And that, kids, is the story of how the twin heroes of yunmeng met the twin jades of lan.
====
Pictured above: JC and WWX arriving at Gusu Skating Complex to participate in the annual Gusu Training Camp for the first time.
So a short note about Gusu Skating Complex - it is a full complex, equipped with facilities such as a running track, a gym, a pool, physiotherapy rooms, dance studios, etc. So the rule is that you should not be running in the Cloud Recesses Skating Hall, bc that area is for skating! if you need to do off-ice warmups, you can head down to the running track, or use one of the warm-up rooms next door. It is Gusu after all, everything has its place.
More figure skating AU here: (x)
K-NOVELS
Omniscient Reader (Line Webtoon) [2018]
중독: Yu Junghyuk/Kim Dokja
그분독자: Secretive Plotter/Kim Dokja
Lout of the Count’s Family (Tappytoon) [2018]
최케: Choi Han/Cale Henituse
알케: Alver Crossman/Cale Henituse
My S-Class Hunters (Line Webtoon) [2018]
윻윶: Han Yuhyun/Han Yujin
현윶: Sung Hyunjae/Han Yujin
Return of the Blossoming Blade (Line Webtoon) [2019]
백청: Baek Cheon/Cheongmyeong
당청: Tang Bo/Cheongmyeong
The Greatest Estate Developer* (Line Webtoon) [2019]
하비로이: Javier Asrahan/Kim Suho
I Woke Up as the Villain (Tapas) [2019]
도진유성: Kim Dojin/Choi Yuseong
When the Third Wheel Strikes Back (Line Webtoon) [2020]
세드예서: Cedric Riester/Jung Yeseo
지브예서: Jibril Diop/Jung Yeseo
Debut or Die (Tapas) [2021]
앟문: Seon Ahyeon/Park Moondae
큰문: Lee Sejin (Keun)/Park Moondae
윶문: Cha Eugene/Park Moondae
랩문: Kim Raebin/Park Moondae
엋문: Cheongryeo/Park Moondae
Beacon of Light in the Dark Sea [2022]
해량무현: Shin Haeryang/Park Moohyun
재희무현: Kim Jaehee/Park Moohyun
The Hunter of the Other World is Being Misunderstood [2023]
창호기려: Kang Changho/Kim Kiryeo
하성기려: Jeong Haseong/Kim Kiryeo
Black Badger [2023]
윤힐: Choi Yoon/Hildebert Talev
예힐: Lee Yehyun/Hildebert Talev
Got Dropped Into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work [2024]
샇룻: Baek Saheon/Kim Soleum
솔샇: Kim Soleum/Baek Saheon
잫솔: Lee Jaheon/Kim Soleum
블솔: Braun/Kim Soleum
WEBTOONS
Tower of God [2010]
쿤밤: Khun Aguero Agnes/The 25th Bam
Lookism [2014]
재열형석: Hong Jaeyeol/Park Hyungseok
No Home [2018]
은영해준: Baek Eunyoung/Goh Haejoon
Garbage Time [2019]
준상: Seong Junsu/Ki Sangho
뱅상: Park Byungchan/Ki Sangho
종상: Choi Jongsu/Ki Sangho
Special Civil Servant** [2024]
이든마루: Seonwoo Eden/Han Maru
*note: the MC has a canon relationship with another character.
**note: the MC has canon feelings for another character.
UPDATES
15/02/2025: filled in the pairings for Black Badger.
25/02/2025: added the KR name for Kim Dojin/Choi Yuseong.
Matchmaking was fun for Frankie Kaspbrak at first, but now it’s just boring.
Based on this fic by @beep-beep-sunny .
Full art below.
Domestic SenGen! 🍱🥢❤️
Sort of happening in the same universe as my FWB SenGen fanfic, I think? :3
I am into cooking recently and I was thinking maybe Gen is somehow capable in it too because he similized crafting manganese batteries to onigiri making! Well at least he should be able to make onigiri 😂
Can't believe Peter Griffin really tried it.
I just saw a guy declaring that Sasuke was abusive towards Sakura and that he doesn't deserve her... and now I want to implode because. What the hell.
