#Hero of Spring

[nevermatchandscpsradadventures]

Earlier today, my brain started thinking Way More about Fellow SagesTM for Spring, so here's what I've got so far. I might draw them one of these days, but for now they’re just bios Ornith, Rito Sage of Wind Ornith is a kind and thoughtful young lady with a fondness for shiny objects and other such things. She comes off as quiet, but she has a tendency to get incredibly loud, believe it or not. Sidian, Goron Sage of Fire Just like a Goron, Sidian is loud and boisterous, although he's far from unkind. His "inside voice" leaves much to be desired, but his great loyalty makes up for it. Assandara, Gerudo Sage of Earth Assandara is cheerful and bubbly, almost constantly jumping around and shouting (or singing) words of encouragement. Some wonder if she ever sleeps or even just stops to rest, and although no one's witnessed it, she claims that she does have a shut-down period, thank you very much. Tubo, Korok Sage of Forest Tubo is a shy yet playful Korok with a knack for finding well-hidden objects. He used to be a bit sheltered, preferring to stick close to the Great Deku Tree, but nowadays he's gained some confidence in moving about on his own. Sheemi, Zora Sage of Water Being half-River Zora and half-Sea Zora, Sheemi is a bit of an outcast among both of his people. Despite this, he's friendly and caring, albeit with a rebellious streak. Pixi, Fairy Sage of Light Pixi has a strong temper and an even stronger pinch, but that doesn't mean she's cruel. She flitters around, healing those who are hurt and even using her magic for other uses for those she cares about. Venin, Twili Sage of Shadow Although she has a tendency to remain completely silent until she has something of great importance to say, which tends to startle everyone because of how quiet she was being, Venin is good-humored and scholarly. Despite this, it doesn't mean she's always happy-go-lucky, for she can get pretty scary when she's mad. Shiron, Sheikah Sage of Lightning Truly, no one expected a Sheikah to be the Sage of Lightning, but Shiron is, and he's not a typical Sheikah. He's very talkative, especially when others are actively listening, and his nigh-on supernaturally quick reflexes have a tendency to make people envious, for even those with their own quick reflexes seem to be slow in comparison to him. Ticki, Cobble Sage of Time Being of a premonitional people, it's no wonder Ticki became the Sage of Time. She tends to be very blunt in her premonitions, rather than using flowery language, but fortunately her fellow sages don't mind in the slightest. And of course, Link, Sage of Spirit Truth be told, no one's quite sure what Link is; they're pretty sure he's a Hylian, but his long, stark white hair, his bright yellow-orange eyes that glow in the dark, and the antlers on his head that are only probably part of a headdress make it hard to tell. He's very kind with animals, as well as those he trusts, right til the very end.

Lemme know what you think! ☺️

[marskid11]

love is pretty stupid

[midorimooon]

Keigo does a double-take the first time he sees you in red lipstick. 

It’s not a tame shade of red either. It’s vibrant, attention-grabbing, lustful…emphasizing the petals of your mouth that the most perverse thoughts bulldoze Keigo’s mind.  Compact mirror in hand, lipstick in the other, you look up. “Keigo?”

He taps his own lips, unable to look away from yours. “That’s new.”

You pout, unsure. “Trying a new color. I don’t think it looks good on me, though.”

Keigo begs to differ. So drawn to your lips, he takes your chin. “Look at me.”  It’s out of character for him to be this silent even when appraising your appearance. Usually, he pampers you with charming words and flattery, because you always look more than good to him. He’s your number one fan after all.

These red lips—leave him speechless. 

He can’t find the right words to say, because no word in existence could covey what it’s doing to him. How his pulse races, how every drop of blood travels south. And how badly he wants to ruin you, right here, right now. 

Instead, his touch ghosts your lower lip. He gulps, admiring how the lipstick bleeds onto his thumb. 

Your smile unfolds around his thumb, privy to what he’s asking for. You pucker your lips, sucking gently.

Immersed, Keigo’s jaw falls loose.

Slowly, you pull back with a faint laugh. “Almost time for you to head out?”

Keigo sighs. He’s due for a late-night patrol soon. It’s a shame he won’t be able to admire those red lips for longer. "Yeah, better get going."

“Wait.”

His confusion is short-lived when you take his face in your hands and reel him in for a deep kiss. 

You litter more kisses along his face, jaw, and sneaking a few to his neck. 

When you pull away, your lipstick has faded, partly smeared around the corners of your mouth. “Wanted to take it off before you left.”

Later that night, he touches base with another pro hero, who once-overs the red imprints all over Keigo's face. “Hawks...you didn't hook up with someone on patrol just now, right?"

Keigo grins wide, proud to display the marks you left on him. “Just a run-in with my number one fan.”

[cinnamini-mon]

｡*ﾟ✲*☆ ~ s p r i n g i s s p r i n g i n g ~ *ﾟ✲*☆

[mcr0wave]

more emic unfortunately...💔💔💔💔 i love announcing them like they're an illness bc they are. erasermicosis 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔

[save-the-villainous-cat]

Both of them stared at the footage, aghast.

"Long range weapon, huh?" the villain asked.

"Correct," the hero said. They leaned against their desk, the wood digging into their lower back. "Creating an opening is nearly impossible."

"You've tried, I assume."

"More than once." They pulled up their shirt and caught sight of the villain's eyes widening. They were aware that the scar was still fresh. Still a little too out of place on their abdomen. "Stabbed me all the way through. They're good. They're great."

Their jaw clenched. They were used to pain. But recovering from that wound had taken too long for their liking.

"You sound like you admire them," the villain said.

"Barely. I couldn't work for a whole month and it still stings." For some reason, the villain's face looked soft. The hero had seen their angry face, had seen them confused, hurt. Stressed, helpless, crying - they had seen the villain lose their mind with a face so undeniably in pain it had made the hero sick. A face covered in sweat. Covered in blood. Soft was different. Really different.

