#ngl i was having a rough moment couple weeks back and this scene now was somehow bit comforting | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

teonjae · 4 years

Text

dusk ‘til dawn

starring mark lee ft. other members of nct!

genre angst, fluff if you squint hard enough

words 3k

a/n this was lazily proofread (i’ll do it again tomorrow i promise) but i was kinda excited to post this ngl,,,it’s mark lee hours right now. have u guys seen the recent jcc?? mark and johnny were so cute pls. and i don’t know how to write fight scenes pls forgive me

mark’s footsteps echo through the old warehouse along with the others’, as they tread carefully in search of you. they walked in crouched positions — taeyong, johnny, and jaehyun right behind mark with their guns pointed to the ground. “hyuck, i need visual,” taeyong whispers through his earpiece.

“fuck,” haechan curses, “i can’t see anything. they covered up all the windows.” he moves his sniper around, looking through the scope in search of an open window or any sign of movement at all. he calls the attention of the others through his earpiece and says, “i’m gonna look for another spot. i can’t see anything here.”

mark nervously bites his lip as his grip on his pistol tightens. you were kidnapped by one of their rival gangs after they found out about your relationship with nct, especially mark. it didn’t help either that you were one of the youngest ceos who own a prosperous business. so they planned on blackmailing you to give them the capital that they needed with additional information on nct or else they would reveal to the public about your connections with one of the most notorious mafias in south korea. even if they left you with bruises that would take weeks to heal, letting you sleep on the cold ground with just your undergarments and barely giving you any food to eat, you stood your ground and refused to give up what your family’s company has ever worked hard for to some gang who just wanted revenge on your boyfriend and his friends.

“you aren’t gonna talk, will ya?,” a man who you assume to be the boss is says as he harshly grabs your chin, “even if i shoot a bullet through your head?,” you bite your tongue when you feel the tip of the gun pressing under your chin. you continue to glare at him with all the courage you can muster to show him that you’re not afraid at all, but the man in front of you smirks when he thinks otherwise. he lets you go aggressively and scoffs, annoyed at your persistence. “why don't we just kill her?,” one of the men standing in the room suggests. “not now,” he answers him, “let’s wait ‘til her boyfriend comes here.”

you pull yourself up from the ground shakily, your eyes widening at the boss’s last statement. “no,” you choke out, “i swear, if you ever lay a finger on him-“

“what? you’re gonna call your daddy and tell him what? to save your criminal boyfriend?,” the man is now once again in front of you, crouched down until your at eye level. “i bet you didn’t know, huh? that mark was part of nct. you fell for his good-boy act and now he got you roped into this mess. that’s what he’s good at.”

you shake your head at him, “it’s not his fault-“

“not his fault?,” he cuts you off again, “i doubt he doesn’t know what he’s getting you into because that kid is smart, y/n. he knows exactly what can happen if he hangs around someone like you. i’m not the only bad guy here,” he smiles mockingly at you, “you wanna know how many of my guys he’s killed? 1/3 of my team, y/n. and he did that alone.”

he hums when you stay silent, “he’s got you wrapped around his finger, i bet he and his friends leech off money from you but you never notice.” that was the last straw.

out of anger, you clench your fists and spit on him, your saliva landing right on his nose. “fucking bitch!,” he shouts as he punches you, its force flinging you to the ground. despite the pain, you snicker as you push yourself up again, lifting your head to look at how red the man’s face was becoming. you notice the metallic taste of blood on the corner of your lip and you feel another bruise starting to form on your cheek when a man busts into the room looking frantic, “boss!,” he whisper-shouts. “what’s wrong?,” the boss turns to him, annoyance still in his face. “nct,” he gulps, “they’re here.”

the man who just punched you turned to you again and flashes you a cheshire cat grin, completely replacing the annoyed look he had earlier, and it makes your stomach churn.

“dress her up. it’s time,” was the last thing you heard before a sack was placed over your head and the lights went out.

mark and the others flinch when they hear something hit the walls of the warehouse. jaehyun puts a finger to his lips and beckons the three to follow him. he presses his back against the wall — mark, taeyong, and johnny following suit. he raises his gun to his chest as he readies himself to see whoever’s behind the cold surface.

“jaehyun-hyung, get out of there!,” they hear haechan shout from their earpieces and drop to the ground just in time as a bullet hits the wall behind them.

taeyong quickly stands up and shoots after identifying the bullet’s origin, knocking off the shooter while mark hides behind a crate and turns to shoot back at the others. soon, bullets were flying from both sides of the warehouse. they managed to knock down a couple of the ones on the opposing side until johnny lets out a cry of pain, “we need backup. johnny’s been shot on the leg, bring a medic,” taeyong says before continuing to shoot.

mark’s heart beats anxiously against his chest as he reloads his gun. the thought of not getting everyone out alive was worrying him, making beads of sweat trickle down his forehead.

he aims and shoots, aims and shoots. “fuck, why are they so many!,” he shouts. he doesn’t notice one of them creeping up behind him until he gets kicked to the ground, the culprit knocking the gun from his hand.

the man raises the knife over his head and brings it down, and mark quickly rolls to his side, allowing his opponent to hit the ground instead. mark kicks the knife out of his hands and proceeds to kick his face. the man lands on his back in pain as soon as mark stands up, but he was quick. he swipes his leg from under mark, his body dropping to the floor once again. in the blink of an eye, the enemy was on top of mark, the weight of this bulky man crushing him. he delivers a punch to his face, and another, and another, until mark can feel his vision start to blurry and blood drip down the side of his face. the man grabs the knife from beside him and puts it in between them, mark swiftly grabbing his wrists to prevent the knife from going deeper into his chest. he groans in pain when he feels the tip enter slowly and he uses all the strength he has left to push this man off him.

he inhales sharply when he feels the weight suddenly being pulled off him. he hears grunts and punches being thrown from his right as he rolls to the other side to grab his gun. an arm helps mark pull him up to his feet and his eyes brighten at the sight of jungwoo, “you were never good at hand-to-hand combat,” the latter says.

