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dangermousie · 2 months

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Middle (sort of) of 2024 list - cdrama edition.

Yeah I realize it's neither the end of the year, nor half a year, but what's the point of being predictable? It's also gonna make my end of year post easier. 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.

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)

42 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.

41 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.

40 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.

39 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?

38 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.

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

36 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.

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

34 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.

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

32 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!

31 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.

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

29 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!

28 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.

27 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 makes 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?)

26 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.

25 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.

24 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.

23 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.

22 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.

21 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!

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

19 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!

18 Dashing Youth - I had no expectations of this drama (either indifferent to or dislike 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.)

17 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.

16 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.

15 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.

14 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.

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

12 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.

11 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!

10 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.

9 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.

8 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.

7 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.

6 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!

5 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.

4 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.

3 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.

2 Eternal Brotherhood - if JoL2 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 Joy of Life 2 - 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.

FAVORITE DRAMA

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 - honestly, this is a decent year because even this drama was just "forget it" not burning hate.

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.

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 discovering the pleasure of life for the first time in aeons.

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.

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.

FAVORITE SHIP

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.

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

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Amusingly enough, Fu Xin Bo is the male actor in both - 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 either Fan Xian x Lin Wan'er from Joy of Life 2 - she is his peace and sanity

and 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.

NOTP

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

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 night. 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 etc etc.

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!

MVP OF THE YEAR

Liu Yuning (Heroes, Eternal Brotherhood) - there is only one actor who somehow managed to be a main character in two of my five top 2024 dramas. His ruthless, driven Di Lin in EB, who knows he's doomed as the ruler's executioner but has no other way forward, and the man out of time (best swordsman in a gun era) in Heroes are both unforgettable characters in amazing dramas.

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.

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.

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.

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

Three out of the top 5 dramas on my list are not dramas that were on my radar at all before airing - Heroes, Eternal Brotherhood 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 almost everything I wanted. Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty 2 will be the one I will list since I still need to finish s1.

BEST NON-2024 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2024

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

This is always a bad idea and kinda a curse but I really really want The Story of Pearl Girl, with Zhao Lusi and Liu Yuning because I love them separately and together and the thought of them reuniting is a dream come true. Also Eternal Brotherhood 2 (it's filmed but they can't air it until a year from EB1), Love of Nirvana with Ren Jialun and Li Landi, and Snowy Night: Timeless Love with Li Qin and Zheng Shunxi.

#cdrama #2024 list #derailment #the legend of shen li #heroes (2024)#heroes #snowfall #tender light #eternal brotherhood #joy of life 2 #the double #the princess royal #hard to find #fortune writer #in blossom #sword and fairy 6

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occasionallyprosie · 7 months

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"Hiding Behind Plaster and Ceremics"

Chapter 1

Legend had one job the second time he was dragged on a quest that involved time travel and ancestors, and the second time a quest involved meeting other heroes: Don't get attached. Thankfully, the other heroes seemed to believe the mask he wore, and most of them didn't bother with him as a result except to argue, especially Twilight and Warriors. Now, if only someone could tell the kid behind the mask to stop reaching out to the brothers he lost after Hytopia, that would be great. And if they could stop the frigid downpour so Legend wouldn't get even sicker, that would also be great.

Febuwhump 2024 | Prompt 13: "You weren't supposed to get hurt"

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Event Masterlist

Read On AO3 Warnings: mild swearing

Legend knew the role he was playing.

His whole life was just one role after another, his main one of "the hero" constantly being reprised, but changing with each installment.

His first casting, he had been a terrified child, doing his best, trying to fulfill his uncle's last words. His second, he was an excited, bubbly child gaining two older brothers who shared separate yet similar pasts. His third was a kid with too big a heart and a burn to protect, giving everything he had including the clothes on his back to a dimension traveler who helped him in turn. His fourth and fifth was of a kid in a new land, wearing his heart on his sleeve, helping everyone he met even when it burned him. His sixth was the turning point for his role, he began it as the sweet kid and ended it heartbroken and begging to never feel such pain again.

His seventh was starring him as a broken teenager doing everything he could to fix things, to do the right thing and help people, without getting attached and heartbroken again.

Like any other tragedy, that teenager failed in the end and Ravio went back to Lorule, their worlds closing.

