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shortbabe99 · 5 months

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2023 End of Year Post - kdrama edition

Yes, we have a some of December left, and I want to check out Death's Game but whatever. I got time for this now and not sure if I will have later so here goes.

This is only going to cover kdramas that aired in 2023; if I watched it but it was made in a different year, it’s not on the list. This was an excellent kdrama year, the likes of which we hadn't had in a long time.

DRAMAS WATCHED

In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality so pls don't come for me, fans of some popular dramas that are on my nope list. Also, I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list.

33. The Escape of the Seven - this is so aggressively stupid and mean that it feels like the makers are playing a practical joke seeing how much their audience will take. This has a season 2 coming, so the answer is a lot.

32. Behind Your Touch - the FL gets superpowers by touching people's and animals' butts. Yes, you read this right. Do I really need to add anything?

31. King the Land - yes, it was a hit. Yes, it stars popular actors. I HATED IT LIKE IT TOUCHED MY BUTT TO GET SUPERPOWERS!!! Plastic people in paint by the numbers story, with about as much genuineness or retability as a barbie aisle in walmart. I never expect much from Yoona so whatever, but to have LJH go from The Red Sleeve to this boggles the mind.

30. Mrs Durian - this is so dumb that I think I lost a few IQ points watching this, but its insanity becomes entertaining - I mean what kdrama can you name where a daughter in law declares her love and lust for her mother in law at a family dinner?

29. The Matchmakers - there is nothing offensive about this drama at all. But there is nothing in the least interesting either. If elevator music took drama shape, it would be this show.

28. Destined with You - sorry, Rowoon, I am still fond of you, but you are two for two in drama duds department this year. This is a drama where I loved ep 1, liked ep 2, was indifferent to 3 and...you get the point. Each ep was worse than the one before, and I bailed before I was dragged into a cosmic singularity.

27. Oasis - great first two episodes. Unfortunately it was not a two ep show. The performances are solid but the story is just not there - the effect is like a fancy chef making an amazing sauce to put on pig slop.

26. Boyhood - it's not you, it's me in action. I can see why people would like it but a 34-year old playing a high schooler in a Weak Hero Class 1 Slapstick Edition is no go for me.

25. Castaway Diva - it's so precious and kooky in the most annoying ways, with the most well-adjusted abused castaway in history. I like magic realism when done by Jorge Amado, but this ain't Amado.

24. Island - it had a good concept, good cast and fun visuals but the execution deserved one of ML's swords through the neck.

23. The Worst of Evil - if I wanted an American show, I'd watch one. Very solid performances though.

22. Song of the Bandits - period edition of what I said about The Worst of Evil.

21. Welcome to Samdalri - and goodbye to any hope of emotional involvement.

20. Joseon Attorney - I have yet to like a single sageuk centered around a profession and this was not an exception. I guess it could be worse but it also could have been so much better.

19. Twinkling Watermelon - everyone loved this drama. Everyone except for me. It's the kind of precious that sets my teeth on edge and I couldn't stand half the main characters we were supposed to root for. I guess I like my fruits to shine steadily.

18. Our Blooming Youth - probably the biggest disappointment on this list. This is not a bad drama by any means, but with that cast and that story (I loved the novel), I was hoping for a memorable sageuk not merely all right.

17. Vigilante - it has the emotional complexity and nuance of a punch to the throat but it gives us quasi-gay openly-murderous dudes going after psychos and Yoo Ji Tae holding feral Nam Joo Hyuk by his hoodie at his feet.

16. The Forbidden Marriage - expected nothing but it was a surprisingly enjoyable trifle of a costume drama that was also quite pretty.

15. Arthdal Chronicles: Sword of Aramun - a hot mess but such an entertaining epic one. And it gave us TWO Lee Jun Kis in period gear and who am I to cavil at the bounty of God?

14. The Story of Park's Marriage - it's a trifle, a souffle, so light it might blow away, but it keeps my attention and is so fun and sweet.

13. My Lovely Liar - a huge surprise, that manages to mix a murder mystery and a romcom, and shocked me by showing Hwang Minhyun can act.

12. Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 - the original ToNT was my fave drama of its year and I did not think it needed a sequel. But this is not a sequel but more of a side-quel and is such a total delight with brothterly love, adventures, romance and hijinks. It's a joy.

11. Perfect Marriage Revenge - it's actually very hard to do a soap right but this slim 12 ep drama managed. So fun, so crazy, such a good ship!

10. My Lovely Boxer - not really about sports, but about two broken people finding salvation because of and in each other. Also, if you like age gap romances, this is delicious. Sort of loses steam by the end but c’est la vie.

9. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse - this was a sageuk that was not on my radar with a bunch of actors I was not familiar with but it took my heart away. A good plot that was perfectly paced, characters and ships I adored, a logical ending. This is one of the biggest positive surprises of the year for me.

8. Tell Me That You Love Me - a slice of life remake (sort of, it's more "inspired by") of my favorite jdrama of all time. It's not as good as the jdrama because nothing could be, but it's an aching lovely story with some incredible performances.

7. See You In My 19th Life - funny and romantic and haunting and hopeful and odd. This was one of my favorites of the year.

6. Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow - it's rare for me to like a (1) sequel (2) with FL actress change (3) that is a Hong Sisters drama. But this was such a gorgeous, surprisingly achy story of love and loss and love regained with some cool monster fighting in the middle. Between the two seasons, this is the first Hong Sisters' drama I enjoyed from beginning to end in well over a decade.

5. My Demon - so tropey (chaebols, supernaturals) but it proves that these tropes are popular for a reason. The chemistry is fire, the story is unpredictable and the whole thing is an addictive delight. A rare drama where I like each new ep more than the last one.

4. Goryeo Khitan War - an old school sageuk in every meaning of the term (no romance, no eye candy, lots of bearded men, battles and politics), this feels like watching an epic movie more than a drama. The vast cast all earns their place and the performances (mainly from character actors given a chance to shine) are incredible.

3. Call It Love - two very very damaged people finding love and healing with each other. This is a narrative very hard to do to my satisfaction but when it's done well, as here, there are few things that can hold a candle to it.

2. My Dearest - a masterpiece of cinematography, narrative, performances. This is an old-school epic romance in the best sense of the term. If it doesn't make you swoon or break your heart, there is something wrong with you. A story of two untraditional, strong-willed, flawed people who fall in love in the middle of the horrifying Qing invasion of Korea and have to deal with all that the world throws at them, this is a bona fide masterpiece.

1 - Moon in the Day - who knew my favorite kdrama of the year will star a store brand Domyoji from Extraordinary You and an actress I was never familiar with. But this part period/part modern fantasy tale of doomed cursed lovers is everything I knew I wanted and everything I didn't know I wanted but did. Two lovers where their love did not save them and in modern day it might not again, has got me obsessed the way I haven't been in years.

FAVORITE DRAMA

Moon in the Day - if there is such a thing as a drama made perfectly for me, this gorgeous, emotionally haunting, utterly romantic, twisty tale is it.

