#where suddenly a whole new reality of 'these two people need to be together this makes so much SENSE!' opens up to you!!!!!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the-amber-fox · 4 months

Text

Young Royals Fic Rec List 2023

The holidays are coming early for this lovely fandom. I present you my favourite fanfics from this year to tide us all over until season 3.

Canon / Missing Moments

a running start (T) by This_time_its_just_me It’s so surreal to see him standing here in the Palace, in the Royal apartments where Wille had grown up through all the good and the bad of his life. It’s an image he couldn't have imagined, not in the sheer unremarkable and yet truly remarkable way it feels in reality. Sure he’d conjured up images of him, ghosts of memories and fantasies tangled together in a love-sick teenager's ache of loss. However, this is him here, pragmatic and tangible and real and it’s just difficult to wrap his mind around it.

Post Canon (maybe)

The equation of you Whiterabbit11 Simon is hurt and unconscious at the local hospital. Rosh watches, Ayub sleeps, and Wille is not happy.

All my loving (I will send to you) (M) @pagegirlintraining „Especially now that they’d been happily dating again for nearly ten months, Simon could’ve easily just teased Wille about being a drama queen and then kissed the pout off his lips. He didn’t, though. Instead, he kept staring at Wille’s handwriting, usually scrawly but now tidy and precise, feeling his heart slowly break for the sad, lonely boy who’d written and never sent this letter all those months ago.”

Baby, We Are Front-Page News (M) Ripki When Wille says, it was me, in front of the whole school – in front of the whole world – Simon feels simultaneously light with joy and leaden with trepidation. Once again, he is suddenly thrust from obscurity into spotlight, from normalcy into absurdity. He is certain though that together he and Wille can face anything. However, that is soon put to test, when a hurtful article about Simon hits the press.

no need for verbier (NR) starrystoryteller simon finds out about verbier

Fix Its

The daisy follows soft the sun (G) @romanticalrj Simon has two dark red seeds inked into his skin just below his belly button. He has always had them. He doesn’t remember a time when he looked into the mirror and that pair of burgundy seeds weren’t staring back at him. To Simon, the marks are an obligation. He doesn’t ever want to be tied to someone in this irreversible, caging way. But, as in most things in his life, Simon doesn’t get a choice. The seeds sit and sit on his belly for years, ignored and hidden and resented.

AUs

Ivy (M) unfortunate17 Wilhelm raises his eyebrows as well. “Pirate Captain Simon Eriksson.” He watches as Simon swallows, stepping forward to set the coins down on the countertop. He still smells like the ocean, Wilhelm notes vaguely, like sunshine and sea-salt. Ayub looks between the two of them, alarm twisting across his features until Wille sighs. “I’m not here to arrest anyone.”

obviously (M) grapehyasynth In their final year of secondary school, Simon and Wille find themselves entering a potent, secret relationship that threatens to upend both their lives. It can't last, but neither can they stop being a part of each other's lives. Over the next few years, even as everything around them changes, even as they hurt and lose each other, they keep finding themselves drawn together. Normal People AU.

Can you see me now? (T) kimmeke wilhelm needs eye surgery and has no one to help him with his recovery. he turns to his only option left: his next door neighbor simon

You're Still the One (M) queerfrogprince Simon and Wille meet on tumblr as teenagers, but when they lose contact, Simon doesn't think he'll ever hear from Wille again, much less bump into him in a supermarket in Stockholm one random afternoon. It's been five years, after all. He barely even thinks about Wille anymore. But, it seems, Wille never stopped thinking about him. Maybe it's not too late to rekindle what they had at fifteen, after all.

Hetero of the Year @girls-are-weird Prince Wilhelm is nominated for the Hetero of the Year award at the QX Gay Gala. In response, he freaks out. Simon, his popstar friend who's been pining for him for the better part of a year, worries this might mean Wille's secretly homophobic. After all, what other reason could there be for him to get so upset?

Slightly unhinged - but so worth it

Sorry this is awkward, I didn’t mean to airdrop that to you (T) @piebingo Wille accidentally airdrops his own fanfiction to a stranger in the library. (Written for the yr week 2023, the prompt of day 2: Alternate Meeting)

fighting dragons with you (T) burntromacesea “You have another knight in shining armor come to rescue you from my evil clutches and my murderous dragon,” Simon comments blandly, handing his husband a cup of coffee, “he should be here by this afternoon.” https://archiveofourown.org/works/45092605

Simon-Appreciation-Posts (T) DrogonTheDragon Wille didn't mean for it to blow up as it did. He didn’t. … or Wille makes a secret Simon Eriksson fan account and it gets a lot more attention than he intended.

Of Dinosaurs, Unicorns and the Perfect Proposal (G) @groenendaelfic Five-year-old Wilhelm steals his Mamma’s engagement ring to propose to Simon. Linda questions her life choices.

E - Rated

One, two, three, four, five, sex on my mind (E) pagegirlintraining, TheAmberFox When Wille first sees Simon, the rest of the world simply fades away. Which would be romantic and all, if it didn’t lead to him blindly stumbling into the sex shop Simon works at. Once he figures out his mistake, it’s already too late. But Wille wouldn’t be Wille if he let that stop him from pursuing the most beautiful boy he’s ever seen. If only things didn’t keep getting in the way of his plans…

Fuck the Monarchy (E) itsme_hi_imtheproblem Simon and Wille get stuck with each other when they both intern at the riksdag. Wille is intent to just get this dreaded thing over with. Simon can't believe he of all people has to work not only with an old conservative but with the literal prince. Both are surprised by the inexplicable and inevitable pull they feel towards each other.

say my name, say it loud (E) margosfairyeye (Skittery) The argument scene in the locker room in s02e04, but this time there's sex. (inspired by how much I thought there was going to be a spicy scene when I saw Simon come out in that towel)

Three Floors Down (E) emerybemery Simon hates how he can’t keep his eyes off Wille whenever he sees him. He hates how Wille seems to stare back at him with a borderline intoxicating intensity.

A Marvellous Time Ruining Everything @earlgrey-lateatnight Henry accidentally witnesses an intimate moment between Wille and Simon. How will they deal with the fallout?

The darker stuff Watch out for the trigger warnings and tags.

when you find me, let me in (G) paintersong Simon winced with guilt as Wille’s wide eyes traced his laptop. “Crown Prince Wilhelm Denies Involvement in Viral Sex Video” glared back, and Wille blinked, stepping away from the screen, away from Simon, away from the sting of betrayal.

Everybody loves you now (M) lc2l International pop sensation Simme has announced on Instagram that he will be celebrating the end of his sold out world tour with five consecutive shows in Stockholm starting TONIGHT and running through the week. This will be his first extended stay in Sweden in four years, since he graduated from high school and flew to L.A. to sign a record deal. And what is Wilhelm supposed to do with that.

In Another Life (E) @ungaroyals Wilhelm never returned to Hillerska after winter break, and he has spent his entire life regretting it. Nearly a decade later, he runs into Simon. He had hoped he'd successfully moved on from his feelings after all these years, but clearly, he was wrong. The two spend a passionate night together, expecting it to be their last. That is until it happens a second time when the two come arrangement that suits both their needs. Friends with benefits? No, they'd have to actually be friends for that to be the case. So this is it for this year. I must confess I did not have time to read everything. So if you have things that are missing in this list put them in the comments please. I also don't know everyones tumblr, so feel free to share with your mutuals.

The list from 2022 you can find here

#young royals #wille x simon #simon x wille #wilmon #yr fanfic #fic rec #yr fic rec

126 notes · View notes

aconstantstateofbladerunner · 1 year

Note

If the ask game is still open, what about an AU where Bakugou is recruited by the HPSC à la Hawks and Nagant?

Doubling these up because they fit together

- HPSC hears about it right away, as it’s unusual for UA to expel a single student rather than a large group. They find Bakugou’s high test scores in both the academic and practical exam, as well as the glowing praise from teachers over the years. But they aren’t stupid. They can sense where things have been exaggerated, and the operatives studying his case immediately clock what an arrogant, violent person he is. The kind of person who could easily become a villain, especially after being ‘wronged’ like this. They intercept his application to new schools within the week.

- They tell him and his family that this is a new and experimental program to teach the next generation of heroes, as opposed to the reality that many like him have come before. It’s a boarding situation with limited contact with his family or the outside world, which Bakugou is initially happy about. He doesn’t need his nagging parents breathing down his neck. And he doesn’t need a class of extras to distract him. Plus, academics take even more of a backseat to hero training.

- Bakugou is easy to train. Even though his regiment is specialized, his handlers make up records for him to break; not so easy he can break them on the first try, not hard enough to be impossible. Winning is his sole drive, so they let him think he’s doing that. When he does start breaking the made-up records, they invent imaginary other students in the program that are breaking new ones in another part of the building. This technique proves even more effective, as Bakugou doesn’t just run on being the best, he thrives on being better than others.

- Harder is teaching him to hold back on orders. Bakugou fundamentally believes himself to be superior to everyone, including adults, so why should he listen to them? So the handlers come up with an exorcise: he’s locked in a room with a series of dummies with voice boxes that hurl insults at all hours of the day. But he’s only allowed to destroy them one at a time when the lights in the room change color. Said color change only occurs for a few seconds at a time a few times a day, and the dummies are reinforced with quirk-resistant material that take a long time to break. And every time he breaks a dummy outside of the allotted time, they bring back in two more. He has as long as he needs to work, but they tell him the sports festival is only two weeks away and they won’t let him watch if he doesn’t finish the exercise in time. When he says he doesn't care, they remind him that he could check on the progress of the kids who got him expelled. Against all odds he does it, and gets to watch in time to see Deku, the reason he lost his shot at UA, win the whole tournament against Todoroki, the one other kid that scared him. Of course, it was never going to be live, it happened days before they introduced the exercise. Live television is out of their control, and who knows how he might have reacted to different results.

- His rage and commentary about Izuku being a quirkless liar prompt the program to change course: employ Bakugou as a specific countermeasure to Deku. He’s a strong kid with obvious ties to All Might, and All Might is a hero too powerful for them to control. Plus, he tried to appeal Bakugou’s expulsion, so he still views him as a friend. And so, they tell Bakugou his suspicions about Izuku aren’t unwarranted, someone born quirkless suddenly gaining power like that reads like something similar to a legendary supervillain believed to be dead. Not to mention, quirkless people in general lack discipline. Not like Bakugou, less than a year into the program and he’s already the best they’ve seen in years. Deku is on a fast track to become All Might’s successor, the new most popular hero in the world. And who would become even more popular than the guy who proved that symbol false?

