I read them (in character) and I can safely and unashamedly say that that is exactly what I was doing with the heated conversation between Mei and her sisters before the fight went down. This has to be the most satisfying fight in the whole of ADL. Yes, the final battle at the end is nothing short of epic, but this was short, sharp and straight to the point. Mei Ling proved without a doubt that she was completely capable of standing her ground and taking on both her sisters and showing her skills as a Master. I wouldn’t go so far as to say her sisters were no match for her, but they did seriously underestimate her power and underestimation never wins. Ever. I'm ready to bet my bank account that Po and Jia did not fight at all during that whole fiasco. Monkeys room …. Oh my, what very disturbing imagery. Judging by previous reviews on this chapter, I can see that this specific part has become the main source of attention on it, and I can see why that’s the case. “I like dead bananas” - it’s a very queasy, unsettling phrase that kind of popped up out of nowhere – like something you’re just not expecting - that makes you feel very uncomfortable for unknown reasons. Kind of like the word “moist.” I see Viper never made it into Monkeys bad books, even under the influence (unless you just forgot about her, but that doesn’t seem very likely at all), and Tigress has become a bad obsession. And judging by the Wu sisters’ – especially Xiu’s - reactions tells me something went down that wasn’t supposed to. The only question that needs just that little bit more detail is What? And we’re back to my two favourites. I must second another reviewer and ask about the time this is happening … or rather, how long were they asleep for? As I too got a little confused that it was still night. I am loving Tigress’s thought process here, because it is 100% realistic. As I said in the last review; too many emotions went haywire, and they all had to go somewhere, so now there’s a calm admittance, followed by silent worries about herself and him and the future. I won’t lie, I was slightly worried too about how fast they may potentially have gone. Considering we’re only halfway through this fic, I was mentally preparing myself for something to go horribly wrong with the felines’ romance later in the story. But then had to remind myself that the main path of this story is Tai Lungs redemption with the romance side being the second plotline. (Again, your ability to imply things without directly outright saying them and keeping it out of R-rated waters is wonderful to read!) Nevertheless, it was a well needed talk and very mature of both felines to come to an agreement on where it goes from here. That one small paragraph of them simply holding each other and relishing in the warmth and the company of one another before heading back out to face the real world was absolutely everything! Gah *fangirls away happily* _ “Next time you feel like helping out with Shifu – don’t.” I downright snorted at that. Leave it to Tigress to put a harmless edge back between them before facing the group. Gotta love it! Viper will be scheduling a girl talk in the near future, that’s guaranteed! Not to know what happened, but to get details! (She so knows. Can’t blame her, I’d do the same thing!) I know there is a lot of horror and immense darkness in this fic, but seriously, for me personally, the mental image of those last two paragraphs ALMOST had me sleeping with the bedside light on. This part terrified me! Probably is half to do with the fact that scary eyes in the darkness is what scares me the most in horror films and half to do with the description “sooty, crimson glow that began to burn and flicker.” Geez Louise, you got me shaking over here. (Well done though, takes a fair bit to scare me via reading!) |
![]() ![]() ![]() Hi, so I recently watched all three Kung Fu Panda movies again, as well as Secrets of the Furious Five. I thought of your story, how I read it a long time ago and thought you had something great, and how I think many elements could have and should have been incorporated in the KFP movies following the first one. Now…I still think that…however…reading this story for the first time in many years…getting through it is now like a chore. I still came across many things that I wanted to see in the overall KFP franchise (Tai Lung having a redemption arc, acknowledging there is a huge problem with Shifu and Tigress’s relationship and him working to fix it, Po continuing his compelling journey as the Dragon Warrior, more characterization and stand-out moments for the rest of the Five, etc.), but man, this story needs to get more to the point! This is not a bad story, I am not saying that at all. In fact, this is really my only complaint, but it’s a pretty big complaint. The narration, for one, does a ton of explaining the characters’ motivations and inner thoughts, something that should be done through actions and dialogue (i.e. showing, not telling), giving us information that we don’t necessarily need to know or describing things that we can already see from the way one character interacts with another character, and sometimes it will even tell us about dialogue that took place without showing us the dialogue. There were multiple instances where I even said out loud, “We got it, nievelion. Thanks.” It also goes on really, REALLY long, piling paragraphs upon paragraphs, taking its time to just Get. To. The. Point. Every single chapter, I end up skimming through to get to the good part while trying to absorb the overall gist of those paragraphs, only for me to have to go back when it’s apparent I missed something important to the part I’m now reading, or something gets brought up and I wonder “did I miss that in a previous chapter?”