WORST DRAMA

The Escape of the Seven. This drama is proof that demons exist and not sexy ones like Song Kang but horrible nasty ones who delight in the torment this hot mess inflicted on its viewers.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Do Ha, Moon in the Day - a Silla general and a consummate killer who committed atrocities on the orders of his monster father and yearned to die for them, who found the meaning in life in loving his enemy but it did not make him better, a man so obsessed he literally was around for 1500 years of horrifying ghostly existence and still went "worth it" for a woman who killed him as long as he knew she loved him while she did it. He's intense and competent and beyond fucked up and has never had a normal day and I love him so so so very much from a safe distance.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Gong Chae, My Dearest - she starts out as vain and spoiled but the horrors that break so many others bring out all her fierce survivor potential and she becomes such a force of nature - capable of incredible love but also sacrifice and strength and compassion.

Runner Up: Shin Hye Sun's reincarnator in See You In My 19th Life - quirky, damaged, strong, so odd and so vulnerable at once.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

There are a lot of characters who fit that category (King Injo in My Dearest? My God) but the crown belongs to So Ri Bu from Moon in the Day. You think you've seen abusive parents but until you've seen a man abuse his son his whole life and then continue for 1500 years after his death, you ain't seen nothing!

FAVORITE SHIP

The doomed by the narrative OTP of Moon in The Day. Only thing that's better than enemies to lovers is enemies while lovers and their impossible relationship where her killing him is a supreme act of love and his refusing to let go is so strong that he stays around for 1500 years watching her, helpless as she dies over and over again, is everything you ever want.

Runner up: Jang Hyun/Gil Chae, My Dearest. They are so strong and so damaged and it takes them so long to figure out what they feel and what the other person feels but their love and sacrifice and complexities are perfect.

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Kim Shi Yeol/Hong Joo, The Secret Romantic Guesthouse - an assassin bodyguard pretending to be a carefree scholar and a widow of the man he killed to protect his king (and whose life was destroyed as a result.) I enjoyed the main OTP of this drama but I was utterly and completely unhinged for the secondary couple.

I'd have probably picked Rang and his mermaid from TotNT 1938 even over them, but they really were the main OTP of that drama.

NOTP

King the Land couple seems like an easy target but honestly, they are both so terribly bland and antiseptic and marketing by committee, they kinda deserve each other. So I am gonna go with Destined with You, one half of which thinks supernaturally roofying someone into loving them is cute and the other half thinks dating one woman while wooing another is totally a-ok. Ugh.

FAVORITE SCENE

There is no competition for the scene in the slave market in My Dearest, where Jang Hyun finds Gil Chae - the way he screams and tries to clutch the hem of her skirt will live in my head forever.

And the scene where he 'wins' that horrifying bet, or the scene where she finds him in a pile of bodies - they are as good also. Or when he fights off a squad to protect her even though he's sick. That whole drama is perfect.

Runner up: the scene of Do Ha executing Ri Ta's family, covered in blood, as she looks at him from the crowd in Moon in the Day.

Or the scene where he talks about how he cannot live as a person but at least maybe she will kill him and he will die as one. Or when her confession in the past intercuts with his walking in the present, or when he comes home in his bloodied armor and she finds he has a fever and it's the first tender touch he's probably ever known. Her murdering So Ri Bu saying she knows she's going against filial piety in loving her parents' murderer, the way they hug, both bloody, as he says "let's live." The way she says she can't go on as she's hit rock bottom and he replies she cannot quit because she must accompany him to his rock bottom now. Honestly, the drama is a font of amazingness.

Also, the opening scene of Goryeo Khitan War or the scene of Yang Gyu ordering to shoot the captives and having to do so himself.

The OTP meeting again at the intersection at the end of ep 1 of Tell Me That You Love Me. SHS comforting ABH as he's having a traumatic breakdown in 19th Life. The love-making scene in Call It Love. There were a lot of great scenes this year.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Lee Jang Hyun, My Dearest - is that even a competition? He's flawed - vain, often emotionally closed off, not great at processing emotions, lashing out when hurt. He is also incredibly heroic in a real, knows the cost but bears it, kind of way. Whatever he does, he commits utterly but it's never without understanding the cost. He felt both larger than life and utterly real. He went through hell and maintained his soul and the way he loved Gil Chae was breath-taking to behold.

Runner Up: Yang Gyu, Goryeo Khitan War - an experienced military commander who wins an impossible victory even as it ravages his soul. Competence is sexy as fuck.

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Rang, Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 - 1938 really was Rang's chance to shine and he took it. For a character I started out disliking in the original, he really stole my entire heart in this drama. I am so glad he got his happy ending with his brother and his girl.

Runner Up: Crown Prince, My Dearest. He started out as a sheltered, spoiled aristocrat, convinced the world owed him for existing. He grew up slowly and painfully into an amazing man. And then was murdered for it and I cried.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

Arthdal - it leaves the story at a good stopping point but it's very much a "world in flux, adventures and conflicts continue" ending and I would love to see more of these characters. I know we won't but it would have been nice.

NEEDS SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Behind Your Touch - should have been snipped at birth.

TOO MANY SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Vigilante - I don't mean it had scissors taken to it because it's not cdrama and there is no NRTA, but this drama would have benefitted from being longer. I mean, I love fights and gay polycules as much as the next tumblr person but a bit more character development would not have come amiss. (ahaha - I said come. Leave me alone.)

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

I don't care about cops/doctors/trash collectors/whoever - workplace drama centering on their "cases" needs to die. I hate procedurals from any country and Korea is no exception.

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

Supernatural critter devoted to their OTP with all the power of their long life.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Our Blooming Youth - it was far from terrible but it was a giant meh. I was so excited to see Park Hyung Sik in a sageuk (that wasn't the hot mess that was Hwarang) and I adored the source novel. It actually started well and then...it's like Revenge of the Beige!

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

I want to say Moon in the Day but to be honest, I was excited by posters and trailers so it wasn't wholly a surprise despite not having much of an opinion. on the actors before I saw them. So I am going to say My Demon. I was bored by the trailers, I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a Kim Yoo Jung drama and before this year I would have said Song Kang was an incredibly limited actor in everything I've seen him in and not appealing to me at all. And here I am rabidly rabiding for this drama!

If I am not limiting myself to dramas but can use this for actors - Hwang Minhyun in My Lovely Liar. I genuinely did not think the man could act and then he gave such a pitch-perfect, nuanced performance out of nowhere!

2023 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

I have actually watched all the kdramas that aired this year that I wanted to check out except for Evilive. I am saving this for when I have time.

BEST NON-2023 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2023

I don't know if I'd say it's the best but Say You Love Me (2004) with Kim Rae Won as a quasi monk seduced away from his true love by an evil older woman was a hell of a ride.

MOST ANTICIPATED

Love Song for Illusion (Lady assassin falls for her royal target who has two personalities), Captivating the King (lady spy falls for her royal target who is tormented) - notice a theme? Also Flower that Blooms at Night because Honey Lee in a sageuk, The Life of Mrs Ock (Lim Ji Yeon in a sageuk), The Love Story of Chun Hwa (an "erotic" sageuk, hmmmm, what?!), Hong Rang (Lee Jae Wook in a super angst sageuk), Queen Woo (that cast and set in Goguryeo!), Wong Kyung (about Lee Bang Won's wife and I love the cast.) Basically, if it's period, I am there with bells on.