The next reprisal, lucky number eight, was of a slightly older teenager who was determined to get through this without opening his heart to a single soul, even if it hurt those around him.

So that's the role Legend played. He was the hoarder, but he coveted items and people were a danger to those belongings, he was the scholar, providing information to those who asked, who found solace in books and scrolls, and he was the veteran, tired and done with the lives they led.

The longer it went on, the harder it was for Legend to suppress that terrified child who just wanted to help out. The longer it went on, his mask was trying to crack from overuse.

It's a shame for that mask that he was a hoarder and always had something to hold it back together.

It was also a shame for the excited, bubbly child inside to watch as his older brothers failed to even recognize him with the mask he wore and the many new years he bore.

Legend recognized Ocean and Forest immediately, the moment his eyes landed on them, he knew who they were. Ocean hadn't changed much, but Forest was taller, bigger, more muscular and he had face tattoos interestingly enough.

He met their eyes and saw not a flicker of recognition appear in theirs, he supposed that was fair, he looked different and he had changed. He'd be surprised if they figured him out by anything but the fact he wore the same tunic.

They went weeks into this adventures, Legend doing whatever he thought helped him maintain that distance, strengthen that wall, that kept the other heroes out of reach of his internal child and kept his heart safe.

He couldn't do Ravio again, or, he supposed, this was more like Raven all over again. He refused to do that again.

But that child really wanted out, it was begging to be released, to call out to the two heroes he once called brothers.

No, Legend reminded himself. They don’t even remember us.

So he shut up and kept to his corner, he stitched and bandaged his own wounds and snarled at anyone who dared to approach. Especially the ones who he knew he would trust easier--the Sailor, the Rancher, the Traveler, and the Skyloftian.

Legend was sick. He knew he was and he blamed that cold storm they'd got caught in not two days ago for it. When they'd made camp, most of them bundled by the fire but Legend had stuffed himself away out of stubbornness and pride, using his fire rod for heat and wrapping an extra blanket around his soaked self.

He wasn't surprised by the turn of events, but he wasn't certain how to approach it.

Clearly, as they walked and he focused hard on keeping steady steps and maintaining pace with the others that he'd missed the entirety of Wind's story, he wasn't great. He usually listened, even if he feigned otherwise, it was a good distraction and he liked stories. It was the only thing he granted to himself, listening to Ocean ramble on about events he'd already heard the stories of. Now he was struggling and normally he would've stayed in the cave from the other day or even backtracked to it to rest and maintain a safe space, but that wasn't much of an option.

The cold of Warriors' Hebra region was piercing, and darkened clouds still rolled overhead but didn't open for much more than a sprinkle. Though humid, all the humidity did was prevent their clothes from drying, it didn't further soak them. Frankly he preferred the cold storm over a blistering, tropical hot storm.

But goddesses, he needed to take a break or he'd pass out and he didn't know how to say that. His mask was cracking, he knew it, and he was running out of energy to fix it while also trying not to stumble and fall in the mud.

To his luck, Sky called for a break, explaining the wet air was getting to his high altitude lungs. Legend didn't bother trying to understand that, which was rather telling. Instead he followed to the side they'd went to and tucked himself under a tree, letting his eyes shut and block out the painful, headache-inducing light.

Too soon, someone called to him.

"Hey Hoarder, get off your ass and let's go," Warriors snapped at him.

Legend dragged up his energy to shoot a glare at the knight. "You'd know all about sitting back on your ass, wouldn't you, soldier boy?" He snarled, pushing off the tree. The rest was helpful, but not sufficient. He really hoped he wasn't assigned a watch tonight, he wouldn't stay awake.

"One of these days, you’re going to get what's coming to you and that goddess-awful attitude," Warriors warned him.

Legend rolled his eyes. "Whatever comes for me for "this attitude" is going to get the exact same treatment as everything else that has come for me. A sword through its heart."

"Oh right, how could I forget, the Hoarder just kills everything that comes near him," Warriors spat.

Twilight got between them, shoving his way in and accidentally helping Legend hide the flinch that broke through from Warriors' words.

"Alrigh', that's enough. We have a lot of ground to cover and not enough patience to deal with you two."

Legend scoffed and he trudged off after the others who had already began to leave them, probably at Twilight's suggestion and Time's agreement. His boots threatened to get stuck in the mud and he feared his dwindling strength would have him unable to pull them from the sucking sludge, but he had the strength for now.

