#sword and cursed and vampires

[theravenloftwanderers]

🥀 𝕮𝖚𝖗𝖘𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝕾𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖍𝖉 - 𝕭𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖍𝖉𝖆𝖞 𝕮𝖔𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓🥀

It's my birthday!!! Here's a collection of just self-indulgent drawings of Phil. Plus a fun edit of her as well cause well. Why not I suppose? This collection is available as wallpaper on my patron.

Prolly won't post much once again cause I'm going to be working on commissions! Queue has been flooded once more. By the end of today, my commissions will be closed. Also, I got my tumblr fixed up.

[startedwellthatsentence]

I just got an AMAZING like SUPER RARE drop in Stardew and then when I tried to move it in my inventory I dropped it in the trash. There is no solving this. I can’t restart the day, it was a random monster drop.

Literally my hands are tingling that was the quickest I have ever physically gone from YESSSSSSS to NOOOOOOOOO

[chubby-aphrodite]

The current tierlist of direct to video scooby doo movies my friend and i have made

didn't watch: these are movies we haven't watched yet, but will in the future.

these include (so far): camp scare, legend of the phantosaur, music of the vampire, big top, mask of the blue falcon, stage fright, frankencreepy, the mystery map, moon monster madness, haunted hollywood, shaggy's showdown, and blowout beach bash.

additional statements: we're not going at these with a specific order most of the time, we kind of jumped around in time a lot. this started as a halloween movie get together and spiraled from there. but now we're out here making tier lists.

so now that that tier example is out of the way, let's get onto the actual contents (under the cut)

i don't have additional statements for every movie in a tier, but i encourage you to ask if you're curious about one i didn't address.

edit: we also watched the original 2 live action movies and they're both in okay tier.

good tier: these movies are good in several respects, although obviously not flawless. they're fun/funny, or charming, or have good animation, or good character writing, or some combination of all of those.

these include (so far): zombie island, witch's ghost, goblin king, kiss: rock and roll mystery, curse of the 13th ghost, krypto too, batman the brave & the bold, gourmet ghost, trick or treat, and abracadabra-doo

additional statements: the ending of 13th ghost is very obviously rushed and if you care about the series it's ostensibly a finale to you probably don't like it; we, however, do not care much about the 13 ghosts of scooby doo. i was just as surprised as anyone else to find out that the bobby flay movie was good. and the guess who era of scooby doo movies needs to continue i swear to god.

okay tier: these movies are still enjoyable, usually if you don't think about them too hard. most of them have glaring details that don't make sense, or that sour the better parts of the movie and keep it from being in "good" tier. they're mediocre.

these include (so far): cyber chase, legend of the vampire, loch ness monster, aloha, where's my mummy, pirates ahoy, chill out, samurai sword, and alien invaders

additional statements: samurai sword had some shockingly racist moments that i did not remember at all going into the rewatch; all i remembered were the cool fight scenes. alien invaders has mediocre music and big pacing issues, to the point where we almost had to make it a separate tier between bad and shit called "what????" because they stopped the villain exposition in the middle to cut to another scene and THEN continue the explanation. and where's my mummy had me complaining about not being able to see the city of cairo the entire time because i cannot stress enough that it is right there. except it wasn't.

bad tier: there are massive issues with these movies that are either unaddressed, or addressed badly; they're still entertaining, but you have the "bad" hanging over your head in every enjoyable moment.

these include (so far): monster of mexico, wrestlemania mystery, and curse of the speed demon

additional statements: monster of mexico is kind of a shitshow with how much it gets wrong or does badly; for one thing, the chupacabra is not a bigfoot, goddamnit, and they got a lot of things wrong with day of the dead. and a minor thing, but i feel like they had layering issues with the lineart in this movie because it's all slightly transparent. meanwhile, the WWE movies are mostly shit because they have vince mcmahon in them. yknow, the shitty businessman who treated his performers poorly and trapped them in unfair contracts with shitty healthcare. oh, would you look at that, the antagonist of the first movie is a former wrestler who never got to make it big due to a career ending injury that causes him chronic pain! hm! and the second one could've absolutely had vince as the villain, but it feels like it went through a last minute rewrite. it was at least entertaining right up until the reveal, which made no goddamn sense.

shit tier: these movies are so bad they made us angry/drained our will to live while watching.

these include (so far): return to zombie island, happy halloween, straight outta nowhere, and the sword and the scoob

additional statements: return to zombie island just pisses in the face of what it's supposed to be a sequel to and is insulting to the audience. happy halloween has so many glaring and nonsensical issues that no matter how batshit insane you think a scooby doo movie involving elvira, bill nye, and johnathan crane/scarecrow from batman, written by maxwell atoms is, do not watch it. it just makes me fucking angry. straight outta nowhere is wasted potential with some of the most bizarre (in a bad way) creative choices i've ever seen. if you watch any of the shit tier movies, i actually recommend this one, because it's at least funny-bad. and the sword and the scoob was so incredibly grating, audience alienating, and just plain mean that i had to actually convince my friend to keep watching several times because it was just that bad. this one was also written by maxwell atoms. mr atoms, what the fuck is your problem.

[foxytonic]

Sanguine Deliverance -

Once the treasured weapon of the infamous vampire lord Draven Everild, this crystalline blade was forged by clerics into a prison for him. The Goddess of War and Bloodlust, Krynrena, had previously tried to seduce him into becoming one of her generals, as she was impressed by his cunning and hunger. When he refused to be subjugated, however, she sought to punish him with a curse of binding. He was to be confined within his own blade, and should it break, so would he. He managed to counter with a curse of his own, but it wasn’t enough to save him. Instead, it imbued the blade with his vampiric hunger; once it consumed enough blood, it would be able to devour the binding curse, thus freeing Draven.