“thanks,” he smiles at him, clicking his gun. jungwoo winks at him before raising his own and shooting from behind mark. he pulls mark to take cover from behind a crate and helps others in shooting, “how deep is it?,” mark hears jungwoo ask. “not that deep,” he answers, deciding on ignoring the pain. “shit, i don’t have that much bullets left,” mark says as he loads his last magazine into his gun and shoots.

as mark shoots his final bullet, their last opponent is knocked down. he sighs in relief before jungwoo helps him up and pulls him to stand. jungwoo leads him to the middle when he realizes almost everyone is there — sicheng, yuta, renjun, and even jisung who’s supposed to be doing his homework right now.

“you’re not supposed to be here,” mark whispers as he scolds the younger one. “i didn’t feel like doing any homework,” jisung shrugs, making mark let out a sigh. “go stay with kun-hyung. you’re not safe at the front,” he tells him before quickening his pace to fall into step with taeyong.

clap, clap, clap.

the sound stops the group from their tracks, most of them raising their guns in front of them. “boys, boys, calm down,” a man says from the front, “it’s just me.”

a light turns on in the dim warehouse, blinding them for a moment. “two, four, six, eight,” the man hums, “you killed like what, 40 of my men? with just 16 of you? wow, i’m impressed.”

“choi taehun,” taeyong’s voice booms throughout the warehouse, “we have the money. bring y/n out.”

choi taehun, the boss, grins manically before raising his hand. a small door from the left opens and a man drags you out as you stumble on your feet. the man holding you by the wrist violently throws you down, making you whimper when you feel the rough ground scrape your bare knees.

mark hears a few gasps from behind him as he clenches his fists at the sight in front of him. there you are, weakly pulling yourself up to sit. the large dress shirt they put over you rides up your bare thighs as you do so, revealing the cuts and bruises that patterned your skin along with the smears of dirt. mark can hear your small sobs even though you’re about 10 meters away from him, making more hatred form from inside of him. hatred for choi taehun and himself.

mark steps forward but taeyong puts his hand in front of him to stop him as he retains his calm demeanor. “you said you wouldn’t hurt her. you know that affects our deal, right?”

“i know, but you called to make the deal after i did,” he gestures to you with his hand, “this.”

“he’s lying!,” mark takes aggressive steps forward until choi taehun clicks his gun against your head. “i would go back to your place if i were you, mark lee.”

mark glares at him before slowly walking back, his eyes glued to you. “show me the money,” choi taehun demands.

jaehyun slowly walks to the front and crouches, placing a duffel bag on the ground. when he gets his hand on the zipper, choi taehun calls his attention, “put your gun out where i can see it.”

jaehyun runs his tongue along the inside of his cheek before complying and opening the zipper. he counts the money aloud, laying them outside the bag where they can see.

when the total reaches 23 million dollars, jaehyun bites his lip. the money was placed in stacks so that they won’t notice most of the bills are fake, but there was an unsettling feeling in his stomach, making him worry if everything goes as planned.

“30 million dollars,” jaehyun finishes as he walks back, “that’s thirty million dollars.”

“now let her go,” mark speaks. the delay was ticking him off, his anxiety was about to spiral if he doesn’t get to you. he can feel everyone’s uneasiness as choi taehun continues to stare at the stacks of money in the middle, the thought of him catching up to their plan entering their minds.

“the ammunition?,” choi taehun questions. “they’re being transported to you as we speak.”

“exact amount?”

“exact amount,” taeyong answers him sternly.

“alright,” choi taehun says nonchalantly. he walks up to you and crouches behind you, his eyes landing at an angry-looking mark in mockery. he smirks before putting a hand on your shoulder and roughly pulling the black sack off your head.

you squeeze your eyes shut immediately at the blinding light before blinking a few times to adjust. the first person you see is taeyong but when you look to his right you see mark and tears prickle your eyes.

mark’s face softens at the sight of your face — messed up hair, bruises scattering your face, and there’s dry blood near your gagged up mouth. his heart drops when he notices the dark spots and dry tear streaks under your eyes, and that’s when he realizes he did this. he made you suffer and he doesn’t know if he can forgive himself for it.

choi taehun brings his face closer to your ear, making you squirm in his hold as the gag in your mouth muffles your cries. mark was about to open his mouth, to tell him to stop, but he speaks before he does.

“i just want to say goodbye to our dear, y/n. not cooperative but still entertaining,” he coos sarcastically, making mark wanting to vomit at the thought of them doing things to you. “we’re gonna miss you, but i think mark misses you more,” he fake smiles, not bothering to remove the gag in your mouth, “get along now.”

he pulls you up on your weak feet and pushes you forward. you slowly stagger to the middle, the pain on your legs making it harder for you to walk. you see mark take a few hesitant steps before he’s running to you.

he meets you halfway and wraps his arms around you, supporting your weight. he uses his free hand to untie the cloth from behind your head and as soon as it falls to the ground, he cups your cheek as his eyes scan your face. mark didn’t realize he was crying until you wiped a tear from his cheek and wrap your arms around his neck. he kisses you softly, afraid of hurting you, and tastes the salt from both of your tears. “i’m sorry,” he whispers when he pulls away. he continues to whisper apologies as he pulls your head to his shoulder and holds you tightly. “i’m sorry. i’m so sorry. i didn’t mean to do this to you- i’m sorry.”

he feels you nod and grip his shirt, “i know. it’s okay,” you tell him, “i love you.”