"Hm. All the way through?" The villain tilted their head.

"Yup."

"May I?" The villain's fingertips were on their best way to touch the hero's scar.

The hero swallowed.

"Sure." The touch was very simple, but the hero couldn't - for some reason - look the villain in the eye. Their neck was heating up.

"It's healing pretty well, though," the villain said. Their fingertips were warm, comforting. The hero was avoiding people and contact on purpose. They had made their peace with being alone. But the villain touching them like that - it left them feeling lonelier than ever.

"Y-yeah." The hero cleared their throat, covered their body again and their mind went back to work. If they didn't eliminate this...prodigy, they couldn't guarantee the safety of the city. Initially, they hadn't planned on sharing this with the villain. After all, the both of them were more or less doomed to rot in house arrest together. Since the hero's home was the only building in the entire city that had enough resources to maintain their enemy, they had somehow become something like roommates. Accidentally.

The villain had spent the first two weeks in a cell, but they were on their best behavior. So the hero hadn't seen any harm in letting them walk around freely. Monitoring them was easy. The villain stuck to routines, they weren't arguing with the hero. They cooked frequently. Fine with the hero.

"Closing the distance seems to be difficult," the villain said. They leaned over to stare at the screen again.

The hero found it...quite pleasant to have someone to talk to. They could still feel the touch of the villain's fingertips linger. A shiver ran down their spine.

They stared at the villain. Their enemy looked livelier. Happier, maybe? Could they be truly happy when they were basically imprisoned?

Two months ago, they had looked exhausted. The hero guessed that explained their aggressiveness back then. Cornered animals tend to lash out.

The villain bit their bottom lip. Their brooding face.

"What about a sharpshooter? Do you think they're too quick?" Right, back to work.

"Definitely. It's too dangerous. The person fighting them would be in grave danger if a sharpshooter was aiming at them," the hero said.

The villain tilted their head.

"Overwhelm them with numbers?"

"I suppose that would be an option. Still. They know how to defend themselves. They keep their cards close to their chest. Who knows how many tricks they got up their sleeve? I'm not too keen on sending a bunch of my people to their death."

They stared at each other and for some reason, the hero's mouth dried out. The villain did look much better. They hadn't realized it, but their usually shy personality had changed. The villain was still calm and tactical - they never revealed too much about themselves - yet, they had adopted a certain friendliness the hero wasn't familiar with.

Was it some tactic? To deceive the hero? What a terrible thought.

"Do you have to deal with them? Are they like...your new nemesis?"

"Huh?" Now it was the villain's turn to avoid the hero's eyes.

"I mean, we obviously can't fight each other anymore. I lost my powers. You captured me. I don't have anything going for me anymore. After my trial and my sentence, I guess...I think we won't see each other anymore, will we?"

The hero stared at them. Was that true?

They supposed they hadn't thought much about the future. They had been busy with other missions. They had been busy observing the villain. They had been busy with getting to know them better.

"I'm glad it's someone who challenges you, but I...I am really gonna miss you. And you should take care of yourself. Stabbing someone all the way through is a little messed up." They looked at each other and something inside the hero crumbled.

Sure, they were a hero because they wanted to protect others. But the villain...

"I'm not sure if I can go on without you," the hero said. "You have always been my priority, my motivation."

"You can't quit because of me."

"Why not? Haven't I given everything to the city? Am I not entitled to some selfishness?" They paused. Why did their chest hurt so much? "I devoted my entire life to being your opposite. No one could ever replace you, no matter how much they challenge me."

The hero felt like they should have never captured the villain in the first place. Regret was creeping up their spine.

But then, the villain simply smiled. "You know, sometimes, the things you say are horribly sweet."

"I - well, I just meant- I just wanted to clarify that this weirdo isn't my new nemesis. And I- I mean, I expect you to somehow escape from prison or whatever anyway. Your powers will come back eventually, something like that happened to me, too. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, powers work the same way." The hero's ears were on fire, burning hard enough to hurt. "This isn't the end."

"I hope you're right." The villain's voice was sweet, but their smile was even sweeter. They leaned over and touched the hero's collarbone. The hero loathed that there was fabric between them. "Any requests for dinner?"

The hero swore they were going to die of overheating.

[fireflyfreckles]

胸がはち切れそうで

“My chest seems like it’s going to burst”

[sugarfayeworks]

MHA Hawks: Cherry Blossom Season

A birthday gift for my friend that I did like 2023 but still really love (and may make it into a print I might just edit/redo some parts)

Enjoy!

[xander-wolk]

Bunny sketches🐰

[magicaldragons]

LMAOOO, why does every drama i start either have a potential gay ship or turn out to be queer-coded.

[dangermousie]

2024 list - cdrama edition

Yes, it's cdrama world so even though December is halfway though, they may drop 10 more dramas I will check out between now and 2025. But if I wait, this will never get done and it can always be updated, so here we go. This has been one of the best cdrama years for me!

This is only going to cover cdramas that aired in 2024; if I watched it but it was made in a different year, it’s not on the list. As always, very subjective.

DRAMAS WATCHED

(In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality; I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list)

61 My Divine Emissary - it’s actually a pretty good drama year when the worst cdrama I’ve checked out this year is merely utterly shrill and brain dead but not horrifyingly offensive to good taste.

60 Are You the One - no you are not. There are objectively worse dramas I've ranked higher but this is here because I am annoyed at the waste of Zhang Wanyi and this drama's popularity and douban rating. I am a petty bitch.

59 Fight for Love - they had wonderful actors and a great premise and utterly wasted it. There might someday be a good drama about a female general torn between a royal and an enemy general but this ain’t it.

58 Peacock in Wonderland - I am a few decades too old for this brain dead fest but I am glad Zhou Jun Wei is not canceled at least.