He heard Twilight mutter to Warriors. "Look, yer not wrong, the Scholar's f'r sure quick t'fight an' his whole personality leaves much to be desired, but none of us wanna listen t'ya two hurlin' insults no matter how much truth is with them."

Warriors groaned lowly. "You better not even try to lecture me, Rancher. I won't start a fight, but I'm not going to just take it."

Twilight backed off, surprisingly. Those two were at each other's throats just as often as Legend was with either of them.

The bubbly kid held back a sob hearing Twilight's--Forest's-- words. Legend trudged through the mud and plastered over the crack in his mask.

He wouldn't let them see how much that hurt.

He didn't kill everyone who came near him, he thought to himself pleadingly. Then names flickered through his mind and the plaster cracked too.

He was too exhausted from the growing fever to actually try and fix it back, it began to pour again and he had to keep moving.

Keep going, Link. He told himself. Keep going, then when they finally say stop we can rest. It'll be fine, just hold out a little while longer... please.

They couldn't make camp early enough. Hyrule found a cave again and Legend went as deep as he could until Time told him to not go that far. He came a bit closer and rolled out his bedroll.

He tucked his two fire rods in the blankets, then promptly collapsed, ignoring the others set up their camp.

He never usually helped, helping meant interacting and interacting risked attachment.

He wouldn't risk getting attached. He just had to hope the heat of the fire rods and the blankets would burn out his growing fever before dawn. With their chatter, they didn't seem to hear him down a health potion before passing out without dinner.

Dawn came and he felt no better, but he wasn't worse. It took way too much energy to get up when he heard the others rousing, it took too much focus to realize the sounds he heard was the others rousing.

He dragged himself to his feet, packed his things away and pulled on his mud covered boots. Nobody bothered him aside waiting at the entrance until they were all gathered, him included, to leave. Sky, as usual, greeted him with a good morning and Hyrule tried to fall into step with him, but a glare and a snap had the other hero retreating to Wild reluctantly.

It was raining the moment they left and continued to rain throughout the whole time.

He wasn't the only one slipping and stumbling through the mud, Four was struggling bad, as was Wind and Sky. Wild seemed to stumble but had a certain step of understanding, like he'd had to do this before, and Hyrule was similar though struggling far more. The three tall heroes, Time, Twilight, and Warriors, still slipped a bit but the knee deep mud for Legend was only halfway up their shins.

He lost his battle with the sickness and he nearly fell, barely catching himself and kneeling.

Distantly, he was aware of someone calling for him to keep moving over the roar of the heavy downpour.

He couldn't stand. His vision was bad and his body was trying to give out. He couldn't stand. He couldn't hardly move.

Come on, Link. Just a couple more hours, you've made it through worse!

Except the worse was fighting Ganon with an infection blossoming. Except the worse had adrenaline pumping through his veins and Raven at his side to help out. Except right now, one step took as much energy as a whole spin attack back then.

He had to stop. He had to breathe--

A hand landed on his shoulder and he flinched, but it tightened before he could fall back.

"Hoarder. Get up," Warriors ordered and it sounded like he was underwater. "There's no way with how much you slept you’re this tired, even the Skyloftian and the Sailor are handling."

Legend wheezed softly. He knew that. He knew he had to stand.

His body wouldn't cooperate, but he managed to smack Warriors' hand away and push against his knees to painstakingly stand.

The blur of green moved away, Warriors going on ahead. He tried to drag a foot ahead again but collapsed again. This time falling face first into the mud was a near thing, only barely avoiding such a fate.

Stand, damnit! He wanted to cry. He couldn't get his body to move, he couldn't find safety. This was why he took sanctuary whenever he got sick, so he wouldn't be a sitting duck.

He hated this. He hated it all. He hated them, those damned heroes, their stupid, stupid idea of correct and good. He hated everyone who left him, everyone who'd abandoned him. He hated himself for being so damned soft and attaching himself way too easily to others.

It wasn't supposed to hurt. Loving people wasn't supposed to hurt. He wasn't supposed to get hurt for caring.

Yet here he was, close to tears because he couldn't stand. Because he couldn't admit to weakness, because being weak meant needing help, and needing help meant letting people come close.

And he was too soft, to quick to care, to let anyone come close and not get attached. He couldn't get attached again, he couldn't lose someone again.