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shortbabe99 · 9 months

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The Thunder Of The Storm (Will Never Match The Thunder Of My Heart)

~A very sweet fic about married life with Evajacks including the Fox children, fluff with a tiny bit of angst, and a bit of childhood trama~

The Prince Of Hearts would proudly claim he had never feared anything in his long existence. He was a ruthless killer who claimed countless lives simply because he had the need too.

What possibly could a Fate who lived a millennium fear?

But Jacks the husband and father learned he had many things to fear in his life. Like one of his children getting hurt, they were so young and the world was so big compared to them. He feared him or his wife getting sick and leaving their children orphaned just like Jacks was when he was a boy.

But one fear remained from his childhood, one that he never seemed to get rid of no matter how well he hid it.

And as the distant sound of thunder began to close in around The Hollow Jacks once again felt like the scared little boy desperate looking for shelter in the woods. Each low rumble brought chills and painful memories across his body.

The feel of his small coat becomes drenched among the rain, his bare feet gathering small cuts from the frozen and cold ground. The rumbles of his empty stomach went unheard for once as the sky roared in anger.

But most of all, the sound of the storm ragging outside returned the feelings of his childhood loneliness he hadn't felt in years.

It wasn't like he cursed years where he roamed Valenda, searching for his (seemingly) mythical true love to free him of his misery. This was the emptiness of his childhood, where he had no parents to care for him or even siblings to care for.

And even looking at his slumbering wife, who peacefully slept unbothered the cracks of lighting, he still felt the sense of dread.

He wanted to wake her, but she needed to rest.

She'd been feeling unwell lately and Jacks had a small suspicion that his dear wife was pregnant with the forth addition to the Fox household.

Jacks decided he could wait out the storm if he needed to, he had dozens of times before. But it felt different now than it used to. Now he had a wife who loved every inch of his existence, and the most perfect children in the world who Jacks couldn't possibly love more.

He hadn't felt like this in ages it seemed like, a bit over eight years, at least not since he first met Evangeline.

Evangeline, his wonderful Evangeline.

Evangeline loved him and cared for him every day like it was their last. She stayed with him, fought for him like he fought for her if not harder. Who gave him a family of his own to love, so he'd never know this kind of despair another day in his life.

Jacks was nearly so lost into his thoughts and memories that he almost didn't hear the small group of footsteps running through the hall.

It seemed to be that all three of his Kits were up and awake because of the storm.

He quickly slid out from under the warmth of their bed, before quickly placing a kiss against his slumbering wife's head.

The Hollow's floor was cold, winter had fallen over the kingdom in the last week and the grounds were already covered in snow. Quickly he turned the door and was met with the sight of all three of his children standing outside the door.

Eleanor the oldest of the three was standing in the front, her braid was coming out of her golden blonde locks and tiredness shown across her face.

As thunder cracked overhead the small girl flinched, and her two brothers drew closer to her.

Max and Teddy were more visible with their fear, and dried tears shown on their identical faces that made Jacks heart hurt.

Quickly he pulled all three children into his arms and held them tightly, he could hear their frantically beating hearts and wondered if they matched his own.

No words needed to be exchanged in this moment, his children were tired and scared and Jacks pushed his fears away the minute he heard the patter of feet.

His children needed protecting so nothing else could possibly ever matter as much.

Carefully he walked back into his and Evangeline's dimly lit room, only a few candles sat by the window sill.

He gently placed his children on his side of the bed, laying the twins closest to Evangeline and Eleanor right next to them.

He then carefully slid into the bed next to them in the small amount of space left for him. He would've given them his entire half it he could, but he needed to hold them right now as much as they needed his comfort.

His long arms carefully wrapped as far as they could around them, he wouldn't mind his arms being half dead in the morning.

Another crack of thunder boomed overhead and Eleanor buried her face into her fathers chest, whilst the small twins tightly held Jacks arm.

Slowly the storm seemed to die down, leaving only the sounds of the calming rain.

And as quickly as they had awaken the Fox children had once again drifted off to the land of dreams.

Teddy's soft snores filled the room, while Max began to move in his sleep, and Eleanor was busy drooling across Jacks favorite pillow.

He quickly lifted his head to see Evangeline who had been roused from her sleep for a brief minute to give him a soft smile. Before quickly lying her head back down to join their children.

Jacks heart felt heavy, dread no longer filled his chest.

Instead was a brilliant sense of love and joy that had only increased every day in his life for the past eight years.

And Jacks knew this feeling would never stop growing, everyday he was thankful that he'd been lucky enough to win Evangeline's heart.

That she loved him, and she gave him a family to so he'd never know loneliness again.

And at last with peace in his heart Jacks diffed off with his family into a peaceful slumber.

Knowing that the sweetest dream he could ever have was the one he lives everyday with Evangeline and their children.

Finish

Notes

-Baby Fox's are often referred to as "Kits, Pups or Cubs", I thought Kits sounded the best.

-I head-cannon Jacks as calling their kids and being like "Oh these are my Kits."

-Eleanor is about 5 in this story and her name is based of the Former Empress Elentine who Jacks was "Friends" within Caravel

-Max is named after Evangeline father Maximilian, he's the second oldest Fox child and Teddy's identical twin

-Teddy's name isn't based off of any character in particular but I thought it sounded cute

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shortbabe99 · 9 months

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The Prince of Hearts/Jacks + Ironic Twist 💔

"How far would you go for Happily Ever After?"

The answer? Until there's no turning back.

As much as I think Jacks tries to deny it, he is looking for a Happily Ever After just like Evangeline. It might not be the perfect picture that Evangeline envisions her Happily Ever After, but it still concerns requited and unconditional love.

The Prince of Hearts represents broken hearts and unrequited love for other people. But to Jacks himself it also means he's doomed to suffer the same fate.

I want to go further into his characterization because I think he as a character who has a lot of subtleties to unpack. I'll start in the rough order of the timeline of all three books (two of the Caraval trilogy, and OUABH)

Spoilers to Legendary, Finale, and Once Upon A Broken Heart.

When His Heart Stopped Beating...

It just occurred to me that Jacks once had a beating heart. Initially I thought his heart never beat once since the Fallen Star created the Fates. (This is why I don't think he was ever born but created instead).

In Once Upon A Broken Heart, Evangeline goes over the lore of the Prince of Hearts:

According to the myths, the Prince of Hearts was not capable of love because his heart had stopped beating long ago. Only one person could make it work again: his one true love. They said his kiss was fatal to all but her—his only weakness—and as he'd sought her, he'd left a trail of corpses.

I highlighted the ones that I think are integral to Jacks's backstory and desire. First, why did his heart stop beat in the first place? Second, who was it who made his heart stop beating? And third, could the same person who made his heart stop also be his true love?

I'm so dam curious about this that I feel a theory slowly form as I'm writing this. Heck, I write it right now.

The Princess with the Pink Hair

(Headcanon Alert!) Could it be possible that the princess with the pink hair briefly mentioned in the book really is Evangeline? If she was, then it would mean that Evangeline is reincarnated.

Jacks meets Evangeline in the past. She somehow stops his heart. He forgets her. He leaves the North and starts his arduous search for his True Love. Every girl he kisses dies as per his curse. Years past and his hope weakens.