57 Her Fantastic Adventures - honestly, this, MDE and Revenger are all the same type of subgenre - they aren’t offensive they are just as empty as air. This also suffers from casting an utter dud as ML and a charisma boat as SML. Why?

56 Lady Revenger Returns from the Fire - the main thing I remember from this is that Miles Wei must have stolen the wig maker’s parking spot. That wig is the one that should have gone into the fire.

55 Fox Matchmaker: The Red Moon Pact - it’s so pretty, so full of gorgeous costumes and actors and I enjoyed the first few eps, but ultimately it was like watching colorful paint dry. It was so dull, I couldn’t even hate watch it, and that is more damning than anything.

54 Your Trap/Imprisoned Love - the plot of this mini made no sense but the softcore vibes of sanitized 1990s cinemax were on point!

53 The Unexpected Marriage - cutesy dumb period romcom. Could be worse, not that this is much of a praise.

52 Love’s Rebellion - so twee, so precious, so full of cutesy awful CGI and actors who aren’t bothering. I am not sure why Zhang Linghe and Jing Tian are in this mess that looks like rainbow vomited on a xianxia set.

51 My Wife’s Double Life - her life may be double but her brain is only half.

50 Jade’s Fateful Love - I lost some braincells trying this one, but (a) it’s gorgeous and (b) no transmigration say you? Multiple transmigration in first ep alone! Good for you, makers!

49 Follow My Heart - how do you have Luo Yunxi, Song Yi and Cheng Lei and waste them so utterly? First few eps were nice and then it’s like exercise in how much you can tolerate before you call it quits.

48 The Story of Pearl Girl - almost made me dislike ZLS and LYN and that's a feat. Dull and stupid and pointless from beginning to end.

47 Brocade Odyssey - more like Snooze Novella.

46 Melody of Golden Age - see write up for FMH because it fits here. This is bland with a side of bland.

45 The Legend of Taotie - an unequivocally bad drama but the look is such a nostalgia trip and I had fun.

44 Sword and Fairy 4 - it’s kinda a mess but I loved the actors and some of the plots and you can do worse.

43 Dawn Amidst Hidden Clouds - I enjoy watching Chang Huasen as a ML but the rest is eminently forgettable.

42 Blossoms in Adversity - dumb as a set of particularly dumb bricks and ML I don’t think could act if his life depended on it, but it was strangely addictive and I watched it often before better dramas. It’s just a genuinely good time somehow!

41 Judge Dee - it’s not you it’s me in action. It’s smart and gorgeous and well acted, I just don’t do procedurals.

40 The Substitute Princess’ Love - it’s like some of those trashy web novels I enjoy. It was clearly cut, its budget was equivalent to loose change found in the pockets of makers of Fox Spirit Matchmaker, but it was a surprisingly fun watch, though I enjoyed the first half better than the second. Also as a drama old, it was a fun blast from the past seeing Dylan Kuo (if you have never watched the old twdrama The Outsiders, what are you even doing with your life?)

39 Rise from the Ashes - a wacky as hell mini where reborn FL wreaks revenge with help of her fake uncle as they carry on as some sort of Borgia/Phillip II of Spain fame hybrid. If you don’t need to use your brain, you could have a worse time.

38 The Legend of Heroes - it suffered from me seeing other versions of this tale before that I liked more and not loving how dark looking it is but that cast is A+ and Wang Hongyi was a revelation as Yang Kang.

37 Beauty Strategy - a mini of what a few years ago would have been a proper angsty drama of palace scheming enemies while lovers, powerless emperor etc etc. Honestly, I loved it.

36 Lovesickness - this year’s gender-reversed Ancient Love Song, not as artistic or good but still a good time about a woman traveling back in time and falling for a powerful but doomed duke.

35 Fragments of Kylin - demon slayer falls for a demon; this one came out of nowhere and didn’t have much of a budget but is surprisingly lovely.

34 Love of Nirvana - the good parts are vvvvv good and points for making the emperor the villain, but it almost never emotionally grabbed me, and a lot of time was spent on narratives I had no interest in.

33 Enslaved by Love - the only reason it’s not the most fucked up drama on this list is because Shadow Sect, Palace Shadows and Burning Flames exist. The ML is toxic enough to be banned by the Geneva convention but FL does get some of her own back and also if you ever wanted to see blindness-curing sex, boy do I have a drama for you!

32 The Princess Royal/The Grand Princess - I am in the minority of finding this drama very mid. The acting was fine (except for former eunuch dude), the writing was fine, but I never really got invested alas. I don’t even know why. I think it’s just not my type of narrative; there was no intensity.

31 Secrets of the Shadow Sect - head of sect lady and her very very subby bodyguard. What’s not to love?

30 Palace Shadows: Between Two Princes - ML pretends to be his own twin, bdsm and sluttiness ensues. I cannot even explain how wild this drama is but the acting is on point and way way fun!

29 Dashing Youth - I had no expectations of this drama (was either indifferent to or disliked everyone in the cast, wuxia and wuxia-adjacent is rarely my genre, the number of characters is huge) but I loved how under its bright colors, it eventually gets very dark (it’s quite old school that way) and somehow I am invested in everyone in the huge cast. This being a prequel to The Blood of Youth makes us know the fates of many of the characters and this adds the air of tragic inevitability to it all.)

28 The Last Immortal - a surprisingly sweet and touching xianxia that works largely because Zhao Lusi and Wang Anyu are so so so so solid separately and together.

27 Burning Flames - the most gonzo drama on this list. I love it for committing to insanity as it should (if you pick insane source material, commit.) Humans taking on the worst Gods since Olympus, fur and chains, sentient crystal FL, ML who goes from Crown Prince to mine slave to rebel leader, bare chests and fur, demon elves, a villain that leaches color from the world - this drama has everything and I loved its unhinged glory.