#answers #au asks

285 notes · View notes

scrapyardboyfriends · 5 months

Text

So I haven't watch the show for like the last three weeks but I just sort of watched today's episode (fast forwarded through a lot of it) and was reminded why I haven't been watching.

It's such garbage. It's barely even watchable.

That whole night out thing was super painful to watch. What even was that? And then of course they have to go and throw gay bashing in at the end. Just so Ethan can have a new darker storyline?

Also, Suni repeatedly praising Nicky's stalking skills as if he didn't literally walk in the moment he was taking the selfie? Did he teleport there after he saw it? Or was Suni taking selfies on the way there? It's so silly. Also...I like Suni well enough but he and Nicky really have no chemistry. I mean...Lewis Cope just isn't that great of an actor to begin with. They're so awkward.

Also have Suni and Ethan ever interacted before?? Of course he doesn't follow you, Suni, you two have like never had a conversation.

I could only handle so much of the David exit stuff. The whole story is just lazy and idiotic.

And really, I think I'm just too ace for the current state of the show when it comes to relationships. I mean the writer in me is pained about the absolute lack of effort put into creating these pairings. But also, I just can't remotely get invested in this Tracy and Caleb affair because where did it come from???? Were she and Nate having problems? I mean their relationship makes no sense to me either since it has no development and they reunited off screen. But weren't they supposedly happy? Maybe? And then she's just storming into the Mill to yell at him about getting Nate involved in a fight and then suddenly Caleb is kissing her? And now they're having an affair????

I know in theory people can just be into the sex but like...I need more to go on here. I don't get it. What do they see in each other? What are they getting out of this? What is Tracy not getting from Nate that she's somehow getting from Caleb??? I know the reality is that the producers haven't thought any of this through and just wanted a new "sexy affair" but....

And all of their dialogue is so dumb and also very reminiscent of the Nate and Moira terrible affair. All "you know you want me, are you sure about that blah blah blah" there's absolutely ZERO substance to any of this. It's ridiculous.

Ditto for Jacob and Vic. And really Suni and Nicky too.

They are just spectacularly bad at building a relationship these days. They don't even try. Why don't they try? Why are they so incapable of being like "let's find a reason beyond plot needs for these people to want to be together"?? It's not that fucking hard!!!

Okay...rant over.

#emmerdale complaints corner #someone explain affairs to me when it's not also an emotional affair

20 notes · View notes

flightfoot · 3 months

Note

hello! do you have any good post-reveal pre-relationship fics? they don't have to be centered around adrien and marinette getting together, just that dynamic. thanks!

Hmmmm... I don't go for those as much as a lot of other people do, and they're not actually as common as you'd think they'd be, but I think I can scrounge some things up! I'm gonna have some WIPs in here, because otherwise I really wouldn't have much.

---

and I thought I heard you sing by @into-september

When Hawkmoth has been defeated and unmasked, Marinette is left with two problems and no solutions. First, that Adrien is further out of her reach than ever before, and no-one can tell her how to get to him. Second, that Cat Noir is far more troubled than she knew, and the only thing she can do is wait for him at the place they agreed to meet.

It’s your classic “Hawkmoth’s defeated and taken into custody but that means Adrien’s in for a rough time” sort of fic. Everyone’s worried about Adrien and wants to give him what comfort and support that they can, but he’s being hidden away from everyone (which I mean, honestly that’s a good move), so that’s not really possible. Plus, Ladybug’s noticed that Chat’s having a tough time in his civilian life, which worries her.

---

Love At Last Sight by ClaraOswald16

The final battle against Monarch has arrived, but things do not go as planned for our favorite superheroes. The battle leaves Marinette blind. Marinette and Adrien must come to terms with their new realities, but finding a new normal turns out to be harder than expected. This is a story of love, loss, and finding strength in each other.

Note: This is M-rated, though I don't think anything in the story so far warrants that high of a rating.

---

Perfectly Platonic (Unless...) by @frostedpuffs

After accidentally revealing their identities in less than ideal circumstances, Adrien and Marinette must navigate their newfound relationship as both partners and friends. Becoming best friends was a quick process, but when romantic feelings begin to bleed into what's supposed to be a platonic connection, their friendship starts to change in more ways than one. Surely it can't be that hard to hide their feelings from their best friend? (A post-reveal, pre-relationship fic full of romantic crushes, best friend shenanigans, and a whole lot of dumbassery.)

Note: This is also M-rated. It very much deserves it. It gets smutty sometimes, though it hasn't gone all the way (so far at any rate).

---

It's Just Practical by @ashes-555

What happens when you are an exhausted superhero, it's the middle of the night, and your partner's home is much closer than yours? The practical thing, obviously.

---

48 Hours To Make You Love Me by @mysticraven20

“When did you stop?” “Stop what, M’Lady?” “Stop loving me?” When two heroes miss the minibus for their winter get away with the gang they have no other choice but to make their way to the resort by themselves. After avoiding their feelings for years, a freak snow storm makes them reconsider more than just whether to carry on driving. Luckily, they find a quaint little bed and breakfast where suddenly they’re thrown into a situation where their feelings can no longer be held back; but, is it too late? The interference of an elderly couple after an eavesdropping accident helps both Adrien and Marinette come to terms with their feelings and their actions. Through movies, hot chocolates and snuggling to keep warm, Marinette wonders if it’s possible to make Adrien love her again, and more so can she do it by the time they need to leave their little sanctuary?

This just has a lot of adorable Adrienette shenanigans, with a fun time travel twist that had me inwardly squealing XD. If you want some Lovesquare fluff, this is a good one.

#ask #ml fanfic rec #adrienette #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #miraculous ladybug

18 notes · View notes

worldserasingandcreatinginmymind · 1 year

Text

No Business Like Show Business | Part Four

Series Summary: you work backstage at a theatre and become close with the star of the show (who you may also have a slight crush on)

Pairing: James McAvoy x reader

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: like 2 swear words I think..? also not proof read because its 12.30am and I need to sleep but I really wanted to just get this out there so sorry if its shit

A/N: wow whoops how is it almost a year since I last updated this story?? I am so SO sorry, its been a difficult year but honestly THANK YOU for the comments and messages about this series. You guys keep me motivated to keep writing so thank you thank you thank you!! Feel free to substitute James for any actor of your choosing. Also, spelling and grammar is not my strongest skill so please be kind :)

Part Three | Masterlist

- - - - -

Sooooo, James McAvoy kissed me… I know right? WHAT?!

Is this real life? Am I dreaming? Have I fallen through a wormhole into some alternate reality?

All I know for sure is, Vera is bloody good at playing Cupid.

— — — —

Walking into the work the next morning you can’t help smile. Getting kissed by James McAvoy certainly has a way of putting a spring in your step. As you approach the theatre you notice more people hanging around than usual. There’s normally one or two guys with cameras hoping to catch a glimpse of James or Anastasia, but today there’s a whole group. And even more unusual is, they’re actually paying attention to you.

“It’s her! Over here love!”

“Flash us a smile?”

You shield your eyes as cameras flash brightly in your face, disorientating you as you try to reach the theatre door.

“How long have you been dating James?”

“What does Anastasia think about your affair?”

“Leave her alone!” A voice cuts through the noise as an arm comes around you and directs you safely inside. “Should be ashamed of yourselves, shouting at a young girl like that. Vultures!” Vera shouts before slamming the theatre door shut and turning to you “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine” you reply, even though your hands are shaking. “What the hell just happened? Why do they suddenly care about me?”

“You haven’t seen?” Vera asks, reaching into her bag and pulling out a magazine which she hands to you. There on the front cover is a photo of your face staring back at you.

“What the…” you say in shock as you read the caption ‘meet the mystery girl who stole James’ heart’ along side a photo of the two of you smiling at each other in the coffee shop. “This is mental”

“It gets worse” Vera says as she opens the magazine to the article in which details about you have even printed for anyone to read along side a couple of your selfies taken from your instagram account. They found out your age, where you grew up, where you studied.

“This is madness! It was just coffee, surely no one actually cares this much about who I am?”

“Just coffee..?” Vera asks “Because I have to say you do look quite cosy there”

“Well-”

“Miss Y/L/N!” Alan the director calls from down the corridor, startling you “A word please.” A statement, not a question.

You nod, taking a breath before heading down to meet him. He leads you into his office and closes the door, gesturing for you to take a seat. You notice a copy of the magazine on his desk.

“Care to explain what’s going on here?” He picks up the magazine, pointing to the photo of you and James.

“We went to get coffee” you reply simply, not quite understanding what all the fuss is about.

Alan opens the magazine and begins to read “McAvoy and his new girl were spotted getting close as they talked and giggled together in cafe nero, leaving us to wonder if his relationship with girlfriend and theatre co-star Anastasia is in trouble. We cant wait to see how this backstage drama plays out.”

“Like I said, we just got coffee. People recognised James, saw me with him and put two and two together to get five.”

“Well I hope the coffee was worth it because I’m going to have to pull you from the production team.”

“What?! No, Alan, sir, please-”

“I’m sorry Y/N, I’ll arrange someone to cover you”

“Alan?” James bursts through the door “sorry to interrupt but you can’t replace Y/N, she’s done nothing wrong. Its my fault we were there, I asked her to come. It was supposed to be a group thing but everyone else dropped out.”

You feel your heart flutter at the fact he’s covering for you, even if he is bending the truth slightly.

“Look James, I understand it may have been a mistake but I cant risk this love triangle of yours effecting the show.”

“There is no love triangle.” James laughs “All this is is two colleagues having a drink after work”

‘Colleagues’? You think to yourself, has he forgotten the kiss you shared after?

“Oh come on, you have to admit these photos look rather cosy” Alan points to the magazine.

“It was loud in there, we had to lean in close to be able to hear each other. It’s not Y/N’s fault that people are seeing something that isn’t there!”

You feel your heart sink as the words ‘something that isn’t there’ play on repeat in your mind.

“Fine, you can stay.” Alan’s voice pulls you back out of your thoughts. “But you’ll have to tell Anastasia” he directs the last bit to James who rolls his eyes.

“So this was her idea then” James says.

“She’s just concerned about how this negative press could affect ticket sales.”

“That’s bullshit Alan and you know it!” The anger in James’ voice surprises you. You would never dream of talking to a director like that. “You’ve said yourself there’s no such thing as ‘negative press’. As long as people are talking about the play then people will come to see the play. Your words, not mine.”

“I know” Alan sighs.

