#overprotective sj

[lazybunny2024]

It's been few weeks or months that i have been obsessed witha idea about a mdzs x svsss crossover where after sj death in svsss he reborn as female wwx twin sister.

Sj kinda remember his past life but slowly means that he remembers that he shouldn't be this small and this isn't his world but couldn't put his finger on it.

Anyway he got reborn as a female and was quite happy cuz of his past life so *she* was more happy here but not as chaotic as wwx.

Her name is wei xing/wei wuyan( i saw it in a video on YouTube so hope i didn't offend you)

Wcz choose her name since his other daughter name already chosen by his lovely evil wife( baby seriously a-se) so he named her xing as in prosper,and wuyan i don't know what it means but thought it would suit her.

She was really happy cuz not only she didn't have that cursed name and actually has a real birth name not a number but a real name with a loving family she was really happy so much that she couldn't believe it

This peace ended with that faithful nighthunt after getting kicked out of inn wwy went to seach for them with wwx and find their corpses wwx Burst in to tears and keep promising to be a good girl and listen to them wwy tried hard not to but was unsuccessful cuz wei couple were the first adult who treat him kindly in his both lives not with pity not with underhand motivation nor were they expecting anything in return,they gave her a life she always wanted a name with them she understood the meaning of love and family so he cried, cried like child he was they cried for a few hours then begin to bury their parents and since wwy could read and write from her past life she manege to write their names so they could visit them.

After that wwy and wwx to always protect each other and stayed side by side in everything. Wwy might be smart but wwx was sturdier than her sister so they have to be in tune with each other to survive.it wasn't that hard wwx might be a child but she learn really quickly and unlikely yqy ,wwx trusted wwy this made wwy to be both proud and emotional since she never had someone like that in her past life so she became even more overprotective of wwx . And since wwx wasn't alone she didn't have that much fear from dogs but they still made her uncomfortable and made her flinch her sister was always there to protect and teach her and she protect here in her own way .

She knew her sister was little too smart for her age but she didn't find anything wrong if anything it made her happy that if anything happens to her her sister is smart enough to protect herself so to not be a burden she listened to her all time except maybe sometime when she scolded her for sharing her food with other beggars but she couldn't help it she was kind like that and always smiled that made wwy soft and so hard to be mad at.

After few years jfm found them wwy distrust him cuz he kept reminding her of yqy but for her sister she would do anything so she didn't put much of a fight.

After reaching lotus pier and meeting madam yu who was so angry and utter thousands of insult about their parents wwy couldn't take it anymore and spit as much venom at her so much that made jfm to lose his balance wwx tried to shut her up cuz she was afraid that the madam would hurt her and yes almost did by brandishing zidan on her if jfm hadn't stop her . After lots of arguing and fighting neither parties apologized .

After jfm finding out aboout wwx condition aboout dogs he sended them away. jc was angry so he lash out and wwy lash out in return but not only that she bring up her parents, about what a failure of couple they are and with everything like money and status they still aren't happy and how his mom jealous of a dead woman who had nothing but was always happy unlike her.

Jc brust to tears after hearing this jyl chose that moment to come and said what was wwy said was out of line and should apologize but wwy said your mother hadn't spare a though about us losing our parents and still speak ill of in front of us she just returning the favor in kind to see how does it feel hear your parents get badmouth and you could do nothing about it .

Well this as much i could think.i would be really happy if someone could make a fic out of this or something close.

[tsiftor]

I really like reading overprotective sy. Love when he dotes on sj, and sj latches onto that rather obsessively. Whatever the role they have (brother or childhood friend), it doesn't matter. All that matters is the unconditional love. Sy being clueless and still finds sj all the more adoring. Sj gets into an argument with someone? Or one of their legs is entirely twisted 356° because of sj? Sy would say his didi has never done anything wrong, it's most definitely the other peeps' fault. I don't know where I'm going with this

[agaxso]

if we talk about Shen brothers... while I do think an older sj would be overprotective of sy since he's the younger one, I also think he'd encourage him to be a little piece of shit because as far as he knows, that's how you survive.

what I mean is sy is "I can make him better", sj is "I can make him worse"

[sun-and-moon-mushroom]

So, here’s an AU I actually came up with back in February but apparently forgot to post here:

It started by thinking about AUs where SJ and SY are siblings, and how SJ is usually depicted as the overprotective one — so what if it was the other way around?

SY reincarnated as a child who was on the streets with YQY and SJ, and retaining memories of being an adult made him feel responsible for them — their big brother! SJ still ends up being taken by the Qius and SY tries to rescue him (not sure exactly how that plays out yet except that he’s the one to kill QJL and it’s when he realises that SJ is actually SQQ and that he’s in PIDW).

SY is the one who actually becomes Peak Lord though, with SJ acting as his second-in-command. Even though he’s pretty different to the original, due to having a lot less trauma and a lot more support (although he’s still a bit of a jerk sometimes), SQQ still worries that the original plot will assert itself once LBH comes along, and he doesn’t want his little brother suffering like that, so he comes up with a plan — just keep them as far apart from each other as he can. Unfortunately he’s still got a System so he can’t just put LBH on another peak…

When Luo Binghe first becomes a disciple, he notices pretty quickly that things that are… weird. He becomes a favoured disciple almost immediately even though his shizun is known for being a bit uncaring for his disciples and dismissive of some of them at what seems like random. He hears that SQQ has a younger brother that’s almost never seen — he teaches a few classes, but LBH gets personal lessons from his shizun instead of attending them.

One evening he comes across SJ playing music in a bamboo grove and starts talking to him. SJ doesn’t even seem to know who he is, so his worry that SQQ was keeping him away because he had offended his brother somehow seems to be unfounded… Then SQQ shows up suddenly and he’s angry… but at SJ? LBH doesn’t really want to be the cause of a fight or even around, but SJ seems just as confused as he is.

SQQ is panicking because they’re interacting! He was trying to avoid that! Unfortunately for him, both of them have now realised that there’s something weird going on with him, and as the two people who spend the most time with him, shouldn’t they work together to figure out what it is?

(SQQ saves LQG, SJ fights the second match during the demon invasion, SQQ doesn’t step in to save LBH from Without-A-Cure because he knows he’ll be fine).

In the aftermath, SJ is the one who gets pulled into LBH’s dreamscape and meets Meng Mo, and after that he realises pretty quickly that LBH must be part demon when he asks him if all demons are evil. He also puts the dots together about SQQ not stepping in with Without-A-Cure… he knows LBH is part demon as well, and based on some of his other odd actions, might have some knowledge of the future which could explain his odd actions.

Of course, they don’t know what that future is, only that it seems to be the reason that SQQ doesn’t want the two of them interacting. As a result, LBH starts to feel a bit paranoid about SQQ— is he just being nice because of the future he saw? Is it just an attempt to manipulate him?

So, the IAC is coming up, and SQQ knows that LBH has to go into the abyss and between him and SJ he knows it has to be him who does it (he doesn’t consider that SJ might not do it at all). So, SY asks the ‘would you be willing to face great hardship to become powerful’ question and LBH, knowing that SQQ knows the future, guesses that something is going to go very wrong with the IAC.

Obviously it does, although at least they’re able to be a little prepared for it — SJ is the first one to find LBH when the conference is attacked. Like in canon, MBJ shows up, and there’s a fight, although SJ does a lot better because he doesn’t have a poison holding him back. But in the end, as is his fate in (almost) every timeline, LBH ends up falling into the Abyss anyway.

SQQ comes across the scene at the exact moment the Abyss closes.