“i love you. i’m so sorry.”

bang.

all of you freeze when you hear a gunshot echo in the room. a second gunshot sounds and mark snaps his head to look at choi taehun dropping to his knees and onto the floor as blood seeps out from the side of his head.

“got ‘em,” he hears haechan say through the earpiece and he lets out a breath he was holding.

mark suddenly feels warm liquid dampen his shirt, his eyes falling to your troubled ones. “mark,” you croak out, until your legs give out from beneath you and you drop to the floor, pulling mark along. he looks down and sees blood pool at the bottom of your shirt. he looks at you with wide eyes, “no, no, no,” he murmurs as he hooks his arm under your knees and secures you into his arms before standing up. “come on. stay with me, y/n, stay with me.”

he turns around and runs out the warehouse, the others quickly following after him. “we need to get her to kun, hyung!,” he cries out.

he gets into one of the cars outside, taeyong quickly jumping into the driver’s seat and starting the engine.

“hey, y/n, talk to me, okay? come on, talk to me,” mark panics while he grabs your hand and squeezes it. “i just got you back, y/n. you can’t,” he chokes back a sob, “you can’t leave me like this.”

“mark,” you try to say but he hears it nonetheless. “what is it, y/n? tell me,” he brings the hand he’s holding and brings it to his lips.

“it’s not your fault,” mark closes his eyes and shakes his head at your words, “it’s not your fault, okay? i love you.”

“no, no, y/n. don’t say that,” he whimpers as he presses your body closer to his, “don’t say that. you’re gonna make it, okay? promise me.”

“i love you,” you repeat. a tear slips down your face and the taste of blood enters your mouth again, but this time, it’s coming from the back of your throat. “this is it,” you think and more tears slip from your face.

“i love you, mark. i love you,” you repeat as you hold his hand with all the strength you have.

mark quickly intertwines your hands together and holds it tight, “i love you, y/n, please,” he begs, “stay with me.”

they say that when you die, your life flashes before you, but for you it doesn’t. you don’t see your seventh birthday in disneyland, your graduation ceremony, your father coming home from the military, nor the first time you held a press conference as the company’s new ceo. maybe because your life is right in front of you, holding you close and praying to god to give you a second chance. you’re so young, you think, you had so much planned for your future together with mark and the others that this all seems like a dream to you, but the now dull ache in your back brings you back to reality.

you’ve been living your life ever since you met mark. he brought out the good sides of you and turned your weaknesses into your strongest points. when the world around you was too much, he was there to help you get through it and remind you to keep strong. somewhere in the middle, you found out that he was dangerous, he and his friends were, but that drew you closer to them. you understood them without the need to say anything because you understand. you understand the feeling of having to love someone and hide something from them to keep them safe. the fact that you got to see mark come back home every time he’s done with his missions was enough to lull you back into sleep. “in another life, mark lee,” you tell yourself.

so before you let out your last breath, you squeeze mark’s hand once again, softly this time. you let your eyelids come to a close as your life is slowly being taken away, and the last thing you feel is mark’s lips pressed pressed to your cheek, the warmth escaping his touch.

131 notes · View notes

eyeslikefoxglove · 4 years

Text

Episode 14 - WangXian are a (v soft) Battle Couple & Foxglove is hella mad

Hi! Welcome to episode 14. I should be studying. It’s day two of morning runs, so my soul has left my body already, send help. Yesterday I went to buy plants with my mum and got so excited I just whacked on a bunch of eyeshadow because I haven’t seen the outside in weeks, I’m also wearing makeup today, because I have nowhere to go, but I really need to finish this bb cream before it goes bad, so my parents are getting my full fresh faced “woke up like this and put on mascara” routine (which is a fucking lie because I’m wearing at least three blushes and two highlighters). I’m determined to get this bitch down in under five minutes so I can have another five to do eyeshadow, I have way too much eyeshadow to not wear it (I have way too much everything except maybe mascara and eyebrow stuff).

Yes, if y’all were wondering I am in fact a makeup magpie. ANYWAY BACK TO THE ACTUAL THING WE ALL CAME HERE FOR.

(Btw further down I discuss once again how shitty I think the Yunmeng sibs’ parents are if that causes an issue for you)

Ok ok ok, so I was talking with damnpoe-2187 here about how we found that sometimes WWX crossed from gremlin into asshole when he tried to get LWJ riled up. Like in the Cold Springs, putting our shippers hearts aside, that was a dick move and he should have stopped undressing the second LWJ went from annoyed to incredibly uncomfortable. I find this scene the complete opposite, a show of character development if you will. It is kind of similar in that they’re both hurt, and alone (although this time is much more serious) and there was some undressing going on; however WWX here behaves like a fool in love considerate person and knowing how uncomfortable LWJ already is tries to make it easier for him. They’re also super soft and I’m weak.