“Ana is just jealous and looking to stir trouble, that’s what she does.”

“Yes but we need her.”

“Do we?” James asks, and a silence fills the room. You awkwardly glance between the two men, feeling uncomfortable being in the middle of this heated conversation.

You clear your throat, causing Alan and James to look at you. For a moment you think they may have forgotten you were still there. “Can I go?” You ask.

“Yes of course, apologies Y/N. You must have work to be getting on with.”

You give a small nod and get the hell out of that room as fast as you can.

— — — —

You give yourself ten minutes to just sit when you get to the props room, head on the desk just processing the past 24 hours.

James kissed you. Paparazzi are obsessing over you. Alan nearly fired you.

“Hello dear- ooh, are you alright?” Vera’s voice fills the room, you didn’t realise you’d left the door open.

“Yeah” you say sitting yourself back up in your chair.

“Really?”

“…no.” you respond honestly.

“What happened daring?” Vera takes a seat on the chair next to you. “I heard raising voices when I passed Alan’s office on the way here.”

“Alan wanted to remove me from the production team. James stepped in and basically saved my job.”

“Oh, well at least you're still here. That’s a good thing.”

“Yeah, but he also said some things that I don't know how to feel about.”

“Alan?”

“No, James. He said we’re just colleagues and there’s nothing between us but yesterday at the cafe it kinda felt like a date and then when we got back here he kissed me so now I just really don't know-”

“He kissed you!!”Vera interrupts, a mix of shock and glee on her face. You forgot you hadn’t had chance to tell her yet.

“Yeah, but then he said all that-“

“That doesn’t matter darling, he was probably just saying that to Alan to keep you here. Have you talked to him?”

“No, I haven’t been able to. This morning as not gone to plan at all.”

“Well then I wouldn’t worry about it just yet. You need to speak to him.”

“Hello?” James voice calls as he appears at the door.

“Speak of the devil” Vera whispers to you with a cheeky smile as she gets up from her chair “Hello James dear”

“Don’t let me interrupt you”

“No not at all, I was just leaving. See you later Y/N” she winks before disappearing out the room, closing the door behind her.

James watches her and turns to you. There’s a brief silence a the two of you just look at each other, a small smile on your faces.

“So I-” “I should-” you both say at the same time, making you both laugh.

“Sorry you were saying?” You ask.

“No no, you go” he replies.

“Okay, uh.. I just wanted to say thank you for sticking up for me with Alan.”

“Of course, there was no way I would let him fire you.”

“I don't think he would have fired me, but he was definitely about to remove from this production.”

“Oh! Well in that case…” James jokes and you playfully hit him on the arm “I’m kidding, I’m glad you're still on the team.”

“Yeah me too.” you say absentmindedly fiddling with a pen you found on the desk. He places a hand on top of yours, causing you to look at him.

“And I know it got you in trouble, but I really enjoyed our coffee yesterday.”

“It was good coffee” you say sarcastically.

“You know what I mean…” he says with a laugh.

“Do I?” You ask, pulling your hands away as you sit back in your chair and look at him “cause I’m picking up on some mixed signals here”

“Was kissing you not a clear enough signal?”

“Well I thought it was, but then you said that we were just colleagues and that there was nothing between us”

“What? When did I say that?” He is genuinely confused.

“This morning, in Alan’s office. You said that people were seeing something that wasn’t there! So I got the hint that you didn’t actually like me and maybe you regretted kissing me or maybe you just kiss everyone like that-”

“Y/N” he takes your face in his hands, forcing you to look at him “What I said to Alan I said because I didn’t want you to lose your job. I didn’t mean it. Just like I do not kiss everyone the way I kissed you and I most definitely do not regret it.” He smiles at you the most genuine, warm smile which makes you smile back. “I really like you Y/N, and I would really like to kiss you again. If you’ll let me..?”

He searches your eyes and as soon as you nod he leans in and gives you the most tender kiss you’ve ever received. You melt into him completely, but suddenly pull away.

“Wait, what about Anastasia? I don't want to be part of some love triangle.”

“There is no triangle Y/N. Ana and I are not together.”

“But the papers said-”

“It’s fake news, set up by the people in charge of the theatre’s publicity. They think more people will want to buy tickets for the show if the lead actors are dating. It’s bullshit I know, but I’ve been forbidden from setting the story straight until after the show closes.” He pauses, giving you a second to take in what he’s explained “I understand if this is too complicated, you shouldn’t have to be dragged into this mess and I wouldn’t blame you if you told me to get lost-“

Now its your turn to interrupt him. You pull him into you and kiss him, passionately.

Eventually you pull apart slightly, wrapping your arms behind his neck and looking up at him. “Was that a clear enough signal for you?” You joke.

“Hmm, I’m not sure. I think you need to show me again” he winks and you return to your new favourite hobby; kissing James McAvoy…

Part Five

Taglist: (if you want to be added/removed please let me know)

@halfofwhatisayismeaningless @internetgremlin-reads @blahblahblah0987654321 @mcavoy-girl @username21mk

Also please bear in mind I can't reply to comments on fics from this username as its a sideblog but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate them. your comments give me LIFE 💛

#James McAvoy #James Mcvoy x reader #james mcavoy fanfic #James McAvoy imagine #no business like show business #nblsb #fanfic #imagine

33 notes · View notes

goosewriting · 5 months

Text

i can't believe my brain finally, finally let me have a cal kestis appearance in my dream last night and it was the saddest most heart-wrenching thing ever 😩 my dreams are crazy, detailed and elaborate so this will get long lol if you feel like reading, go ahead, it's real "reader falls into an alternate universe and needs to find their way back" fic material 😂

btw if any of you ever have dreams with your blorbos i'd love to read it so feel free to honk in my inbox c:

so it kinda went back and forth between two different dreams i'm pretty sure. one playing at the university library and the other playing somewhere else. in the library one i was at a table with some classmates, working on our assignments, but there were also some people i know from elsewhere and we started arguing over something. then there was this girl who had lost something and i tried to talk her through how to get to the lost & found, giving the wildest (and very wrong) directions.

the other dream started in the middle of a yellow field of tall grass, where train tracks ran through from one side of the horizon to the other, nothing else to see. when the train came, it was massive, and i was participating in a heist of sorts. we (still don't know who the other people were) were successful i think, because the train derailed and we looted it. I think there was some big boss mastermind somewhere who told us what to do and we were all scared of her lol

so i don't exactly remember what happened after the heist, but the thing is there were these jumps between the dreams where in one i was this badass agent of whatever and doing cool stuff, and in the other i was "real me" in this world doing mundane things. although at some point i'm pretty sure i suddenly was an estate agent trying to set everything up for a visit except that the house was made of cardboard, but that's beside the point 😂 the scenarios from the library timeline i'm pretty sure happened not only somewhere else but in a different time altogether.

at one point, the events of the heist dream kinda come to its peak, and i now find myself in a big room (in hindsight i think it was the archives on jedha from the survivor game?) and somewhere in the air there's a bucket-shaped thing that's swallowing everything around it in a whirlwind, essentially ripping apart time and space. and as it turns out, cal has been there the whole time, and we were actually fighting together and stuff. but now that the bucket is about to shred the fabric of reality, we have to do something. and for some reason the plan of action is that i have to travel to a different universe. we (cal, me, and some other people idk) were all standing at a holotable looking at a map displaying different planets and universes and stuff (again, in hindsight, very web of life and destiny like. i just mashed everything together here it seems xD). and the reasoning in my head went like this: the planet we find ourselves on at this moment is not necessarily star wars canon and is outside of the known parts of the galaxy. so even if i do find my way back to this universe (which i was sure i could do, somehow) i still have no means to contact cal and or even find the planet again. so the search would take quite a while.

and there isn't enough time for us to set up a meeting point and time or anything because of the imminent danger. someone is already dragging me back to the bucket to be sucked into next wednesday or whatever, but i go up to cal one last time and he gives me the strongest hug and omg i didn't wanna let go. at this point i 'm in tears and as someone once again pulls me away and drags me off, i call to him "i will find you" and then everything goes black.

it's so lame i know but i legit woke up with a hole in my heart ;-;

my conclusion is that after leaving that place, the time and space travel kinda wiped my mind so i started a new life (the one at the library and the cardboard house) and completely forgot about cal :'( eventually i'd get snippets of memories, which is why the dream kept jumping back and forth, but i probably just thought they were daydreams or whatever, not my own memories. now that's some meta angst man.

oh and also at some point there were gorillas that shapeshifted into smaller versions of themselves with wings to fly around, and everyone was absolutely okay with that except that they were aggressive so they didn't like them. how that ties into any part of the dream i couldn't tell you but it was just a striking image to see these giant apes suddenly become small and flutter around shdjddkd

#goose honks #not that i plan on writing about my dreams too often here but i'll start a tag just in case lol #goose delulu dreams #my brain better give me more star wars content >:(

6 notes · View notes

devil-in-the-details-ay · 7 months

Text

They might just make it through the day without killing each other...

Astaroth almost laughed, maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as he was anticipating. “If need be, you can have a whole house just for your clothing, darling.” Just no temper tantrums, he thought to himself. He stepped over closer to her, his hand once more landing on her lower back as he stood next to her, testing the waters. “Yara, if you work with me, this doesn’t have to be a bad experience for either of us.” The corners of his mouth rose slightly as he watched for her reaction.

Yara looked at him, once more she was struck by how handsome he was, especially when smiling or laughing. Tall, dark, and handsome was coined as an expression for him, she thought. Not only that, but he was Death, not any of the other Lords of Hell that her father could have sent her to. Yes, she had requested this assignment, but obviously her desires were not involved in his decision. “What are you proposing, dear husband?”

When she was calm, she was stunning. By far the most beautiful demoness he had ever had in his office, which made him a pretty lucky Lord of Hell when he thought about it. “Partners in everything. Nothing is done that we don’t agree to, but we do live as a married couple. There is not going to be two people living single lives in the same house. I think we already covered the sex side of things for now.” He quickly cut off her thinking of anything down that road and getting upset again. “Consent. Agreement. Partners. No assumptions, and we can work on misunderstandings and miscommunications as they come up, together.” He met her gaze evenly, one hand rising to brush the backs of his fingers over her cheek. “This doesn’t have to be a prison or lonely, sweetheart. We can learn how to make this work for both of us, maybe even make each other happy. That is, if you want to work together.” He gently reached out and took her hand, a step in the right direction, hopefully, that they were calmly now talking with one another and she was not having emotional reactions to what he was saying. They had to get this done or they would both face Lucifer.

