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eventyrstuff · 4 years

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Every Kdrama I’ve watched under the cut, to keep track and for recommendations.

Warning: Spoilers, few unpopular opinions ahead, please bear in mind: to each their own.

2009

· You’re Beautiful – 16 amusing episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? This was the era of female leads pretending to be male (Hana Kimi, Ouran etc), but I still loved it. We follow the story of the female lead (who was a Nun at the beginning) who pretended to be her twin brother and become a part of the country’s current hottest band because her twin had a cosmetic surgery mishap (lol). It’s mostly trying to fit in and try not to get exposed but of course our male lead discovered her true identity thus begin her suffering and second also knows but did not admit it thus begin his unrequited love and comic relief and best character in the series was left in the dark thus begin questioning his sexuality 7/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? YES. Park Shin Hye is love and Jang Geun Seuk’s smile is freaking adorable. 9/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? JEREMY AND SHINWOO AND JOLIE YES. 10/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? MOST DEF. I fell in love with PSH’s “Lovely Day” and “ Without Words”, ANJELL’s “Still” and “Promise” though I prefer Lee Hong Ki’s version 8/10 o Would you rewatch? I’ll definitely rewatch, I would love to compare my opinion back in my tween years and opinion now o Favorite Episode/Scenes: Episode 6 – Shin Woo and Mi Nam’s pseudo date (totally heartbreaking for tween me) Episode 11 – supermarket scene was the best, Episode 13 – Cooking scenes was hilarious, every scene with Jeremy, TAE KYUNG AND THE PIG o Words Association: GO MI NAM, Pig-Rabbit, JOLIE!, Fly me to the moon, “hyung, vinegar?” o Yes it has overused plots, common conflicts and family drama but the characters and their dynamics are truly worth watching this and if you need a good laugh (this drama has a looooot of funny scenes), this one is for you. 8/10

2011

· Heartstrings – 15 forgotten episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? It’s a college drama involving modern and traditional Korean music. I honest to God forgot the whole drama, I think there was rivalry between the main leads? 6/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? Not sure, but if it’s Park Shin Hye, I guess so, sorry I’m shit at remembering this drama o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? I forgot so I guess not? o Are the OSTs compelling? I am pretty sure it got an amazing Osts with having Park Shin Hye and CN Blue’s Yong Hwa but the only thing I remember was the song “Byeul” or Star and it was sung by the secondary character but it was really catchy o Would you rewatch? Looks like I need to rewatch since I mostly forgot this drama o Will rate once I have rewatched but if you shipped Yong Hwa and Park Shin Hye’s characters in You’re Beautiful, this one is for you.

Then after years of Jdramas, Anime, Mangas, YA books I returned to Kdramaland in…

2018

· Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo – 16 charming episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? College athletes’ coming of age drama, added a dash of love and friendship and dreams. Strong female lead and affectionate male lead, sign me the fuck up. 9/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? I AM EMOTIONALLY INVESTED WITH THE LEADS PERSONAL AND LOVE LIVES. YES. 10/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? YES EVEN THE CAMEOS (Hello Lee Jong Suk who I haven’t watched any of his drama yet at the time and Ji Soo) 10/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? I downloaded 2 of their OSTs (You&I and Dreaming), it was the first Korean songs in my playlist 9/10 o Would you rewatch? Absolutely o Favorite Episode/Scenes: “BOK JOO, WATCH OUT!”, “YOU DIE, I WILL KILL YOU”, Snow kisses, the gang in the amusement park, THAT SCENE WITH JISOO AND JOO HYUK o Word Association: SWAG, Messi, Chicken, Samgyupsal, WHAT, Chubs o I totally recommend to everyone, it has a unique plot, still not over the main lead’s chemistry, you’ll fall in love with the whole story. 10/10

· The Heirs – 20 clichéd episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? It’s your typical rich man poor woman plot, high school setting oozing with alpha males and lots of trope scenes, if only female lead was also an heir or they develop more on her character it will be memorable, I can’t really differentiate with other dramas with the same plot – well except the male lead’s mother is not your typical mother who absolutely hates the female lead 3/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? No, not really more on the secondary characters, both male and female leads are meh 2/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? With the mute mother and FL’s bestfriend and his girlfriend yes, everyone else is forgettable 3/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? I only remember “Love is a moment” because it was used by fanmade crack videos on youtube ahahaha 2/10 o Would you rewatch? Probably no. o I guess if you are a big fan of Boys Over Flowers and looking for the same genre this one’s for you, this did not really age well for me, probably would have loved this if I watched back when I was in highschool – reminds me of wattpad days. 3/10

· W: Two Worlds – 16 enthralling episodes (Started 2018 Finished 2020)

o Is the plot interesting? The plot is what compelled me to watch this drama, male lead is a webtoon character created by the female lead but made famous by her father. Male lead does not have your best childhood experiences but became really successful as an adult but there are mysterious instances that put his life on danger, the female lead (doctor) was drawn in on the comic and saved his life, unknowingly her actions changed the course of the story and it reflected on the comic in the real world – this was truly a good concept 9/10 because I actually forgot I started this drama last 2018 then rewatched and finished this 2020, I am still confused. o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? THE CHEMISTRY WAS ON THE ROOF ON THIS ONE. I DIDN’T EVEN CARE ABOUT THE OTHER CHARACTERS 10/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? I was actually more focused on the main leads, did not exactly give much attention to other characters 3/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? I only liked “Where are you” but it was sung by that guy who was jailed among other things so I don’t know how I feel now. Still the opening was lit o Would you rewatch? Yes, I will try to fully understand what the mechanics or rules of being a webtoon character and being alive in the real world o Favorite Episode/Scenes: KISS IN THE JAIL was the first thing that came to my mind, also real life scenes to comic scenes and vice versa- kudos to the artists, slap and kiss scene, the flashing scene, 4 romantic concepts scene, the adorable scenes recreating the illustration book, the transition when yeon Joo dropped her ring, the hospital bed scene o Words Association: #4, handcuffs, all the winks, sudden “saranghaeyo”, ring, bus stop, “to be continued” o This drama was amazing for the first 10 episodes then became complicated after, I loved the chemistry between the 2 main leads but unfortunately overpowered the whole story – don’t get me wrong I love love stories, but my reaction was the same as those who read the comics – too much cutesy stuff they forgot the storyline, I wanted them to explore the W show, but they focused on filling the plothole for the murderer which created more conflicts and confusing scenes. The line between the comic and real word created plot devices and more questions. This drama has flaws but cool premise though, I hate amnesia plot on any drama but it was well incorporated on this one. 8/10

· Goblin – 16 amazing Episodes (Finished, rewatched 2020)

o Is the plot interesting? A general in Goryeo dynasty got punished by the Gods to be immortal and his sword still in his chest only the Goblin bride can take it off so he can be at peace and die. Immortal lead with a side of grim reaper as best friend, charming female lead with a confident female boss – a story with reincarnation and ghosts, scenes that will tug your heart – yes, one of Kdrama Masterpiece 10/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? At first no no with the age gap but yes, I say while crying o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? HELL TO THE YES, DEOK HWA, GRAMPS, SECRETARY KIM, HELLO CUTIE TAE HEE, SUNNY AND GRIM REAPER 10/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL OSTS, particularly “Round and Round”, “I Miss You”, “Stay with Me” and even without lyrics I still worship “When the time stops” aka the music that speaks to your soul 10/10 o Would you rewatch? YES ALREADY DID BRUH WILL DO AGAIN o Favorite Episode/Scenes: Every bromance scene, I got hooked by the scene in the first ep where Eun Tak celebrated her birthday with her ghost mother, epic goblin and grim reaper modelling in the highway, everytime sunny flips her hair, grim reaper and his guests in the tea shop o Word Association: Canada, sad love, candles, rain, chicken, tea, car crash *sorry not sorry* o Totally recommended, well-deserved on its popularity. Will make you laugh and cry, at the same time. Acting skillz man. 10/10

· Strong Woman Do Bong Soon – 16 whacky episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? Female lead has super strength which was actually passed down to every woman born in her family, she wants to be a game developer but instead got hired as bodyguard of our male lead who is a ceo of a gaming company 8/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? I remember that I did, I was? I need to rewatch haha o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? I remembered I did not like Ji soo’s character and don’t really remember other characters… o Are the OSTs compelling? Can’t quite remember so I need to - o Would you rewatch? Yeahp, will do o I’ll do a rewatch before rating

I had a watch list back in 2018, but then I became busy with work and life until…

2020 (Details will be more longer since every Kdrama is still fresh on my mind)

· My ID is Gangnam Beauty – 16 pretty episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? Basically, female lead deems herself ugly and undergone a plastic surgery to fully change her face before attending the university – but a popular guy back in highschool (junior high?) was also attending the same uni and recognized her – it’s a mellow sort of drama tackling Korean beauty and it’s extent, still cute story tho 7/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? We must protect Mi-rae at all cost, Cha Eun Woo’s character is a little bit emotionally constipated but Eun Woo is *swoon* 8/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? I am all for Mi-rae’s family and childhood friend, Kyung Seok’s sister, Yoo eun was very notable as well, I love how her character is completely fair and understanding 7/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? “D-day” and “True” is a bop to listen to, everytime I hear “Something” all I remember is Cha Eun Woo’s slow mo glance, other OST is a bop but not enough for me to put on my playlist 6/10 o Would you rewatch? Probably but not right now o Favorite Episode/Scenes: New face dance, bathroom scene with Kyung Seok beating the shit out of their senior, whenever Kyung Seok is annoyed with Soo-A but total heart eyes mode with Mi Rae, Cinema pseudo date – eating popcorn using straws, when he changed the color of his hair, Kyung Seok’s ID when he was a waiter, their high school date, and that last sweet scene in the final episode o Word Association: gangnam, perfume, plastic, umbrella, soju o I wasn’t planning on watching kdramas again after a long time but this quarantine just makes you do things and no regrets at all, MIIGB probably isn’t the best of the best but it definitely made me want to watch more kdramas and lo and behold more kdramas watched in a span of 2 months than in a year back in 2018. I love how it tackles on true beauty and female oppression and how idiotic alpha male trope is 7/10

· While You Were Sleeping – 16 not enough episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? A prosecutor, a reporter and a cop can see the future when they sleep, which helps them in solving cases and do their best to change it. Every case is fascinating makes you say “ohhhhh” when they present their defense and I am like *chef kiss* I love the premise and the supernatural part of the story. 10/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? YES. JAE CHAN AND HONG JOO ARE ADORKABLE AND HAS INSANE VISUALS 10/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? HAVE YOU MET JUNG HAE IN, THE PROSECUTOR TEAM WAS THE BEST. YES. EVEN THE SIDE CHARACTERS ON CASES AND THE VILLAINS 10/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? I usually don’t hear the OSTs while focusing on a scene but boy oh boy, OSTs stole everything, I am obsessed with the whole album. The melody and tune is very captivating everytime you hear it you just want to embed it on your brain. If you are still having second thoughts watching this drama, listen to it’s OSTs the feels they give is the same feels when you watch 1000/10 o Would you rewatch? I’ve watched it again after finishing it so yes, 100% yes, need more episodes still having withdrawal syndrome, still watching fanmade videos on youtube o Favorite Episode/Scenes: Every episode lol, the opening sequence, the outro scenes in episode 2 and 3 (with that background music), everytime “It’s you”, “You belong to my world”, “When night falls” and “I love you boy” is the bg music, every Jae Chan and Hong Joo parallel (Episode 2 and 16 particularly), OT3 scenes, the shadow picture, KISS IN THE RAIN, IN THE SAKURA TREE AND THE ALMOST KISS IN THE CAR if I list down all of my fave, I will be writing the whole summary of each episode. Hmmm. o Words Association: Snow hug, sakura kiss, batman and robin, scarf, JUST ICE, choir, seatbelt, samgyupsal, femme fatale, lip balm o I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. ULTIMATE FAVE. I AM BIASED SHUTTUP. JUST WATCH. NONE CAN COMPARE. NUFF SAID. 100000/10 SOMEONE FANGIRL WITH ME

· Pinocchio – 20 important episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? This whole drama is about mass media and its major influence on anyone’s life and it is so powerful. We have a male lead whose family has experienced the impact of misguided news and it is painful to watch because this really happens irl at worse, this is due to a reporter which is our female lead’s mother. Now our female lead has Pinocchio Syndrome hence the drama title, she can’t help but hiccup when she lies, it’s very interesting to know why both leads wanted to be a reporter given their situation 10/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? YES, I JUST WANNA HUG THEM. Imagine having a condition that forces you to tell the truth, you can’t keep your feelings, privacy or secrets at all and to add an indifferent mother who did not care for your dreams but more on publicity. Imagine having a dream and working hard to reach it but after college you fail every job interview and it’s so realistic I just ashfdsjfha (Except the Pinocchio syndrome part but come on) Imagine experiencing a childhood where you don’t know what happened to your firefighter father, is the news about him running away true because it was his fault all those other firefighters are dead? Imagine your brother doing his best to hold your family together because your mother is on the verge of nervous breakdown to the point of pushing her to choose death, pulling you to a hug and just jump? Imagine this male lead fighting every chance to not love this girl who is the daughter of the reason why his family is gone now and could not leave her because she is also the reason why he decided to fight for the injustice done to his family and to others victims of fake news and they are so supportive of each other. It freaking hurts and I’m sorry I just have a lot of emotions for these two 1000000/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? YEEEEES, GRANDPA AND FATHER, I LOVE THEIR FAMILY DYNAMICS SO MUCH WHEN GRANDPA CRIED I CRIED! EVEN JA MYUNG HYUNG who has not enough episode in THEY DESERVE TO BE TOGETHER NOT JUST FOR ONE EPISODE. EVEN BEOM JU, YOO RAE, NITPICKER JANG, CAPTAIN, BOTH CAPTAINS ACTUALLY, CHAN SOO AND HIS FAMILY EVEN I LOVE TO HATE THE VILLAINS 100/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? I was too focused on the intensity of the story but I do love the bg music –“First Love”, “The Only Person”, “Pinocchio” are few notable OSTs 8/10 o Would you rewatch? YES FREAKING YES, I REWATCHED AFTER WATCHING IT o Favorite Episode/Scenes: Episode 16 as a whole, because main lead conflict with each other was resolved and that dinner scene is one I always rewatch, of course episode 1 introduction for Dal Po is freaking hilarious, Episode 2’s “Because I like you” damn feels, snow kiss, all the grandpa scenes and brother scenes, that scene when In ha remembered being drunk, that scene where Dal Po meets his brother again and I just ahjasgdjhsdgf, the intense debate and paralleling it in the seminar, the Christmas episode pyung pyung pyung my heart huhu o Word Association: Six Degrees Separation, rumor, button, MSC/YGN News, traffic cones, hiccups, piggy banks, text messages, family o EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH THIS. I LOVE EVERY PART. IT WAS ON MY WATCHLIST LAST 2018 WHY DID I NOT WATCHED IT THEN. THE ACTING THOUGH YOU JUST FEEL THEIR INTENSE EMOTIONS THROUGH THE SCREEN. FEELS EVERYWHERE. 100000/10

· Romance Is A Bonus Book – 16 heartwarming episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? It’s about romance and books! Lee Jong Suk is on it what more can you ask for? Kidding aside it tells a story of a 30 something mother who to go back to work after 12 years which left a huge gap on her resume, she also got recently divorced and experiencing the repercussion of that, all of the job she applied for has focused on her work gap instead of her skills (which by the way as an HR a very hard truth). She applied as a support role on a publishing company and got hired but by omitting a lot of things on her resume. Oh and her childhood friend, our male lead is actually a co-owner and editor of the company. And he is also in love with her since high school. 9/10 but the fluffiness of the whole series is worth 10/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? YES, Dan-I is totally relatable and Eun Ho is lovable. I love their relationship so much they are each other’s home. 10/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? With Hae-rin (COME OOON UNREQUITED LOVE AGAIN WITH LJS CHARACTER?), Seo Joon, President Kim, Manager Seo, and our very own Gangnam Leopard YES. Others not so much. 8/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? The OSTs are feel good, the kind of playlist you want to hear when you read or travelling, point to “Rainbow”, “Walking on Sunshine”, “Happy End”also the heart churning feels when “You’re Beautiful” and “ A Story I couldn’t see” begins playing in the bg 10/10 o Would you rewatch? YES over and over and over again o Favorite Episode/Scenes: The first episode with the wedding visuals, so aesthetic with the running in the highway, the power dance was so out of place but it was adorable, the scene where Dan-I reminisce her married life and it just breaks your heart, the essay part of her application is just motivating and sad, WHEN EUN HO WAS DRUNK AND WENT TO DAN-I’s PLACE BECAUSE HE ALWAYS GO THERE WHEN HE MISSES HER AND I JUST AHGSHJAGDKJGHJ, “If that’s love, I love her then”, GANGNAM LEOPARD CLUB SCENE, the subtle Snow confession (what’s with LJS and Snow???) the long brown overcoats comes out I’m there, when Eun Ho rejected Hae Rin so nicely I cry, movie date, the day Dan-I and Eun Ho spent together at their house, all the book pages at the end of each episode o Words Association: THE MOON IS BEAUTIFUL, noona, power pose, love letters, books, seasons change, cucumber allergy, April 23 o This drama is literally a warm blanket on a rainy day. Recommended if you want a pure love story with almost no conflict and mellow storyline – just the thought of finding love and home in the same person is truly heartwarming. For aspiring writers and book lovers! Love the quotable quotes in it and the warm feels it gives 10/10