A brief interlude from my one track mind: That pond is full of corpses isn’t it? Or at least the remnants of the Murder Turtle’s meals I suppose. Damn right WWX should not have gone into the water with an open wound, but think no one should go swimming in there without a full hazmat suit tbh (I want to pump them full of antibiotics at this point ngl)

So I love this tiny montage (is it even a montage) of the, getting themselves ready to kill the Murder Turtle.

Teamwooooooork.

Listen, I have read a few fics in which their mind-meld stays in place due to reasons and I need me more of those.

Ok, turtles don’t work that way, but then again, giant murder snake-Trex-turtle so that’s low on my list of priorities. What’s not low is the fact that this guy is knee deep into pretty much a mass grave and I want to take a few showers just watching him.

Yeah, I know exactly what he’s smelling and suddenly I hope I don’t have meat for lunch today tbh.

The screaming sword has always been fucking creepy and does LWJ’s fist clench mean that he’s also hearing them?

BATTLE COUPLE! BATTLE COUPLE! BATTLE COUPLE!

So I know killing the thing took them something like six hours. And while it feels quite a long time in the show, I think that, if they cut the scene with idk, JC running towards Lotus Pier, then back to them, then back to JC, but now the sun is in a different position, back to them, but now the blood from LWJ’s hand has dripped down his arm; and so on a so forth it’d convey more clearly how long it took for the Murder Turtle to die. I know fuck all about cinematography tho so feel free to ignore all this if it is in fact an abomination.

Tiiiiiiny interlude here to say that Yiling Patriarch!WWX is probably one of my favourite character archetypes. He’s slightly creepy, slightly amoral (smiling while torturing and murdering bad guys is still amoral ok), more than a bit on the Dark Side, cocky, smirky, a bit of an asshole a BAMF, a rebel with cause and yet he will still do the right thing, not despite his nature, but because of it. He’s kind of like a Chipped Spike? But you know, he doesn’t need electroshock to behave.

I just want a fic where he’s this Dark Lord of Evil in everyone’s eyes however the ‘good guys’ take a break from trying to off him because a bigger threat just popped up and they have no choice but to ask for his help. He agrees, keeps being his charming self while also saving everyone’s asses, LWJ is smitten.

TL;DR: The Necromancer is hot. Oh and nobody dare deny LWJ has a Yiling Patriarch kink.

Oh my, this is the part when I always get teary eyed.

WUJI ON A CELLO? DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME?

“Why hasn’t Jiang Cheng shown up and rescued me yet?” THIS IS ALL THE PROOF I NEED THAT WWX IS THE BABY SIBLING.

“Lan Zhan sing me a song”

IT IS HAPPENING, STAY FUCKING CALM EVERYBODY (I’m crying)

That slideshow of their best moments set to WuJi is a masterpiece, and also, it kind of drives home the point of “how tf did we go from flirting during summer camp to this mess”?

(Btw if that’s YiBo humming he’s got one hell of a deep voice)

Ok ok ok, so this moment had me spitting up my tea the first time I watched it. Believe it or not my dumbass thought these people were actually serious with the censorship and we’d get scraps of their actual relationship. Lots of charged moments like in some other western tv shows I’ve seen when two dudes have chemistry but “they’re not gay”, no longing glances, no tender touches, no being unbelievably soft with each other; just you know, amped up, because if I’m not mistaken you can be arrested in China for “promoting the gay”. I mean, they changed the beginning when people insult MXY’s sexuality to insulting his mental health; no one would think “ah yes, the gays are good” when they hear it used as a slur, but they still erased it completely. One of the things I thought they’d fully take away was WangXian, I mean, the into/outro is named Wuji, which, you know, still a mishmash of their names, but not their ship name. It is such a significant part of the story with all the “what’s the song name? Figure it out yourself” that if something were going to give away that they’re married with a kid it would be that. I thought we’d get an artful fade to black BEFORE LWJ would say the name not after. And also, YiBo is enunciating it so clearly that, even with the sound muffled and the blurriness I, who don’t speak Chinese, can make out the two syllables. That’s deliberate, I can say “WangXian” loud and clear without moving my lips too much. At this point in time I must assume someone in charge of looking for censorship violations in the show is a fan and just ignored it.

Censorship person 1: dude, isn’t that a bit too gay, maybe you shouldn’t greenlight it.

Censorship person 2: shut the fuck up, sit here and watch.

*a full rundown of the whole of CQL later*

Censorship person 1: oh my god they’re so in love and they deserve to be happy.

Back to the commentary: I’m sorry but I have a mighty need of a WWX & Peacock friendship ok? This might be me just wanting WWX and LWJ to make other friends besides each other but I think that the Peacock is just bitchy enough to not take any of WWX’s bullshit.

And the Yunmeng bros timing for banter strikes yet again.

That’s terrible quality fake blood btw.

@ Yunmeng disciples: STOP SHOOTING FUCKING KITES PLEASE AND THANK YOU

Oooof even with a change of clothes our boy is still looking rough as hell.

MY LOVELY YUNMENG SIBS BEING SOFT AND HAPPY WITH EACH OTHER.

It hurts my soul that the second JFM starts praising WWX for surviving the Murder Turtle our boy’s knee-jerk reaction is to start praising JC in return. It is instinctive, how many times must this have happened for him to know his brother won’t even get scraps of praise? (Seriously fuck their parents)

It was going so well, I mean, JFM had a point warning him to not say things in anger. But I thought he was going to tell him that it is because sometimes he’ll hurt someone without wanting to, yet, this asshole decided to, once again, remind his kid he thinks he’s a failure.