Abilities: This sword is a +3 longsword. Once you are attuned to it, you are considered proficient with it even if you are not proficient with martial weapons. This sword crits on a natural 18-20. If you roll a critical hit with it, you regain hit points equal to half the damage you deal with that attack.

Cursed Weapon

This sword is cursed. Once attuned to it, you cannot willingly unattune from it. Spells such as Remove Curse or Wish can sever your connection to it, as can breaking the curse. If you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll with this weapon, roll a percentile die. On a 001, it shatters, severing your connection and killing Draven. This percentage goes up by 1 for every critical failure you roll for attacks with this weapon.

Sentient Weapon

This weapon is sentient, and contains the soul of a vengeful and desperate vampire by the name of Draven Everild. He is cunning and ambitious, but will not harm anyone his wielder is allied with, and will generally appeal to their pity or sense of justice. Painting himself as either a victim of misplaced divine wrath or a revolutionary who dared defy an evil tyrant is his main strategy, though he will resort to making deals if he has to. His alignment is Neutral Evil. (I will come up with a stat block for him later.) Once Draven is freed from the sword, he will pledge loyalty to the wielder, provided that they return his sword to him and agree to help him get his revenge on Krynrena. If they do neither of these things, he will challenge them to a duel. If they return the sword but don’t agree to help him, he will amicably take his leave.

Sanguine Lockpick

This sword drinks the blood of those it slays. Anytime you kill an enemy with this blade, roll a percentile die. On a 001, the curse breaks, and Draven is freed. This percentage goes up by 1 with every enemy you kill.

Optional Setting Things

This weapon is generally discovered in an underground temple of Krynrena, in which the players have to navigate through a series of traps and puzzles before they can obtain the sword. However, the DM could choose to have the sword already discovered by an NPC that the players come across, in which case, the DM can roll two percentile dice: one for the curse breaking the sword/Draven, and one for Draven breaking the curse. The DM can choose whether or not to tell the players what these numbers are.

[vanhelsingapologist]

there’s a man in the sunsword and he whispers morality

[holybodega]

i've been wanting to make an adventure time oc for awhile 👉👈

[lookslikethatsallthetimewehave]

Dr. Hare:

Ratman:

Director D:

Binary Bard:

Black Widow:

Captain Crawfish:

El Mustachio Grande:

Mr. Silva:

E.Vile:

Count Bram:

Ringmaster Raven:

Myron Van Buren:

Omegon:

Um... this comic villain:

Red Baroness/The Baron:

Red Queen:

Some Poptropica villain... pets/minions. Surprisingly a lot.

[deerboy-stimboards]

Curse of strahd stimboards part 1: strahd (our BBEG)

X | X | X

X | X | X

X | X | X

[mollypaup]

sometimes i think about how in some ways immortality is something that anthy cursed dios with

[evilwizard]

My Wizard Academy Dropout Ex-Nemesis’s Super Secret Second Life As A Cat: Will He Break The Curse Or Lose All Nine Lives In The Dungeon Tower Playing As A Noob Even Though We Already Found The Overload’s Dark Sword—With A Romantic Prince Inside Who’s Fated To Kill The Antihero! But Wait—That’s Me?? My Second Chance… This Time With The Power Of The Lost Emperor’s Pet Lion’s Dad On My Side! With Vampires!! In Modern Day France??!

[myupostsheadcanons]

(starts chucking Drew Hayes books at people)

⚠️Vote for whomever YOU DO NOT KNOW⚠️‼️

[the-muppet-joker]

They f*cking fired me for trying to protect myself from dark magic... it is not discrimination to accuse someone of Witchcraft for how they dress (gothic)! I was literally cursed by emos last year. All of them were witches and one was even a f*cking vampire. I might sue them for wrongful termination or at the very least just fight them with my sword

[dangermousie]

First Half of 2025 Year In Review - cdrama edition...

I normally do these at the end of the year, but I have watched so many cdramas this year, I am going to have to split this in some way. This is only going to cover cdramas that aired in 2025 so far; if I watched it but it was made in a different year, it’s not on the list. As always, very subjective.

DRAMAS WATCHED

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

(46) Serendipity - if boils were a drama, this would be it.

(45) A Prime Minister’s Disguise - it's stupid, it's cheap, it's a waste of anyone's time.

(44) Everlasting Longing - more like evelasting boring with some truly terrible acting and nonsense writing (at least they did us a mercy and put two equally wooden actors opposite each other.)

(43) The Seized Destiny - at one point a man wears cat ears. That's it, that's the highlight.

(42) Love Beyond the Curse - dumb even for a vampire mini and that's a low standard indeed.

(41) Destiny and Saving - sounds like a bank branch, would probably be more fun if it was.

(40) I am nobody 2 - I loved the first season but this just didn't click for me.

(39) Filter - I love you, Tan Jianci but not even for you. At one point, FL is a llama.

(38) Destiny of Love: and snoring.

(37) Phoenix's Gambit: Love or Crown - just like its name, couldn't make up its mind what it wanted to be.

(36) Love and Sword - Gao Weiguang is hot. Unfortunately not hot enough to melt one's brain which is what you'd need to enjoy this dumb mess.

(35) Les Belles - More like La Bete. Because it's la bete of a drama.

