#like yeah y’all support her in battle and by doing these quests with her

[yourqueenb]

Ok I know we’re focusing on Mal rn, and I’m happy about that. But this right here would’ve been a great moment to give MC a chance to speak on how holding the team together affects her since he just commented on how hard it is. Like now you have a bit of an idea of how she feels, but you still don’t know the half of it because she had to come back, pick up the pieces, and rally everyone together again AFTER being kidnapped and held captive.

And I get that MC being gone was hard for Mal, especially since he’s my LI. But he still ultimately got to move on and pursue something he’s always wanted to do. Meanwhile MC went from saving her brother to saving the world to saving herself to being thrust right back into saving the world and her friends again!

[maskydoolovesmasseffect]

Mass Effect Tag

Wellio, I’ve been tagged by @berryshiara. Passing this on to @grummel83

Gunna answer my questions now. Y’all feel free to tell me what you think of these answers. ​

I’m a fan since: 2008. I was just out of high school and still not over KoTOR. I was fresh in the army and got to talking to some other dude fresh to the army about video games. He asked me if I played Mass Effect. I said no. By the next day I just about totally forgot about him, then he suddenly appeared out of nowhere sat in front of me in the chow hall and pulled a copy of ME1 for Xbox 360 out his pocket like he was a magician doing a magic trick (ACU pockets are huge.)

Anyway turns out that guy was a romance option and I must have picked the right dialogue options. I’m still with him, too.

Favorite game of the series:

Mass Effect 2. It seemed like that’s the one where choices mattered most and you really got to know your squaddies. Also MAJOR gameplay improvements over the first game. And that game gave me the most freedom to do basically whatever I wanted and wasnt afraid to give me consequences for it.

MShep or FShep:

FShep. Nothing against MShep, but for me the real Shep is FShep. Can’t beat Jennifer Hale’s voice. 

Earthborn, Colonist, or Spacer:

Colonist. I like having the background of knowing just how dangerous the galaxy can be and how the Alliance can’t be everywhere at once so sometimes you need to manage your best on your own.

Biotics or Tech:

Both.

Paragon or Renegade:

Paragon, mostly. I tried being renegade but some of the actions are just so pointlessly dickish, or even outright unhinged in a way that would make it impossible to believe the Alliance would ever promote Shepard as an officer or even keep her in the Alliance at all, especially in the first game.

That said, there are times where a renegade action is more expedient and practical than a paragon one, like in 2 when you stab a dude in the back to prevent him from repairing an enemy gunship, so even with a paragon playthrough, my Shepard will have no issues taking that opportunity. She’s already seconds away from betraying all those guys anyway.  

Paragon in treatment of others, renegade in combat pragmatism.

Favorite Class:

I play as infiltrator and vanguard.

Infiltrator is great for using a sniping and opening loot, and then for going invisible, and if I remember right AI hacking too. That’s cool and I wish there were more genuine opportunities for stealth.

Nowadays I play as Vanguard in my playthroughs mainly just so my Shepard can be canonically biotic for story reasons. From 2 on when looting no longer needs a special skill and I get to charge around the map. I don’t really care much about using biotics (that’s what the squadies are for) but the movement is super useful (when Shepard actually does the thing instead of just standing out in the open soaking up bullets until the ability decides to actually work.)

Favorite Companion:

Garrus. I like to set him up in sniper positions. When he actually STAYS where I put him instead of running straight up to enemies to try to snipe them at point blank, he’s great.

Also his quips in 2 on are pretty entertaining.

Least Favorite Companion:

Garrus, Oh my god. Go back to the sniper position where I put you. Leave tanking to krogan; you do not have the HP for this.

Also Kaidan in ME1. He can not shoot to save his life - literally.  

My Squad Selection:

For all ME1 playthroughs after my first one, Ashley and Kaidan, just of their comments and because... well... I only have so much time with them.

Apart from that I mainly just pick my team based on who’s likely to have the most interesting commentary on whatever the mission happens to be, squad balance be damned. 

Favorite In-Game Romance:

Garrus X Shepard is my favorite love story. They are just so adorable together and always supportive even when they disagree.

But my cannon romance is Kaidan X Shepard for the drama and angst.

Favorite NPC:

In ME1 there’s this random Turian on Noveria who randomly has like a New York accent and I absolutely adore him. He plays basically no part in the story other than some minor information but he’s just so pleasant to speak to.

“If you need anything, I’ll be here.”

Favorite Antagonist:

Morinth, the Ardat-Yakshi daughter of Samara. Yes, she’s a murderous vampire who will absolutely kill you given the chance... but like, it’s a medical condition. And I really can’t help but feel for ardat-yakshi in general when their only options are to spend their whole lives on the run from justicars out to execute them, or waste their entire 1000 year lifespan imprisoned in a monetary unable to experience the world at all. Yeah, Morinth is evil, but Ardat-Yakshi don’t exactly have a good deal.

Favorite Loyalty Mission:

Grunt’s loyalty mission is the best. I get to help my baby boy, reunite with Wrex, enjoy krogan society being fleshed out, have a kickass battle against a thresher maw, and get a breeding request. It’s nice to have a quest that isn’t about family drama and genuinely gets a happy end.

Favorite Mission:

Despite Citadel DLC requiring everyone to have a deathgrip on an idiot ball, and also basically gloss over some really dark stuff, the whole clone storyline with the whole crew is an absolute ride all the way though, with lots of interesting and unique scenarios, a ton of replay-value, and funny party banter that feels like it came straight out of a Marvel movie.

Favorite DLC:

Again, Citadel DLC. Not only did it come with the story above, it also had all those interactions with past and present crewmates, including a memorial for Thane (finally!), a cool apartment to hang out in, a party, an arcade, and an awesome battle arena. It really added a TON. Also, it’s nice to see Bioware figure out that DLC needs characters - I’m remembering back in the DLC to ME 1 the party never had a single thing to say, no matter what was going on. The fun and wacky Citadel DLC is a far cry from the serious and somewhat dark space opera Mass Effect started as, but as the final DLC capping off the end of the series, it gets to do a silly victory lap (and get the taste of the ending out of our mouths.)

Control, Synthesis, Or Destroy:

No.

Favorite Weapon:

Sniper rifles, whatever I have that’s fast and has high damage output. Also that one pistol that shoots tiny energy grenades. Pew pew.

Yeah I wasn’t really big into the weapons so much. I’m here to get my story on. 

Favorite Place:

The presidium on the Citadel. It bothered me a lot when I couldn’t explore it in the second game. I know it would have been terribly impractical, but as the presidium is just a huge ring, it would have been cool to be able to explore the whole thing, going past all the little park areas, shops, monuments and so on until you loop aaaaall the way back around to where you started. Like, how cool would it be if the ring had a running track? Maybe C-sec  academy trainees would be spotted jogging together along it in formation. And can you imagine grabbing a coffee (I was going to make up a space-related name for Starbucks but it’s already STARbucks...) and taking a nice stroll along the water before finding a nice bench to alien-watch from? Other locations in the game are like great places to explore and do gameplay stuff, but the presidium seems like a nice place to just be.

Favorite Quote:

"Stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls and ask the ghosts if honor matters. The silence is your answer." - Javik.

This is such a fucking raw damn line. It makes me think a lot about Cerberus. When ME3 wasn’t out yet, I thought maybe the plan was Shepard would at some point choose a side, Alliance for paragons and Cerberus for renegades. It would have been so cool to have morality not merely be good vs evil, but idealism vs that ruthless calculus Garrus mentioned. How fucking raw would it be if Cerberus wasn’t just generically evil for no reason and suddenly indoctrinated but really were embodying that ruthless calculus, determined to defeat the reapers at any and all cost. Maybe Cerberus actions’ were more likely to do terrible things for the sake of ultimate victory, doing whatever it took, whereas the Alliance would be less willing to make the terrible choices and ultimately be less likely to succeed.