· Extraordinary You – 16 extraordinary episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? We follow the story of the extras in a comic book. Get it? EXTRAordinary you, haha okaaaay, anyway, its fictional characters becoming aware that they are fictional characters and trying to change their fates, having a life of their own outside the “stage” and all around creating chaos – breaking the 4th wall if you will. We have your cliché high school filled with rich kids and an elite group called A3 (which was funny bc it was almost mocking F4), then we have the female lead who thought she was the main character of the story but was only the love bridge extra for the main characters. And our beautiful male lead who does not even have a name. Very attention-grabbing 10/10 also just found out the drama was based on a webtoon, so it’s a webtoon inside a webtoon nice. o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? Dan-Oh is a fun character to watch, her range of emotions and the way she acts in and out of the stage deserves a standing ovation, I don’t mind Ro Woon’s visual too haha 9/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? Yes to Lee Do Hwa (Because violin playing cutiepie), Joo Da (girl became aware and finally got claws at the end) and Dried Squid Fairy and Su Hyang (because their history is interesting) , not really into Bae Kyung or Nam Joo (who was 2dimensional character until the end) 8/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? I loved all the instrumental background music especially “Highschool Runway”, Also “My Beauty” which was very kdrama-esque ending song 7/10 o Would you rewatch? BIG YES o Favorite Episode/Scenes: Every Dan-Oh and Do Hwa’s internal monologue and their bromance, every time Dan Oh breaks character but the page flips, every time she curse and criticize the writer, checking the male population’s back, when Dan-oh opened the umbrella and we got to see Haru’s face *dokidoki*, every reaction when they transition from stage to shadow, I mean kudos to Kim Hye Yoon’s acting from crying to laughing then from head over heels over Bae Kyung then cringing at herself , “It’s Bae Kyung Time”, the scene where Haru and Dan-oh was holding hands and here comes third wheel Do Hwa the way they reacted with Dan Oh’s “Annyeong Lee Do Hwa” made me rofl o Word Association: AYUUU JINJJA, HARUYAAAAA, stage, shadow, page flips, October 10, secret, flower o I love the concept and how it felt like writing fanfiction, you put your favorite characters in alternative universes or different setting and watch them fall in love all over again – in this case destiny also plays a huge part since the writer continuously separate them but they still fall in love with each other outside the stage. It’s fun to see the other side or the fillers whenever characters are not on acting on stage, they have more character depth and development. I definitely love the Sageuk and College AU part. 9/10

· Graceful Family – 16 wild episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? It’s a drama full of Makjang so we are riding on a rollercoaster ride, I am here for all of it gimme gimme that outrageous plot with a dash of crazy family on the side and a group of people who cleans up their messes 9/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? SEOK HEE IS THE BEST FEMALE LEAD YET FREAKING BADASS BITCH QUEEN. Yoon Do is okay but really overpowered by Seok Hee’s strong personality 10/10 for Seok Hee o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? I am very interested in Ms. Han and the Top Team’s deal unfortunately it was not addressed further in the series, wouldn/t mind a mini sequel with them as the main characters, Choi Na Ri and Seo Jin is loooove, and I love Wan Soo with all my heart even after everything that happened 9/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? “Liar” is on my playlist solely for me to feel as badass as Seok Hee and “Black Diamond” because it plays with your emotions 8/10 o Would you rewatch? Solely for all the WTF moments o Favorite Episode/Scenes: ALL THE DINING TABLE SCENES, opening scene in the first episode got me hooked, all Seok Hee scenes made me stay, Wan Soo’s hilarious scenes, that whole hanbok shop scene, whole jail fiasco, when Seok Hee fights head to head with TOP management, PICASSO’S FUNERAL SCENE, Episode 9 when Choi Na Ri moved in, episode 15’s biggest plot twist, Episode 16 and it’s whole 1 hour and 45 minutes of drama o Word Association: Home sweet home, Cannes, Picasso, power vacuum, kingmaker, Auntie o It has a lot of flaws, plotholes and characters you wished was fleshed out but man what an exhilarating ride it was. I love all the dirty secrets in the closets and plot twists (won’t spoil just watch it!) but Seok Hee is definitely the show stealer for me. Soo Hyang’s character here is starkly different with her character in My ID is Gangnam Beauty and it’s really amazing. 9/10

· Hi, Bye Mama – 16 heartbreaking episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? This is all about mother’s love and the life she left behind. Our female lead died in an accident and has been a ghost for five years watching over her family especially her daughter, she watched how her family moved on – her husband remarried and her daughter grew up with a different mother. The Gods has given her a chance to live again if she gets back her place within 49 days – this means she get the chance to become human again and finally meet her daughter. 9/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? I AM EMOTIONALLY INVESTED IN ALL OF THEM. 10/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? SEO WOO YAAAAAA, Min Jung, her whole family and best friends even the other ghosts and their painful stories YES. 10/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? I was busy crying and could not really hear the bg music because all I hear is my heart breaking a million times. But “Happy” made me happy and sad at the same time and the haunting “Same Town, New Story” instrumental is love o Would you rewatch? I am not sure if I’m ready to cry again o Favorite Episode/Scenes: whole episode 8 is where I broke down crying – I know this whole series is about mother’s and their unconditional love but episode 8 showed fathers and their incomparable love to their daughters and I just asjhdajksd the epilogue in this episode just made me cry nonstop – I am actually crying just remembering that scene, every epilogue will make you ugly cry, every time Seo Woo smiles, Episode 11 and that epic showdown in Kid’s café, when Yu Ri became human again and how happy she was she can hold Seo Woo, every scene with her and Seo Woo bonding, Gang Hwa and the egg, the list of things she wants to do, when Seo Woo finally called her MAMA o Words Association: mother, stepmom, ghosts, “I am happy”, shaman, egg, 49 days o I am emotionally exhausted watching this show, I cried on every episode, this definitely hurt me in every way possible. Highly recommended if you want a good long nonstop cry 10/10

Dramas I did not completely watched sans a few episodes, finished by skipping scenes or reading drama reviews. Warning: total unpopular opinions

2009

· Boys Over Flowers – we all know Hana Yori Dango is superior, I just got bored of recycled scenes and I really don’t like LMH here, sorry

2018

· Scarlet Heart Ryeo - Plot is very interesting but Sageuk dramas are not my cup of tea, reminds me of Fushigi Yuugi which I hated when I was a kid dunno why haha, will look for my motivation to watch the whole drama · Oh My Ghostess – got spoiled, skipped and just read episode summary

2020

· Hello Monster – did not even finish 1st episode, skipped through episode 2 -3, too many plot holes, just read last episode spoilers · Hotel De Luna – finished 7 episodes got distracted by work and life. Plotline is interesting and characters look promising, will rewatch but I already know the spoilers and ending · School 2013 – just read the dramabeans episode reviews, may watch but reminds me of Gokusen concept (which I do love but very repetitive) so may not · Suspicious Partner – I liked the plot but unfortunately did not care too much on the main mystery of the whole show which was who the actual murderer is, did not like the shared childhood trauma, but acting still was good, its just the storyline · Doctor Stranger – I seriously would have loved to finish this because LJS’s acting skills on point (how can he be that seriously angry in North Korea then be clumsy adorkable in South? Howww) but alas, the female lead storyline is cringy I stopped at episode 6, read reviews and it would have been 20 wasted episodes for me · What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim – full of stereotypical tropes I could not finish, too romcom for me and could not invest too much about their history

Watchlist (2020)

· Hospital Playlist · Crash Landing On You · Kill Me, Heal Me · I Am Not A Robot · Sky Castle · Love Alarm

Hit me up with your recommendations, better yet your favorite kdrama and reasons why it’s your fave!

#kdrama #kdrama list #You're Beautiful #Heartstrings #Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo #W: Two Worlds #goblin #strong woman do bong soon #the heirs #my id is gangnam beauty #while you were sleeping #pinocchio #romance is a bonus book #extraordinary you #graceful family #Hi bye mama #eventyrstuff

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camillemontespan · 5 years

Text

a kingdom divided [part seven] [drake walker x mc]

Part Six here

Chapter List here

So, I really enjoyed writing the first half of this. Then I lost my way but then I hope I brought it back? I tried my best to edit and make it more exciting, but you could say this is a slow burner chapter because it does lead to things that will be happening in the next few chapters. I also realised Cake wasn’t as prominent in this one! I just got too into exploring other characters, but next chapter, Cake will be the main couple again :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

@jovialyouthmusic @pug-bitch @drakesensworld @moonlightgem7 @sirbeepsalot @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @iplaydrake @drakewalkerisreal @ifyouseekheart @notoriouscs @katedrakeohd

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Leo was the man the court called 'the one who helps girls forget.' Tall, green eyed and golden skinned, Leo was the one the ladies in court all wanted. He knew the right things to say to make a woman weak at the knees. He had a way of talking to them, leaning in close, his eyes fixed on theirs, penetrating, warm, that made them feel like the only person in the world. Like they were worth something.

Leo was the man who helped girls forget. He helped maids forget about their lowly station as he pretended they were royalty, like him, for one night. He helped foreign princesses settle into court, forgetting they weren't from Cordonia, by inviting them to his room for private get to know you sessions. He helped Kiara forget her prudishness and embrace her sexuality by showing her what a man could do and what she could do in response. He helped Penelope forget her homesickness by making her feel like she was at home already, as his body covered hers.

Leo conquered hearts and left their shards in his wake as he abandoned them. He abandoned everything and everyone, just like he had abandoned the throne. For a man who was always so kind and friendly to everyone, he had a talent for hurting the ones who ended up caring for him the most. So, when Olivia saw Liam greeting his older brother as if he was a miracle, she could be forgiven for not revelling in his return. The fact he got away with breaking her friends hearts, as everyone justified it as him 'just being Leo' was one reason why she first didn't like him. But more importantly, the way he had left Liam to pick up the pieces after he left was enough for her to see his true colours and feel her dislike escalate into hatred.

******************************************

Liam knew his brother was right to abdicate. Under his rule, Cordonia would have suffered. But, when Liam finished welcoming his brother, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of hope that maybe, he could be back to take Liam's place. As soon as he thought this, Liam felt immense guilt. Cordonia did not deserve to be ruled over by Leo.

'I figured if I visited, the people would realise how awful things could actually be, so they would cut you some slack,' Leo joked, his eyes warm. His eyes moved to Drake and Camille, who were making their way towards him and Liam. 'Walker! God, you look happy. Sickeningly happy! What happened to your permanent scowl?' Leo asked, grinning.

Drake rolled his eyes and brought Leo into a hug. 'Good to see you too, man.'

Leo clapped him on the back and turned to Camille. He pulled her in gently and kissed her on both cheeks. They had only met twice before but Leo had the gift of making everyone feel like he was their best friend, when they barely knew him. 'Camille, you look glowing! Congratulations are in order for the two of you, I believe. Boy or girl? Or is it a surprise?'

Camille grinned up at him. 'It's a girl!

Leo winked at Drake. 'Good luck, Walker. You're overruled in the house already.'

Drake laughed and wrapped his arm around Camille. 'I'm happy to be.'

Leo grinned. 'Aww you guys! So happy. Right, let's get some champagne to celebrate - not for you Camille. Where's the others? I need to speak to Maxwell, apparently he's planning the next Beaumont Bash and he's got some ideas I need to offer opinions on. Something about hiring a menagerie.. '

Liam cleared his throat. 'Maxwell might have to wait. Can we talk about.. This?' He gestured towards the broken Palace windows. 'We need to discuss the current situation. I know you're not the king but you're still royal.'

Leo nodded. 'Sure. Let's do that first. I forgot you have responsibilities.'

*************************************************

The two brothers sat round Liam’s table in the study. They both had a glass of scotch, toasting to Leo’s return. ‘Where have you been then?’ Liam asked. Leo chuckled. ‘Adventuring. Hiking, kayaking... I spent a month in Cuba drinking rum. Visited Pompeii and saw the ruins. I’ve done a lot this year.’

Liam smiled. ‘You look a lot happier.’

‘I am. I’m free.’

Liam felt a pang in his chest. Leo was only free because of Liam’s duty to the throne. Stop it. He pushed the thought down. Leo sighed. ‘So. What’s been going on with you?’

Liam winced. ‘The public weren’t happy that I had created a Royal Committee which involved all my friends. They saw me as putting the nobility first and they wanted to represent themselves. It took me a while, but I’ve agreed.’

Leo nodded, his brow furrowed as he thought. ‘Okay, so you’ve put the people first, like the nice king you are. What about the court?’

Liam took a sip of scotch. ‘I know some of them won’t be happy with me.’

Leo laughed harshly. ‘I imagine that’s an understatement. The court are like animals sometimes; they feed on the weak. They will see any attempt at appeasing the public as a weakness. They’re one reason why I hated it here.’ Liam smirked.

‘Jesus, you sound like Drake.’

‘Drake has good sense.’

Liam sighed. ‘How would you deal with it then?’

‘I don’t think I’m the best person to ask..’ Leo muttered, taking a deep gulp of his drink. He turned to look at Liam, his eyes fierce. ‘Just be careful, Liam. Please. You have no idea what the court are capable of.’

*******************************************************

Drake and Camille were chauffeured back to Valtoria later that morning. They both felt apprehensive as they had no idea what would greet them when they arrived home. Camille rested her head on Drake’s shoulder and dozed. Drake smiled as he listened to her lightly snoring.

The car pulled up to the manor and Drake helped Camille out of the car. They gasped when they saw a small crowd standing in front of the gates. ‘Oh god,’ Camille whispered. She automatically reached for Drake’s hand, suddenly fearful. ‘It’s okay, honey,’ he murmured. Gently, he guided her to the gates where the crowd were standing.

‘Good morning!’ Drake greeted them. There was about twenty of them; men, women and children. Camille raised a hand elegantly. An old woman came forward carrying a bouquet of flowers. She gently held them out to Camille, who took them, astonished. ‘Please don’t think all of Valtoria feel the same as the imbecile who smashed your window,’ the woman told her. ‘We were horrified to find out that it was the baby’s nursery. We’re so sorry.’

Tears pricked Camille’s eyes. ‘I don’t know what to say,’ she whispered. ‘Thank you. This is too kind.’

The woman continued. ‘We have brought you a present, we hope it’s not an imposition, we just wanted to show how thankful we are that you held the first open house in 200 years. You gave us the chance to discuss our issues. Everyone!’ She turned to the crowd. They all parted and Camille clapped her hand over her mouth. Drake gripped her arm, keeping her steady.

They had built a beautiful crib for the baby. It was wooden, painted white and blue with yellow ducks painted along the side. ‘Johan here did most of the work,’ the lady said, pointing at a man with a white moustache. He gave a little wave, blushing at the attention. ‘But we all helped. It’s our present to you both and the baby.’

Camille, unable to stop herself, brought the woman into a hug. She held on tightly, tears spilling down her cheeks. Maybe there was some happiness here in Valtoria after all.

‘It’s beautiful,’ Drake breathed, wandering over to the crib to examine the detail. Camille pulled away gently from the woman and rubbed away her tears. ‘Sorry, I’m just overwhelmed,’ she said. The woman laughed. ‘After the time you’ve had, I’m not surprised.’

Camille smiled. ‘Forgive me but what’s your name?’

‘Gisele.’

Camille turned pale. ‘That was my grandmother’s name,’ she whispered. The lady, Gisele, squeezed her hand. ‘Maybe I can be your adoptive one?’ she joked, but Camille wished that she meant it. She always missed her family., especially now they were all gone.

******************************************************

Maxwell was wandering towards the kitchen in the palace, thinking he could get some pancakes for a late breakfast. He always had pancakes when he worried about something. Right now, after the mob at the palace, he needed a huge stack of pancakes. As he rounded the corner, he came across Hana, walking towards him. His heart raced. How was he going to approach this? They kissed last night, for no reason, and he had enjoyed it. She had enjoyed it. But they were friends. It made no sense.

She blushed when she saw him. Oh god, she was embarrassed, Maxwell thought, alarm bells sounding in his mind.

They stopped when they reached other. ‘Hey!’ Maxwell greeted her, his voice too high pitched for his own liking. Hana smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. ‘Where are you going?’ she asked him sweetly.

‘The kitchen.’

‘Breakfast?’

‘Yup. Pancakes.’

‘Yum. Can I join you?’

Maxwell began to falter but was shut up when she turned to walk towards the kitchen. He ran after her, but she was quick and was soon out of his sight.

He jumped out of his skin when he entered the kitchen and she grabbed him. Pushing him up against the door, she locked it and roamed her hands across his chest.

‘Hana! What are you doing?!’

She stopped, puzzled. ‘Continuing where we left off?’

Maxwell stared at her. ‘Wait.. you don’t regret it?’

‘Well, I did say we could continue another time when Bertrand wasn’t in the room..’ she said, a pink tinge colouring her face. Now she was embarrassed.

Maxwell looked down at the floor, guilty that he had made her feel stupid. Why had he said that? Especially when he actually wanted to continue the kissing with her. Hana looked down, wringing her hands. ‘It’s okay, I just thought we could be spontaneous. But if you regret it, it’s okay, let’s just make pancakes.’

Maxwell placed his finger under her chin and drew her face up to his. ‘Hana.’

She looked up at him.

Their mouths crashed together. Maxwell’s jeans instantly tightened. He was amazed at the effect she had on him. Why had he never noticed how beautiful she was before?

Hana pulled him along with her, backing up against the kitchen counter. He reached his hands out to under her thighs and picked her up, placing her on top of the steel worktop. His hands ran through her hair as he held her close, kissing her fervently. She was wearing a dress so it was easy access for his fingers to reach between her thighs, pull aside her thong and dip in to tease her. Hana closed her eyes, biting her lip as she focused on his touch. She couldn’t believe Maxwell was doing this to her. Maxwell.

