#well 1) her uncle would actually kill her

[thedawningofthehour]

I had a dream where Bella was babysitting the Mutant Mayhem turtles (I haven't even seen MM but okay) and took them to like a bath house? And Raph was being a little shit to her and she wasn't having it, I remember that. And then she lost one of them on an elevator and had to run up and down the stairs trying to figure out where they got off.

And honestly that part is correct if this was a sitcom there would absolutely be an episode where Bella lost one or all of the kids and had to scramble to find them before their dads came back.

[chaoticwriting]

THE FATHER 2

Part 1

After the last incident, Danny totally expects the public to be afraid of him or even persecute him for killing the Joker. He did kill in front of a live stream after all. What he doesn't expect is the public giving their full support to him. Almost every single news media paints him in a good light, saying he is just protecting his children and bringing up all his previous charity.

However, there is one big problem Danny doesn't foresee. Danny doesn't even know about the problem because his children are the one that are suffering from it.

-Gotham Academy-

Emma: *Slamming her phone on the table* For the love of god, stop making thirst trap of my dad. He is too old for some of you (He is 20).

Becky: I know right. This is like the sixth thirst trap video that I see of dad.

Carl: I hate this so much. My crush just accepted my confession but on the condition I will introduce her to dad.

Larry: And you agree?

Carl: What? No! Of course not.

Emma: Ugghhh, this is the worst. Maybe we should ask Uncle Tucker to remove all of Dad's thirst trap online. I'm so done with this.

Larry: I don't know. This is the first time girls decide to talk to me voluntarily. I really am enjoying this attention.

Carl: You're happy now until one of the girls decides to confess to you and just as you thought because she likes you, it is because she has a crush on dad.

Larry: I know you just experienced it but you don't need to curse me like that.

Carl: Hmph.

Larry: Hey, has anyone seen Colin? I haven't seen him since last night.

Becky: *Whispersing* Don't you hear? Colin got shot after he went to patrol the night before yesterday. Dad grounds him cause he tries to sneak out injured last night.

Carl: Oof. Colin really doesn't learn does he? Dad has super sense. He literally can't sneak out.

Larry: Yeah. I don't even know why he wants to be a vigilante so much. I guess he is just kind of something. Couldn't be me to be honest.

Emma: Of course he is not like you. You are not even capable of waking up by yourself in the morning.

*Riiiinngggg*

Becky: Well that is our break then. Let's go to class.

Larry: Eh, it's not like Miss Brown gonna scold me if I am a little late anyway. She has been trying to get Dad's number from me for a while now.

Carl: Does dad even have a girlfriend? Or boyfriend? Hell, a partner? I never saw him gone on a date once so far.

Emma: Chances are probably super low. Like to say he is dense is an understatement. A woman tried to flirt with him once but he just replied to all the flirting with the straightest face possible.

The rest: *Giggles*

-Gotham Libraries-

Contrary to what his kids have been believing in, he actually knows when someone is flirting with him. It's just that he takes note from the dense anime protagonist and uses it in daily life whenever he is not interested in a person flirting with him. Which is like daily.

But here is the problem. He can respond to a flirt very easily. He learns a lot of that from when he was dating Sam. But he never actually flirts with someone first. And he isn't sure just how to approach the problem.

Having decided that he has stayed long enough, Danny picks a random book from the space section and brings it to the checkout table.

Danny: Hey Barbara.

Barbara: Hey Danny. Borrowing another book?

Danny: Yeah. I just finished the previous one last night. It is a good book. Thanks for the recommendation.

Barbara: You're welcome. How's the kids doing? Still causing trouble for you?

Danny: It's the same shenanigans everyday. Going to lectures, doing paperwork, taking care of the kids. What about you?

Barbara: It's the same with me. Barely any people come to the library these days. Usually it's only either you or my friends.

Danny: Oh. Errmm, Barbara.

Barbara: Yes?

Danny: Would you be free this weekend?

Barbara: Are you asking me on a date?

Danny: Depends. If it is, what would you say?

Barbara: Hmmm, let me think.

Danny fidgets as Barbara taps her finger on the counter. Barbara loves to tease Danny since he is so cute when he is nervous.

Barbara: I think I am free this weekend. So I am available for a date.

Danny's face beams a smile as he hears that.

Danny: So is that a yes?

Barbara: What do you think, big guy?

Danny: Then I will come pick you up at your apartment then?

Barbara: Come pick me up at my dad's house. I will be ready at 5.

Danny: Okay. Have a good day.

Barbara: You too.

Danny then walks out of the library, skipping a little. He has been gathering courage to ask Barbara out on a date for a long time now. They first met when Danny first borrowed a book from a library. It's nothing crazy. Just interaction between two people. But after meeting up a few more times, Danny realizes that he might have a crush on her. After getting convinced by Tucker and Sam, Danny decided that today is the day he asks her out. And he succeeded.

Now, it is just to make sure that the date goes well.

-Clocktower-

Batman: That's it for tonight. Everyone returns back to the cave.

Black Bat/Spoiler/Red Robin: Roger.

Oracle: Hey, B. Can I have a day off this weekend?

Batman: Why?

Oracle: I have a date that night.

Spoiler: You are dating someone?

Oracle: It's not official yet. He only just asks me out on a date this morning.

Batman: Yes. Keep your comms up. In case a breakout happens your way.

Oracle: Okay.

Red Robin: Who are you going on a date with?

Oracle: Danny.

Spoiler: As in that Danny?

Oracle: Yes.

Spoiler: Oh wow! You work fast. How do you know him?

Oracle: He always comes to the library to borrow books. I met him long before he became famous so it is not so hard to talk with him.

Black Bat: Is he nice?

Oracle: He is very nice. It's very hard to even make him mad. The only time I remember him being in a slightly bad mood is at Christmas. He doesn't like it apparently. Wait, Hood is entering the line.

Red Hood: Oracle, you betray me!

Oracle: Tough luck loser. How do you know anyway?

Red Robin: I told him just now.

Red Hood: Yeah! You dare ask him out on a date first before me? I will remember this.

Oracle: He is the one that actually asks me out. We are going on an official date this weekend. I'll take a very nice picture of us together so that you can see from afar.

Red Hood: But your status still isn't official yet. I still have a chance.

Oracle: Over my dead body.

Red Hood: Oh, I will.

Spoiler: Errr, guys. What is happening?

Red Robin: They have a bet on who will get to date Danny first. Apparently Hood gets a massive crush on this guy after what happens in the livestream. Oracle gets the news and they quarrel a little bit. After that I propose a competition between the two.

Spoiler: But both of you don't know that Oracle is already close with Danny. Girl, that's dirty.

Oracle: All is fair in love and war.

Batman: What is his background?

Red Robin: As far as I can see, he is pretty clean. There is even what I suspect some vigilante works that he might have done because he is related to the disbandment of GIW that were supported by both his parents and his godfather. But after some digging into the old GIW files, there are traces of Danny and his friends helping the local ghost hero fighting either other ghosts or the agents themselves. There was also the unexplained money that he suddenly had early on in his career as CEO but so far, it doesn't seem like anything bad.

Robin: Hmmm.

Red Robin: What is it brat?

Robin: I feel like his face is very familiar.

Batman: Explain.

Robin: I need to confirm this with mother. But I am fairly certain that his ancestors have connections with the Al Ghul.

Red Robin: As in blood related?

Robin: No. But there is a book that mother finds about a man who has a very similar appearance to him. The book tells the tale of a kind immortal who spends his lives helping others while learning stuff from them.

Spoiler: A cult of assassins teach young children to be kind?

Robin: Shut it, Brown. I am not finished. The part of the story that interests me is the tale called The Beheader of Demon.

Spoiler: I take it back. That sounds like something a cult of assassins will teach young children.

Robin: The tale tells a story of the immortal meeting a demon who kills people just to find immortality. When the demon finds out that the immortal is well, immortal, he pursues the immortal, trying to kill him and forces the immortal to give away his immortality to him.

Red Robin: What happened next?

Robin: The Demon's head is severed and the Demon's subordinates run away bringing the Demon's body to the pool of revival.

Spoiler: So is this a true story?

Robin: Mother confirms it is a true story. I do not know whether he is a true immortal or not. However, I do know that his ancestors or maybe even him, is good enough to beat grandfather even if he has backup.

Red Hood: What about the other tales?

Robin: There is nothing of note. Some mention of the immortal's supernatural ability, like summoning the dead or the ability to move mountains and divert rivers.

Red Robin: That is not something to take note of?

Robin: No. Because in those stories, the only consistent thing about him is that he is kind. Never harm someone unless provoked.

Batman: Compile all the tales into a file. Red Robin, lists out all the possible powers of target.

Oracle: Oh wow. My date is now a target. How could this get better?

Red Hood: If he is really dangerous, I volunteer to stalk monitor them while they are on the date.

Oracle & Batman: No!

Red Hood: Tsk! Party pooper.

Batman: Red Robin and Spoiler, follow them. Priority is keeping Oracle safe.

Red Robin & Spoiler: *High five* Let's go.

Oracle: Ugghhh, you all better don't mess with my date. Or else I'll make sure you regret it.

Part 3

[nemesis-writer]

[Unwanted Ransom (Chapter 5)]

Hollaback Girl TW- Mentions of cheating, a lot of mentions of sex MDNI Masterlist

I always knew that Bruce was never a good father as I've stated before. He technically fucked and cheated on Talia and Regina for fucks sake. He predisposed the others into neglecting me for the 4 years I've stayed with them.

Now they want forgiveness? That's just lazy writing if this goes to Disney. I mean come on I've got a lot of shit to deal with, I don't know why they want me now. I was never a Wayne, first of all, I'm not even a virgin.

They always see me as weak bitch, they "dealt" with a lot of shit. The girls, on the other hand, learned that "you gotta learn jiu jitsu, just to get some dick in you." They think their whole life is some Korean drama movie.

That's why I'm glad to meet someone like Tony, my true father. I learned hacking faster than Bruce Wayne could pull out. So far the only Bruce I love is Banner. I call him uncle Banner, cus' God I hate the name Bruce.

I even got kidnapped once, and they didn't give a shit. Well I kinda lied to dad that I was going on a school trip so...

6 years ago...

Alright so I'd like to take a minute and just sit right here, I'll tell you how I got kidnapped by a girl named Harley.

She threw me on the bed and tied my hands up.

"Alright listen here little bat." She pushed my head into the comfy bed.

"Rich Corinthian leather" was all I could muster out.

"You don't seem scared as I thought you would" she proclaimed. With anger she choked me.

"Listen lady I'm not a fuckin' Wayne. My dad is Tony Stark for fuck's sake"

"Bullshit I've seen the papers"

"Then why would I not be scared?" She then let go of me.

"God, I thought you were gonna kiss me for a second, just know I wouldn't stop you if you did."

"You intrigue me."

"Bitch you just kidnapped me and try to choke me." She then looked at her guards and yelled, "Untie her."

"No need I did it 5 minutes ago." Showing her the ropes, she scoffed at me and had one of them open the door.

"I had a nice time today, plus I only came to Gotham to see Alfred." I winked then left.

"Ms, Jennifer Amala Stark!" a voice yelled. Oh fuck nah men.

"Hey dad. " I scratched my head out of fear, he brought his suit.

"Jennifer" He cocked his eyebrows and looked at me.

"Alright I went to Gotham because I wanted to see Alfred, because he was the butler and wanted to take care of me, and I'll go kill myself." I breathe in.

"You could've told me alright you're my daughter for crying out loud."

"Sorry dad." I looked down like a little child. He wrapped his arm around me and led me to the car.

"It's ok just inform me where you are actually going ."

After that the car ride was silent..

Present...

Alright so technically the when I was a Wayne, the only time I felt truly wanted was when I was kidnapped, ironic huh. I was kidnapped like 7 times, and I laughed at all of their attempts to use me as bait for Batman. So here is my list...

Catwoman, 6 years old. (Let me go)

Penguin, 6 1/2 years old (Let me go)

Joker, 7 1/2 years old. (Jason saved me)

Scarecrow, 8 years old. (Scared him for laughing at the fear toxin)

Two-faced, 8 1/2 years old. (Kept on insulting his Barbie lookin' face)

Random thug #1, 9 years old (shot him in the face)

Harley, 12 years old (Just mentioned now. Plus saved by dad)

To say the least, kidnapping got normal during my time as a Wayne. I used to be so scared of a shithole and ended up in one. This all happened for me to become a Stark.

So back to the story...

I went back home to my bedroom and felt like shit when I saw Jason there. I couldn't help but wonder, why?

Why did Bruce adopted me when I could've gone to a health center?

Why did Bruce adopt me, to neglect me?

Why didn't he save Jason?

Why did he care about shit-head?

Is it because I'm not pretty? Nah, not true, probably because he's gay or some shit. I am irritated of the fact that I was dumb enough to try and impress rocks. This blows.

Oh gosh I remember one of the fights me and shithead had.

9 years ago...

"Hey! That's my seat bitch." Shit head yelled.

"Listen shit head, you don't own the fucking chair." I screamed back, spitting on his face.

"I own the house loser, you don't own shit."

"Alright, so you call the couch, and I call the couch. And we'll see who it goes to."

And then in a blink, I'm trapped in the *white room*, better known as the greenhouse. I hate the smell of pesticide and the fact that the plants that they own aren't even growing.

So, since the door is locked I actually took care of the plants. I'm surprised that they are still alive, I mean they are vigilantes, how would they take care of plants?

I saw one rose wilting, so I quickly poured some water and fertiliser. and I realised how much I related to it. Plants wilt when they're not taken care of properly, just like how I was estranged when they neglected me. Even if others take care of it sometimes, they still need proper love and nurture. Gosh, I look at one fucking plant and all of the sudden I became Socrates.

When Alfred got me out of the greenhouse, he brought me back inside to clean myself up.

"Master Xerxes, I made you some lasagna for dinner."