Now obviously, that’s not what happened, as it would have required Bioware to basically make two entirely separate games. But that line from Javik makes me think of that concept, and a universe where like Dragon Age party members can approve or disapprove of actions not merely as good or evil but along the lines of their personal values. I think Javik would sit at victory at all cost.

Also that one mission in 2 where some random NPC catches Shepard sneaking around and is all like ‘what are you doing here?’ and Shepard is like ‘What am I doing here? What are you doing here? Get out here before it blows!’ and the guy’s freaking out like WTF and she says ‘RUN!’ then laughs to herself as he flees from an imaginary bomb. Shep you troll. 

The thing I like the least about the entire franchise:

The misogyny and objectification that crept its way in, epically from the second game on. Really didn’t like those ass-shot camera angles, or female characters being slut-shamed in-universe for the clothes the designers made them wear. Yikes. 

But the biggest yikes for me in that regard is actually the reveal in 3 that the prothians guided asari development. That was fine and all, but the part that bothered me was the characters commenting “ooooh, so that’s why asari are so advanced,” as it was ever any kind of mystery before that exact moment. For one thing, asari aren’t really shown as being more advanced than anyone else, apart from having discovered the citadel first, and for second, why wouldn’t asari be advanced? All the way from ME1 it’s established that 1: Asari live for a really long time, and 2: can instant transmit information directly from brain to brain. That means they have long lifetime in which to accumulate knowledge and experience, and also can easily spread and preserve that knowledge without even the need for books. That ALONE should put them ahead. And even with all that, they only barely beat the salarians to discovering the Citadel first. But no one asks for an explanation for why salarians, who live only a few decades and can’t do mental data-transfer, are so advanced. No, only the success of the all-women race needs explaining. It was just one moment but it still bugs me. 

Also the general loss of realism after the second game. First game everyone gets armor, including full-face helmets automatically on in environments that need it. After that, people can apparently just wander the battlefield half-naked and even somehow survive in a total vacuum if they just put a plastic cup (that isn’t even connected to anything) over their mouth and nose. In the first game they at least made up some reasonable-sounding science fiction explanation for things, but after that it’s like F-it everything is just space magic now. 

Oh, and those repetitive unlocking stuff minigames. I use a mod to just skip those. 

[abigailsfictionalothers-archive]

We’ll Go Down in History - Alistair x Me

A/N: Been feeling really sad and stressed today because of some big news, so what did I do? Ignored all of my responsibilities and wrote 2000 words of Alistair x Me fanfiction in one sitting! Figure some of y’all might enjoy seeing it as well, so here you go! This is a continuation of a little later after that piece I wrote last week :) Also this concept is HEAVILY inspired by an imagine I saw that I reblogged a little while ago!

Word Count: 1926

Warnings: Light, light, light allusions to violence and character death

Tagging: (Some who asked to be tagged, and others I thought might be interested! Anyone else lmk if you’d like to be tagged in future works!)

@sacredempressnatlyia

@nekociapek

@imagine-your-love-story

~~~

I always hated being around for royal business, but as long as Alistair had to attend to it, I would be there to support him. I could hate having to stand there and watch him dealing with rude people who felt entitled to his time and energy, but of course he had it worse in that situation, and I would do just about anything to help ease his discomfort over it; even if it meant just standing to the side and watching.

On any normal day, I would be out around Denerim on my own, finding jobs to do, helping people, keeping myself occupied. It's not as if I technically needed the work anymore, I lived in the palace now, officially an advisor to the king. I did advise him from time to time, but it was far less professional than most thought. While most assumed that the king had taken on his old friend and war time companion to advise him in a time of dire need, the truth was that we had finally been reunited after nearly a decade, when we went on an epic quest to find the truth about Alistair's long lost father, and had finally admitted that we loved each other along the way. He had asked me to come live with him in Denerim so that we could be together, and despite the stresses, of course I agreed. I tried to retain some of my old adventuring life, where I traveled all across Thedas, with the daily outings, and Alistair encouraged it, but of course I had to forgo that sometimes to keep up the front we had invented for ourselves in the effort to keep our relationship a secret. Which led to days like this one.

The king was due for a royal outing, to check on the well being of his subjects. He tended to enjoy this responsibility more than most of his other ones, although it still made me nervous. Who knew what random person would be horribly rude to Alistair in some way, shape, or form, leaving me to watch his discomfort helplessly? Or worse, what if someone attempted to harm him? He could defend himself, and had an insane amount of guards ready at every turn, I knew this, but still, the thought of someone trying to hurt him made me sick. Still, whatever my worries, I would stand there, and observe, so that every few minutes, Alistair could look over at me, see me smile, and strengthen his resolve to continue with his responsibilities.

So there I was, watching him talk to some of his subjects in the street. He glanced over at me and I did my best to smile lightly, as I was finally beginning to accept that nothing horrible would happen. He smiled in return, and if his smile didn't set my stomach to fluttering and make my heart squeeze almost painfully, I would almost have to scold him for his lack of subtlety. I was sure any person paying enough attention would be able to tell that the exchange wasn't a platonic one.

"Are you the king's advisor Ser Wallace?"

I was shaken from my thoughts when one of the ladies that had been talking with Alistair addressed me, "Oh, yes, that's me."

Immediately, much of the crowd turned to look at me. Well that was just fantastic.

One of the younger adults in the area stared at me in awe, "It's so incredible that you've returned to Ferelden to advise the king! Given your history, you must make such a fantastic duo!"

"Our history?" I panicked for a brief moment.

"You two do seem to be the best of friends, and what with your shared history of fighting the Blight and all! We've all heard the stories of the part you played as a team to help bring down the Archdemon!"

It was Alistair's turn to speak up in confusion now, "Stories? I wasn't aware of the tales of Ser Wallace and I still get told so frequently.”

Many in the crowd nodded eagerly. The young individual who had spoken up spoke again, "Of course they do! Even if you weren't king, Your Majesty, the two of you were an epic duo during the Blight! National heroes, you are! All the children that have been born since the Battle of Denerim have been told the tale of how Ser Wallace pledged allegiance to the Grey Wardens after they saved her from some nasty hurlocks in the woods, and spent the next year fighting with you to eradicate the evil from this land! Or how the two of you defended the gates of Denerim in the final battle, leading the troops in battle! You two are like heroes of legend!" Many of the children around had worked their way to the front of the crowd now.

I remembered both those days so clearly. The day my life had changed forever, when I'd been gathering some herbs in the forest near Gwaren for the apothecary, and had been attacked by darkspawn. They'd been so terrifying, such monstrous creatures, and even as I wielded my daggers, trying my best to force them off, I had been certain I was going to die. Brosca and her team, including Alistair, had burst forth from the woods, then, and had surely saved my life. It wasn't hard to see that they were Grey Wardens, but even with all the nasty rumors Loghain had spread about their involvement in the death of King Cailan, I didn't really care. I knew then and there that if the Blight truly meant an army of those monsters were coming, I had to do what I could to stop them. I wouldn't say I pledged my allegiance to them so much, but I vowed to help them from there on out until the Blight was over, and I changed my life forever in doing so.

And the Battle of Denerim. Oh, how could I forget it.

"Your Majesty, Ser Wallace, will you tell us about the Battle of Denerim please?" One of the children spoke up, once again shaking me from my reflection. I turned to Alistair, waiting for his response.

He raised an eyebrow teasingly, "What do you say, Ser Wallace? Up to tell some old war tales?"

I had to refrain from rolling my eyes at him and smiling, "At your discretion, my King."

He grinned and immediately turned back to his audience, beckoning me closer at the same time, which I complied with, "The sky was red as blood that day-"

~~~

I thought that I was surely going to die, along with everyone I loved, as I looked up at that sky. Murky, cloudy, blood red, it signaled my doom, along with all of Thedas. As much as I hated to say it, I was angry at Brosca for leaving me at the gate. The darkspawn only came in waves here, and at least if I was inside, constantly fighting, I wouldn't have the time to contemplate the sky. But instead, she had taken Morrigan, Leliana and Zevran, and I was left behind to hear the Archdemon die from afar.