26 Lost You Forever 2 - it would have been higher except it fell apart in the last third so badly I am still wondering how the makers could misunderstand their own characters and their own narratives so badly. The first season was a masterpiece. This is a hot mess.

25 Fateful Love - this was released after years in the dungeon and feels old school in the best way. It's what reading one of those OP FL web novels feels like, and the OTP is shockingly competent and adult. I loved that.

24 Love Game In Eastern Fantasy - excellent start, mid middle, and a terrible last third but I cannot have truly hard feelings since before it fell off, it really was fun.

23 Love in a Dream - it's a mini that has the most gorgeous cinematography I've seen all year except for Fangs of Fortune and Eternal Brotherhood. I loved the vibes and the story (though of course it suffered from mini running time constraints) and its feeling of tragic love and lost time.

22 Different Princess - a ridiculous amount of fun and ship about an author falling through to her own novel and falling for the villain.

21 Kill Me Love Me - the story is a mess and a half but the OTP gave me some incredible incredible scenes, and Wu Jinyan, Liu Xueyi and Baron Chen are gorgeous and acting their hearts out, plus the whump mmmm.

20 Meet You at the Blossom - this is a Thai/Taiwan/China coproduction so I am including it. It's my list! An uncensored BL adaptation with delicious dysfunction, sunshine x murder boy, angst, shippiness, groveling and wigs that are surprisingly decent for the budget!

19 Sword and Fairy 6 - I love this tale; the young OTP (a whale weapon and a clone of her trigger? More wholesome than you think) who are so ride or die for each other, the other amazing characters (sect leader who has to live as a man and her “twin” who is an ancient trapped spirit, a wolf demon, etc…) It’s just genuinely good and proof that targeted to younger audience doesn’t have to be bad.

18 In Blossom - sure, we all know JJY can’t act, but the narrative was so fun and the visuals were so gorgeous and Liu Xueyi so gorgeous and magnetic in his first proper Male Lead role, it was all worth it. I liked the first half when they were still cautious of each other more than the second but this is just a good time!

17 Snowy Night Timeless Love - a classic, tragic, romantic wuxia the way "they don't make it any more" only they did. Just lovely.

16 The Rise of Ning - such a pleasant, easy slice of period life with a side of revenge and fakecest (but only a teeny side.) Secondary characters are not particularly engaging and the plot suffers from being limited to 40 eps, but the main OTP is so enjoyable and Ren Min and Zhang Wanyi are doing such nuanced, lovely job that I can't even complain.

15 Hard to Find - my second favorite mini on the list, this is an aesthetic feast. The doomed couple from enemy kingdoms, the vengeance, the twists - if ever a mini deserved to be a proper drama, this would be it. But alas, if it was they’d probably not let it.

14 The Double - unhinged web novel vibe done so perfectly in the inimitable Yu Zheng style. The leads were so good even the amazing villains didn’t truly steal the show. Like with a lot of cdramas, it lost a lot of steam in second half for me, but still a great watch.

13 Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty 2 - I never like procedurals. Somehow both seasons of this show are the sole exception. It is so gorgeous, so impeccably acted, with such great characters. I cannot wait for s3.

12 Love in the Desert - a mini drama in story but with a proper budget and run time, this is such gorgeous sensual fun with a great main OTP, a truly incredible secondary OTP and some beautiful visuals.

11 Fortune Writer - the best mini this year and better than most “proper” cdramas (Douban raters agree), this tale of villains in love fighting the narrative has a lot to say about writing cliches and writing conventions. I love how clever it is and how it actually made me care for the characters.

10 Tender Light - except for that ending, this was in the running for my favorite 2024 cdrama. The writers’ lack of ability to commit and carry through pushed it lower but otherwise it’s a genuine masterpiece. The acting, the chemistry, the looping narrative, what it has to say about abuse and complicity of society and blazing your own moral path is something else.

9 Derailment - who knew a little quasi scifi modern would be this high but this one is amazing. If you watch one modern this year, make it this one. Our FL is a rich girl a little in the future who somehow wakes up in a different timeline a few years back in the body of that universe’s version of her (who is poor and has been missing) and her one connection is a young man who was in love with that universe’s version of her. I don’t want to say more so as not to spoil because the twists are twisty but this is EVERYTHING and also addresses transmigration, what it means to love, what is ethical etc etc. And that OTP!

8 Will Love in Spring - this is a year of miracles because I don't just have one modern among my favorites, I have a bunch. This is a gorgeous story about love and healing and awkward, scarred emotionally and physically people feeling if their odd angles and prickly flaws actually fit and working towards a future with fits and starts and it's just so chemistry driven, so tender, so gorgeous.

7 Snowfall - a fever dream of a vampire narrative set in an alternate universe of the Republican era, it’s gorgeous, passionate, hella queer and just like watching the most amazing fanfic come to life.

6 Heroes - a complete masterpiece about three men about to be on the scrapheap of history in the Qing Dynasty about to fall (a constable devoted to obsolete norms, who spent his whole life studying for the imperial exam which got canceled, the world’s best swordsman in the era of guns, and a former imperial guard who emerges from prison into a different world) whose stories intersect as they search for treasure and the women and other people in their lives. This is smart, impeccably acted, filmed in a stunning way, bleak and funny at once and - I don’t use the term masterpiece often but I will use it here.

4 (tie) Blossom - a romantic fever dream, with gorgeous damaged destined lovers. The director is the person who made A Familiar Stranger and Butterflied Lover into amazingness on a short run time and no budget, so when he actually has a proper run time and a budget - oh boy - it's romantic and beautiful and intense, a drama as opera.

4 (tie) The Legend of Shen Li - I am often indifferent to xianxia that suffers from too much CGI, hella immaturity and not enough stakes. Shen Li is everything. It’s gorgeously filmed, it’s adult, it gives the story time to breathe and centers it on characters and relationships. And the OTP is everything you can ever dream of - it reunites Zhao Liying and Lin Gengxin, totally healing those Princess Agents wounds - their chemistry is still utter fire but the narrative supports them every step of the way.