SQQ is too focused on what happened in PIDW to see that SJ actually kind of liked LBH, and is upset about loosing him, and ends up attacking him with accusations of pushing LBH in, of being jealous of the time LBH spent with him, of wanting him to fail. Blinded by his own expectations, he only sees the worst in SJ, and it drives a wedge between them that will take years to fix.

[grubus]

is there any "what ifs" that you would explore with syonr? like when it's finished, would you write aus of the aus? i've seen some writers do that and i find it so interesting.

yes and no! I have a lot of "what ifs" ideas in my head, but I think there's only one I would ACTUALLY write out? But because I too love aus of aus, let me list a few of them uwu

*clears throat*

What if Shen Yuan had never left Lady Jia? This is the idea I want to write at some point! Would still be BingYuan, with some intense gender fuckery going on <_<

Some others are;

What if Shen Yuan reincarnated as a girl? if you think SQQ is overprotective now, you have seen NOTHING. Binghe would be fighting for his goddamn life. SY would fight for her own dignity, because OBVIOUSLY she has to become a WIFE, but SQQ is weird as fuck about Sweet Girls Under His Protection and the only reason LBH isn't already dead is because SY is frantically wielding her "i'm your widdle baby girl!" powers at SQQ to shield him. There would be no roomie situation. RIP. But NYY would be hyped about having a sister! And SY wouldn't have any trauma from Zhao De, because MF would be like !!!!!!!!!!!! DONT BULLY A GIRL!!!!!!!! which means Zhao De sticks around and focuses his bullying on MF instead. Lovingly. If you guys haven't read "Toxic" by Prim the Amazing yet, well..............

What if Yue Qingyuan managed to take Shen Yuan? This would basically just be PIWD. SQQ would not take it nicely at all, seeing his Qi-ge taking in a mini-SJ and spoiling him rotten. SY would NOT be allowed on Qing Jing at all, but SY is also Binghe-obsessed and Binghe is in turn SY-obsessed. The only reason SQQ would not abuse SY out of pure jealousy and self-hatred is because SY isn't under his control. YQY would be an adoring fool but also SY would probably not feel 100% safe considering he knows that YQY always yields to SQQ in canon... On top of that, SQQ would most likely treat Binghe much like he did in PIWD. There are perhaps a FEW things that would, maybe, make him treat Binghe better out of pure spite but it would take many twists and turns for that. In the end, BingYuan in this would be Romeo and Juliet romance that would end in insane tragedy for all involved and CQM in flames. Unless Binghe manages to run off to Bai Zhan Peak. A big If.

What if Shen Yuan had met *** while at Lady Jia? Well SY would have brought *** with him to CQM instead! Or *** would have helped him escape and then years later............... hmm but that's a different arc.

There's more but :D

[rarepears]

It's the astronomy anon! Hc that whenever anyone in the Shen-Shang family (because I didn't know until my last ask that I love "SQH is Shen Jiu's little brother, Shen Jiu is viciously overprotective and SQH is oblivious" but I'll die on that hill) gets lost/in trouble/both (Prince Shen Yuan cannot for the life of him stop tripping over wife plots and his parents are giving serious consideration to keeping him on house arrest in the palace for his safety, and probably would have already were it not for Shang Qinghua's great efforts to convince them this is a bad idea (hence SQH being Shen Yuan's favorite uncle)) all they have to do is follow the Shizun Star. Somehow doing so always gets them back home safely. Shen Jiu is GOING to die mad about how often they use this feature. Later. Right now he's trying to badger SQH into assassinating the little beast for falling in love with his son (when the fuck did a-Yuan even meet him????? AND WHY WASN'T HE INFORMED???). His husband keeps trying to convince him to "give their son's suitor a chance" but Shen Jiu is holding out against the betrayals coming from all sides.

Luo Binghe the demon emperor's response is to kidnap Ming Fan and Ning Yingying (which isn't hard because all he has to say is 'I found shizun' and they're clinging to him and demanding to be taken to him at once) and drop them in Shen Jiu's lap. Shen Yuan gains two new friends, one new boyfriend the queen very reluctantly approves of, and a front row seat to Liu Qingge showing up out of NOWHERE because he came back from his monster hunt and Shen Jiu had been married off to foreign royalty and had apparently taken Shang Qinghua with him???? And he wanted to know what the hell was going on. And now he's not leaving because Shang Qinghua got him addicted to coffee.

This is all chaotic enough, what with interdimensional courtships and shit, BEFORE the Old Palace Master shows up to try and fuck up the LBH/SY wedding planning by trying to put SJ on trial even though it'll start a war. He has no success at all (ie LBH stabs him about it, hands Huan Hua to Gongyi Xiao and Zhuzhi-lang who got married last summer, and that's that), and everything would be fine except for three things.

One: Shen Jiu has abruptly been reintroduced to his past and also the Peak Lords.

Two: Mobei-jun took the opportunity to kidnap Shang Qinghua, who was finally not in a desert and therefore accessible. He views this as stealing his human back. Shang Qinghua is having lots of emotions and all of them are fear. Shen Jiu is PISSED.

Three: Shen Jiu's husband somehow found out about YQY's whole thing with Xuan Su and is planning to consult his brother in law on ways to kidnap the man for his own good. He doesn't even particularly care if he gets a threesome out of this or just another sibling for his queen, but he's kind of started a collection of "husband's former coworkers who need therapy" and Liu Qingge keeps sulking about none of the relocated cultivators sparring with him so they might as well grab the Sect Leader while they're in town once they resolve this whole "ice king trying to steal my brother in law" thing.

End result: they all make it back home, Mobei-jun somehow gets Shen Jiu's permission to try courting Qinghua properly by human standards, Yue Qingyuan and Liu Qingge get some therapy, Ning Yingying and Ming Fan take them shopping for new clothes, and Shen Jiu's court is full of eye candy.

Hm, does Luo Binghe also know that there's a star that will pretty much always show where Shen Yuan is (because Shen Yuan is following the shizun star to get back home)? Imagine all the terrible words Shen Jiu will spat out when he learns that Luo Binghe also knows of that trick. So much for the Shizun star being the GPS/Shen Yuan tracker God.

Ming Fan and Ning Yingying most certainly know where Shen Qingqiu is - everyone knows where the Arabian country is located. Nah, the real issue is traveling there. Getting past the border safely, making it into the imperial court, and not getting caught during the months-long journey...

So when Luo Binghe shows up with some teleportation sword saying "get in loser, we're going to visit shizun", they immediately sign up for the field trip without doing more than rub two braincells together.

Damn, you're implying that Liu Qingge has been gone for many years - decades even - on some monster hunt if he's missed the whole hubbub of Shen Jiu getting whisked away for marriage, Luo Binghe becoming demon emperor, and Shen Yuan being born and growing old enough to get romanced. What did Liu Qingge even do - get such in some pocket dimension??? Got stuck in some "running away with the ball" plot with a demon looking to court him??? Tried faking his death so that his grandma would stop trying to set him up on blind dates???

Man, imagine the hell that Mobei Jun, an ice demon, is going through if he dares venture into the dessert. No wonder Shag Qinghua loves hanging out with his bro! Safe from any surprise visits from the Ice King - and thus this really is the perfect vacation spot where he can't be informed of this and that new disaster sparking up!

But also, imagine if Mobei Jun doesn't dare travel in desert landscape because the real reason he overheats is the fact that Shang Qinghua is just flaunting around in Such SHeer RoBes?!?!?! ALL THAT SKIN BEING SHOWN?!

Let's be real: Shen Jiu's hubby is a pragmatist. He's no saint who's going to have zero braincells if Shen Jiu flutters his eyelashes at him. (Plus Shen Jiu wouldn't like him so much if he were such a person.) He's more than happy to kidnap Yue Qingyuan, a prominent sect leader, for the political advantages it gives him in negotiating with China's imperial court (and the cultivation world). Many beneficial trade deals are negotiated in return for his "hostage" AKA a Yue Qingyuan who's happily sunbathing and being fed dates next to Empress Shen Qingqiu.