First of all, Sasuke never wanted Sakura and that's something he made VERY clear to her.
The fact that she continued to pursue him shows the lack of respect she has for herself. Because she's not even trying to understand him as a person, she just loves (the idea of) him and wants to be with him, and after Sasuke makes it clear multiple times that that's not going to happen Sakura just starts to look stupid.
The fact that people call their relationship abusive has to be some kind of stupid joke. You're telling me that Sasuke trying to kill her after she tried to stab him in the back is abusive? That him not reciprocating her feelings and not being patient or kind after the tenth time is abusive? That him not treating her like his friend when they're enemies at war is abusive?
And I mean the relationship does seem abusive but from another perspective.
Who ignores the other's feelings and tries to make it about her all the time? Who ignores the other's decisions and goes on with her own actions? Who crosses the boundaries set by the other person multiple times? Who ignores the fact that the other is a independent person with a history and only tries to have him under her possession and tries to kill him when that option is no longer plausible? Mhhh.
Sasuke: I don't like you. I don't want you. What I want is for you to get away from me.
Sakura: I'm gonna try to chase you and declare my feelings over and over again hoping that my tears will convince you to stay with me.
Sasuke: Are you at least going to try to understand me as a person and my motives?
Sakura: Why would I do that? I just want to have you
Sasuke: ... Well that's not going to happen, and you're starting to irritate me.
Sakura: *tries to kill him*
Sasuke: *tries to kill her back*
Sakura: How is it possible that you care more about Naruto than me?!
Naruto: *Is worried that Sasuke is going to put himself in danger and ruin his life. Does his best to understand Sasuke's history and his motives. Cares immensely for him and tries to protect him at all costs. Understands that they both have a special connection and if the only way for them to be free from suffering is to die together then that's what they'll do.*
Sasuke: *The reason he wants to kill Naruto is because he is his greatest weakness. He loves him too much and he knows it. He knows that Naruto has the chance to stop him in his attempt to avenge his family. He does everything he can to protect Naruto from dying unless it is by his own hand and trying to kill him brings him great pain.*
Sakura: but I want youuu >:(
Something just occurred to me…I actually would challenge any Mlvn to tell me about a character motivation/internal conflict of Mike’s that does not revolve around El. What struggles does Mike as a person deal with throughout the series? When trying to build an effective, realistic, well-rounded character you can’t have their biggest fear be ‘loosing this particular person’ as Mlvns love to claim is Mike’s. As a writer you have to understand your character’s deepest desires and what drives them at their core, they cannot be purely motivated by an external force. A character such as that will feel hollow, boring and difficult to connect with. This is basic character development stuff.
Examples (simplified to get the point across):
For the whole show, El struggles with finding her place in a world where she feels fundamentally different
For most of the show, Will struggles with his sexuality and feeling like a ‘mistake’
Dustin in s2 deals with his self-esteem and understanding that he is good enough even if he doesn’t have a girl’s approval
Lucas in s4 wrestles with a desire to be popular and to ‘fit in’ which we see him overcome
Max in s4 deals with depression and the process of wishing to no longer be here to realising she actually wants to live
But…what about Mike? A brief Mlvn interpretation of everything he does through the show and why he does it:
S1: he saves and looks after El because he fell in love with her. He also looks for his friend Will.
S2: he is heartbroken because El is not with him anymore, and then madly in love again once she’s back.
S3: he has ups and downs with El because teen relationships are just like that, and then they get back together because they’re truly in love. He’s also too in love with his girlfriend to care about his old interests.
S4: he fights with El because all couples fight, and then rescues her from Nina while taking friendly advice from Will. Finally he confesses his love, which he didn’t do before because he’s terrified to lose her oh and he’s not good at feelings (but they won’t digger any deeper into that last one 🤐).
Like…yeah they acknowledge Mike also helps with the supernatural stuff, he’s smart and observant. He generally takes charge of the group and looks out for his friends, and (at least in earlier seasons) he’s the leader. But those are character traits. Everyone has them. (Max is sarcastic and kinda scary when she needs to be, Dustin can be cocky but is highly intelligent, Lucas is very headstrong and follows his own judgement, Will is sensitive and empathetic). I’m talking about character conflicts/journeys. Can they tell us what journey Mike has gone on as his own person???