"Thanks Al, I feel like hell today."

"My pleasure Master Xerxes." And with that he left. I went down just to bring up the lasagna to my room, while eating, I binged watch the Saw franchise. And I can tell you Mark Hoffman and Amanda Young is lookin' fine.

I got bored and when I thought I would fall asleep a message appeared on my phone. I grinned a bit when I thought it was Vincent but by the time I looked on my phone I saw this...

Unknown Number- Hey little bird how are ya' doin?

For fuck's sake now I gotta deal with this bitch now? I quickly blocked him and reported him on my whats-app.

Unknown Number- Come on birdie don't do this to me.

Now he's on my discord wtf is wrong with these people. I blocked him again and then I hacked into their bank accounts and social media accounts. I froze all of their accounts and deleted all of their social media accounts.

Jesus, Tim, you were supposed to put up a fire-wall. Dumbass. And with that I went to sleep in peace...

Taglist-

@lunayaps, @not-aya, @iluvcatzz, @vanessa-boo, @ivyrose9194

{A/N- I'll be sending pics of her room just for a little more detail, but I hope y'all love this chapter.}

[prying-pandora666]

The Real Reason Azula Smirked When Zuko Was Burned is…

A lot of ink has been spilled over why Azula smirked when Ozai burned and scarred Zuko.

Some argue whether Iroh’s flashback was reliable. Let’s assume for the sake of argument—as uncertain as it is in canon—that it happened exactly as Iroh remembers and describes it.

How could an 11 year old child smirk while her brother is burned and brutalized in front of everyone?

There are many conflicting arguments.

Argument 1 - She’s a monster.

Some say she is a sadist or a psychopath and it’s as simple as that. She just enjoys watching her brother suffer.

But this doesn’t track with what we come to learn about her later, and is outright contradicted by materials that actually give us insight into her POV such as the comics and novelizations, as well as writer interviews.

The novelizations which were written contemporaneously (and thus aren’t a retcon) show us an Azula who cares about Zuko, even though she’s competitive with him and jealous that mom favored him. She thinks Zuko is weak and brings misery upon himself and she is willing to turn on him to protect herself. Yet she still wants to help him get stronger and take his place as Prince. She still wants his love. She takes the risk to lie on his behalf at Ba Sing Se for him. She didn’t suspect Aang had survived until later.

The comics take this further, showing that in Azula’s ideal world, Zuko was never banished or burned at all. He is happy and loves her and isn’t abused or scarred.

Even the head writer who designed both Zuko and Azula’s arcs claimed she loved Zuko more than anyone except their father.

So then what is it?

Argument 2 - It’s A Coping Mechanism

Some point to “Identification with the Aggressor”, a well documented psychological coping mechanism in which victims of trauma—especially children who are especially malleable and vulnerable—will mirror their abuser and conform to their ideals in an attempt to stay in their good graces and be spared. This isn’t always a conscious decision either, it’s often done subconsciously, which only confounds this further.

I’ve written more about this and how it pertains to Azula here.

However, outside the the knowledge that this is common in abused children and Azula’s behaviors meet the criteria, we don’t have any direct confirmation that this is the case.

Argument 3 - She Is Brainwashed

Others point out that every adult in the room is complicit in this act if not outright enjoying it in the cases of Ozai and Zhao.

Azula is a small child that’s been brainwashed from birth to believe this is right. After all, Ozai is their unquestionable despotic leader as well as her only remaining parental figure. Why would she question? How would she even know this is wrong if she’s been taught this is right by everyone surrounding her?

Does she even understand the full impact of what is happening here or does she think this is Zuko getting his comeuppance for being “weak and lazy”, with no concept that he’s actually being scarred for life and is soon to be banished? After all, not even jolly Uncle Iroh is objecting or moving a finger to stop this. He only looks away.

This is supported by the fact that Iroh laughed about burning Ba Sing Se to the ground even as he was killing them. Zuko and Azula both laugh at this joke and Ursa doesn’t chastise them. She only smiles. Clearly this kind of violence is normalized in the Fire Nation.

We also know Azula attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, which in the Kyoshi novels we are told is quite violent and that it wasn’t uncommon for adults to encourage students to duel on Agni Kais. Students sometimes died. So there is reason to suspect this is a product of her culture.

Argument 4 - She is Faking It

��Azula always lies” they say. She is shown to be an excellent liar, but more importantly that she represses her vulnerabilities and feelings.

This is shown when Toph tries to sense Azula’s lies only for Azula to completely repress any reactions and prove Toph can’t determine when Azula is being truthful.

The Beach gives us a more sympathetic example, showing us an Azula who empathizes with her brother and tries to cheer him up when he’s sitting by their old family beach house in depression. She calls him to join them at the shore, and then proceeds to walk all her friends and Zuko through their traumas with surprising gentility.

When it’s her turn however? She dismisses her own trauma with a flippant joke. Masking the moment she starts to feel emotional about it.

It’s even shown when Zuko makes Ty Lee cry by calling her a circus freak. Initially Azula laughs, but when she realizes it’s upset Ty Lee, Azula’s face changes to one of remorse and sadness. However, the moment Ty Lee turns to look at Azula, Azula quickly hides this expression and masks it with a look of indignant petulance.

Azula does indeed seem to fake negative reactions to hide her vulnerabilities.

Argument 5 - It’s a combination of 2-4

Perhaps there is some truth to all of what we have seen in arguments 2-4. Azula is clearly brainwashed and does identify with her abuser to the point of being inappropriately enmeshed with him and suffering total ego fragmentation when he discards her. She does repress her emotions until she finally unravels. She was also quite young when this show happened and it’s possible she didn’t know just how serious it was all going to be.

But consider this…

Still that isn’t enough for detractors, who claim that even given her environment and the circumstances, it’s still too sadistic and cruel for her to grin here. That she should’ve shown some outward sign of disruption.

If you are or ever were one of these detractors, let me ask you this.

Did you feel any sympathy when Azula fell apart, uncomforted by her newly granted power, arguing against her own conscience in the form of her estranged mother, telling her that her methods are wrong? When Azula replied “what choice do I have?” did you feel any remorse for this child who had been exploited for her skill and groomed into living weapon by her power-hungry father, with no regard for her psychosocial development or emotional wellbeing to the point she cannot even relate to kids her own age normally? Did her desperation to use fear and control to keep others close because she knows no other reliable way, because such skills are taught and she’s only ever learned manipulation and coercing and fear, showing us exactly what Ozai uses to control her just as used violence and estrangement against Zuko, move you?

When she laid broken and sobbing and screaming at the end after Zuko and Katara “put her in her place” as Zuko put it, did you feel any pain in your gut?

Or did you cheer?

Were you glad to for her to get her comeuppance?

Did you feel justice was served and Zuko triumphed that day?

That he was right, he could “take her” by exploiting how “off” she was aka her mental illness and spiral into psychosis?

Because if you did, then you know exactly why a person would smirk while watching someone who needs help get brutalized.

If narrative framing can persuade you to believe that an unloved, mentally ill, abused and exploited child soldier being brought to sobbing, screaming, chained up, broken tears… is the RIGHTEOUS result! Imagine what a lifetime of propaganda from birth and programming from your own father with no one to show you another way would do to you.

Why did Azula smirk while Ozai burned Zuko?

You already know the answer.

[socksandbuttons]

OK I’m gonna be honest I have a few things to say or ask regarding the been a you .

1)-Assuming that KC doesn’t die in this AU I feel like if old moon ever appeared, and new moon ever became of nexus then he would basically be forced to turn nexus into a been just so he wouldn’t try to kill anyone.

2)-Assuming that Solar still ends up building jack-O-moon and Sun still ends up, adopting Dazzle, (like in the actual canon of the show) does KC treat Jack and Dazzle like they are his grandkids?

3)-finally does KC Ever meet killer sun, and dark sun? If so, how does he react and what is his opinion of them? I can imagine it’s not very positive. Especially since killer sun is trying to kill every moon across dimensions, and KC basically just adopted new moon/nexus.

A.... Okay I did say where we were at in the timeline. This is like... Eclipse had the Star point so like more than a year back where canon is right now. If you weren't there for that plotline, this may explain the confusion on this AU. KC doesnt die, i dont have plans for him dying. This is the route where he actively is more active in the cast (he had a lot of thoughts). He actually came back to check on what the results were on things and not only found out they Killed Eclipse but Eclipse came back as a bean and was having a mild meltdown because of it. That's why he took him away. Old Moon i dont have plans for. Thats not in the cards. You get New Moon all the way through with hints of identity issues cause I liked that in canon, its delicious. There is a bean Nexus alt timeline but thats a different following. A whole different branch. (Dark Sun also in that timeline also a bean and he hates it. these two fight) Solar... IS in this au. Jack?? I dont know. Jack was originally built to protect Lunar from Eclipse in canon. Which... in the Bean Au Lunar and Eclipse are already in vicinity of eachother and KC is the one that steps in to be the buffer between the two in a sense. I have a scene with KC and Lunar talking about this because like uh yeah Lunar was ABSOLUTELY against Eclipse being anywhere near him. (Since this is also after Eclipse did blow him up! they both get trauma of dying). Dazzle... I dont think she's going to be in the au. And I might take liberties. .... I realize you're asking for What If. Hold on. If KC did meet jack and dazzle he would be treating them sorta like grandkids. Uncle?? The family tree is wild. But he is gonna be the one coming in with gifts and also 'we should go camping.' Dazzle would be using him as a jungle gym basically. Jack and KC get to bond over knife fingers a lil bit. KC and Sun absolutely trying to keep Dazzle and Bm a lil seperated. KC isnt aware at first until Sun basically panics and tells him. 'ah. well. Hmn. Im definitely not letting bloodmoon know then.' 'YEAH HE MIHGT HURT HER-' 'im more worried for you about it actually but yes' Anyway Dazzle tries her best to play with Bloodmoon cause him and Jack are vibing. Lunar having to step in and going 'WHY DONT WHY PLAY VIDEOGAMES DOWNSTAIRS DAZZLE' '...is the red guy gonna play too' '.....MmMAYBE?' Eclipse has retreated to the lake and not deal with any of that. And Finally nnnnnNmmmmmmMMM... Not Killer. Killer is never met?? But interesting though. Since your mentioning Bean Nexus I guess. KC aint having none of that. So good Luck Killer. Thrown back into the portal. As for Dark Sun- UH.... KC does meet one in the bean au (you wont get context too much for this one). And he's annoyed with him at most cause of who he comes with and its usually something that causes problems. Also doesn't like how Sunburn basically encourages violence against Moon. In the Nexus Bean timeline?? Yeah Dark Sun is there as a bean too. hes kinda trapped as a bean and he hates it. And Monty punts him. And KC's just making sure to interfere at that point and just accepting yeah hes lookin out for that one even if he isnt sure how to feel about him. He's definitely getting what he deserves a bit though. KC looking at current canon like 'What is HAPPENING'. And he thought he had things to deal with.

[detective-inspector-her]

Heart Full of Hatred Part 1

Chapters 1 - 24

Inspired by Ghost, don't read if you haven't read the book it's weird spoilers for the entire story.

Chapter 1

Valkyrie's having a holiday! With Militsa! Oh for crying out loud can she have rest?! Yeah guys, she's not god. Oh. Hey Glee, thought you died.

Chapter 2

Stupid guy jumping off a building. Militsa! I love this woman, fight me. Ha, Valkyrie is cheating! Fletcher! Ha she has her own bed 'Her ex-boyfriend', Val that is your brother/cousin in all but blood at this point. Stop. I was right about the Crystal! Hell yeah! Valkyrie in awe of Fletcher.

Chapter 3

This guy's a sicko and I hate him already. Potato and Soup! Valkyrie reading stuff because Skulduggery makes her feel uneducated. Woman you didn't go to school as a teenager. Not Sorcerers having Lawyers because of Romeo Gideon.

Chapter 4

Stupid racists going after Mia of all people. Oh damn, Winter? Girl? Maybe reel it in, your parents are in that pile. Mia's funny, I like her. Ha, Winter set her car on fire

Chapter 5

Skulduggery is miffed. Skulduggery babbles Iota, I appreciate you feeling bad or at least, letting your muscles slack over someone's death.

Chapter 6

Mel! I like Sable. Who do you have eyes for Mel? SABLE NO!

Chapter 7

Cadaver is in charge now? Manipulative bastard. Skulduggery and Cadaver are having imaginary conversations again. Valkyrie and Temper are having the same issue. I low key thought Temper was the new warden at first but of course not, it's this bitch. Valkyrie complimenting Cadaver. Skulduggery mocking Cadaver. I hate that he makes sense but also, no one could arrest the billions of Mortals who did what they did. Justice can't be served, it's impossible. It's tragic. But blaming the Sanctuary is inefficent when the man running it wasn't alive at the time.

Chapter 8

'Saint Valkyrie' Fletcher would die. 'My sister isn't a Saint' she ain't a demon to resent either Winter. Okay, Winter, Honey, I need you to tone down the hate towards Mortals, it's getting a bit much. Again, your parents are in that population, your cousin, your aunt and uncle. Relax. Is it bad that I miss Malice?

Chapter 9

Lol Ghastly swinging at Skulduggery immediately. Ghastly she learnt it from Skulduggery, stop it. AWKWARD EDGLEY FAMILY REUNION THING PART 2!!!!!!!!!!!!! *sigh* I love it when Valkyrie uses her brain. Skulduggery never lets her. Not the Masked Sisters, that's painful Val, those worshipers would freak me out as well, you're fine. I'm pretty sure that Valkyrie isn't attending the dinner because of the Masked Sister, not because it's boring.