[More in #Shen Jiu is forced into an arranged marriage to an Arabian Prince AU]

[wangxianficfinder]

Crossovers and Fandom Fusions Pt.2 (only includes SVSSS/TGCF/WOH/Guardian)

(check pt.1 for other crossovers)

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The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

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Hello, Neighbor!!! by Dragon_Scribe (M, 70k, bingqiu, LBH & WWX & SQQ, wangxian, SVSSS, canon divergence, demon WWX, found family, angst w/ happy ending, dimension travel, mystery, mind-control, love confessions)

🔒If Wishes Were Donkeys by NightOwl1 (M, 117k, WIP, WangXian, SVSSS, Time Travel Fix-It, Case Fic, Mpreg, Fluff and Humor, Dysfunctional Jiāng Family, Bad Parent YZY, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Period-Typical Homophobia, Crossdressing, LWJ and WWX Have a Breeding Kink, It's All The System's Fault, Post-Canon, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Warning: JGS, Good Uncle LQR, LWJ and WWX Are LSZ's Parents, Inappropriate Humor, Family Feels)

Chunshan by alittleliar (M, 62k, WIP, SQQ/YQY, SQQ/LBH, WangXian, SVSSS, Angst and Tragedy, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Unreliable Narrator, Mental Instability, Grief/Mourning, Flashbacks, Canon Divergence, Non-Consensual Somnophilia, Found Family Dynamics, Reincarnation, Immortality, trash grandma sj, Gods, terrible but trying parent figure sy) WWX is mentored in the Burial Mounds by dismembered fierce corpse SQQ

The Scum Villain's Demonic Blessing by Hamliet (M, 81k, WangXian, HuaLian, BingQiu, XuanXuan, XiCheng, ZhuiLing, FX/MQ, MBJ/SQH, NYY/MF, SVSSS/MDZS/TGCF, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Unplanned Pregnancy, Mpreg, Romance, Reconciliation, Crack Treated Seriously, Potential Spoilers) a curse leaves all the canon shous, as well as a number of supporting characters, pregnant. Warning for realistic portrayal of morning sickness, bloating, and other pregnancy symptoms; several readers commented with their own gestational war stories.

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Tiān Guān Cì Fú/Heaven Official's Blessing

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🧡 The Red Ribbon by Xiao_Hua (M, 21k, WangXian, HuaLian, Canon Divergence, Ghost City, a bit of beefleaf, Immortality, Cultivation Partners, Juniors, XL and HC find a child who happens to be WWX, Fluffy wangxian, WWX is a Supreme Ghost King, First Time, TGCF)

Back From The Dead by Suibian_613 (T, 44k, WIP, WangXian, XuanLi, HuaLian, XuanXuan, XinQing, Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Supreme Ghost King WWX, TGCF)

echoes from across the void by Nilaic (G, 20k, wangxian, hualian, TGCF, adoption, YLLZ WWX, deaging, oblivious WWX, protective LWJ, BAMF WWX & LWJ, pining, dimension travel, WWX has PTSD, demonic cultivation, hurt/comfort, fluff & angst, families of choice, WIP)

let this soul be your whisper by merthurlin (T, 28k, hualian, wangxian, post TGCF canon, post first siege of burial mounds, canonical character death, canon divergence, found family)

Hua Xianle by Tiffany_Guinne (Not rated, 170k, hualian, wangxian, TGCF, canon divergence, not Jiang friendly, madam lan lives, WWX adopted by hualian, WWX with different name, overprotective hualian, hurt WWX, WIP)

Farmer's Almanac / 情雨濛濛 by Irrelevancy (T, 13k, YSH/WQ, WWX & WQ, hualian, wangxian, SL/XXC, TGCF, canon divergence, fix-it, humor, families of choice, sibling bonding, action/adventure, resurrection)

Atlas by etymologyplayground (M, 12k, wangxian, hualian, LWJ & HC, TGCF, getting together, friendship, grief/mourning, canon divergence, sexual content)

let these bones be the giver by merthurlin (G, 4k, JYL & XL, JYL & WWX, TGCF, bonding over food, jiang yanli's unexplored insecurity and anger issues)

For Whom the Bell Rings by DawnCloud (G, 24k, JYL & XL & HC, HuaLian, Yunmeng Siblings, Calamity JYL, Fix-it but not exactly, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, TGCF)

Where the Chaos Is by martyr_syndrome (E, 38k, hualian, wangxian, TGCF, post-canon, case fic, accidental voyeurism)

Demonic Cultivator's Blessing, or: Curse of the Bunny Gods by FayJay (E, wangxian, JC/NHS, TGCF, ascension, romantic comedy, matchmaking, genderflip, pregnancy)

Back From The Dead by Suibian_613 (T, 45k, wangxian, hualian, JYL/JZX, beefleaf, fengqing, TGCF, major character death, canon divergence, supreme ghost king WWX, canon-typical violence, BAMF WWX, WIP)

Song of Joy and Regrets by HelloKitten (Not Rated, 134k, wangxian, hualian, WIP, TGCF, Angst, Self-Harm, Child Abuse, characters watching their series, Time Travel Fix-it)

Get By with a Little Help (from My Friends) by SomeGoodSheith (T, 20k, hualian, wangxian, MXY/OMC, SL/XXC, TGCF, married hualian, married wangxian, hurt/comfort, reunions, multiple POV)

Black Flute Melody by English is my death (Lena013) (T, 4k, HuaHe, WWX & Everyone, Female HX, HX & HC Friendship, Short HX, WWX is a Calamity, WWX the Child of Two Calamities, hx and hc friends with privileges, BAMF WWX, Drama, Personality Breakdown, YLLZ WWX, Family Drama, Hurt WWX, Minor HuaLian, TGCF)

Intertwined by Tsukimiko_san (T, 4k, wangxian, hualian, major character death, canon divergence, no resurrection au, red string of fate, reincarnation au, sad w happy ending, ghost LWJ, TGCF)

Lan Jingyi and the Adventure of the Immortal Cultivator by litbynosun (T, 5k, JL & LJY & LSZ & OYZZ, crossover, TGCF, post-canon, canon-typical violence, minor injuries, ghosts, friendship)

The Remnants of our Struggle by Naamah_Beherit (G, 11k, hualian, WN & WWX, WN & WQ, WN & XL, crossover, TGCF, canonical character death, friendship, family, ghosts)

No paths are bound by CataclysmicEvent (E, 1.158k, hualian, fengqing, PM/SWD, beefleaf, LW/YSH, canon divergence, retelling, hurt/comfort, horror elements, internalized homophobia, major novel spoilers, graphic violence, torture, suicide attempt, implied/referenced suicide, slow burn, sexual content) Super long, super awesome, it follows the tgcf plot but spans the mdzs (and some svsss) lore and some of the plot too. The crossover bits are so worth it tbh

Narrative of Strength by MeltedIceAngel (T, 61k, WIP, WangXian, HuaLian, Canon Divergence, Adopt WWX, Found Family, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Protective XL, Protective HC, Adoption, Kidnapping, Attempted Kidnapping, Serious Injuries, Angst with a Happy Ending, TGCF)

if we could change it all by silver__butterflies (T, 37k, HauLian, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Crossover, Wēn Remnants Live, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Attempt at Humor, JYL Lives, JZX Lives, POV Multiple, Post-Canon for TGCF, Spoilers for both fandoms, Fix-It, Happy Ending, BAMF XL, Fluff, Found Family)