For some reason Yara felt herself unable to breathe for a moment looking up into those dark amber eyes of his that seemed so calm at the moment in the center of all the chaos her father had created. She felt under a spell that she knew he hadn’t cast. A small nod before she swallowed, still trying to find an answer. The reality of it all was setting in. “I do want that. We can do this together. I don’t want to fight all the time, Asti.” Where had that name come from? Fuck, why had she done that? No one shortened his name, not ever, and lived! Suddenly she could breathe, and breathe fast, and wanted to run.

Asti? That was a new one, he thought with a raised brow. He could live with it. Obviously she wasn’t sure he could because the poor woman was about to hyperventilate. Her mouth opened to say something and he let go of her hand to put a finger on her lips, which made him ache to replace it with his own lips. “Asti is fine, my darling. We are to be married within the hour, after all. It is only natural that we would have personal names for one another. I just asked that you only use it when it is you and I. Deal?” She nodded and he lowered his finger. “Compromise. See, we can do this together.” He winked with a chuckle, after all he could think of worse things for her to call him.

A soft and almost shy smile graced her lips as she nodded at him, a pink tinge alighting her cheeks. If Astaroth were to be honest, his newly betrothed slightly confused him. She seemed a very pampered and bratty Princess the day before, but at the moment she was almost shy and reserved once she got over her emotional outburst. He could hardly blame her for being emotional, Lucifer was being a right prick. He wondered which of them was the true Yara. He would find out in time, he was sure, but it was something he was going to have to watch because he did not like being deceived or manipulated.

He was about to discuss some ideas he had for the next few days when a knock resounded at his office door. It seemed the priest had arrived for the very short and private ceremony. “Ready?” He asked her with raised brows. “No.” She answered honestly. “I’m not sure any more time is going to help though. We’re in this together though.” She gave him a soft smile; after talking to him, she was feeling better. He was one of the few that would ever see what was behind her walls she kept up to keep everyone out.

Astaroth gently squeezed her hand. “Together in everything. There's nothing to be nervous about. This will be over in just a few minutes, and then we can discuss what we want to do next. Which, if I'm honest, getting out of Hell for a few days is on the top of my list." Astaroth gave her a rather weary smile and squeezed her hand again before stepping away to go open the door to let the priest in.

Yara was doing fine, until, that was, Astaroth stepped out of the way and she saw the priest that was coming in. Her father's priest, one of the highest. It seemed that Daddy was making sure that she and the Lord of Death were indeed getting formally and fully married. “I didn’t believe it, but it is true.” The priest was laughing as he came in the room, but Astaroth looked confused. “So your father finally has found a way to get rid of you. I wondered how he would do it.” He turned to Astaroth who now had his jaw set and his eyes hard, as he watched a tear roll down Yara’s face. She still had said nothing, not even a snarky return. “I am so sorry that it is you, Lord Astaroth, you do not deserve this fate, but I must do my duty. I have dismissed your priest, as Lord Lucifer desired that I perform the ceremony personally.”

“So be it.” The warmth in Astaroth’s voice made liquid Nitrogen feel warm as he closed the door and strode past the man to where Yara stood. Confusion flashed briefly in his eyes when she flinched from him when he went to take her hand. “Let us be on with it then.” *Must not kill Lucifer’s priest.* Even if the interaction with Yara the day before had been less than ideal, the mocking the priest had done was out of line and it was all he could do not to say something. This was the woman he was spending the rest of eternity with after all, deriding her in front of him was not the best move if he wanted to continue his existence.

8 notes · View notes

thatcheeseycandle · 2 months

Text

//tw for mentions of war, death, breakdowns, fighting, hurt, and Buckle up Buttercup ITS TIME FOR THE FIRST FANFICTION I'LL EVER BE POSTING

Now before reading I'd like to point out the possibility of the characters here being somewhat out-of-character since each bit was written in 10 minutes (IT WAS FOR A SPRINTING BOT DISCORD SESSION OKAY- But I did clean it up a bit by redoing some of the bits) and then to add on I used a wheel to pick what I should do

And the wheel chose "do a story where a side character actually shows emotion for once" so uh would explain why Spencer might might be like half out-of-character

To add on this is basically my take on the whole.. "Irl History affects the plot" thing (also being set in my Candle-lit Railways AU which also explains the humanoid descriptions) so yup, PREPARE FOR WAR-

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

As the candle dimmed down it's light, The shed doors would close with silence filling the air, simply another night to rest then waste all that energy again.

Spencer would let out an exhausted sigh. He knew how devastated Mallard would be once he heard the news about Gadwall, the more innocent one among the Gresleys, always naive yet a charming one in his own unique way.

Unique enough to get Great Northern, of all people, to soften up to him. It still surprised Spencer til' this moment that he got North to become soft. Though that uniqueness left a gap in reality, a horrible reality, that's now began a world war.

Which was the same exact thing that led to Gadwall's demise. The demise of the only light that was left in darkness. They killed an innocent engine just because of humanity's selfishness.

They killed his brother. His youngest brother.

The Shed doors would open, snapping Spencer out of his thoughts as he looked to who was near the doors. He would see it to be Sir Nigel, in his humanoid form.

He would sigh in relief, maybe Sir Nigel could keep him from his night terrors for just this night. Just for an hour at least.

Sir Nigel would look up to Spencer, sitting on a stool next to him. Simply looking out the shed into the moonlight knowing that Spencer needed some company.

"I miss him too."

Sir Nigel suddenly said in a mournful voice.

"I-.. I miss him more than.. More than anything, honestly."

Spencer replied back, depressingly.

As the two sat there, simply tranquil together, they would mourn in silence. For their brother. Because nothing was louder than their younger brother's joyous aura.

That aura was gone for good.

———

He was in the rain, running as fast as he could towards Top sheds. He knew his crew would say something about Gadwall's death. He can't be held back by his engine form, not now. Even if he wasn't steaming he was able to shift into his humanoid form.

Spencer’s fire kept burning and burning inside his chest as he ran through the rain. Running like someone who was rollerblading, technically he was skating with his wheels.

But he kept running and running. He didn't care if his crew would scold him, he wouldn't care if Sir Nigel Gresley himself would come to scold him after. He needed to save what was left of Mallard's innocence, what was left of his hope.

With World War II currently escalating into more madness, Spencer had to hold onto each bit of hope he could keep or at least save. He had to hold onto Mallard's innocence more, even just for a week or a day he had to hold onto it a little bit longer.

As he got to top sheds, he already felt the atmosphere shift as he caught a glimpse of Quicksilver and Mercury's mournful faces. Silverfox was in Polly's arms, sobbing, grieving as the news sunk into her mind. He knew that his crew told them as well, he already knew by the shift, by the faces.

He would bust open the doors to Mallard's shed, his black silver-lined coat falling to the floor, but he wouldn't bother to pick it up as he saw Mallard's fallen face. Spencer saw the tears slip down Mallard's cheeks more quicker than water pouring into an engine's boiler. It was too late.

Mallard had the news sunken into his mind and Spencer knew that well enough to not take one more step near Mallard, afraid that he'd lose his mind more than he looks like he already has.

He simply stood there, letting Mallard grieve as his crew comforted the glossed-black locomotive as he grieved for his younger sibling. Spencer would take off his hat, in respect of Mallard currently breaking down.

Spencer didn't even need to look back to know that the others were watching Mallard slowly breakdown, he already could vision how Merlin would react to Mallard breaking down this much.

The thoughts inside Spencer's mind would inflict more anxiety through his veins as his breathe became shaky and his chest heavy, though wouldn't even flinch a single bit out of respect for Mallard.

It was a known rule that if you show weakness around someone who's in terrible condition physically or/and mentally, it is a sign of selfishness slipping through your mind.

And Spencer held that rule more higher than his pride, it was the only rule that really stuck to him underneath all his pride and “glory” for some reason. He didn't know that reason.

But he does know that, as of now, he needs to show his respect towards Mallard in his time of grief.

———

The rain would be pouring heavily atop of Top Sheds as the engines rested in their assigned sheds, some of them shivering from the cold while the rest would be sleeping tired of the workload for today. Though some engines wouldn't be either of those.

Silver Fox and Pretty Polly were the only ones awake at the time, Donovan was doing his last runs of the night so technically he counted as awake too. The two would sit in their sheds, which were next to each other. Polly would be looking up at the sky, not trying to guess any constellations, simply grieving silently.

Silver Fox on the other hand was trying to hold back tears from what's happened today, it was devastating seeing Silver King having to get hurt, even worse that Quick Silver started to lash out. She just wanted all this to stop.

She wanted everything to go back to normal, she didn't want to be apart of this war, even if it meant her being in her shed for decades. She never wanted to face all this. She thought frustratingly to herself.

She wouldn't realize until now that she started to have warm tears flow down her eyes onto her cheeks, dripping onto the ground, which would be heard due to the silence that hung over Top sheds.

As she blinked away her tears she would look over to Pretty Polly, who wasn't backed in her shed not caring for the cold, she simply rested outside as her gaze was focused at the sky above.

Silver fox would watch her silently, slowly going forward to get a better glimpse as her. Though Polly would sense her warm aura come near her.

“What do you think of the stars, my dear Fox?”

Polly asked Fox, in a soothing tranquil tone, Silver Fox would flinch a bit at Polly calling out to her, though would go forward a bit going next to Polly. As she got closer she would see tears flowing from Polly's eyes as well, shining in the moonlight as she gazed at the sky above them.

Silver Fox would be surprised at this. Though she couldn't really blame Polly, she thought to herself. With the war going on, and all the deaths that's been happening she must've felt the warmth of each soul disappear by the days passing by, Silver Fox thought as she continued her train of thought.

Finally she'd gaze up to the dark-royal blue sky, with the stars shining like the sparks of fire from an engine's firebox, a new star popping up by a few minutes. Each group of stars forming a shape, a symbol, a constellation.

It's.. It's gorgeous. Silver Fox thought through her grief. Though it didn't feel like the right words to describe the sky somehow, the view felt more than gorgeous. It felt serene yet overwhelming with all the stars in the sky.

Though she'd finally come up with a phrase, that almost, perfectly describes the feelings she has about the sky.

“It makes me feel at home, Ms Polly.”