3 Eternal Brotherhood - if JoL2/FoF did not come out this year, this would be my favorite cdrama of the year. It’s clearly a passion project with a small budget but this complex and grim tale of three rather different sworn brothers in a world at war is gorgeous, smart, well acted, dark and inspiring at once. There are shots that take my breath away, the love stories are amazing, the pace is perfect, and ohhh our complex mainsssssss.

1 (tie) Joy of Life 2 - (almost) nothing can beat this masterpiece. The first season was perfect and somehow the second is even more perfect. It’s smart, it’s funny, it’s heartbreaking, the cast is still impeccable and Zhang Ruoyun still gives a completely jawdropping performance as the focus of all the madness Fan Xian. If you watch only one cdrama this year, make it this one; well, this and Fangs of Fortune.

1 (tie) Fangs of Fortune - this is an emotional and visual feast, with such incredible characters, interesting explorations of fantasy and mortality and morality and what makes life worth living. It made awful actors good and mid actors amazing (and amazing ones extra amazing.) It is also the most stunning drama I've ever watched as well as throwing me back into what it's like to be immersed into an amazing fantasy book as a kid and the characters and the relationships and the themes sing to me. A miracle.

FAVORITE DRAMA

Fangs of Fortune - I have rarely seen a drama that speaks to me so personally, but it is also narratively perfect, emotionally devastating, with impeccable acting, complex characters and visuals that are beyond stunning.

Joy of Life 2 - there is not one second I forwarded, not one unnecessary scene, not one weak link character. It’s a smart, fierce masterpiece.

Eternal Brotherhood is a runner up - it came out of nowhere and owned my whole heart. It’s the sole other cdrama this year where I did not ff a second.

WORST DRAMA

My Divine Emissary may have been the lowest ranked drama on my list but honestly, a drama with a tiny budget and a bunch of nobodies does not deserve to be listed as the Worst. What does? Fox Spirit Matchmaker - a huge budget, fancy stars etc etc and yet it's a completely and utterly unwatchable mess. To make something this thoroughly dull is a genuine feat. I cannot think of a drama that insults its viewer more not just this year but any recent year.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Fan Xian (Zhang Ruoyun), Joy of Life 2 - how could it ever be anyone but smart, irreverent, fierce, broken, idealistic, funny Fan Xian. The man who fights against the horrors of the universe, who remains human while being so larger than life. This character is everything.

Or Zhu Yun (Hou Minghao), an ancient, irreverent, vivid, borken demon who wants to die even as he might finally find a reason to live in Fangs of Fortune.

Runner up: Zhou Luo (Zhang Xincheng), Tender Light - idealistic loner who refuses to compromise his principles even as it would be easier to, even as it destroys his life, ZXC has always been a solid actor but here he is beyond.

Alternatively, Zichuan Xiu (Yang Xuwen), Eternal Brotherhood - only way to describe Xiu is “trauma sunshine.” He’s funny, he’s irrevocably fucked up, he is magnetic and intense and he fights for his hopeless ideals and he breaks and he keeps going.

or Xing Zhi (Lin Gengxin), the lonely ancient god in Shen Li discovering the pleasure of life for the first time in aeons.

or Zhuo Yichen (Fangs of Fortune) - a traumatized idealist who goes through so much hell but retains his heart and his core of steel even as he grows up about complexities of the world and the human heart.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Shen Li (Zhao Liying), The Legend of Shen Li - so fierce, so certain, so alive. She is a goddess but ZLY made her feel so real.

Runner up: Nan Ya (Tong Yao), Tender Light - an abuse victim who keeps trying to find a way out, she’s strong and damaged and complex and honestly, one of the best performances this year.

Alternatively, Jiang Xiao Yuan (Liu Haocun), Derailment - she makes a character that in other hands would be boring or trite, someone I want to reach through to the screen and protect and love.

Or Mi Lan (Ouyang Nana), Snowfall - a tiny, suicidal, abused, seemingly helpless blind girl who decides she needs to protect a deadly ancient vampire as her reason for living and she is unstoppable, fierce and a force of nature in her goal.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

99% of the denizens of the town in Tender Light - selfish every day denizens monstrous because of their very everydayness - they watch abuse and choose to blame the victim and gossip and enjoy the view. I hated them all.

BEST BAD GUY

Li Lun (Fangs of Fortune) - with his glorious mane, equally glorious eventual redemption, and incredibly dramatic attitude to a bad breakup, that was a feast.

The Emperor (Joy of Life 2) - a magnetic monster, smartest and the most ruthless character in any scene - Chen Dao Ming gives an insane performance.

Wang Jia Luo (Heroes) - a revolutionary for conservatism, a young man with brains and ideals who gets destroyed by them, who out-Javerts Javert, his descent into villainy and inability to live in the modern complex world, is one of the most compelling and tragic arcs of the drama.

Shen Yurong (The Double) - both repellent and somehow sympathetic, it takes skill to make me feel for a man who tried to bury his wife alive in ep 1. The performance of the whole drama for me.

City Lord (Eternal Brotherhood) - an utterly vile toad of a man, with nothing truly human and yet hiding it under weak and caring facade. I need him taken out.

"HAROLD, THEY ARE LESBIANS" AWARD

Wen Xiao x Pei Sijing, Fangs of Fortune - Duh.

"HOW DID CENSORS NAP THROUGH THIS" AWARD

Vamp Daddy and Loser Li in Snowfall and the entirety of Fangs of Fortune.

MALE LEAD MOST LIKELY TO BE BROUGHT HOME TO MOTHER

No, thank you! The few modern ones she'd not approve of (a mortician with issues? A teenager? A man who had his memories rearranged?) and the period ones are no go since few moms would be keen on wild-eyed, bloodied sons in law however hot and long haired they may be.