I didn't know at the time that I would never see Brosca again.

"Next wave!" I heard Alistair yell, and I readied my position. When I saw the darkspawn coming, all I felt was anger. What a difference from one year ago, when just seeing a darkspawn had scared me enough to make me change the course of my whole life.

When that wave was over, Alistair approached me. "Is everything alright on this side?"

I grimaced, "We're hurting, but it could be worse. Just need Brosca to hurry up and kill that overgrown lizard."

Even with all the destruction around him, Alistair smiled at my ill-timed joke. Oh, how I had wanted to kiss him then.

"With any luck, it will be over soon. For good."

"And then you'll be king."

He frowned. "And then I'll be king."

"Does it scare you? I thought you said once that you preferred to follow. As compared to leading."

"It does. I do."

"You'll be good at it anyway, you know. Just look at what you've helped make happen here to day! All these soldiers trust you."

"That doesn't mean I won't still need help. Support, that is. Wallace, when this is over, woul-"

"Your majesty! Another wave incoming!" One of the generals shouted from the walls.

I smiled at Alistair, "Ask me later, yeah? When everything is good."

"When everything is good."

~~~

"-and then we saw a big explosion coming from the top of Fort Drakon, a light that blinded us all, and as it cleared, and the remaining darkspawn began to flee, it became clear that we had succeeded, and the Archdemon was dead!"

All the kids in the crowd echoed little sounds of awe, while most of the adults shuddered, remembering the day.

I chuckled lightly at Alistair's dramatized telling, the details of which varied slightly from mine, "As exciting as it was, it's getting late, my King. We should probably be headed back to the palace." All of his guards and other members of his entourage sighed in relief.

Alistair pouted slightly, and all the kids made sounds of disappointment, but he still straightened himself and began to bid his farewells to the crowd anyway.

~~~

Later that evening, we sat in Alistair’s study, as we do every evening, and he went over his papers that needed to be reviewed and signed, while I read on the couch, in front of the fire. I had recently picked up a history book from the library. As I read about all the epic feats these people had accomplished, I couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened earlier in the day.

Soon, I heard Alistair’s quill get set down on his desk.

“So I suppose we’re a duo worthy of legend to the people, then?” I turned to him to find him grinning mischievously. I rolled my eyes at him and smiled, freely this time.

“Who would’ve thought, huh?”

He laughed a little, “Is it so hard to believe? We do make a pretty awesome pair.”

I found myself laughing now, "We do, honestly. Still, I never saw myself as the legendary type."

"Neither did I, to be fair."

I scoffed dramatically, "You're the King of Ferelden!"

"And you left behind everything you knew of a basic village life to fight in a war and protect your people. That's pretty epic all on it's own, wouldn't you think?"

"I think being a king and Grey Warden is more cause for stories and celebration than some 19-year-old who decided it would be beneficial to me to fight monsters I was scared shitless of."

"If I was to go down in history for anything, I'd much rather it be because I was fighting beside you than anything else."

Once I had registered his words, I had to fight to hold back my tears, "Alright, you big sap, you can reign it in. Since we're legends and all, how about we head to bed early tonight? I think we deserve that much."

Alistair smiled softly at my deflection, "You're right. We deserve the rest." He moved to put away his things and stand.

"Hey Al?"

"Yes, love?"

"The day of the Battle of Denerim, you were going to ask me something, when we were at the gate, but you got interrupted. Do you remember what you were going to ask me?"

I found him biting his lip, thinking about it. Soon enough, his eyes found mine, "I was going to ask you to stay with me. In Denerim. Like you are now, I suppose."

I was a bit shocked, "Even then?"

"I always knew you were the only support I wanted or needed."

I found myself fighting back tears once again, "I'm glad I can be around to help. I'm sorry it took so long."

"I'm just happy you're here now."

"So if you've finally asked, I guess that means everything is good now?"

"Everything is good now."

[imagine-a-killingharmony]

MMO Games + Kokichi, Shuichi, Miu, Maki, Kaede and Tsumugi

mod shumai you're precious and i love your writing!! can i (please) get uh... Kokichi, Shuichi, Miu, Maki, Tsumugi and Kaede playing an online game together with their s/o? I'm an mmo nerd myself and this request was def. inspired by playing too much path of exile lately but whatever kind of game you're familiar with is fine!

First of all... thank you very much for the compliment!!! Y’all are gonna be the death of me hearing positivity makes me feel just... haaaawaaa...???? Y’know??? Yeah ya know but really thank you!!

Also, I don’t really play MMO games so I’ll stick by the usual rpg roles I know about. Like Fighter, Mage, Bomber/Grenadier, Bard, Rogue/Thief, and Ranger/Archer/Gunman.

(Honestly, I remember seeing one post from @ministarfruit with an mmo au, it was adorable if you wanna check that out!!!)

-Mod Shuichi

Shuichi Saihara

Shuichi had been very excited to try out an MMO game with you, he promised that he would try his best considering this was his first time playing an MMO.

He just asked you try to keep up with him considering you had been playing for a while, an already considerably moderately leveled character, you promised you would stay at a pace he was comfortable with.

When making the character he... had picked the largest hat there possibly was, which belonged to the ‘Mage’ class, he made it quite similar to his own appearance. He hadn’t expected for there to be any need to be like anyone else, besides most of the outfits didn’t seem pleasing so he chose the solution he enjoyed the most.

... He made his eyelashes considerably longer too which had been the only difference between him and his character, when he was brought into the world you tried his best to steer him in the gameplay mechanic, he had been wobbly at first but when he got ahold of it he had made an amazing player besides some slip-ups.

Shuichi was great at strategizing, it was fun to plan ways to beat your opponents with him, it was fun to see his reactions when he was sneaked up upon too, usually just loud: “EUAAhHHSs” before you heard him click the attack button as fast as he possibly could. Only to let out a long sigh of anger out afterward, you always knew he had died when that was the case.

It was even more of a fun time playing with someone, than playing alone!

Kaede Akamatsu

Kaede had heard of MMO games, she even dabbled in one with her classmates a few years back in middle school, she remembers being awful at the games... aha, but you had wanted to try out this newly released one with her, how could she refuse?

You both swore you would never leave each other’s side, much more considering you were both new to the MMO scene but Kaede was certain you both learn quickly!

Kaede made her character as cute and over-the-top as she possibly could, she, of course, picked the ‘Bard’ class, she was more of a supporter than a fighter and she wouldn’t mind the thought of using magical music to assist you.

She wished there was a portable piano, an utter shame there wasn’t but it wasn’t the end of the world, it WAS just a video game after all.

Kaede... wasn’t the best player, she had accidentally run into the wall a couple of times, died a few times, she hadn’t expected it to be quite this... difficult, she was swift with her defensive reactions but she hadn’t quite stopped charging into the enemies despite being a supporter.

She made fun dialogue the entire way through, making plenty of playful remarks throughout the entire battle, sure you weren’t good at winning the battle, but you had plenty of fun just speaking to each other as you worked to pass these endeavors barely making it through with each other, it only affirmed your love when you made it out of a tight situation.

Tsumugi Shirogane

Tsumugi has begged you to try out this incredibly detailed MMO game with spot-on character creations as well as many classes as well as roles, she said she wished to get into the gameplay to learn more about the non-playable characters so she could cosplay them.

It is a shame to not have a fun time with you as she did so right? So she invited you in onto the fun, you heartily agreed.

Tsumugi has already delved into these games, many times within her past, she dared called herself a master of the genre of video games. She said she would: “be your shining knight and protect you!”

She chose the Fighter Class, she made her character the most bishounen she possibly could, the most heart-wrenchingly amazing she could have made him looked. She’s really committed into getting into the: “Knight” role isn’t she?