(34) Eat Run Love - tried to go for Lighter and Princess, Walmart edition, failed at even that.

(33) Love Never Fails - until it does.

(32) Youthful Glory - cute and harmless. So is a bunny and that's at least nice to pet.

(31) Dominion and Devotion - a mini tried to be a proper palace drama which is I suppose praiseworthy but not what I watch minis for.

(30) Si Jin - A girlbossing story that made me decide I'd rather watch a drama with not a single woman than this type of female centric story and also that Jing Tian is a beautiful woman who doesn't click for me and Zhang Wanyi really needs to stop playing the same role over and over.

(29) The Best Thing - fluffy and plotless but oddly soothing.

(28) Blazing Elegance - this is like the trashiest 1980s romance novel imaginable but set in 1930s China. I had so much fun but did I respect myself in the morning? Hmmm.

(27) Guardians of the Dafeng - too goofy for my liking for most of its run but that ending!!!!!!

(26) Flourished Peony - solidly acted but alas the narrative did not grab me and ML really made no sense as a period character.

(25) Moonlight Mystique - main story pointless, the palette vomit inducing but oh the secondary OTP stole the show and my heart.

(24) Bound by Sin - softcore with submissive ML and domme FL. Wild for most of its run until it tries to acquire respectability late in its run.

(23) Such a Good Love - tried to be artsy ended up just boring.

(22) To Love or To Defy - FL is an assassin getting distracted by an honorable prince. The logic is utterly absent but the fun is fun.

(21) Once Upon a Dream - fakecest is the flavor of the day - why date out of the family when your adopted brother is right there, has great hair and dubious notions of consent? This one is very pretty.

(20) The Prisoner of Love - he tortures her, then she tortures him and on and on and on - the usual. Featuring a couple where FL rides off into wedded bliss with the man who murdered her parents.

(19) Stolen Love - someone watched Kunning and decided to write a Yan Lin AU, honest. I liked it but it did get repetitive and FL is kinda brain dead.

(18) Sadistic Love - despite the name, a surprisingly not psychotic love story with fakecest and a lot of gay vibes.

(17) The First Frost - a modern about broken up lovers reconnecting, this was a masterpiece for 3/4 of its run and then made a narrative decision so stupid it ruined the drama for me.

(16) Hidden Love - not the ZLS flufffest, this is full on fakecest delight. FL's two choices are ML who she thinks is her half brother (he turns out not to be) and her actual half brother. As it goes.

(15) A Love Never Lost - I think, if I were objective, this is the best drama this year. It is not my favorite for very subjective reasons but God, what a masterpiece about an epoch. Bleak ending, characters who ranged from complex and controversial to complex and unlikable (still in awe of Li Xian taking on THAT role - Liang Xiang was complex, larger than life, driven, smart and a monster who was a rapist and a betrayer) and the death of Yang Kaizhi (Wei Daxun) a rare moment that made me cry when I rarely get this moved by dramas.

(14) Kill My Sins - a thoroughly adult story of loss and vengeance, with Liu Shi Shi and Shawn Dou sparking with each other as equally ruthless and equally damaged souls who find kinship (this is a drama where they never even kiss or confess but when they call each other "soulmate" you FELT it.) So good!

(13) Always My General - like some of my favorite web novels made into a drama. FL is a woman pretending to be a man and becoming a legendary general, ML is a prince who loves her either way - so delicious. My fave mini of the year.

(12) The Glory - a Gothic and female-centric tale of vengeance and dysfunctional families, this is a story with characters shockingly manipulative and dark. It made Chen Duling a bigger star and well-deservedly so - her abused, violent and brittle protagonist is the person who the show rests on. It did drag a little in the middle but then came back swinging in the end.

(11) A Moment But Forever - in a year that gave me a lot of awesome xianxias, this one does not disappoint. A depressed and abused philosophy major meets a literal and cheerful engineering major - xianxia style. Liu Xueyi is gorgeous and Tang Yan a delight but what really hits is a surprisingly solid story about divinity, life and forgiveness.

(10) Perfect Match - Jane Austen but frothier, this tale of a widow moving with her four marriageable daughters to the capital where the fifth married daughter lives, this is a souffle with a love story for every taste and delightful bit of sisterly love on top. Pick your favorite romance! (Mine is fourth sister and her judge husband.)

(9) Love of the Divine Tree - it's like someone watched TTEOTM and went "this is how it should go instead." Our heroine is a master who finds feral, hot, abuser demon child and cat hero and decides to give him therapy via a petting zoo and chores.

(8) The Demon Hunter's Romance - just a solid lovely tale that includes some genuinely adult, common sense interactions and characters and a wildly creative take on demons and their stories.

(7) The Prisoner of Beauty - finally released out of the dungeon, this story of arranged marriage between members of feuding clans turned to love is a delight, held mainly by sane interactions and insane chemistry between Liu Yuning and Song Zuer.

(6) Love in Pavilion - do you like gorgeous pain? Come right in. Do you like doomed love in many varieties and incredible visuals and a totally gonzo set up? This is everything Red Moon Pact should have been but was not.

(5) The Blossoming Love - the best xianxia of them all in a very solid xianxia year, this story of a demoness and the perfect saint of the cultivating world goes hard on an incredible OTP and some glorious destroy the pantheon energy. Our Male Lead is not an atheist who does not believe in gods. No, he knows they are real and he WILL end them.