Chapter 10

Tanith's bike?! Oh good, I'd hate for her to be formal in her clothing, Dexter would have flashbacks. I don't think the sword thing is the same as leaving it behind. Poor Valkyrie at this point, she's apologising for her soul existing. Remnant Tanith is coming out with the 'Darquesse was a hoot'. And in front of Val seems disrespectful honestly. Serpine set off the Cleaver shortage, Mevolent would be so proud. Valkyrie proving that she's traumatised by having a vivid recollection of her 12 year old memories. 9 year old? Sorcerers are fucked up? If Fergus and Gordon had been into magic at that age, they'd have probably been pressured. Fuck the other Sanctuaries, agree with Valkyrie, Tanith. I love Val using her brain, manipulative little shit.

Chapter 11

I forgot Fletcher chopped Salt's hand off. Valkyrie is going to be suffering from what happened in AmFoM for a while, I can tell. Valkyrie would hate playing FNAF, she'd be worse than Markiplier when it comes to jumpscares. So, judging by Mel's chapter and this chapter, the new guy can nullify magic, which is interesting and inconvenient. Could he kill Skulduggery by nullifying the magic keeping him together? Stupid crystal stealing her powers, that's also really interesting actually. I'm glad I foreshadowed that in my PwF fic because it's a major plotpoint in my time travel fic. I don't like how it keeps bringing up her jacket.

Chapter 12

I think this new trilogy's theme is how Valkyrie is so used to Skulduggery being there and so used to having good protection that now she's slowly powering down and now she's not as attached at the hip as she was as a teen and during her depression arc she's struggling to beat these new bad guys.

Skulduggery needs to give her five minutes, and she seems to have a pissed off aura around her during the beginning of that conversation. Valkyrie you grew a hand, you grew a PERSON, but reattaching a hand is too much for you? Aw, he cares and he's only letting Fletcher see it so that he can hide the evidence. Aw, Fletcher. Why is Fletcher in these books suddenly? Why is he a focus point? I'm going to throw up they're so cute. Skulduggery, he's had more success than you in healthy relationships, shut up. OH MY GOD FLETCHER. I mean, fair enough, Skulduggery started it but bring up Abyssinia and China, bring up him thinking Nefarian is attractive, that's the bit you don't pick on. Did that seriously get his approval. Your standards are fucked.

Chapter 13

Ha, Valkyrie's good at 'accidentally' hurting people. Honestly, wouldn't be surprised if Darquesse went to hell, tricked a god into helping her, and stabbed him in the back while calling it revenge for all the shit she was born into. A bit embarrassing to be beaten by what is essentially a baby god right? Fletcher is being extra helpful. Aw, they're cute. Valkyrie I love and adore you, you support your closest normal friend! Ha, she forgot she set Fletcher up.

Chapter 14

Oh good, you do love your parent. I was starting to wonder. Nevermind, dumb ignorant mortals are back. I hate to say it but Winter went from my top ten favs to top ten most hated. We've seen what her family does, Veers, they support each other. I can't say that Winter inherited that trait. Veers shouldn't remind you of your mother. I swear, Valkyrie had it bad but at least she kept her good morals and changed those around her for the better. Winter is awful in mind.

Chapter 15

Valkyrie casually reliving her trauma in this book. 'He was dead now', damn girl be blunt. Valkyrie's wearing heels to an event that last time was held she got chased down for. That seems safe. OMG IT'S THE GUY WHO WAS BEING WEIRD LAST TIME. OMG HIS NAME IS COLIN. Colin is an ally. Crystal is totally 29 and not older than Valkyrie by 4 years. CRYSTAL HAS TWINS Gordon's book is becoming a movie, that's cool. That's cool. Ha, Desmond has been cornered by cousins. Winter for gods sake, I know Valkyrie didn't want to go but at least she tried. DOG LADY! I'm getting deja vu and I don't like it. Xena, nooo Don't say you're in love, Valkyrie. Something will go wrong.

Chapter 16

Skulduggery's being a baby about lanyards. Valkyrie is parenting him. Proper is having fun. People are having fun rattling Skulduggery. That man will know his fury, he's so fucking dramatic. Skulduggery we get it, you don't like the lanyard. There was a rest to work for the Sanctuary? Valkyrie you got off easy. haha, valkyrierockz as a password is funny. Valkyrie please tell me you're taking advantage of those therapy sessions. Skulduggery is plotting revenge on Proper. Skulduggery is being used for crosswords.

Chapter 17

The mayors upset about the lanyards, I'm sure Skulduggery feels vindicated. MEL! Why would he string her in the trees? That's so sick. Can I see Solomon? Please. Skulduggery is annoyed Solomon is back. Amusing. Proper shall know Skulduggery's wrath.

Chapter 18

It's almost like Alter isn't trustworthy, who knew? No, WINTER, not Cadaver. Anyone but that. Oh, hey. A people-eater. I really don't like this. NOW MALICE, WINTER ISTG I don't appreciate the Valkyrie slander. It was fine in AmFoM because I kind of got it. But you've been awful this entire book so I no longer wish to allow it. WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'NO REAL PEOPLE THEN'?! YOUR PARENTS ARE FUCKING MORTAL. Oh now you go after Melissa, Valkyrie shouldn't of repaired your soul you little shit.

Chapter 19

Valkyrie is teasing drunk Militsa and I love it. He can nullify phones as well, interesting. Again, I don't like the parallels in this book to Phase 1, it's bothering me. XENA IS IN LINE OF FIRE BUT VALKYRIE HAS AN AXE AND WILL GO JOHN WICK ON THIS HOE IF SHE DIES Go Xena, go Xena XENA NO, NONOONONONO XENA HE WAS ABOUT TO BEHEAD XENA IN FRONT OF HER OMG

Chapter 20

Ok so I don't think I'm going to be okay, I had to go on a walk for that. Um, here we go again I suppose. This is going to take years off my teenage life Derek.

I like Tier and I like Mia. I heavily dislike Winter and the other guy is annoying. Ghastly is Valkyrie's uncle confirmed. He didn't deny the crush allegations and, honestly, man? You could do better, Winter isn't nice.

Chapter 21

Valkyrie's thinking about age. Notice how she doesn't slander Mortals? Oh it's because China came to visit her. Remember in Dark Days? Remember how she said she'd never go to Val's bedside. Oh, it isn't China. Valkyrie asking about Xena XENA LIVES Oh it's the lady from the prologue. Gordon wore yellow socks and that made the gremlin laugh I KNEW IT! THE DARKLYS ARE ANCIENTS Wait did Malice kill the Darkly twins? I've kind of headcanoned that Cadaver killed Omen so please don't take that from me. Oh wait, never mind. Oh great, so neither side is any good and they're all doomed in 18 months. In theory. Okay, Valkyrie. Go watch Epic: The Musical. Ruthlessness is mercy. The blood on your hands is something you can't loose, all you choose is whos. That cut song 'This can not be the way' suits her. The Witch Mother is interesting, and she isn't wrong. But I can understand Valkyrie's reluctance. XENA LIVES

Chapter 22

Just because you've been through trauma doesn't mean that it's easier to ignore, Valkyrie. You nearly died alone and afraid. Your dog nearly died saving you. I'm glad she's having these realisations; she needs them. But I have a feeling she's going to be in a world of hurt that tears all of that down.

Chapter 23

Valkyrie is unbalanced and she doesn't want Skulduggery to know. I don't know what Skulduggery would do if he did know. Valkyrie's priority is her family and her dog and her girlfriend and I'm glad that's the case. What photos does she have, I'm interested. By schooldays she better be talking about her teenage years in general and prove me right. Okay they're meeting China, that's what she meant. Disappointing. They're doing visits? China is making a genuine effort and getting mad that Skul isn't? I love this. Not as precious as you my dear. I love them and China I love you supporting your daughter and not-daughter. Oh so the battle has been a thing for a while. Val, sorry but you're stuck with this. Maybe the battle is Skulduggery's old partner and his present partner. That'd be cool with their matching powers. China = Fletcher 'Molding young minds' She's so pissed about not being in charge. She's becoming more of a mum I'm noticing. It's cute but China, Val is in her 30s, stop mothering her for one second.

Okay so now I'm halfway through the book, it's good so far. I'm enjoying it. Winter, annoying me but at the same time I kind of get it. It's a slippery moral slope. Part two probably on Tuesday, doing the rest of the book

[lovely-p-issues]

I have this fanfiction idea for times when my English will become acceptable: (it was in my drafts for months and tbh if I didn't post it today like this, with mistakes and stupid parts, I wouldn't have posted it at all, so, sorry ig)

Book 1: The war

How it all started

Let's make Azulon not madly-evil, but just regular-size-evil: he didn't plan to kill Zuko, because it's a stupid idea to get rid of your possible heir, he just wanted to take a son from Ozai - so he decided to make Zuko Iroh's heir, de facto making him Iroh's son (let's not focus on formality, just assume that you can switch your fathers if you are highborn enough)

(Zuko's life isn't in danger, so Ursa doesn't kill Azulon and he'll be ruling at least to the end of that book)

It may seem a great idea (especially in comparison with killing Zuko) but we can't forget that Iroh just lost a son and is still in grief, absolutely not ready to take care of another kid. He still needs to learn how to find a new path and calm his spirit and now he needs to do it with Zuko around him.

Iroh decides to take Zuko with him for his journey - Azulon approves this, seeing his son (and heir) needs to learn how to live after losing Lu Ten and thinking that Iroh may finally teach Zuko some actual fire bending

"I do not want to want to leave, Azula. I'm sorry, little sister."

"Whatever, Zuzu. At least you won't be distracting me from my lessons. Finally, something good comes from this whole fuss around you."

(In fact, she's not happy. Not at all)

______

At this point, Iroh is not yet the nice old man you know from ATLA. He's a broken man, trying to find a purpose in his life, triggered by Zuko's alikeness to Lu Ten and tired of being imposed on things like taking care of a teenager.

He's not Ozai, he's not cruel or even just bad, he just can't force himself to care.

They don't really talk, only sometimes to establish a plan for their further journey. The worst moments are when Iroh calls Zuko Lu Ten's name and then suddenly stops, looking at him in shock. After that kind of incidents, they stay silent for days.

Zuko starts to blame himself for being, well, alive, when his much better cousin is dead. He convinces himself it would be better if he died and Lu Ten lived.

Zuko spends most of his time alone. He hates making Iroh sad and upset so he chooses to stay away. He doesn't know what this all thing with White Lotus, he just likes the idea of his uncle/formal-dad having friends.

Yet, they travel all around the world and for the first time in his life Zuko sees what sharing progress and civilization by Fire Nation looks like. And he doesn't like that.

He's still loyal to his family, so he doesn't believe that his grandfather knows what is happening.

He decides that he needs to make a proper report (soul of writer, ya know).

He makes notes and talks with people, even if he hates how awkward it is. He believes that it's necessary to help them.

I think it's a wonderful idea to see Zuko interviewing - I mean, investigating-

Zuko's raport list - random traders complaining about the difficulty of staying afloat, - migrants who are fleeing war or have lost their homes to fighting, prisoners of war (this doesn't go down too well, thank goodness Zuko is still a kid and his passion seems adorable so no one kills him), - strange ladies in nice outfits who are paid by horrible men for no one knows what, - malnourished scarred soldiers of the Fire Nation, - children of the Earth Kingdom who teach him their stupid game (once he understood the rules, it wasn't THAT stupid, but still), - crazy old ladies, who won't stop pinching his cheeks, - a young girl with a scar on her face who didn't want to tell him much, but Zuko knew what accidental burns looked like and this wasn't one of them, - a group of artists whose theatre burned down after they refused to perform plays approved by the Fire Nation authorities, - a mother who asks him if he knows what happened to her son who was an earth bender and one day. .. just didn't come home

But we all know that Zuko always prefered to act than think. Pretty often Sometimes he disappears for a night. With him disappears an old, theatre mask.

Son came home and left with his mom. Someone left some gold for the soldiers to buy food. Someone bought the most useless things from traders. Someone left burn ointment made by someone who must have grown up surrounded by fire, on the doorstep of the poor girl. And many other, strange things happened.

Of course no one suspects anything or anyone. Trust me. Not a single soul.

______

Zuko is still training but can't even be angry enough to make a big fire. He's just frustrated and that makes him choke with smoke more than anything.

But with every other day, he feels worse. He gets letters from Azula who started to receive more attention from their mother since Zuko was away. When Ozai's influence is limited, she becomes a little more normal. She's still sharp as a knife and dangerous, but feeling loved by both her parents (even if Oazi is more focused on trying to control her and transform her into a weapon) decreases her psychopathic behaviour.

"Mom asked me to take care of your stupid turtle ducks, dum dum"

She thinks he will be happy hearing that she spends time with their mom, and Zuko, honestly, is happy. It's just-

"Am I even still her son since I'm Uncle Iroh's heir?"

-where is his place now?

For the first time in days, he feels an actual rage. And just like this, his fire bending becomes hundreds of times better, even unhinged and dangerous.

Iroh sees this while coming back from meditation (or whatever) and in a second feels that something is wrong.

He reaches out to Zuko, offering him some advice and lessons, but Zuko, a 13-year-old, harmfully lonely and practically neglected at this point prince, can't hold back anymore:

"YOU WANT TO TEACH ME AFTER MONTHS OF IGNORING ME? YOU'RE JUST LIKE FATHER, HE LOOKS AT US ONLY WHEN WE ARE ABOVE EVERYONE ELSE! WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP ME WHEN I COULD NOT HOLD A LITTLE FLAME IN MY HANDS? I DON'T NEED YOUR STUPID ADVICE NOW! YOU WEREN'T THAT WISE WHEN YOU LOST BA SING SE AND GOT LU TEN KILLED"

Iroh sters at him calmly for a few seconds.

"You are right. I wasn't. I'm trying to do better. If you change your mind about training, you know where to find me."

Zuko comes to his Uncle by night.

They don't really train. They drink tea instead.

And it becomes a habit.

After a few days, they start to actually train.

They need to breathe a lot. It's too much for Zuko, but Iroh is rather stubborn about this one.