————————————

YKNOW REREADING THAT IT MADE ME REMEMBER TOO MANY HEADCANONS I HAD FOR THE CANDLE-LIT RAILWAYS AU BEHAHDBXBX BUT YUP IT WAS NICE TO REWRITE THIS PIECE TO IT'S (near) POTENTIAL

SO YUP I'LL JUST POST ANOTHER FANFIC RIGHT WHEN MY BRAIN GETS AN IDEA-

#cheesyversial rants #ttte fanfic #ttte young iron au (??)#technically this is inspired by how the war played out in YIAU but just with my designs BUT YEAH CREDITS TO YIAU-#candlelit storytime #cheesey writes

5 notes · View notes

tobiasdrake · 1 year

Text

The final confrontation with He Who Remains. Most of this episode consists of Loki and Sylvie sitting with HWR just... discussing the plot. Or rather, the concept of plots. And the meta-narrative breaks down a bit in the course of that talk.

That's the problem with going super-meta. There's always a line. You go too meta and your context shatters, because there's always a point where you're not really saying anything meaningful anymore.

Loki cannot stab Kevin Feige, enter our world, and live among us as a free-willed human being. That's not a thing that can actually happen. So if you write that happening in your story, it stops being a meta-commentary and becomes the entirely fictional outcome you wrote into your story.

For He Who Remains, that line is "the threshold". Within the context of the story, he's the guy who wrote the script. He serves the role of standing in for the creative team at Marvel. This is what it's all been building up to. This guy is the reason there can only be one canon continuity in the MCU. The reason Loki must abide by the script, and any deviation from it gets violently decanonized.

And at the start it works. The initial offer he makes to Loki and Sylvie is to write them a new story. Give them their own MCU property where they can be together and rule the universe. They reject that offer, but of course he knew they'd reject it because he already knows the entire script. The whole reason they're here is because that's what happens in the script. They aren't exerting their free will like they believe; This is just what the show is.

And. Like. As a meta-narrative encounter with the story's author, that clicks. But this guy also has to be the bad guy that they take down, and that's where it falls apart.

At a certain point, the meta-story breaks. HWR starts talking about his backstory because we need to set up Kang the Conqueror for future MCU films. We cross "the threshold" where the script ends and suddenly free will exists, even though this is still happening in a scripted TV series so no, that's not a thing. HWR offers to let Loki and Sylvie dictate continuity for the MCU going forward, which isn't a thing that two fictional characters can actually do.

All of the complex meaning and dissertation on what it means to be a character in a story evaporates, and we're left sitting in an office talking about whether or not to stab the bad guy. Loki and Sylvie are asked to truly make a choice that they can't actually make because at the end of the day, they are still characters in a story written by people.

This is what always happens when you go too meta. "The threshold" doesn't work in the meta-text because there is no way for these two fictional characters to gain sentience and free will. And it doesn't work in the text itself because. Like. Why would that be a thing? Why is there an arbitrary point in time where HWR's omniscience abruptly ends?

Dude just goes, "Oh, free will exists now," and then that's that. No explanation. We couldn't come up with any better way to end this scene so reality goes BING and then we aren't doing a metatext anymore.

(And that's really the Loki show in a nutshell. Everything was going great but we couldn't think of a way to move forward so I just dumped some bullshit in there. Interesting ideas, fascinating characters, and some of the worst writing in the MCU.)

#marvel #marvel cinematic universe #loki series #he who remains #kang the conqueror

9 notes · View notes

everythingsinred · 10 months

Text

Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: Mikan (pt. 21)

Finally! We have at long last reached the Sports Festival Arc, one of my favorite arcs, and perhaps even my last favorite arc! I like parts of every arc, but I find the Sports Festival to be one of the last Perfect TM arcs. Just my opinion.

We'll aggressively analyze Mikan's love for Natsume in this arc, something she will definitely not be doing herself, even though she will be repeatedly confronted with it, especially with Luna's arrival to Class B.

<- Prev Next ->

Chapter Seventy-Seven

Need y’all to know that this is the fourth google doc I’m using for this essay. I figured I’d open a new one to celebrate a new arc beginning. We’re officially 87600 words in. Very impressive!

The chapter begins with a lot of bad news for Mikan and friends. She has been having nightmares where she’s chased by Persona, probably a consequence of the traumatic experience of nearly being murdered by him, with the added pizazz of hearing the ESP’s voice warning her not to lose anything important. Mikan is so haunted by this that she is even afraid to fall asleep since the dream feels so real. We can discern from this state of unease that she might not be getting the proper sleep she needs to remain alert, and she seems pretty out of it at times.

I'm afraid... "Where's Natsume?" Maybe... she thinks of him because he makes her feel safe? Hmm?

Mikan’s mood changes when she realizes that Natsume is absent from the dining hall. He’s been on an alleged “trip” for three days and she is curious about where he’s gone--probably missing him, though she’d never admit it.

Mikan has been going to Hotaru’s room to get some sleep, seeking comfort for her nightmares. But she also seeks Natsume at this point too--he’s been able to help her a lot the last few times she’s faced a problem and he was able to make the problem feel small or insignificant. The fact that she seeks his presence now makes sense, even though she doesn’t actually put the two thoughts together.

In any case, a whole term has passed and now is the beginning of a new school year, so Mikan is now officially a sixth-grader!

Goshima has been appointed the new student council president, which Mikan is excited about regardless of the negative changes he promises to bring--and that’s because she’s not really paying attention to him. Instead, her attention is on the fact that, just as Yuu had suggested, Natsume is on stage with the other principal students for the ceremony.

"He looks a little more adult now..." she also says... Damn, Mikan.

Natsume has been gone a lot, apparently, and although the reader (us) knows that he’s been going on an increased amount of missions for the DA class, Mikan has no clue. She’s just excited to see him. “After making us worry so much!” she says. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen Natsume!” And, yes, the class hasn’t seen him a lot these days, but Mikan was the one vocally worrying. We have discussed at length Mikan’s attempts to distance herself from her feelings by saying “we” or “people” when she means herself. This is about as close as we’ll get to her admitting that she’s been worried and missing him.

Her focus is entirely on him, that he looks tired, wondering where he’d been all this time, noticing that he looks more grown-up all of a sudden.

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

Mikan has not seen Natsume consistently for a while. She’s already in love with him, as we’ve discussed, but having the object of her affection leave her sights for a while and then return makes the feelings he brings--including attraction--come back suddenly, making her think that he looks different somehow. Yes, the kids are growing and he might have had a growth spurt, but I think the absence hit her as well.

She is snapped back to reality by Goshima’s conclusion. She has missed his announcement of controversial new policies, including the establishment of a morals committee (the fukitai), a means to control the rebellious spirit of the students associated with Mikan and Natsume. This is awful and terrifying and no such institution has ever brought feelings of comfort or safety to a school, but it’s interesting that Goshima’s entire address went over Mikan’s head because she was too busy staring at Natsume. She managed to disregard his warnings as well as the concerned gossip surrounding her because of her distracted focus. Wow!

Her mood is dismal now because she’s thinking of the ESP’s Christmas warning not to lose anything important to her--the threat feels more potent with each new piece of information. The fukitai will be standing guard in each classroom, apparently, and none of the students are pleased with that. Mikan feels like her darkest nightmare came true.

But the gloomy mood made her think of Natsume, and she perks up. (“When I hear 'gloomy,' I think of Natsume. When I think of Natsume, I think of slanty eyes. When I think of slanty eyes, I think of foxes--”) Just the thought of him changes her mood and she looks over the room to try and find him, only for Ruka to inform her that he won’t be in class today. Though it’s a short scene, I think it’s telling that the excitement of seeing Natsume again changes her entire mood and makes her entirely forget her worries and concerns, if only for a moment.

Mikan rushes to the SA class to share good news with her senpai but is sadly crushed by two immediate revelations: one, that the fukitai are haunting this classroom as well, and two, that Tsubasa is absent. Many excuses have been made by Noda and Tsubasa for where he’s been, but none of it makes sense and Mikan idly wonders if Natsume and Tsubasa are going through the same thing (yes, they are). Her intuition is spot on again, though her train of thought is quickly derailed by her desire to share three pieces of news with her senpais.

She’s very excited about the Sports Festival coming up, but the senpais are unmoved since that happens every year and isn’t a big deal.

Then, the elementary class has some student teachers, which also isn’t news, because high school kids have to do vocational training every year too. But her real news is that all three student teachers in her class are the former student council: Sakurano, Subaru, and Shizune. This is shocking because they’re only in their first year of vocational training and already acting as student teachers, an exceptionally impressive feat.

Always pay attention to changes like this! Mikan never reacted this way before to being pulled into Tono's lap... Though I have no idea what this is supposed to reflect TBH.

Mikan notices Tono is tuned out, but then he scoops her up and asks for the third piece of news. I find her reaction of revulsion to be interesting. She gets away from him and says “You’re gross,” which is certainly not how she’d reacted to his grabbing her before. Mikan, previously oblivious to what all his perverted comments and actions really mean, has come to realize that he isn’t all that innocent. I do wonder where this change comes from. It could be that Tsubasa and Misaki’s warnings have started to accumulate enough for her to build a better idea of what Tono’s unclean motives are. It could also be the natural consequence of growing up and becoming--even by a little--more mature over this past school term. I honestly couldn’t tell you.

Her last piece of news is that Class B is welcoming a new student tomorrow, which does mildly surprise her senpais enough that she’s satisfied with her sharing now. She hopes that the new student will be nice and is actually excited for their arrival, though she shouldn’t be.

She shares one more bit of information, that Sakurano has warned her not to talk too much to him or the other student teachers, and to not get caught by the fukitai for anything.

Mikan is walking alone, possibly back to class, when she spots Natsume. She calls out to him and starts to ask him where he’s been when he darts away for no good reason. She chases after him, desperate to talk to him again after such a long time. He stops suddenly and she bumps her face into his back and when she finally looks up into his face, he’s smiling.

So much to say about this moment…. Where do I even start?

Mikan is holding onto him, probably to keep him there, afraid that he’ll run off again if she doesn’t (because she doesn’t want him to leave).

He calls her a spaz and she’s unbothered, because, once again, she’s distracted by her staring at him. Just as she thought--he is different. Cue sparkly panels of her staring at him…

She holds onto him! Sparkly panels! This is romance!

She tugs on his shirt while she muses that he has had a growth spurt, that he has gotten taller. His smile fades a little because of the prolonged silence until she asks him again where he’s been, if he’s been doing some kind of training.

Training?!

Is this one of the excuses Ruka gave for Natsume’s absence? Or did Mikan assume that because of the physical changes she sees in Natsume? I couldn’t tell you, but either way, Mikan’s distraction with his appearance is pretty noteworthy!