She concentrated on his fingers, working their magic. He was surprisingly good at this. She could feel the dampness between her thighs as he worked his fingers harder. ‘Oh god, Maxwell,’ she breathed, her head thrown back as she enjoyed him touching her.

He suddenly stopped. ‘I love this but do you still want the pancakes?’ he asked. Hana stared at him, her eyes dark. He realised how that had sounded as soon as it left his mouth. Like he was bored with her already when that couldn’t be further from the truth. He waited with bated breath until she spoke.

‘Fuck the pancakes.’

Hana pulled him back into her, wrapping her legs around his waist. Maxwell lost himself in her, revelling in this new Hana he was just only now getting to know.

***********************************************

Olivia propped herself up at the palace bar. She was nursing a glass of scotch, trying to forget about last night. She couldn’t. Olivia had slept in the same bed as Liam and the whole night, she hadn’t slept at all. She had been so aware that his body was right beside her, his body heat warming her side. Olivia had wanted him. She always wanted him. She wanted to feel his hands on her body, holding her close, his lips against her skin, his breath hot against her neck. But as usual Liam hadn’t touched her or made any move. Olivia was beginning to think this unrequited love was getting too troublesome.

‘Hey there, trouble.’

She turned to see Leo standing beside her, leaning against the bar. She rolled her eyes. ‘Great. The last person I want to see.’

Leo chuckled and signalled to the barman that he wanted a scotch, the same as Olivia. ‘Always lovely to see you, Nevrakis,’ he said, smiling. He always smiled. It grated on her.

‘Wish I could say the same.’

The barman handed him a glass of scotch and Leo took it gratefully. He took a long sip. ‘You’re looking good, Liv.’

‘I know.’

‘So why are you sat at the bar all alone?’

Olivia glared at him. ‘None of your business.’

‘Guy trouble? Oh wait, that would require the great Olivia Nevrakis to have feelings.’

Her eyes snapped to him, filled with fire. ‘You’re one to talk. You break hearts wherever you go. You’re the one who doesn’t have feelings.’

‘You and I are cut from the same cloth. That’s why you hate me,’ he told her, staring straight ahead at the bar. She stared at him. ‘Excuse me?’

Leo shrugged. ‘I have no feelings, you have no feelings. We’re the same. That’s why you hate me because you resent that in yourself.’

Olivia laughed bitterly. ‘I hate you because you left Liam to pick up the pieces. He’s done nothing but support you all of his life and you repaid him by abandoning him. You’re a little shit.’

His eyes widened at the venom in her voice. She continued her growing tirade. ‘You break hearts and everyone dismisses it as nothing. You act like you’re an easygoing guy who’s only here for a good time, like you wouldn’t hurt a fly, but the truth is, you break everything you touch. You are the worst kind of person. I may act like a bitch but that’s because I am a bitch. You are an asshole but you won’t own up to it. I hate that. Also, I do have feelings. I’ve got a shit ton of feelings that I try to swallow down like a pill every day. You’re right though; you don’t have feelings. You don’t know love. You don’t even know the meaning of loyalty since you fucked off and left your brother.’

Leo took a long sip of his drink, assessing her words. He turned to her, his green eyes penetrating hers. Her breath caught at the intensity. of his gaze. ‘I know you love my brother but there’s no need to take it out on me.’ His voice was cool. ‘Get over it, Liv. He’ll never love you. Forget this fantasy you have about being his Queen. Forget about him.’

Leo was the one who helped girls forget.

Olivia’s eyes roamed over his face. His tanned skin, green eyes that already had laughter lines, his dark blonde hair. The way his smile crooked up in the corner as if he was keeping a secret.

‘Thinking about me naked, Liv?’ he asked, smirking.

Olivia cast her eyes down, back to her glass. ‘You wish,’ she replied, taking another sip of her scotch.

‘Y’know, I do have a full bottle of scotch in my room. Would be a shame to not have anyone to share it with...’ he said casually.

Olivia clenched the glass in her hand. ‘Then you’ll be drinking alone,’ she bit back.

‘Just saying, the invitation is there.’

She stood up abruptly, the glass still in her hand. ‘Fuck your invitation.’

Leo chuckled. ‘I love the Nevrakis bite.’

She snapped. She was done with his constant smiling, laughing and lack of remorse for the mess he put Liam in. Unable to stop herself, Olivia threw the last of her scotch in his face. She couldn’t deny feeling satisfied when his eyes widened and he jumped back. Olivia smirked. ‘Goodnight, Leo.’

She turned to strut away from him, her hips swinging a figure of eight. He stared after her, wiping the scotch out of his eyes. He shook his head and chuckled. The invitation was still there.

************************************************

Liam had an idea to organise a dinner for the following week to celebrate his brother returning to court. Despite what Olivia always said to Liam about his brother, he couldn’t help but feel happy that Leo was back home. He knew he had Drake and that Drake would always have his back, but Drake had responsibilities now. He had Camille and a new baby arriving. At least with Leo at court, he had someone else to help. An ally. He needed all the allies he could muster right now.

He decided to phone Drake about the dinner anyway, just to see what he thought. He missed his best friend.

Drake got off the phone with Liam and looked over to where Camille was sat out on their balcony, looking out over the lake. She was cupping her baby bump absentmindedly.

‘Hey you,’ he said, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. Camille smiled and took his hand. ‘Hey handsome.’

He sat down beside her, leaning forward. ‘So. Liam wants to host a dinner to welcome back Leo.’

Camille’s eyes widened. ‘At court?!’

Drake sighed. He knew this would be her reaction and he didn’t blame her in the slightest. Not after last night with the angry mob. ‘Yes.’

‘I can’t go back to the palace, Drake,’ she whispered. ‘I can’t. It’s too scary.’

Drake reached out to stroke the side of her face.

‘I know, honey. That’s why I told him we weren’t going.’

Her mouth dropped open. ‘But.. Liam. He’s your best friend. He’s the king. You’ve just made up again.’

Drake smiled. ‘He understands. It’s just a casual dinner for Leo. It’s nothing huge. I told him we are still his allies and he can count on us. But we can be his allies from Valtoria. Right now, I want to focus on making this a home for our daughter. That may involve going into Valtoria to see our citizens so we can keep the peace, but honestly, after today when they gifted us with a crib, I honestly think we’re okay. And wouldn’t you like to choose which room the new nursery should be in? And start painting again?’

Camille’s eyes welled up with tears. ‘I’d love that,’ she murmured, giving him a wobbly smile. Drake grinned. ‘Then it’s settled. We’ll start decorating tomorrow. Be a normal family. Hey, I can cook us pancakes for breakfast. You can sleep in. How does that sound?’

Camille leaned in to give him a kiss. ‘That sounds perfect.’

He brought her into him to give her a long hug. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that they would have to go back to the palace at some point. They had dodged Leo’s welcome home dinner but they couldn’t stay in Valtoria forever. But that was a problem for another day. Right now, he just wanted to hold her, make sure she had a good night’s sleep and then make her pancakes for breakfast. That was all he wanted.

#drake walker x mc #trr fanfic #choices the stories you play #the royal romance

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andy-loves-corgis · 5 years

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Hey hun! Alright so... several things I wanna know... I bet you know what I’m gonna start with :) how did you get the idea of Maxelaide? And IF you can answer (we’ve had plenty of conversations around this but innever asked you directly) do you foresee something happy-adjacent for them? are you excited/satisfied about the end of OUAD coming to a close, or does the story leave you with a million things to think about? And finally... what do you eat in the morning?? :) (I eat yogurt)

Heeeey! I knew you were going to ask about that (secretly is why I put in on the post).

While playing I always liked to think of Maxwell as a gay friend, but once we were introduced to Adelaide (and I agree that she was gross with mo boundaries) I knew she was into him, really into him. I like to explore several aspects of the characters, Hana was inspired by a friend of mine who couldn’t come to terms with her own sexuality (it was also her idea that Hana took some time to figure things out instead of having a happy ending right away), but Max, I wanted more for him, and we live in a world in which you can’t age, see Kris Jenner, it doesn’t matter how many procedures she goes through, everyone is talking about the age gap between her and her bf of the time... so I thought about that and wanted to explore it, some people didn’t like it for the exact reason I wrote it, and I think they deserve to love each other and teach people what love really is about.

OUAD will be the very first long fic I finish, so I’m really excited and scared, for me it was the best thing I wrote and I grew so much as a writer... but overall I’m really happy with it, no regrets, some bumps along the way but I think the story told itself, that’s what matters!

I eat a Brazilian dish called Tapioca, is a type of gluten-free starch that you cook kinda like a taco with a bunch of different fillings, I usually eat it with cheese and turkey or tuna, pic below:

Thank you so much for asking, love you ♥️

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lostinthe-pines-blog · 6 years

Text

Olivia. Ch. 5 - Secrets Revealed

A multi-chapter story that follows Liam and MC as they spend their first year ruling as King and Queen of Cordonia. As they rule together they realize their strongest ally is the one person from the one place their people have rejected. Questioning why Liam and MC still support Olivia and Lythikos they work together to restore her reputation.

Story-lines from The Royal Romance books have been altered slightly.

NOTE: This is a fictional story based on Pixelberry’s Choices App. *The Royal Romance books. I am not affiliated with Pixelberry nor do I own the rights to their original characters.

TAGS: @katurrade @emerald-bijou @speedyoperarascalparty @captain-kingliamsqueen@purplegreyshrimp @museofbooks @blznbaby

Red, maroon, and black all of these colors emulated perfectly the personality that was Olivia Nevrakis. The black of the evening shadows hid her perfectly as she wandered through the long and historic hallways. The moonlight from the large windows lit up her maroon braids perfectly. As she approached the King’s office she hesitated for a moment. She thought back to the years where the King’s office had been a forbidden place.

“Ready or not here I come!” A young and rarely joyous Olivia yelled running through the hallways of the home like palace. Her and Liam often found themselves playing hide and seek on the grounds outside. Though the gloomy weather on this day had forced the young children to remain within the palace walls.

Olivia scurried around checking every room, but she couldn’t find Liam anywhere. She was almost ready to admit defeat when the tall golden doors appeared before her. ‘Liam wouldn’t hide in here?’ she said to herself knowing that the King’s office was forbidden, especially for a young child. Looking at her surroundings she opened the door softly hoping that if someone were inside she wouldn’t startle them. Sticking just her head in the door she didn’t seem to notice anyone. But when she heard footsteps coming down the hall behind her she panicked sliding completely into the restricted walls of the office. Facing the doors she was immediately frightened by the hand placed on her shoulder.

“I’m so sorry! I know I shouldn't be here!” she screams defending her presence as she turns to meet a laughing Liam.

“Ha! I win!” the 8 year old lifts his nose.

“Not fair Liam, we shouldn’t even be in here!!” she protests

Their argument is met by voices outside the door, the young children scramble quickly to hide again though this time there wouldn’t be someone searching for them. The footsteps enter the room and Liam and Olivia cover their mouths attempting to hide their laughter and nerves. Their eyes meet, squinting through their laughter. In this moment Olivia truly trusts Liam, her best friend.

“Found you!” the caring voice calls looking under the desk discovering the playful youth snickering beneath. Much to their surprise, they wouldn’t be in trouble at all for it wasn’t the King that found them; it was his Queen.

“Mother!” Liam jumps, “We were playing hide and seek!” he says embracing his mother. Her long blonde curls wrapped evenly into a bun around the base of her neck. Her slender figure holding him tight against her. Elizabeth had a soft spot for her two rambunctious sons, though she secretly favored her youngest.

“Hide and seek?” she asks looking to Olivia “And did I win?” she whispers.

Olivia nodded accepting defeat easily if it was at the hands of the Queen. Elizabeth reached an arm out to include the red head into her hug. One day the stoic child would be her daughter in law, and while she didn’t agree in setting up Liam’s life for him she knew Olivia would be a good fit.

Years later Olivia now stood at the handle of the golden doorway, she could hear him humming to himself inside. Something she knew he’d do when he was truly focused. Their history together could fill countless books and yet she feared him now. Feared approaching him, trusting him. Taking a deep breath she pushes in the doors sliding inside quickly as she had so many years before.

“Olivia!” he says looking up catching her stare, his eyes quickly wander to the old grandfather clock in the corner. “It’s 3 am what are you doing here?” he asks softly knowing her question in return will be similar to his own.

“Couldn’t sleep…took a walk as saw the light from the doors.” she trails. “And what of you?”

“Same, I thought maybe if I came down here I could get a little work done.” he responds gesturing to the desk full of papers.

“Anything I can help with?” she questions

Shocked Liam smiles and points towards the chair crossed from him, “Of course Liv.” using her nickname that he’d not spoken since the childhood.

----

Rustling through her covers looking for the one thing that wasn’t there MC found herself alone. This was a common occurrence she knew her husband was plagued with insomnia and worry. Deciding not to check on him tonight as she had so many times before she took over the entire bed taking in the comfort of the large space that was all her own. As she laid there staring at the canopy of her bed she thought through everything she’d been learning over the past few days, and hours. But her mind landed on one thought that particularly bothered her.

“Maxwell and Hana?” she questioned out loud repeating again in utter shock “Maxwell Beaumont and Hana Lee…” her words became internal again as she tried to solve this mystery.

Hana Lee, the kind and beautiful soft spoken best friend of the Queen was dating Maxwell Beaumont. Though the last time MC had any conversation with Hana about her love life it was when MC herself was rejecting the strikingly beautiful womans confession of love. MC hadn’t been at apart of this world more than 3 years, but it was no secret to her that her Chinese friend favored the interest of women. “Could it be she also favored men?” MC asked herself she wouldn't care if she had, many of her friends back in New York were quite the same. MC even found herself wondering about the ways of women before. But regardless of the sexual orientation Hana held herself to, she still wondered about the relationship between her two friends. As she thought through their friendship more and more she finally realized what was happening. She shot up from her bed and reached for her phone texting Maxwell ferociously, and even in the middle of the night it wasn’t long before she received a response.

MC: “You’re going to marry her aren’t you?!!? You’re going to marry Hana so that she isn’t forced to marry a nobleman she doesn’t trust!”

Maxwell: “You should be a detective MC, you’re very good at figuring things out.”

MC: “Maxwell! You are setting aside your entire life for her, I love her but you cannot do that. She doesn’t love you that way!”

Maxwell: “MC, I’m sorry but the choice has already been made, her parents have blessed us. The announcement will be made at Cordonia’s birthday celebration. At least this way she can have my title, her parents respect and she can still explore her emotions without sexual abuse from an unloving husband.”

MC: “But what about you?”

MC tossed her phone to the side when she didn’t receive a response from her far to giving friend. As she turned into her pillow she wondered what a marriage between her friends would be like. Maxwell was giving not just his friendship to Hana but his title and his ability to love anyone else for the rest of his marital future. While he didn’t think about it now MC knew that would destroy him. The flirtatious jokester would now be tied to his friend who would never love him like she loved the ladies at court. The marriage would save Hana giving her the freedom from her parents, but it would bind Maxwell. Any stolen glance he ever shared with a different women would become scandal. Not to mention the scandal Hana would set off on her own.

----

“Olivia Nevrakis reigning Duchess of Lythikos has been an ally and friend to this country for long as I have lived. Her father Mathew Nevrakis was no enemy to us, neither his father before him nor the Nevrakis family for centuries before. Our families have been bonded and will continue to be. I ask now for respect as she addresses you, not only as a deserving leader but as a humble friend.” Liam spoke practicing his introduction for his old friend at the weekends celebration. “How’d that sound?” he asks Olivia trustingly.

Olivia looks over the paper with the words she’d just heard written now, she nods in response approving it’s sound. “Then I speak?” she asks “I must share our secret yes?”

“Yes, it will hold great value to my people; knowing how our countries friendship came to be. ” Liam responds sternly as he watches Olivia rise as she would in the coming days. Her braided curls falling perfecting crossed her chest as she adjusts her long black nightgown.

“In the early 1500’s, my ancestor, and my namesake Oliver Nevrakis found himself at war for land with our surrounding countries. This is a tale that was kept from this history books because of Cordonia’s betrayal. I stand here with the support of your King and my friend to tell you this important moment in history” Olivia looks to Liam for approval and finds in his eyes the same look of friendship and love she’d seen hiding under the desk all those years before. “Oliver Nevrakis knew his marriage to Minerva Grimhald would bring peace to the wars.” Olivia pauses now as she would on the celebration day knowing that this statement could bring shock those who knew Cordonia’s history. “Binding the Grimhald family’s land to the forming country of Lythikos was his main concern. The Grimhald’s had farm lands, the one thing my young country cannot not support due to the cold weather. Cordonia at the time was a small, but growing country. It’s past 3 kings had built Cordonia on the ideals of power and position. The current king at the time was Stephen II or ‘King Stephen Mullins the dominant’; as history would name him. The Kings most honored adviser Lorenzo Rhys was also a childhood friend to Oliver Nevarkis, they trusted each other and listened to each others guidance through each of their own wars. Oliver Nevrakis at the height of his own battles for land laid down his sword to join Lorenzo in the overthrow of Stephen’s wicked rule. During this time he watched his own country lose its battle to many neighboring lands. His pending marriage was his last hope, but moving his fiance to Cordonia while he assisted his friend was not wise.” Olivia looks to Liam again.

“No one knows about Oliver Nevrakis outside of the Lythikos treaty… No one knows he introduced Cordonia’s 4th reigning Queen to her King.” she admits with laughter, “It’s a part of my family history and yet nobody knows.”

“Keeping that a secret is a favor your family has done for us, for to many years. Lorenzo was a great ruler but he betrayed his best friends trust. He betrayed Lythikos and it should have cost him, but your family and your heritage did not wage a war. Instead they brought peace out of their anger. That's what we need now, we need peace. The Nevrakis family can be the one to bring it again.” Liam explains with the regret his ancestor never had. “Continue Liv.”