. Example: Po and Tai Lung are battling the Wu Sisters (I also found the battle scenes hard to get into, but that’s mostly because I’m very visual and I have to actually see it happen, otherwise I’m not going to picture it), and the paragraphs were going on for so long and so tedious that I skimmed down to the part where Po was almost fatally injured, and I realized I totally missed the part where he was throwing apples (?) at the sisters and just overall treating the battle the same way he did when he fought Tai Lung before. I tell you, it’s not a fun way to read something. I know most readers on this site want authors to post long chapters, but I’m okay with shorter chapters that get more to the point. And during those long descriptions of narration, it didn’t really feel like Kung Fu Panda because the Kung Fu Panda movies didn’t drag - they were energetic, the plot was always moving, it kept you engaged, interested, on the edge of your seat, etc. Even KFP 3, the KFP movie I liked least, was very entertaining and kept my attention. And yeah, I understand that you wrote this over a decade ago and your writing style has most likely evolved since that time, and I really do love this story otherwise. But the long sections of narration are really hard to get into and are incredibly distracting, to the point where it bothered me enough to say something about it. |
![]() ![]() I really liked your fanfic! Can I translate it? |
![]() ![]() ![]() Apologies, this review was meant to come a lot sooner. Work and technology crapping out on me was what stopped that happening :/ Ah well. As promised, the honorable mentions of Ch26 - It was cool to see that Po was drastically improving in the field of fighting, even though it was a wide opening for Chao’s influence on Tai Lung to shine through - which was A LOT more noticeable, though I’m sure it was not your intention to be subtle with it this time. - Po not finding the trip up to Wu Dan mountains any easier than last time *chuckles* - I quite liked how you made it so everyone had an “element”. Of course it was a no brainer that Tai’s one was going to be fire as it tied in perfectly with the fire that surrounded him during the fight at the end of the movie with him and Shifu. (And I would have picked Shifu’s element to be either Earth or Air.) - “…I want you to think of something that makes you mad?” “Do you want the short list or the long?” I laughed. I laughed a lot xD - I was gob-smacked reading the part about the fireball; mainly because – despite the context being a little different - it gave off one of the biggest “Kung Fu Panda 2” vibes in this story, especially when Tai sent it sailing into the river – almost the same way Po does in the movie. - Tai’s reassurance to Po about basically turning the lousy tipper thief into a vegetable if he ever saw him was amusing, with Po’s reaction indicating he’d never had that type of response to the story before. - “The clerk was a horse” *Falls over laughing* That entire story was gold! As was the next one Tai told. :P - The dumpling scene was amazing – you wrote that beautifully and I loved how you made it twice as comical as the original scene. Shifu looking like a pathetic scarecrow had me in stitches (I don’t know if you’ve seen any of the “Tom and Jerry” cartoons but this scene made a few episodes from that come to mind.) Of course Tai and Po working together from Shifu’s POV was lovely. - Crane and Mei Lings discussion was … heated. Not that I expected anything different but good lord, so many things could easily be rectified and sorted out if people just stopped and listened. Coz I’m willing to bet nearly everyone has accidentally gotten the wrong idea about something in their life. That being said; I do love it when an interruption happens right before a revealing moment, it both annoys and intrigues the reader at the same time. - Zeng! (Bringing in my guilty pleasure Celine Dion Song “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”) :P The poor goose. Tai Lung going full on protective on him the second he saw him was one of the sweetest things ever, and Zeng realizing that Tai never had any intention to harm him and enjoys the safe feeling of being in Tai’s arms was so heart-warming – even if it was very short lived. - That letter was very spine tingling – sent goosebumps right up the arm – but it did leave some serious anticipation for the next chapter – even if said chapter went to the last place I expected it to go at the end! *Takes breath* There were more points than what I originally thought but thanks to 27 being a slightly shorter chapter I think I’ll have enough space for the entire review – it’s more the second half I want to comment on any way. (More than happy to elaborate on some of the points in 26 later) _ Good to know how obvious it was to Tai that the whole thing was a trap. It was one of those times where some of the readers fears got put at ease quickly. Tai’s entire thinking process around Vachir got me curious – it seems to be implying that Tai had seen things that were along the line of murder in prison – do we ever find out what happened with Vachir in Chorh-Gom or is there another story that ties to it? I’m blaming this on the fact that it seriously has been quite a while since I’ve read this fic as a whole, so I can’t think off the top of my head whether it gets shown or not. Gee Wizz what a roller coaster that argument was between the Five and Tai. Chao is setting everyone on edge now. Though I can’t really blame anyone – Under Chao’s influence or not – for getting all rallied up with one another. I can imagine