After a few weeks, for the first time in his life, Zuko feels that fire bending is soothing and just pleasant. It feels like home.

It can't last forever. Of course.

______

They stayed for a long time in the Earth Kingdom. One day Zuko sees Ba Sing Se and vast fields of previous battles, trampled, dry land and piles of burnt bodies.

It's not the work of some mad general or bunch of scared soldiers fighting for their lives. It's his chubby nice tea-loving uncle's work. This is not an accident, an accidental casualty of war. They are the pride of the Fire Nation. This is their honour. This is their civilisation and progress.

That's what his family is doing to the world. Purposely.

Something is breaking inside him. Thoughts of mourning for Lu Ten. No one has ever mentioned all those bodies, the people who died here too. His uncle, his good uncle, his father, the pride of his Nation, only cried over his son. He never even hesitated to burn to a crisp anyone who defended his home. Against them.

Zuko isn't very smart, as we know. He screams a lot at Iroh. And then he leaves.

He thinks to himself, that Lu Ten, who actually fought in those battles would understand that it was wrong. But Lu Ten would also know what to do about it.

He wanders for days, trying to avoid people, untill

He crushes into something.

"Why are you running, flame-boy? Your pants are on fire?" *wild laugh*

And this is how Prince Zuko met Lady Toph Beifong.

[larz-barz]

Name: Mikitama Suzuki (goes by Miki)

Age: 14

Species: Half demon and Bakeneko yokai

Important Relationships: Mikitamo (Miko) Suzuki (twin brother), Michio Suzuki (older brother), Haruki Suzuki (uncle), Giyuu Tomioka (adoptive father), Tanjiro Kamado (best friend/boyfriend depending on what universe it is)

Occupation: Demon Slayer (3 years)

Rank: Hashira (2 and 1/2 years)

Breathing Style: Starlight breathing

Backstory: The Suzuki siblings’ parents were killed by Douma 2 years after the twins, Miki and Miko, were born. They were members of his cult and he found their mother to be very beautiful. He killed her first, not knowing that Miki was watching. She quickly alerted her father, resulting in her father’s death as well. Michio ran away with his 2 year old siblings to their Uncle Haruki’s home. Haruki took them in with open arms, but a year later a low rank demon killed his wife when she was protecting the children. After this, Haruki became very abusive towards them since he blamed them for the death of his wife. Michio tried to protect his younger siblings, but he was almost never able to. Michio, Miko, and Miki discovered the existence of demon slayers after one came to protect them from Haruki after he was turned into a demon. The slayer brought the kids (Michio was 13 while Miki and Miko were 10) to the demon slayer headquarters. The Master talked with them and decided to allow them to train under the hashira so that, they too, could become demon slayers. Miki and Miko trained under Giyuu Tomioka, the water hashira, and MIchio trained under Kyojuro Rengoku, the flame Hashira. After training for a year, the siblings went to the final selection and passed easily. 6 months later, Miki crossed paths with Douma. Recognizing him as the one who killed her parents, she quickly killed him. Miko and Michio were very happy when she killed Douma. They were surprised to find out that she could now be a hashira. Miko and Michio became hashira as well around 6-7ish months after Miki did.

Quotes: “Just because you were there to see someone you care about be killed, doesn’t mean you could’ve done anything to prevent it. You just have to carry on and protect the people you still have.” -Miko Suzuki

“Family is the most important thing. I’ll do anything to make sure my family is safe.” -Michio Suzuki

“If I could, I would go back and save mother and father, but I was too young to understand what was happening… All I can do now is stay strong for the ones I love.” -Miki Suzuki

Fun facts (Miki):

When Miki saw Douma for the first time in 9 years, she was immediately filled with pain and rage as the memories of seeing her parents eaten by him filled her mind.

Miki’s favorite food is chicken udon since Michio used to make it for her and Miko, eventually teaching them how to make it too!

Miki wears a mask because she’s insecure. It helps her feel more confident and happy!

Miki loves doing crafty things like sowing, pottery, painting, and drawing.

Miki is often underestimated because of her small size and her age, but she doesn’t let that stop her!

Miki uses the breathing style that was passed down through the Suzuki family for generations: starlight breathing.

Fun facts (Miko):

Miko will often get angry anytime he sees someone mistreated, and he’ll do everything in his power to stop it.

Miko gives Miki piggyback rides when she’s tired or injured (this goes both ways, they’ll even do this for Michio!)

Miko and Michio often go into full protective brother mode anytime Miki gets hurt or upset since “no one hurts their little sister and gets away with it”

The only ones in the demon slayer corp that know about their background, are the Master and Kyojuro and Giyuu.

Miko loves helping his brother and sister with anything no matter what!

Miko created his breathing style, constellation breathing, from starlight breathing.

Fun facts (Michio):

Michio may seem super serious, but he’s actually a huge softy! Especially when it comes to his younger siblings!

Michio is always encouraging Miki and Miko to do things they love. Training is important, but so is mental health!

When training, Michio will often go to the sakura orchard behind Miki’s estate.

Michio lets Miki braid his hair sometimes since it’s so long.

Michio only shows his sillier side around his siblings, Kyojuro, and Mitsuri.

Michio created his breathing style, supernova breathing, from starlight breathing.

[greenqueenhightower]

I know u won't get my point, but Alicent should have paid more attention to Rhaenyra and respected her and her father's wishes and not have installed her fucking son on the throne. Things started going south when she married Viserys and when she wanted to strip Rhaenyra off her birthright

How about, no?

*Long Rant Incoming:*

1) Viserys didn't talk about "birthright." In the eyes of the smallfolk, Aegon has the "birthright" to rule simply because he is a male Targaryen heir. Alicent's position was vulnerable because Viserys never actually promised Alicent that Aegon would be king but neither did he specify exactly what his role would be and that was the point… all his children wanted his attention and love, and a place to belong. Viserys didn’t know what he wanted. Before naming Rhaenyra his heir, he wanted a son so desperately that he killed his wife for it. His conscience pained him badly afterward, and he decided to name Rhaenyra his heir. Nevertheless, he wanted a young woman to sleep with; he didn’t want a wife, he didn’t want more kids, and he had already named his heir. But he married Alicent and had those kids anyway. He really was so irresponsible and on top of that, he tells Alicent in episode 3 that he thinks he probably was wrong in making Rhaenyra his heir because of his dream/prophecy, so ofc Alicent was worried. Honestly, he could have made his mind up about Rhaenyra and shut up about it. Or he could have actually thought of his other kids and given them some work to do and trained them for some position if he truly cared for them. From the moment they existed, they were his responsibility. And for sure it makes sense why his kids by Alicent, not having known any special love from their father, would want to finally claim a position for themselves.

So, Viserys set the Dance in motion by his choices. If he had supported his Targtower kids and ensured they wouldn’t be threatened by their mad uncle (Daemon; who hated them just because they were Otto's and Alicent's blood) in the succession, then Alicent would have fewer reasons to establish Aegon on the throne.

2) Alicent spent time with Viserys because she had always considered her own self in reference to the Targaryens. What was she if not Rhaenyra’s childhood companion? When Otto compels her to visit Viserys she doesn’t want to. She brings along the book of histories she used to read to Rhaenyra. What else can she offer to the Targaryens? This is what they like: to talk about their legacies and their histories. So she might as well read to him, right? There’s no harm done. And she went. She does the bare minimum whenever they are together: the bare minimum of eye contact and conversation. Viserys was SO PERVERSE that even with the minimum attention from a teenager he wanted to fuck her. Not even make her his wife because he didn’t want another wife. And you see how surprised Alicent is when he declares so matter-of-factly that he will wed Alicent, no questions asked. Because she was the easiest bride-but-no-wife choice of them all. She already had her father in court who was a megalomaniac, and Viserys thought that by marrying Alicent he was giving Otto what he always wanted: greater opportunities for social climbing. So he’d stay out of his way, right? That’s what he wanted all along, right? So I can have your daughter any way I like, right? (Because had he married Laena, can you imagine being so chill with Corlys as a father-in-law? Ofc he wouldn’t desire anything potentially restrictive for him.) And I’m saying that he didn’t want a wife because of what he’d done before to Aemma. He had already made up his mind that (to console his own conscience and to honor Aemma’s memory) he would make Rhaenyra his heir. SO HE DIDN'T NEED ANY MORE HEIRS. Then why does he get married and have some more?? BECAUSE HE IS AN IDIOT and because he just wanted a young bride. He is the reason the war began, and his reckless choices, not Alicent wanting some compensation for her years of mistreatment and suffering. Because even after he got married and had those kids he still had time to make things right but he didn’t.

So Alicent didn’t marry Viserys, it was the other way around. He lusted after her and wed and bed her. Teenage Alicent couldn’t and wouldn't go against the will of the King.

3) Regarding the friendship between Alicent and Rhaenyra it was actually the opposite: Alicent many times tried to defend her and had her back even when Viserys and Otto believed the rumors of her losing her maidenhood (which as an unmarried heir was an insult to the crown). Alicent didn’t want to believe it and she supported her! However, even earlier than that, Rhaenyra cast Alicent off without understanding or offering consolation for the predicament she found herself in. She never tried to understand Alicent and never really paid enough attention to what her friend was going through even before she married Viserys. Alicent was alone and without a friend and Rhaenyra should have paid more attention to her.

4) Things really started to go south when Rhaenyra betrayed Alicent's trust by lying to her and continuing to flout her freedom, special treatment, and life without consequences to Alicent's face. The reason Rhaenyra had bastards and married Laenor was her own fault in the first place. Alicent tried to encourage Viserys to look for any potential suitors for her, and Rhaenyra had every opportunity to make the right choice but no, she messed it up by seeking out Daemon and then sleeping with Criston, so she brought it to herself. After what she did, there was no suitor available apart from Laenor, and her father forced her to marry him because no one else would. And then she had three Strong kids, making every mistake after the other (although I understand her completely: she had to have those kids because she wanted heirs and because that’s her body her choice, you know? She can sleep with whomever she wants) but at the same time, the game they all play is political and during the time and age we’re discussing, it was a big deal if you had bastard kids, especially since there already were THREE legitimate male Targaryen heirs whose fate was unsure and further endangered by Rhaenyra's actions. But it wasn’t Alicent’s fault that Rhaenyra had those kids, it was her own choice and she had to live up to the consequences of her actions. (She did this once by taking her children away from KL because she, too, recognized that they were being pointed at too much and it was getting too obvious).

5) Alicent knew that Rhaenyra wasn’t going to hurt her kids but the system they were born in would. In case she became heir, for Rhaenyra to secure her succession and have no challengers, Alicent’s kids had to die. Those displeased by Rhaenyra could easily dethrone her if there was an active male heir free to roam around Westeros. Alicent's sons would always be a challenge to Rhaenyra. And maybe Rhaenyra hadn’t thought about it per se and I trust that she never had vile intentions towards the kids (despite the deleted scenes where she gives death stares to Aegon) and despite never calling them by their names or developing a relationship with her siblings. Her own council and her uncle-husband would advise her to kill them. Their position wasn’t safe. Viserys could have secured it by giving them land and titles instead of the throne and by having them bend the knee to Rhaenyra but he didn’t. So their position was very much vulnerable because again, he didn’t care at all what happened to them, but Alicent, claiming the throne for her son, and saving his life the only way she knew how, DID.

[ofstarsandvibranium]

Walls Are Crumbling: Part 3

Fandom: Bridgerton

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x F!Reader

Summary: 3 Months after marrying Benedict, you've come to realize those feelings you used to have for him are still there. On Benedict's end, his attention is always on you and he still has yet to confess his feelings for you, to Anthony's dismay.

Part 1 | Part 2 |

Married life was...interesting. It wasn't exactly what you expected it to be, but you were still happy. Benedict was so caring, always asking you how you were, how the baby is doing; overall being a wonderful friend and husband.

In regards to the baby, you're starting to show a little bit, which meant that you started buying slightly bigger dresses. Every morning, Benedict would greet you and then your "little cherub". You couldn't help but get a little giddy every time you heard him call the baby that. Even though he isn't the father, he already sees them as his own and it makes you feel so elated. You have no doubt in your mind that he'd be a good father. He treats his siblings so well, so you have no worries on that front.

______________________

You're sitting under a tree at the Bridgerton household. Benedict's head is resting on your lap and he's having a conversation with your unborn child.

"You'll be so loved by your aunts and uncles. They'll adore you just like they adore your mother. I just hope you get all of your mother's good looks, hm? And not your cowardly father's."

You lightly swat his shoulder, "You stop that!"

He grins up at you, "Well, also, it'd just be better if he looked like you. Wouldn't want to raise suspicion would we?" he reaches out and boops your nose, "Besides, we won't be mentioning anything about him to our child. Not unless it's really important to."

You nod in agreement, your hand now brushing through Benedict's hair, "Do you want many children?" You're suddenly aware of what this insinuates. You two didn't consummate your marriage. Benedict was adamant that that wasn't a necessity considering the situation. But the idea of having children with him, little ones that are part you and part him, isn't something you're opposed to.

He hums, "If you'd like. If not, I think just having our little cherub would suffice."

You nod, accepting his answer, maybe...just maybe...

_____________________

You and Benedict join the rest of the Bridgerton family on an afternoon promenade.

Anthony, Kate, and Benedict are walking with each other, while you're behind them with Violet. Kate notices how Benedict keeps glancing back at you and his mother. She then speaks up, "Have you told her your feelings yet, brother-in-law?"

"No, I haven't." Benedict replies simply.

Anthony groans, "Brother-"

"I can't, Anthony. If she doesn't feel the same, I don't know what I'd do. I'm spending the rest of my life with her and if she doesn't love me, it would, quite literally, kill me."

Kate snorts, "A bit dramatic."

"He can be that way," Anthony responds.

Benedict rolls his eyes, "As if you two are the perfect example of a love match."

"We expressed our feelings in the end though. Are you really going to go your entire life not telling her how you feel?"