FAVORITE SHIP

Dou Zhao x Song Mo, Blossom - one of the most perfectly in sync couples out there, smart, competent, different kinds of damaged, get each other before they love or even trust each other. Your OTP could never. Unless your OTP is them.

Fan Xian x Lin Wan'er, Joy of Life 2 - she is his peace and his haven and the place his busy mind can rest, he is her safety and happiness and ability to live and not exist. They are everything to me.

Shen Li x Xing Zhi, The Legend of Shen Li - the chemistry, the yearning, the slow inevitable collapse into admittance, the way he protects the world and she protects him, the way they dance around each other, her being the aggressor, his surrender to forbidden emotion, their utter mutual belief in each other’s competence. They are everything to me.

Whatever the throuple (with sides?) thing was going on in Fangs of Fortune - I've raved enough about it elsewhere but that was insane in its intensity and gorgeousness and emotion and narrative arcs.

Runner up: the OTP in Derailment - those two went through some mind and soul breaking stuff and made it out.

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Hands down Ruo Wen x Ge Xinwei, Love in the Desert. An amoral, magnetic bandit leader and a princess gone wild on spring break stole the drama utterly. His unhinged energy was so matched by her sfl but with an appropriate target fixation. They made me swoon, laugh and cry.

Amusingly enough, Fu Xin Bo is the male actor in two - the crossdressing sect leader x wolf demon OTP in Sword and Fairy 6, and First Prince x Eldest Princess in Joy of Life 2. What can I say, man knows how to pick them. Those OTPs are both utterly adorable!

If we are talking about an OTP where it’s not that it’s not the main but it’s not a ship-centric drama so they don’t get much time, then we have Si Yilin x Ka Dan, Eternal Brotherhood - they are both such desperately good people in a mad world, tender with each other despite surrounding cruelty and Shen Zhiheng x Mi Lan, Snowfall - a vampire age gap romance done well, the ancient gentleman vampire and the tiny fierce blind girl who decides to protect him.

And of course Qing Geng x Fei, Fangs of Fortune - Ai Mi and Zuo Ye breaking my heart yet AGAIN.

NOTP

The couple in Fox Spirit Matchmaker - such pretty people, and so bland and boring and pointless together. It was kinda amazing.

HOTTEST SCENE

Ka Dan and Si Yilin (Eternal Brotherhood), the primmest, properest OTP of them all, consummate their love without any marriage, but with plenty of golden light.

FAVORITE SCENE

God, so many good scenes this year so far - Fan Xian watching the death of the old censor and the aftermath, in JoL2; his confrontation with Wan'er after she finds out about the truth behind her brother’s death, the scene where he poisons Second Prince, his scene with the registrar. Xiu giving up his future to protect the surrendered soldiers only to come back and find Di Lin executed them all in EB, the scene in Ning’s bedroom when he tells her how he really feels because she can’t hear, the very end of that season and Di Lin striding into the light, Ka Dan and SYL’s letters to each other. XZ literally defying heaven’s lightning and all their longing in Shen Li. The last scene of LYN and his girl in Heroes, the way Heroes always intercuts the golden past of the guard and princess and the dreary present (especially when we see her bicycle spin out of control back when and her husband lose it in the present and this time there is nobody to catch her), the big reveal in Derailment and the hairwashing scene, Mi Lan touching Vamp Daddy’s face as their thing in Snowfall, and the cage stuff, the aborted sex scene in Will Love in Spring, so many scenes in Fangs of Fortune but especially the aftermath on the stairs between ZYC and ZYZ post the latter's loss of control, the final sacrifice,Li Lun x ZYC x ZYZ battle against the bad guy, the whole plague demon storyline, ZYC becoming a demon, ZYZ having to slap himself to nerve himself to walk to his death, everything. And we haven't gotten to it yet, but the scene in all Blossom previews where Song Mo falls to his knees in front of Dou Zhao from a dead run is imprinted in me.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Shen Zhiheng (Gao Weiguang), Snowfall - Vamp Daddy made me hormonal in a way I haven’t felt for a cdrama lead since the heady days of Darren Wang in The Wolf. Those outfits, that hair, that height, that restraint, that lack of restraint. THE CHAINS

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Liu Duan Duan as Second Prince in Joy of Life 2 - what a performance! Unhinged, magnetic, pitiable, terrifying and always mesmerizing. The Second Prince is Fan Xian’s foil and a worthy one. LDD is always a great actor, and with a role that actually gives him something to sink his teeth into - wow!

Runner up - Baron Chen in Kill Me Love Me. It's the year of unhinged royal princes, I guess.

BEST COSTUMES AND WIGS

Fangs of Fortune - the whole design is exquisite!

MOST EXTRA OUTFIT

Burning Flames - this drama was a feat of extraness and that meant costumes but even among those, costumes worn by Peter Ho's human king and Jeremy Tsui's psychotic god stood out.

FAVORITE SECONDARY ML

Wu Shan, Blossom - this man is a literal sunshine angel.

MOST BLATANT INNUENDO MOMENT

The Double - As our FL fondles her wet flower petals in the bath, our ML wields and swings his giant sword shirtless in the rain. That was eye popping.

FAVORITE 2024 CDRAMA SONG

This Chen Xueran song from Eternal Brotherhood:

MVP OF THE YEAR

Liu Xueyi (In Blossom, Kill Me Love Me) - this is the year LXY finally achieved leading man status and he was spectacular in both of his outings - so very different in both but equally magnetic in either even if the dramas themselves had flaws. I have a new fave!

ACTING SURPRISE

Ouyang Nana - Li Muge performs miracles. He made Yang Chaoye be good in Heroes (2022) and now Nana, who was always as wooden as a post, is a revelation as blind abused girl who becomes a vampire in Snowfall.