that even without the added influence that this whole mission wasn’t going to be easy from the start for anyone. Wasn’t really a huge surprise that Po was getting left behind OR that Mei Ling was going to stay with him considering how rocky her relationship is with Tigress, Tai and Crane. I misread how long it took Tai to get to the valley from Chorh-Gom by himself the first time. I accidentally read it as one DAY not one week. I was so ready to question it before I read it correctly this time round *laughs* That really must have been one uncomfortable trip to start with. And whether Chao’s influence was playing a part in Tai snapping at Monkey for accusing him of harming children or not, the fact that everyone agreed that Tai’s actions were justified shows just how out of line Monkey was, regardless of how high the tension was. I do have to agree with one of the other reviewers and wonder why no one has noticed that Monkey isn’t exactly right in the head? I mean he’s been under Chao for quite a while; I would have thought someone would have noticed something by now. I think this could be the first time Tigress finally got chewed out for her treatment of Po at the beginning of the movie, and while I can see the never-ending reasons why she acted and treated Po the way that she did, it’s clear that she has some serious regret now. I did feel for her a bit here, but Mantis did have a point. Seems like everyone has had their ‘Turn’ at getting angry. Yikes, Crane sure did lay it on thick to Tai. Considering he’s a little like Viper in the sense that he’s definitely one of the calmer ones there, that’s saying something! Shows that Chao can get under even the calmest of souls. Right, here’s where it gets heated (in more ways than one). Now the beginning of this part is unfortunately something that I got a bit confused with: what were Tai’s intentions here? Was he genuinely trying to give an opening for Tigress and Shifu to ‘reunite’ so to speak? Or was he trying to push Tigress into unleashing some seriously bottled-up fury onto the red panda? If it was the former- even IF Tigress and Shifu had agreed to try and attempt to have that overdue time together, I can imagine it would be horrifically awkward with everyone else sitting meters away, I personally wouldn’t want to have a semi heart-to-heart conversation with a mini audience viewing it. That and – as it continued, Tai getting harsher about it made it seem like he was trying to force Shifu into giving affection, which I already know Tigress would have hated. And if it was the latter – granted that this is what ended up happening anyway – then I suppose one could argue whether it was the right time to do this or not. Seeing as everyone is very irritated, dark minded and angry with each other, why not just get everything out of the way and be done with it? On the other hand, considering they’re all basically treading on eggshells around each other at the moment, maybe it wasn’t the best moment to poke at Tigress’ sore spots. So, what was he hoping was gonna happen here? I can’t quite put myself in Tai’s mind. Despite this, holy hecker, what an outbreak! You did an amazing job of having it all pour out of Tigress like that, and I’m pretty sure most of it wasn’t actually Chao’s doing for a change. Shifu really did have that coming to him sooner rather than later, I’m almost surprised nothing like it happened in the sequels – despite the fact that Tai never returned, it was never really addressed – unless you count the 2 minutes in SOTFF where Shifu acts the smallest bit affectionate towards her. Everything was well said and her final “you have no idea how much I hate you right now” was such a punch to the gut. I don’t get tired of your * straight out of the oven* deliveries. Something little here; I don’t know why Tigress would be sticking only to two legs when she ran out of there. She would cover a lot more ground faster on all four legs, I can imagine she would be wanting to get out of there as fast as possible and if her ankle kept giving her twinges then I would have thought using her front paws would stabilize her a bit more. Maybe she secretly did want Tai to come find her? Even though her first words to him would disagree with that remark completely. *Shrugs* “He needed to hear that … the harsher and more in-your-face the better” and then almost directly after that “I just thought the least I could do for you and Shifu was to bring you closer together. The way he and I have been getting on lately” which was then followed by him giving her sarcasm and what what would have happened if he’d left it up to her to handle. *Raises eyebrow* Sorry, I just can’t understand Tai’s head right now. :P Tai bringing up all the things he did for Tigress while she was recovering could have gone south very quickly. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad she didn’t get it into her head that they just bribes all along but I think Tai took a bit of a risk saying that. Of course, even though it started to get heated in an argumentative way, with Tigress still thinking Tai had the hots for Mei Ling, and Tai getting even more annoyed; it took one surprising turn that I wanted, only half expected, and absolutely LOVED! This part was something out of a movie (Hilariously, the only movie coming to mind is “The Notebook”) Too much emotion pent up, too many hormones going haywire, too much anger, too much of basically everything all at once and it all must go somewhere. I couldn’t have picked a better place for it to go. :D This was incredibly hot and juicy! My Taigress heart literally exploded. From that first kiss all the way up to the erotic grand finale was incredible! How you managed to write this scene so damn erotically and beautifully but also so non-explicitly and with no trace of what one may call “filthy smut” was amazing! It was intimate and sexy and hot in all the right ways, with just the right amount of humour and awkwardness surrounding the clothes situation. You gave such little description of the actual sex itself and still managed to paint such a vibrant picture of it with everything that surrounded and lead up to it. This scene was one of the many in this story that showed off your impressive writing skills. I was ecstatic when I finished reading this chapter for more than one reason … and maybe a little out of breath *fans herself wildly* ;) |