She had made many sly remarks about you being the one she was sworn to protect...! Just... cliche lines left and right, with some fangirling here and there.

She had destroyed any enemies that crossed your path, it was a terrible idea to underestimate Tsumugi Shirogane, she was a master of any skills that involved bringing her characters to life to the extreme. That was the case for the knight that she had created as well.

You didn’t need to help Tsumugi in her quest to vanquish any foe that had come across your way, but she still appreciated he help here and there, she said playing this with you had been way more fun to play than her being all by her lonesome, that was plain to say.

Miu Iruma

Miu had been confident within her abilities to do anything that had technology within it, even MMOs! Sure she never played before, but she had to be amazing at it! She WAS Miu Iruma, the genius! N’... she had you to help her, you promised to help her.

She obviously chose the class involving bombs, because what the fuck? Bombs are waaaaay stronger than prissy-ass swords, guns, or magic! IT’S FUCKIN’ BOMBS! BOOOOMBS!!! BOOM BOOM BABY!

She had made her character with as much resemblance to her beauty as possible, from the... chest size to her golden hair that glistened perfectly in the sun’s rays, from her impossible to describe good-looks, heh, hell any nerd playin’ should want a piece of her. Then she gets to tell em’ she was taken, that be a riiiiot!

Miu was flabbergasted at how hard the game had actually turned out to be, she let out a loud “eep!” whenever anyone had attacked her, usually running towards your side and asking for backup, which usually ended up in the both of you barely surviving.

She was prone to raging or sulking whenever she had died, but you were there to calm her down! It’s just a game after all, isn’t i- “Miu what are you doing.”

“I’m building an invention to play for me, so I can fuck whoever killed us up! Obviously?”

“Miu... we’re supposed to play together...?”

“... But... the taste of sweet fuckin’ revenge...?” ... Actually, she was right, the taste of revenge was quite satisfying, really filling too, but was it filling enough...

“Can we at least play together again when we get the sweet satisfying taste of revenge filled?”

“Duh.”

“Oh of course then.”

Kokichi Ouma

It was frightening, your boyfriend had discovered you're hidden away MMO game, then teased you for being a “dork” at first before asking if he could be your “Player 2”.

Or if he could play with you, in “non-dork” language. Least you could do, since you had hidden suuuuch an important fact from him.

.... You had hesitantly agreed, then helped him with creating his character, you were surprised for him to pick the “Cleric” class, then made them a girl, a really cute one at that.

You had asked why the only response you got was: “catfishing” and you decided that was a problem you didn’t need to get into yourself that can of worms...

... He... was surprisingly good at healing you, almost like he had played the game before, but you just thought he was good at adapting quickly, only wish you didn’t have your boyfriend flirting with some other players.

... there was only one thing about all of it, whenever your health got low, the stakes had gotten harsh, your boyfriend... became monstrous, suddenly turning to you when you had started asking for healing so you can continue forward.

One line had escaped his lips, every time you were in the middle of a boss fight, every time you really needed that healing with those spells which he had the correct amount of MP for...

“Kokichi! Please! HELP ME! All of them are going to kill me if you don’t restore my HP right now!” You said as you were barely dodging any enemies that had attacked you, Kokichi was watching from the sidelines from a safe distance.

“... Oh, then perish.” That was all he responded with, your hands ached too much to move anymore, you succumbed to your fate and perished, Kokichi snickering to himself.

...

Then he revived you, just like that.

“Neeheeheehee... It’s always fun to see you fighting so hard like that~!”

“I don’t wanna play anymore...”

Maki Harukawa

How did the two of you end up like this, you holding your girlfriend by the waist with all the power your arms had in them, as your girlfriend, on the verge of throwing her computer out the window looked down at you with that harsh glare of hers, quietly telling you to: “let go”.

This is how it happened, Maki had recently seen you huddled towards your computer, one day she questioned what you were doing and you responded with telling her it was an MMO game you were recently getting into!

Maki... had asked if you could introduce her to it, she had found it... interesting how you had put so much attention into some video game, Maki Harukawa? Asking you for anything?

Of course, you introduce her to it, first was the customization of your character...! Maki... had chosen the ranger much to your surprise, she said she just didn’t want to get a confrontation with her enemies, let you do most of the work which you weren’t sure how to take that as...

Maki made her character look... edgy, she had chosen most of the customization options that gave a slight bit of... backbite to it, you told her you thought it looked: “cute”.

Maki fumbled with her hair trembling with a flushed face as you both continued forward, it looked peaceful then, little did you know what’s as to come...

...

Maki wasn’t used to technology, she didn’t grow up looking forward to fiddling with a computer every day, all of this was foreign to her from the attack button to moving so... Maki had accidentally... backtracked into the enemy, you told her mistakes are bound to happen, but then it came to her fifteenth time of dying.

...

She walked off a cliff, she was already boiling with rage by that point so when you had asked if you wanted to take a break she had picked up the computer, before taking slow steps towards the window, you tried stopping her!

So here you are now, pleading with your girlfriend so she doesn’t throw the computer out the window.

“... Hahn... Fiiine... just stop pulling at my waist, I’ll put it back...”

...

Oh thank god, you let go. 

You try to comfort her, she was obviously still sulking after dying so many times.

It’s decided you to teach Maki how to use computer’s better before even dating to thrust her into another MMO game, never again, never again.

[elcorhamletlive]

MCU Rewatch: Guardians of The Galaxy, Vol. 2

(yes, I realize the order is wrong. I’m not skipping Doctor Strange, I promise - I just messed up the order in my head and had to just go with it lol)

There’s nothing I don’t love about that first battle scene. SO FUN. BABY GROOT DANCING. And I love that each of the Guardians has a small interaction with him, which kind of hints a little at the theme of parenting that’s gonna be so huge in this movie.

I love that Gamora is like “Groot be careful! ...Also, hi”. I feel like Gamora has this... almost awkwardness about her that makes her really endearing, and really sets her apart from other MCU female characters, especially at this point when there’s so few of them.

“I HAVE SINGLE-HANDLEDLY VANQUISHED THE BEAST!” cracks me up. lol

I know Drax’s comic relief can be overused at times but Dave Bautista just kills me and I adore every time he opens his mouth lmao

I think one of my favorite things about this franchise in general is that everything about it is just so unapologetically WEIRD. Like. Everything about the Sovereign. Gamora kindly providing support to Peter about his dad and then earnestly going “if he’s evil, we’ll just kill him” in the end (and Peter doesn’t react). Nebula’s mini quest to eat the fruit. Peter thoughtfully staring at a picture of David Hasselhof and then to Ego. I love it.

Awww, Rocket singing for Groot to sleep. So cute.

I also love Nebula’s thirst for violence feaking Kraglin out. I feel like one thing that this movie does right with its female characters is that it allows them to be as weird and off-putting as the universe around them, as opposed to making them pristine and put together.

I understand and agree with most of the criticisms of the treatment Mantis gets in this movie, but I really like her relationship with Drax. I think the moment where she touches him and breaks down is such a beautiful scene.

Groot with the human toe never fails to make me smile.

This movie is visually stunning. So many gorgeous shots.

Saldana and Pratt have so much chemistry. The scene where Peter and Gamora dance is so good. I like that them getting together isn’t just about Peter learning to be less of a manchild, but also about Gamora learning to open up. It’s a mutual journey.

I love that Gamora is just sitting in an empty planet, a ship shows up and starts shooting at her, and she just immediately KNOWS it’s Nebula. lol

The fact that Nebula blames Gamora for Thanos’ abuse of her is like. TOO REAL for a movie about spaceships, and it’s one of the things that make this franchise special.

Ego is a villain that has “evil” written on his forehead since his very first shot, true, but I love how the narrative makes him appeal to Quill’s arrogance by talking up all this shit about how important he is, and how meaningless and pointless everything else around them is, and then rejects it as an evil position. Ego is kind of embodiment of some very toxic traditional male narratives, and the way the movie openly tears them apart, instead valuing the found family and the love that living beings share for each other, gives me life.

