hahhahahahah I always thought priest kept bringing up how handsome ZYL is in the novel so we can forget that he's such an asshole. We're supposed to think his surface callousness covers a heart of gold --- he is a person who took on all the responsibilities of being Lord Guardian as a teenager, and he did so without much complaint, afterall. So more heroic-but-flawed, since he's not afraid of throwing himself into danger, either for the sake of Shen Wei or "the big picture."
I think, from Priest's POV, because all of ZYL's inappropriate touching is reserved for Shen Wei as far as we can see, she thinks it is okay? So kissing SW's hand while he's "asleep"? okay. Going along with SW's sexual aggression while SW is drunk and can't really consent? Okay. We started off with the assumption that these two are a pair, and that the attraction is mutual, SW's rejection of ZYL is only surface acting, so all of ZYL's transgressions are ... fine. (this is largely accepted by the c-fandom)
In the novel, ZYL has more of a personal realisation arc, where he goes from thinking he's just the Lord Guardian with no real special powers (his special powers are like a D&D wizard's. They're written on talismans and comes out of tools and originates from the Guardian Plaque, but ZYL himself has no innate power) to finding out that he is the incarnation of a god, to inheriting those powers at the ending. But ZYL as a person doesn't really grow. He's still teasing SW the same way, yelling at his underlings the same way, lazing about the same way ... in the EXTRAS.
p.s. no worries, and it's amazing how much she improved in three years. by Sha Po Lang, most of her writing issues --- except maybe pacing --- are gone. /i just finished it what an amazing book <3
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I think, from Priest's POV, because all of ZYL's inappropriate touching is reserved for Shen Wei as far as we can see, she thinks it is okay? So kissing SW's hand while he's "asleep"? okay. Going along with SW's sexual aggression while SW is drunk and can't really consent? Okay. We started off with the assumption that these two are a pair, and that the attraction is mutual, SW's rejection of ZYL is only surface acting, so all of ZYL's transgressions are ... fine. (this is largely accepted by the c-fandom)
In the novel, ZYL has more of a personal realisation arc, where he goes from thinking he's just the Lord Guardian with no real special powers (his special powers are like a D&D wizard's. They're written on talismans and comes out of tools and originates from the Guardian Plaque, but ZYL himself has no innate power) to finding out that he is the incarnation of a god, to inheriting those powers at the ending. But ZYL as a person doesn't really grow. He's still teasing SW the same way, yelling at his underlings the same way, lazing about the same way ... in the EXTRAS.
p.s. no worries, and it's amazing how much she improved in three years. by Sha Po Lang, most of her writing issues --- except maybe pacing --- are gone. /i just finished it what an amazing book <3