Just pray to me. I’ll answer. by skeletonofaplant (G, 28k, WIP, HuaLian, WangXian, Canon Compliant, Crossover, Post-Canon, TGCF, gratuitous use of the word husband, Identity Porn, Identity Reveal, 5+1 Things, (actually 4+1 but who’s counting?), Fluff, Humor, POV Alternating, Angst, But Only a Little Bit)

Not Only Gods Are Listening by dancing_pencil (Not Rated, 69k, HuaLian, WangXian, Post-Canon TGCF, MDZS Fix-it, Fix-It, Post-First Siege of the Burial Mounds, YLLZ WWX, Fix-It of Sorts, Crossover)

To heal and nurture by Aki_no_hikari (G, 11k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Memories, Married Couple, Domestic Fluff, Festivals, Healing, Trauma Recovery, Light Angst, but mostly this is wwx living all of his cottagecore fantasies because he deserves it, TGCF crossover) Wangxian, having retired to farm, take part in a nearby village harvest festival honoring Yushi Huang

Somewhere Sits an Empty Throne by Siamesa (E, 19k, WangXian, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, tgcf fusion, Gods & Goddesses, Ghosts, Romance, vengeance, Dark LWJ, Grief/Mourning, Explicit Sexual Content, Angst with a Happy Ending)

Crimson Spiderlilies and Silver Wraith Butterflies series by tinyfoxpeach (G/M, 1k, HC/WWX, TGCF crossover, Fluff, Morning Routines, Morning Cuddles calamity WWX, ghost WWX, POV Outsider Soft WWX, Soft HC, HC in Love, Established Relationship, canon divergence, angst, implied/referenced suicide & abuse, flashbacks, dark, YLLZ WWX)

Grim Grinning Ghosts by Theladyofravenclaw (G, 3k, Junior Centric, Ghost City, the juniors shenanigans, Gambling, slight mention of gore once they enter the city, but nothing very graphic)

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Word Of Honor/Faraway Wanderers

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What's in a name? by Anonymous (M, 3k, Canon Divergence, Not JC Friendly, WOH)

CH.1 of Tumbling Random Fandoms and Stuff by esama (M, 45k, WIP, WenZhou, Drabble/oneshot collection, WOH)

The Young Masters of Four Seasons Manor by gaotamao (G, 91k, WangXian, WenZhou, YeRong, Time Regression fix-it, WKX raises monstrous sons, Not Jiang Sect Friendly, No Golden Core Transfer, WOH)

🧡 A Song of Healing and Reunions by SilasSolarius (Not Rated, 6k, WangXian, WenZhou, XiangNing, WOH, YBY is LJY, Hurt WWX, Grief/Mourning, Presumed Dead Character Death, I'm So Sorry A-yuan, Healing, Nails of Seven Torments, Implied/Referenced Torture) (unfortunately this fic has been deleted, but you can find it on wayback here)

To Stop A Prince by fallen_ghost_star, GKoi (fallen_ghost_star) (E, 20k, WIP, WenZhou, WangXian, WOH, Canon Divergence, POV Multiple, Smut is gonna happen, trying for low angst)

Bad Liars series by (E, 28k, wenzhou, wangxian, WOH, post-canon, dark past, memories, developing friendships, trust issues, flirting, exhibitionism, jealousy, orgy, smut)

Our Scars Unveiled by cj_is_alright (M, 16k, WenZhou, WangXian, WOH, POV WKX, POV ZZS, WangXian and WenZhou becoming friends, Canon-Typical Use of Husband and Wife, Post-Canon Faraway Wanderers, Post-Canon, MDZS, Non-canon, Crossover, They are all overprotective of their respective husband, Fierce Corpses, Walking Corpses, Fierce Corpses show up in the Faraway Wanderers Universe, Drunk LWJ, Hurt WKX, Protective ZZS, Healed ZZS, WKX fights with a fan, they all have trauma, Implied/Referenced Sex, But only between the actual couples, the couples are just friends)

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Guardian

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The Human Realm Is Not Worth It by Ju_StADreamer (T, 150k, WIP, WangXian, WeiLan, BSSR/LY, Guardian, Time Travel Fix-It, Child!WWX, child!LWJ, Major character death in the first chapter, Friends to Lovers, Canon Divergence, Wise Child WWX, Shen Wei and Kunlan adopt WWX, No Yin Iron (it seemed important), Character Study, Angst Happy Ending, Not Cultivation World Friendly, Not Jiang friendly – but no bashing, I might as well say it: slight crossover with TMOPB, specific TW's in the chapters, Madam Lan's arc fix-it)

The Source of All Resentment by Aquamarinade (T, 41k, WIP, WeiLan, WangXian, Guardian, Crossover, AU, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Pining) Wei Wuxian approaches the mysterious subterranean Dixing Shen Sect seeking asylum for the Wen Remnants

i've finally found you again by HanguangMoon (G, 809, WangXian, Guardian AU, fusion au, LWJ and WWX are SW & ZYL) the MDZS characters are the Guardian characters reincarnated

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[crazynekochan]

BingQiu/BingYuan & BingJiu modern double twin AU where LBH and SY are dating. Much to SJ's grief because he dislikes LBH and is overprotective over his brother.

However SJ has no idea that LBH also has an identical twin and ends up seeing LBG in public with some random girls, and becomes convinced that LBH is cheating on SY. So he makes him the biggest scene ever and calls him all kinds of names.

Which however only catches LBG's attention since he likes them feisty and hot. Queue SJ now having a sticky manwhore hanging onto him.

[lbhslefttiddie]

I love SQQ acting like the overprotective parent in this AU, despite being the same age as SY. He’s just like *scratches LQG and CL’s name off the list*: no way in HELL am I letting my A-Yuan marry a pair of dumb brutes! *narrows eyes at the Binghe’s*: you two can stay but you’re on thin ice! Who else has SY wife beamed in this AU other than the Binghe’s and Cheng Luan, btw 👀?

an incomplete list of people sy has or will accidentally wifebeam:

sj (duh)

lbh (shadow and doll)

sqh (doll)

lqg (doll)

mqf (shadow and doll)

the entire relief team (thanks to that once stint with sy getting soot sickness)

zzl (?????)

gyx (shadow)

[thornheartcat]

Fiona's 2023 Anime Awards

Thoughts on anime this year!

Top 5:

Pluto (even has my mom's seal of approval!)

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Heavenly Delusion

Undead Girl Murder Farce

probably Scott Pilgrim Takes Off once I get around to it (I KNOW I'M GONNA I SWEAR)

Show that most came closest to making the top 5 but I think I'll still like Scott Pilgrim better: My Happy Marriage! I want what they have...

Most underrated show: BULLBUSTER. I know robots aren't very in right now or whatever but it's a robot workplace dramedy! Give it a chance!

Runner up: Synduality: Noir. Also robots. This one has such Eureka seveN vibes and I mean that as like one of the highest compliments I can give! I missed shows like this! Bring shows like this back! Also it's from the writer of Bunny Girl Senpai! If I say that will you watch it?

Most overrated show: Oshi no Ko. This shit was 60% monologues about how "the entertainment industry is bad, actually" by volume. Snore.

Runner up: JJK2. I mean it's like fine I guess but at this point JJK is like a vehicle that delivers cool fight scenes to my eyeballs. If you ask me to care about the characters or the mechanics behind the cool fights I will laugh at you.

Most niche show I enjoyed: 16bit Sensation: Another Layer. You have to be in so deep in the world of visual novels and eroge to really appreciate this show but I've been in too deep since I was like 14 so I love it!