(4) Under the Moonlight - came out of nowhere to own my heart. This tale of a former courtesan assisting in cases in the yamen, a sheltered noble son who gets involved and the upright commissioner is everything - smart and moving and with so many points about class and gender (that is not preachy in the least.) It's realistic in a way most dramas are not and deals with portions of society dramas often don't, but it makes you both think and feel.

(3) Eternal Brotherhood 2: second year in a row a season of this drama misses top spot by the skin of its teeth. This grim, smart feudal-world-at-war and the three sworn brothers who deal with it drama comes back with more hard choices, brotherhood, love kept and lost and some insane cinematography and acting

(1 tie) Legend of Zang Hai - sometimes a huge hit starring a big star IS actually all that and a bag of chips, and this is that rare example. Ostensibly a story about vengeance, this is actually a smart, emotionally riveting character study about selfishness and selflessness, damage, kindness and evil. The script is tight, the direction impeccable and the performances out of this world. Xiao Zhan as the containedly insane focus and maelstrom of all the madness gives a performance I will long remember.

(1) The White Olive Tree - a modern is my n1 drama of the year? The world is coming to an end. The story of a journalist and bomb disposal expert who meet, fall in love in, and are destroyed by trauma in a war zone is a masterpiece. It's delicate, it's hopeful, it's heartbreaking. It also is a vanishingly rare portrayal of trauma that does not have pat solutions or easy outs. It's a romance and a tragedy in the classic Greek sense of the word, especially for the ML whose very idealism and goodness are what make him both perfect and unsuitable for helping and that ultimately take him down.

FAVORITE DRAMA

It's a tie:

The White Olive Tree - for the first time in ever, since I first started watching cdramas in 2007 - my favorite cdrama is a modern. Yeah, I know. Flawless from beginning to end, with literally nothing I'd change, this love story and character story is unflinching in its portrayal of love and trauma. Everyone gives a great performance but it's anchored by a genuinely jaw dropping performance from CZY as shattered idealist Li Zan.

Legend of Zang Hai - that rare beast - both smart and emotional, with gorgeous cinematography and impeccable acting, this really shows the cost and burden of revenge and makes you hope against hope for happiness and healing.

WORST DRAMA

Serendipity - this is what eating a plastic bag must feel like. Dumb plot, terrible look, horrible acting, hideous ML etc etc. Where do I start.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Li Zan (Chen Zheyuan), The White Olive Tree - one of the three male performances and characters of the year for me. Li Zan starts the story as a shining light and ends a broken wreck and it's an epic performance throughout - it shows how uncomfortable it is to love a saint but it also shows this saint as human in all his complexity and drive; it makes idealism human - it's intense and haunting and you can't look away whether you are swooning or crying.

Zang Hai (Xiao Zhan), Legend of Zang Hai - I so rarely find actors with such huge and intense fanbases worth the hype, but XZ really is worth it. This performance of traumatized, vengeance-driven but unable to get rid of his soft heart Zang Hai was incredible - so many scenes that just had me jaw-droppingly in awe.

Liang Xiang (Li Xian), A Love Never Lost - Li Xian owns the role of a magnetic larger than life monstrous mover and shaker of the end of Qing. The man is a rapist and a murderer; he's also a filial son, a supremely competent leader and a terrifying kind of an idealist. This is not a role any idol-adjacent actor normally takes but Li Xian is incredible in the role.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Luo Shu (Hu Bingqing), Under the Moonlight - she is so complex, so strong, so haunted. Very much a gender swapped "haunted, tough man with a cause falls for a sheltered kind woman" set up for her and her OTP but what I love even more is she's not defined by romance.

Xiao Qiao (Song Zuer), The Prisoner of Beauty - she made a soft spoken, largely internalized character irresistible. I loved her from beginning to end.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

99% of the people in A Moment But Forever - I am Team Apocalypse for that one. Truly awful horrors, whether the torturing selfish immortal sect, the useless deities, the evil war demons who created the worst society possible or the gross humans. Kill them all!

Beast Kingdom people in Love in Pavilion - we would not have the tragedy without them.

And, as last year, City Lord from Eternal Brotherhood 2.

BEST BAD GUY

When Deng Wei's character in Tree, Zhang Bin Bin's in TBL or Liu Xueyi's in Moment go evil, they automatically become 10x hotter and seeing they were already hot to start with...but my favorite is Lord Jiuhuo (Charles Lin) in Love in Pavilion - that man was willing to wreck the world for love and he was epic doing it. My favorite part of LiP.

“HAROLD, THEY ARE LESBIANS” AWARD

And Chen Duling is in this one for the second year in a row - Zhuang Hanyan (CDL) x Chai Jing (Jinna Fu) in The Glory are 100% a couple, with frankly as many couple scenes and set ups as the ostensibly canon het OTP.

“HOW DID CENSORS NAP THROUGH THIS” AWARD

Honestly, any mini would be on this list (have you SEEN the sex scenes in Blazing Elegance?) but if we are talking "proper" dramas, let's go with The Glory, which let all sorts of awful, murdery characters get a happy ending.

MALE LEAD MOST LIKELY TO BE BROUGHT HOME TO MOTHER

No, thank you! The few modern ones she’d not approve of (Li Zan is likely to leave you a young widow and Sang Yan from TFF would never decouple from his girl anyway) and the period ones are no go since few moms would be keen on wild-eyed, bloodied sons in law however hot and long haired they may be.

FAVORITE SHIP

The White Olive Tree - idealists who love each other more than life but that love is not enough to fix them.