At this point in his journey, Jacks has had it with not having any success with his search. And yet he cannot stop. This is Jacks's urge. The urges that LaLa explained to Evangeline.

"Fates aren't like humans, you know. We don't all share the same emotions, and some humans think we are entirely unfeeling. But it's the opposite. When we feel, it's intense and consuming. It devours us and drives us. And the strongest of our feelings is always the urge to be that which we were made to be."

LaLa concludes that it was the same for Jacks. Evangeline figures his is to kill any potential love with his kiss. I can't help but think she's somewhat wrong about this. Jacks's drive is not to kill any potential love but to find it and keep it.

The same drive that Evangeline feels.

Jacks might not even remember why his heart had stopped beating but he always makes a point of it to Evangeline. Anyway, LaLa has a lot of important things to say to Evangeline about Jacks. That all he needed was a hint of attraction and he would be drawn to their person in hopes of that she's the girl his kiss won't kill.

And yet his hopes are always in vain. Jacks wants love, even if it turns him human. I'll come back to this!!!

Jacks goes to Chaos for a favor a 100 years ago...

I've discussed this before in another post so I won't go into detail, but I will add the possible context of this favor. Jacks wants something from the Valory, the mythical prison that the Valory Arch leads to.

However, the Valory Arch is locked by a prophecy. Fortunately for Jacks, he knows it and bets on the girl with the pink hair. After she opens it, Jacks will toss her to Chaos and get what he desires inside the Valory.

Because of Phaedra's name and connection in Greek mythology, I have a feeling that the Valory is reminiscent of Pandora's Box.

When Pandora opened the box, pain, greed, death, and hatred escaped. At the bottom of the box was Hope. Now Pandora's Box serves as a metaphor to leave things untouched for it would only bring endless complications.

I imagine the Valory is holding an abomination that the Valors kept. This is the first version of the story that Prince Apollo tells Evangeline.

Nothing good will come out from the Valory Arch. But I do believe Jacks will find what he wants there. Because at the back of the Valory is Love as Hope was in Pandora's Box.

After Jacks Escapes the Deck

By the time Legendary comes along, time has passed since his deal with Chaos. Jacks is indifferent to love. Until he meets Tella. He doesn't fall for her right away until Tella makes his heart finally beat. Jacks believes in love again, this hope that it exists for him. Because his urge is to find this potential love, Jacks is not threatened by Tella's existence.

Which is very curious to me 👀

In Finale, the Fallen Star kills the only woman who has ever made him close to being human (because of his love for her). (I mention this warning here when I speak about True Love not being the case for Jacks and Tella). Fates were immortals and only love can make them human. If they feel threatened by the source of love, they immediately kill it.

After his desperate cry for Tella, it hit me that Jacks could possibly want to be human. I know he made a big of deal of wanting his full powers in the Caraval trilogy and twisted Legend's hand to get it back, but Jacks didn't care about it. He only wanted Tella back.

No matter if Love turns him human.

Jacks had loved Tella so much it was an obsession. She was all he thought of, and he promised he wouldn't kill her after they "divorced." To me, that proves how much he meant what he said to Tella, how much he wanted her to be his True Love.

After Tella chose Legend, showing him that Love is powerful enough to break spells, Jacks is even more invigorated about his main plan to find that Love for himself.

The Valory Arch is his only hope.

Jacks Meets Evangeline

Jacks meets her at his church a few weeks after Caraval (events after Legendary) and meets her again a couple of months later (after the events of Finale/Week of Terror) at the Magnificent North. He had not forgotten about Evangeline after his deal with her.

The deal that pertains to Jacks's overall plan and deal with Chaos.

Returning to the headcanon that Evangeline is the reincarnated princess, the same girl who stopped Jacks's heart, and apparently the only girl who could restart it, I detect an irony here.

Even if Evangeline isn't the reincarnated princess, Jacks had bet on his True Love. Without even knowing it. This mythical girl with the pink hair that he had used for his gain is his True Love.

HOW WILD IS THAT?!?!?!?! He's surely going to regret it!

After Evangeline Makes His Heart Beat...Again

Jacks has to know that Evangeline is the direct cause of his heart beating again. She was the only one there when it happened. The only one who touched his chest at the right moment.

I'm not sure what Jacks's thought process could be in the beginning of The Ballad of Never After. But it could go two ways:

He remains the same, meaning he's not aware of Evangeline making his heart beat.

Or he does know and something innate awakens inside of him. The need to protect her and raise if any such harm comes her way.

I'm going with option #2 because of the snippet that Stephanie Garber had shared.

If this snippet refers to Jacks, then Jacks should already be aware of his heart beating. Meaning he should have an inkling that Evangeline may be his True Love. Jacks already has a "hint of attraction" for Evangeline.

Kerri Maniscalco made a lot of comments of wanting Jacks to kill someone and it's in the first 100 pages. Jacks may not yet be ready to become vulnerable with Evangeline. He doesn't want to get hurt. Or disappointed to know she doesn't feel the same way for him.

But I have a feeling that Jacks will do anything to protect Evangeline because he had before even when Evangeline was only a pawn for him. Now that he realizes that his heart finally beat again and it was because of Evangeline, I fear for anyone's life who threatens his True Love.

Jacks is going to regret betting on Evangeline's life to open the Valory Arch. Evangeline is cursed and she's going to meet her end. I'm certainly excited to see how Jacks's heart will turn, even if it doesn't turn out like this or any of the other theories.

Because one thing is positive, Jacks is going to annihilate someone in Evangeline's presence. To protect her or eliminate obstacles, I don't know, but I'm hoping it's the former.

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shortbabe99 · 9 months

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This Bitter End

When Draco Malfoy entered her life after the war he changed her.

He knows her body, has learned every way to touch her, to break her apart until he is the only one capable of putting her back together. He’s ruined her and saved her, and Hermione knows in her bones that she will never be the same.

And when Hermione Granger walked away she lingered like an echo.

And now it's gone, but not entirely, and that almost makes it worse. His feelings for her are like a dying ember that refuses to smoulder; it clings to each breath of his oxygen as a last resort.

A reminder that she is still here.

She’s a char on his very soul, and Draco wants to hate her for that, but he can’t muster the energy.

Five years later, Hermione works as a palliative healer for St. Mungo’s battling a new magical ailment that destroys one's magical core, and Draco Malfoy continues his research for the Department of Mysteries.

When their paths cross once more will they be able to place their pride aside and rediscover the romance they once shared? Or will fate have other plans, and their burdens be too much to share?

My biggest thanks to @ectoheart for her amazing artwork!

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shortbabe99 · 1 year

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Princess.

Welcome.

#nashuri #shuri x namor #black panther #wakanda forever #shuri black panther #shuri #namor #attuma #namora #namor x shuri #seaprincess #namuri

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shortbabe99 · 1 year

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Princess.

Welcome.

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shortbabe99 · 1 year

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Meeting Mishaps-Namor/K'uk'ulkan x Shuri

My gratitude goes out to @the-last-dragonfly for being a great writing buddy!!

This oneshot was inspired by this amazing fanart

Yucatec Maya is in bold and in italics. Flashbacks are in italics.

“Are you sure it is a good idea to take the twins to the council meeting?” Shuri questioned, meeting his eyes through the mirror reflection with doubtful eyes.