“Lorenzo Rhys and Minerva Grimhald married privately betraying Oliver, and claiming the farmlands that he so desperately needed. After the overthrow of Stephen when the Rhys family took the throne for the first and only time Oliver did not leave his best friends side regardless of the emotions and betrayal. Oliver and Lorenzo formed the ‘Treaty of Accord’ that would bind countries together morally. That those involved in the treaty would provide for one another, and listen to the advisement of their one true king.” Olivia looks up now to her one true king, the descendant of Lorenzo. She hides the blush that shows on her cheeks as she remembers her childhood dreams of Liam before continuing one last time.

“Every Duchess and Duke here today are members of this Treaty just as much I am. My mother broke this as she was the one behind a good majority of attacks on Cordonia. She took the lives of far too many for nothing more than power. I stand here to tell you that I am not, and never will be my mother. That the life of one Cordonian is equal to that of a member of my own duchy. I want what my ancestors wanted, despite their marital differences; I want friendship, and peace. I want to give and take, push and pull I want this grand nation to work together despite its differences.”

Liam smiles at Olivia hoping that this speech will change the hearts of his people. “Practice this” he gestures to the same printed paper she’d been reading. “This is history that you and I both know but that our people do not, you need to present it with confidence, you need them to believe in you just as equally as you believe in them.”

Olivia only nods her head staring down at the papers, so much time had passed since she wandered into the office since she’d found her friend older than their last game of hide and seek. She thinks quickly about their past, present and future.

“Liam, do you think your mother betrothed us because she thought it was right or because she knew you’d fit me?” she asks boldly.

Liam looks shocked now at the woman baring her soul before him. “What do you mean by that?” he questions.

“Your mother and father they presented my parents with the betrothal when we were only three years old. Do you think your mother did this because it was her duty, or did she see in us toddlers a companionship that we didn't?” she rephrases her question.

“Liv, I have MC…” he trails before quickly being interrupted

“And she is my true Queen and friend, but I want to know about us. You owe me this, why would your mother pick me?” Olivia demands harshly though it’s a tone that's not unfamiliar to her king.

Liam moves around the desk to her and grabs his hands in hers grabbing her attention and her gaze. “Olivia Nevrakis, I have loved you since I was 4 years old running through the ballroom playing tag. I loved you as an awkward 11 year old grieving through the pain of loss. And even as a vicious 16 year old, who tossed your feelings aside. I still loved you. You and Drake Walker are the only people left in my life who truly knew the kindness of my mother. I see everyday that same kindness in you and I know that it came from her, though you choose to hide it behind your cactus like personality.” he speaks playfully adding the insults of her childhood. “My mother partnered us because it’s what her husband wanted, but she raised us to be the people we would need for one another, I truly believe that.” he responds instilling hope into the northerner with little fight left in her.

“But you didn’t need love” Olivia smiles now moving her gaze from his eyes to their touching hands. “You needed a friend.” she breaks her hands away and looks to him. “You made space in your heart for two best friends, and a lover and yet I have never felt neglected from you. I cannot afford to lose this friendship” her words bring tears to her throat though after the death of Ebony she vowed not to cry again.

Liam leans to her and kisses her cheek softly. “We are more than our lands, we are friends, allies and I will not let my people question that fact.” as his stern and heart warming statements come to a close he stands before her as his sentimental smile turns a bit more devious now. “So? Is it true?” he asks fiddling with papers on the desk attempting to turn the subject away from their fears of the weekends celebration.

“Is what true?” she spits in return

“You and Drake? Is it true?” his question is greeted with wide eyes and a slightly dropped jaw. He knows now the joke Maxwell had brought to his door the day before must have been true.

#the royal romance #king liam #liam rhys #liam x mc #liam x olivia #xoempine #choices #play choices #choices fan fiction

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thekingkang · 6 years

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Underrated characters

Disclaimer: Everything in this post is strictly my opinion.

The Freshman/The Sophomore

Annisa

Beautiful ray of sunshine. Doesn’t get nearly enough screen-time. Has a great sense of humor and I smile whenever MC talks to her. Super talented at keyboard. An icon.

Madison

Always optimistic. Everyone takes advantage of her, but she’s the sweetest friend ever. Loves MC and supports her. Wears the cutest clothes.

It Lives In The Woods

Works her ass off to keep her friends safe. Makes mistakes and has vulnerabilities, but tries to remain as strong as possible. Holding it together surprisingly well. Went to face a literal shadow monster using an old wooden bat with nails in it. Queen of fighting the supernatural. Sam and Dean who?

Lucas

His expectations of himself are so high that he would rather sacrifice his mental and physical health than slip up on one of his commitments. Even though his struggles are so much more than what meets the eye, he’s the most selfless person and is always putting others’ needs first.

Noah

Has to deal with the loss of his sister and a toxic home environment. He deserves better and he’s so strong. Basically annoyed by everything and just wants Mr. Red to die. Legends only.

High School Story

Maria

Constantly deals with people talking behind her back. Her passion and drive are always mistaken for bitchiness, although the male student leaders never get the same flack. Even when she’s stressedt™️ she still dresses like a Vogue model.

Sydney

WOC and also LGBTQ? Good shit. Most talented cheerleader on the squad, but stays humble. Lowkey crushing on Mia. Sweetest girl ever; always tries to make people happy. Stays unproblematic.

Endless Summer

Estela

The hottest babe you will ever be stranded on an island with. Would burn down the world for your sorry ass. Mysterious and enigmatic. Fiercely loyal to those she loves. Pretends not to care, but sometimes lets her emotions cloud her judgement.

The Royal Romance

Hana

Sweet, caring, passionate little princess. Has endured heteronormativity for her entire life and rarely gets a chance to explore her sexuality. Affectionate and romantic at heart. Pretends to be innocent, but I’m pretty sure she undresses MC with her eyes at any given opportunity.

The Crown & The Flame

Trystan

Literally risked his life for the sake of the kingdom, only to lose everything and be forced into hiding. Such a brave boy. Loves his sister to pieces and tries so hard to do what’s right by her. Constantly torn between his loyalty to Dom and his responsibility for Rose.

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clevernewdimension · 7 years

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Exaulted Part Four

Parts: Prologue, One, Two, Three (M), Four, Five (Coming soon!)

Genre: Drama, Romance, Violence, drug use, plus more!

Pairing: No ‘romantic interests’ yet. But some ‘Yixing is a sweetheart and should be protected forever’ moments!

Word Count: 7.?K

A/N: People are assholes, the game I watched earlier didn’t end how I wanted it to, and my back is killing me, but fuck it! Y’all are amazing and deserve the part! So I finished it! Hours late, sorry!

I was in the process of dabbing some concealer on my neck as I hear my front door open. I finish, hiding the marks Minseok left easily. The rest were easily covered by clothes as I set it down, turning and walking out my room. I see Lina getting a bottle of water. “Thanks for the ride,” I tell her, not having any work today there was no need for me to drive the van. Besides, she likes having me in the car with her. Says I make her a better driver just being there.

“No problem,” She says, finishing off the granola bar she was eating. She opens the trash, throwing away the wrapper as she does a double take inside. I feel myself sigh, knowing exactly what it is that she saw in the trashcan to make her react that way. She smirks, looking at me, “So, who was it? And before you ask, I can tell from the condom wrapper in the trash. So, again, who was it? Tell me, I got to know all the details!”

My face turns completely red, “I-isn’t that kind of personal,” I ask, stuttering a bit, quickly getting my things trying to act calm.

“I tell you about all the times I’ve seen some action,” She whines as we go to the door.

“Yeah,” I say, as we exit and I lock it behind me, “I didn’t ask for that, though. I didn’t need to know all the things you’re into!”

She scoffs, “Like what? So I like people watching me fuck and a daddy kink isn’t that weird, Y/N! I’m sure there are a lot other ones you don’t know about me, actually.”

“I’d like to keep it that way,” I say, wanting her to drop the subject, though I know she wouldn’t.

“Well, if you left a hickey on whoever it was, chances are in my favor they won’t cover that shit up,” she says, grinning as we make our way to the elevator. “Five won’t cover it, but four will. If it’s not one of the five, I know it would be one of the four.” Her fingers grab my shirt, gently pulling it to the side. My collarbone was now visible, showing her some of the marks I got from yesterday.

I slap her hand, “I’ll graciously compromise. You either get to know who or you get to know some of the details. I know you won’t leave me alone about it if I say nothing.”

“Details,” She replies immediately, smiling. “Explore any kinks? What are you into?”

I felt my face get even redder if that was possible. “Can we at least wait until we’re in the privacy of your car?!”

“Fine” she mutters, the doors opening with a ding. We leave through the small lobby. I wave to the owner, an older man who’s wife passed away a few years ago. He’s got two grandchildren that visit him often, though. We leave, and much to my dismay, Lina’s car is parked right in front of the building. She unlocks the door, and I get in and soon we’re driving as she elbows me.

I hide my face in my hands as I mumble an answer.

“Speak clearly,” She says with a laugh, clearly enjoying herself.

“Breathplay, orgasm denial and facefucking,” I mutter again softly.

“God damn,” She says with a tiny giggle, “I thought you’d be WAY more vanilla, holy shit. Like organic, all natural vanilla bean kind of vanilla. Was it Rough? Was he dominant or were you? Or what?” Lina asks, keeping her eyes on the road as she spoke, “I bet you were more dominate. You always like having control on things when you can.”

“He was,” I mutter, “Very mildly, though. Like, when speaking to him, nothing too crazy.”

Lina stops at the red like, looking over at me with shock, “Oh my god you’re a sub? Holy shit, you think you know a person and yet they still have their secrets!” She pressed on the gas when the light changed, her attention back to driving us safely, through her questions didn’t stop. “Was he ok with you calling him something like sir, or did he specifically want you to call him daddy?”

“Sir,” I mumble again, by face feeling like it was on fire. “‘Daddy’ is gross to me, you knew that already. Total turn off.”

“What are you talking about, it’s so hot!” Her smirk grew bigger, “Well, you eliminated so many of the guys it isn’t funny! I’m fairly certain it was either Chanyeol, Yixing, Minseok, Sehun or Junmyeon… last two uncertain for obvious reasons. Chanyeol does like being called Daddy but is cool either way. Yixing loves tying people up, and there are no marks on your wrists from that so I’m guessing he’s out, though I don’t think he’d do that with you given what just happened to you, now that I think about it. But I also think him and Sehun are out anyways because I know you’d take my advice on their probably crushes. Am I close?”

“Oh no, stop,” I say, turning away. I hid my face in my hands, “Is this what girls do? Talk about this stuff?”

“I am close! That leaves three people! Chanyeol wouldn’t cover a hickey ever! He wears that like a badge of honor! So If I see no marks, it means it’s either the crown prince or our dear Minnie!” She smiles, humming happily, “And yes, Y/N, this is what girls do with their besties usually. I tell you about my sexual experiences.”

“I’ve decided I hate you,” I mutter as she turns into the parking lot for University students only.

“Just call me detective Lina,” She says as she smiles, looking at me with a happy grin.”Seriously, it’s nice to talk about. Besides, I want to make sure whoever you’re with treats you right. Don’t be ashamed of it or anything, it’s normal and natural.” She pats my shoulder, giving me a bright smile as normal. “By the way, you look cute today,” Lina states, dropping the subject because she can see how uncomfortable I was feeling. She’s good at that. She knows when to drop it, though something tells me this conversation isn’t over.

“I look normal,” I mutter, thankful she changed the subject. A short sleeved flowey tee and shorts along with the same pair of high tops as every other day, since I only own one pair of shoes. My hoodie was in my bag so I didn’t have to have it on since it was warmer. My hair was in a messy braid my bangs clipped out of my face as I get out of her car, some of the students looking at me with nasty smirks. “Also, is it really detective work if no one wants the answer to the ‘mystery’? To put your mind at ease, the person was very kind and thoughtful throughout. Made sure I was comfortable the whole time.”

“I want the answer, that’s what matters!” She links her arm with mine, shooting a glare at people as they laugh at me. “Besides, there is another case I’m working on! Ty called Chanyeol back and the person who bought the roofies from him gave a stupid reason for them as well as a fake name. Said he’d recognise him if we get a picture, though.”

“Good news,” I say, looking as we are approaching all the royalty. They were crowded around a tree that was in the middle of the courtyard. It was huge, the leaves were bright and green as spring started to go to summer. A few in the tree, the rest standing around it. My eyes meet Minseok’s, he waits until Lina turned to glare at another person laughing at me before giving me a wink. I smile to myself, looking away as Lina turns back to the group.

“These fucking assholes,” Chanyeol practically yells, making people around us jump. It was odd seeing him so angry, since he’s always so cheerful. Lina told me he was very nice and kind. He hates seeing people being awful to others for no reason, and my situation seemed to bring that out as he glares at some of the people around as they started to walk away.

Yixing smiled at me, that adorable dimple making my heart beat a bit faster. “Are you ok, Y/N?”

I nod, “I’m fine. I don’t really care if people talk about me like that. Pretty used to it, honestly. Unless you mean am I feeling well in the health department, then I’m delighted to inform you I’m great on that front. No after effects, no nothing like that.” I look over to Junmyeon, nodding at him, “Thank you so much for talking to Mrs. Hana! You have no idea how relieved I felt.”

Junmyeon smiles, dressed very casually. Casual as a style looks very good on him. “It was honestly no problem at all. She knows you’re a good person, and she understands that sometimes things happen. She also understand that college kids just have fun sometimes. Mrs. Hana is a very kind and compassionate person. She was just worried if you were ok or not.”

“He did know,” Sehun says, glancing over from his place in the tree. He climbed up there, but was the lowest to the ground, sitting in an alcove that was seat shaped. He is sitting up there, along with Baekhyun, Jongin and Jongdae. “He went to his car to go met Yixing and I for dinner. He saw you sobbing in relief in your car.” His eyes meet mine, his gaze seemed as if he knew everyone’s secrets. “You’re not as put together as you make us all believe, are you?”

“Sehunnie,” Yixing says with a small frown, looking up at his younger brother. He crosses his arms, giving him a stern look. “You’re not suppose to say that!”

“Well that’s embarrassing,” I mutter, my face going red. “I was nervous because that job is the only reason why I can pay my rent and eat, so you’d be worried if you were under that situation too.”

Kyungsoo glances at the youngest, “Do you lack social tact or do you just not care?” He gave the youngest a stern look, but not a mean looking one.

“Second option,” He says with a grin, “For what it’s worth, He thought you looked cute in your pajama pants and hoodie.”

“Well, that part is true,” Junmyeon says with a bashful smile. There was something so kind about him. He is very compassionate, his eyes not leaving mine as he smiled at me.

Lena elbows me, trying to see if it was him or not. I ignore her, smiling, not knowing what to say. The conversations went by casually, as I kept quiet, just listening. Someone mentioned that finals are Wednesday. I groaned, “I hate finals!”

“When is your painting due,” Lina asks, looking up from her phone as she was texting someone. Sehun’s phone dinged just after she sent it, though I could tell she didn’t want me to notice it..

“Two months,” I say, “Thankfully, I only have my outline done! I only have two classes this semester, so only two finals for me, then it’s our two and a half month break!”

“Art major’s finals are a bit different than others,” Baekhyun says from up in the tree. He was up the highest, lounging against a branch. “We have a musical we’re putting on for three days, and then we’re graded.”

Jongin nodded, “Sehun, Yixing and I have a dance final due the same week too. We’re working on a newer style contemporary dance. We’ll have to perform it as well.”

“We also can’t make up our minds on it,” Yixing says with a sigh.

“I didn’t know you all took dance,” I say, smiling.

“You all are lucky,” Minseok says, standing there with a hanger over his shoulder. It had a suit in it, covered by plastic from the dry cleaners. “We have mock court cases today and tomorrow that are 70% of our finals. The written part is Wednesday.”

Jongdae jumps down, looking at him, “I’m surprised you’re not nervous. I would be if I had to go up against all those Southern robots.”

“I am from the South,” Minseok reminds him, slapping his shoulder lightly before smirking a tiny bit. “I’m fine. I know all the people and how they’re going to frame their arguments against me. I’ve prepared perfectly, I’m well rested and recently, I got rid of some stress!”

It took everything in my power not to turn red as a tomato. Lina didn’t seem to read between the lines on that one, and I smiled, thankful that it was just a secret between the two of us..

“Yes, you are, but you’re nowhere as bad as them,” Baekhyun calls from the tree. “They’re emotionless.”

“You all thought Jongin, Jongdae and I were all emotionless robots,” Minseok replies, giving him a knowing look. “You really have no idea what it’s like growing up in the South. Everything is judged about you. You have to mask your emotions in order to protect yourself.”

“But not even the North is that bad,” Kyungsoo points out, “We’re strict as well. We just understand that people are still individuals and not just cogs in a machine.”

I look over at the clock tower, sighing, “I got to get to my math class. I suppose I’ll see you all in our History study session later, yeah?”

They all say their goodbyes, Yixing, Junmyeon and Chanyeol giving me words of encouragement. Lina walks besides me, a grin growing on her face every passing second. “So,” She says quietly, smirking at her phone as I pull her out of the way from running into a lamp. “Thanks! Well, well, well, Minseok huh?”

My face turns bright red as she yells, pulling me into a one armed hug. I put my hands over my cheeks, trying to hide how much I was blushing. “Lin, please!”

She lowers her voice, talking low so others can’t hear, “Minseok showed up unexpectedly to this apartment Sehun rents just as a place to get away. Wanted to quickly shower and get some cover up, since he had hickies all over his neck. Sehun obviously let him, trying to press him for details but Minnie didn’t give him any. I’m not telling Sehun anything or that it was you. She pulls me to her, leaning her head down onto mine, “I, personally, am very happy for you. You picked a good one to break your drought.”