![]() ![]() ![]() I very nearly missed this chapter. It was always on the list to review so I’m glad that I stopped to check in my haste to get to my favourite one (or one of, at least). *winces* I feel for Tigress at the start of this chapter. While lying in bed doing nothing for a day is – on the odd occasion – welcomed after a bad work week, it’s certainly not something I could handle for a month and a half, no matter how battered up I was. I can completely understand Tigress wanting to get back up and running, especially once you add in her companions who are trying their best to cheer her up, and only some vaguely succeeding. So Tai is allergic to dust and Tigress is allergic to flowers. *Sniggers* the image of her fur frizzing and poofing out only reminded me of the animated “Beauty and the Beast” bath scene when the beast shakes himself off. Possibly not quite the image you were going for but it made me laugh nevertheless. Tigress doesn’t seem the type to have much a sweet tooth IMO. Fresh fruits are always better than dried fruits so have to agree with her there. Bit of a shame on the necklace, though. I must say I secretly think she may have liked that necklace and may have time for *some* trinkets due to having had her eye on a jade and ivory comb back in Ch 17. She just thinks that the necklace is a bribe like everything else. That’s the theory anyway. Tai Lung’s thoughts on Zeng ran along the exact same line of thinking as my own mind. Especially when he stroked his head once he escaped Chor-Ghom. I too, did not believe it was intended to be any sort of sadistic gesture. Maybe Zeng might come around once Tai’s rescued him (still can’t remember exactly what happens with the poor goose). Both Po and Tai Lung are ticklish? Oh that’s great. xD Some of the quirks you’ve given Tai have surprised me quite a bit. Okay, while I am first and foremost a Taigress shipper, (and a Crane/Mei Ling shipper) I’m not exactly against the idea of Tai and Mei Ling together. They would look quite good as a couple (and Tai even seems to agree with this on some level.) And a small part of me was even happy for Tai that he was finally getting a small bit of satisfaction on the love/lust front, even if the rest of me was thinking exactly the same thing he was. “No! Tigress!” “How could he betray Tigress this way?” To some extent he’s not *really* betraying Tigress. Yes he wants her and she badly wants him back though her stubbornness to admit it is going through the roof at this point. But, like it’s pointed out, they’re not together and she’s not making any indication that she wants to be together. Tai’s – albeit unwelcome – urges for Mei are reasonably justifiable. Their kiss was quite juicy ;) “Love of your life, stripy fur, has a pair of fists that’ll smash your face in if you even look at another woman.” A.) LOL! And B.) If that’s what Tai’s thinking she would do even though they’re not together, then he must be realizing to some extent that she maybe does want him (and Mei Ling is definitely correct in what she says later on about Tigress making her move if she realizes that she’s waited too long.) I’m going to guess that Mei didn’t quite plan for Crane to overhear her speil to Tigress about wanting Tai if Tigress didn’t. That or she didn’t think he'd mind as she didn't think Crane liked her back (They’re not together at this point, are they?”) Tai’s reaction to that was a little unexpected and maybe *just* a touch out of character for him at this point in the story. I wouldn’t have thought he’d go for her throat. I would’ve thought he’d pin her down by her chest or take hold of her arms instead – something intimidating but more to scare her then physically hurt her. (Let’s face it, if anyone had walked in and seen that sight, Tai would have been toast.) Still, it was amusing to read that now Tai has a solid army of people fighting in their own way to make Tigress come around to him. And it was funny that Mei Ling’s scheme actually worked better than Viper’s. Though I can’t say I’m surprised – Viper definitely seemed like she had a hard time understanding what Tigress liked to start with (though later on the chapter her efforts did come through rather nicely.) Tai’s playtime sessions with Yi was absolutely gorgeous to vision; especially Tai pushing her on the swing. I’m not gonna lie – going on the belief that it was a full size swing that was built and not a child’s swing – I did imagine a sort of romantic scene that could of come into play later on in the story where Tai would find Tigress on the swing at some point and he’d sneak up behind her and push her on it as well (I actually saw Tigress enjoying that as well after some initial shock.) It did look quite cute in my mind. The whole part about the doll was beautiful. I’m still surprised that it was a coincidence that you used a doll without knowing that Tigress actually did have a doll in the orphanage as I explained was shown in one of the SotFF end credit shots. I thought for