“Yes Itzia . It’s time they started attending these and observe.” He assured her holding their hands which were trying to grab onto the pauldrons Shuri was trying to fasten.

Shuri gave him a dubious look, “Um…they are still two love…”

“The younger the better.”

She gave him a half resigned, half amused look, “Alright, but you will be in charge of taking care of them. I have things to take care of in the lab, I'll join the meeting later."

K'uk'ulkan gave her a confident smile, "Of course Shuri."

He could see why Shuri was reluctant to take them to council meetings.

Itzel and Aphiwe were curious at first and happy to observe the proceedings. Everyone was at ease and paying attention to the meeting. K'uk'ulkan suspected that it was due to the presence of the twins and he even caught Namora smiling at them unabashedly . Everything went quite smoothly as problems were put forth and solutions to them were discussed. All in all it was quite a productive council meeting in the beginning.

Things began to rapidly go downhill as the twins began to get restless. Itzel, the little troublemaker, started squirming within the confines of the wrap which set off Aphiwe who was eager to follow his sister. He knew the tell-tale signs of a tantrum and quickly stood up from the throne and began treading the water from one side of the throne to the other, much to the amusement of the onlookers. Still the session went on without a hitch as the twins were by the occasional colourful fish that swam above them. That lasted only for a few minutes before they decided they wanted their yuum 's complete attention to themselves. Whenever K'uk'ulkan tried to speak, it made the twins giggle and squeal out in delight. He gave out a small sigh and looked at their adorable faces. Aphiwe then began blowing bubbles which Itzel began doing with gusto. K'uk'ulkan noticed everyone was quite delightfully observing the twins' antics. He nodded at Attuma and Namora who at once swam forward to his side, eager to take the kids. Apparently, Itzel and Aphiwe had other ideas as they wanted to be with their baba at the moment even though they absolutely adored Attuma and Namora. The twins refused to even budge and began crying out when they tried to take them from their baba . Apologising for the disruption, he continued doing his best, the best he could with twins garnering for his complete attention.

Shuri arrived much later and stood at the back not wanting to cause any disruptions to the session. Her husband looked a bit frazzled, she noticed to her amusement and the twins looked content enough, chewing on their father's fingers. He looked every bit of the King he is, decked out in his regalia and a doting father with the twins in their individual rebozos on either side (Shuri luckily managed to get a sneaky picture of him with the twins before he left for the meeting).

Itzel being the sneaky child she is somehow latched onto a feather from K'uk'ulkan's headdress and had torn off a feather without no one noticing until she began brandishing it like a trophy, a toothy grin on her face. Shuri gasped seeing this. Her husband had not noticed it as he was deeply focused on Attuma who was giving his report on the patrols and the upcoming whale migration. Aphiwe noticed the feather in his sister's hands and decided he wanted it too. He lunged forward with a cry, towards his sister, the rebozo limiting his movement. In response, Itzel scrunched up her face in defiance and held the emerald feather away from Aphiwe's grasp. This got K'uk'ulkan's attention and Shuri saw the horror and surprise in his eyes when he saw what his daughter was holding. Shuri knew she had to intervene but decided to stay a bit longer, trying not to laugh at her husband's attempts to pry the feather out of the strong and unrelenting grip of Itzel who refused to surrender the feather. It was no surprise considering who her parents were. Itzel stubbornly held on to the feather refusing to give it to her father or brother. Aphiwe's frown quickly turned into angry cries

K'uk'ulkan's frantic eyes clearly signalled that her help was desperately needed, met hers. Shuri joined her husband at the front and without losing a moment she quickly took the crying boy into her arms and tried to soothe him. Aphiwe continued to point at the feather in Itzel's hand and cry. Shuri kissed her little boy on the cheeks and promised him all the feathers once they return, which gradually subsided the cries. He then snuggled up in his mother's arms and opted to glare at Itzel who was curiously observing the feather.

Yucatec Maya- Used Microsoft Bing & Translate.com

“We will continue this in the next meeting.” K'uk'ulkan informed everyone present. He looked at his daughter who was trying to munch on the feather. He sighed and began tugging on the feather, trying his best to prevent her from putting it in her mouth. “No Itzel! You can’t eat that in waal . ” K'uk'ulkan lectured the smiling child. “This headdress and these feathers are an important symbol not chew toys.”

Itzia- Princess

Yuum- Father

In waal- My child

In simpler terms, the Rebozo is a cloth that can be used as a baby carrier. This was suggested by my writing buddy (Thanks!)

(P.s- I think it is already canon in the fandom...he definitely calls her Itzia.)

Please tell me if there's any mistake with the translations. English is not our first language so please feel free to point out any errors.

Reblogs, comments and likes are welcome!!

Posted on Ao3 and on Fanfiction.net

Previous- A Drunken Tale- One Shot 3

Namor/K'uk'ulkan x Shuri Masterlist

Main Masterlist

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shortbabe99 · 1 year

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We NEED to talk about Shuri...

MAJOR spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever below ...

We need to talk about how fucking DARK Shuri was in the movie and also WHY. My girl was taking psychological L after psychological L. Like, no wonder homegirl went hurtling down her villain arc.

I would too bitch! Probably for less, actually!

It just starts and never stops:

She has to live with the guilt of not being at his side when her brother dies (and not being able to save his life, either)

She has to live with the guilt of not being able to save her mother

She finally manages to take the herb and go the Ancestral Plane... only to see her homicidal cousin basically urging her to succumb to her darkest instincts and get that shit done

And boy, get it done she does:

Straight-up blackmails M'Baku into cooperation even though he very obviously doesn't wanna get involved

Her trapping Namor in her terrifying dehydration plane and then asking him if he needed a glass of water BROOOOOOOOOOOO

That moment when she RIPPED HIS FUCKING WINGS OFF??? when i tell you i fucking GASPED in the THEATER

her claws in his back except that was me being dirty-minded sorry

She pulled a SPEAR out of her ABDOMEN on sheer SPITE????

and when she blew up the plane so it would kill Namor for good?? turned her armor on and stood through it like a savage whilst he (presumably) burned to death??? JAW ON THE FUCKING GROUND DUDE!!! HOLY FUCK

My girl said fuck around and find out bitch. Holy shit.

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shortbabe99 · 2 years

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France has always and I mean ALWAYS had a history of Islamophobia...but, for those of you who don’t know what’s going on right now:

They’re trying to ban the slaughter of Halal chicken, citing animal cruelty and claiming Halal (I believe they also discussed Kosher) methods of slaughter are unethical compared to the European practice of stunning the animal (the Halal way of slaughter would be a cut to the jugular vein so that the animal feels no pain).

They then moved to ban the wearing of the Hijab (the Muslim headscarf) for girls under 18 in public places.

They also want to ban Hijabi mothers (women who wear the Hijab) from accompanying their child on school field trips.

Furthermore, they want to ban the Burkini (a swimsuit that a lot of Muslim women wear) at public swimming pools.

These restrictions (I have definitely not covered a lot of them) fall under France’s Separatism Bill which still needs to be passed by the National Assembly. France maintains that these actions are to uphold secularism (the separation of religion and state).

However, these targeted laws and the statements accompanying them...