Show that most should've been bigger: Undead Unluck. I know it's floundering here because it's a Hulu exclusive and Hulu has literally not even spent a single fucking tweet promoting their exclusive anime for some goddamn reason but give it a chance I am BEGGING YOU. Heavenly Delusion and Synduality: Noir had this same problem but Undead Unluck is based on a SJ property so you'd especially think it specifically would be bigger!

Show that most surprised me: Tearmoon Empire! I didn't know I wanted a show about Marie Antoinette getting sent back in time to prevent her own guillotining, or that I wanted that show to be primarily a comedy, but I got it and I love it! I hope it gets another season, I want to watch Mia bumble her way into becoming a better person and making the world a better place some more!

Runner up: Helck! I'd heard good stuff about the manga so I wasn't surprised it was good but I was surprised at just how well it shifted from comedy to drama and how emotionally invested it got me. Every week of that flashback arc had me yelling "NO!" at my computer when each episode ended because I wanted to know what happened next so badly!

Show that most was just sorta there but I had fun anyway: Mononogatari. It's such standard shounen fare and the art and animation rarely rises above the level of even "competent" but by the end of the second half I found myself genuinely invested in the characters? Also the second OP goes hard as hell

Runner up: Spy Classroom. It's not the best spy show out there, but if you've already watched Princess Principal and Spy x Family and you want more anime spy content it's there for you. I liked the girls and their unique abilities, and the narc episode is counterbalanced by the extremely hilarious and period accurate WcDonald's that is "White Fortress".

Worst anime: A Girl & Her Guard Dog. The premise is already not my cup of tea (not a huge age gap fan and especially not a huge fan of the girl falling for the guy who basically raised her, Bunny Drop style, though at least this series is up front about all that rather than luring unsuspecting people in with wholesomeness), but its execution is what really kills it. There's nothing more profoundly unsexy than the love interest behaving like an overprotective sitcom dad. Also doesn't help that the art and animation are straight DOGSHIT. I feel so bad for the animators, they must've been on an insane crunch, you can really feel that they kinda just shit this one out and you just know they're not proud of it and wish they could've done better work. I also feel bad for fans of the manga, the art there isn't terrible and while translating it to animation was always gonna be a little hard this is a particularly tragic attempt.

Most anticipated of 2024: Delicious in Dungeon and Dandadan!!!!!!! GET HYPE BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

[roseybombshell]

hello, how are you?

i'm not sure if you're still doing readings, but if you are, could i please get channeled messages from SJ? my initials are SM 🎀. thank you so much!

Hello, I am good, wbu? 🤩

Here are the messages I feel like they would like to give you:

"If you keep on focusing on the negative, it will drive you mad"

"Sun always shines, despite the darkness. You are like the sun"

"Don't underestimate the power that you hold"

"Someday I'll get to see you around"

"Do you remember the last time we spent together? I sure miss seeing you laugh" (Past life?)

"Don't block yourself from other people, don't push people away. I'm always here if you need me. I'm sure others around you are too"

"I may not be the best for you. I could ruin you unintentionally"

"I am going through a lot right now. Please be understanding"

Keywords/words/random sentences: the number 7, dreams/dream realm, the color purple, greenhouse, doorway, calculate, drown, black and white becoming colorized, overprotective, not seeing what life/certain situation has to offer, looking away from happiness, fearing the worst, anxiety.

[mikkeneko]

dont forget shen yuan had 2 older brothers hes definitely used to being somewhat overprotectively brothered#its comforting to him!! he doesnt have the same abandonment trauma sj did so inevitably he sees yqys actions differently!#and even in the end when he knows qijius backstory hes sad FOR yqy#he doesnt look back and is like oh rhat guy was a real creep like he did learning sxys backstory hes like that was a tragic and fucked up#situation for all involved and yqy is too nice to not have closure for this which is why he's regretful that hes not sj#when hearing yqys apology#its nuance!! its good#ahghgiqhghjs#yqy evil fics my behated#svsss - tags by @piosplayhouse

The more deep I fall into SVSSS the more any sort of animosity between Cucumber Qingqiu and Yue Qingyuan or Yue Qingyuan ignoring boundaries in fics makes me twitch

Cucumber Qingqiu sees Yue Qingyuan as an older brother figure and is very fond of him

He is not creeped out by him or avoids him or whatever

And Yue Qingyuan is fully supportive of any Shen Qingqiu even if he finds Cucumber Qingqiu puzzling in some ways and soul destroying in others

(it's great that Shen Qingqiu seems more at peace but heart wrenching that he doesn't remember their past)

And like yes Yue Qingyuan struggles to know the correct distance to keep with Shen Jiu but that's because Shen Jiu clings to him as much as he pushes him away. They both struggle with knowing where the boundaries are because what they want and what their secrets are demanding are two different things

But Cucumber Qingqiu is fond and pleasant and friendly but also doesn't have any of the connection that drove the intense relationship between Shen Jiu and Yue Qingyuan

And because he clearly doesn't remember him or their past or their connection he maintains a careful distance of caring older brother figure and nothing more

Because thats what makes this Shen Qingqiu happy

So stop making them at odds!

Stop making Yue Qingyuan out to be this awful creepy abusive person!

[ladyanaconda]

“Poor devils who think they can toy with one of Lord Aku’s daughters and get away with it.” -Demongo.

Ana just had her heart broken by the boy she liked, and of course Aku won’t stand idly. This is the main reason most boys stay away from Ashi and her sisters.

[stusbunker]

A Gentlemen’s Agreement Epilogue

A Supernatural Denny AU Fan-fiction Series

Featuring: Dean Winchester/ Benny Lafitte

Other characters: Pamela, Jesse, Caesar, Crowley, Balthazar, Meg, Jo, Lee, Lisa, Sam (mentioned), Drea OFC, Robbie and SJ OMCs, Deanna OFC

Word count: 2340

A/N: Enjoy! xoxo Stu

Brunch

    The sun was bright, but the air was crisp. The remnants of the early snowstorm had left soggy lawns and damp sidewalks. Benny pulled up to the restaurant and parked on the curb, smiling over at Dean. He waited patiently. 

    “You sure this is a good idea?” Dean squinted in the midday light.

    “Been dying to meet ya. Figured it’s only fair, I met your folks, you can meet my people too,” Benny said simply. “But I’m not gonna force ya.”

    “I just, I’m not used to being out in public. In numbers,” Dean sputtered.

    Benny raised a single eyebrow at him. “Well, I guess this is your best shot to try it out, dontcha think?”

    “What if they don’t like me? I don’t want you to have to choose between me and your friends,” Dean explained the root of the problem.

    “I like you, they will too. Just relax, be your charming self and if you don’t know what to say, you can just keep eating.” Benny put his hand on Dean’s thigh, squeezing just so.

    Dean growled out a sigh. “Fine. But you’re paying.”

    Like that could make an uncomfortable situation worth it. Benny smirked at Dean’s logic, waiting for his face to soften from grouchy to amiable. Once Dean relaxed, Benny kissed him, just long enough to keep him flustered and climbed out of the truck.

     They approached a large round table midway along the heated patio, where four people were already seated.

A raven haired woman waved them over. “My good Benjamin, did you bring a straight boy to brunch, just for me?!”

“Pammy!” Benny leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Hate to disappoint ya darlin', but ain't nothing straight about this'n."

 “Hey, now! Can’t a guy speak for himself?!” Dean snipped defensively as he sat in the spot beside Benny.

Everyone laughed. Pamela raised her eyebrow in question.

Dean licked his lips and put on the smolder, “Sorry sweetheart, but I’m taken.”

“Wait, this--- THIS is your sassy mechanic?!” Crowley leaned forward, extending his hand, his English brogue gruff and pandering. “Nice to finally meet you, handsome.”