Kill My Sins - they don't kiss, they don't confess, they barely touch. And yet the soulmate compatibility and the chemistry just pour off the screen. I was feral whenever they were within two feet of each other.

Legend of Zang Hai - not a ship centric show and sometimes these make the best ships. I would lose it when they even touched palms. They are both damaged and wary (and he's borderline nuts from trauma) and watching them dance around and get their hearts broken and healed was...

The Blossoming Love - taking on Gods in any life and form and so ride or die and sexy and AAAAAAAA

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Many excellent choices this year (the cursed cultivators in The Blossoming Loves, all the secondary OTPs in Love in Pavilion, First and Fourth couples in Perfect Match) but the winner is the haunted, dysfunctional, intense, doomed secondary OTP of Moonlight Mystique. I finished that drama solely for them.

NOTP

Serendipity - I really don't want to waste more time on this toxic dump of a drama so all I am gonna say is they made fakecest, my fave trope, boring!

HOTTEST SCENE

Blazing Elegance - all their sex scenes are insane but also the aphrodisiac scenes in Love in Pavilion take the cake for sheer intensity and the baby making in ep 32 of The Prisoner of Beauty because phew boy!

FAVORITE SCENE

Li Zan's breakdown in the hospital and the aftermath when he tells FL the truth in The White Olive Tree. That scene? Shivers.

Zang Hai emerging out of the tomb in Legend of Zang Hai - the breakdown, the manipulation are epic. The epic Greek tragedy of the Marquis' death.

In Eternal Brotherhood 2, Di Lin arriving to rescue his brothers at Payu; or his kneeling to Xiujia's pregnant stomach, his hands gentle on it, promising to come back.

Liu Xueyi's madness in the hole in A Moment but Forever - LXY is an actor who's often too good for his dramas and this scene shows how good he can be as he's going mad and confronting his inner demons.

The First Frost ultimately fell apart for me, but the scene of teen Sang Yan watching Wen Yifan dance on the rooftop he equipped for her is what swooning over poetry feels like.

BIGGEST CRUSH

We are gonna go in the most opposite way possible: the law abiding, incredibly decent, rather rigid Fourth Husband, Perfect Match and Di Lin in Eternal Brotherhood 2 - the man is ideal husband, a terrifying beast in battle and just all around sex on legs.

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Zhuang Zhixing (Zhou Qi), Legend of Zang Hai - the sole decent person in that family of monsters, he stole my heart and his arc OMG!

BEST COSTUMES AND WIGS

Costumes: Legend of Zang Hai - real embroidery, and costumes that look real.

Wigs: I am gonna be weird here and say Kill My Sins.

MOST EXTRA OUTFIT

Honestly, most have been fairly sane but Feud should fix it.

FAVORITE SECONDARY ML

General Yun in Eternal Brotherhood 2 - Si Yilin x Ka Dan were my n1 OTP in s1 and yet the man's honor and willingless to risk his life to protect Ka Dan without expecting anything has got me almost switching ships.

MOST BLATANT INNUENDO MOMENT

It hasn't aired yet but we all saw that poster for Feud, with Bai Lu fondling Zeng Shunxi's enormous...sword:

FAVORITE 2025 CDRAMA SONG

Chen Xueran's Moonlight Dance from The White Olive Tree. You have no idea how much I listened to it.

MVP OF THE YEAR

Song Zuer, who beat her tax allegations (already a miracle) and came back with two awesome dramas.

ACTING SURPRISE

So many great performances, but I am gonna go with Chen Zheyuan in The White Olive Tree. He's been solid in so many awful dramas but I never knew he could be such a revelation

NEEDS A SEQUEL

The Demon Hunter's Romance - not really but would be fun. And EB2 likely since I cannot see how they will wrap the novel's story in the remaining number of eps.

NEEDS SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Serendipity - in addition to all its other sins, this simply cannot support 40 eps.

TOO MANY SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Surprisingly none, I think dramas have adjusted to the 40 ep limit.

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

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

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

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

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

The First Frost: it was so exquisite for about 2/3 and then the Hong Kong arc happened (and was not in the book; the adaptation was faithful so far so nothing heralded it) and ruined the whole drama. It negated the development, the themes, the characters - it made me dislike both leads and the way the narrative never addressed it made the whole story utterly fall apart.

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

The White Olive Tree, Under the Moonlight, A Moment but Forever, The Demon Hunter's Romance - this has been a year of surprises, so many of my top dramas weren't on my radar at all.

2025 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

I have honestly watched everything I wanted so far.

BEST NON-2025 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2025

Do you think I have the time? Ahahahaha

MOST ANTICIPATED

Love in the Clouds, Legend of the Female General, Moonlit Reunion, A Dream within a Dream, Hidden Shadow, Shadow Love, You Sheng You Ya, The Princess' Gambit, Feud, Fated Hearts, Love and Crown

[aventurineswife]

hi !! first of all, i love your writing so much… its so edible /pos 💗

could you write blade, jing yuan, dan heng, and sunday with a vampire reader? basically just how they’d deal with a vampire lover? ^_^

Immortal Bonds

Tags: Blade x Reader, Sunday x Reader, Dan Heng x Reader, Jing Yuan x Reader, Established Relationship, Vampire!Reader, Slow Burn, Emotional Depth, Romance, Angst, Comfort, Protective Behavior, Tender Moments, Fluff, Sadness/Reflection.