The Hijab ban was the “prohibition in the public space of any conspicuous religious sign by minors and of any dress or clothing which would signify an inferiorization of women over men.” This is a commonly used trope about Islam and Muslim men; that they are oppressive of women which is absolutely not true...take it from a Muslim woman! 🧕🏽

Emmanuel Macron said that Hijab is “not in accordance with French ideals”. This again alludes to the misconception that Hijab is oppressive and that by taking it away, we are liberating women. I don’t deny that there are women who had Hijab forced upon them, but what France is not acknowledging is that the forcing of any religious action upon people is completely the opposite of Islamic teachings and that there are actually women out there who can make decisions about what they want to wear...Surprise! It may come as a bit of a shock to them...

...just showcase how deeply rooted these laws are in Islamophobia and how France is maximizing restrictions on daily Muslim life just to...be a white saviour?

There are five million Muslims in France right now and they are all being affected by this.

As of right now I’m trying to find ways to counteract this. @feel-like-studying has linked a petition in the replies of this post. I’ll also link it here:

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shortbabe99 · 2 years

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Title: Red and The Metalhead

Pairing: Eddie Munson & Max Mayfield, Eddie/Chrissy

Rating: M for language and smoking

Tag List: @wandaloki @writervick @lynnsthoughts @historyofshipping @chrissy-crumble @starsovervelaris @wolfstrela @chrissyslipgloss @strangerduchess

Summary: After Billy died, Max Mayfield needed an older brother who wasn’t an asshole. An unlikely person stepped up to fill the role.

Author’s Note: Slight AU. Eddie is just questioned by the police but never goes on the run since Chrissy only ends up with a broken arm in 4x01, and Jason just insists upon her staying away from Eddie.

Eddie Munson was in a bad way. After that disastrous night when Chrissy had gone into that trance in his trailer and broken her arm, he’d been accused of being everything from a cult leader to the local town Satanist. Chrissy had pleaded that it wasn’t Eddie’s fault, but her boyfriend Jason had insisted she stay away from him and made a fuss until the police brought Eddie in for questioning. They’d released him almost immediately, angering Jason, but the whispers around the trailer park and other places in Hawkins told Eddie that the majority of the town still believed him to be responsible for Chrissy’s accident, and the devil’s spawn.

But, if there is was anything good that had come from the whole debacle at his trailer that night, it was that Dustin had brought some of his friends around to Eddie’s place afterwards, and made it clear that they believed he was innocent. Eddie didn’t understand 90% of what they were rambling on about, using words like “Upside Down” and “Mind Flayer”, but at the end of the evening when he finally thanked all the kids for their support and sent them on their way, Max Mayfield was the last one to leave, and before she did so, she paused in Eddie’s doorway, turning back.

“You know, uh—I saw you the night Chrissy broke her arm.” she said hesitantly. “I know it wasn’t you. You were just as upset as she was.”

Eddie shrugged, and gave her a half hearted smile.

“Thanks, Red. I just wish the whole town thought that way.” he opened the door for her as she went out. “You live around here?”

“Just right over there.” She pointed to an adjacent trailer. “My mom and I.”

“Well, it’s good to meet a new neighbor,” Eddie said. “Especially one that doesn’t think I’m the town Satanist.”

He smirked, and Max smiled in return.

“See ya later, Eddie.”

“See ya, Red.”

For a week or so they didn’t see each other again, but one morning Eddie was leaving his trailer to go to school when he saw Max bolt out of her house, backpack in hand, and promptly throw the bag down on the ground with a yell of “Shit!”. Eddie followed the path of her eyes and saw the now distant school bus turning back onto the main road.

As Max gathered up her bag and started back inside her trailer, suddenly the sound of Metallica roared up behind her, and she turned to see Eddie’s beat up van. He cranked the passenger window down, letting out the sound of “Master Of Puppets”, and yelled over the noise.

“Need a ride, Red?”

Normally Max would have politely refused and gone inside to call her mother, but this Eddie guy…he didn’t seem so bad. He was Dustin’s friend, he seemed decent, and he was the only chance she had at not having to bother her mother at work.

“Fucking buses don’t even give ya even five minutes anymore.” Eddie bemoaned as she piled into his van. “But who wants to take the bus anyway?” he grinned, and turned up the music.

Metallica wasn’t really Max’s thing, but hey, she knew the rules: not your car, not your music choice. She also knew from many an evening watching Eddie’s van careen into the trailer park that he wasn’t the best driver, but to her surprise, he seemed to actually drive a bit slower than he usually did and only rolled through one stop sign.

“Thanks for the ride.” she said, after they had screeched to a stop in the parking lot.

“No problem, Red. Glad I could help.”

As she got out of the van, Max heard the whispers of the other students as she made her way inside the school, and looked back to see several of them had watched her exit Eddie’s van, and were now watching Eddie himself too.

“What’s she doing hanging around that freak?”

“If she isn’t careful, she’ll end up with a broken arm just like Chrissy.”

“Looks like the local Satanist recruited a new acolyte.”

At the last comment, Max suddenly found herself stopping on the spot, and turning to face the preppy blonde haired girl who’d made the remark.

“Hey, shitbird, he was giving me a ride!” she said coolly. “Mind your own fucking business!”

As she turned back around to continue on her way, she thought she saw a smile twitch on the corners of Eddie’s mouth.

The next time Max saw Eddie was on a Saturday, when a sudden knock on her trailer door led her to find him standing on her doorstep with a box of cassette tapes.

“Uh, hey. I was cleaning out some of my old tapes…and I know you probably like Blondie or Bowie or some shit like that, but I just thought I’d bring these by.” he rambled, and held the box out to her. “If you hate ‘em then you can just throw ‘em out, but…here.”

Clutching the box, Max gave a shy smile and said “thanks” and watched as Eddie loped back off to his trailer.

She took the box inside and went through it, popping any tapes that sounded interesting into her Walkman. Finally, she ran across a cassette with no artwork, by a band she’d never heard of, their name the only thing on the tape, scrawled in messy Sharpie.

Corroded Coffin.

Curious, she popped the tape into her Walkman, put on her headphones, and was immediately greeted by Eddie’s voice.

“This is uh—demo 1? Corroded Coffin. Playin’ the hits.”

Eddie laughed at his lame introduction, and it sounded like a couple guys in the background did as well. Then, there was a count off of drumsticks, and Corroded Coffin launched into “Holy Diver” by Dio.

Max had to admit, they were pretty good. Not great by any stretch, and definitely not the Kate Bush she’s used to, but also not bad either. She liked it.

That evening, Eddie and Wayne were getting ready for yet another microwave dinner of the week (tonight’s selection: Beef Stronganoff) picked up from the grocery, when Eddie heard a knock on the trailer door, and opened it to see Max.

“Hey, Red.” He said, slightly surprised. He leaned against the doorway. “You like the tapes?”

“I did, yeah.” Max said. “I just…wanted to say thanks for bringing them over.”

“No problem, I’ll see if I have a couple more lying around here.” Eddie said, glancing back inside the trailer.

“Do you have more Corroded Coffin?” Max asked, before she could stop herself.

“Uh—yeah.” Eddie said, turning back, now intrigued. “You listened to our demo tape?”

Max nodded, and shrugged. “It was in the box.”