Mikan is easily taken with physical beauty. It’s one of her many weaknesses. She is easily awed by beautiful people. I believe that Mikan’s sparkly panels from when she first meets Natsume are an example of that--that when she first saw his face without his mask on, she was in awe for even a moment before he ruined her first impression. I think that’s how she’s feeling now--awestruck and staring at a pretty face. Despite being usually very talkative, she was unresponsive for long enough that Natsume had to prompt her into speaking.

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder."

The conversation quickly turns into bickering from there, but it’s still not unpleasant. Natsume is a constant for her school life and he seems to have returned, complete with teasing remarks. He's the whole package, really.

And then we see Luna, staring at them, about to be led to class.

I’ve been in (or at least I’ve been observing) the GA fandom for a really long time. Since 2010, to be precise. Like, 13 years straight. I’ve read the manga countless times, seen countless AMVs, and read countless fanfics and I know how people feel about Luna. I’ve seen it all--Luna is ugly, a slut, an evil bitch, a villain for tearing NatsuMikan apart. Yes, she’s frustrating for sure, but I love Luna’s role in this story. Always have!

What to steal from Mikan.....? Oh... Maybe this...

Why does Luna appear here? Suspense, probably. A little tease that things will change even further.

But why does she appear here, looking at them?

Her job is to watch over Mikan and make sure she doesn’t get into trouble (causing rebellions and the like). She’s also here to “punish” her for her behavior on New Years. Luna could’ve gone about this punishment any number of ways, but we’ve been seeing ESP’s warning (“Be careful not to lose anything important to you.”) over and over again for a reason. Mikan cares about a lot of people, but Luna’s punishment is focused on Natsume, on taking Natsume away from Mikan. She makes little efforts into manipulating Hotaru and turns Class B against Mikan, but this arc is focused on NatsuMikan.

After all, this is Luna's projected revenge against Yuka, and Yuka didn't just steal her alice. Luna felt, as a groomed teenager, that Yuka was stealing the ESP's affections as well. She felt like her romance suffered because of her former best friend. She couldn't interfere in Yuka's romance (the ESP already did that), so she'll interfere here. This is her revenge, her personal little mission. There's a reason she targets so much energy on stealing Natsume as opposed to Ruka or Hotaru. That reason is romance.

Chapter 77 is the intro chapter. Often, in chapters like this one, that precede a big emotional arc, we’re introduced to themes or ideas that will be expanded upon later on in the arc. In this case, Chapter 77 traced Mikan’s yearning for Natsume, her deepening affections for him, and her desire to have him by her side (to not leave). There’s other themes too, of course, like the fukitai and the threat of a changing social order, but those are secondary. Thus, we can deduce, just based off this chapter, that her relationship with Natsume will face some obstacles.

We saw how awestruck and happy to see him Mikan was just now. But so did Luna.

Luna focuses her punishment on Natsume for a reason, and thus her appearance here isn’t just important in order to keep our interest, it’s also for the plot reason of giving Luna a specific target right away.

Chapter Seventy-Eight

“Mikan keeps walking in the thorny path. What will be waiting for her hereafter?” Nothing good.

Luna has just become a new student in Class B. Everyone is instantly taken with her, including Mikan, who is eager to make a new friend. There’s a lot of “ooh”-ing and “ahh”-ing, in regards to Luna being cute and curiosity about her alice. These questions are put on pause when Narumi announces that Luna has the life-shortening alice and has been forbidden from using it. (We all know how I feel about that already LMAO.)

I’ve seen some people take Luna’s “life-shortening alice” at face value, but I always assumed her “having the fourth shape” was an excuse not to reveal her alice to the class. When Luna was first going to school years ago, she was hated and unpopular because of her alice. If Luna wants to be popular now, it’s important that she seems as innocent and harmless as possible. Additionally, her alice needs to be a secret so that she can keep using it on people without anybody figuring out what she’s up to. Her sickness later on in the story--as far as I can tell--was the consequence of her abusing Gulliver candy on a regular basis for weeks at a time (since we already know it's been banned from Central Town for its adverse side effects), not because of her alice shape.

I don't think that's how any disease works NGL.

Besides, her “life-shortening” alice seems to involve nothing more than coughing loudly whenever she doesn’t get what she wants. And right off the bat too.

She doesn’t want to sit next to Kabayaki-kun, so apparently her health is affected and she starts coughing until her gaze lands on Natsume. But she can’t sit next to Natsume, because he’s already sitting with Ruka and Mikan. Until that affects her health too and Narumi orders Mikan to move seats to accommodate Luna’s fickle demands.

It’s not that Mikan wants to, but there’s instantly an air of pressure in the class to walk on eggshells and make sure not to worsen Luna’s alice-related health by upsetting her. I think Mikan probably really doesn’t want to move because she’s been missing Natsume all last chapter and for a while longer off page. She wants to spend time with him when she has the chance, and that’s probably why she’s sitting next to him today.

But apparently Luna will die if she doesn’t get what she wants, so Mikan agrees to move.

Until Natsume grabs her by the arm and insists that he is the one who decides who he sits next to, and he chooses Mikan. Cue a sparkly panel of Mikan being touched that Natsume wants to sit with her and not Luna…

He also uses her name here, something that always gets to her.

This is a short moment, but it's one that Mikan thinks back on later. In this moment, she feels wanted by him, like whatever affection she has for him is requited, like if he had it his way, they could sit together all the time. She's touched because it's like he's saying "me too" to all the thoughts she's never let herself think. It's always about them.

Sadly, this is short-lived. Luna will fucking DIE if she doesn’t get to sit next to NATSUME, and if anybody stops her from getting what she wants, they are responsible for MURDERING her.

It’s only when the entire class begs that Natsume finally gives in.

The entire class is still curious about Luna despite her wretched behavior, still convinced her sickness must be related to her alice. Meanwhile, all this talk about life-shortening alices makes Mikan think about Natsume.

It’s interesting to note the school’s treatment of Luna’s alice shape versus Mikan’s theory about Natsume. Apparently, when a student has the fourth shape, the teachers make an announcement and forbid them from using it. If there was no such announcement for Natsume, perhaps he doesn’t have that alice shape! But Natsume has been a special case for the school from the beginning. He even told her he’s not like the rest of them and he’s been mistreated far worse than his classmates could imagine.

Mikan wonders if his missions have stopped since the New Year’s fiasco. Her attention remains fixed on him, as it will throughout this arc, really, wondering again if maybe his alice is the fourth shape, until Luna says she’ll use a bit of her alice to show everyone. Because for some reason, using a small bit wouldn’t really affect her health, but sitting next to Kabayaki-kun would.

Mikan wants to see, but apparently Luna can’t use her alice--something is nullifying it. Mikan instantly insists it wasn’t her and we know already that she wouldn’t do that, but the seeds of suspicion have been planted. She introduces herself to Luna, but Luna does not react the way a normal person would to meeting a stranger. She smiles in a sinister way and reaches out for her face. None of this is normal, and Mikan can sense that there’s something wrong with Luna. But the moment is resolved with Hotaru pushing her out of the way and, heartbreakingly, Natsume taking Luna’s hand in his.

Not good!

Before, Mikan knew Natsume would prefer to sit next to her instead of Luna, but he was pressured into sitting with Luna. Now, he elects to sit next to her, their hands interlaced. Mikan is incredibly bothered by this. How could he change his mind about Luna--about her--over the course of one class period? It’s definitely not the best day of her life, but it’s about to get worse.

The Sports Fest teams are being split up. Technical and Somatic classes are together on the White Team, with Special and Latent on the Red Team. The DA class then fills in at the end, so Natsume has the choice of whether he’ll be on the Red or White Team. Since Mikan can’t be on the same team as Ruka or Hotaru, her attention zeroes in on Natsume, her dear partner and the boy she loves. Maybe they can be on the same team!

But Luna is on the White Team, in the Somatic Class. And she wants Natsume on her team.

I love Mikan’s thoughts and behaviors here. Though she’d initially been excited to make friends with Luna, her opinion has shifted very quickly. Yes, Luna did act like a creep with her before, but Mikan’s main beef isn’t about that, it’s about Natsume.

“wOn’T yOu, hyUuGa-kUn?” Sinister, mocking, unpleasant. Mikan now views Luna as (correctly) insincere and manipulative, and (incorrectly) as a threat to Natsume’s affections for her. “Here she goes again,” Mikan thinks, because she watched Luna get precisely what she wants all day for no real reason. If she doesn’t step in, Luna will continue to get what she wants, and Mikan doesn’t want that because she wants Natsume more.

So she speaks up, desperate. Calling out to him and telling him straight up that she wants him on her team, asking him to join the Red Team and be with her. That's right! She asks Natsume to be on her team, to choose her, something she has never ever done before, because she's that desperate to keep him with her.

Come to the Red Team. Come to MY team. Come to me.

But Natsume chooses to be on the White Team anyway.

This is important for a lot of reasons so I’ll do my best to sum it all up.

Luna and Mikan’s mini face-off here makes Natsume’s choice about more than color--it’s specifically choosing between Luna and Mikan. Thus, even though Natsume’s best friend is also on the White Team, Mikan is hurt and shocked because he didn’t choose Ruka over her, he chose Luna over her.

Mikan rarely tells Natsume what she wants from him, mainly because she doesn’t even want to admit it to herself. So here, when she pleads with him to pick her team (to pick her), it’s because she’s that desperate. This is a rare glimpse of bare honesty from Mikan, where she finally says out loud what she wants. That makes it hurt all the more when he rejects her.

Chapter 77 introduced us to Mikan’s desire to keep Natsume with her. I’d stated then that her desire would be under threat in this arc, and it begins right away, with Luna threatening to swipe him away to the White Team and away from Mikan.

She has just been rejected by the boy she loves. He chose another girl over her, even after she asked him to pick her (her team, her, etc.). Now Mikan has to confront her own hurt and conflicting feelings. She is jealous, unhappy, hurt, and now has to ask herself why.

“Be careful not to lose anything important to you.”

Mikan feels like she is, now, losing something very important. She hadn’t admitted to herself yet just how important Natsume really was, but that doesn’t make the pain and fear of losing him any less potent.

Chapter Seventy-Nine

Things were bad, got worse, and are now about to break all kinds of records of terrible because it’s apparently not awful enough that Natsume chose to be on Luna’s team instead of Mikan’s; nooo, Narumi has to rub salt in the wound by announcing that Natsume is now Luna’s partner. Mikan has adapted to school life after all, and she’s always hated being Natsume’s partner, hasn’t she? They’re not really working on anything together, either, so there’s really no issue with appointing Natsume a new partner, someone who wants to be his partner. Surely, Mikan doesn’t mind.