It’s a small thing, but I have feelings about how fucking horrified Gamora is after Mantis plays with her emotions and makes her scared. I feel like it hits her in a very personal level (a loss of autonomy she didn’t experience even under Thanos), but also I feel like it’s a glimpse of how fucking terrifying Mantis’ abilities can truly be. Girl is one sense of morality away from being Killgrave.

“All you do is yell at each other. You’re not friends.” “You’re right. We’re family. And we leave no one behind” is like, a nice sum up of everything I love about these movies.

The tape sequence cracks me up. And “I’m Mary Poppins, y’all!” always makes me smile.

I don’t like the moment where the rock hits Mantis’ head. This, I think, is a rare moment where the humor does break the epicness of the moment.

I feel like I haven’t said anything about Rocket or Yondu’s arc here, and it’s weird because those are my favorite parts of the movie by a mile, but it’s an arc that actually hits deeply to me for reasons I can’t fully explain. Guardians was the first the MCU movie I watched, so before I fell into the Steve pit, Rocket was my favorite MCU character, and I love everything this movie does with him. How he’s so terrible, all the time, and how his characterization is consistent, and how he’s called out on it by someone who does exactly the same thing (and we can look back on this movie and the previous and be like “oh, yeah, they both totally do this”). The way he shoots Gamora and says he can only lose one friend today, and how Drax grows desperate in the background going “where’s Quill?”. I love it.

“You are a God. If you kill me, you’ll be just like everybody else.” “What’s so wrong with that?” <33333333333333333333 NOT ENOUGH HEARTS IN THE WORLD FOR TO EXPRESS HOW I FEEL.

“I’m sorry I didn’t do none of it right. But I’m damn lucky you was my boy” is one of the lines in the MCU that makes me cry the hardest. It’s hard to explain without getting into, like, extensive personal detail, but... this movie just makes me think of my dad, for several reasons, and how he and Yondu share some weird similarities, and how much this closure hits me hard because I’d like to get something like this one day. 

And I fucking love that “the thing you were looking for all along was right by your side” is framed to refer to Gamora and Nebula’s relationship, instead of her romance with Peter.

The way Nebula immediately turns in a fighting stance when Gamora touches her. That tentative hug. “You’ll always be my sister”. God.

Kraglin calling Peter “Pete” <333

“FATHER AND SON”. THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THIS MOVIE ARE JUST WATERWORKS.

Okay, it’s over, and I stopped crying. There are two scenes that just fuck me in this movie: the first one is Yondu’s death, for the reasons I mentioned about; the second one is Rocket watching Yondu’s funeral. I just... love the wonder in his face when he sees the Ravagers came, that even though Yondu fucked up and drove them away, they still came for him in the end. The overall message of Rocket’s arc, that no matter how much you hate yourself and try to make everyone around you hate you back, people still can, and will, love you. I just... this movie fucks me up so much, guys. I love everything about it. It isn’t as tight as the first Guardians, there are a few awkward bits and a few jokes that don’t really land, but it’s so ambitious, it does so much, it unites every character in a single theme and it deals with all their arcs so well. I love it. I love it so much.

[fvaleraye]

Spelunking

Heeeeyyyy, it’s been a while since I’ve written something, hasn’t it? Well I’m hoping to change that, hehe ‘^^

Anyway, I present to y’all, my first ever drabble for Alex!! Yay!!! I’ve been meaning to write stuff for the blue boi and his adventures, but... motivation’s weird :/ Finally worked up the energy to get it done though, and, if all goes well, I’ll probably be continuing this lil adventure in particular... ;3

Oh yeah, Alex is still an AFW OC, AFW still belongs to my good friend @artnerd1123, and y’all should still go check out her stuff if u haven’t already!!!

Another weekend, another couple of days Alex had all to himself to go questing. He and Lucy had some money saved up from odd jobs around town, so he could afford to go out to some old ruins that most likely won't pay off. He didn't care if he didn't find anything, he thought it was fun. He loved digging around in ruins and dungeons, even if most of the things he found probably held more sentimental value than monetary value, it was the adventure of it. Sure, it wasn't the grand adventures he had imagined he'd be doing by now, but they were something. Small progress is still progress. Thankfully today's dungeon was fairly close, he wouldn't even have to set up camp as long as he doesn't spend too much time in there. A small jaunt through the forest, and he's already there!

Magic never ceased to confuse him, especially where dungeons are concerned. How it just throws these sprawling labyrinths everywhere was beyond him.

Well, 'sprawling labyrinth' was a bit of an exaggeration now, as this dungeon wasn't much to look at. It wasn't there yesterday though, he knew that, so he was certain there was something to be found here. Even if it was just going to be another trinket to put on the shelf.

It was the afternoon now, the sorcerer having left early so he could hopefully be back before dinner. The sun was shining through the trees, the new dungeon having been seated in a particularly thick part of the woods. He sat down in the small clearing at the ruins entrance, pulling a sandwich out of his bag. Spelunking was no excuse to miss lunch. After the impromptu picnic, Alex picked his pack back up, and made his way in.

It was a fair bit more ominous on the inside, though still not much to look at.

There were writings on the walls, mostly eroded, fallen columns that served more as decoration than structural support, some broken urns, pots, and barrels that contained some pocket change, all and all it was more of the same that he was used to. It didn't discourage him though, there was more to these ruins. Eventually he found his way into some sort of great hall, and from the old skeletons on the ground, he could tell that something happened here a long time ago. One was particularly well armored, surrounded by other less impressive looking skeletons, with about a dozen or so punctures in the armor, some of them still filled with arrows or weapons. Well, something story worthy happened here... He eyed the bodies, suspiciously. "... please don't get up, that's the last thing I need." He whispered to himself, keeping the pile of corpses in his peripheral as he looked around. He never trusted skeletons in these dungeons, he's been burned before.

There was really nothing else of interest in the great hall, though he was curious about whatever great battle happened here. Whatever it was about, it doesn't seem like there was anybody left to write an account of what happened, which was disappointing. It probably would have been a good read.

After poking the skeletons a few times with his staff, just to be sure, the blue haired questor turned his attention to the set of huge doors opposite of the ones he came through. They looked much more impressive than the other set, mainly because, unlike the other set, they weren't torn of their hinges. It seemed like the doors were made of iron, and were probably rather ornate in their prime, though time has eroded and rusted away whatever the iron-working on the door once depicted. With some effort, he managed to force the doors open just enough for him to get through.

He was greeted by a throne room with an empty throne, and some more dormant skeletons. The empty throne caught his attention, it being slightly ajar. He walked up the steps to the throne, and, indeed, there was a door behind it.

"Why do nobles always like to hide things behind their thrones?"

Judging by the fact that the throne was never pushed back to its proper placement, it was either a secret exit, or a room the former occupant never left alive.

He slowly pushed the door open, muttering a few words and casting a small blue ball of light into the room, illuminating the glorified crawlspace. It was practically empty, save for the well-dressed corpse with a knife in its back, and the... rather ominous looking pedestal. The first thing Alex did was, reluctantly, turn over the body, a sudden clatter ringing out as the dagger in its back fell out. Like the others, it was little more than dust by now, half of the skull practically disintegrating at Alex's touch, but it seemed like whoever got them already looted any valuables from the body. Never lucky... eugh... He did find a key clutched in their hand, though.

He turned his attention to the pedestal.

Unlike the rest of the place, it was in surprisingly good shape, even though it didn't seem like anyone's touched it in a long while. It was made of a darker stone than the rest of the castle, with spikes adorning the edges, and a lock in the front.

"I guess this is what the key's for." He mumbled, staring at the black, rusted key in his hand.

He did not have a good feeling about this.

But dammit if he wasn't curious.