He glanced up briefly, just enough to know none of the blurs were approaching and were in fact moving away. He shakily took out a green potion, took way too long to uncap it and drink some, and used the forced energy to stand again and keep moving.

He'd never had to drink a green potion to keep moving before, but as it turned out, this whole quest was just a mess of "do this" so they wouldn't notice him, so they wouldn't get close, so he wouldn't get attached.

Goddesses, being alone wasn't supposed to hurt.

Legend genuinely didn't know how he made it through that day, but what he did know was that he wasn't getting up from where he had collapsed in the wet cave they'd once again made camp within.

He pressed his burning head against the cold stone and just let out a shuddering breath, eyes slipping shut and staying shut. He had made it to the back of the cave again and Time hadn't yet made him move closer.

He just needed to rest. He had to rest. His whole body ached, his insides twisted, and nausea rolled in his stomach and wound around his throat. He could hardly inhale through his mouth without wanting to throw up, but he couldn't breathe through his nose either, so this was what he had to deal with. He didn't even try with getting out a blanket or his fire rods for some heat, just curled up and hoped to the goddesses it passed tonight because he wasn't getting up until it was.

He slipped asleep quickly, but was startled back awake.

A haze settled over his mind but that didn't prevent the world from shaking and then someone grabbing him, or maybe it was the other way around and the grabbing shook him? He didn't know.

All he knew was that the light of the fire was gone, his body hurt, and he had been tackled or something by someone.

There was talking--no, yelling but he couldn't bring himself to actually process the words.

He just blinked dazedly up at the darkness and the barely-visible silhouette above him, they were shaking him. His brain rattled in his skull and the shaking grew painful fast.

"--t! Link! Come on, wake up--"

He whimpered. "St'p... 'urts."

"Oh. Link, hey--" cool hands brushed his face and he inhaled sharply, only to exhale softly. The coolness pulled away fast and he whined at the loss. "Oh Ordona, yer burning up."

The cool hand returned and he managed to lean into it.

"Sweet Ordona, Link, how long have you been sick?" They said, and the sound echoed almost painfully. He tried to curl back up into the ball he had been in before he'd been disturbed.

He slipped back asleep, finally just resting, finally letting the exhaustion take hold.

They'd made camp in a cave again, and Twilight was a bit relieved by that. He was tired of the rain and mud, the hard rock walls was a boon.

They'd made a fire, Wild was just beginning to start it when the ground trembled.

"The ceiling's caving in!" Four yelped, his eyes flashing purple. How he knew that, Twilight really didn't need to know nor did he care to.

They all moved fast, but Twilight spotted Legend still unmoving and curled up deeper into the cave.

"COLLECTOR MOVE!" Hyrule screamed, clearly having seen the same.

The cave ceiling began to break. Twilight ran and he managed to pull Legend deeper into the cave as the ceiling in the area they'd begun camp in collapsed.

Thankfully, the cave in ended far enough back that Twilight got them far enough away. He just had to hope the others got out on the other side.

To his absolute surprise, Legend had barely startled at the tackle and was currently limp beside him. Twilight's night vision was improved due to being attuned to his wolf form, but it was not perfect.

Legend's eyes fluttered open part way, half lidded and looking dazedly.

"Collector?" Twilight prompted, hoping the other hero didn't have a concussion. "Collector!" He called again when he didn't even respond, shaking his shoulder. "Link! Come on, wake up--"

A whimper, an actual whimper escaped the other hero and Twilight faltered as he heard the quiet plea for it to stop, that it hurt.

"Oh. Link, hey--" Twilight tried to move his bangs to check his eyes, to look for a concussion, but the skin he felt was far too hot for the frigid caves and storms they've been in for the past three days. He'd jerked away from the unexpected heat on instinct before it set in what was going on.

Suddenly it made sense, how quiet Legend had been the past couple days, the way he had struggled to keep up and stand. Twilight had taken it as just having a restless night and being tired, he'd clearly been exhausted the other day with how quickly he'd gone to sleep and he wouldn't have been surprised if he'd been caught unable to fully rest with how soaking wet and cold it had been. However this just... Why didn't he expect someone to get sick with how cold and wet it's been?

"Oh Ordona, yer burning up," he breathed. He placed his hand on Legend's forehead and the collector leaned into it. "Sweet Ordona, Link, how long have you been sick?"