"I don't need this right now," he grumbles and joins his three younger siblings up ahead.

__________________________

You're smiling as you observe Benedict playing with Hycinth and Gregory. Franchesca looked on with an annoyed look, already behaving as though she was above it all. But you could see how she still wanted to play with her siblings.

Violet, catching your soft gaze, clears her throat, "So, will we be expecting another addition to our ever growing family?"

You didn't know what it was, but the hopeful look in Violet's eyes...you couldn't take it, "Yes, actually."

Your mother-in-law gasps in excitement, "Oh that's so wonderful! I'm so happy for you two!" She pulls you in tight. When she pulls away, she's gleaming at you, "You know, I truly am so happy that you two finally found your way to each other. I recall when Benedict was younger, he'd follow you everywhere. I knew my son's heart belonged to you, has all these years."

You look at her in surprise, "Really?"

She laughs, "Yes, really. He loves you so much, Y/N. I can see you love him just as much. It's so wonderful for you to be a part of this family now." She gives you a loving kiss to the head and proceeds to walk alongside you.

Benedict is then panting as he rushes over to you, "Dear wife, please give me an excuse to take pause from my siblings."

You giggle, "Not as energetic as you used to be, husband?"

He shrugs, "Afraid not." He catches his breath and offers his hand to you. He then looks to his mother, "Mother, may I-"

"Of course. Let me rally up my rambunctious children." She swiftly heads forward to her three youngest, wrapping her arms around then and, probably, warning them to ease themselves for a bit.

"I saw mother looking excited. Did you tell her about the child?"

You nod, "Yes, I'm sorry," you look at him guiltily, "She asked me if we were going to have children soon and she looked so hopeful. I couldn't lie to her."

Your husband chuckles, "It's alright. We were going to tell her eventually. We don't necessarily have to hide it now."

You hum, "Your mother did say something very interesting to me as well."

Benedict's brows raise, "And what did she say?"

There's a bench nearby and you pull Benedict to it. Once you and he are sitting, you speak, "She said your heart had belonged to me since we were children. Is that true?"

A part of him wants to lie, to say that his mother was merely jesting. However, his brother and sister-in-law's words came to mind. Realistically, he doesn't think he can spend his entire life with you and not confess his feelings.

Nothing like the present, he supposes.

He lets out a deep breath, "Y/N, ever since I was a boy, my heart, truly has been yours. You have been, and still are, the light of my life and I am a moth drawn to your ever loving flame."

"Ben-"

"I must admit that I feel...guilty."

"Guilty? What for?"

"I suppose it's a bit ironic. You were so worried that I was being forced to marry you, that being called your husband would be the worst thing in the world. But it's not. It's an honor and privilege to be called such. However, I feel guilty for feeling as though I've forced you in this position. To marry me, a man you don't love, to ensure your secured spot within society. I feel guilty for practically forcing you to be my wife."

You cupped Benedict's face, "You didn't force me," you stare into his eyes, "I suppose we both agreed to this for our own selfish reasons but...I think it's worked out well. And I wouldn't necessarily say that you're a man I'm not in love with," you say shyly, bringing your hands back to yourself and looking away from him.

"You love me?" Benedict asks breathlessly.

You nod, "I always have, but I didn't believe you'd ever feel the same, so I tried moving on. That's-" you chuckle, "That's how I ended up with Lord Mattias. I was so desperate to be loved and he was so charming and made promises that I thought he'd keep." You shake your head, looking at your lap in shame, "So stupid."

Benedict places his hand on yours, "You're not stupid for believing in love, for believing Mattias." He lightly places his hand under your chin and turns your head towards him, "But you're right. I think this worked out well. Not ideal but...I believe it was always supposed to be us in the end."

"I think so too," you whisper.

"May I kiss you?" he asks softly, his eyes glancing to your lips.

"But-"

"We're a married couple. No one has to know that this will be our first kiss, and, hopefully, not our last."

"Okay," you mumble before leaning in and pressing your lips to his.

The kiss is soft but it's everything you thought it'd be. Benedict is gentle but you feel the love oozing out of him, the love he has for you.

You break apart when you hear someone clearing their throat. You look up to see Anthony and Kate smiling at the both of you.

"I win," Kate states with a proud grin and Anthony is rolling his eyes.

Anthony is scowling, "You couldn't have waited another week, brother?"

"I'm sorry, what?" You ask in confusion.

Kate is smirking, "Anthony and I had a bet. I said Benedict would confess his feelings within the week. Anthony said longer."

The viscount sighs, "Yes, well, everything's all worked out now. You two are married and in love now. Wonderful," he says annoyingly, "Anyway, we're all headed to the house for lunch. Will you be joining us?"

"I think I'd like to rest, but we'll see you at dinner."

"Of course," Kate bends over and gives you a hug, "Take care. We'll see you later."

Anthony nods to you and Benedict, and guides her towards the rest of the waiting Bridgertons.

Benedict proceeds to stand, offering his hand to you. The both of you follow the family until you go your separate ways. The group to the Bridgerton household and you and Benedict to the small estate left to you by your father after he'd past.

[deliriumsdelight7]

Okay so I'm too afraid to watch Stranger Things (I have on good authority that it would actually break me) but I feel like I Need to know about hellcheer, what are the most important things to know xD

You, my friend, are in luck, because Hellcheer has all of, like, five minutes of interactions. I’ll only show you the video for the good one so as not to break you. This scene OOZES chemistry:

As for things to know, I will do my best to stick with strictly canon material and avoid headcanons (of which there are many).

For Chrissy Cunningham:

1.) She is a senior in high school, head cheerleader.

2.) She is dating the captain of the basketball team, Jason Carver.

3.) She is being plagued by visions from an otherworldly creature who is essentially feeding off of her trauma. That’s why she’s so jumpy in the clip.

4.) She has an eating disorder. This manifests in her visions as a table full of food that is rotting and fly-infested.

5.) Her mother is abusive. This manifests in her visions with her mother at a sewing machine altering Chrissy’s clothes to fit. Additionally, in the vision, her father is sewn to his recliner, his eyes and mouth sewn shut - implying that he has been violently blinded, immobilized, and silenced by his wife.

6.) Later in the night the same day as the above scene, Chrissy goes to Eddie’s trailer so he can sell her ketamine to try to ignore her visions. The creature haunting her takes this opportunity to kill her brutally in front of Eddie.

For Eddie Munson:

1.) Eddie is loud and abrasive. Compare the scene where he’s introduced to how soft he is with Chrissy:

2.) Eddie lives in a trailer with his uncle. According to the prequel book, his mother is dead and his father is in jail. His father taught him to hotwire cars when he was a kid.

3.) Eddie has been held back twice. His goal is to graduate high school, flip off the principal, and get out of Hawkins, Indiana.

4.) He is not the same person after Chrissy dies. He is deeply traumatized, and blames himself for running away and leaving her in his trailer (even though she was already dead).

5.) Eddie’s uncle, Wayne, is Eddie’s number one supporter. This guy is continuing to shelter his twenty-year-old drug dealer metalhead nephew when he has no obligation to. When he comes home from work to see a dead cheerleader in his trailer, he is 100% positive Eddie didn’t do it. We would all die for Uncle Wayne.

6.) In the last episode of the season, Eddie goes into the alternate dimension where the evil creature lurks and plays Master of Puppets by Metallica as a distraction. Now, people take this as Eddie being a guitar prodigy because that song came out only WEEKS before the events of this season. But more importantly: he dedicates his performance to Chrissy.

(Only the first few seconds of this are relevant)

7.) Chrissy’s death affects Eddie right up to his own. He successfully distracts the creatures in the alternate dimension. He’s in the process of returning to his own when he stops, turns around, and sacrifices himself in order to keep the monsters at bay a little longer. As he’s dying, he says, “I didn’t run away this time.”

Jason Carver (because no Beauty and the Beast style ship is complete without a Gaston):

1.) Jason is Chrissy’s boyfriend and the captain of the basketball team. He is handsome and well-liked, but very self-centered. One of the first times we see him, he takes a town tragedy - a “mall fire” that killed dozens - and makes it about his upcoming basketball game.

2.) When Chrissy dies, he goes off the rails. He gathers his teammates, packs his trunk full of weapons, and goes hunting for Eddie.

3.) We never really see Jason sad about Chrissy’s death. He’s only angry. There’s a scene where a classmate offers her condolences to Jason. He changes the subject.

4.) When someone tells Jason that Chrissy went to Eddie because she was scared, he grows angry and says that she would have come to him. Kinda says a lot about the relationship.

5.) Fun fact: the actor who played Jason based his personality off of Tom Cruise and mega church leaders. Yikes.

Parallels:

1.) ‘86: Chrissy wears a 1986 necklace, and Eddie says that ‘86 is going to be his year.

2.) We never see either character out of their “uniform” - her cheerleading outfit and his Hellfire Club t-shirt (his DnD club).

3.) Both characters were victims of the town’s perception of them. Chrissy didn’t get the help she needed because her life seemed so perfect. Eddie was pursued by a literal mob because the town succumbed to Satanic Panic.

4.) Both had parents who put unfair expectations on them: Chrissy’s mother put the burden of beauty on her, and Eddie’s dad made him help steal cars.

Hopefully that’s a good jumping off point! If anybody else wants to chime in with anything I missed, feel free!

Let me know if you want popular headcanons to go with it!

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 4, Match 8: Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu vs. Xie Lian

Submitted kids:

Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu: Zhang Chengling, Gu Xiang, Liang Jiuxiao, arguably also Cao Weining and Gao Xiaolian

Xie Lian: Ban Yue, Pei Xiu, Lang Ying, Lian Qianqiu, Gu Zi, Lang Ying

Propaganda under the cut!

Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu:

1: “Wen Kexing- the man has his entire life planned around an evil revenge plot yet somehow while becoming the Ghost Valley Chief he manages to take Gu Xiang (who must of been a young girl at that point) under his wing. Sure the woman in the unfaithful manor probably helped him out with her, but still she manages to come out of the Ghost Valley probably the least messed up out of anyone. Also he goes total protective dad the second Cao Weining starts courting her, literally nitpicks everything the man does, yet in the end he gives them his support in the marriage and even holds it on his turf, opening up the Ghost Valley to normal (warrior/cultivating) people for their wedding. His positive interactions with Zhang Chengling are to a less extent, especially as the boy is so embroiled in his revenge scheme, but none the less he teaches him and treats him decently especially as the spend more time with each other.

ZZS- He gets tangled up in WKX’s whole revenge plot because he promises to protect and escort the boy, Zhang Chengling, to the safety of one of his martial uncles, and yet before we even hit the halfway point in episodes (at least I think it is) he’s taken the boy under his wing as what is essentially a disciple, even though he is the last member of his sect and was ready to let it die with him. Not to mention the fact that his whole plan was to waste away mostly unnoticed and yet he somehow gets dragged into the biggest drama of the decade and repeatedly puts himself in harms way to save the kid! And he planned on passing over the legacy of his sect to him! His relationship with Gu Xiang is less intense, but if I had to describe how they act it’s a constant back and forth, he annoys teases her and she gets all frustrated. She spends the first couple episodes literally thinking he’s a weird old man, cause their whole relationship is just like that. He’s also much more sympathetic to Cao Weining’s continuous courting struggle though that’s not to say he doesn’t pull a fast one or few on him.”

Link to the rest here!

Xie Lian:

1. “a several centuries old disgraced god who keeps somehow getting mixed up in things that have nothing to do with him and taking in random kids in the process. Got dragged into being a soldier in a war between kingdoms he's not even from? suddenly single dad to these two random kids caught up in between. dealing with a malicious ghost who has been killing brides? boom, now he has a ghost son whose previous guardian was killed by the malicious ghost. psychotic ghost cousin posses the body of a man with a young son and continues being a piece of shit? well i guess your taking care of that kid too now (i know guzi is technically qi rong's kid since he's the one possessing his actual dad but if it weren't for xie lian intervening when he did the kid would be dead so he kinda counts too)”

2. “Xie Lian saves a young LQQ from being kidnapped, returns him home and end up becoming the/his grand tutor(which was NOT his original plan at all). He literally teaches the boy everything for years, raising him to become the best ruler he could ever be. The XL ends up accused for killing his family (because of a lot of different things) what is important is that he was not the perpetrator but he did kill LQQ’s father in an act to save the boy from making a horrible decision/outcome and also dealt with the actual perpetrators but kept it a secret cause he knew it would break LQQ’s heart to learn his dear friend planned to kill him and his entire family. LQQ took this betrayal by XL so hard he buried him after staking him through the heart when he was still alive. 300 years later when XL returns/is revealed LQQ is still not over it to the point he wants a FAIR duel to settle the score. FAIR with the man he still thinks killed his entire family!

Banyue and Pei Su are connected. XL took BY under his wing while he was a soldier in the army. He did his best to protect her and get her fed as she had pretty much no one. He also talked with her about his younger selfs dreams for the future which was so inspiring to her that not only did she remember it over a century later when they meet again in very different circumstances but she also apologized for essentially not being able to live up to the ideals he had accidentally passed on to her. While he didn’t have as much direct contact with Pei Su, the boy was BY’s only friend and so while XL was around he did also interact with the boy. However this all came to an end when in an attempt to save BY (which succeeded) he through himself in between two armies and was trampled when they began to fight. When they meet again (as I previously mentioned) XL takes BY under his safety until he is not safe and then sends her off to a safe place where she reunites with PS, who for all XL doesn’t give the same amount of attention to, XL does actually approve of some of him (not all his actions) and seems to find it cute that PS is courting BY.

XL meets Lang Ying first when he helps the boy burry his proxy sister, LY ends up running off after XL reacted with shock to LY’s uncovered face, but XL keeps a constant search for him. XL next saves him from getting beat up by ghosts and ends up taking him to live with him in the shrine he lives in. He does his best to take care of both LY and Gu Zi at the shrine and keeps his good treatment up even knowing LY’s a ghost it only ends when (spoilers for non book people, feel free to look up if you want to know).