Slowly, he slid the key into the lock, and turned it, a soft click echoing throughout the dark chamber as the top of the pedestal creaked open, revealing a large red gem. It was a ruby, clearly, about the size of Alex's fist, and seemed to give off its own independent glow. The young sorcerers eyes were practically sparkling.

"Oooooh hooolllyyyyy sshhiiiiit..." His voice was awe-struck. "Some merchant back in town is gonna loooove this..." He reached out a hand to grab it, the red glow illuminating his hand as it drew closer...

... he felt a shiver down his spine as he grasped, staring blankly into its soft, warm glow.

He shook his head, looking over his shoulder as he placed the gem in the bag. There was nothing, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad just happened.

"... I feel I've overstayed my welcome..."

[abadpoetwithdreams]

Nirvana in Fire Episode 7 Reaction

TA-DA, I HAVE RETURNED! I know, I know, it’s been such a long time, y’all thought I was dead, but nope! I’m just back with a different face and a different name and a quest to make your life miserable aka this is the episode with That Househunting Scene. Lord have mercy on my feels.

Before we get started, I apologize in advance because this is going to be a bit more rushed than previous recaps. I’ve been so busy during these last few months of the year, it has made it very difficult to find any time where I can just sit and watch NiF while also taking notes/writing. I can’t watch it while I do other things, like I tend to do with most dramas I watch; NiF requires full attention and especially when one is writing a reaction/recap post! So for the sake of my sanity (because I AM DYING TO KEEP WATCHING THIS HORRIBLE WONDERFUL MASTERPIECE) I am going to try to go a little faster through the next few episodes, at least up to where I left off when I decided to go back and write these reactions for y’all (which I thiiiiiink was around episode 16?), and then since I’ll be caught up to uncharted territory I’ll get more in-depth again and hopefully my life will be less crazily busy, too!

Okay, so without further ado: EPISODE SEVEN.

Where were we? Oh yeah, Xia Dong was being amazing and interrogating a would-be assassin with the best sort of combination of cold callousness and sadistic pleasure. She’s terrifying, but also so very cool. The Good Boys are standing by watching with varying degrees of discomfort at the torture happening in front of them, but while they seem to believe the bombshell dropped at the end of last episode—that Prince Yu is the one who sent the assassins—Xia Dong is totally unimpressed by the lie. Ha, she says, I already lost Yu’s men ages ago. Try again, she sneers. Let me take a moment to say that taking this time away from the show has given me a newly recharged appreciation for just how beautiful Jing Rui is, especially in that particular shade of royal blue. It’s so nice.

The assassin looks like he actually might tell the truth this time, because Xia Dong is That Scary, but suddenly—arrows, arrows everywhere! Our trio have blessedly quick reflexes and reaction time and fling themselves into various twirls and flips to escape the arrows, but the assassin is not so lucky. When the arrows stop flying and Xia Dong returns to her captive she discovers an arrow is lodged neatly in his voicebox. Nope, that’s not suspicious at ALL. Xia Dong swears in frustration and Yu Jin is briefly brave long enough to say she shouldn’t swear (but then when she turns that glare on him he just sort of melts into this apologetic puddle of terror that hastily hides behind poor Jing Rui, and have I mentioned that I love these boys? It’s been like two months since my last episode watch and that love has not lessened). Xia Dong looks like she’s seriously considering at least slapping Yu Jin, but she decides to let his impertinence slide and all three return to the capitol.

Now we cut to Ni Huang’s lil brother, Mu I remember his name being? He’s wearing a most magnificent red outfit, I can’t stop noticing all the costumes this episode, I guess it’s been so long I was having withdrawals or something. THEY’RE SO PRETTY. He’s arrived at the Marquis’ place but when the door guard tells him to wait, he just brushes that off with Nah, I’m just here to see Su! Mu is so refreshingly informal in all his dealings, I think it’s a combination of showing how very young and sort of callow he is but also there’s that divide again between the straightforward and honorable nature of those from the martial world and the skeevy snakeishness of those involved in politics. He’s just so open, and cheerful when he isn’t breaking Sima Lei’s legs. I guess he was cheerful about doing that too, though, in a sense. Also, his expressions are just the cutest. The Marquis’ wife comes out to greet him, and he complains that she calls him young but also thanks her for saving Ni Huang. She doesn’t seem to want to dwell on that and asks him why he’s visiting and he repeats he just wants to see Su—To show Su some houses, in fact. The Princess Supreme looks oddly sad about this? Is it just because she liked having an ally she could trust around the place, or what?

When Mu does meet with Mei Chang Su, Su tells him that he isn’t really in a hurry to move out. Fei Liu is very intently arranging flowers while the other two talk, which is very cute. Mu insists, and then makes the mistake of grabbing Su by the wrist and starting to drag him along, all the while nattering about this househunting project. Immediately, Fei Liu’s hackles are raised and he launches at poor Mu, lifting him OFF THE GROUND AND OVER HIS HEAD WITH ONE HAND and just welcome back into my life, Fei Liu. And I hope the following exchange is as funny in the actual dialogue as it is in subs, but in the sub at least Su tells Fei Liu to “put him down quickly” and Fei Liu immediately gets ready to seemingly slam Mu into the ground, so Su has to immediately follow up with “put him down slowly,” which, ahaha. Fei Liu is grumpy, but Mu’s life is thus saved and he is not daunted at all, instead just being very impressed. To avoid further drama, Su agrees to look at some houses.

In the city streets, Xia Dong parts ways with the Boys. Jing Rui really tries hard to stay with her, because he’s so worried for her safety, bless him. Yu Jin intervenes and convinces his friend to come away, probably partially because he’s happy for an excuse to get away from Xia Dong, but based on the acting I’d say he’s also being his usual perceptive self and realizes that she wants them to leave her for a Reason. The Reason is that she’s being followed. I don’t recognize the face of the guy following her? I am guessing he is an Actual Character though, otherwise the camera wouldn’t have lingered so long.

Meanwhile, Prince Yu is breaking pottery because he’s throwing a tantrum. He’s finally found out that Xie Yu, aka the Marquis, is playing both sides of the political game, pretending to support only Yu while also secretly helping the Crown Prince. He’s in trouble.

Back to Mei Chang Su, he’s being led by a Mu who is so enthusiastic about the househunting, he’s actually bouncing up and down. HE’S SO CUTE. PROTECT HIM. His enthusiasm is explained when they turn a corner and: dun dun duuuuun there’s Ni Huang, looking stunning as usual. Oh, you clever boy, Mu. Look at him smiling at his ship. Ni Huang has a total “gotcha” face on, and Su’s expression just says “oh nooooo.” Outplayed by a kid, wow, Su.

In the next scene Mu has mysteriously vanished and our favourite doomed ship is walking together. She tries to thank him for saving her, he says it was his mistake that put her in danger to begin with, she counters that no man is infallible, and you can totally tell he’s thinking BUT I’M SUPPOSED TO BE. He warns her not to trust him, a man she has only met a few times, but she says she feels like she’s known him a long time and trusts he would never harm her intentionally. AHA. NI HUANG IS MAKING HER MOVE. He tries to jokingly put her off by saying wow he wishes other people felt that way, and immediately she’s like “Jing Yan is mad at you, isn’t he” which, LOL. She basically says Oh, you know how Jing is, he can’t keep his mouth shut, just ignore him, and Su neatly counters with “How could I know what Jing is like?” He walks away looking like a man who just scored a point, and yep, she’s totally trying to trap him. It’s a battle of minds, and ugh they’re so perfect for each other! Her smile and then slow thoughtful look when he makes that dodge, aaaahh.

We cut back to the Emperor where he’s all pissy because Ni Huang apparently effortlessly defeated all her suitors, so that whole subplot just died a quiet offscreen death, lol. Then she handed in a report to state her wrongdoing, he complains to his eunuch buddy, and ahahaha I love Ni Huang. The Emperor says that even though Ni Huang managed to avoid marriage yet again, she cannot be allowed to leave the capitol to go back to the battlefield like he’s let her before.