But Mikan does mind!

"Because you're my partner!" isn't gonna work anymore.

And this is important, because, in reality, Narumi dissolving their partnership doesn't have any actual consequences in the story. It's not like Natsume has to work with Luna on any projects or anything afterward. Things are almost the same, but the loss of that word matters, especially to Mikan.

From the beginning, their partnership was what tied them together. She had to go back and save Natsume from blowing himself up because he’s her partner. He had to accompany her to Central Town. They were narratively paired. Everyone knew her because of her tie to him through their partnership. Mikan doesn’t really call Natsume her friend often because it’s not entirely accurate to her feelings for him. He’s her partner.

Even if he’s rude to her, they’re partners. No matter what happens, they will always have that to bond them together. If he chooses Luna, it sucks, but at least they’re partners. He can’t do anything to change that.

But they’re not partners anymore.

Losing this isn’t just hurtful, it’s confusing. If Natsume and Mikan aren’t partners, then what are they? And why is all of this happening at once? Why is it that when Luna gains something, Mikan loses it?

“You really hated being Natsume’s partner, after all!” But she didn’t.

This day sucks, huh.

But Mikan would rather cling to confusion about Narumi’s motives than anything else. Confronting her own feelings or Natsume’s is not pleasant, so she’d rather wonder why Narumi is acting weird and making such sudden decisions. But when Natsume is brought up, Mikan is once again confronted with her pained feelings about his role in this situation. He’s so wishy-washy. Hadn’t he wanted to sit next to her, not Luna? Why would that change so quickly?

In any case, the Sports Festival is about to begin. They have a day of training before the events begin. Mikan has plenty of friends on her team, so she focuses on having fun instead of on the painful memory of not having Natsume beside her. But apparently the Sports Festival is a far more serious event than she’d realized. Red Team is forbidden from fraternizing with the opposing team until the end of the festival, to maintain a Red victory.

Mikan is crushed, since many of her friends are on the white team. She especially focuses on Natsume, staring at him until he looks over at her. She quickly looks away, embarrassed to be caught. When we compare this to Mikan's staring at him in Chapter 77, this is a sad change. She felt more comfortable looking at him then because she was under the impression that he felt similarly to however she did--those unspoken, unacknowledged feelings. But now it's different. He seems miles away, and she doesn't feel like she's allowed to stare anymore. The mood does change for the better when we discover Youichi chose Red over White and when Yuu reassures Mikan that they’ll all have fun regardless of the crazy rules.

She can no longer look at her beloved!

But Luna’s “harem of followers” takes issue with Mikan’s nullification and warn her that if she nullifies Luna’s alice, they’ll punish her for it. She’s faced with a barrage of accusations. Though Mikan is not bullying Luna, they are right about her being jealous that Natsume has been spending all of his time with Luna these days. The thing is that the partial truth to the situation makes her look that much more responsible.

This run-in with Luna’s victims rises suspicions that Luna might be using some sort of pheromone, since the kids aren’t acting like themselves.

Things take a dramatic turn when the equipment goes flying--a genuinely dangerous incident since some of the equipment in question is heavy and could cause severe damage. Mikan is saved in the nick of time by a mysterious person tugging her to the safety of a utility closet.

Chapter Eighty

The mysterious person is Luna, and she is not acting out of kindness.

Mikan wonders about what’s going on outside and who brought her here when suddenly she realizes there are hands around her throat. Luna starts cackling and by now Mikan knows for sure that there’s something wrong with her, because Luna seems to hate her something special for no reason. Mikan shoves her away and tries to recover her breath.

Luna only seems amused, whining about being scared of Mikan’s violent tendencies. This is, of course, ridiculous. Luna was the one who just attacked her, and Mikan pushed her off in self-defense. Luna's attitude here, particularly in regards to skewing the facts, reflects how she will act throughout this arc, and how rumors and carefully chosen words can challenge people's loyalty.

Luna isn't finished berating Mikan. Acting so violent--just like her criminal mother.

But she doesn’t linger on that topic, switching instead to egg Mikan on--she’s so popular, isn’t she? She must be having so much fun! But Luna will have fun too, “breaking and stealing” everything that Mikan holds dear, one by one, imagining that Mikan’s suffering face is her mother’s. There’s a lot that Mikan is suddenly facing in this one conversation. Luna knows the secret of her “shameful birth,” and seems to know her mom. On top of that, Luna hates her and wants to ruin her life. But if Mikan is good, then Luna might fill her in a little more. That means Mikan has to stay quiet about what happened here. She should do as she’s told because otherwise the people she loves could get hurt.

Can Mikan have a break? Or is that too much to ask?

Mikan has no time to respond or even to process what she’s just heard, because suddenly, the door is open. Mikan is now accused of being a bully, but she can’t say much to defend herself. She looks around and sees how much damage this incident has caused. Luna threatened to do worse if Mikan didn’t comply with her demands, so how can she say anything? Mikan thinks, “I’m scared.” She’s faced with a horrible choice: either she sullies her own reputation and lets Luna do as she wants, or she must watch as people close to her are hurt.

Sacrifice, Mikan. Isn't that what you wanted to do at the start of this manga?

Mikan’s silence results in her getting arrested by the fukitai.

Conclusion

It's really fun analyzing the Sports Fest Arc. Mikan's love for Natsume and subsequent jealousy is at the forefront here, and I always have a blast reading these chapters because of how clear her feelings are even without her ever saying them out loud. Tomorrow, we'll continue!

<- Prev Next ->

9 notes · View notes

immortalwanderers · 2 years

Photo

Today, Immortal Wanderers would like to join the community in celebrating an appreciation day towards all the talented fanfiction writers.

Writers of fanfiction are one of the many backbones of any fandom, sharing multiple ideas and worlds starring some of our favourite characters from all forms of media, and doing so for free. It is often a project of passion and love towards the original work itself, and much joy is shared with readers who read these stories.

To celebrate, Immortal Wanderers has invited some of those in our discord server to share either recent works they have enjoyed or which have become fond favourites over time, as well as allowing some of the talented writers in this community to share one of their works and talk a little bit about it. We hope you will join us in these celebrations, and share some love towards these works and their authors 💖 ⛰️

These recommendations come from across all three stories; both the original novels Qi Ye and Tian Ya Ke, as well as the drama Word of Honor.

AUTHORS SHOWCASE

@MINNARR

Calling us home across the open yards → Word of Honor fic

Summary:

Deciding to get married doesn’t involve anything dramatic, but Zishu stares at the earliest draft of the guest list with a sinking stomach. There’s a name that isn’t there, and he suddenly wants it to be with a desperate, yearning hunger. They haven’t spoken in years, but…

Well, Zishu’s been learning how to want things. How to make the things he wants reality.

“I want Jiuxiao there,” he says.

Authors Comments:

This piece was born from excited brainstorming in DMs with a friend and is part of a whole little headcanon universe, but even without that context I am just so fond of this fic. A slightly softer universe for our faves, plus sooo many Zhou Zishu & Qin Jiuxiao feelings, and I like the way it let me organically lay out all these pieces of a life Zhou Zishu has built with his chosen family, where he's working to be happy.

@MYRO

Unvarnished → Qi Ye fic

Summary:

“Zishu? I know you’re in there. Liang Jiuxiao told me what happened. We need to talk. I’ve brought wine and dinner, too.”

Zhou Zishu goes still when he realizes who it is. Jing Beiyuan is, at least, one of the few people who knows some of his secrets. Not all, of course, not even most—but the things he doesn’t know are unlikely to shock or anger the man. He’s also, however, the most ruthless person Zhou Zishu knows, and if Zhou Zishu can barely endure himself in this state, Jing Beiyuan is unlikely to be willing to do so either.

So that means he’s come...well.

Zhou Zishu takes a deep breath. He could flee, or fight—Jing Beiyuan is no match for him, physically—but he won’t. Because the thing is, Jing Beiyuan is just doing what he would, if their positions were reversed. And...it’s probably the right thing to do, if there really is no cure.

(In which Jing Beiyuan learns he can trust this life's version of Zhou Zishu.)

Authors Comments:

This is still one of my favorite Qiye fics that I've written. It started out with a discussion about how truth spells/serums in fics normally lead to characters divulging their secret crushes, but if ZZS in Qiye-era got hit with one it would be...much much worse. And then I had to write it...

@THEYILINGLAOZUS

In Every One Of Us Shines The Light Of Love → Word of Honor fic

Summary:

A few years have passed since that fateful moment in which Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu became immortals together, and Zhou Zishu is thankful for every new day he wakes to the infinite life they now share with one another.

The days are only made more special when their young family is able to visit them.

Authors Comments:

This came from me having finished writing two previous parts to this series and thinking ‘hey. What’s an average day like for Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu after they’ve settled into their immortality more?’ I wanted to create a piece which was an inside look into one day in their lives, while also considering subjects like the passing of time for the mortals they surround themselves with, how some ghosts of their past linger, as well as how a future with endless possibilities is open for them now. I had a lot of fun working on this, even if it did take me roughly three months to do so!

@NEIL

tease your mouth with kisses → Tian Ya Ke fic

Summary:

Before leaving, Wu Xi gave Wen Kexing a long list of ingredients and salves. The first was for him to cook, and the second was to be given to Zhou Zishu in case he experienced any pain during his recovery. He told Wen Kexing to mind Zhou Zishu’s recovery and to be good to him.

He didn’t have to be told. Wen Kexing might not be a good man, but he would be good to Zhou Zishu, just like Zhou Zishu was good to him. There was nothing else Wen Kexing would rather do now.

After everything, Wen Kexing takes care of his husband.

Authors Comments:

I wrote this for TYK Week, and I'm still super happy with this fic! I think a lot about post-canon Wenzhou and how they deal with Zishu's recovery, so I decided to write a fic about it. I'm particularly very happy with how I wrote Wen Kexing's headspace in this! His bland of obsessive and adoring is just so, so fun.

@NAD

I’ll always be there by your side → Qi Ye fic

Summary:

When Jing Beiyuan decides he has had enough with the Helian family and goes away, he meets a handsome stranger named Wu Xi.

Is Wu Xi really who he says he is? Or is he hiding something?

Now that Jing Beiyuan has established his own company, how will he face Helian Yi?

AU, where the Helians have a firm and Jing Beiyuan helps them. Jing Beiyuan goes away and creates his own company with the help of Wu Xi and Ping An. Apparently, Wu Xi is just an ordinary person, a secretary, but is he?