XL takes in GZ mostly as his ghost cousin (whom he arrested) has taken over the body of the boy’s father. While I’m not sure how much this one counts, especially since by the end his cousin ends up caring for GZ, but he still does the best he can to feed and care for the boy as his entire life changes.”

[starberry-cupcake]

I come here with further updates on my gideon the ninth read as per the favorable responses in my previous shares . You asked for it, so you're gonna have to hear it (@lady-harrowhark maybe you'll have fun with this one)

previously, in gideon the ninth:

this happened

currently, having just finished chapter 29:

gideon had tea with the eighth

actually no, scratch that, gideon sat in a chair while mayonnaise uncle's hair got braided, they never got to the tea part

false advertising

mayonnaise uncle gave half info, as people seem to like doing here

duracell bunny nephew stepped up and called him out

good for him, actually

you go, duracell bunny nephew!

it's gonna end terribly for him, but we stan

gideon left that Situation and found teacher saying ominous things

gideon left that Other Situation and found regina george twin being intense with swords

chad came in and she bit him

I see a trend alert with these third necromancers and the biting

gideon left that Yet Another Situation and went to the ninth room

gideon proceeded to open the closet

gideon got brad pitt-ed in the movie seven, but instead of gwyneth paltrow's head it was protesilaus'

it's not gideon's best day

now, hear me out

I know how this will sound, but hear me out

I haven't read past this scene, I haven't started chapter 30, all I know is she found the box

but hear me out here

just, just listen

hear me out

I still blame dulcinea

no, no, come back, I have a theory

I don't trust her, she's shady, she's too suspiciously fake kind, she's desperate and she has mentioned wanting gideon as a cavalier

I think it was back when gideon was turned into a blood sprinkler during the whole temple run key second trial thingy

or maybe later, after jeannemary left the mortal plain, but she said it at some point

and gideon has told harrow she wants her to free her to be dulcinea's cavalier

which, over my dead body

or maybe not, people here are dropping like flies, but anyway

dulcinea knows things others don't seem to know

she says things that gideon doesn't follow up on because she's horny and dense (affectionately)

I don't trust dulcinea

in case that wasn't clear

so what if

hear me out

seriously, I swear I have a point

what if harrow was set up?????

no, no, come back, listen, listen

gideon said something like the box wasn't well hidden

and I doubt very very very much that if harrowhark harrowldine harrowmina nonagesimus would have ended a bitch, she would have half-assed anything, much less the hiding

like, she'd either kill in plain sight and make a show of it or make it disappear and nobody would know

harrowhark harroweena harrowline nonagesimus pulled an edward and alphonse on her parents and only 3 people know she did

the entire system of these houses is unaware of that fact, as far as I know

so, if she wanted to hide a murder, I think, I hope, she would do better than this

also, keeping a head in a box doesn't seem her style, that's very haunted mansion and she's more halloween horror nights

so

what if she's been set up????

and gideon has like 3 brain cells working right now so she might fall for it??? hopefully not but maybe????

and side with my mortal enemy dulcinea instead?????

am I crazy????

am I too latina for this and seeing things???

is dulcinea the soraya montenegro of this story??? or is it me??? am I the drama???

this might all be absolute nonsense and in like 1 chapter I might be proven wrong but I don't trust dulcinea del toboso the seventh and I never will

if you pictured the always sunny meme while reading, that's the right energy I'm trying to share here

[hbyrde36]

Caught in the Undertow

Chapter Three

Ch 1 Ch 2 <-

WC: 4769 | R: Explicit | TW: Suicidal ideation, depression | Ch 3/10 | AO3

Note: Trigger warnings apply very strongly to this chapter, and it is probably the heaviest chapter of the fic.

Steve had been a little on edge all day. 

He kept trying to convince himself that it wasn’t a big deal, that tonight would be just like any other post Upside Down fuckery get-together, nothing whatsoever to get worked up over.

But it was no use.

It was a big deal. Tonight would be the first time any of them had set eyes on Eddie since the night they’d killed Vecna—since the night they’d almost lost the other boy for good. 

Assuming he actually showed. 

Steve almost couldn’t believe it when Dustin called saying Eddie had finally come to the phone, and not only spoke to him but agreed to a party. 

It seemed like a huge step after he’d so thoroughly cut them all off. Because no matter how many times Steve had told Dustin to give it time, that everyone heals from trauma in their own way, at their own pace, Steve knew that’s exactly what Eddie had done—he just didn't understand why.

It gave him a bad feeling about the night to come.

Still, the relief at hearing that Eddie had finally reached out to one of them, that Steve might finally get to see him whole and well after keeping him alive through sheer force of will alone, only to have Eddie ripped away from him at the hospital never to be seen again…

It had been enough to send him to his knees.

The phone rang, pulling Steve from his thoughts and forcing him to stop wiping the already clean kitchen counter to answer. It had to be Robin. He’d known this would happen. She swore she’d get her mom to drop her off for once so he wouldn’t have to venture out when Jonathan and Nancy were already picking up the kids.

"Hey, Rob. You need a ride after all?"

"Steve?” A voice that was definitely not his best friend’s came over the line. “It's Wayne."

"Oh! Mr. Munson. I thought—"

"Boy,” Wayne huffed, and Steve could practically feel him shaking his head. “How many times are you gonna make me say it?"

"Sorry—Wayne,” Steve corrected himself. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to calling the older man by his first name, it just wasn’t how he was raised, but Eddie’s uncle seemed hell bent on making sure he did. 

"That's better."

"Is everything okay? Is Eddie...?" Steve clutched the phone with both hands, willing the knot forming in his stomach to go away. He could only assume either something had happened, or Wayne was calling to tell him Eddie wasn’t coming after all. 

"He's fine,” Wayne was quick to reassure him. “As fine as he’s been, at least. He's in the shower now getting ready to head over to your place. I can't tell you how happy I am that he's finally going to see some of his friends."

"Me too. I… I know the kids miss him."

“Right,” Wayne huffed a laugh. "You say that as if you’re not a kid yourself."

Steve wasn’t sure if he was imagining the double meaning or not, but decided to ignore it.

“I guess I just haven't felt like one in a long time.” 

Wayne hummed in understanding. "I hope it’s not too much to ask, but keep a close eye on Ed tonight, will ya? I know this is a good thing. Him getting out of the house feels like the first step towards him living his life again, but… well, you know I worry."

"It’s no problem," Steve said immediately. 

As if that hadn’t already been his plan for the evening.

“Thank you, Steve. Oh, and I think maybe it’d be best if we don’t let on to Eddie that we’ve been talking. He might take it the wrong way, like we been talking bad about him behind his back. Would you mind keeping it between you and me?” 

They sort of had been talking about him behind his back, but it wasn’t like that. It wasn’t malicious. And Steve knew there were things Wayne didn’t share. Half the time the older man simply told stories about Eddie growing up.

“I won’t say a word, promise.”

Steve's camaraderie with Eddie's uncle wasn’t something he ever could have predicted coming out of all this.

Wayne had been understandably skeptical when he learned that his nephew had been found, and his life saved by a group of kids, and that that group had included one Steve Harrington. 

Steve’s dad and Wayne had to be roughly the same age, and Richard Harrington had long held a reputation for being a stuck up asshole. Steve also had no idea what tales Eddie might have come home telling about his own asshole years, so he could hardly blame the man for being wary when they’d first met in the hospital’s waiting room. 

Regardless of his concerns, Wayne had still looked Steve’s number up in the phonebook and called, on one of the rare days he wasn’t already there haunting the halls of Hawkins General, to tell him that Eddie had finally woken up. Though at the time he still wasn’t allowed visitors.

They wound up talking on the phone for more than an hour, until Wayne ran out of change.

Steve couldn't tell Eddie’s uncle anything about the Upside Down or Vecna, for fear of violating the NDAs they’d all signed years ago, even if Brenner was dead now, and no one had shown up yet this time around to demand their continued silence. And to his surprise the older man didn't push, almost like he knew there were things Steve wasn’t allowed to share no matter how much he might want to. 

He did explain, in the most sanitized version of events possible, that he and the others had been with Eddie the whole time. Trying to protect him, to hide him from the citizens that were hell-bent on hunting him down, while also dodging the advances of the real killer. And when the worst had happened, he—Steve, had done CPR, refusing to let Eddie succumb to his injuries.

It was all the truth he could offer, and really it wasn’t that far off. Wayne had cried quietly into the receiver, though they both pretended he hadn’t, and couldn’t seem to thank Steve enough. 

Steve went on to tell him about the boathouse. How he hadn’t really known Eddie that well in school, but that even after the other boy had threatened him with a broken bottle to his neck, he quickly realized that everyone had it wrong. Under all the leather and chains, and loud brashness, Eddie was sensitive, kind, and wouldn’t hurt a fly unless provoked. 

He even went so far as to say that he hoped, once the dust settled anyway, that he and Eddie could get to know each other better. Not the most damning of statements, but still more than he’d really meant to share. Steve wasn’t sure what had possessed him to be so honest. There was just something about Wayne Munson that made him feel comfortable and safe.

They spoke every single day after that. Either on the phone, or more often in person when both of them were camped out in the hospital’s waiting room with a revolving cast of others. 

It’d been hard to hear that Eddie didn’t want to see anyone. 

Wayne hadn’t said those exact words, of course, but it wasn’t hard for Steve to read between the lines. The entire group of them, not just those who had fought against Vecna from Hawkins, but Mike, El, Will, Jonathan, Jonathan’s friend Argyle who had inexplicably stuck around after driving the rest of them cross country in his pizza van— even though some of them had never even met Eddie, they all rushed to the hospital when word came down that their friend’s name had finally been cleared. His restrictions lifted.  

Dustin took it the hardest, refusing to go home because if Steve wasn’t leaving, then why did he have to go? And Steve couldn’t really argue with that, he’d done this to himself. Thankfully Claudia showed up eventually and didn’t give her son the choice.

Steve continued to talk to Wayne often, still went to the hospital nearly every day, even though it was clear that reports on Eddie’s progress from his uncle would be all the proof of life he’d get. Wayne was always checking in on Steve too, asking if he was eating, sleeping, that sorta thing. It was kind of nice having an adult fuss over him like that, he’d almost forgotten what it was like.

Robin grabbed Steve by the hem of his polo, forcibly pulling him into the kitchen where Nancy, Jon, and Argyle were hanging out.

“Hey, watch it!” Steve yanked himself out of her grip, straightening his shirt. 

Robin leaned in close to whisper. “You have to stop staring, dingus. You’re going to freak him out.”

Steve scoffed, keeping his own voice low. “As if he’s even looked in my direction once.”

“I know Wayne asked you to look out for him tonight, but don’t you think you’re taking it a little too seriously?”

“I told you that in confidence!” Steve hissed under his breath. 

“Just relax. He seems fine to me.” Robin patted him on the arm and turned to join Nancy in her discussion about studying for finals.

She wasn’t wrong exactly. Eddie did seem fine—with everyone else. 

Eddie had been the last to arrive and Steve worried at first that it might be too much, walking into a house full of people and being inundated by the likes of Mike and Dustin. He’d even said as much to the younger teens when they heard the squealing of brakes as Eddie’s van pulled up, warning them not to overwhelm him with questions or say anything about the hospital. 

And for a moment Steve thought he’d been wrong. 

Eddie came through the door, dimples on display, all big stupidly pretty smiles, a bit crooked now from the still healing scar near his mouth, but that only drew Steve’s attention to his lips more. 

He hugged Dustin, reintroduced himself to Jonathan, who of course remembered him from school, met Argyle and El, and greeted everyone else one by one. 

Everyone but Steve. 

No one else seemed to notice the oversight, and Steve, not wanting to make a big deal out of it, proceeded to quietly brood in the corner, taking breaks only to freshen his beer so he’d have something to do with himself while he observed—not stared, Robin.

The longer he watched, the more convinced he became that Eddie wasn’t as okay as he was pretending to be. His already lithe frame looked even thinner now. He was swimming in his usual ripped jeans and faded Black Sabbath t-shirt. No, Steve still didn’t know who they were, but he could read damnit. And there was something in the set of Eddie’s shoulders, the way he clenched his jaw, balling his hands into fists when he thought no one was looking, a tightness around his eyes—eyes with dark bruising below that spoke of many sleepless nights.

Or maybe Steve was overreacting. Maybe this was just what happens when someone is recovering from almost dying in a hell dimension. Maybe it was a good thing Robin had pulled him away before he could do or say anything to embarrass himself. 

Steve wasn’t sure how long he’d been milling about the kitchen making awful small talk with his ex-girlfriend, her boyfriend, and her boyfriend’s stoner best friend when Eddie came stumbling into the kitchen, Robin following close behind with wide eyes on her way back from the bathroom.

Eddie mumbled out an apology to no one as he banged into the counter before finding his way to the fridge where he took out a beer, and proceeded to down it in one go with the door still hanging wide open in front of him. 

Steve shared a baffled look with Robin. There was no way Eddie had gotten that drunk off of the two, now three beers, he’d had since he arrived. He had to have started before he got there, or broken into Steve’s dad’s liquor cabinet in the office. 

“Hey, Eddie… um, do you think maybe you should slow down?” Steve said cautiously, taking a tentative step towards the other boy as he popped open yet another beer. 

At least he closed the refrigerator door this time.

“That an order, King Steve?” Eddie slurred out, looking Steve in the eye for the first time all evening. He swayed into Steve’s space, poking a finger into his chest. “How about you just mind your own fucking business for once, and leave me alone.”

Eddie’s words were biting, vicious, and Steve found himself taking a step back, holding his hands up as if surrendering. This time it was Nancy he exchanged a quick glance with. She looked just as confused as he felt, brows tightly furrowed, bottom lip trapped between her teeth.