Ni Huang is still showing Su around a variety of houses. They look so cute walking togetherrrrr. But also he’s wearing his furs so they barely even cover his shoulders, and while that’s a nice aesthetic, that can’t really be helping against the cold at all. MCS, staaaahp. He tries to tell her he doesn’t want to bother her with this househunting nonsense, but she insists it’s no trouble and then suggests he go a certain way that he CLEARLY does not want to go. Immediately I was like oh nooooooo because I could just tell something awful was coming. Ni Huang, what have you done. They stare at each other for a long, long while, and it’s like she’s daring him to refuse, because that will prove his identity, and he knows that, but also he doesn’t wanna but in the end of course he has to follow her. He walks like he’s being led to the gallows or some similarly deadly place. And then she stops and behind her is an obviously huge but abandoned house, and I started screaming inside because I knew it I knew it Ni Huang whyyyyyyy why would you do this to us

Do you know what this place is? She asks. No, Su replies, carefully not looking at it. Ugh, my poor boy. She tells him this particular manor belonged to the Commander of the Blaze Army. I used to play here very often as a child, she tells him (My aside: NOOOOOOOOOOO), and then she invites him on a stroll inside its ruins. Oh, she’s being so mean. And he deserves it, for what he’s doing to her, but still. Mean. And she is watching him like a hawk.

After a beat Su manages to counter that surely they can’t just casually walk inside if it’s the former residence of traitors? Ni Huang tells him that it’s true this house should have technically been seized by the Emperor and so belongs to him, but the Emperor has ignored it all these years. He never did anything to it. He seems to be waiting, she says, her gaze lingering over those sad, empty walls. Perhaps one day it will just disappear.

No, I’m not crying. Or if I am, it’s because That Music is back and it’s not fair, I am powerless against That Music. It will forever be the Grandma Scene music to me, aka the moment this show revealed itself as the emotional hell it truly is.

And the double meaning of this entire conversation is just SO. GOOD:

MCS: Since it’s been dilapidated for years there probably isn’t any trace of its past splendor left. Why would Your Highness insist on reminding yourself of the past?

Ni Huang: People left. The house is empty. Things changed with the passing of the years. But it doesn’t mean that everything has vanished. (Turns to face MCS, and then:) Whatever remains still lingers. Some people, some matters, still stay deep in one’s mind. Time will not wipe away their traces.

MCS (looking like he’s gonna cry, let’s be real): Your Highness values friendship and loyalty greatly. However, this case still weighs heavily on the Imperial Court. It still remains in the limelight. I advise Your Highness not to linger around this place much longer.

And I’m both gleeful and utterly devastated about how GOOD this whole scene is, my gosh. Because yeah, suuuuuuure they’re just talking about the house. They aren’t talking about Lin Shu at ALLLLLLLL.

(Gah, I love this show.)

Ni Huang looks devastated. This whole conversation is so close to the surface, to them speaking plainly to each other, and yet she’s so stymied by how he refuses to reveal himself! You can tell she was hoping so, so much to finally get her answer here, and yet he’s still refusing to give her that answer she wants, the one she knows deep down is the truth. In response to his advice she walks up those old, broken steps, and looks DOWN on him (eeeeee this showwww), now plainly asking him to take a look inside.

(He doesn’t want to look inside, Ni Huang. He doesn’t want to see Lin Shu again, not when he has to be Mei Chang Su. He can’t want to take that look with you. Hi, I’m dead.)

Still refusing to look at the house, staring at the ground, he refuses once more, bows, and walks away. That blasted music, that glorious music, is still going because this show has no pity. AND THEN HE STARTS CRYING AND I’M LIKE NI HUANG DON’T JUST STAND THERE RUN AND CATCH UP AND STARE HIM IN THE FACE like it’d ruin the moment but you’d get your answers, dangitttt

And we flashback to him falling off that cliff again and then it cuts to a shot of Su walking away and in the foreground is a cobweb covering his image and ooh, artsy.

Next scene is Jing Rui and his brother (Xie Bi, or something like that? Augh, it’s been so long, I’m probably getting a lot of side character’s names wrong) and Jing Rui is trying to cheer his brother up because he’s just nice like that. Arguably the nicest. His brother is upset because after two years of his father telling him to work for Prince Yu, his father’s now told him to stop helping Yu because he actually supports the Crown Prince. He feels very used and unhappy. Jing Rui, meanwhile, is absolutely rattled, even horrorstruck. He thought his dad wasn’t into politics, remember? Yeah, so much for that. I have the horrible sinking feeling it’s just going to get worse for him from here.

Back at the Snow Cottage, Fei Liu is building a fire for his Su and it’s very adorable. I want so many more scenes of just these two, especially after reading the novel chapters that I did before I started venturing into spoiler territory and stopped (they’re so huggy in the novel, bless them). Su tells Fei Liu that he’s getting all this real estate mail, basically, and doesn’t that show that there are still nice people in the capitol? NOT AT ALL, says Fei Liu, and Su just smirks. These two. I love them. Su is the worst role model.

Su tells Fei Liu to take a look at a house called the Orchid Garden and if Fei Liu likes it, Su will buy it. The power this kid has. Suddenly Fei Liu senses someone and flies outside where he sees Xia Dong standing there! Fei Liu being Fei Liu and Xia Dong being Xia Dong, they immediately have a spectacular fight. Su shows up to stop it and shows that he knows Xia Dong is injured, and he asks what she’s doing there.

Back at the palace, the Bickering Brothers are at it again. The best part is where Yu shakes his finger in the Crown Prince’s face and the Crown Prince makes this angry little squeaky sound and bats it away, ahahahaha. These actors are superb, as I keep saying (because they keep impressing me in scene after scene). Yu tries to be like Hey, why aren’t you secluded and studying like you’re supposed to be doing, since you’re being punished for Ni Huang and all, but the Crown Prince retorts that he wasn’t banned from court affairs, and are you implying you want me out of court for good???? SHUT UP, says the Emperor. He has less and less patience with each scene they share, lol. He tells them he knows they are squabbling because they each want to judge over the Duke of Qing’s case. Remember him? Yeah. The Emperor tells them he can’t pick either of them because Yu of course would let the Duke get away with any crime (the Duke is his powerful ally, remember!) and the Crown Prince would use any excuse to destroy the Duke’s entire family and thereby eliminate a powerful foe. “Father”, they both try, and SHUT UP, he cuts them off. Man, I’m almost liking the Emperor again.

Xia Dong meanwhile is in audience with Su. She tells him she’s just been curious about him, as he’s the talk of the town and seemingly has many faces. She’s worried. What about? Ni Huang.

(Augh, says Su’s face, Why is it always Ni Huang)

Why on earth are you worried about Ni Huang? She’s a powerful military leader and all, he says. Xia Dong says the rumor is Ni Huang defied the Emperor and refused marriage because of Mei Chang Su. OHO IS THAT THE RUMOR? Nice. Su says they’re just friends, he’s not trying to court Ni Huang. Xia Dong is not appeased, and directly asks: Does he only want friendship? Su thinks a moment, then says well, he has to admit Ni Huang is radiant (oh, you) and of course he can’t help but admire her, but also he’s sick, he’s not long for the world, he has deliberately remained unmarried so as not to burden anyone.

Her Highness has always been quite clear-minded, he says. She’s like a light breeze and a bright moon. Who would be good enough for her if not a man of great passion and outstanding ambition?

Uh, Mei Chang Su? Your Lin Shu is showing again. Xia Dong looks a little taken aback.