Hou Minghao - I've always found HMH a stunningly beautiful man and a thoroughly bland actor. But he was surprisingly solid in Dashing Youth and utterly blew me away in Fangs of Fortune. Like jaw on the floor level blown away.

Wang Hongyi - found him bland as paint in LYF (both seasons) but his Yang Kang in Condor Heroes blew me away and then he repeated that feat as a very different character in a very different drama (Snowy Night.) Consider me a new fan.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

Joy of Life 2 of course - I need to see the looming confrontation between Fan Xian and the emperor, though not sure how that will pass censorship.

NEEDS SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

FF button has cured me of finding contenders for this category, but perhaps cutting out a lot of terrible acting and lack of stage presence of “not yet a eunuch” dude in The Princess Royal, would have improved it.

TOO MANY SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Lost You Forever 2 - there were other issues with it, but all the cuts couldn’t have helped with coherency.

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

Same as last year - the emperor cannot be irredeemable. WTF, China, you are a communist country! Though they are nibbling at the edges this year. Also fake feminism - I am all for girl power but not when it's ridiculously anachronistic for the period with no explanation at all. And finally NO MORE TRADE DRAMAS PLS PLS PLS

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

Men (and women) knowingly fighting for a doomed cause because otherwise they’d cease to be who they are. Or if we are being shallow all the beautiful men in chains.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Lost Your Forever 2 - the first season was my favorite drama of 2023 but LYF2 just fell apart so so so badly, it was almost fascinating. It totally eviscerated the characters and the meanings of the story.

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

So many of top dramas on my list are not dramas that were on my radar at all before airing - Heroes, Eternal Brotherhood, Fangs of Fortune, Will Love in Spring and Snowfall were not anything I anticipated, let alone I realized how much I’d love them. Same for Derailment and Tender Light. This has been a year of surprises.

2024 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

I have honestly watched everything I wanted.

BEST NON-2024 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2024

Lighter and Princess, hands down. I rarely even enjoy moderns and this one made it into my Top 5 cdrama of all time. This is how you make a love story. This is literally perfect. PERFECT.

Runner up: Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty - I, a procedural and mystery hater (especially when there is close to no romance) somehow fell like a ton of bricks for this gorgeous, smart, impeccably acted show.

MOST ANTICIPATED

A Dream Within a Dream looks like Fortune Writer with proper length and budget, Legend of the Female General looks epic and I love the novel, Divine Tree with Deng Wei is all my fave tropes, Veil of Shadows is peak Guo Jingming, and so many more.

[nevermatchandscpsradadventures]

Since most people polled wanted to see Linked Universe OCs, I will start with one of my most recently thought-up boys, Hero of Spring!

He’s VERY MUCH based on Lord of the Mountain/Satori in BotW and TotK, as well as the Mystic Set in TotK. I would’ve called him Hero of the Mountain or Hero of (the) Spirits, but I already have a Hero of the Mountain and a Hero of the Spirit, so I chose Spring, as in the season.

I was also inspired by various songs, namely Overgrown Garden by Beetlebug, O Willow Waly by Ashley Serena, The Mummer’s Dance by Loreena McKennitt, as well as multiple songs by Cosmo Sheldrake, specifically Solar Waltz, Breathe Round Corners, Does the Swallow Dream of Flying, But Once a Child, Song of the Cedars, Owl Song, Flora’s Pond, Cuckoo Song, and Come Wander With Me. Give em a listen if you want!

But yeah, I think that’s about all I have to say, at least off the top of my head, but if you have any questions, I’d love to hear them! And do let me know if my handwriting is too atrocious; I know it’s messy, even when I try to be neat

~ SCP-42605

[nobllite]

Sleepy Bunny..

[midorimooon]

bad timing | hawks x sidekick! reader

word count - 1.5k notes - just a drabble featuring reader as hawks's sidekick. no plot, just these two flirting and having inappropriate work relations. warnings - suggestive, no smut! just humor and banter. allusion to erection.

Something pelts your shoulder, plopping at your feet.  Clicking your tongue, your bleary eyes blink at the hacky sack on the floor.

You look up, frowning. “Can I help you?”

A red feather plucks up the hacky sack and drops it onto Hawks’s palm. He tilts his head, assessing you. “What’s with the slow motion? You look tiiiiired.”

On cue, a yawn slips out before you can stop it. Between the late-night patrol and reporting back to Hawks’s agency at the crack of dawn, your sharp motor skills have turned to cotton, leaving you exhausted. Sidekick duties never seem to end. 

You shrug, failing to cover another, more hefty yawn. “I’m fine.”

Hawks snorts a mimicry of your own voice. “’I’m fine’. Says someone who’s dead on her feet.”

“I’m fine,” you echo, rubbing the corner of your eye. “Just a little sleepy. I’ll wake up in a bit.”

Ice rattles as a full cup of coffee is shaken before your face. Hawks urges you to take his drink. “Here, this’ll help.”

Your nose wrinkles and you inch away. “Don’t like coffee.”

Hawks sips on the straw, smacking his lips. “Then sleep.”

Another yawn springs forth. “Right...I'll just snooze while on the clock."

"Who cares? Have a nap." He gestures to the couch, beaming with mischief. “It’s big enough for the both of us. Did you know I’m a good cuddler?”

Your frown deepens. “Don’t you have paperwork? Or a meeting elsewhere? Interns to train?”

Unfazed, Hawks shrugs. “All of the above, but those can wait. I’m more concerned about my sidekick. She needs my attention right now…” His voice drops into a playful purr as he motions forward. 

You step backward, maintaining an HR-appropriate distance. It’s obvious where Hawks wants this to go. You can decipher his tells at a distance—how his eyes rake up your body, snagging on your lips as he bites his own, all without shame too. Then comes the crooning in his voice, the pride whenever he says my sidekick, and how he knows you’re just as shameless as he is. 