And here comes Mme Yu who I can only assume had a servant posted at the door to warn her when WWX woke so she could throw some verbal abuse at him. I mean, she must have been missing it.

And JFM’s misogynistic bullshit strikes once again, because why defend ALL your kids when you can insult your wife.

(Every time someone berates WWX for “intervening” I want to scream. I mean, seeing this I can believe why the society as a whole thought genocide was a good idea.)

I love how they use their kids as props in their fight, I mean it’s not like they have feelings or anything. This woman is gaslight-y as hell too “you don’t love your kid because I gave birth to him”, you can’t tell me saying that in front of the son she’s supposed to love isn’t going to hurt him. And she knows it, I mean, besides the Wen attack I’ve never seen her hit the kids (although I very much doubt she hasn’t), so a good part of the abuse must be verbal. There’s no fucking way a person who regularly uses words that way won’t realise where she’s aiming those arrows. Which means to her (to both) the kids are collateral.

But FR, the barely-out-of-adolescence disaster bi necromancer PTSDing all over the place and living in a mass grave was a better parent than any of the current adults in this thing.

Which brings me to another point, Shijie is textbook “the oldest sibling is just another parent” and I’m making myself very angry.

[this is when I start frothing at the mouth and itching to write a modern-girl(and friends)-dropped-in-CQL because someone has to be a positive adult influence in these kids’ lives and it sure as shit ain’t the ones in the actual show.]

CAN WE STOP BRINGING PEOPLE’S DEAD PARENTS INTO THE FIGHT?

*deep breath*

I am going to feed JFM & Mme Yu each other’s spleens. Look, listen, look and listen, let’s first talk about how calmly they lay out the facts of their lives, one is only loved because he’s been brought up in the shadow of his dead parents, the other knows with certainty his father dislikes him and his mother uses him as leverage in marital disputes. When have these two not exploded their emotions all over the place? Fucking never. Yet here they are, talking about this bullshit like some bout of inconvenient weather. They’re used to it!

And now let’s talk about yet again siblings-are-just-extra-parents, with an added pile of WWX’s terrible self awareness that, to the man who brought him up, his worth is due to his dead parents. Again I’m extrapolating, but with the amount of times Mme Yu brings up his parents in such a negative light I refuse to believe JFM hasn’t made all the “you’re so much like your parents” comments to him every time WWX does something right. I mean, telling an orphan about their parents if they ask is a good thing, but WWX seems starved for stories about his them, which leads me to believe JFM refuses to talk about the topic except to make those little comments. What a fucking stellar way to give someone all the trauma if you ask me. May also explain a lot of WWX’s self worth issues if the biggest praise he’s ever heard is that he resembles dead people, yes, people who were loved, but they’re dead, and it doesn’t look like any adult has bothered to go and differentiate WWX from ZSSR&WCZ.

I’m just really mad, despite all the silly anecdotes I put in here my parents are fucking great at parenting, so I know what good parents should look like, and this ain’t it.

Ok, so I made myself angry and I don’t know if I should move onto the next episode now or wait till tomorrow but thanks for reading!

#the untamed #cql #mdzs #mdzs live action #foxglove watches cql #foxglove watches the untamed #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wangxian #jiang yanli #jiang cheng #yunmeng shuangjie #yunmeng trio #yunmeng siblings #yunmeng bros #Foxglove is hella mad #good parenting? Less likely than you think

23 notes · View notes

dio-roga · 5 years

Photo

After years of stalling, this is finally seeing the light of day and thank actual jesus for that. There’s more fic out there than you’d think for the best boys, but like all things, sturgeon's law’s in effect when it comes to quality (big time actually, around 35 fics on this list from a rough 350 in existence). I read them all so you don’t have to.

Higher rank the better (though obviously YMMV) and the rest should just be ordered by word count. I have a place in my heart for everything on this list so no matter where it is or what I say about it, trust me, if it’s here, I think it’s worth your time.

Will do my best to keep things up to date. I F5 tabs like you wouldn’t believe. Love you guys ❤

[SSS RANK] ABSOLUTE TOP SHELF

ego, opinion, art & commerce 24parts

We hopefully all know it, we certainly all love it. The canon-compliant, rock-band road-trip AU that’s destined to rule the entire ship one day; the cryde child of prophecy. Go in hard and this’ll take you away like nothing else. The only thing not absolutely perfect about this fic is (like the rest of us) you’ll have to wait for the ending. I know waiting sucks, but please don’t let it stop you bingeing this story right now. I am not exaggerating when I say it’s better than most published books you’ll ever read.

let your heart hold fast niente

Literally the best finished cryde fic ever written as of time of writing this. The boys have grown up. Clyde’s a writer, Craig’s distant, and familiar circumstances bring them crashing back together. The cast of characters are a complete joy, it’s fully drenched in canon, and sports an amazingly rich post-series lore with all manner of cute nods and easter eggs for fans of the show. Nothing short of a masterpiece. Written with such love. Treasure your first read of it.

[SS RANK] AMAZING READS GAURANTEED

Pulling Mussels SekritOMG

A divisive fic maybe, but a classic all the same. Get ready for a fresh take on normal fic conventions to be sure. Personally? I’d consider it top shelf, no question. But to others? They might end up absolutely hating it. A strange midlife odyssey wherein a fed-up, lonely Craig begrudgingly reconnects with an out-of-shape, stagnated Clyde. Memorable to say the least, packed to bursting with detail and personality; go in with the right mindset and its glorious set pieces with burn themselves into your memories. Possibly the fic I’ve re-read the most ever.