“Man, that’s—that’s not—” Steve began, floundering for what to say. He didn’t understand what was happening, why Eddie was so angry. He thought they’d moved past high school reputations after everything. “I just don’t want to see you get sick or something.”

“Whatever,” Eddie made a dramatic show out of rolling his eyes, before fumbling in his pockets and pulling out his keys. “I’m outta here.”

When Steve hesitated, afraid to make it worse, Robin walked right up to Eddie and snatched the set of keys out of his hand. “Oh no you don't. No way we’re letting you drive like this.”

“Fine, I’ll walk!” Eddie snapped, moving to step around her, but found Jonathan his path.

“You can’t walk all that way, man,” Jonathan said.

“Watch me,” Eddie spun on his heel, nearly fell when he lost his balance, and almost ran into Nancy who had moved to block the other way out of the kitchen.

“There’s still people out there who are after you, Eddie. It’s not safe," she said.

Eddie laughed, but it was an unsettling, hollow sound, devoid of any actual humor. He looked at them all in turn with dull eyes. “Jesus H. Christ. What a meddling pack of fucking do-gooders you are. So what if they’re after me. Who cares?”

“I do,” Steve blurted out, unable to keep his mouth shut any longer. “We all do. We’re your friends, Eddie. Of course we care.”

Eddie scoffed, shaking his head as he rounded on Steve again. “Yeah, sure.”

“Look, I’ve got a guest room, why don’t you sleep it off and you can drive home in the morning.”

“You just looove telling people what to do, don’t you?” Eddie crooned, mockingly. “Maybe I don’t want to sleep it off.”

Robin moved to stand between them, facing Eddie. “What is your problem, huh?” 

“You wanna know what my problem is?” Eddie asked, tilting his head, pointing an accusing finger behind her. “Him. He’s my problem.”

Steve had a horrible sinking feeling in his gut, but he tried to push it aside. It could be that Eddie was just an angry drunk or something, in which case, trying to reason with him right now was pointless, but he still had to ask.

“I don’t understand, Eddie. What did I do?” 

“You should have fucking left me there!” 

Everyone froze, the kitchen falling absolutely silent in the wake of Eddie’s words. Steve watched as all the blood drained from the other boy’s face, leaving him more ghostly pale than ever. 

Eddie took a stumbling step back from Robin, pushing past Jonathan, who didn’t try to stop him this time, and took off. Steve listened for the sound of the front door opening and closing but it never came. Instead he heard a door slam down the other end of the hall where the bathroom was, and realized that Robin still held Eddie’s van keys in her hand.

The raised voices of Dustin and Max filtered in from the other room, snapping the group of older teens back to life.

“Shit,” Steve ran his hands roughly through his hair. “You don’t think the kids heard any of that do you?”

Argyle jumped into action, peeking his head around the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living room before turning back with an easy smile. “Nah, the little dudes are like, fully engrossed in arguing about what movie to watch, they’re fine.”

Steve raised his face to the ceiling, letting out the breath he’d been holding. Robin wrapped an arm around his waist, pressing her cheek into his arm.

“Nance, do you think you guys could drive everyone home?” Steve asked.

Nancy shrugged. “Yeah, yeah I guess, but… what are you going to do?”

“I’m not sure, but it feels like this is my fault somehow,” he said, leaning his head down against Robin’s for a moment, taking the comfort she offered while he could. He had a feeling the night wasn’t going to get any better from here. “So I should be the one to fix it.”

They told the kids that Eddie wasn’t feeling well, and had gone upstairs to lay down and needed quiet. They weren’t thrilled about getting kicked out, denied their big group sleepover, but Steve promised a raincheck and that seemed to smooth things over. 

Dustin lagged behind when the others split off into Nancy’s car and Argyle’s van, shooting suspicious looks between Steve and Robin. “I’m not stupid, I know something’s wrong. Something you're not telling me.”

“Do you trust me, Henderson?”

“You know I do.” Dustin scowled. “But you can’t treat me like a kid forever.”

Steve drew him into a tight hug. “I know, just… let me handle this one, okay?”

“You’ll take care of him?” Dustin asked, voice muffled where his face was pressed to Steve’s chest.

“Yeah, buddy. It’s gonna be okay. I’ll call you tomorrow, I promise.” 

Robin was the last to go, hovering in the open doorway while Nancy’s car idled out front.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”

Steve would have loved for her to stay, to hold his hand through whatever the hell was about to happen, but he had a feeling he had a better chance of getting Eddie out of that bathroom without a crowd. And if Eddie wanted to keep taking his anger out on Steve, well, he could handle it, and at least no one else would have to hear. 

“I’ll be alright.”

“Are you going to call Wayne?” She asked.

He’d already been waffling back and forth about calling the older man. He didn’t want to worry Eddie’s uncle even more than he already was, but he might not have a choice.

“If I say yes, will you go?”

Robin elbowed him hard in the side before throwing her arms around his neck. “What Eddie said, Steve… I-I don’t like the sound of that.”

Steve swallowed hard around the growing lump in his throat. “Me either.” 

Steve approached the bathroom slowly, wrapping his arms around himself when he heard Eddie sobbing through the closed door, so sorrowful and loud that he could practically feel the other boy’s pain. 

Steve’s heart broke.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself before knocking softly on the hollow wood.

The sound of Eddie’s cries was choked off abruptly, replaced with a muffled whimper. Steve could imagine clear as day the other boy sitting in there with a hand thrown over his own mouth, desperately trying to stifle the sound. 

Steve squeezed his eyes shut, taking more deep even breaths as he bowed his head. He was intimately familiar with bathroom floor breakdowns, and not just the one he and Robin now looked back on with an odd fondness, the moment they became them. He’d spent more than one night on a cold tile floor. After the first demogorgon, after the tunnels, the Russians and the mind flayer, and just a few weeks ago, after Vecna—after Eddie.

Steve sat, pulling his knees to his chest, resting his back against the door frame.

“It’s just me, Eddie. Everyone else is gone. Do you… do you want to come out and talk? Or I could come in there?” 

“Go away, Harrington,” Eddie said weakly. 

“If you don’t want to talk, I could just sit with you.”

“Haven’t you done enough, King Steve? Just leave me alone, man.” Eddie's voice shook.

It was the same words he’d thrown in Steve’s face in the kitchen, but the sharp edges had been filed off.

Steve sighed, letting his head fall back against the door with a soft thunk. “Come on, Eddie. You know I'm not that guy anymore. I thought we had a moment back there, in the woods?” 

He still had no idea where this was coming from. What had he done to make Eddie hate him all of the sudden?

Eddie let out another humorless chuckle. “A moment? What am I—your fucking prom date, Harrington?”

“You know what I mean. I thought we had an understanding, that we agreed we were both different than the other expected.”

“What part of any of this has convinced you that I’m not exactly the freak everyone says I am?”

“You’re not a—”

Steve’s reply was cut off by a metallic clatter on the other side of the door. His stomach dropped, his mouth went dry, and his heart began hammering in his chest. It could be nothing more than the chains from Eddie’s jeans dragging on the floor, but if it wasn’t… 

Steve shot to his feet, trying the handle though he knew it’d be locked.

It was.

“Open the door, Eddie.”

“Fuck off.”

Steve jiggled the handle again. “Unlock this fucking door or I’ll break it down.”

Eddie scoffed. “You’re not gonna break your own door down.”

If Steve was right about what he thought might be happening in there, he’d do a lot worse than damaging a stupid door to stop it. 

“Try me.” 

Steve backed himself up, prepared to use his shoulder like a battering ram, when he heard the faint click of the lock disengaging.

The hinges squeaked as he pushed the door open carefully.

Eddie was huddled on the floor, wedged into the corner between the sink and the wall, curled in on himself. He rocked gently back and forth as he stared down at the knife gripped tightly in his hand. 

Steve kept his movements slow, kneeling down on the floor as far from Eddie as the cramped space would allow.

“I don’t want to be here anymore,” Eddie whispered.

Steve swallowed back a pained sound, blinking back tears as his fingers itched to reach for the other boy, to hold him. He might not be the smartest guy in the room, but he was absolutely sure that when Eddie said here he wasn’t talking about Steve’s house.

He inched forward, holding his hand out.

“Please give me the knife.”

Eddie’s eyes, red rimmed and puffy, shot up to meet his, and they still held so much anger—but also a hint of fear. He snarled, but released his grip on the blade, letting it drop to the tile between them.  

As Steve reached for it, retracting the blade and slipping it carefully into his pocket, he let his gaze roam over Eddie’s body, relieved to see no spots of blood on him or the floor. He wasn’t sure he could handle seeing Eddie part with his blood again. 

Eddie hugged his legs to his chest, tucking himself into an even tighter little ball, glazing at Steve as he rested his head on his knees. “Always think you know what’s best, don't you? Who put you in charge, why do you get to make that decision?”

“I don’t—I don’t know anything, man.”

Eddie’s eyes fell shut, sending fresh tears cascading down his cheeks. “Why couldn’t you just leave me down there, huh? I was as good as dead. It would have been easier, safer.”

Steve opened and closed his mouth several times. He didn’t know what he was supposed to say to that. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to pull Eddie into his lap and never let go. 

Eddie sniffled loudly, wiping his face on his jeans. “I did what I did to keep Dustin safe, to make sure you had the chance to win, but I never planned on making it out of that place.”

Steve did reach out then, and surprisingly Eddie took his hand, letting Steve pull him to his feet—and didn’t let go. Eddie wouldn’t look at him, but he allowed himself to be led out of the bathroom, up the stairs, and all the way to the guest room where he finally let go, laying down on the bed to face the wall. 

Steve hovered in the doorway, a little afraid to leave the other boy alone, but he had no idea what he was doing. He was in way over his head here. He needed to call Wayne. 

“I’m not sorry that I saved your life,” Steve said quietly to Eddie’s back. “I could never be sorry for that, but I am sorry that you’re hurting.”

By the time Steve made it to the bottom of the stairs again he was a wreck, crying and shaking so badly that he almost dropped the phone as he dialed the Munson’s number from memory. 

“Hello?”

The moment the call connected Steve’s legs gave out, and he slid down the wall to sit on the kitchen floor, thankful for the phone’s long cord.

“Wayne…” Steve sobbed out the older man’s name.

“What’s wrong? Is Eddie…?” Wayne’s panicked voice came loudly through the receiver.

Steve pressed the phone hard into his ear. “He’s here. H-he’s laying down in my guestroom.”

“What happened?” 

“It’s… he… I can’t—I can’t—I can’t even say it.” Steve hiccupped, and his voice caught, his throat gone painfully tight.

“Breathe, son. It’s gonna be alright, but you gotta breathe. Go on—in and out, on my count.”

It took a few tries but Steve did his best to follow the man’s directions, concentrating on the sound of his voice as he counted off to five. Taking air into his lungs slowly, holding it for a beat, and blowing it out just as slowly until he felt a little less like he was going to pass out.

“That’s real good, Steve. You drop your head between your knees?”

He did, nodding as though the other man could see him.

“I’m sorry,” Steve whispered.

Wayne clicked his tongue. “Nothing to be sorry for. Do you think you can tell me what’s going on now?”

Again Steve nodded to no one but the floor and the empty room. 

“Eddie—he was drinking and I tried to get him to slow down, but he… he got so angry and then he said—” Steve cut himself off, unable to repeat the words, and skipped ahead to the worst of it. “He locked himself in the bathroom. I sent everyone else away, and I-I tried to talk to him, but… Wayne, he was in there, crying, holding that knife he carries.”

There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line.

“Shit,” Wayne cursed softly. “I knew he was having a hard time, but I didn’t think…”

“I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault, kid. I just don’t know what to do, how to help him. I’m supposed to go back to work tomorrow night, I can’t afford any more time off. We might not owe on the trailer but there’s still bills to pay. I was already nervous about leaving him alone, and now—I can’t lose him, Steve.”

Steve didn’t even hesitate to make the offer. He’d been fired from the video store for missing too many shifts anyway.

“What if he stayed here with me for a while?”

“I can’t ask you to do that,” Wayne said.

“You didn’t, I’m offering. I’m not working right now, so I can be home with him all the time and maybe—I dunno, maybe I can get through to him.” 

There was a long pause before Wayne spoke again, where Steve was afraid the man would turn him down. "I know there’s things… stuff he can’t talk to me about, that he can talk to you about. Are you sure about this?”

“I’m sure, and I promise I won't let anything bad happen to him.”

“I know, son, you’re a good kid. Okay. Let me pack some of his things. I'll be there soon.”

Chapter 4

Thanks and love to @penny00dreadful and @pearynice for all your help and encouragement with this.

Permanent taglist(open): @penny00dreadful @pearynice @hitlikehammers @bookworm0690 @wonderland-girl143-blog 

@goodolefashionedloverboi @themagicalari @awkwardgravity1 @rocknrollsalad

[lyxurious]

So you like Luo Yunxi: A drama recommendation list

So you watched "Till the End of the Moon", and all you got is heartbreak, brainworms, and a shiny new lowkey or highkey obsession with Luo Yunxi (perhaps other people from the amazing cast too, but we're focusing on him here)? You want to see more of him, but you don't know where to start? Fear not, for this list is here to hopefully help you out with that.

Here be some (non-spoilery, but might mention if it generally ends well or not) spark notes on all his past dramas with him in the first male lead role, that are currently available with English subs (+ 2 very important supporting roles + 1 bonus). In chronological order, from most to least recent!

Light Chaser Rescue

Type: Modern, rescue missions, human drama, romance

Episodes: 40

Available at: WeTv, YouTube, viki

What's the deal? Jaded and cynical lawyer meets cute and icy doctor lady who is not here for his bs, and discovers the joys of love and most importantly, volunteer rescue work.