Warnings: Mature Themes (due to the themes of immortality, death, and emotional baggage), Trauma/Emotional Conflict (exploration of past struggles, guilt, and past trauma for both the characters and the reader), Vampirism, Violence, Self-Harm/Destructive Tendencies (For Blade's part), Mild Gore (with Blade’s immortality and healing factor, there could be some mention of injuries), Existential Themes.

A/N: AHHHH TYYY!! 🥹💖 I'm glad to hear it's edible hehe 🤭

Blade had never been one to show his vulnerability—yet, with you, he couldn’t help but soften, just a little. The way your cool touch brushed against his skin sent a shiver down his spine, the slight sensation of your fangs grazing his neck a reminder of how intimately connected you both were.

He’d always preferred solitude, and the chaos of the Stellaron Hunters never truly felt like home. But with you beside him, the weight of eternity seemed a little more bearable. Your immortality matched his, and while it could be a curse, it also forged a bond between you that nothing could tear apart.

Despite his tendency to keep his emotions locked away, Blade found himself indulging in moments of closeness with you—quiet moments, where he would sit next to you in the stillness of night, his sword resting beside him, as you traced the lines of his hand with your cold fingers.

“You know, your immortality’s starting to get to me,” Blade would say, the smallest smirk curling on his lips, but there was a hint of something deeper in his voice. He was teasing, yes, but the affection in his words was genuine. “It’s almost like you understand how much of a nightmare this life can be.”

With you, he didn’t need to run from the pain anymore. It was a dangerous thing, but Blade had always thrived in chaos—what better chaos than with you, a creature of the night who shared his broken soul?

Jing Yuan was the Arbiter General for a reason—his strategic mind was as sharp as ever, but when it came to you, he allowed himself to lean into the calm. His long hair would sometimes cascade over your shoulder as you sat beside him, sipping on a drink while he casually held court with his officers. The quiet presence of a vampire beside him was something he grew to cherish.

As the General, Jing Yuan was used to pressure. Yet, your existence brought a gentle stillness to the often chaotic world around him. He found peace in your silence, the occasional glimmer of your eyes meeting his from across the room. His smile, though usually laid-back, would carry a deeper warmth when your gaze met his.

"I've fought battles that tested the very limits of my mind," he would say lazily, his eyes studying you with an air of amusement. "But, in the end, I’m certain that a vampire like you will always win the war for my heart.”

Your fangs were a gentle reminder of the timelessness you both shared, and Jing Yuan reveled in the thought. His life, ruled by war and peace, had rarely had room for much else—but in you, he found a soft refuge. Despite his outward demeanor, he wasn’t immune to your allure. His touch would linger just a little longer when he held your hand, a small, unspoken promise that you could share in the quiet serenity he had built around himself.

Dan Heng was not a man who easily allowed others into his world. His past haunted him enough without letting someone else become another burden. But, you—your presence was something he had never expected.

When you first met, it was in the quiet stillness of the Astral Express. He had barely noticed you at first, your pale skin and sharp, glowing eyes blending into the shadows. But over time, as you shared quiet moments, a connection blossomed between you both that Dan Heng never expected—and it terrified him. You were a vampire, a creature of the night, but you were also gentle, understanding, in a way that no one else had ever been to him. You didn’t ask questions about his past, and for once, Dan Heng found someone who didn’t expect him to reveal everything.

One evening, he found you staring at the stars through the window of the Express. The light from the passing worlds painted your face in a soft glow. He could see the coolness of your skin, the faintest outline of your fangs as you smiled at him.

“You know,” he started, a rare smile tugging at his lips, “I’ve always been alone. But it’s... different with you.”

You gave him a knowing look, your eyes reflecting the same isolation, but your presence was a comfort. You didn’t force him to talk about the things he wished to forget. Instead, you simply held him close in the quiet, content in the understanding that sometimes silence was all that was needed.

Sunday’s existence had always been a study in contradictions—ideals and guilt, love and detachment. But when you entered his life, a vampire with a heart of gold, it changed him in ways that even he couldn’t fully understand.

Your immortality fascinated him—how could someone with such a long, complex life continue to walk the line between compassion and detachment, just as he did? He often found himself watching you, lost in thought as you moved gracefully through the world, a being of both elegance and danger. Your eyes, full of ancient knowledge, would often meet his, and in those moments, Sunday felt the familiar weight of his own burdens lifting, if only a little.

“Vampires are born from the night, yet you shine with such light,” Sunday would say softly, his voice tinged with both awe and melancholy. “It is strange—how the darkness and the light dance together, even in you.”

The contrast between your eternal youth and his weary soul was something that haunted him at times, but you were a balm to his troubled heart. He found himself more open, more vulnerable with you than with anyone else, despite his usual guarded nature.

He would often stand next to you, his eyes scanning the stars, yet his thoughts were elsewhere. “Perhaps I could take solace in your dream of immortality,” Sunday would muse, “but I fear it is the dream of another person—a dream that is too distant for me to reach.”

Your cool fingers would gently clasp his, a silent understanding passing between you both. Even if Sunday’s doubts about his ideals remained, you gave him something he hadn’t known he needed—a moment of peace, a fleeting dream that reminded him of the possibility of light amidst the shadows.