a second that this fic came out before SotFF and they must have taken it from you instead (guess who forgot where Mei Ling and the Bao-Gu orphanage came from. LOL! xD) I guess it was just a very cool coincidence. “I was 3 years old when I was brought to the orphanage, and that was a year before you were taken to Chorh-Gom.” Interesting how Tigress remembers that now, when back in Ch 4 she was referring to Tai as “a ravening killer who had nearly destroyed the Valley of Peace years before her birth.” Got the times a little mixed up there. That doll would have looked absolutely beautiful after being restored, that was such a touching scene and Tigress’ whole reaction was spot on. Taigress is finally starting to get somewhere. Yay! Enjoying her favourite food, book and reminiscing a forgotten song from her childhood all thanks to Tai. (and Viper; her techniques finally paid off too!) Random question, but was there by any chance a specific tune/song you had in mind when it came to Tigress’ song from her cubhood. Only asking because there are a couple of songs that I thought of that could fit rather well so I wondered whether you had any songs of your own that could’ve fit the bill. There has always been something so satisfying about setting up dominoes into patterns and animals and then watching them fall into place. The dragon head with the scroll would have looked awesome, even if it may have prodded a sore spot for both of the felines to look at. 2 major things that build up and keep a relationship steady: trust and honesty. The conversation about the Wu sisters was brave of Tai to say and Tigress believing him when he said he’d never join their side under any circumstance shows how far she’s come in regards to him in a short amount of time. It was a very heartfelt scene to read and visualize. They’ve definitely come a long way since the beginning. – And it was nice to see that the chapter ended on a nice note and it didn’t go straight to custard like moments with the felines have done in the past, though your authors note (and the chapter’s title) really does fill first-time readers with dread that something horrific is waiting just around the corner. :P The next review in line should be relatively quick this time round as I’ve been eager to get to it for a while. I can’t wait! (You know which chapter!) :) |
![]() ![]() ![]() Let’s agree that 2020 was crap and not the year for anyone or anything! Couldn’t get this review out in time for Christmas like I’d originally hoped, all original plans for the holidays went right down the drain for me :/ so uhh ... Happy early Saint Patricks Day? Late Valentine’s Day? *laughs* (Another combined review BTW.) Ch-22: I highly doubt I was the only one who got fooled by the beginning of this chapter. That was very clever on your behalf, and very in character for Po to do something like that. It was Monkeys “we should hang out” line that I clicked what was going on, but you sure got me there. I was half happy, half confused by how fast things were getting resolved first time I read it. (Nearly thought you may have lost the mojo) Very well done! Po trying to imitate Tigress and Tai Lung falling madly in love with each other followed by Tai Lung catching him in the act– hilarious! Tai Lung being ambidextrous kind of does make sense, but Po thinking he was lefty made me rather happy due to the fact that I too am a lefty (and I not long ago came off of a course which I was the only lefty there). It’s always a little amusing how small things can make one happy sometimes, even if, after reading further on, it was implied Tai was born a right-hander. Tai also has a secret sweet tooth – too cute. (and kinda makes sense that desserts were a no no growing up) And broke into Po’s stash. I suppose that’s a funny bit of karma to Po for breaking into Monkey’s stash :P “heh … no hurty” Reminded me a little of Kuzco from “The Emperor’s New Groove” No Touchy. xD “Cause I’m about as dangerous as a bowlful of noodles.” That line caught me off guard first time I read it. Laughed for quite a while. XD Well Tai, that is just rude :P though the image of him sitting on Po after nerve striking him looking smug made me laugh. Ch-23: This first section was so evil of you to do to us Taigress shippers. Did guess that it wasn’t actually Tigress but whether I figured who it actually was before it was revealed, I can’t remember. Either way – ouch! Why did it have to be Tigress herself that caught him in that position?! You really did love torturing our spotted feline didn’t you? Was almost a little bit surreal :P “Did he sleep in the nude?” LOL! I’m seeing Tai wearing a minimum of shorts to sleep at least, but it doesn’t seem entirely out of character for him to wear a shirt as well. Aaaaaaand Tigress snapped. Granted there were countless reasons on why her claws finally got the better of her mind but she’s off to potentially get herself killed. Then again I think everyone has at least once had the “I can do it on my own” thought over something that absolutely cannot be done solo. The results are never good. Pretty sure everyone has also had a fight with their own thoughts as well, so Tigress inwardly arguing with herself is all too relatable. Anger *really* got ahead of Tigress here (despite trying to tell herself to not give the Wu sisters a chance to make her snap). Even though she’s the Furious Five’s leader, she really didn’t stand a chance against all 3 of the sisters. Especially Xiu, (even a fight up against just her would be a risky one. Tigress would fight justly. Xiu would just be brutal.) Slightly odd question, but are the names of the Wu sisters pronounced the way they are spelt? Specifically