On the one hand: Detailed and extremely realistic scenes of all sorts of natural disasters happening. The production team collaborated with a real life team where anyone can volunteer and get training as a rescuer. They built a wholeass glacier for the final episodes and you could never tell it's fake looking at it even on HD. The side characters are mostly likeable (which is something you can't say for every drama), although flawed and human. FL is a cool-headed independent grownup woman who bottles up her feelings like a fine vintage.

On the other: The pacing is rather choppy and makes it feel like they planned out the disaster scenes/rescue missions first and everything else was added later to link said missions together and give the characters stuff to do in between. Since this is a drama and they have a limited cast, the team's abilities are a bit exaggerated at times (they turn up for everything that happens anywhere, doctor FL is a swiss army knife of specialties). Ending feels a bit abrupt.

Watch it if: You enjoy seeing Luo Yunxi suffer physically, you like stories with ordinary people being heroes while also remaining very much ordinary people.

Lie to Love

Type: Modern, romance, office, suspense

Episodes: 32

Available at: WeTV, YouTube

What's the deal? Local woman is convinced her one night stand during a mountain hike killed her father, so she returns after 2 years to go undercover in male nerdy Paris Hilton protagonist's glitzy hotel business and cancel his entire existence. Spoiler alert (but not really because this is actually not even the first 6 eps): he is a good guy and didn't do it and they fall in love and together they set out to uncover the truth and take down his shady uncle.

On the one hand: Objectively speaking, the plot for this is on the better side for a drama of its type. It's got suspense, it's got plot twists, it's got fluff, it's got drama, it's got more communication between the main CP than one would expect on a regular day, misunderstandings don't last long, the nice side characters are likeable, and 2nd ML is doing an incredible job at being a 2-faced creep. LYX is serving many a great business wear look in the 2nd half especially.

On the other: The FL is Cheng Xiao. A severely miscast Cheng Xiao in a role that is core in the plot and on paper, challenging. For fans, winner winner chicken dinner. For the rest of us, it's up to each viewer to decide if overall as a drama, the points in the above section are strong enough to balance this casting out.

Watch it if: You have a thing for men in suits and glasses (that makes two of us), you prefer ignoring the FL in dramas so you can make elaborate headcanons shipping the ML with the psycho stalker 2nd ML or the goofy rockstar 3rd ML instead.

Broker

Type: Modern, office, medical research, suspense, romance

Episodes: 42

Available at: YouTube, viki

What's the deal? Spy is ordered to infiltrate a lab and lowkey honey trap his way into stealing female scientist's multi-million research, is uno reverse carded when she fixes his broken heart and trust in humanity.

On the one hand: The rare case where he is a morally grey character in a modern setting. The other rare case where he gets to do action sequences in a modern setting. There's a shower sex scene (sit down, implied and partially dressed of course, this is still a cdrama), and one where he gets whipped on a table. There is a very badass sidekick girl who is just as broken as him if not worse, and very shippable with the FL's perky and spoiled little sister.

On the other: The premise is cool but sadly, there's way more filler office drama (in the lab) and 2nd CP being a frustrating snoozefest than spy activities. It's a drama that was held up for a long while in censorship limbo, and a considerable chunk of the ML's backstory and scenes were left in the editing room, which unfortunately throws the show off balance by a lot.

Watch it if: You are a diehard Luo Yunxi, Victoria Song or Xu Kaicheng completionist (in which case you have permission to come cry on my shoulder), you find yourself trapped in a cave, the rescue team is 48 hours away, and the only thing in there with you is a device that has no other data on it but all 42 episodes of Broker.

Love is Sweet

Type: Modern, romance, office

Episodes: 36

Available at: iQiyi, YouTube, amazon prime

What's the deal? Local woman applies for a job in huge investment banking company where she runs into her childhood friend -slash- nemesis after 10 years, they both gradually discover time makes people grow and occasionally fall deeply, ridiculously in love.

On the one hand: Sugar and fun and shoujo manga tropes aplenty! God tier CP chemistry! Some of the most epic makeouts to ever slip under the nose of the review committees. Characters that have actual profound growth under the "every romcom ever" cheeky banter. 2nd ML also offers shirtlessness and angsty backstory if you cannot live without those. There's even an adorable and very plot-relevant corgi!

On the other: The tremendous main CP chemistry has made this drama the exception for many who otherwise avoid both modern dramas and romcoms, but if that doesn't carry the show for you, I'm afraid there's not much else to see here. The 2nd CP is fuel for the "2nd CPs are annoying and waste screentime" complaint fire. (although, protip: even on the first watch you can probably skip their scenes without missing anything of value). The tear allergy is a bit of a ridiculous premise, but it's a real thing (who knew!), and it's not addressed much after a point.

Watch it if: You need something sweet and cute to fill the gaping hole Till The End of the Moon left in your chest, you love the tsundere overbearing CEO archetype but you also prefer it when he is more than a dry irredeemable asshole, you love romcoms because you enjoy both the "will they won't they" and the cute "we're an item now" domesticity.

And The Winner is Love

Type: Costume, wuxia, romance

Episodes: 48

Available at: iQiyi, YouTube

What's the deal? Dashing, elegant, fan-wielding dreamboat young master falls in love with girlie burdened with the heavy responsibility of leading a sect with bad rep and protecting a very powerful and thus dangerous cultivation manual. Supposedly.

On the one hand: Luo Yunxi looks like this:

for the whole drama. Every novel writer who ever wrote about a flirty and sophisticated young master whose beauty made flowers bloom along his path and women as well as men fell in love with him at first sight and all that purple prose-y stuff, has actually written about Luo Yunxi as Shangguan Tou whether they were aware of it or not. He is The Archetype and his popularity among bilibili fmv editors is proof. There's some great wire work in the first half. The soundtrack is pretty solid.

On the other: If you're looking for plot, run away and don't look back. I've watched the whole thing and I could not tell you how the story goes. I went in with a "idc about plot, i just want to look at Luo Yunxi in costume for 40 hours" mentality and I still struggled, make of that what you will. Chen Yuqi is the FL, saddled with a poorly written role and a choice of VA who arguably wasn't the best fit for her or the role. Chemistry is passable depending on your standards, but for most of the 2nd half of the drama it takes a nosedive together with the plot. Luo Yunxi got injured while filming this so they had to cut action scenes by a lot, so in the last 3rd or so it's wuxia without the wuxia. It's the only recent case where he also had to be dubbed (covid didn't allow him to get in the studio and do it himself, as he usually does).

Watch it if: You are a yumejoshi and need material to self-insert into a costume drama FL's position, you are more determined to watch lyx look pretty in costume, all else be damned, than Samwise Gamgee was determined to make sure Frodo throws the One Ring in the flames of Mount Doom.

Princess Silver

Type: Costume, court drama, romance, some wuxia elements

Episodes: 58

Available at: YouTube, viki

What's the deal? Princess RongLe wakes up one day with amnesia (no, hear me out) to the news that she is to be sent to another kingdom and marry a prince she's never met for political alliance reasons (no, hear me out!). There, she is faced with unexpected revelations and finds herself looking for the truth while she gets embroiled with the aforementioned haughty prince, a shady general, and her (sometimes a bit too?) caring and overprotective brother.

On the one hand: (mild spoiler alert?) His character ends up stealing the show. FL can act and has good relationships with other female characters (arguably better than with any man in this, even in the chemistry department). Story and plot are quite decent. It's one of those rare cdramas that builds up as it goes instead of deflating in the last stretch.

On the other: LYX is 3rd ML in this, so if he's your main motivation to watch, be prepared for limited screentime, especially in the 2nd half of the drama (until the final 8-10 episodes where it's all about). If you're not into the FL with either 1st or 2nd ML, the first half can be a drag, like, personally I started appreciating this drama for real after episode 25-30.

Watch it if: You are patient, you like getting emotionally sucker-punched, you love a good, earthshaking final plot twist.

Ashes of Love

Type: Costume, xianxia

Episodes: 63 (or 60, depending on the version, content is the same either way though)

Available at: Netflix, YouTube, viki, WeTV, amazon prime

What's the deal? Bottom of the food chain grape fairy who was deprived of the ability to feel romantic love and her life was honestly better and carefree like that, trips and falls into a love triangle with overconfident golden boy Heavenly Prince Phoenix, and his older brother, abused wallflower Heavenly Prince Dragon. Things go very great and not complicated at all from there. :))

On the one hand: Xianxia 101, it hits all the items on the checklist. The lavish costumes, the sprawling sets and world building, the entanglement over multiple lives, mortal arc, immortal arc, demon realm arc. CG that still holds up well for the genre 5 years later. The epic and emotional OST (someone has yet to surpass Sa Ding Ding's 左手指月 for the title of "best cdrama ED song", i don't make the rules). Arguably, The most iconic 2nd ML in a cdrama, responsible for a significant chunk of its long-lasting chokehold on the audience. Even if you've never seen the drama, if you're in the asian media adjacent internet, you've most likely seen this:

On the other: Xianxia 101, a double-sided coin. All the clichés are here, and if you're not here for them you get aboard the struggle bus. The show's views on romantic feelings can be a bit, let's say, old fashioned, even for the genre's standards. If you're not into the main CP, you're in for an uphill battle of frustration. If you're Team Runyu prepare to hate almost everyone for there is no justice in this land. (In AoL one is either Team Runyu or Team Xu Feng, no middle ground, and if you're reading this, especially because you liked lyx as Tantai Jin, I don't see how you could end up Team Xu Feng, so I'm gonna run with this assumption). (in theory you can also be Team No One, but in practice if you're that, sitting through this entire drama must have been as fun as having a tooth pulled out with no anesthesia)

Watch it if: if you're any degree of a lyx fan, period. Runyu is a mandatory class.

Children's Hospital Pediatrician

Type: Modern, medical, romance

Episodes: 42

Available at: YouTube

What's the deal? Aspiring surgeon -slash- frustrating disaster girl makes a huge blunder on her first day of her hospital residency, and can only stay as a pediatrician. She hates it and makes her literal saint of a secret husband's life miserable. We watch as she gets to grow as a person to the detriment of everyone else's mental health. Secondary cast has subplots of various dating entanglements.

On the one hand: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, hmmm..... well... there's a scene where lyx takes off his shirt for a physical exam, if that's a bonus (ep40, 27:13-28:05, you're welcome)? Queen Zheng Li is in it? I am scraping the bottom of the barrel here.

On the other: It's way too long for absolutely no reason, the FL is the most frustrating and irrational baby I've ever seen (which is by no means a low bar), 90% of characters who are not the FL get their development butchered to make her look better, 2/3rds of the cast are incompetent at acting and the other 1/3rd is being wasted in this mess. I am trying to be as objective I can in these, but I've got nothing for this one.

Watch it if: You have chronically low blood pressure that no medication can fix, you have watched literally everything else on the list and having a manic episode where you will chew on the walls if you don't look at Luo Yunxi's face in something you have never seen before, you want to watch some other mid drama, so you want to watch something worse first in order to appreciate the other drama more.

Fox in the Screen

Type: Costume, xianxia

Episodes: 22

Available at: YouTube, viki, amazon prime (as The Screen Foxes)

What's the deal? Orphan girl wins by drunken mistake a magical screen that houses 3 fox demon guys, they help her with her screen shop and also with crossdressing to pass the exam for the position of palace screen painter. She earns a grumpy boyfriend with a tragic past in the meanwhile.

On the one hand: It's short and goes fast, and in all honesty, considering it was made on a budget of 3 paperclips and a piece of gum, the story is much more concise and watchable than I, at least, personally expected. You get to witness the caterpillar stage of lyx on this path to guzhuang drama godhood. If you're one for tragic love stories there is one hiding under the DIY production. White Fox and the prince are a solid ship.

On the other: It is very much made on the aforementioned budget of 3 paperclips and a piece of gum, and it very much shows. Everything is rough, the costumes, the makeup, the editing, the acting for the most part. Having even half an expectation is the wrong way to approach this drama.

Watch it if: you have the heart of a mother watching her kids at the school play and admiring what a great job they are doing or if you are like Marie Kondo and love mess in an affectionate way.

Bonus: PhantaCity

PhantaCity was a tv show back in 2018, whose concept was making short plays and having actors perform them live in a single, do or die take for a studio audience. Luo Yunxi and Wu Jinyan, both with a background in ballet, are paired up in a short musical, acting as the hands of a newly repaired clock. If you ever wanted to see him dance, sing and act all in one thing, don't sleep on this. It's short and beautiful, and the official upload embedded above is subbed in English!

[mycurrentobsessionis]

Top 10 SH Characters

I actually love all of them, so even if they didn't crack the top 10, it's not that I disliked the character.

Tabitha. My girl. Love her so much. You know I'm down for all of the cousin bonding. I actually hated her at first, but she grew on me by the end of episode 1. Like, ride-or-die.

Avery. I always liked Avery's chill demeaner, but when they are like, kind of into getting possessed, and then follow it up with "I kind of like the Ditchlings and would 100% incubate one of their larvae if it wouldn't kill me," and like. That is unhinged. Love that for them.

Doc Kelly. I love her. She is such a well-written character, and she absolutely exists in like every rural Appalachian town. She is so down to earth and it contrasts so well with her emo artist son, who she does not understand at all but still loves fiercely.

Dustin. My boy. Light of my life. Every playthrough w/o Talk To Animals is heartbreaking because we don't get to chill.

Frou-Frou. She is such a bitch. I adore her.

Reese. He's weird as fuck. He also turns into a giant whatever-the-hell-that-is. I get the vibe that he would fit in real well in the Addams Family.

Sybil. Do not trust this woman at all, but she is extremely intriguing. I want to know more about her. Beldam energy.

Duke. He reminds me of my great uncle, but like without the negative parts. He's like the idealized version of my uncle. Additionally, I have known so many old guys like him.

The Bus Stranger. There is something so specifically wrong with him, and he is such an iconic character. Even if he never shows up again, he sets the tone for the whole story perfectly.

Stella. I feel like I shouldn't have to explain this one. Likeable, layered.