The corner of your mouth curls, proving him right time and time again.   

Is it professional? Of course not. But you both have a pulse, unable to ignore that sweet, sexual tension that’s been brewing since you signed with his agency. 

You’ve both mastered this dance between boss and subordinate. It’s always business in front of others. Strictly maintaining a professional and platonic façade with the public wasn’t hard either.

What’s hard was the endless close proximity to him. On assignment, there were other sidekicks tagging along, and the occasional intern from UA. 

Still, that never stopped either of you from exchanging heated looks and sometimes touches when no one was looking. The rare moments when there was no one around often tested those professional boundaries, like right now. 

Because despite it all, there remains that fine line you’ve yet to cross. Him on one side, you on the other. Only time will tell when and who will be the first to throw caution to the wind and cross over. 

You know it won’t be you. At least not now…

“Hawks…” The back of your legs hit the couch’s armrest, only aware that Hawks had led you there with every forward step. 

If he wants to (you want, too, but you keep that to yourself), Hawks could coax you on your back with his charm. But you stay resilient, pretend that your pulse isn’t racing. “That paperwork’s not gonna do itself.”

He quirks a brow, taking your chin in his gloved hand. “Neither am I.”

The double-meaning behind his words is almost enough to have you break. 

Before his lips could mesh with yours, you turn away, yawning loudly, and ruining the mood. “I should catch up with the others.”

Hawks expels a dramatic sigh. “Why do you hate me?”

You laugh. “Who said that?”

“It’s true. You’re always running off to hang with them.” His fingers trail the neckline of your uniform. “What about me? I get lonely too.”

You lift a brow. “They are in the same pay range as me. And you—” You poke a finger to his toned chest to no avail. “Have a laundry list of shit to do today.”

Hawks takes your hand, pressing it against the side of his face. “Later. Got other priorities.”

“Hawks, I’m fine.”

“You’re tense and tired.” He nuzzles into your palm, kissing your fingertips. “Let me help you relax. My sidekick needs to blow off steam and I want to help her.”

“What about your other sidekicks? They could use some of your TLC too,” you tease. 

“They’re fine,” Hawks muses, running your fingers along his lips. “Don’t tell them this.” Suddenly his voice drops to a murmur. “But you’re my favorite.”

You roll your eyes to mask the heat crawling up your neck. Of course, you knew that already, but it still made you weak-kneed to hear him say it. 

“So? What do you say?” He perks up, hopeful and charming. “Let your hero Hawks help you…”

Before you could reiterate the bad timing, a gasp rushes out of you. 

Hawks had managed to slip your middle finger into his mouth, biting down to interrupt you. “I can start with tongue,” he mumbles, sucking on your finger. 

For a moment, you’re spellbound, gawking at his plush lips wrapped around your finger. Your mind blanks, elusive to all thought. 

“Have I convinced you yet?” Hawks bites down again, sharper than before. 

You hiss, reeling your hand free so abruptly, you fall back. 

Soft leather catches your fall. You get a glimpse of the overhead lights before Hawks crawls over you, wings fanned out and a halo limns behind his head. 

“Look at that, you changed your mind after all,” he croons with a noticeable edge. Despite the ramifications, you’re relieved when bears down to kiss you. 

It’s not a soft kiss either. It’s full of vigor and desperation—

Fury.

After months and months of toeing the line between hero and sidekick, this is how your first kiss with Hawks should feel. 

Tossing caution to the wind, you match his rhythm. It’s a stroke of tongues, an exchange of desperate noise, an all-consuming hunger to devour the other. 

You break apart for air, a thin thread of saliva tethering your lips to his. “Hawks…”

“Keigo,” he growls. “As cool as Hawks sounds, I’d rather you hear you moan my name.” 

Your skin heats both at his authority and the intimate request. “Keigo…” you husk, watching his eyes darken. 

Something akin to satisfaction flashes behind his eyes. He leans in again.

As his lips ghost yours, a loud buzzing rumbles against the couch’s cushion. Seconds later, another noise joins the first.

You recognize them to be your phones, alerting you both of an emergency nearby. 

Hawks groans, sinking his face into your shoulder. “Why?”

The buzzing persists, urgent and dire, you know neither of you can wait any longer.

“Rain check,” you say, shifting under Hawks’s weight. 

He shakes his head, keeping you pinned. “Five minutes…” He slots his mouth over yours like he won’t get this chance again. 

All you hear is the rush of adrenaline in your ears until—

Knock, knock, knock. 

“Hawks!” a voice calls out from behind the office doors. “We received the emergency alert.”

Bless his new intern, Tsukuyomi. 

“Bad timing, birdman.” You manage to slip away, and Hawks begrudgingly lets you. 

He huffs, sending his feathers to gather his visor and headphones. He does a quick a onceover on his phone to assess the emergency and gets on his feet. 

“I’ll lead Tsukuyomi and the others,” you offer, heading towards the door. 

“I’ll come with you.” Hawks follows but you stop him. 

“No, you get a head start and take the window.” 

“The window?” Hawks’s brows furrow together, clueless for a second, then follows where your eyes have drifted to. He puffs out a shameless laugh, reminded of his raging erection, visible beneath his belt. “Ah…right. Should take care of this…”

Hero work can be so cruel. 

You’re equally disappointed. Finally, giving in to temptation and the world decides to burn. 

Now that you’ve had a sample, you couldn’t care less anymore about the ramifications. You and Hawks could deal with all that at a later date. 

You reach out to stroke his jaw, admiring how your touch makes his throat roll in a slow gulp. “I’m off at 7p, remember?”

His eyes are alight. “Meet me here.”

He tries to steal a kiss, but you dodge it, reminding him, “Emergency now. That couch…later.”

[escaping-peril12]

I AM CRYINGGDN 😭😭😭😭🧡💚🧡💚

[tamaki-ako]

to be hero x | episode 11