Darkness Falls Vampiracy

Do you like cute, gorgeously written things? Set during the three days of Stick of Truth, it tells the behind-the-scenes story of Craig’s growing infatuation with the Lord of Darkness. Everything about this is clever and charming and just generally heart-warming. Best read after playing the game for maximum enjoyment, feel smart and accomplished as you pick out all the references. This fic’s adorable and pure and can do no wrong.

Chicken Vampiracy

The gateway fic? Huge question mark? This story is cryde personified. Like the author distilled the ships very essence into this amazingly funny and light-hearted story about the boys playing the world’s most drawn out game of gay chicken. It’s impossible not to love this story, it’s perfect for what it is, and will leave you feeling happy by the end every time. What more could you want? Show this one to your friends and they’ll finally ‘get’ cryde.

the remains of our sky traiyadhvika

I’ll level with you fam, this story will emotionally cripple you, prepared or not. The writing is precise, sublime, and utterly heart-breaking. It tells the story of how Craig deals with the aftermath of Clyde’s death on Everest. Obviously a heavy topic, but I can tell you with complete confidence that this fic not only does the subject matter justice, but also manages to tell a story of love and hope despite it. Like Butters said, it’s a beautiful sadness. This fic had me obsessively researching mountains for weeks, and anything that can light that kind of fire in you is something special.

C & C, The Mystery Duo Darkyfoot

There is nothing in here but pure fluff, joy and happiness. This story will lighten your soul and brighten your heart. It tells the tale of the boys discovering a life-long obsession for hunting mysteries, and will resonate with anyone who’s ever held a strong passion in their lives (which is probably most of you, if you’re hunting down SP fics to read). The written equivalent of a warm blanket and a steaming hot mug of cocoa on a cold winter’s night.

[S RANK] THE REALLY GOOD STUFF

Equality Donkerblauw Fluweel

A good chill-out fic? Cataloguing a series of parties over the summer in which Clyde starts cozying up to Craig after much alcohol is consumed; and like a good drink, the fic mixes all its elements together nicely. It’s nothing ground breaking, but it’s got a super relaxing flow to it, and will brighten your mood by the end. It nails the party atmosphere, so if you’ve got no-where to go this Friday night, maybe pour yourself a little something and give this one a read.

Craig Likes Vanilla (Ice Cream) themuffintitan

The cuteness equivalent of porn. If you’ve got a list of cliché ‘aww’ scenarios, chances are they’ll play out in this fic. If hand holding and sharing an ice-cream make you melt (hahanotfunny) then this one’s definitely for you. For a fairly simple story about Craig and the squad visiting a waterpark, it’s remarkably detailed (check that word count fam), and has a killer summer atmosphere to boot. It certainly made me hit up a park last July. The writing does let it down in a few areas, but overall you’ll probably be too busy enjoying the ride to notice.

The Silent Lie Donkerblauw Fluweel

Guilty pleasure? Okay you caught me red-handed. This fic’s practically porn. Read all about how Clyde learns to surrender his heterosexuality as Craig massages away all his football injuries in the steamiest way possible. If I’m being totally honest? The story’s pretty obviously there to frame the smut, and writing can be a bit all over the place. But I can’t deny it just works. It’s hot AF. Come here for the sexies and you won’t leave disappointed. Read it after dark. ;)

Press Play flappySp00kster

Arguably unfinished, but the only thing missing is apparently a mostly superfluous epilogue. We’re in full AU territory here as Clyde hooks up with Craig on a dating app during a rough-patch with his long-time, and now ex, girlfriend. Your mileage may vary obviously as the story’s not canon compliant; however the boys behave like you’d imagine and the romance is nicely fleshed out and unique. Bonus points for a bit of kink in the sex scenes, which is rarer than you’d expect for this ship.

What Happened in 1637 pinkfloyd1770

One of the most strikingly unique stories out there; it’s essentially a flower shop AU in which Clyde embraces his Dutch heritage and sports and encyclopedic knowledge on tulip facts. Written in medias res during a seemingly long since established relationship with Craig, this fic merely offers a look into this unique take on the couple as they go about their lives. The detail is stunning, and you’ll find vivid mental pictures coming to life in every scene. If you can get past the fact Craig bottoms (let’s pretend he was feeling generous that evening) then you’ll certainly be charmed with this one. (1637 is the year the tulip bubble finally popped. In case you were wondering.)

Around My Head wendybirb

Are you looking for something that’s light and fluffy? Maybe you like reading Clyde’s inner monologue as he fumbles around high-key pining over his best friend? Perfect, sign yourself up to this fic; it’s a quick and easy read that’ll give you your daily dose of wholesomeness from one of my favorite authors. Nothing overly flashy or complicated here, just boys being cute and kissing.

hey there demons traiyadhvika

This spooky affair is thankfully a lot less of an emotional roller-coaster than it’s cousin ‘remains of our sky’, but that’s not to say it doesn’t grab you and refuse to let go. Have you ever wondered what Craig and Clyde would be like trying to host one of those dorky haunted house shows? Bonus points in that Craig can legitimately see ghosts? It’s a fresh concept that’ll really get your mind racing with the cutest hosts you could ask for. Kept me glued to my seat, ready to throw down if any bad spirits came between the best boys. Slept with the hall lights on for a couple nights ngl.