       Dean gave Benny the side eye and all Benny could do was shrug coyly. Dean shook the man’s hand, trying not to show his discomfort from his lingering glances. Benny made the rest of the introductions, Jesse and Cesar were also a couple, but had been married for a few years. They seemed to be waiting on someone before they ordered. The group sipped their cocktails with a fresh pitcher of Bloody Mary in the center of the kitsch tablecloth.

Benny poured Dean a generous portion of the red drink and slipped seamlessly into the conversation. Dean sucked the palmeto out of an olive and listened casually, not too sure where he fit in this part of Benny’s life.

Twenty minutes later a rail of a guy swaggered in, with oversized aviators and a black linen suit. 

“Oh, thank Christ for booze,” he huffed, grabbing Dean’s glass without even acknowledging Dean was there. The blonde chugged the entire drink, before breaking for air. “I just had the worst hook up of my life, no, well, the year at least. He took me to his mother’s house. She tried to make me breakfast. I was simply mortified. I just left. What could I even do at that point, honestly?!”

Now that his audience had his attention back, the man gawked at Dean. He even pulled down his sunglasses for a better look. “Now who the fuck is this? Is it show and tell?! Because I am not prepared in the least.” 

He casually patted at his hair and eyed Dean from top to toe. Benny chuckled, but Pamela was the one to make the introduction.

“Balthazar, our regular hangover diva. Meet Dean, Benny’s boy toy,” she deadpanned, eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Oh you can’t be serious,” Balthazar lamented, looking from Pam to Benny to Crowley and finally at Dean. “Fuck you southerners and your goddamn accents--- always gets the hotter ones,” he muttered defensively as he threw himself against the armrest of the chair, crossing his legs.

“Well, now that we’re all here,” Cesar ended the dramatics concisely. “Maybe somebody should find our waitress?”

Dean looked at Benny confused. “We’re always here for a while, she doesn’t bother us until we’re actually ready to order. Tend to annoy her otherwise.”

Crowley volunteered as he needed to head to the men’s room anyhow. Five minutes later he arrived with an obviously surly waitress.

“Well look what the cat dragged in,” Meg’s smokey voice broke through Balthazar's latest story. She centered herself between Cesar and Crowley’s seat and cocked her hip, tongue firmly in cheek as she waited for Dean to take her bait.

“Heya, Meg,” Dean sighed. The inevitable caught up with him after all, they just had to run into someone he knew.

“Oh, this has got to be good, now, pray tell, how do you two know each other?” Crowley probed.

“Oh me and this schmuck? We go way back.” Meg smiled without teeth.

“Is that so?” Benny tested the waters.

“Not like that,” Dean grumbled. “Meg, here, took my little brother Sammy out for a few spins, back in the day. Didn’t you, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, well, what can I say? It was high school.” Meg let her indifference coat her entire being until curiosity sparked to life in her eyes. “So what are you doing with this crowd, or did they bring you in just to add a new level of torture to my Sunday shifts?”

“Well---.” Dean swallowed, looked at Benny for clarification and got mild amusement instead. “I think you’re stuck with me now.”

“Joy,” Meg bristled before taking their orders, knowing most of the table’s usuals before they even opened their mouths.

News

    Benny rushed into the customer entrance of the shop, the wet October air had kept the service doors closed for the past week. He leaned against the counter, decorated in local business cards and charity fliers, anxiously waiting for someone to talk to. His chest was so tight he worried he’d pass out from excitement. He just needed to see him was all, once he saw Dean it would be easier.

    Lee sauntered in from the service bay, they both had drawn the short straw it seemed.

    “Hey, mind getting Dean for me? It’s important,” Benny asked, unable to keep the burning smile from his face.

    Lee eyed him curiously but nodded and headed back the way he came. He didn’t shout, not really. “Dean-o, your boyfriend’s looking for ya.”

    Dean unfurled himself from the engine he had been tinkering with all morning and glared at Lee.

    “Husband, whatever, seems urgent,” Lee acquiesced. Dean nodded and wiped his hands off on the closest rag. Dean pulled his wedding band out from his undershirt out of habit more than anything. He couldn’t wear it on his hands at work, but he didn’t want to lose it so Benny made him a braided leather necklace once they got back from their honeymoon.

    Dean ignored formality and walked straight into the waiting room. Once he saw the look on Benny’s face he knew what was happening.

    “It’s go time?” He asked, shock and exhilaration sparking his instinct to move.

    “It’s go time, cher. Lisa called me on the way to the hospital. Sam’s driving her from the office. Her water broke about 9:30,” Benny explained, the nervousness slipping into his cadence.

    “Alright, I’m gonna clean up, you want me to drive?” Dean asked, gauging the unsteadiness in his usually stalwart husband.

    “That’s probably best, yeah,” Benny agreed. 

Dean leaned in and kissed him firmly, resting his forehead against Benny’s temple before pulling away.“Hey, we got this, alright? That kid is gonna be so spoiled having you for a daddy, you know that?”

“Look who’s talking, gonna have you wrapped around their finger before they can even crawl,” Benny teased back, inhaling with contentment.

Dean headed back to warn his coworkers that he had a baby on the way and to clean up enough to be allowed into a hospital. Jo followed Dean out into the lobby. Quickly, she hugged Benny before demanding regular updates to the group chat.

“Alright, get out of here, we’ve got you covered for the rest of the week. Let me know and I will put in paternity leave as soon as everyone’s home, okay?” Jo got all professional about things as Dean left.

“Oh, right, shit. Well, I guess I’ll let you know when you can come over and---,” Dean started before Benny pulled him by his elbow.

“We should be goin’” Benny urged. Dean looked at Jo one last time and nodded.

This was it.

   Dean held Benny’s hand the whole way to the hospital, their grip tightening every so often, grounding them both. Because Lisa was a friend and the surrogacy was looser than most circumstances, both Benny and Dean were allowed in the delivery room. They were the best cheerleaders a birth mom could have ever asked for. Seven hours later, one chubby baby girl entered the world screaming to high heaven and splitting her fathers’ hearts open for an entirely new level of love and devotion.

    Mary Andrea Lafitte-Winchester, or Drea for short, was a happy and healthy little girl. And an overprotective big sister to her twin brothers, Samuel Joel and Robert Fergus, who came along four years later.

Sunset

    They’re old men now. Dean is five years retired, while Benny works the register for their sons on the weekends. Both of their hands aren’t what they used to be. But they keep busy. Drea is bringing the kids round tomorrow, it’s the start of summer break and Dean’s been dying to teach her kids to fish.  

    Dean went grey after he turned fifty, but it hasn’t changed since, in color at least. Benny’s beard is as white as Santa Claus and he hides what little hair he has left under a cap. They’re both a little rounder, a little lower to the ground, but they got that way together and neither of them notice it on one another anyhow.

       Every year they visit Jesse and Cesar in Arizona for New Year's. Though they fly more than make the drive these days.

        They still take turns cooking the meals and the movie nights from their early days resurfaced into movie afternoons when their kids moved out. Dean can’t hear for shit anymore and, naturally, Benny makes fun of him for it. But Dean’ll put in his hearing aids if company is over.

 It’s early evening in the beginning of June and the bugs are orchestrating quite the soundtrack to their time on the porch. Dean pours his whiskey. Benny’s already sipping his sweet tea, his medications don’t let him drink much anymore. Jo’ll come by on Sunday, along with SJ and his wife and Robbie. Sam and Jess usually make it to every other dinner or so.

    “Hey there, handsome. Mind if I join you?” Dean teases, once a flirt always a flirt.