[giuseppe-yuki]

breaking in

all boy’s boarding school student!isack hadjar x all girl’s boarding school student!reader

you enjoy the peacefulness of the boarding school dormities during the late hours of night - a stark difference between the day, where the halls are filled with the loud chittering of girls gossiping and the clack of their school-mandated black mary-jane heels on the tiles.

the moonlight shines giant rectangles of light through the glass panes and onto the worn pages of the silly little romance novels that you loved to indulge in.

you loved the thrill of romance in each book. the dashing princes? the courageous acts of valor? the happily ever afters? they all melted your heart into a soppy little puddle in the best way.

the knight in your book raises his shining sword, ready to stab the great big dragon who stole the princess from her tower, when suddenly, a shadow suddenly befalls the page.

biting back a screech that would probably wake your dormitory hall prefect, you jerk back, book flying across the room. who the hell could possibly be at the window, this time of night?

many possibilities flash through your mind. vampires? werewolves? kidnappers?

shakily, you turn your head towards the window.

a boy.

his figure shrouds the length of your bed in a shadow.

when you look closer, you can make out the outline of a prim uniform that could have only come from the famed all-boys redbull academy and a familiar head of curls that makes your eyes widen comically.

you watch as he slides his fingers underneath the edge of the window, cracking it open a smidgen, before tumbling in ungracefully onto your bed with a few french curses underneath his breath.

“isack!” you whisper-shout, reaching out to help right himself up on the bed. “what in god’s name are you doing here?”

it mustn’t have been easy, not only breaking out of redbull academy in the dark of night, sneaking past the nighttime guards of tauri girl’s academy, and locating your dormitory window.

still, he grins at you in an easy smile, curls rustled and prefect uniform slightly scuffed.

it’s like he deliberately ignores your shocked inquiries.

“did you miss me, baby?” he asks instead, accent tinting his words.

you don’t know if you want to strangle him for doing something so stupid, like breaking into your shared dorm room, or pull him into a kiss for breaking the rules just to see you.

when he tilts his head at you though, all your anger dissipates.

with an exaggerated sigh, you scooch closer to him on your bed and give him your answer - by pressing him into the sheets, and kissing him hard.

[honeybeebard]

Other Forms of Stimulation (Gale x Reader)

Summary// After a fight in the Shadowlands that very nearly takes your life, you realize just what Gale meant when he mentioned that book about brushes with death.

(I am so down bad for this wizard and I had to write this. It has been a while since I’ve written so I hope you all like it!! I’d love to write more if anyone is interested but for now, enjoy this :)! Also, while this is in second person, the name used for you is Tav!) 

WARNINGS: 18+, smut, talks of almost dying

As your sword cuts across the last of the shadow entities you stumble to the ground, your knees aching as you take in a deep breath. The only sound you can hear is your heartbeat as it thrums in your ears, your mind racing to catch up with what had just happened. 

It had been an ambush that, thanks to the curse, you couldn’t have even perceived coming. You and your friends were already weak after the fight with the cursed drider and his group of cultists so the last thing you were prepared for was something like this on your way back to camp.

However, your group had made you proud as they battled the shadows fiercely. Karlach and her great axe, Gale and his magic, and even Astarion was kicking misty ass with his longbow. It would have been over within minutes if you had been more on guard, if you had realized just how far you had gotten from your friends while fighting. 

A cold chill, like a kiss of death, had raced up your spine as you felt one of the wicked creatures wrap its hand around your ankle, knocking you prone and dragging you into the darkness. The scream you had let out could’ve woken the dead as you dug your nails into the rocky earth, scrambling for anything to hold onto. 

Darkness wrapped around you within seconds, your mind screaming in pain as you felt this dark energy seep into your lungs and heart. It only lasted seconds at most before Gale had saved you, a gigantic fireball lighting up the sky, but to you, it felt like hours. 

The warm hand that had pulled you back to the light was your lifeline, your words dying in your throat as you looked up at Gale who was surveying you for any damages. He had been so focused that he forgot about the fight, forgot about everything that wasn’t you, but you saw one of the wretched creatures coming towards him with its claws raised.

That was when you had leaped forward, using the last of your adrenaline rush to throw Gale back behind you and cleave the beast in two. It had let out an inhumane screech, turning into a vestige before your eyes. 

Now, as reality comes back to you, so does the realization of just how close to death you had been. You turn to examine the damage, seeing your companions in various stages of exhaustion. Astarion was leaning on Karlach who was leaning on her axe, both of them complaining about wanting to go to bed which made you smile. When you turned to look at Gale you saw him watching you with a mixture of awe and concern, strands of hair stuck to his forehead. 

Your eyes locked together, the tension from the past few weeks of adventuring and the fight coming to a head as you saw him move his gaze from your face to the rest of your body.

It could have been an innocent survey to see if you were hurt but when you saw the color of his cheeks and the way he licked his lips you knew it was something much more darker. Lustful, even. “I, um, once read a book that explained in some detail the effect the brush of danger has on one’s desires for uh…other forms of stimulation. Have you ever read anything on that subject?”

Gale’s earlier flirtation came to the forefront of your mind as the world seemed to close in on the two of you. While you were absorbed in your thoughts, Karlach and Astarion seemed to catch on to what was about to happen. Or, Astarion did at least. 

“Come now Karlach, camp’s just up ahead and I don’t want to be here to hear their pathetic humping in the bushes.” The vampire snarked, his smirk growing when you sent him a warning glare. Karlach gave you and the wizard her own knowing smile, wiggling her eyebrows, before dragging Astarion away towards the nearby campfire. 

“I, um, want to thank you for-” Gale began, stepping closer to you only to grunt in surprise when you all but grabbed him by the collar and went to a nearby tree, thankful for the brazier that was lit close by. “What are you doing?!”