“Lin please,” I say, trying to pull away from her, “I have to get to class!”

“Alright, but later it’s you, me and shopping! I have to get a dress for the dinner party the King is throwing. My family is invited. There I will get you the best sunday you could ever buy and we’re going to talk about how amazingly hot of a body he has and compare our experiences and there is nothing you can do that will stop me from bringing this up!” She says with a smile, patting my shoulder lightly, “I’d invite you as my date, but I’m fairly positive my aunt is going to call you in to work it. Sorry.”

“Just means more money,” I say as I shrug, “Which means I could start saving part of it for a car of my own.”

She nods, “I’ll help you out, if you want. Not as in just pay for it for you, but like… think of it as a loan. Only without having to pay a lot more than you borrowed.”

I nod, “you know what, if you actually mean it and stick by it, I’ll consider it.”

After that, she heads off and I sit down, ready to melt my mind with numbers. Math wasn’t my best subject, but I could get buy if I take my time and think it through. The key is to not get too frustrated. I was never the best at it, but with enough time, I’d get to the right answers eventually. People would ask our professor for help, and he’d answer. He was awesome, always willing to try to help as best as he could. However, since it was close to the end of the year, he’d often couldn’t be in the study sessions. He’d be running errands, trying to grade everything he could and be done with it quickly. He was gone currently, probably finally going to have his lunch, since this study sessions was five hours long.

After halfway through writing all my notes that I’ll study at home, a bottle of watter falls onto my table, ruining my notes and spilling into my lap. I look up, seeing Jihae. She was smirking, taking a picture with her phone. Her friend leaning on the desk behind her cackles like a witch who just casted a curse on me.

“Oops, sorry,” She says, giving me a fake worried look. “On the bright side, as least you can use the water to wash all the slut off of you. Though, I hear that sticks around no matter what.”

I hold up the paper, watching the ink bleed and make the words and explanations turn into a Rorschach test, making them useless. I glance at her, her friend still standing to the side, giggling. Her name was Kisoo, her father was a CEO of a luxury car company. She giggles again, pointing, “Jihae, do you think she’ll cry?”

“No,” I say, sighing. “I’m not going to cry. I’m not letting this petty bullshit get to me when it’s obvious you’re just jealous that, for some reason, they like me and not you. Though, I can tell you, it’s probably because of your attitude.” I set my hoodie on the table, trying to soak up the water. I give her a bored look, seeing her face scowl in anger before she makes herself seem calm and confident again.

“Oh, we know how much they like you,” She says with a smirk, leaning against the row of desks beside me. She wore a shirt with a tight polka dot top. If it was anyone else I’d tell her she looked good, honestly. “We all saw at how you almost ripped Minseok’s face off. I’m shocked they keep you around after that awful kiss. Though, that’s probably why Daejung left you, isn’t it?”

My blood ran cold at the mention of my ex. Memories flashed in my mind of the two of us, only to have him turn around and tell me how awful I was. He did that all the time, but this time, apparently I was just too awful. He told me he broke it off with me because I wasn’t pretty enough and because my social status would only hurt his family. A small part of me was heartbroken, and I felt like I wasn’t enough for him, for anyone. After all, you’d think that way if someone told you that everyday. It took months of Lina convincing me that he was a piece of shit for me to believe it.

“No,” She says with a smirk, hipping her hands on her hip as she stood up straight, “He left you because you’re nothing but street trash that wouldn’t amount to anything. Shame, really, since how that he’s back in town he looking for a new person to make his family proud. His and my father are actually writing a contract for an arranged marriage as we speak.” Jihae glares, shaking her head as she holds her arms out in a shrug, “So, I suppose I am better than you, since I can give him what he needs!”

“In more way than one,” Kisoo says with a giggle.

I somehow managed to keep myself together as I started to gather my things. I left my ruined notes there, standing up at I look at her. “He’ll just use you for whatever he wants and do away with the rest. Even if you’re married he’ll find his way into other women’s beds. He can’t get enough, after all. Hope you’re going to be happy with a man who will never care for anything other than if you’ll open your legs for him.”

She smirked, “Nice try, bitch. Bet he was only with you because you opened your legs for him, huh?”

I walked down the steps, exiting the room, holding up a middle finger as I went, “Go fuck yourself.” The first time I’ve ever left any class early. Once I was out of the room, I let tears fall from my eyes as I kept my head up, walking forward. There were some people pointing and laughing at me, but I paid them no mind. I wanted to just hide myself in my hoodie, but I forgot that in the class as I was rushing to try to leave. I walked forward, remembering that I didn’t have the car. Instead, I head to the one place on campus that I felt safest. I turn, entering into the arts building. It was massive. I reached the stupid art room, pulling on the door handle, only to find it locked.

“No,” I mutter, pulling it again as I see the paper posted. Professor is out of town, the room will be closed for today, tomorrow and the next day. “No, no, no!”

I turn my back to the door, sliding down it until I was sitting on the ground. I leaned my head against my knees, my silent tears starting to turn into quiet crying.

“Y/N,” I hear a soft voice ask, the sound of footsteps closing in as the person kneels in front of me. “Hey, Y/N, it’ll be ok!”

I sniffle, looking forward, my eyes meeting Yixing’s. He looked worried. He was dressed in sweatpants and a sleeveless shirt. His hair was a bit damp and there was a slight smell of sweat. He must have been practicing dance.

“I’m sorry,” I manage to choke out as my phone started to ring. I look at it, seeing Mrs. Hana’s name. “Hold on,” I tell, Yixing, wiping my eyes as I answer. “Yes?”

“Hey, Y/N!” She says, a loud sound coming from the other side of the phone. “Sorry,” I just wanted to tell you about-”

“The dinner party, I know,” I say, knowing that cutting her off was rude but I just want to end the call quickly as I struggled to hold back tears. “You need me to work it?”

“Yes,” She says, before pausing to give an order to someone. “Lina told me your sizes already, so if you want to just show up early, you can change here.”

“Alright, will do. Thank you,” I say, my throat feeling tight now.

“Are you alright,” She asks, a bit of concern in her voice.

“I’m fine,” I say, managing to make it convincing. “I’ll see you then!”

“Alright! Bye!”

I ended the call, starting to cry again. I feel a hand on my shoulder, rubbing lightly in an attempt to soothe me. I hug my knees, just letting the tears fall, crying softly.

“It’s ok, Y/N,” Yixing says, sitting down in front of me.

“It’s fine,” I mutter, wiping my eyes, “I don’t want you to miss your practice. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re not fine. Stop saying you’re fine when you’re obviously not,” He says, not moving at all as I look at him. He smiles at me, “I’m not going anywhere right now. I was just practicing alone since I already finished my only class for the day. Just come here to de-stress a bit.”

“I’m sorry,” I mutter again, looking away.

“Don’t be,” He says with a smile that seems to always be on his face. “I’m happy to help no matter what! How about this, you let me take a quick shower and we’ll get out of here and go take our mind off of things. We’ll go whatever you want, I just don’t want to smell the entire time.”

I nod, wiping my eyes. “Are you sure,” I ask, looking up at him as he stood up.

“Absolutely!” He reaches into his pockets, ketting a set of keys, “If you want to, instead of waiting here on the floor, you can go to my car. It’s parked over in the parking lot next to this building. Our dance instructor lets me park there since I helped his kid with her sprained wrist. No one but teachers will be there, I promise.”

“Why are you so fucking kind,” I ask mostly to myself, making him laugh out. I look at him as he has his eyes closed in laughter. I could feel a blush come to my cheeks at the thought of him having a crush on me. He looked like a model, even after dancing and sweating for hours. He finally opened his eyes, meeting mine as the smile on his face seemed to grow somehow.

He hold out a hand, helping me stand. I take it and he stands, pulling me up quickly, picking my bag up off the floor too. “My mother told me kindness it the best gift you can give people,” He says, nodding. “It’s the black one closest to the doors here when you leave.” He points to an exit of double doors. “I’m hungry, so when you’re waiting, think of a place to get some food!”

I nod, wiping my eyes as I walk towards the doors, opening them with a hard push. They’re heavier than I expected. I look back, seeing Yixing watch me, making sure I was fine, his eyes full of worry. I exit, seeing his car instantly. It was not some fancy sports car, though it was a luxury four door. I click the unlock button, opening the passenger door. The interior was black with some wood paneling. There was a touch screen in the car, and it had a moonroof that was huge, taking up most of the ceiling of the car. I got in, careful with my things as to not scuff or scratch anything. I leaned back, closing my eyes. My mind can’t help but go to memories of myself and Daejung. Last time I saw him he had hair that was a dark blue. His eyes were green, which he said was probably because he was envious of anything he didn’t have. He was about as tall as Yixing, actually, tan and fairly athletic. He was an asshle, but it was petty of me to use our sexual experiences as a weapon against Jihae. He wasn’t bad in that area, he was just the kind who wanted to do it fast, plain and not really focus too much on the other person. Which I thought was normal, only to have Lina shoot that down the seconds I told her that months ago.

I took everything I had that reminded me of him and threw it out. I didn’t have much, and I’ve lived without a lot for a long time, so it wasn’t hard at all. It was nice, living without him and his reminder of how I wasn’t good enough for him. Now he’s back. I never thought of what I would do if I ever saw him again, and thankfully I didn’t have to right this minute.

The door to my left opens. Yixing smiled at me as he gets in quickly, pushed his foot down on the brake, pressing the push to start button. His hair was wet, still dripping and for some reason it made me a bit happy knowing that he rushed to see me. He could have dried his hair, but instead he came out quicker. He was wearing a black tee and jeans, looking amazing as always. “So, where would you like to go?”

I panic, blurting out the first place that came to mind, which was a place where you grill meats and veggies in front of you. He nods with a grin, before putting the car in reverse and pulling away.

“So,” He says, turning away from the university, “Do you want to talk about why you’re do upset? It’s ok if you don’t, but it would make the job of making you happy and forget about it for a while a bit easier. Were people saying things about you again?”

“Jihae told me she was in an arranged marriage with my ex,” I say, feeling so juvenile about this all now that I’m hearing it. “He… he left me because I wasn’t good enough.”

“That’s ridiculous,” He says, eyes carefully watching the road. He was a good driver, safe and observant. “You’re very kind!”

I smile at him saying that. “Not like that, Yixing. Like… not pretty enough. That’s the first thing he told me. Then the explanation of not good enough because I’m poor and I have no family influence.”

“Being poor and things like that doesn’t make you less of a person,” Yixing says, hands gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter. He was frowning now, “What you’ve done, being able to keep yourself on your feet is amazing. Resilient. Unwavering. You’re honestly incredible. I couldn’t have done it. I probably can’t now, even.”

“You don’t know that until you have to,” I say a small smile on my face. “Thank you for the kind words, too.”

“Just, you know, for the record, he’s wrong about you not being pretty,” He says, his eyes never leaving the road as he turns on a turn signal. I could see some faint pink on his cheeks. “You’re beautiful... but that’s not all there is to you, like a lot of people. You’re smart, kind, and strong too. Your looks are just, you know, an added bonus, I guess?” He says, his face a bit pinker now as he started to feel a tad awkward saying these things. I could tell his words were truthful, though.

My face felt warm after that, “Thank you.”

He smiles, before parking on the side of the road, taking some change from his pocket. He turns to me, “Now, let’s forget about all that for now. Just enjoy yourself for the rest of the day!”

“I mean,” I say, getting out the car, watching him put coins into the meter. He was just stunning, honestly. His hair pushed out of his face as he looks up at me with a questioning look, asking me to finish my sentence without saying it. “I’m being forced into shopping with Lina later. Apparently she doesn’t already own a dress that’s good enough?”

Yixing nods, finishing up with paying the meter. “Yeah. It’s fancy. All suits and gowns. Pain in the ass, really, but hey, good food! Which apparently, you’ll be passing around or something?”

I nod, “Yeah, which is good because I know we make bonuses on parties like this and, honestly, the state of my apartment is just tragic. I could use… well, a couch, for starters.”

Yixing goes to the door, holding it open for me as I walk in, smiling at the man who owned the restaurant. He smiles as me, but the second Yixing stands by my side, his eyes practically pop out his head. “Y-your highness!”

Yixing sort of winces at that. He holds his hands up, his body language suddenly becoming very awkward. “No! Please just call me Yixing! I insist!”

The man nods, “Well… if you insist. What may we help you with today?”

“Just some lunch,” Yixing says, smiling. “Beef, pork, chicken.”

The man nods, “Follow me!” As we walked, people stopped to look, staring at Yixing and some even pulling out their phones to take pictures of him. He takes it well, smiling, though still feeling awkward about being treated this way. The man leads us to an empty room, giving us some privacy from the onlookers. There was a table that could seat about eight to ten people, as I’m sure this was a room people requested for special dinners.

Yixing pulls the chair out for me, “Thank you.”

He nods, taking the seat next to me as the man stands to my left. “What can I get you both to drink?”

“Water for me,” Yixing says, nodding.

“Um… a lemon lime soda,” I say nodding. I still wasn’t exactly in the best of moods, but I didn’t want to seem rude.

He nods, “Your server will be here momentarily with your drinks as well as the meats and sides. Thank you for coming here today!”

Yixing reaches over, turning on the grill in the middle of the table. “Thank you,” He says with a smile as the man leaves, shutting the door behind him. He turns, looking at me, “How are you feeling? I know it has to be hard to deal with the people…”

“Well,” I mutter, “I don’t really care about that. I mean it. I’ve just been normal. I’m use to them saying awful things, so really it’s not that new.”

“That’s good,” He says smiling at me. “Not that you’re use to it, that’s awful. But that it normally doesn’t bother you.” It was adorable, the dimpled smile he’d show. “I talked with Ty, just to make sure there wasn’t anything addictive in what was slipped to you. Sometimes they will hide things in other things and get people addicted to other drugs that way. Thankfully the answer was no.”

I nod, “Well I haven’t been feeling like, jittery and all. The only thing I’ve been wanting is ice cream, but I fear that addiction was around long before that all happened.”

There was a knock at the door. It opened swiftly. I woman stood there, holding our drinks as a younger girl followed behind with trays of uncooked meats and sides. “Hello,” The older woman says with a smile, not acting strange at all as the younger girl’s mouth fell open. “Water and soda!”

“Thank you,” I say, smiling. The girl who was carrying the food looked at me, giving me a glare as she set down the food. Her face immediately changed when she looked at Yixing, turning into a small, flirty smile.

The older woman nods, “If there is anything else we can do, just call out and we’ll be here!”

The meat cooked quickly and the talking was fine. He didn’t mention anything that has upset me from earlier, so instead, I asked him about himself. We was adopted, which explains why his last name in Zhang. All of the princes have differently last names. Junmyeon’s was Kim, after the late King. Sehun, who could have taken the king’s name as well, instead took his mother’s name, Oh. However, I learned from talking with Yixing, that didn’t change anything between them. They are brothers, even if not entirely by blood.

He also opened up that he’s glad Junmyeon was the oldest, that he didn’t have to worry about becoming King. Not because he’s worried he wouldn’t be seen as a true heir, as the country absolutely adores him, but because he doesn’t want that power. I told him he already has immeasurable power as it is, and he just shrugged. He doesn’t want to use it to make people do whatever he wanted. He didn’t want to abuse it.

He cooks the food, telling me not to worry about it. “Just focus on having a good time,” He says with a smile that makes my heart beat quicken. I asked him what he wanted to do, so he said he was studying medicine. He wanted to be a pediatrician. “I like kids,” He says with a smile, “Most of the time they don’t care who you are and just act like themselves. What about you?”

“Well,” I say, after swallowing some food, “I want to do art, but, well, relying on that would make me even worse off than I am. So I’m getting a degree in literature and grammar, so that I can do what my mom did and edit books and whatnot. Steady paying job, especially if a book you’ve worked on is a best seller.”

He glances at me, “Does that mean after school you’ll give up art?”

“Well, I’ll try not to, but I can only afford the pain and things I like because of the student discount. So, after I graduate, if I don’t make enough money, then… well at least physical form media, yeah. Still have digital, though, which I’m slowly getting more and more used to.” I take another piece of chicken, stuffing it into my mouth with some veggies too.

He finishes cooking the last of the meat as we slowly but surely demolish it all. Yixing paid for it, telling me not to worry, though I’m sure if Lina told him anything it’s that I would. As we leave, we tell the owner the food was excellent. I leave, looking at my phone seeing the time. I had about half an hour before Lina comes trying to drag me so she could get honest opinions on dresses. As we were walking down the street, towards his car, Yixing takes his hand in mine, pulling me gently away, further down the street. He opens a door, ushering me in as I look inside and see a sweets shop. I could feel my mouth start to water as I could see homemade fudge and some ice cream. There were macarons, cakes, cookies, cheesecake, anything you could want.

“Hello,” The girl with glasses says. Her hair was bright lime green and she had some flour on her face. She was taller than me, and a lip piercing as she dusted off her hands. “Oh, hello Yixing! Hello stranger! What can I do for you!”

Yixing smiles, “Hello, Cera! This is Y/N!”

She grins, leaning over the counter and offered a hand, “Hi, Y/N! I’m the owner of the Sugared Flower, Cera!”

I shake her hand, looking around at all the sweets, “Oh my god…”

Yixing laughs, “I think you’re going to be Y/N’s favorite person. She has quite the sweet tooth!”

Cera laughs, leaning against the counter, “Well then, here’s hoping to see you around some more after this!”

Yixing nods, “Well, what do you want?”

“Everything,” I mutter, looking around at all the sweet, sugary goodness.