    “Not at all, cher. It’s a helluva view,” Benny glances at his husband, watches Dean take in the peaches and pinks kissing the slopes of the fields. They sit like that for an hour, until the dark is too thick to see through. Groaning and creaking they stand in turn. Dean keeps his hand on the small of Benny’s back as they head inside for the night, steadying them both.

    They moved their bedroom to the ground floor after Dean’s heart attack, a lot less worry about making it upstairs that way. After being married forty years, Dean still makes jokes about it being Benny’s place. But it’s always been his home. He kisses Benny goodnight, makes it a little saucy because he can. He’s the first to close his eyes.

    In the morning Benny makes waffles and tofu bacon. Dean pretends he can’t taste the difference, fooling no one. They make out while the sink fills for the dishes, too few to run the machine. Benny gets handsy first and Dean tries to squirm into the upperhand. They’re interrupted by a car pulling in the drive.

    “Busted,” Benny whispers.

    “You’re the one who wanted kids,” Dean grumbles against Benny’s neck, an old, unfounded retort.

    “Yeah, but the grandkids---,” Benny starts.

    “Were made to be spoiled,” Dean finishes and kisses Benny once more. Drea’s yelling at her kids to slow down before her dads even make it outside to greet them. Her eyes, blue as her daddy’s are tired. They don’t envy her the school aged years. Dean bends down as baby Deanna, who’s nearly four, comes crashing into his arms. He pulls her up and holds her tight, reminds him of her mama and he can’t help but get a little weepy over the passing years. 

    “It’s so good to see you, baby girl.” Benny pulls his daughter into a hug before helping with their bags. The older kids don’t come inside until it’s time to eat, climbing through the barn and splashing in the creek until they’re soaked. But Deanna sticks with her Grandpa on a simple stroll, while Pappy and Mama catch up.

    Dean still has the jacket he bought from Benny, though the pants are long gone. He’ll leave it to Robbie when the time comes, when his son finds himself a stud that’s worth settling down for. If that’s what he chooses. 

    For now, Dean lets his granddaughter pick up every rock and stick she finds and examines it to the nth degree. He explains what he can about each one. She’s very curious. He even lets her wipe her chubby little hands on his pants’ leg when she needs to. They get back to the house just in time to start dinner, but before they go inside Dean takes a mental picture of his husband on the porch, their daughter beside him and his granddaughter running past him.

   It is a helluva view after all. 

Tell me what you think?

Series Masterlist

SPN Masterlist

Tagging: @flamencodiva​​​ @dolphincliffs​​​ @dontshootmespence​​​​ @fookinghelljensensthighs​​​​ @fangirlxwritesx67​​ @dawnie1988​​ @mrswhozeewhatsis​​​​ @cosicas-cuquis​​​​ @foxyjwls007​​ @tumbler-tidbits​​ @wingedcatninja​​​​ @defenderrosetyler​​​​ @ericaprice2008​  @crashdevlin​​​  @mylovelydame21 @cajunquandary​​ @itmighthavebeenintentional​ @thoughtslikeaminefield​ @there-must-be-a-lock​ @tatted-trina6 @lyarr24​

[rarepears]

I saw Parent!Ming Fan post (the one where he adopts kid!SJ and I was wondering, would he get the PIDW wifebeam like Shen Yuan did?

I'm just imagining Yang Yixuan, Gongyi Xiao, and all the other male cultivators seeing the new Qing Jing peak lork being pretty and good with kids going : I will court this man

OMG Ming Fan as his generation's wifebeam-er!!!

Shen Jiu squints suspiciously. He doesn't recall his head disciple having so much charm as to seduce everyone in their vicinity. And hmph, who are you to claim that he's being overprotective of his dad! He's just making sure no harpy or gold-digger gets into his comfortable way of life!

Ming Fan the Qing Jing peak's dork with playboy charm :)

[More in #PIDW! Shen Jiu was reincarnated into SVSSS and his dad is Ming Fan AU]

[epochofbelief]

What to Expect When You’re (Not) Expecting: Chapter Seven Part One

an A Court of Thorns and Roses Modern AU

TW: mentions of deceased relatives, children left behind, etc.

All characters belong to SJ Maas!

WTEWY(N)E Masterlist !!

My other (completed) fic masterlist

A/N: this is what happens when I write 5K+ worded chapters. they get split into two parts. ALSO IM PUMPED FOR PART 2 SO PREPARE YOURSELVES😌

SEVEN

Feyre

August bled into September, and I skipped the second parent meeting to get coffee with Rhys again. I couldn’t explain why I had invited him to skip that first time. Certainly not because I felt anything that vaguely resembled attraction. Right? He was my friend, I felt major social anxiety anytime I started something new that involved people, and making friends with Rhys was simple. Easier even than making friends with Ianthe or Tamlin had been. It was easier to speak to him than Nesta, any of my fellow teachers, or my old college friends--even when I’d been in college.

I hadn’t told Tamlin. It was none of his business, right? It was a meeting of single parents. . . even if there were only two of us. I had bigger things on my mind: surviving school, keeping the kids alive, and scraping together enough money each month to make ends meet. I sold prints online as a side hustle and had a fairly successful online art shop going. That was really helping. I wished I had the time and energy to really develop it, but. . . Maybe when all the kids were grown up. In about fifteen years.

On the Wednesday after my second coffee meeting with Rhys, I got a call from the elementary school. Counting my blessings that this was my lunch hour, I picked up. “Hello?” I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking. A call from the school meant bad news.

“Aunt Feyre?”

I blinked. “Aspen? Honey, what’s wrong?”

Her voice, rasping as she spoke, came quietly through the phone and I knew saying so much was an effort for her. I wanted to kill the people who had thought it was a good idea to let her call me. Didn’t they know Aspen wasn’t one for a lot of words right now?

“Ms. Weathers says you need to come pick me up.”

“How come, Penny?”

She sniffled and I knew I wouldn’t get anything else out of her. “Give the phone to Miss Weathers, please,” I gritted out. “I’ll be there very soon.”

Five minutes later, I’d requested a sub from the office and taken the rest of the day off. Miss Weathers, the lovely elementary school secretary, had explained to me that some kids had been bullying Aspen at recess and that she’d gone into a full blown meltdown. No one could calm her down or get her to tell them who bullied her.

My blood boiling, I sped across the street and stalked through the parking lot. Barging through the doors, not giving a damn the “quiet in the halls” sign, I tread the familiar path down the hallway to the main office. I stormed through the doors and ignored the secretary entirely as I passed her desk and stepped into the little nurse’s room where the kids usually waited for their parents. Or in this case, overprotective aunts.

“Pen.” My voice broke.

She jumped out of her seat and bounded across the room. I kneeled down and let her throw her arms around my shoulders. Her small fingers squeezed my neck tightly, but not uncomfortably, as I stood up with her in my arms.

“You’re getting so big,” I told her. “Growing up way too fast.” She sniffled and my heart broke into a million pieces. “Let’s get you out of here, huh?”

“Ollie,” Aspen said quietly into my ear and I took another look around the nurse’s room.

Rhys’s little brother, sitting quietly in the corner, looked up at me. “Hi, Ms. Feyre!”

“What’s going on here?” I asked, glancing between the two kids.

Over the past week and a half, Ollie and Aspen had grown thick as thieves. Rachel brought him with her almost every night she helped me out. Aspen had started getting him into the books she loved reading, while Ollie let her play on his tablet from time to time. I let it slide, seeing as she was sharing her great love of reading with him. It was only fair that he shared his great love of video games with her. They’d even had an extra playdate last Saturday.

The door of the nurse’s room slid open behind me. “Feyre?” Came a voice that I hated myself for recognizing so quickly.

“Rhys!” I exclaimed, turning to face him, Aspen still in my arms. Why was my heart suddenly beating a little faster?