Authors Comments:

This is my first and only (for the moment) Qi Ye fic. As our fandom is quite small, it doesn't really get noticed :( It's my first work, and certainly not by best, but I'd always appreciate the feedback, and it even includes some pics at the end <3 thank you in advance if you decide to read it :)

@ALISA

Field Research → Qi Ye fic

Summary:

Helian Yi has given Zhou Zishu an assignment that will require some highly specialized knowledge.

Jing Beiyuan is a very enthusiastic tutor. (Zhou Zishu is an unexpectedly eager student.)

Authors Comments:

Anyone who has ever spoken to me about this fandom knows how obsessed I am with Jing Beiyuan and Zhou Zishu's relationship. From JBY's first life to post-SHL/TYK, from platonic soulmates, to friends with benefits, to shockingly tender lovers, I love it allllll. I love THEM and I love sharing them with you all. (I especially love sharing them with each other.) And this fic, I think, is some of my best work, showcasing the care and love they hold for each other, the tenderness with which they treat each other, and how that bond is rock-solid, even knowing they both have soulmates waiting for them down the line. (Allllllllssoooooo I'm really, really into the sex in this one.) Let these lonely boys care for each other! They both need it so much!!!!

READERS RECOMMENDATIONS

@CARMINE-SUNLIGHT

there’s a special providence in the fall of a heron → written by beansprout → Word of Honor fic

Summary:

In the outside world, there was a rumor about the Qingya mountains. It was said to be one of the holy places, auspiciously positioned for healing and favored by the celestials, who often descended amongst the people to perform miracles.

For Zhou Zishu, here was how things had played out: he wanted a way out of his service at court, the Emperor wanted immortality, and Jin-wang alone found a way to connect the dots.

Zhou Zishu had a theory. There must be a secret sect of healers who lived somewhere in the mountains of Qingya, the kind of sect who focused on learning solely for the sake of knowledge, with very strict rules against the ‘distractions’ of the outside world.

To solve the mystery, a certain white-clothed traveling doctor was the key.

Or: mythology AU. zzs is undercover in Qingya village as a woodcutter to investigate rumors of celestials who grant immortality. during his mission, he finds himself hopelessly tangled with a nosy, persistent traveling doctor who has a knack for getting past his guard.

Readers Comments:

Each time this fic updated I'd forget about my real life problems and went to the most magical place. The writing is so evocative and the plot is full of amazing twists, I love it so much!

long life and promise → written by Katharija → Tian Ya Ke fic

Summary:

On a summer evening, two men are watching the falling stars.

Readers Comments:

I read this fic recenly and it made my day instantly better. The atmosphere was spot-on, and there were so many tender moments that made my heart flutter. Such a lovely look into Wenzhou's future.

@MYRO

Like Pieces into Place → written by ghostybreads → Qi Ye fic

Summary:

“Hmm… How about this? I won’t stay mad, if I can have this for a few days,” Jing Beiyuan offered, stopping in his tracks and picking the sable up by its scruff. It gawked in surprise, before its expression soured into a glare, scrunching its nose up at him. Jing Beiyuan was a swindler and a cheat. It didn’t really mind if it could do something to help, but he worried Master so much! Wasn’t this just taking advantage?

Wu Xi hesitated. “Alright.”

The sable blinked.

// OR; Qi Ye and its characters, through the eyes of a sable.

Readers Comments:

This is essentially Qiye told from the sable's pov, but honestly it is so much more than that. It nails and is incredibly perceptive about all the main relationships involved (by which I mean those involving Jing Beiyuan, Wu Xi, Zhou Zishu, Helian Yi, Liang Jiuxiao), but also has gorgeous parts about Ashinlae and Nuahuar and Ping An and others.

experiments → written by sunbathing → Qi Ye / Word of Honor fic

Summary:

Zhou Zishu tries to see if the pleasure aspect of drunk life dream death works well. With Beiyuan. At a brothel.

(sometimes, you just need to get high and fuck your best friend)

Readers Comments:

This is a ZZS/JBY fic where the two of them hook up while testing drunk like a dream formulas. Besides being sexy, it just gets the dynamic of their relationship so well and I love it.

@THEYILINGLAOZUS

在天涯犹有未归人; those left at the edge of the sky → written by yiqie → Tian Ya Ke fic

Summary:

“Why would you inflict a Wen Kexing who has lost you,” asked Jing Beiyuan, “upon this world?”

Reader Comments:

This fic is beautiful, honestly. Set during Zhou Zishu’s three-month recovery period toward the end of the novel and told through Jing Beiyuan’s perspective, he watches as Wen Kexing slowly looses more and more hope for his beloved ever waking. And it is heartwrenching. Everything about this story is perfect in my eyes.

Five Moons → written by yicityslut → Qi Ye / Tian Ya Ke fic

Summary:

For five whole months, Jing Beiyuan and Wu Xi are staying on the icy mountain to help Zhou Zishu heal.

In those five months, new friendships are formed, old memories are revisited and plans for the future are made.

Reader Comments:

Okay, I admit. I may hold some bias towards this piece as it was a fill written for me for last years Qi Ye Exchange event, but my god. My own love does not take away how incredible this piece is, as this story is such a delight. The author somehow filled every request I had (even the ones I didn’t expect, such as the sable having an apperance!) and they did so beautifully. The voice of all the characters is incredibly on point, and this is another interpretation of how I can easily see Wu Xi, Jing Beiyuan and Wen Kexing being whilst Zhou Zishu recovers. Plus the slowly building friendships that are shown is this are just ((chefs kiss)) I couldn’t recommend this piece more, and often find myself re-reading and grinning into my hands like a small child at how in love with it I am.

@NAD

Begin again → written by seaprincess90 → Qi Ye fic

Summary:

Jing Beiyuan has walked his entire life alongside Helian Yi. He admires him more than anyone, he knows that his future is with him, that all the goals in their lives include the other, that there is no way that destiny can be rewritten. But then his life takes an unexpected turn when someone new appears in the life of the one he considers his eternal and one true love. Beiyuan will have to sort out if it is time to forget or if he must hasten his conquest, while a boy who has just arrived in everyone's lives, Wuxi, little by little tries to be part of his heart.

Reader Comments:

There are no words to describe how much I love this fic!! It deserves so many more kudos, comments and hits! The pacing is immaculate and you can really understand and feel what the characters are going through!

La joya de Da Qing → written by alone_in_the_moondust → Qi Ye fic

Summary:

Jing Beiyuan recibe una visita inesperada de Helian Yi mientras Wu Xi está en su habitación.

Una cosa lleva a la otra y Helian Yi se convierte en el ruido blanco para el intercambio de fluidos entre Jing Beiyuan y Wu Xi.

Reader Comments:

Despite it being in Spanish, i really encourage you to read this even if it's with Google translate. I consider this one to be one of the GOATs of Spanish, or even in general, short Qi Ye fics. There is not one day me and my bestie don't talk about it!

@LU

Possession → written by bluemorningsoup, art by mtkay13 → Tian Ya Ke fic

Summary:

In which it became unsure whether a ghost was possessing a body or a body was possessing a ghost.

—

This was not about relief. This was not about violence. This was different. Wen Kexing was not fucking Zhou Zishu as much as he was filling him up. Zhou Zishu was not being fucked by Wen Kexing as much as he was taking him in, showing Wen Kexing the hollowed, gouged parts of him, empty chambers that Wen Kexing was all too eager to filll.

Reader Comments:

a very intense journey through devotion and hunger, and how both exist within the other. the hunger to be possessed, the devotion to possess, and how it gets lost in the way who is the one possessing who. i wish i had words to explain how beautiful this writing is. plus, it's about fisting.

Written in the Red and the Green → written by Gileonnen → Tian Ya Ke fic

Summary:

Wen Kexing wins a duel and claims the right to top. Zhou Zishu is more than happy to let him.

Reader Comments:

theres mixed nastiness and gentleness between them in this fic thats very satisfying, they really are freaks who love each other so deeply, fitting together with pain and pleasure like pieces of a puzzle. and i adore every piece of fanwork that showcases zzs wrist bite scars haha..

@ALISA

Which to Cut and Which to Pull → written by sideB_track2 → Word of Honor fic

Summary:

A golden slice of light cutting through the night. A forbidden flash of pale limb glimpsed in passing. Impossible, surely, not to peek through a crack in the door to learn more of the secret transpiring within…

Dangerous things, secrets, to hold and to happen upon. Ye Baiyi almost wished he’d kept walking.

Reader Comments:

YeXie is always an achy, bittersweet sort of love story. This was, I think, the first YeXie story I ever read, and it *haunts me,* I swear, I think about it all the damn time. It's hard to verbalize why, but like... the alchemy between the characters here is so, so good. There's something about the way these two lonely, traumatized boys find comfort and healing in each other, and this story does a magnificent job of showing that warmth and care without losing the characters' sharp edges and claws that are so essential to their authenticity. Gosh, the romance... It's captivating and immersive and it is absolutely the fic that sold me on this pairing and I swear I could re-read it once a week and never get tired of it!

with inexplicable fondness → written by noelia_g → Word of Honor fic

Summary:

Wen Kexing is aware of the following things.

One, Han Ying would die for Zhou Zishu - and Wen Kexing likes that in a man. Two, upon their first meeting Han Ying dropped to his knees before A-Xu the moment Wen Kexing let go of his throat - and that is simply just interesting. Three, Han Ying is A-Xu's in a way no one else is anymore.

That last part, he could find an issue with. Or, he could use it for the best - he is not called Philanthropist Wen for nothing, after all.

Reader Comments:

Okay, so lots of people say "this fic changed my life," but, like, this one actually did. NOT ONLY because Jo is a staggeringly talented writer, and not only because this is one of the hottest threesome fics I've ever encountered in any fandom, ever, in my entire life, but because this fic and my resulting interest in HanWenZhou as a dynamic led me directly to meet a handful of magnificently unhinged people whom I now cannot imagine my life without. (I talk to them every day! Also... um... also we've written some of the most depraved porn I've ever had the joy of coauthoring.) Even if polyships aren't usually your thing I'd urge you to check this story out. You would not BELIEVE how much yearning and devotion and passion and filth and kink and SHEER UNHINGED ROMANCE Jo has managed to cram into less than 18k. It's truly next level and I cannot possibly recommend a story more highly.

#word of honor #qi ye #tian ya ke #lord seventh #shan he ling #faraway wanderers #山河令 #天涯客 #七爷 #community fic rec #fanfic writers appreciation day

48 notes · View notes