Chun? Pretty sure I’m pronouncing Jia correctly, and I don’t even know about Xiu. (never been great with Chinese names :P) It’s something small that’s always slightly bothered me. Haha. One vicious cat fight and horribly twisted ankle later … kinda knew that fight was not going to end in Tigress’ favour. That’s what happens when Miss Stubborn Stripy gets a bit *too* stubborn. (Geez I sound a bit like Po later on in this chapter.) Speaking of – Woah! Who the hell would have guessed that Po of all people could get – well – angry? I’m not sure whether to call this in character or not (though I guess, the fact that we never actually saw him angry in any of the films means you – once again - had free range on how to make him act when he was – and you managed to pull it off!) And anger actually broke her walls … of all the emotions the I thought one would have to throw on her to do that; anger … is … actually the most reasonable one, come to think about it. I think I may be able to see your thinking behind it being Po to be the one to do that too. He’s the last one you would think would actually get mad, therefore be the one who stood the most chance to get through to her. Could be completely wrong with that but still, sounds somewhat right. (Last minute realizations are great! :P) The hug at the end _ it is moments like this one between Po and Tigress that just fuel my belief that they are only supposed to be close friend. I ship their friendship so much! _ Ch-24: *Bursts out laughing* Mantis has a point and only he could get away with saying something like that. (Also love how karma for this specific event is a bitch to Tai Lung later on in the story.) Mantis, ya little eavesdropper! xD It was hilarious reading this from Mantis’ point of view, listening to the arguing and combining that with his own dirty thoughts at some lines. The things that get implied … LOL! To start with, Tai basically gave Tigress a slightly mellowed down spiel of what Po gave her (and didn’t work nearly as well xD) “but in how many of those little fantasies of yours was I wearing any clothes?” *Runs hand down face* there was a correct answer for this, and Tai didn’t give it. Oops. LOL! Vipers line “When a woman asks you if you think about her naked, you say … no!” is that the Ghostbuster’s reference? “Ray, when someone asks you if you’re a God, you say … yes!” It’s actually one of my favourite parts of that movie. I also caught the Labrynth reference at the very end of this chapter as well, though I haven’t found the Wizard of Oz reference yet, still looking for that one. Haha. I became Viper when Tai Lung started flexing in front of the mirror. (Your A/N on that made me laugh and feel called out at the same time xD). Tai Lungs love speeches need work. Tigress would definitely have handed her fist to him on a silver platter. Made me laugh though xD. I remember the first time I read that Mei Ling was now in on Tai Lung’s pursuit of Tigress; I was so sure that because Viper and Mei Ling were separately going to help him out in their own ways, it was going to clash terrible somewhere along the way and make him look like an idiot ( as you put it – a recipe for disaster). I don’t recall it happening which I’m glad about but I was so worried when that came into light. LOL! Another 180 turn on genres. Poor Zeng :( It’s been so long since I read this whole story, that I can’t actually remember what happens to him. Is it a sign for me to re-read this again? Possibly … ah well makes it all the more better for me reviewing this coz I can do it like I’m reading it for the first time again _ |
![]() ![]() ![]() I need to give more credit to where its do. There are so many elements to this story that makes it spectacular and you can easily tell the genius behind this amazing adventure gave their all towards the creation of this gold. So thank you for your miracle work. |
![]() ![]() ![]() Incredible read, nothing like i ever seen before. Thank you for the journey. |
![]() ![]() ![]() I knew it. Totally guessed he would be back. |
![]() ![]() ![]() So, I know I haven't said this before, but I didn't actually read all the way through this fic the first time around, so after this point, I genuinely don't know what will happen next, so easy on the spoilers in your responses! Anyway, giving Crane a furry friend in the form of "Mei Ling" was pretty creative. I truly didn't see it coming. It also makes him matter more as a Furious Five. He's not just background noise; his past and his story matter. Interesting that Tai Lung met these sisters on what was essentially the same mission. For different reasons of course, but they almost met by "fate" or something, with them both taking out those bandits. Also, THAT'S what made Tai Lung swear off of alcohol. Now I get it. Making it to where Po is the Dragon Warrior in spirit, while also still having much to learn in actual kung fu combat gives the scene tension. Po isn't a Gary Stu. He's still a bit novice with his skills and I like that. Ooh, hanging the secret of Tai Lung's parents over his head as a tantalizing carrot. Again, no spoilers on this one! I can't really critique in-depth on the fight scene because... unless it's in a visual medium, it's hard for me to properly visualize and I'm not really drawn to those things intrinsically. I do remember the character beats though, like Po using one of the sisters' faces as a punching bag after stepping on her foot, throwing apples at her, and stuffing one apple in her mouth. Po has a playful attitude even when he's fighting, and I remember the characterization of the fight more than I do the technical actions. One thing that confused me was the sleight-of-hand I think one of the sisters used to injure Po with the garrot. What exactly happened? Also, wow, he actually said Po's name for the first time, and it's when the panda is actively dying. It's kinda bad that that's what it takes for some people. When it's practically too late to care. That's why you gotta tell the people you love that you care right NOW! Don't wait until later. Sorry for the PSA, but yeah. |