“What happened? I got a call, and Ollie wouldn’t give me any details.”

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

Ollie jumped out of his chair and ran to his brother. “Some kids at recess were bullying Aspen! We were just trying to read under the jungle gym, and they called us nerds. And then they said we should stop being sad because we have no parents, and Aspen started crying. Like a lot. So I told them to get lost and I stayed with Aspen even though the teachers told me to leave her here and go to class, and--” He took a deep breath and kept going. Rhys glanced at me, rolling his eyes just barely before returning his attention to his little brother. “I don’t care if you ground me. Aspen needed me and it was my job to help. So there.”

I looked at Aspen, who nodded at me. She wiggled and I set her down. She crossed the room to give Ollie a hug. “Thanks Ollie,” she said quietly.

He hugged her briefly before pulling back. Cooties, I supposed. I glanced at Rhys and made puppy dog eyes. That might have been the cutest thing I’d ever seen. “Let’s go, Ollie,” Rhys said, clapping him on the back. “I’m proud of you for standing up for your friend. You did the right thing.” I watched Rhys’s eyes shoot daggers at Miss Weathers as he signed his brother out. I didn’t dare look at the woman for fear I’d explode at her for treating my niece so unfeelingly. If I opened my mouth to chew her out, I imagined every kid in the school would hear and learn the numerous expletives I reserved for people like her.

Rhys and I followed Aspen and Ollie out into the bright day. “What say we go for ice cream?” Rhys suggested, glancing sideways at me.

“Yes! Ice cream!” Ollie shouted, and Aspen shook her head vigorously.

“I’m free the rest of the day. Let’s do it.”

Twenty minutes later, we had two tables at Aspen’s favorite ice cream parlor in downtown Velaris. Rhys and I sat at our own table. Ollie and Aspen took the one next to us.

“I can’t believe those idiots at the school. They made Aspen call me! As if she’d feel comfortable in her state to say a word. She barely speaks to me on a normal day!”

“Feyre,” Rhys interjected. His hand hovered in the air as though he wanted to place it on my shoulder. I glanced at his hand and he dropped it. “Let’s just be thankful Aspen’s okay. She seems fairly recovered.” He jerked his head at our charges.

Aspen was chattering away to Ollie, quiet enough that I couldn’t make out her words. But Ollie was drinking in everything she said, licking his chocolate ice cream as she spoke. I shook my head, barely believing how talkative she became around him. “The only other people she talks to like this are Rory and Bas. Not even me.”

“She’ll open up. And if she doesn’t, that’s okay. She’s just quiet by nature.”

“I know. I’m just glad she’s found a kindred spirit.”

Rhys nodded, taking an enormous bite out of his vanilla ice cream. I cringed and he grinned at my reaction. “What, you can’t eat ice cream like this?” He took another bite.

I raised my eyebrows and prepared for battle. “No, actually I--”

“Feyre?”

I froze, not daring to trust what I’d just heard. I shut my eyes, praying my imagination had gotten away with itself. Desperately hoping that my guilt at spending time with Rhys had caused me to hallucinate the sound of my fiance’s voice issuing from behind me. But I turned in my seat to find Tamlin staring down at me. Out in the street behind him, I caught a glimpse of two burly men in suits checking their watches and generally appearing as though they had better places to be.

“Hey.” I stood up and gave him a hug, which he stiffly returned, his gaze trained on Rhys, who was licking his ice cream innocently and, if possible, defiantly. He seemed to feel my fiance’s gaze and slowly raised his chin to look at Tamlin. No, to glare at Tamlin. Not out of jealousy, which was my first suspicion. But it looked like genuine anger, as though he knew Tamlin somehow. I glanced between the two of them.

“Tam, this is my contractor. His brother is close with Aspen, and he’s the contractor for Elain’s place, and today at school. . .” I explained what had happened to the kids, stumbling over my words as I did so. Rhys just crossed his arms and glared at Tamlin the whole time. Was there something going on that I didn’t know about?

Tamlin took a step forward and extended his hand, albeit reluctantly. I could feel the tension radiating from his body. “Tamlin Spring.”

“Rhysand Night,” Rhys gritted out.

On hearing Rhys’s name, Tamlin went utterly still. Okay, something was definitely happening between these two. “Night, you say?”

Rhys nodded ever so slowly and Tamlin drew back, hand unshook.

Tamlin extricated himself from my arm and took a few steps back. “I’ll call you later,” was all he said before he turned and stormed out the door.

I sighed and put my face in my hands. Took a few deep breaths.

“Feyre?”

I looked up at him. “What the hell was that?” Then I remembered that Aspen and Ollie sat a few feet away. “Do you two know each other?” I hissed.

“What?” Rhys shook his head. “Uh, no. Why would you think that?”

“Convincing.” I shoved past Rhys, ignoring his guilty face as I grabbed Aspen’s hand. I turned around to go and continued whisper-shouting at him. “I don’t know, after the little size contest you two just played, it seems you have some things you need to work out. And neither of you told me you knew the other. Actually, you didn’t tell me you knew Tamlin. I don’t think he even knows you exist. How do you know him?”

“Gee, Feyre, how nice.” Rhys threw the remains of his ice cream into a nearby trash can with unnecessary force. “I’m so glad we’re good enough friends that you feel comfortable enough to tell Tamlin about me. And it’s none of your business if I know your boyfriend or not.”

“He’s my fiance,” I spat back. “I shouldn’t even be here. This is stupid. Let’s go Penny. See you soon, Oliver.” I dragged Aspen out of the ice cream parlor by her right hand, her left still gripping her strawberry ice cream cone. Bewildered, she let me pull her down the street and help her into my car. “Let’s go home, Aspen,” I seethed, the sweet ice cream and blossoming conversation of the last twenty minutes entirely forgotten. My new friend and my fiancé having some sort of territorial showdown in an ice cream parlor with the kids around? Not okay.

----------------

RHYSAND

I fumed as I drove Ollie home. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. Feyre’s fiance had caught us red-handed. Although, we hadn’t been doing anything untrustworthy. Feyre clearly hadn’t told him about our past few coffee dates, though, because he’d looked like he wanted to rip my head off. And then she told him my name and he looked as though he wanted to burn me alive.

So now Tamlin and I had met. And I had two days to get him the money I had carefully extricated from various trust funds and savings accounts, being sure not to take anything from Ollie or Rachel’s savings, of course. It was ready to go, I just wasn’t sure how or when he’d come to collect. Hopefully I could pay him and we could put it all behind us.

There was no way Feyre knew about this. Should I tell her? The question flew round and round inside my head like a broken record. How much did I get involved in their relationship? He needed to be honest with her, but it didn’t look like he had been so far. And she’d kept me a secret from him.

I still couldn’t figure out why they were getting married.

The money. That’s right, it was all for the money. Feyre didn’t love that guy. But she was worried about her kids enough that she was willing to make the sacrifice. Right?

I told Ollie he could play on his tablet as much as he wanted today in reward for standing up for his friend. I really was quite proud of him. Even if his little rescue mission had ultimately led to Feyre and me being discovered by Tamlin and Tamlin subsequently laying eyes on the guy who owed him twenty grand. And probably suspecting that his current fiancee was now cheating on him with said guy in his debt. Which she wasn’t.

But I didn’t like the look of that guy and I hated, absolutely hated, the idea of him touching her, of Feyre spending any amount of time with him. It wasn’t just Feyre. In fact, I hated the idea of any woman being with him! Maybe I would wait until I made the payment and then tell Feyre. That way Tamlin wouldn’t think I was trying to get out of paying him what was owed and Feyre could have a better idea concerning the guy she was engaged to marry.

To be continued....

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