Now, Eddie invited her into the trailer and Max stood awkwardly for ten minutes in the kitchen with Wayne Munson, who kept looking between her and the beef stroganoff he was microwaving, while Eddie tossed stuff around in the bedroom down the hallway and kept muttering.

Finally, he returned with a fistful of cassette tapes and an oversized Corroded Coffin T shirt, all of which he pressed into Max’s hands.

“I’ll let you know next time we practice in Jeff’s garage,” he told her as he walked her to the door. “Maybe you can drop by.”

“Thanks, I’d like that.” Max said, and thought she felt something deep in her chest loosening. She sighed, and looked back towards her trailer. “Well, I gotta go. Mom left me dinner in the fridge.”

At this, Eddie’s brow furrowed.

“You there alone?”

“Yeah.” Max shrugged. “My mom works late tonight.”

Eddie glanced over his shoulder back inside his trailer.

“Why don’t you eat with us? My Uncle Wayne won’t mind.”

“Oh no,” Max started. “I don’t want to intrude on your dinner.” She was trying to be polite, but the allure of the beef stroganoff, albeit microwaved, definitely smells better than whatever her mother has left her.

“Trust me, Wayne won’t mind. Come on.”

Eddie ushered her back inside the trailer and introduced her to his uncle.

“Wayne, this is Max, she’s a neighbor.” Eddie said, as Wayne came to shake Max’s hand. “Her mom works late, so I asked if she wanted to eat with us.”

“More than welcome to, young lady.” said Wayne. “Although, I’ll warn ya, it ain’t gonna be anything special.”

While the beef stroganoff was about as good as what a microwave dinner can be, Max found herself liking to sit around the table with Wayne and Eddie. She listened to Wayne talk about his work at the plant, and tell stories about his nephew as a child that made Eddie flush scarlet. They circled around to the subject of music, and by the end of the dinner, Wayne was recommending country western songs to Max, who was taking notes on a napkin.

Finally, with her hands full of cassette tapes, the Corroded Coffin T shirt, several napkins, and the leftovers that Wayne insisted she take, Max walked back to her trailer with Eddie.

“Thanks for letting me eat with you.” she said, as they stopped on her doorstep.

“No problem, Red.” Eddie said casually. “Drop by anytime.”

So, that became their weekly routine. On Thursday nights when Max’s mom worked late, she would eat microwaved tv dinners with the Munsons, and listen to Eddie and Wayne debate everything from music to cars to tv shows.

Soon, before she knew it, Thursday dinner with the Munsons became familiar, routine, oddly comforting. One evening though as she was getting ready to walk over to the Munson trailer, there was a knock on Max’s trailer door.

It was Eddie.

“Hey, Red. Wayne had to stay over at work, so it’s just me home tonight—“ he started apologetically.

“Oh, that’s okay.” Max said, but felt her heart sink. “I have leftovers in the fridge I can warm up.”

“No, I just…” Eddie hesitated, then continued. “I didn’t know if maybe you wanted to come over and eat still? You know, since we’re both by ourselves.”

“Oh, sure. Lemme grab my jacket.”

Once in Eddie’s trailer, they abandoned the dinner table for the comfort of the living room, and Max and Eddie flopped down on the couch with plates of pizza in hand. Eddie switched on the tv, flipped until he found a scary movie, and both ate in silence. It was pepperoni pizza, and not great, but they had agreed to split the pepperoni between the two of them, so every once and awhile Eddie would toss some her way, and they continued in this fashion for several minutes, until finally Max hesitated, then spoke.

“Do you ever, um—do you ever see Chrissy anymore?”

Eddie scrunched his face, and for a second Max was afraid she’d touched on a nerve, but he just sat down his slice of pizza and sighed.

“No.” he said finally, defeated. “Jason won’t let her anywhere near me.”

Max opened her mouth to say something, but then Eddie continued.

“I mean, I tried to apologize to her afterwards, but he just pulled her away.” He rubbed his face with his ring-adored fingers. “I miss her, though. We—We got along good.” He finished awkwardly, and Max saw the blush creeping into his cheeks when he put his hands down.

“I could um—say something to her, maybe. At school.” Max offered. “She meets with Miss Kelly before I do and we’re always passing each other when we’re leaving.”

You would have thought she had told Eddie that Chrissy was coming over right that instant. He scrambled upright, eyes wide, and stared at her.

“Really? You’d do that?”

Max shrugged.

“‘Course. You invite me to dinner, I help you hook up with a girl who’s way out of your league.”

“Listen, I don’t wanna hook—“ began Eddie furiously.

Max turned and gave him a “bitch please” look, and he stopped.

“Don’t bullshit me, Eddie. You wanna bang Chrissy as bad as Jason Carver wishes the sun shone out his ass.” She smirked, and turned back to her pizza. “I’ll let Chrissy know you want to talk.”

Eddie stared at her for a moment, then leaned over and unceremoniously dumped the rest of his pepperoni on her plate, and Max tried to hide a smile. Maybe Eddie did remind her of someone she used to know…but a kinder, gentler version. The knot in her chest unloosened even more.

They finished the rest of the dinner badmouthing Jason, watching Day of the Dead, and eating their pizza.

The next day at school, Max headed towards her appointment with Miss Kelly with an unusual spring in her step. She usually hated her appointment days, but today…today felt different. Today…she actually felt okay.

“Hey, Chrissy!” Max pulled off her headphones and hurried to catch up with the strawberry blonde cheerleader as she exited the counseling office.

“Oh, hi.” Chrissy said, clearly unsure of who Max was and why she was chasing her down in the hallway. “Did I leave something in Miss Kelly’s office?”

“No, no, I just—“ Max hesitated, unsure of how to bring up Eddie, and glanced around, her gaze finally falling on Chrissy’s cast. “Can I sign your cast?”

“Oh, yeah, sure!” Chrissy said, brightening immediately. She fished a pink sharpie out of her bag and passed it to Max. “Thanks.”

“You know, um—I live in Forest Hills trailer park.” Max began as she scrawled on the cast. “I’m a friend of Eddie Munson’s.” She looked up to see Chrissy’s smile falter for a second, but continued anyway. “Chrissy, he really wants to talk to you, and I know Jason doesn’t like him, but please—he’s desperate. Please just find a way to talk to him.” she finished, and capped the Sharpie.

Chrissy hesitated for a moment, glanced around, and leaned close to Max.

“I do tutoring sometimes for underclassmen in English and History.” she whispered. “Maybe…you could use some help?” She raised an eyebrow, and Max smiled.

“Of course. I’m the trailer with the fence and the dog outside. Does 7 pm tomorrow night work?”

“Sure!” Chrissy said. “See you then, uh—“ she angled her arm and glanced down at her cast. “Max Mayfield.”

Chrissy and Max went their separate ways, and Max entered Miss Kelly’s office actually feeling good about their appointment. Miss Kelly picked up on her changed attitude almost immediately.

“You seem happy today, Max.” she said pleasantly, smiling at her across the desk. “Did something happen?”

Max shrugged, and her eyes drifted around the office. “I dunno, I um…I made a friend. A neighbor.”

“That’s wonderful, Max!” Miss Kelly said, making a note in her file. “Having friends close is always helpful. Is this friend a freshman too, or older?”