“I mean. I could actually do that,” Yixing jokes, looking at some fudge.

I glance at him, “If it wasn’t for the fact it would go bad before I could finish it all, I’d probably take you up on that!” The laugh he let out from that comment made me blush a tad. He was so cute when he was laughing.

The shop was quaint. Not extravagant, but not bad at all. It was homely. Cozy, even. Cera smiles at me from behind the counter as I look at all the chocolates. I spy a caramel cake, making me look at it. It was different than my favorite caramel cake, but it looks pretty damn good too. There were small tables and seating places where an old woman was drinking a hot beverage, eating some back and reading a book.

“Can I have some salted caramel fudge for later, and an ice cream cone to go” I ask, smiling at her as I grab my wallet. I point to Yixing, “You paid for lunch, so I pay for dessert. It’s only fair.”

He nods, “Fair enough. One cone of the chocolate cherry ice cream for me! But I’m going to get something for Sehun and Junmyeon with my money. They’ve been having a tough time lately.”

Cera nods, “I take it you want to get their favorite fudges as usual?”

My phone dings as I glance at it, seeing Lina ask where I was. I texted her as I see Yixing get a cone from Cera as she waits patiently for me. “Sorry,” I reply with a nod.

“It’s ok,” She says as I look at the flavors.

“Do you make the ice cream here,” I ask, taking this choice very seriously.

She nods, “Everything we sell, we make from scratch!”

“Marry me, please,” I say with my eyes wide.

She giggles, “Sorry, I have a girlfriend. Not that you’re not pretty, but she’s… well, the love of my life!”

I laugh, “Well shit. Lucky woman” Cera giggles at that. I look at the options, “Ok, so can you get two separate flavors on the cone? Or…?”

“You can get a small styrofoam cup if you’d like. They hold three scoops!”

“Yes,” I say with a huge grin.

Yixing laughs, licking at his cone. “You get more excited over sweets than most people do about anything.”

Cera smiles at me, “Which is why I think this will be a beautiful friendship starting, Y/N! I’m exactly the same!”

“Alright,” I say, “One scoop of the chocolate and almonds, one of the mint chocolate chip, and one of the salted caramel!”

She quickly scoops it out, and hand it to me with a spoon. The door opens, and I turn, seeing Lina standing there. She look at me with a smile, “Hey! Ready to help me pick a dress?”

“Hold on,” I say, handing Cera my card as she puts the chunk of fudge in some paper, then in a plastic bag. I hand it to Lina as Cera rings me up, “Can you put this in your bad for me please?”

She nods, doing so quickly. She was use to me doing this. After all, she’s dedicated a small pocket in all of her purses for my snacks.

Cera hands me my card as I look at the receipt. “Holy shit, it’s cheap,” I say, looking up at her.

Cera nods, “I want everyone to be able to enjoy my things!” She looks back at Yixing, “All the desserts for tomorrow are ready, by the way. Same as usual!”

Lina looks at Yixing, “I thought you got your desserts from The Golden Spoon!”

Cera makes a disgusted face, “That place? Where they charge you twenty bucks for a single macaroon?! Fuck that place!”

I eat quietly as Yixing pays for two chunks of fudge, eating his ice cream all the while. He went with just chocolate. “Two fudges, one whiskey and one cherry amaretto!”

He pays quickly as we all wave goodbye to Cera. I eat my ice cream as Lina looks between him and I. “I’ll explain,” I mutter, nodding.

She shrugs, “Well, Yixing, sorry, but this is where I take Y/N from you! Can’t have you seeing my dress before tomorrow after all!”

He smiles, “Alright, alright. I have to get back and find Sehun anyways. Thank you for the wonderful dessert, Y/N! It was nice to talk to you!”

“No, thank you,” I say with a smile as he nods.

He gives me a wink, “Don’t let those assholes let you down, Y/N. You’re better than all of them, I guarantee it!”

I blush as he walks back to his car, slowly. Lina giggles to herself, pulling me close and pointing at his butt. I roll my eyes, “Lin!”

“What? I’m just appreciating!” She laughs, “Alright, alright! Spill. What happened.”

The rest of the day was me telling her what happened and her cursing as she tried on dresses. She was angry that Daejung was back, furious that he’d dare come back after what he did. I kept telling her to forget it, that we’ll deal with that when it comes up.

Though, while I did give her my honest opinions. I couldn’t help but think about how wonderful my day has been besides the whole fiasco that happened. Yixing knows how to make people feel comfortable and at ease around him, as well as make them feel safe. He was nice and kind to me, and was a total sweetheart. It blew my mind that someone like that may or may not have a crush on me.

Finally, after hours, I got home and into bed, setting my alarm for early. I had a few things I had to do before the dinner I’ll be working tomorrow. My eyes closed, and nightmares of Jihae and Daejung ensued throughout the night and left me feeling restless.

#exo scenarios #exo fanfiction #exo imagine #exo fanfic #yixing scenarios #yixing fanfic

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hotbugbot · 7 years

Text

Overwatch HCs

Ana: straight. the otp with reinhardt. pretty shameless with her affection and probably embarrasses pharah with it sometimes. not vulgar, just old and open. somewhat motherly toward mccree, and is team advice grandma. voted most likely to share an embarrassing story about anyone giving her too much sass.

Bastion: beeps boops. sexuality and gender are not a thing. has made friends with nearly the entire crew of overwatch, including the anti-omnics, save for maybe anyone on team talon. voted most likely to have a collection of decorative flower pots.

D.va: pansexual trans girl. way more interested in vidya games than people. became quick bffs with lúcio, who is her transitioning buddy. her and genji are casual friends, who share a passion for classic arcade games. quietly thinks hanzo is hot but is Not About That stuffy personality. also likes the junkers, partly in an ironic way but also genuinely. voted most likely to make a meme out of stupid shit her teammates say.

Genji: bisexual. the otp with mccree, established before recall. after he overcomes his body dysphoria thanks to zenyatta’s guidance, genji regains confidence in his sexuality and becomes a giant flirt 2.0. polyamorous cyborg is much more respectful and less flighty in relationships than his younger self was. had a dragon tattoo mirroring hanzo’s own but in green down his right arm, before it got torn the fuck off. all that remains of his old body is bits of his face, his left arm, and a few vital organs. death by ryuu ga waga teki wo kurau. voted most likely to spew absolute filth in japanese around those he knows cannot speak it for kicks.

Hanzo: either bisexual with a slight female preference, or demi. thinks the team cowboy is hot hot hot, but has a much harder time coming to terms with his (gay) feelings than his brother does. has a friendship with satya based on their mutual appreciation for order and company in silence. his legs are prosthetic. voted most obnoxiously tidy room.

Junkrat: ?? gray asexual, probably. too preoccupied with blowing shit up to care much. when he isn’t blowing shit up, he actually puts in quite an effort to befriend his teammates, but to the point it is overbearing and invasive. voted most likely to lose more limbs by the end of the year.

Lúcio: bisexual, slight male preference. trans guy. became quick bffs with hana, who is his transitioning buddy. his lower half is partially prosthetic, with enhancements; unlike hanzo, synthetic pieces are built around his fleshy legs that allow him to not only walk but skate like a pro. also hangs around reinhardt a lot, but everyone loves reinhardt. voted most likely to disappear at night to satisfy a sweet tooth craving.

Mccree: bisexual. the otp with genji, established before recall. big on pet names and 100% shameless when it comes to using them in public. has a tattoo on his upper back from his deadlock days, which he now regrets. his relationship with reyes is complicated at best, largely thanks to gabriel having treated him much like a father would a son in his early recruit days. to say negative feelings have completely replaced any of appreciation and love would be a lie. still close to pharah and ana. voted most likely to whistle loudly in the shower.

Mei: bisexual or gay. probably gay. suffers from ptsd due to losing her friends in the cryostasis incident, just is, to her detriment, very good at hiding it behind a smile. has coping rituals to get by and generally gets along well with the recall team, but occasionally has to force herself to socialize. tracer, lúcio, and zarya have been particularly good at making this easier for her. voted most likely to describe memories in vivid detail like no one else can.

Mercy: bisexual. low on the angela hcs, but her hands are DIRTY, the pure angel persona is a lie. might’ve had a minor interest in ana romantically in her younger days, but never did anything about it. voted most likely to overwork herself.

Pharah: gay. thought she had a small crush on mccree when she was young, but came to realize she simply admired his confidence and companionship. has since formed a brother-sister relationship with him that’s lasted to present day. has complicated feelings toward mercy, namely, is Hella In Love with her while mercy felt more companionship with her mother in the older days, and sees fareeha like a sister. she wants to return the familial sentiment but just ends up sweating a lot and acting like a clumsy, lovesick fool. voted most likely to follow an insanely strict meal plan for health benefits.

Reaper: gay. gay and his relationship with morrison is so, so deliciously complicated. a great number of things fanned the fire that led to the incident at swiss HQ, and their personal (gaaay) relationship certainly didn’t help douse any flames. whatever happened, reyes was screwed just as much as jack, if not more. practically canon supported. voted most likely to have skull crushing thighs.

Reinhardt: straight. the otp with ana. the most affectionate partner out of all the heroes, hands down. will let you swing from his flexing biceps whether you are 4 or 40 and boisterously proclaim how he is loving every second of it. has a garden he tends to and harvests on base. fareeha’s adoptive father, but also kind of everyone’s adoptive grandfather. voted most likely to wake others with his snoring.

Roadhog: bisexual. has a natural talent for detail work, and can pick up just about any handicraft in a few attempts. if he isn’t blasting holes into things, he’s probably somewhere off in his own space sewing or baking. is polynesian, and can play a mean ukulele. vegetarian. voted most likely to liberate a herd of animals from the pound.

Soldier 76: bisexual. see: reaper. not a dad, but definitely team dad, likely against his will. i basically subscribe to the popular headcanon that jack was an overambitious golden poster boy in his younger years, and worked his ass off to get the respect and praise he thinks he deserves. things started to sour in overwatch before he was necessarily ready to deal with them or the position thrust upon him. voted most likely to say he won’t lift a finger for anyone who acts like a suicidal asshole in a skirmish, but ends up going above and beyond to save them if there’s trouble.

Sombra: gay. gets an absolute kick out of teasing/pissing everyone off. not even widowmaker is safe from her playful pestering, and honestly talon operatives must think she has a death wish because someone has ‘accidentally’ pointed a sniper rifle at her more than once. voted most likely to blackmail anyone’s ass into oblivion.

Symmetra: either gray asexual or aromantic. either way has an appreciative eye for the female form/femmes but is not interested in pursuing an actual relationship. has a friendship with hanzo based on their mutual appreciation for order and company in silence. she’s ocd and autistic, and likes winged things, such as birds and butterflies, but as something to be admired from afar rather than up close. voted best natural balance.

Torbjörn: straight. i don’t have a single torb headcanon that diverts from canon tbh. voted unexpectedly best dick game.

Tracer: CANON LESBIAN fully accepted into headcanon space, bless. also canonly fam with winston my tracer hc prayers have been answered. i don’t have much to add. voted most likely to be found napping randomly in strange places.

Widowmaker: doesn’t really have the emotional capacity for romance or sexuality since brainwashing, but thought she was straight pre-talon. ‘thought’ because she is actually bisexual, just never had a chance to explore that. still working on how her humanity eventually comes back to her. voted most likely to win a breath holding competition.

Winston: i draw the line at monkey shipping but him and tracer are great pals. voted most likely to binge watch future!netflix after a hard day and unintentionally empty out the entire kitchen by the second movie.

Zarya: gay as hell. the most she will ever admire about a man is his workout routine, and even then we know hers is more intense. has at some point arm wrestled everyone in overwatch and won. voted most likely to get hit by a truck and survive, with minimal injuries.

Zenyatta: asexual. i can’t seem to fit in any relationship that isn’t platonic for zen in my head space; he respects his brother mondatta deeply and genji as a friend and student. has an unexpectedly dry sense of humor and will deliver jokes in the flattest tone when it’s least expected. as a result, no one knows if he’s kidding or not and his punchlines are almost always followed by uncomfortable silence. voted most likely to be writing an epic in his spare time.

#hcs #tp #ovw #ive had this in drafts for months holy shit #old and unfinished but i might as well post it

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somewillwin · 4 years

Note

Did you post the open letter? Can you give me a link if it's still up? I'm sorry you had issues with the fandom. If i had a dollar for every time straight people told me to shut up, I'd be able to buy Pixelberry

Here it is! @priestess-of-light wrote it!

You just need to sign with your name at the end and send it. Or add more things if you think there is some things missing.

—-

Hello, this email is sent to you regarding the general mistreatment of WLW players that has been going for way too long and the mistreatment of female love interests.

First of all we are very concerned about this patron of pitting women against each other, it's very tiring being constantly pinned against each other perpetuating the idea that women are "jealous" about other women.

You are constantly favoring the male love interests, giving them way more diamond scenes, normal scenes, making it seem like they are always there to rescue MC and the most important part is that there's always more male love interests than female ones (e.g three male love interests versus one female love interest). Favoring these male characters have shown us how sidelined and forgotten the female love interests are, fewer interactions with them meaning that when we actually have a choice to be with them it feels rushed and no actual development has been made for us players to feel actual connection with them.

Lots of times the actual development we can have with the female love interest is behind a diamond scene (paywalled).

A lot of the female love interests are portrayed like just a sidekick and the one that always gives you clothes, that might look like borderline sexism since you are portraying them as nothing more than supporting characters instead of love interests that only catered to the main character with no real development as their own person (e.g Zoey on Queen B and Hana on The Royal Romance series).

You have made countless of pronouns mistakes when it's about the customizable love interests, making it seem like the default is always the male option.

The mistreatment of your WOC female love interest is really obvious. They are usually portrayed, as I mentioned before, as your sidekick and fashion advisor or are either portrayed like a "villain" (e.g Jackie on Open Heart and Mona on Ride-or-Die)

And lastly this is regarding your recent book My Two First Loves where the mistreatment of WLW players has been more obvious than ever. This book was promoted as a journey to explore sexuality, we haven't even had the choice to spend significant interactions with the supposedly female love interest, we haven't spend time with her that could introduce her route. Until now we have been forced to be torn between two males and recently forced to play into some sexual innuendos with them which can make women who romance women extremely uncomfortable. MC hasn't questioned her feelings nor her friendship with her so called best friend that hasn't even appeared much in the story. You should stop queerbaiting your WLW players when you have no intention on developing female love interests or making them just an afterthought. We deserve the same game experience as everybody else and not feel like we can't play certain books because they don't cater to women who romance women.

Thank you for your time, we wait for your response.

#gabi answers thing #playchoices

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lizzybeth1986 · 5 years

Note

Sorry for this XD, but 1, 4, 9, 11, 26 and 27 for the salty ask? If it's not too much, of course

Don't say sorry! 😁 Thanks for the ask Nonny and apologies for the delay.

I must caution you, the post is going to be long and and there's too much salt in my responses for even me to handle.

1. OTP in fandom that you just do not get.

IDK I most don't give much of a thought to OTPs that I don't get. Like that is the nature of any fandom, that you can see potential for ships even without a say-so from canon.

What I really don't get is the absurd double standards that I see sometimes - how some fans will pull down other LIs/characters to make a favourite look good, how some LIs will be nitpicked to high hell while others can say the grossest things and not be judged. How one character can be judged for the same thing we will admire in another (I'll get to this later).

It's weird, considering the app literally allows you to choose who you will fall for (unless you're wlw or like a character that's a person of colour in a majority-white cast, in which case they will dangle scraps in front of you once every ten chapters, I suppose). You don't need to trash one LI to justify your choice of another. They're there. Stop tearing down an LI while deliberately tagging the character's tag and ship tags for your notes. Go generate (and promote) content for your own ships and characters instead.

4. A personal NOTP? Are they considered an OTP in the fandom?

Hana x Madeleine. Fortunately, lots of people had plenty of problems with this pair and the way it was written in Book 3. The narrative was subtly pushing that ship over the course of Book 3, but the backlash was strong enough that they got Madeleine to issue an apology for her bullying in the epilogue instead (I doubt they even remember the chocolate allergy scene, given that the MC acts like this information is brand new).

It still left a bad taste in my mouth, because it showed me how little the writers cared for Hana as a character, but at least the fandom made sure it didn't become a ship.

9. Most Disliked Character(s):

Hoo boy. I have a freaking list. Besides the really really obvious ones:

• Drake Walker: has way more privilege than he knows what to do with. Narrative acts like he is the Voice of the Commoner...well. I feel sorry for the commoners that don't get to practically live in court without having to change their attire or yap all day about steak, burgers and whiskey. And whose sisters don't have friends that will fleece their entire ancestral house's already-plummeting finances to keep her house running while her brother trash-talks the same friend in Book 1.

• Damien Nazario: is a hypocrite. That is all.

• Constantine: Almost every apology of his has to come punctuated with an excuse. Even if it involves orchestrating sexual assault.

• Madeleine (TRR) and Mallory (RoE): The demonic duo of People PB Wants So Desperately For Me To Forgive™. Without them even having to earn that forgiveness, too (Nana deserves to be on this list too, except the question of forgiveness doesn't even arise when it comes to her. She is worshipped in this series!). I see a small step towards change in D&D Book 2 with Lady Grandmother, but only time will tell if they will actually execute the "will never forgive you" route properly.

• Penelope: is so, so fucking entitled I just can't. I understood how her condition, and manipulation from people like Constantine and Bastien, got her to the point where she would be ready to harm someone. But I can't for the life of me understand how she can forget this so easily after the tea party.