![]() ![]() ![]() "I like to watch you sleep sometimes. And by sometimes, I mean often." Oh my gosh, Pearl should hook up with Shifu as to why they like to watch their children sleep! But yeah, I think that's one of my wholesome things ever, especially with how Tai Lung doesn't look so haunted when he sleeps. It's like he's in his purest state. So now we get a clear picture of how Shifu messed up in raising Tai Lung. He taught him to value strength above everything else, and that an open display of emotions was "unmanly" and "weak" when the exact opposite is true, and he sheltered him from the rest of the world, including the very citizens that lived below him, so Tai Lung didn't have chances of connections, mingling, fraternizing, etc. It's sad that Shifu still believes it would have been appropriate for him to die for his mistakes in raising Tai Lung, but inspiring that he also thinks that since he's still alive, he must do everything in his power to try to right his wrongs. It's heartwarming that Tai Lung is genuinely disgusted by the tasteless and graphic way the goat was killed, as even during the worst of his rampage, his kills never went beyond the bounds of common decency. You know, he never ate anybody's heart after disemboweling them or anything crazy like that. And what a twist: that the message was written in Mongolian and that could only come from Chorh-Gorm. And again, Tai Lung is happy to be traversing with Po! That companionship is really rubbing off on him. Ah ha, Tai Lung has trust issues, because in a way, Shifu abandoned him when he needed him most. That too is sad and I can attest, it's hard to overcome. I did wonder if Shifu or Oogway ever visited him in that prison and apparently it was only a handful of times every few years. Po continues to be an empathetic, compassionate creature and Tai Lung still craves it! LOL. As Tai Lung switches his thoughts to Tigress, I didn't think Tai Lung would've presented the orchid to her in a boyish and nervous matter. I would've thought he would've attempted to play it off, adopt his usual sarcasm and aloofness. So Tai Lung didn't engage in carnal pleasures because it felt it would've been "too easy". Why am I not surprised? He's always about challenges! When you truly think life would be dull and empty without your partner, that can either be a good thing or a bad thing. As Garnet said, a partner is meant to compliment you, not complete you. If there's something broken inside of you, a partner alone cannot fix that. In fact, things might get worse, not better. Love doesn't heal all wounds. And then there's the abusive side of things, where if the man or woman tries to leave the relationship, the other partner either gets violent or suicidal and it's sad for all involved. Anyway, we have the classic "It's quiet, too quiet" scene with Tai Lung and another big surprise: Tai Lung actually KNOWS these villains! |
![]() ![]() ![]() The tale of Tai Lung and WuShon fire demons was certainly awe-inspiring! It's great that this time the ones telling the story are the ones who actually experienced his heroics first-hand! It's also a pretty cool touch that THAT was the dream Po always had, only he would insert himself into the role of Tai Lung. And to do all that at the age of 15? Man, did Tai Lung have an invigorating life or what? Well, you know, until it all went to shit but still! And Po walking in on Tigress and Viper having a "moment" was classic. I guess he took their kiss and makeup session a little too seriously at first with their smeared makeup, teary eyes, and the way they were embracing each other! This is also one of the most light-hearted and fun chapters with the Five all having a slumber party and participating in Truth or Dare. I didn't know China ACTUALLY had a thing like that, only with the name "Truth or RISK" instead of "Dare". Viper having to threaten to tattle on them to Shifu if they don't participate was pretty funny too. I just had a mental picture of Mantis bathing with a sponge on a stick and it's one of the cutest things ever. And Tai Lung actually is a "40-year-old virgin", just like in the 2005 sex-comedy movie! LOL! But I can totally see it. Of course he wouldn't be focused on humping anything that moves when he was training to the greatest kung fu warrior in all of China. But still, that IS funny. Tai Lung really never let himself have pleasures like that. I'm sure, even with how harsh Shifu normally is, he would have at least allowed THAT. I mean a man has needs after all. "Well I can tell you it wasn't with one of my own kind, otherwise I wouldn't be here today." True! Thing is, I've done some research on mantis mating and it turns out that the female mantis doesn't ALWAYS devour its male partner. In fact, only a few species do and not always under natural conditions. It's actually kind of a mystery why it happens. Some biologists say it sometimes comes down to simple hunger: well-nourished female mantises are less likely to turn their partner into a meal than a starving one. Also, I really can't imagine what other bug or small animal Mantis could have possibly made whoopie with without it being, ya know, awkward! And classic Mantis: "She found out that size really doesn't matter!" Eugh! Yeah... does a mantis even have a penis? Not in the stereotypical