“Thanking you for saving my life…and showing you how much I know about that book you mentioned earlier,” You smiled, pressing him up against the bark before pulling back slightly. “That is, if you want me to. I thought you were flirting earlier but if you were just going on another rant I am so sorry-”

He silenced you with a heated kiss, his soft hands coming up to cup your face gently as he spun the two of you around so that now your back was against the tree. “Hush now,” Gale murmured, his eyes dark as he slipped a hand up your blouse. “You’re talking too much.”

“That’s rich coming from you-ah!” You gasped, back arching as deft fingers went under your bra to palm at your nipples. It felt incredible. “Gods, Gale, more please.”

Gale hummed to himself, helping you rid yourself of your top and maneuvering your pants to sit around your ankles. It had been years since he had taken a mortal lover but he had been head over heels for you for a while. He intended to prove himself worthy to you. Worthy of saving you. 

Worthy of you.

You pulled him from his thoughts with another kiss, this one rougher than the last. The adrenaline seemed to be wearing off but somehow the desire was only increasing. He groaned low in his throat when your tongue brushed against his, tasting the uniqueness of you before he pried himself away. A whine grew in your chest but it was cut off when you saw him sink to his knees, his large hands resting on either of your thighs.

“Gale, I…” You trailed off as you watched him through your lashes. “What are you doing?” His gaze was intense as he tugged your pants the rest of the way down along with your underwear, settling himself between your legs as his lips turned up in a wicked smirk. 

“Thanking you for saving my life.” He echoed your earlier statement, his brown eyes twinkling with amusement before he trailed a single finger down your sex. You let out a huff of air when he brushed your clit, blushing as he felt just how slick you were as he whispered, “By the weave, Tav, you’re dripping.”

A whine builds in your throat once more as he continues his ministrations. He gently dips two fingers into your aching cunt, his own groan covering another one of your cries from just how tightly you grip his fingers. You can’t stop from bucking your hips forward towards him, silently begging him for more stimulation.

“Such impatience.” He chides playfully though you can see how ragged his breathing has gotten. 

“Perhaps you should hurry up then, wizard.” You say through clenched teeth, your eyes fluttering close as he bristles at your challenge and suddenly buries himself between your legs, licking a long stripe up your pussy. It was divine. “Fuck, yes!”

Gale’s tongue sets a pace that immediately has your thighs shaking, your hands flying into his chestnut hair as he shows you just how talented his tongue can be outside of spellcasting. You had lovers in the past who would taste you, some hesitant and some enthusiastic, but none of them even came close to the man beneath you. 

His nose bumps against your clit with each fervent lick, savoring the taste like he was a man starving. You raise one of your hands over your head, the other still fists in Gale’s hair, and start to roll your hips in time with his tongue. He moans into your cunt, his fingers digging into your thighs until you are they are going to leave bruises. 

“Please, Gale, gods it feels so good,” You whimper, voice an octave higher as he finally seals his lips around your clit and sucks. “Ah!”

“That’s it, love, take what you need.” He growls, worshipping your pretty pussy as one of his hands rustles under his clothes to rub against his aching cock. It was already hard and leaking, a stain on the front of his pants that he was sure he would be embarrassed about later. 

Your ears perk up at the schlik sound, your head dropping to watch as he fisted himself while eating you out. His eyes found yours, watching you in adoration, which made your hips increase in desperation. At some point you had hooked one of your legs over his shoulder, grinding deeper into his face to the point you were afraid you would smother him. 

Not that you think he would mind that.

A fire starts to brew in your stomach as he holds your gaze, his own hips rutting up in a desperate attempt to find release. You can feel yourself on the edge as he starts flicking your clit with the tip of his tongue, the sounds positively sinful. And just as you find yourself tipping over into the pleasurable abyss of Gale’s tongue, your defenses come down and your tadpole greedily reaches out to his.

He flinches at first, his pace stuttering as he sees himself through your eyes. The desperate look in his eyes, the way the entire bottom half of his face is covered in your arousal as he fucks himself needily into his hand. Gale could practically feel your pleasure through the link and it spurs on his own orgasm.

You feel your voice grow hoarse from your screams of pleasure, not caring that the camp could hear as Gale continued to take everything you gave him. For a moment you swore you could see the orb in his chest pulse with untamed magic, could feel an electric current pulse through your veins right before he pulled away with a gasp of air.

Gale smiles up at you as you sag into the tree. He takes in your disheveled appearance, from your hair to your slick-covered thighs, and ingrains the vision into his memory. You have never looked more beautiful. 

“I should,” You begin, chuckling when it takes you a moment to catch your breath. “I should save your life more often if that is my reward.”

“You don’t have to do anything quite so grave for us to do this again, Tav.” He murmurs, watching as you sink to your knees to join him on the ground. “I would gladly spend eternity between your thighs if you asked me. It is better than any heaven promised to me by the gods.”

Your lips turn up in a wicked smirk as you take his cum covered hand and bring it to your mouth, sucking the digits clean as you make sure to keep eye contact. Gale tenses, his mouth parting as you bat your eyelashes innocently. 

“I might take you up on that offer but first…” You trail off, pulling him closer so that your lips brush his cheek. “We have to face Astarion’s teasing.”

A loud laugh escapes his chest as he shakes his head at your teasing, cupping your face and kissing you tenderly. The taste of your and his cum mingles pleasantly on his tongue and he has to stop himself from deepening the kiss. 

“A small price to pay.” He smiles, standing up and holding his hand out for you. “Come, let’s show him exactly what a pleased woman looks like.”