“He’s a senior.” Max answered, not wanting to add “multiple times over”. “But he’s…nice. He brought me a bunch of cassette tapes to listen to and invited me for dinner when my mom works late.”

“That’s really good, Max.” Miss Kelly said, sitting back in her chair and surveying Max with a smile. “He sounds like a very good friend.” She paused for a moment, then continued. “Do you think he reminds you of your brother, a little?”

For the first time, Max didn’t feel a pang in her chest when someone mentioned Billy. She didn’t see his death flash before her eyes, hear her own scream echoing in her ears. The opposite happened. She felt a bit of sadness, but mainly…contentment.

“Yeah.” she said finally, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth as she thought of Eddie. “Yeah, I think he does.”

The next day at 7 pm sharp, Max was preparing to heat up a microwave TV dinner when there was a knock at the trailer door.

It was Chrissy, dressed in her cheerleading uniform and rocking on the balls of her tennis shoes.

“Hey, Max.” she said warmly, breaking into a smile when she saw the younger girl. “Ready for some homework help?”

As soon as Max let her inside, they heard a car screech off outside the trailer, and Chrissy glanced out the window.

“Good, that was Jason.” she said, turning back to Max and sighing. “He would only drive me here because I insisted I was tutoring you.”

Max made a noise somewhere between a scoff and a snort, and immediately regretted it when she thought Chrissy might be offended, but to her surprise, the older girl just rolled her eyes too.

“I know, he’s a jerk.”

“So…why don’t you dump his ass?” Max asked, before she could stop herself, and Chrissy looked at her gently.

“Try having a mother who thinks your boyfriend is the best thing since sliced bread.” she said simply. “Then try to just dump his ass.”

She smiled, and she and Max walked to the door of the trailer. But, before she left, Chrissy turned back.

“Hey, thanks for this.” she said, and after a second, she reached out and pulled Max into a hug. “It really means a lot.”

“Yeah.” Max said. “Yeah, no problem.”

She watched Chrissy head off towards Eddie’s trailer, and smiled herself when she saw the grin that broke across Eddie’s face when he opened the trailer door and saw it was Chrissy.

Of course the one girl in this town he’d have it bad for is the one who broke her arm in his trailer…

Max shook her head, and went off to warm up her dinner.

A few hours later, she heard talking outside, and went to the window to peek out, and was immediately greeted with the sight of Eddie and Chrissy exiting Eddie’s trailer hand in hand, and walking to Eddie’s van. As she watched, they shared a couple words, Chrissy threw back her head and laughed, and to Max’s surprise, when they arrived at the van, they leaned against it and began to kiss. She watched as Chrissy’s hands tangled in Eddie’s hair, and one of his hands crept progressively lower on her waist until it slipped under the hem of her cheer blouse.

Max rolled her eyes and shut the blinds.

God, men were gross.

That week when Eddie dropped by to invite her to weekly dinner, Max opened the door and found him practically pulsating with excitement.

“I’m…guessing things went well with Chrissy?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. “Given the fact you can’t control your own limbs?”

“Wait ‘til you fall in love, Red.” Eddie grinned, and wagged a finger at her. “You’ll get it then.”

Max rolled her eyes, and grabbed her jacket.

“You know I’m not listening to you rant about how you want to get in Chrissy’s pants all night, right?”

“And risk Wayne ripping my head off?” Eddie asked, giving her a look. “I only got one bed, Mayfield, I’m not trying to have to crash elsewhere.”

“Whatever…just know I’m not sneaking you in so you can crash in my place.” Max said, as they walked to Eddie’s trailer.

“You’re a liar, Red.” Eddie said affectionately, and grinned at her.

Dammit, Max thought begrudgingly, he’s right.

Later that evening, when Max headed back to her trailer with her hands full of leftovers as usual, she passed by the annoying couple’s RV and heard the conversation taking place outside.

“There goes that Mayfield girl again, coming home from the Munson trailer.” The wife was saying. “I guess that’s what happens when your mom has to work two jobs, you have to resort to hanging out with lowlifes to get dinner.”

Max felt a pang of hurt in her chest. Her mom worked two jobs to support them, not because she wanted to be away from Max, but because she wanted to give her daughter a better life. And besides, Max liked hanging out with the Munsons.

She shook her head, and stalked inside her trailer, trying to ignore the tears that burned in her eyes.

Across the way at his own trailer, Eddie had been standing on his porch having a smoke before he went back inside, and unbeknownst to Max, had heard everything.

He snubbed his cigarette out on the side of the trailer, threw the butt to the ground, and made his way off his porch towards the RV.

“Hey!” he said loudly as he approached, causing both the RV couples’ heads to snap up, and for Max to raise her window blinds to look outside. The RV guy stood up to meet him, but Eddie kept walking directly up to him, unfazed.

“Let’s get something straight: you have a problem with Max Mayfield, then you have a problem with me too, understand?” he demanded, then leaned closer. “And you don’t want that.”

He leaned back, gave the RV couple a withering look, and stalked back to his trailer without a glance behind him, and Max found herself feeling a rush of affection for Eddie. The tears brimmed in her eyes, and overflowed.

The snide comments from the RV couple stopped after that, but Eddie never knew Max had heard what he said until later that week when he dropped by her trailer to get her for weekly dinner. To his surprise, he had to knock twice, and was raising his hand to knock again when Max suddenly bolted out of the house and into his arms.

“Whoa, hey!” Eddie said, a bit surprised. He held her, and patted her on the back a bit awkwardly. “It’s just spaghetti tonight, alright? No big deal.”

Max sniffled a bit against his chest, but when she spoke, voice barely above a whisper, her voice was devoid of all its usual sarcasm.

“I heard what you said to the RV couple.” she whispered, and held him tighter. “Thank you.”

Eddie tried to shrug like it was nothing, but a smile twitched at the corner of his lips.

“Good news for you, Red.” he said, slinging an arm around her shoulders as they began their walk towards the Munson trailer. “I always wanted a little sister.”

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shortbabe99 · 2 years

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when yijin said heedo make him motivated and she push him to finally stand up and do something after he saw heedo achieved won the match... don't you feel something similar?? like literally heedo's spirit and positivity get through you also?? like yijin's courage also moved you??? like don't you feel the urge to suddenly do something, pick up again your courage to work on up your dream, do something to make it a bit closer to reach no matter how trivial it seems??? because i do, because i totally feel how yijin feels at that moment (damn episode 5, i still can't get you out of my head). like thank you heedo for keep trying no matter how many loses you had, and thank you yijin for saying like that was the staircase to success. literally after watched the last two eps, i pick up again my pen and draw, arrange again my portfolio that I've been put on hold since forever because i couldn't face how lacking i am and the seemingly failure that about to come with my lame portfolio. but regardless, after i saw heedo & yijin endure their hardship on their own and work on their dream, i start bracing myself to work on mine too.

that's what make the shows great for me. something that touch me, moved me, even give me courage. obviously not every show has to be relatable to be great, but something relatable & so close to my real life always got special spot in my heart. and 2521 happen to come in most perfect timing for me; just like how heedo suddenly appear in yijin's lowest point of life and become his salvation & happiness.

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shortbabe99 · 2 years

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