The Emperor is complaining to his eunuch friend again but this time our mustached fave General Meng is there too! Yay! The Emperor is angry that his sons continue to squabble so immaturely even though the Duke of Qing’s case is a matter of national importance. Meng reminds him that be that as it may, a prince still needs to be in charge of any investigation and trial. Hmmmmmmm, I sense Su’s hand in this …

Yep, the Emperor suddenly brightens. Oh yeah, he says, a prince does have to preside over the case but it doesn’t have to be one of those two! Isn’t Jing Yan still around? He’s so stubborn, he’d be perfect! Cool, let’s put Jing in charge! He walks off feeling delighted with himself. I am once again left in awe of Su and his manipulation skills. I’m assuming this is the first step of a long game to make Jing gain favor in the palace.

Xia Dong meanwhile brings up the time Su helped Ni Huang defeat those enemies a few years back. She asks why he bothered since his land wasn’t particularly nearby? He gets all mad and offended that she apparently feels the need to question why he would help defend his country, and she backs off. I can’t decide how much of that anger was just show; I think that he really was upset by that implication. Xia Dong leaves with a good opinion of Su, which is good because if I remember aright she hates Jing for his support for Lin Shu’s family, so if she knew who Su really was? Yeahhhhh, big trouble would follow. Also she’s a master spy, so way to dodge a bullet there, Su. For now, anyway.

Outside, the Marquis is hiding and spying himself, but Xia Dong calls him out and his awkward popping out from behind that doorframe was very funny. She basically tells him she knows all about his political gaming and how he set up the whole Duke of Qing thing but also she is not going to tell on him. She says she will keep his secret because her husband, Nie Feng, died during that Blaze Army rebellion and it was the Marqius who brought “half his corpse” home to her. Thus, she feels like she owes him. Oh, eww. Also we know Lin Shu’s dad was NOT a traitor and it was all a set up, so what are the odds that the Marquis was also the one who was responsible for turning her husband into half a corpse? Pretty freaking high, I’d say.

She seems angered that the Marquis has clearly forgotten that massive favor he did her, so she tells him in keeping his secret she considers her debt paid and they are now even. Then she just walks off, cool as you like, leaving behind a very worried-looking Marquis.

Cut to: Mei Chang Su, back in his inefficient furs and out on the town with the Good Boys! Actually they’re in the courtyard of a horrible old dump of a house. For a second I was like wait did he buy his family’s old house because surely the Emperor would put a stop to that? But no, it seems like this is the Orchid Garden place he mentioned to Fei Liu earlier. Yu Jin is hilariously disapproving, hands on hips and everything, and chides Su for being a fool for buying the place without seeing it first. Su says Fei Liu liked it, though! Cue Fei Liu literally flying overhead, looking very pleased with himself. Yu Jin is not impressed. Su indulges in a little trollface.

The three walk through the manor together, and Yu Jin starts being like, well, the layout is okay I guess, we can fix it up into a livable place I guess, but yeah it does look amazingly overgrown. But then Yu Jin suddenly disappears into the ground, so apparently there’s big ol’ holes in the property, too? What are you playing at, Mei Chang Su.

Jing Rui dashes over to help his friend, and pulls him out of what is actually a dried up well. Yu Jin comments that it’s lucky he’s so skilled and so was able to catch onto the lip of the well to avoid falling all the way in, and Jing Rui agrees. If it had been Su, he says, the poor strategist would have fallen all the way to the bottom. Which, ouch. I mean, that might be true, I don’t know if Su’s frailty is all 100% genuine (I’d say it’s at least 70% genuine) or if he still has the sort of reflexes a warrior would, but obviously we are supposed to assume that in his happy youth before all the bad stuff happened he would have had no problem with avoiding a fall down a dry well. Anyway, the boys clown a bit and Fei Liu shows up. Yu Jin complains that the manor is creepy and suggests they leave. As they walk, however, Yu Jin realizes that he’s missing some pendant or something that belonged to his grandfather and is really important to him. Could it have fallen down the well? Su asks innocently. Instantly I’m convinced Su snuck it off of Yu Jin and threw it in the well himself, lol. They go back to look.

Then we cut to the Red Sleeves Brothel? A girl named Gong Yu is at a window. An old man doesn’t want her at the window. His name is Shisan? Okay. She was apparently watching Qin Bao Ruo, who I remember being the name of Yu’s strategist. Said strategist is off to the palace again, apparently—he’s got a lot of problems that need a sound strategical approach right now. Gong Yu says she’s worried about Su. Shisan says not to worry, as this was all foreseen by Su. Ok, so they are in on Su’s plans, that’s interesting. Why do they know, what’s their deal.

Gong Yu wants to know if she can visit Su in the capitol. Shisan says he sent word to Su asking for permission, and Su says no, she is not to visit. She seems a little stalkerish, and I want her to back off.

Back at Su’s horrible new house, the boys are being adorable again and I love their friendship so much, I love how much Yu Jin gets Jing Rui to lighten up. Jing Rui elects to search the bottom of the well for Yu Jin’s pendant, because he is a Best Friend. And I KNOW this is just a show but it still causes me physical pain to watch him ruin those gorgeous clothes in that mud, lol

Anyway they lower Jing Rui down on a rope and Su watches looking very worried or intent at least and that’s not a great sign. What’s he playing at. This is a rare chance for you to please me, Yu Jin calls down, So try harder! Jing Rui replies with a threat to smear mud all over his face once he’s back up, these bros. Jing Rui finds the token, is all ready to leave, but then he steps on something that cracks and when he looks down:

It’s a human skull.

I was sooooooo not expecting that. Su totally was though, and I want to be mad at him for putting Jing Rui through that but also like imagine if Jing Rui hadn’t noticed while he was down there, what would Su have done? Stolen Jing Rui’s hair pin and tossed down and been like whoops, you must have lost it when you were looking for Yu Jin’s thing?

Jing Rui is horrified, but he refuses to leave until he investigates further, and yeah: THERE’S MORE SKULLS. LOTS MORE. Well, I guess we have our next chapter of the story. From a marriage tournament to a serial killer well. That’s not a great sign of where this show is taking us, lol

Cut to the Crown Prince, he’s asking the Marquis whether or not he thinks Jing could be persuaded to be lenient on the Duke since he owes Yu for that whole Ni Huang thing. The Marquis says nah, Jing isn’t so easily swayed, you’re fine. Then he also says, speaking of the Ni Huang debacle, he’s heard who was responsible for the whole set up and how things went so badly for the Crown Prince. It wasn’t Prince Yu: It was Mei Chang Su.

Well, that’s not a positive development.

Cut to a shot of seemingly endless skeletons lying unearthed beside the well, just to really drive home this ominous turn. All these officials, who I guess are the equivalent of homicide detectives, lol, are busy at the well. Yu Jin asks one how many skeletons have been found, and the guy says seven so far, and all are female. This has suddenly turned into CSI: Fantasy Ancient China. This is apparently the biggest and most shocking case he’s ever had. Su innocently says well, he can’t really help since this was his first visit to the property (ahaaaa so that’s why he sent Fei Liu!). He leaves to go back to the Snow Cottage.

Speaking of the Snow Cottage, the Marquis is back in his manor talking to a man who I thiiiiiink is Jing Rui’s other dad? Anyway he says the Crown Prince has ordered they kill Mei Chang Su. The guy may be a Divine Talent, but if he’s not on their side then they have to take him out of the equation. But he’s leader of the East Yangtze Alliance, protests the other guy (Zhuo, it turns out, is his name): he’s surrounded by pugilists! I can’t attack him! Yeah, I know, says the Marquis. Just find out if Fei Liu is his only bodyguard or not, and I’ll take care of the rest.

This should be a very ominous ending, but I’ve seen Fei Liu in action. I think Mei Chang Su is going to be juuuuust fine. Plus he knows the Marquis is the worst; surely has a contingency plan.

And that’s the end! I sit through the entire ending song because it’s been too long, dangit, (and also HEY THERE’S JING YAN I missed my fave this episode) and then I realize that it’s 3am and I have to be at work at 5am.

Worth it.