As Good a Reason as Any Vampiracy

The last of the sacred trinity that also includes Chicken and Darkness Falls, the only reason this fic isn’t ranked higher is because it’s also the authors shortest. Watching Clyde try anything and everything to spend more time with Craig is as endearing as it sounds, and the only thing that sucks is that it doesn’t overstay its welcome; when honestly, you’d like the fic to stay for dinner and spend the night. Quality everything. No joke made my heart flutter. Read it and know true happiness.

Kiss It Better dokidave

A one and done story of Craig trying to cheer Clyde up after a difficult day. This fic’s a nice double whammy if you’re looking for some hurt and comfort mixed in with some steamy sex scenes. It delivers exactly what is says on the box; don’t expect too much in the way of plot of development, but certainly feel free to gush over the sappy sweet character moments. A good pick-me-up fic if you’re having a lousy day.

Take a Chance (You Say It's Your Birthday) Miaou Jones (miaoujones)

So here we have Craig being drunk and vulnerable, while Clyde’s radiating raw sexuality as he dances for Craig’s camera. I’m usually all about Craig giving off that top energy, but the way this story frames (hahakillme) the whole dynamic is very soft and endearing; you can fully understand why Craig’s the one feeling thirsty this time around. This is a fic that really knows how to set a mood. Read it and feel like you’re being pampered.

You Make It Easier glowworm888

Pure comfort; Clyde’s feeling understandably miserable about the thought of growing up without his mom, and Craig’s doing his best to help Clyde cope. Wholesome dumb teenagers looking out for each other and low-key falling in love. I dare you not to feel all happy inside as Clyde slowly begins to feel better as Craig looks after him. Adorable throughout, the ending is very much them. Another good read for making a crappy day a better one.

Miss you x Vampiracy

A true hidden gem by one of the best authors in the whole fandom; we have here the best fic in which Clyde doesn’t even appear. The whole schoolyard gang give their two cents on Craig’s spiraling mental state as he tries desperately to justify a typo to Clyde during an obsessive summer-long texting marathon. Legitimately funny from start to finish, with buttery-smooth dialogue and a big soft ending that’ll have you grinning ear-to-ear for completely different reasons. Love it, cherish it, and dream of more. Vampiracy ̶ we’ll miss you x.

[A RANK] SHORT AND SWEET

Whatever Gets You Through The Night Miaou Jones (miaoujones)

There’s a lot of mixed feelings for me in this fic. A love-letter to Clyde and his parents, in which Craig gets caught up on the whole ‘love’ part of it, having trouble fully expressing himself due to some heavy personal baggage. The Donovan’s really shine in this story. Betsy’s alive and massively comforting, Roger’s family values personified, and Clyde’s being a sweetheart to end all sweethearts. It’s confronting, more than a little emotionally messy, but it’s none the less a story that’ll stay with you. Check the comments for a hidden stinger.

Some Dieting Donkerblauw Fluweel

Clyde’s self-image problems are the focus this time around, doing a commendable job pushing the ideas of healthy progress, properly looking after yourself and feeling comfortable letting others help out. It’s a good length for the story it is, and although the writing gets a little spotty in parts you’ll be unlikely take too much notice. Like Clyde, this one’s hearts in the right place.

If Time Could Stand Still WeCryde

I used to stumble across this story semi-regularly back in the day, wondering if I’d missed it before realizing we’d already been well acquainted. The amount of show rather than tell is fairly distracting, with the entire meat of the relationship relegated to backstory. There’s still something here though. Perhaps in the way it deals with long-distance relationships and just distance in general. Maybe the hopeless romantic in me resonates with the plight of two idiots with thousands of miles between them. See if it works for you?

The Edges of the Atmosphere Miaou Jones (miaoujones)

There should be some sort of law that states that confessions in cryde stories have to be some level of stupid or convoluted. These two are physically incapable of expressing such feelings to each other in any standard normie way. So enjoy some classic spaceman Craig tropes while Clyde juggles being cute and awkward like a pro. Trigger warning for some racy hand-holding action; we’re talking interlocking fingers here.

Standby Flier Cheesebirb (Hi Mark ;)

So upfront, this story isn’t even a romance quite honestly. It’s just a cute bromance sort of affair at most, in which the boys share a hotel room together while waiting on a flight back home. You could quite certainly interpret it as the start of something deeper, as the fic gladly provides hints to support it; however there’s nothing to see here apart from the two personalities bouncing off each other, and sometimes that’s enough. A memorable little story that might resonate that little bit extra if you’re a frequent traveler.

Bust and Boom Azul_Bleu

Clyde fumbling with the realization that he’s got the hots for Craig isn’t new ground, that’s about the only ‘downside’ I could give this story. What it does with this premise however is deliver some pitch-perfect characterizations, snappy pacing, a good variety of settings, and some surprisingly touching moments given its brevity. It’s also loaded with lines that stand up off the page and stick with you and those are always worth their weight in gold; the author really squeezes a lot out of the short word count.

Forts Can Be Fun wendybirb

In which little Craig builds a pillow fort and little Clyde is invited. It’s a soft story with some cute exchanges, if you’re looking for a more innocent kid-cryde vibe then this one can scratch the itch. Short and sweet by definition. Go read it and give yourself a little smile.

Ennui dsfgajkh

This simple story’s a real blink and you’ll miss it; detailing some introspective thoughts Clyde’s having about the monotony of small town life and his fascination with his much more interesting best friend. At nearly a decade old, this story pre-dates Pandemic, which solidified the usual stoic Craig tropes that came after so it’s an awesome little time capsule back to those days where apathetic Clyde and flamboyant Craig was as good a guess as any. There’s a line about skittles that makes it worth the ten minute read.