sense, no. I... I'm thinking way too hard about insect genitalia right now! And Tai Lung gets his dignity knocked down another peg with Po being dared to re-enact what their "legendary battle" was like, down to all the slapstick fumbles and comedic timing. Oh man, I would've paid to be in that room to hear (most) of the Five laughing. But then Tai Lung gets back at Po by daring him to bend over and touch his toes without bending his knees which is just cruel! I actually did want Po to be able to do it now since he'd said he'd been working out, and he DID slim down a bit in the second movie. But no, he releases his sucked in breath and messes up at the last second. But to be fair, why does no one realize that Po is at a healthy weight for a panda? I mean, do they expect pandas to be skinny? He's not just some "fattie" and honestly, that's body shaming! If he didn't eat so much, he'd literally die from malnutrition/starvation. Anyway, I'm glad Viper chewed them all out for that dare and called them out on bullying Po, which is something they really should have gotten over. That's also a good point that even Tigress, while she was disdainful and contemptuous of the panda in the beginning, didn't actually enjoy taking jabs at him or making fun of him like Monkey, Mantis, and the others. Even though this was mostly a light-hearted chapter, I liked the addition of a serious "Truth" question with Tai Lung being asked what his biggest regret was besides not obtaining the scroll and he described an incident where he couldn't save everyone from a bridge collapsing at the Thread of Hope. That's something that every hero has to face; the realization that they are not all-powerful and can't prevent every tragedy. Even Superman struggles with this, and that guy's practically a deity. But to quote Grandad from Boondocks after Huey asked him what do you do when you can't do nothing but there's also nothing you can do: "You do what you can." The next answer to the "what was one of your favorite pastimes?" was also pretty heartwarming. For all his earlier derision towards genteel activities like "reading tea leaves", Tai Lung admitting that he actually enjoyed fishing with Shifu showed a more casual side to the cat. Also yes, how appropriate for a feline to like this sort of thing. My favorite dares after that was Tai Lung hero-worshipping Po for a change, even if it was done in a melodramatic and highly exaggerated fashion, like at the Thread of Hope, and then having Tai Lung bury his muzzle into Po's belly and blow on it. That was just pure fluff! I find it interesting that Viper can still sell her venom to other people even though she doesn't have any fangs. How would that work? And of course the last dare would follow the usual romantic convention of daring two parties to kiss each other, with both sides protesting heavily before giving in and actually doing a damn good job of it. I gotta say that the banter was pretty well-done though, especially the whole, "I wouldn't kiss you if you were the last man on Earth"/"Well I AM the last man on Earth! The last REAL one anyway!" exchange. Oh man though, missed opportunity for the Five to learn about Tai Lung's Leopard Claw Nerve Strike technique! I think that actually shows some progress that he'd be willing to teach it to them if they happened to ask. That means his pride is going down. And finally, poor Shing Fai. You know, I actually thought it would be THIS poor fellow he ended up meeting a grisly end by the main evil entity of the story and that would have broken my heart. I mean, he's so helpless! Elderly too! But no, instead he sees his goat friend all disemboweled and bloody. I'd be wetting my pants if that were me. I'm surprised you didn't write a scene where the goose had urinated from fear. What a way to change the mood though. Fun light-hearted and fun to downright horrifying! It never felt jarring though. It just means things are getting more serious. |
![]() ![]() ![]() Warriors with enough training can manipulate their chi to control the elements? Yep, this is officially Avatar. And I love how Tai doesn't actually know how he did what he did with Shifu, holding fire in his hands. He just... did it. And yeah, even Po was performing moves off the cuff in their battle for the Dragon Scroll. And ho boy, Tai Lung and Po should have known not to insult Shifu within earshot. "Were you wanting to do your twenty laps around the mountain before we left, or after we return?" I loved all the interactions with the children at the Bao Gu Orphanage, especially Shifu giving out ginger cookies, even for small feats such as standing still or performing a proper kung fu bow. Hm, I did think Tigress being kept in a cage was overly harsh and even abusive even if it was to protect the other children, but when she shared that story of nearly killing another child with her strength, even when she didn't mean to... yeah, it's unfortunate. Really, you'd think there'd be animal-specific orphanages where stronger predators would be kept with more appropriate creatures who weren't in danger. And yeah, we all heard Shifu's leg snap when Tai Lung batted him away and we see him use a cane later on when he's training little Tigress. But WOW, the way Tigress laid out how Tai Lung was only in love with the "idea" of her instead of the "real" her, it was harsh as hell, but undeniably, absolutely true. It reminds me of what Garnet said to Jaimie in the episode "Love Letters". (The cartoon is called Steven Universe by the way.) "Love at first sight doesn't exist. Love takes time and love takes work. At the very least you have to KNOW the other person, and you LITERALLY have no idea what or who I am." |