He watched Legend's eyes slip shut and then not open. He'd passed out, oh that was not good.

Twilight tug the smaller hero closer and picked him up. He... He never realized how small Legend was until he had the Scholar curled up in his arms, shaking like a leaf and whimpering.

He delved deeper into the cave, hoping for an escape or at least for the cave to get warmer.

Light Spirits, was he so blind by his own judgment and dislike of a person as to not notice them get so sick they had struggled to stand?

He didn't find an exit but did find an underground river but a dry shore, probably a lot higher of a shore than it normally was considering the amount of rainfall. He managed to set out enough blankets, decently dry, that he thought he could bundle the collector up.

Muttering an apology, he stripped Legend of his soaked clothes, leaving his shorts, and wrapped him tight in four dry blankets. He did take the time to try and clean both their boots of mud, but was careful with Legend's precious Pegasus boots, he knew the Hoarder would kill him if he messed any of his items up.

Then he settled on the dry rock, Legend's bundled form in his arms as he tried to provide what heat he could to lessen the amount of shivering the other hero was doing.

He let himself fall asleep at some point, only to wake up a few hours later with an inkling of light above.

He looked up and there turned out to be an opening in the ceiling, rainwater a steady trickle into the cavern. From what he could tell, he could probably hookshot out, but definitely not with Legend.

So he waited.

Legend was remarkably warmer but he woke up, with the light Twilight could actually see his glassy red eyes fill with confusion.

"Where..."

"It's alright," he murmured on instinct, if Legend was more coherent he probably would've been hit. But as it stood, he had someone small and sick in his arms so he acted instinctively, pulling them closer and promising safety. "It'll be alright, just rest, kid. I got you."

Legend twisted a bit, dazed and distant eyes settling on his face. He frowned, and Twilight was struck by how much younger Legend looked when he wasn't glaring and snarling at anyone who neared like an injured animal.

"Oh..." he muttered and he went limp again, curling willingly into Twilight's chest. "It 'urts," he mumbled and Twilight felt his heart constrict.

"I know," he promised. How sick was he? Why didn't he say anything? Was it out of pride? "It'll be alright."

"Where's Ocea'?" The hero in his arms asked and Twilight froze.

Oh goddesses no.

"Apple?" Twilight croaked.

"Mm... yea?"

No, no, no.

"F'rest?" he called, voice weak, and Twilight struggled to breathe out a response.

Legend hummed. "M...M'kay."

No. Twilight felt his blood run cold, his heart beat too fast and too hard, because suddenly everything went extremely wrong. Legend --the group's Collector and Scholar, the harsh, rude, snappy, violent one who had nearly bit Hyrule's head off only that morning-- was Apple, the kid that had broken his leg in Hytopia after slipping off a roof that he'd climbed on a whim. The nine year old kid who sang songs, hummed tunes, who fooled around while Twilight and a younger Wind who they nicknamed "Ocean" did the walking. The same kid who earned his keep and, when given the chance by the two older heroes, absolutely slaughtered any monster in his path so long as he had a blade and a magic rod in his hands.

Legend, the distant, snarling, cold, bully of a hero... was his sweet little brother. Legend was the same kid that had asked Lady Maud nicely to not make Styla wear clothes she didn't like, because he said it was mean to make people do things they didn't like even if someone else was doing something to you that you didn't like. That kid was Legend?

For a moment, Twilight couldn't believe it. There was no way that Legend could be Apple.

Then, he looked at the hero in his arms and the fact he had to be at least ten years older had probably embarked on a third quest after Hytopia...

Twilight's own quest changed him for the better, he'd been a prideful brat of a teenager and became... well he wasn't sure, but he hoped he was a better person now. So who was to say Legend's didn't turn him from a bright kid to a violent and harsh man.

"You weren't supposed to get hurt," Twilight croaked. "You were supposed to go home and be happy."

Legend didn't respond, after all, the collector was out cold. He couldn't give Twilight any explanation for why he was so jaded and... and so angry, why he was so harsh.

"You weren't supposed to get hurt," Twilight repeated weakly, because that sweet, bright little kid was supposed to go home to that aunt he spoke the world of and be happy, not go on another adventure or whatever had happened that turned him into this... broken, cold, harsh hero.

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