Neighbors Vampiracy

So remember that time that Vampiracy wrote one of the most realistic and precious depictions of little Craig and Clyde playing with toy trucks in the backyard, but then it got buried in the depths of tumblr? Try not to smile when Clyde beams over the prospect of making a new friend and being able to show off the hole he’s dug; I completely and utterly dare you. Bratty Craig is my spirit animal and I’d die for more adventures with him at the Donovan house. I’m such a sucker for cutesy pre-school fluff I swear; just like you will be when you’re done reading this.

Shine On How You Shine On Miaou Jones (miaoujones)

Real talk? I’m a sucker for all things Brokeback Mountain, and this fic’s just neatly slotting in Craig and Clyde as the cowboys sharing a rough and confusing night in a tent together. The story is exactly what you’d think if you’ve read the original, and it hits all the same thematic beats. Guilty pleasure alert in full here. If you’re in the mood for hearing Clyde Twist tense up as Craig Delmar spits on his hand behind him then I won’t judge if you don’t. I’d unironically read ten more chapters.

Two Weeks toddintops

Yeah-yeah I know I’m stretching the definition of fic with this one, it’s barely a half thousand words; but hey, better five hundred words that make you feel something than ten thousand that leave you feeling the same. A short, sharp dose of angst with some beautiful art accompanying, what have you got to lose? Something about Clyde’s smile, coupled with the bittersweet lines near the end has always managed to stay with me. Maybe it’ll strike a chord with you too.

UNFINISHED (BUT STILL GREAT)

Ask Craig obitotxt (Password is 12345)

Hop on board the angst express; with the last stop being yourself when you realize the story comes crashing off the rails and never hits the end. Is the fact this blog never reached a conclusion one of the great tragedies of our modern era? Yeah, kinda. Fact is, this is probably the only cryde-centric askblog-formatted story out there; and yeah, it’s hyperbolic at times, but goddamn if it doesn’t make you feel something. Packed to the brim with boys being boys, memorable moments and just so much heart, you’ll be pressing F (and F5) for days after you reach the final unfinished pages.

One More Year llexxii

And here’s a weird way to recommend something: you probably don’t want to read this one. It’s very long, it’s very dead, and it has a fairly submissive Craig coupled with a rather unlikable rendition of Clyde. So why’m I even talking about this, and really, I’ve not got much of an answer for you. Just that this fic, despite everything, has some consistently excellent writing. The flashback scenes to Craig and Clyde as young kids are total gems. There’s stuff to love here, and maybe it could have been something great; if nothing else, maybe check it out as an interesting look into the ships history.

Turn It Around, Get a Rewrite wendybirb

This one hurts, in just about every respect. Prepare for angst story wise as we follow along with the life and times of Craig, reconnecting with a clearly troubled yet desperately pining Clyde, who seems scared shitless about his dying claims to heterosexuality. I genuinely love this story. It’s raw and emotional and angry and sexy, it comes across messy and real and does an amazing job making you care about the boys while also showing their more frustrating attributes. I’m still holding out hope it’ll one day take its place with the greats, but until then, the hardest gut-punch is always that “unfinished” tag.

January White (Love Is a Stain) Dovakiin

Here we’ve got a different kind of tragedy. The usual formula is a promising author burning out after an amazing opening run, but here we’ve got a story that never even made it past the kickoff. It’s such a shame. The eponymous metaphor and the solemn tone throughout is honestly pretty captivating; I would love to see how this take on the characters would have played. Spare ten minutes from your day and give yourself something to reflect on with this abandoned beginning.

NOT FULL CRYDE, BUT CLOSE ENOUGH

ask MARSH and BROFLOVSKI jovishark

You know what? Fuck it. I’m putting this one here and no one can stop me. This ask blog is practically fandom required reading at this point, and I couldn’t in good conscience not mention it. Stan and Kyle answer your questions, the plotline reads like something from a CW show, and Craig and Clyde don’t even end up together. I love it genuinely. If you pressed me, this story might be what got me into the fandom; pressed me harder, it’s what got me into cryde (again ironic as cryde isn’t endgame here). Always worth a read or a re-read. Pretend Craig and Clyde sorted things out in college if you need to.

Brace Yourself skyline

Okay so it’s a style story, let’s get that elephant in the room well and truly pointed out from the outset. If it’s a deal breaker for you that cryde isn’t the focus, then move along, but I guarantee for those that stay, there’s a charmingly written cryde side-ship playing out in tandem to Stan’s quest to win over his super best friend. There’s a lot to love about this story, the writings sharp and surprisingly powerful at times, and the characters are a joy to watch. Watching the cryde story unfold from Stan’s POV is a unique experience that you won’t really find anywhere else.

Remove Before Flight skyline

So remember Brace Yourself from literally just one entry up? Okay, same concept, same author. This is a different timeline in which Kenny’s the lucky protagonist trying to win Kyle’s heart, but like before, you’re treated to an enjoyable cryde sub-plot playing on in the background of the K2 drama. The writing’s still on-point, the characters are still great; if you liked the authors other story (which I’d advise reading first), you’ll definitely enjoy this one too. It’s cute how Craig and Clyde always seem destined for each other in this universe.

#cryde #fanfic #clyde donovan #craig tucker #cryderecs #we should probs be friends if youve read them all #❤️

38 notes · View notes