I was hoping for a redemption arc where Penelope recognizes what she's done and unconditionally tries to make amends in Book 3, but that never happened. There was not a single reference in Book 3 to the harm she did you in Book 1. We had to do an immense amount of coddling to convince her to come for the wedding, and there were consequences if you didn't call her your "best friend" or support her demands. The narrative has Drake Walker...Drake "Ambassadors Go To Dangerous Areas, Lady Kiara (So Get Over It)" Freaking Walker...reassure Penelope in a way that Kiara never gets from anyone in the group, and she suffered a knife attack. Ezekiel is literally created out of thin air as a reward for her.

Why does she need a reward again? Who knows.

• Ajay: Didn't apologize.

11. Unpopular Character that You Like that Fandom Doesn't.

(This is going to be loooong. I'm not sorry. This rant has been really, really building up. It's like a dam).

Kiara. It's popular to sorta kinda like her now, but back when she started showing feelings for Drake she got a lot of hate...hate that I feel bled into the treatment she got in the third book.

It took me a while to warm up to Kiara, but I think what did it for me was her friendship with Penelope. She was protective and supportive, even though she lacked an understanding of what Penelope was going through. I was even more pleasantly surprised when she spoke about her bond with Savannah. There was a warmth and a sweetness about Kiara in Book 2 that we didn't see much of in Book 1 and she slowly won me over. When they spoke about her injuries in Book 3, I was looking forward to seeing that story explored.

I will always maintain that Kiara in Book 3 is what happens when both the writing team and the louder, more vocal portion of the fandom are heartless towards a particular character. Heartless is a heavy word, and a word I don't want to be using willy-nilly, but I've seen enough to come to that conclusion in this case.

Kiara was often called an opportunist and a host of other names in the fandom for not supporting the MC through the scandal. Except that we all forget she never promised anything beyond supporting your claim to being picked as future Queen. She tells you straight off the bat in Book 1 that she is looking for allies and not friends (guess who is often admired for that mindset? Madeleine...well, until she harms Hana for flimsy reasons). Meanwhile we have Penelope being all adorable and happy and congratulating you knowing that you're going to be slut-shamed, humiliated and dragged out of court for a scandal she helped generate. Kiara on the other hand was honest. She wanted a job in the ministry and a bomb married life while she was at it. I'd rather have an ambitious (but won't abuse her power like Madeleine does) Kiara in my corner than a person who lies to my face about supporting me, does little more to help than just tell me who her boss was, then expects me to call her my best friend later.

Kiara had to only look at and flirt with Drake for people to hate on her. Meanwhile Olivia could spring an unwanted kiss on Liam in public, and the fandom would still be blaming Liam for not loving her back. In regular fandom content Kiara was mocked and sometimes suspected of having an illicit affair with Drake, in fanfic that featured her she was often either villainized, or written as the "other woman". Which is okay - fanfic is your own personal sandbox, after all - but it does highlight a pattern.

In canon...Kiara was made a survivor of a terrorist attack and nobody cared. Not the MC, not the country's king, not her closest friends, not the man who got injured at the same ball. It was bad enough that her parents were considering leaving the goddamn country (they should have). She was ignored in her own estate. The MC speaks to her not with sympathy and reassurances, but instead reminds her of her 'duty' and pressurizes her. (@callmetippytumbles illustrates this amazingly in her ask here, having Liam say "have a apple and buck up for Cordonia". No lie there. No lie there at all). All the 'sympathy' goes to a brother who has absolutely nothing to do with court.

She was suspected and interrogated at Lythikos. The MC has the option to be dismissive and to minimize - by labelling her "not as driven" - as Kiara literally pours her heart out about her trauma. Sample this:

(Ngl folks. Reading this was really, really triggering for me. I know exactly what it feels like to have my trauma dismissed like this. It doesn't feel great. Fuck you MC. Fuck you Drake. Fuck you TRR writers)

There are no consequences for doing this to her, btw. She still returns and she still fights at the boutique and she'll still speak very positively about you to her mother. I imagine if Joelle found out the truth of how the group really treated her daughter, she'd verbally destroy them and never support the kingdom again. And she'd be right not to.

On its own that scenario looks bad enough already, but when you hold it up next to how we treat the other ladies? Pure, stinking trash:

Madeleine: A diamond scene to console and encourage her, and all the right options are meant to support her to her parents. If you don't succeed in making her parents understand what she wants, you lose out on their support. There are consequences.

Penelope: A diamond scene to comfort and reassure her that they will not be like Madeleine. Immense coddling from the group. If you don't call her your best friend or altogether be nice and supportive to her, that negatively impacts the way Landon responds to you. AND I have heard that if her parents don't believe Penelope is safe with you, she doesn't even join the tour. There are consequences.

Kiara: No diamond scenes to even figure out how she is or what she thinks. A one-minute scene to convince (emotionally blackmail, actually) her to "do your duty", which will happen no matter which option, then a diamond option for her brother...who exists only because they want to give Penelope a reward for something I still cannot fathom. Her brother's response depends on his own issues and the presence of Penelope, and Hakim and Joelle's depend on what you do at the Festival. Kiara's situation of being an attack victim should have warranted the kind of coddling Penelope felt entitled to, yet when it comes right down to it her plight matters to literally no one.

In Lythikos no special diamond scenes for her either, just an interrogation. While we can choose to view Kiara as innocent in Chapter 11, her leaving is branded "suspicious" by both Drake and the MC by default the next chapter, and Maxwell literally says (disappointment writ large on his face) "jeez, that's one suspect off our list" after we're done. We go to her pretending to be her well-wishers, but in reality we're interrogating a traumatized woman, and not even ashamed when she trusts our untrustworthy asses with her secret.

You get the option to forget what happened to her (for which she rightfully slams you). You get the option to be a trauma-minimizing pile of steaming fecal matter (for which she doesn't slam you, even though she should). No matter what, Drake is your puppet and will agree with you, and you get away with all this. Drake stands there and minimizes her experiences with you, and shows zero remorse for putting an attack victim in that situation.

Like, it's actually quite shameful the more you think about it. Kiara was interrogated. After two traumatic experiences that at the very least should have her questioning whether we are worth her support at all. In a scenario that any fool would realise was at least scary to her if not altogether traumatizing. Madeleine and Penelope feel entitled to good treatment, Kiara has to make do with the crumbs we throw at her. She is never given a chance to speak of this as problematic, and the group never gets truly called out on their bullshit.

Even if you do pick the absolute nicest options...the fact remains that the MC, Duchess of Valtoria (and possible future Queen) and her group of influential friends, ignored the concerns a person who was badly injured at their event, pressurized her into showing support for them, didn't do jackshit to ensure her safety, suspected and questioned her when she rightfully withdrew public support, and dishonestly interrogated this traumatized woman, while still keeping the expectation that she support them. All without earning a shred of that support. They felt zero remorse, every last one of them, for putting her in that position.

Kiara not getting much attention isn't exactly a surprise. She has always been given the least focus among the ladies of the court and Book 3 wouldn't have been an exception...if they hadn't made her a victim of a terrorist attack!! Once they placed Kiara in that position, she deserved to have her concerns addressed, and addressed properly. What happened to her was a highlight of the failure of the security system at the palace and Royal Court, and to have that ignored while we had all the time in the world to address Madeleine's parents' petty family squabbles was disgusting. That there are absolutely no consequences for doing this to Kiara, while there are for not attending to Penelope or Madeleine's concerns, and it all ends with Kiara praising us to her mother, is disgusting. That the writers were more busy trying to backtrack on Driara and make the ship impossible to happen in canon, than on focusing on Kiara's own story in her own estate, is disgusting. And I cannot ignore that the latter decision sprung in a large part from the hate the fandom was spewing on Kiara for most of Book 2. The writers wouldn't have dared to do such a thing to Penelope, and it was clearly because there would be a backlash. They knew they could get away with insensitive writing for Kiara easier than they would with Penelope - and they did.

The other thing is this. Back in Books 2 and 3, loads of people in the fandom used to aggressively ship Liam and Olivia (to the point where he would be blamed for not returning her affections). Loads of people would also find excuses to hate on Kiara once she began to show she liked Drake. Nowadays, it's popular to state that "Olivia deserves better" (I'd be inclined to agree if it weren't for the way that argument is often framed. She deserves a man who loves her completely) - again, in a way that blames Liam for not returning her affections.

Yet, when people speak of Kiara's feelings being one-sided? Little to no blame for Drake there, even though he was rude or dismissive to her more than once (for me, personally, Lythikos was the last straw). Hardly a handful would say "Kiara deserves better than Drake". I can bet if Liam treated Olivia even half as poorly as Drake behaved with Kiara, we'd be bashing that man to the high heavens. I guess it's because it's Kiara who is the recipient of this kind of treatment that it matters to so few. I shouldn't be surprised.

26. Most shippable character?

Hayden xD Mostly because they're so much fun to customize, yet there's a very strong inner core there that does not change and that grounds the character.

27. Least shippable character?

I don't know. Nana?

#salty asks #ask me #trr kiara #anti drake walker #anti damien nazario #anti trr #anti the royal romance #anti trr penelope #anti trr madeleine #long post

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lizzybeth1986 · 6 years

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Quick Thoughts on Lazy Writing, aka "Look Look, We Got You An Asian Woman LI, Now Give Us A Medal Just For Making Her Exist".

• Yep. This is not going to be about Chapter 15. I don't think Chapter 15 is worth a fucking QT post. It does not deserve it, this book doesn't deserve it, this team does not deserve it, I'm not giving it one.

• This chapter is basically part-resolution-of-Hana's-arc and part-sex-scene-on-the-balcony. I'll probably write about the balcony scene when I resume writing essays. But as of now...I'm going to write about Hana. At least that way she'll get the focus that she deserves, and that PB is so unwilling to give her 😡 So if you think I've whined too much about Hana Lee, my dear readers, let me tell you this: you ain't seen nothing yet. Leave now while you can if Hana-rants aren't your thing.

• Basically - since I'm not going to do the usual chapter walkthrough this QT - I'll summarize what happens. Xinghai and Lorelai insist on taking away Hana's belongings despite protests from Hana and the MC. There is a diamond option to help her retrieve her black embroidered cheongsam, which is more precious to her than anything else because it holds memories of her grandmother. Afterwards you get ready for the lantern festival and spend majority of the chapter trying to get Hana's parents to give a positive statement, and eventually figure out that Rashad is the key to this. You convince him to accept Xinghai's proposal, Lorelai and Xinghai openly support you and make a half assed apology to Hana, everyone is happy and telling each other their wishes, and the diamond option to scandalize the entire country (...or not. You can go to the bedroom instead lol) with your LI pops up. It ends with Maxwell getting excited about hosting your bachelorette in Las Vegas (somehow I have a feeling the TRR writers never read RoE Book 2).

• Yep that's it. There really is nothing worth writing about in this chapter, because they didn't bother to nail the most important part of it: and that is Hana's story.

• That's all I'm going to talk about today. Hana.

• Hana. Hana. Hana Hana. Hana Hana Hana. HanaHanaHanaHanaHanaHana.

• Did I mention Hana?

• Title: Light the Night. Which is straightforward, it's a festival dedicated to lanterns and takes place around nighttime. Though IMO the title should really have been: The Number of Fucks Given About Hana Lee By Her Own Writers Is Equal To The Number of Times Anton Severus Makes An Appearance In This Chapter

•

...I just had to slip that in somewhere since there is no way I can ever make this statement unironically IRL 😢

•

This is the first of many statements Hana's parents make about her inability to survive on her own. She is a "delicate flower" that requires watchful care and tending, and the MC is the "weed", the kind that doesn't fit in - but also the kind that is tough and resilient and can survive all manners of things, that depends on itself. Lorelai's argument is that without them, or without a partner that meets their approval, Hana will have very few skills to take care of herself (whose fault is that, I wonder!)

This is something Hana is aware of, and has been highlighting on the few occasions that the people who right her remember that she is meant to be a well-rounded character (which isn't often). She has spoken about not knowing how to live without her parents (Book 2 Chapter 2), how she doesn't know if her skills will help her in the real world (Book 3 Chapter 5), how she isn't even aware who she is (Book 2 Chapter 9). Her character arc was meant to be about learning what her parents neglected to teach her in their mad rush to make her the perfect aristocratic wife, the perfect hostess. Except that, unfortunately, these narrative threads were picked up in fits and starts: implied at and alluded to but never satisfactorily explored.

I will come back to punch holes in Lorelai's arguments (echoed by Xinghai at the festival) later.

•

On the surface this looks like a nice story? It harks back to a dress we've seen before (the black-red-gold cheongsam she'd shown us in Shanghai, alongside a dress she'd made specially for us. She also wears it when she proposes to the MC in case she's the one you declare your love to), something we know she made and is important to her, and tells us more about her youth (the dress seems to have been made when she was "of age", since those measurements perfectly fit an adult Hana) and her family in China. But I have two major problems with this:

1. How many chapters has it been since this book started? 19 chapters in Book 1, another 19 in Book 2 and 15 at present. That makes it 53 whooping chapters.

FIFTY THREE CHAPTERS AND WE LEARN ABOUT HANA'S GRANDMOTHER, SOMEONE SHE WAS IMMENSELY CLOSE TO, ONLY NOW??? IT TAKES US FIFTY THREE FUCKING CHAPTERS FOR US TO GAIN ACCESS TO THIS PIECE OF PERSONAL HISTORY????

2. The second major problem lies in the scene itself. I'll get there.

• So I'll start first with the main components of this scene:

1. The MC and Hana choose an accomplice (Maxwell/Olivia).

2. The accomplice distracts Lorelai

3. Hana distracts an attendant while the MC grabs the dress, but not before almost getting caught by another attendant. They make a run for it and find themselves in a secret hideout.

4. Hana changes into her dress and is happy. If you're marrying her, this is where she and the MC kiss. But besides this there's very little distinction between how this scene plays out if you're her friend versus if you're her fiancée.

•

The Olivia option of the Lorelai-distracting-segment is perhaps my favourite moment in the scene and the only reason it could be even remotely worth playing. Not just for Olivia herself, but also as a reminder that while Hana and Olivia have made their peace with each other and know each others' strengths, they will never actually like each other...and that's okay. Olivia reverts to her bitchy Book 1 persona, hinting at Hana's failed engagement with Lord Peter and casting her in a less favourable light, and I especially love that Hana lets her emotions take over here. There's always been a palpable tension between the two (and often Olivia is the one more open about it, while Hana usually prefers to display diplomacy instead) and this is one of the few times Hana gets to be anything other than neutral or cheerful. She doesn't like what Olivia said, and she makes it clear at least to the MC.

•

Hana Lee, Queen of Awkward Flirting xD xD

• We take a turn that almost lands us in a room where Lorelai is still talking, narrowly escape the attendant chasing us to finally find ourselves in a secret passage with a hole in the wall, from where you could easy watch the sunset.

• Hana changes into her cheongsam.

Very pretty. Lots of flowers and butterflies form the patterning of this dress.

• Now this was the point where I thought we'd learn more about this dress. Or about her grandmother. Or about her life in Shanghai. SOMETHING.

• But no. We get a brief conversation about how hurt Hana is that her mother is intent on disowning her, and the MC convincing her she is stronger than she believes herself to be. Which is nice, but it sounds like a repeat of what's been said before.

• Do you remember that one diamond scene option in The Sophomore where the MC get to to grab Natasha's Loose Pins posters so she can't sabotage Kaitlyn's band? I liked it, it was funny and I liked the thrill of the chase in that scene. And that was exactly the focus of that scene: the chase. Kaitlyn had other scenes focusing on her equation with the band, her trust issues post Gutter Kittens and how she has learned from her mistakes since TF Book 3. It made sense to have a funny, silly scene that revolved not around Kaitlyn but around that chase instead.

Well, that's exactly the focus of this scene. The chase! The fact that time was running out! The wild rush to grab that cheongsam before Hana's mother could catch her! That's exactly all this scene was meant to be and that's exactly how it was written.

But there's a huge difference here. Hana is not Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn's arc about her sexuality and about her coming out was highlighted in detail. She was given subplots that made it clear how complicated a journey it was for her and she has a canon sexuality openly addressed in the books. Hell, TF Book 2 has her scream "I'M GAY" in a crowded bar to her childhood friend Arjun!

Kaitlyn is allowed to be a well-rounded, imperfect person, who trusts the wrong people and suffers the consequences in such a way that it reflects on her self-esteem in the next few books. She had plenty of scenes exploring all these aspects of her journey, so a funny, light scene like this one works in the larger context of Kaitlyn's story.

But this scene - for Hana - was supposed to be the culmination of her entire journey. You hear that? Her entire journey! It was supposed to be the point where she made it clear to both her parents that this was who she was and this was the life she preferred to live, take it or leave it. This scene was supposed to be a watershed moment for her, and this is what it comes to? A scene where Hana isn't even the focus? Where her story, her journey isn't even the focus??

• The grandmother story irks me to no end for another reason too. It was clearly not meant to be development for Hana. If it were, there would have been more in the diamond scene itself. They would have spent the secret hideout scene on a thorough exploration of Hana and her childhood, her growing up, what this woman was like. If it really were meant as development, we wouldn't be hearing about this grandmother now at the very end.

No. That little tidbit about Hana's grandmother was bait. It's fairly obvious that most of us who love her character are literally starved for information about her compared to, say, Drake and Liam (Maxwell isn't exactly treated all that well either). So they push in this little story so that her fans can buy this scene that isn't even worth two diamonds, forget fifteen.

• So now we've got Hana's cheongsam, that she can now wear to the lantern festival (for a girl who knows how to sew, and sew beautifully, Hana has remarkably few outfits of her own) it's time for us to get ready. In some glittery beaded blue number.

Is it just me or does the art team for TRR have a thing for armbands?

• So the main problem now is to reach out to, and convince, Hana's parents before they make their final statements to the press.

• Penelope and Kiara love the festival, Olivia and Madeleine don't altogether hate it. Yay?

• Kiara is the only one among the court ladies whose wishes we hear, which is a nice touch considering she's always been the one given the least attention in the books. The lantern rituals are apparently both about letting go of things that are holding you back in your life, and making wishes for the future. Kiara is letting go of her doubts and her fears for this tour, and wishing speed in her learning of Icelandic. Hakim uses his wish to speak about work, and he's not the only one. Rashad needs help with getting a deal finalized for the Sloan firm too!

• We now move to Xinghai and try to convince him, but it only leads to a realization that Hana's parents still want to secure a match for her with the two men she'd firmly stated she had no interest in. This is nothing new, but this argument of Xinghai - also something Lorelai stated earlier - is something I want to expand on:

1. I'm incredibly familiar with the first argument. I've had a largely restrictive childhood under a very traditional Indian family dynamic (your parents are close to God so obey them), and didn't have much opportunity to mingle outside my home. As I grew older my father began to get increasingly frustrated that I was "glued to your mother's dupatta" (scarf) and not independent enough. And he said this genuinely, unironically. It never occurred to either of my parents that they'd created an environment that made it hard for me to actually make my own decisions without feeling like I was doing something wrong.

Xinghai and Lorelai are right to some extent: I mean, Hana herself on certain occasions has questioned how useful her skills are in the real world, in a Cordonia that needs her to be decisive and firm. But that didn't happen in a vacuum, did it? Both of them leave out (or in fact, don't even recognize) a significant truth about Hana's lack of independence - they were, to a large extent, responsible for it. She is dependent because they brought her up that way. Because they never gave her space to work things out on her own and the one time she demanded that space, they viewed it as an insult rather than actually give her that chance. The moment you place that much pressure and those many restrictions on a child, you've lost the right to talk about her lack of independence as if it's something that is a part of her. It isn't. You put her in that position. Tbh, it irks me that Xinghai and Lorelai genuinely don't see the irony in their statements.

What Hana had was an immensely restrictive childhood, and perhaps if she didn't have the friend circle in Cordonia that she did, she would have struggled. Her kind of upbringing doesn't allow for real world skills (something Lorelai views as a negative when she says "people wouldn't have to be resilient if they stayed in their place to begin with") and she's never been allowed to view even her own personal feelings as a good thing! This goes beyond "taking responsibility for one's past and future". She's never been allowed a responsibility that doesn't involve her being forced into matches she has had zero interest in, and that seem to have higher benefits for her family than they do for her.

All in all, Hana's skills do not fully equip her for independent living, sure, but they both overlook their own role in her eventual inability to adjust if it comes to that.

2. What Xinghai says about trust going both ways. He misses the fact that she already did. She trusted them completely and did everything they told her to, often to her own detriment. The engagement to Lord Peter? That's the perfect example of this. It wasn't her fault that the match broke: she followed through with it no matter how uninterested she was in the man, to the point where when he asked her if she really loved him she couldn't open up and tell him how she really felt. Yet she was viewed as responsible for the breaking of that match - for doing everything she was expected to do - and left Shanghai viewing herself as a failure.

She's spent years trusting them, spent most of her young life perceiving their worldview as correct and wanting to do right by them! She's gone above and beyond when it comes to trusting and respecting her parents' judgement! Even at the cost of her own happiness! There is only so much any human being can take before they realize how messed up this manner of bringing a child up is.

But guess what. None of this is actually addressed properly in the book, because we never get a real insight into Hana's upbringing and the effect it has had on his with any kind of nuance.

• After Xinghai and Lorelai tell us that what they're planning for Hana is for her own good, and imply that either Neville (the man is still around, yes) or Rashad can prove to be advantageous for her and moreso for their family and business. Hana and the MC briefly agonize over this, and if the MC correctly names the firm that Rashad wants as a client (IDK what happens if she doesn't - TBH I was sleepwalking through this chapter and wasn't interested in seeing what the alternative was this time. Sorry guys) they work on convincing him to work with Xinghai in exchange for introducing him to a contact in this firm.

• The MC first gets to choose what she will let go of, then chooses what she wishes for. Once this is done, Hana's mother makes a statement in support of the MC, having spoken to Rashad and suddenly realizing that their daughter can thrive without their handholding. Emotional family reunion. Everyone is happy. Lorelai apologizes and Xinghai reveals his wish for Hana to be happy. The end.

• There you go guys. This is how it ends. That's the conclusion of Hana's entire character arc. The culmination of a journey that lasted three whole books involving Hana fighting to create an identity for herself...ends in her parents realizing she's useful on her own after all. After all this time, after so much conflict and stress and confusion...it all boils down to her parents still seeing her more as an asset than as a daughter.

Awesome message, TRR, awesome message. Now give me a moment while I vomit.

Allow me to elaborate. She is still worthy only if she facilitates Xinghai's deal with Rashad's firm, if they manage to gain an advantage even minus her alliance with a titled man. There is no real change. Not in Hana, not in her parents, not in their relationship. This conclusion is superficial and is a horrifically weak way to end Hana's overall arc.

• To sum up the rest of the chapter before I give you a broader insight into why this chapter pissed me off so much...there is an LI diamond scene and then Maxwell announces a bachelorette party in Vegas (why aren't they doing that in Cordonia? Cordonia clearly has a gambling hub and a pretty famous casino if one were to recall RoE).

• The LI diamond scenes are quite sweet - all the LIs get to speak about family and having children - and there is a lot of sweetness and tenderness in all of them from what I've seen of the screenshots. Had this chapter not ruined this book for me, I would probably appreciate it better? In any case, I might do a four-LI-breakdown-essay of this scene once I feel up to it. I'll be doing the same for the LI scenes at the Capitol, Lythikos and Valtoria. Eventually.

• The Hana-specific scenes in this book, however...I think I'll pass. We have had just three so far: Polo Playing at Portavira, Snow Angel Making at Lythikos and Hana's Cheongsam here at Valtoria. None of these scenes possess any depth or nuance, none of them say much about Hana that hasn't already been said, each of them are pale echoes of the scenes we have seen Liam and Drake getting. If you're going to give an LI three individual scenes in 15 chapters of a book, those scenes had better be excellent, detailed and nuanced in their characterization. If you're not ready to give us that...then what's the point, team TRR??? You could have either given us more scenes with tiny but substantial tidbits, or less scenes but with bigger opportunities to know her better. But something tells me that you don't care enough about this character or your LGBTQ audience enough to actually do the work.

• And this problem isn't restricted to Book 3 alone. Hana has been subject to lazy writing since Book 2. The groundwork laid for Hana in Book 1 was really good...but that's all it was: basic groundwork. No Hana stan should have to pat you in the back for laying a good foundation for that character, not when the other two established LIs had just as solid a foundation PLUS excellent buildup in subsequent books. And no Hana stan should have to thank you now for throwing only scraps their way.

• Hana's foundations in Book 1 lay in two areas: her sexuality and her complicated relationship with her family. Hers was the classic coming-out-of-the-closet story, and it was heavily implied that she was never really given the space to view herself as anything but "straight", that she'd been pressurized into pursuing men, that the experience of falling for the MC itself was immensely confusing for her (in her first confession scene, she couldn't even articulate her feelings - that was how confusing this experience was).

But her sexuality is hardly ever directly touched upon in the books beyond that (beyond a botched Facebook response from a Pixelberry employee who dubbed her as "bi if she is pursuing you and straight if she is pursuing the Prince" like WTF - and a post from one of the writers stating that the team sees her as "bisexual...but that is something she is still figuring out". However the books never really touches on this the way they did for Kaitlyn, and they really, really should have. They should have established her sexuality in no uncertain terms within canon).

However she identifies herself, Hana's struggles would still be important and valid, and she would still have major issues coming out to herself and her family. In this recent chapter, Lorelai's issues are aired as a class issue rather than on the level of sexuality, which is contradicted by the very fact that Hana was pushed to pursue men, make herself desirable to eligible men, assumed by her parents to only have an interest in men. Not only does canon tell us very little about her parents' views on her sexuality, they don't openly voice what she identifies as!

• Book 1, in fact, is the only book they seemed to have put in some effort, but as I have maintained earlier, I refuse to give them credit for that because what you give in the first book is the foundation of the character. It can only come to life if you build on that foundation in the next book, and the next. But Book 2? Lazy writing from the start. The revelation that Liam - not Madeleine - was responsible for Hana's return came from Drake's scene, not hers. In Italy when Liam and Drake had amazing character and background building scenes, Hana was stuck with scenes that were barely about her. At the beginning of the Paris chapters, she got one of the most lackluster scenes in the entire book (the fashion runway with Penelope). I suppose there must have been some backlash because they brought out two good scenes in the Paris section - the Patisserie scene and the Library scene, only to treat her later like a persona non grata in Shanghai. SHANGHAI. HANA'S OWN HOME.

• This point is incredibly important, because Shanghai was the only place that was home to an LI. The narrative at this place should have been centered around her. The stories and love legends should have been told by her. Her background should have been receiving focus like never before but it didn't. Shanghai only lasted two chapters (as opposed to Capri's 3 and Paris' 4) and neither of those chapters gave her enough focus besides the confrontation with Xinghai. The panda reserve scene revolved around Liam. The night market scene focused on the mending of Drake and Maxwell's relationship with Hana functioning as a mere mediator. Liam was the one who got to give us the lovely dragon koi legend, not Hana who actually lived in China. Hana's only diamond scene in Shanghai focused less on her and more on the trip to NY - and she didn't even appear in the first chapter in that city!! (the writers later came up with the excuse that Hana was emotionally drained after her confrontation with her parents...except that NOBODY in the story - not even the MC - gave a flying fuck about where or how she was or why she wasn't there).

• I bring up Book 2 mainly because it's important for us to understand that what the writers have been doing with Hana isn't just restricted to this book or this post hiatus period. It's been ongoing. She's been given lazy, half-baked writing for a majority of the series, and I cannot even count the "development" she got in Book 1 because those are only building blocks. If you don't develop a character beyond that, all that's really there is a hollow shell. Hana had the promise and the potential to be a truly well-developed character, and they made a shell out of her instead.

• And it's not like the TRR team is unable to write women. Case in point: Olivia Nevrakis. Olivia's character development has been consistent and well-written throughout the entire series. Not only are her background, motivations and emotional state constantly given attention, the narrative somehow ensures she gets good development even when the focus isn't on her.

For instance, Olivia takes a definite backseat in Book 2, and she's mostly relegated to either investigation work or slowly becoming part of the MC's inner circle. She doesn't have a presence in group scenes where Liam appears, and she doesn't have a single individual scene the way she did in Books 1 and 3. Still, she is given enough material to facilitate her growing relationship with the MC (if she so chooses) and the group. As Liam's alternate LI, parallels have been consistently drawn between her and the MC especially in Book 3. Her faith and belief in Liam is constantly highlighted as unwavering, and her trust in the MC takes a while but culminates eventually in Olivia sharing an important part of her family history with her first.

Olivia's growth from a wary cactus to someone who trusts you if you reach out to her enough, wouldn't have been half as convincing if she wasn't given that kind of development. But perhaps this is because Olivia - like Liam - is so involved in the larger plot of the books, whereas Hana exists mostly outside of the main plot.

• But you know WHO isn't exactly all that central to the main plot of the series but still gets great character development? DRAKE. It started slow, with Drake's first individual diamond scene coming in as late as Chapter 7 (which IMO makes sense, since they needed the MC to warm up to him first), but he was given a solid foundation in Book 1 that was built on in Book 2, and furnished with detailing in Book 3. His diamond scenes were mostly rich in character development and the book was consistent in their focus of him as well.

In Book 3, there is a marked difference between how he is written as an LI versus as a friend. While his overall arc was frustrating to some readers, it was built up pretty well and the conclusion to it (the duel) was written in such a way that it really felt like a vindication of sorts. The duel in fact had an added significance if the MC was his fiancée, because both are commoners who are being targeted by Neville for "rising above their station". There isn't a single scene of Drake's in Book 3 that doesn't explore his character in a detailed manner, or have two diametrically different scenes highlighting his LI/non-LI status.

How does the duel act as a game changer for Drake? He tells it to us himself: the duel was not just for his honour alone, but for every commoner a noble has slighted. For his family, for his sister, for his fiancée (if he is marrying the MC) or friend. It's poignant, dramatic, powerful as a culmination of Drake's journey. The conflict resolution of an arc should end with a bang, and Drake's really did.

• Hana on the other hand is a different story altogether. No matter what her relationship is with the MC in Book 3, she is mostly relegated to "best friend" status regardless. Her initial conflicts as a fiancée seemed to indicate she feared turning into her parents (Chapters 1 and 2) and it sounded really promising, but that characterization was dropped as soon as the Unity Tour kicked off. She is depicted worrying about how she will survive and contribute to Cordonia and whether her skills really equipped her for the outside world, but it is explored only in one character scene of hers, and very very superficially.

Unlike the duel scene for Drake, Hana's conflict-resolution scene this chapter falls flat and doesn't really mark much of a change. The only difference in her relationship with her parents' is that they see her as useful minus a man by her side now. Emphasis on useful. What kind of resolution is that? Does it have a great impact? Does it have any impact?

• Hana's treatment is marginally better only when you compare it to Maxwell's, who has had just one character scene so far, and who hasn't seen much significant development since the beginning of Book 3. Even though the team has mentioned that he was meant to be an LI from the beginning, the way he was written in the beginning and the way they write him now tells me otherwise.

But they don't have that excuse for Hana. Hana WAS a confirmed LI from the beginning. She WAS part of the original lineup. Which means they should have been working as hard on her as they did Liam and Drake. What excuse does the team have for not developing her properly??

• The problem here is clear: both Drake and Olivia are centered within the narratives that focus on their stories. When the focus comes to Paris in Book 2, or Lythikos in Book 3, they are front and center. Compared to that, how is Hana going to compete? At the points that the narrative should be focusing on her, she is given garbage in place of content and story. Even when the narrative is supposed to be about her relationship with her parents and her growth outside their influence, she is the least important person. She was the least important person in Shanghai, and she's now the least important person in this chapter that was supposed to showcase how far she has come from the nervous, underconfident girl we met in Book 1. It's even more infuriating when you take into account that she was meant to be the only female LI, that they

1. never planned to give people who wanted to romance a woman in TRR more than just this option, and

2. couldn't be bothered to follow through and do a decent job of the one option they had.

• I hate calling Hana a Mary Sue, because that wasn't at all what she originally was. She was indecisive, had low self esteem, didn't always enjoy the activities and skulls she was pressurized into learning. There was at least one occasion where she spoke of getting her way by failing...and now the same character is labelled a Mary Sue.

But you know what? There's a reason why she is addressed as such. A Mary Sue is a mark of lazy writing and poor characterization, used on characters that are made to appear perfect in lieu of real development. And while Hana started out a little flawed and confused and in need of guidance, she soon turned into this Ms Perfect who was talented in everything and received praises from everyone instead of an actual insight into her character.

• Hana is at a disadvantage on her own. She is the only LI among the four who was brought up elsewhere (in China), and who wasn't from familiar ground (America)/fictional places (Cordonia) for the writers. Her issues are very culture-specific, they rise out of a context. Not many people may relate to that straightaway so it is essential that her story is handled with a lot more care and nuance. She is a woman of colour who is in the closet, brought up (as is hinted) in a family that doesn't exactly view her sexuality as normal. This is how the Hana of Book 1 was written.

Then Book 2 happened, and the writers either realised they didn't know enough to write this story convincingly, or didn't care enough to do the research. I suspect it's a mix of both. Even so, they should have done some reading up, done some homework, tried to at least center this character around her own narrative. No one is asking for a thesis on society and norms in Shanghai - they're asking for some good background, some basic research, legends and stories that she must have grown up with, if that's what it takes to do justice to this character. If you're going to create a character so unfamiliar to this world and make her a love interest, you had better put in the work that story requires.

Otherwise stop. Stop branding yourself as LGBTQ friendly when most of your female LI fans have to make do with mere scraps, stop patting yourselves on the back for including women of colour in your books when you view them as nothing but tokens.

• I'm sure Liam and Drake sound more lucrative...popular...whatever...and that factors into the way they're being writen, but when the lone female LI consistently gets the short end of the stick, what do you expect? They write Hana (and many other female LIs) in such a way that they're almost set up to fail. At least a few players I have spoken to have highlighted how they went from liking Hana in Book 1 to hardly interested in her presence in Book 2. That change didn't occur out of nowhere: when the writers themselves don't write her with any amount of conviction, how do you expect the readers NOT to lose interest?

There have been a lot of improvements made in terms of readers' demands. Whether it involved the way LI scenes were written, or Liam's initial lack of romantic interactions in Book 3, or even how Kiara's PTSD was addressed. The one thing neglected every. single. time. was Hana. And I'm saying this because I've spoken and spoken and spoken about how little Hana is given and how much more she deserves, and things still haven't changed. I highly doubt they will at this point. It's too late now. Hana's arc is largely over, and her ending makes absolutely no sense when you compare it to the way her story was initially written. Had she had the kind of focus that, say, Drake has been having, we wouldn't have this rushed mess of a conclusion for her story.

• Tldr: Hana could reached her potential as a character. She could have been interesting, imperfect, inspiring. If her writers were actually bothered. But they aren't, so those of us who do love her are left wondering if we care about her more than the people who created her (yes we do). I'm tired, fam. I give up. I think I'm done with this book, and I don't think I can ever get back to loving it the way I used to.

#the royal romance #trr hana #hana x mc #hana lee #hana rant #trr quick thoughts #quick thoughts #i think i'm done with this book #long post

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