And this, this is why lots and lots of people complain that Mike’s character revolves around El (especially since they started dating). This is why people say Mike is the Duffer’s self-insert and is just meant to be a blank slate relatable character. This is why Mlvns characterise him as El’s obsessed loser boyfriend. Because if you view the show through a Mlvn lens then yeah, Mike looks utterly two-dimensional with no drive other than screeching El El El when she’s in danger (sorry it had to be said).
The problem is when you try to dig into what Mike’s deeper motivations could possibly be, it gets very bad for Mlvn very fast:
‘Mike is scared to lose El because he’s worried she won’t need him’
Let’s detach El from that and figure out the root of this problem, what is really going on with Mike here (we already know but just for the sake of my point), because he is a character in his own right and this was a large focus of his story last season.
What do we know? Mike expressed feelings of worthlessness (‘I’m just some random nerd...’) and feelings of inferiority (…‘who got lucky superman landed on his doorstep’) in his relationship. He acknowledges that his and El’s relationship was fundamentally built on her just needing someone. Also, throughout the series we see Mike has a strong desire to help and serve and save those close to him, it’s who he is.
Mike is so clearly driven by a need to feel needed and fears being an unimportant nobody. He doesn’t think he’s special or useful next to El and it hurts him, his self-esteem is very, very low. But Mlvns never acknowledge that, because that would require admitting that a) Will’s words in the van showed he recognises & loves the Mike as the brave and inspiring leader he wants to be, and in doing so soothed Mike’s personal insecurities (because those do exist, and the talk wasn’t just ‘relationship advice’) and b) Mlvn’s relationship makes Mike feel shitty.
Another example:
Common Mlvn interpretation: ‘Mike was spending all his time with El in s3 because he’s in love with her and he is growing out of childish games’
What do we know? (1) Mike didn’t truly loose interest in DnD, he just neglected his interests when he got into a relationship, super healthy (2) He tries to act cool around El (‘Sorry that made me sound like a 7 year old’ / feigning disinterest in Dustin’s inventions) (3) When arguing with Will, Mike frames him getting a girlfriend as being the inevitable progression of life, the opposing choice from ‘sitting in his basement playing games’…but then he joins Hellfire in s4…as soon as El leaves. He didn’t truly believe anything he was saying to Will, he just can’t juggle being himself and having a gf simultaneously 😬.
Mike’s internal conflict here is clearly feeling like he has to grow up, and has to suppress his true identity in the name of achieving that. (And this continues somewhat into s4 with the fake, not-at-all-his-style Cali outfit in El’s fav colours). But again, understanding that requires understanding that Mlvn as a couple is not a safe space for Mike to be himself, and what Mlvns characterise as a normal teenage ups and downs is actually indicative of an unhealthy relationship.
Basically what I’m saying is it makes so, so much sense why Mike is one of the most disliked characters among the GA (aside from like the actual villains) and why he always ends up on those stupid lists. People are sick of him existing just to be El’s love interest. And that is not true in the slightest, but when you aren’t looking deeper than Mlvn…yeah it does look pretty bad, and I understand where they’re coming from. And as much as we say El is the one who Mlvns are obsessed with making everything about her boyfriend, the real victim of this treatment from them is Mike. Even his heart-to-hearts with Will are actually Mike thinking about El, apparently.
This is another reason why I’m so sure about Byler because Mike is essentially the original main character (aside from El I guess). I’m sorry but there’s no way he is the only one the writers managed to mess up this badly when they are capable of adding deeper personal development to characters who are much less central to the story. Even Finn himself said we’ve not been as personal with Mike recently but s5 will remedy that and people will be happy with his journey. The day Mlvns and GA are forced to look deeper at Mike’s personal internal conflict outside of how it relates to El is the day I will know peace 🙏🏽
Guardian + Reductress headlines, Weilan Edition - 3/?
[ID: 6 gifs from the cdrama Guardian with Reductress headlines laid overtop: Shen Wei looking in Zhao Yunlan’s fridge and flinching away from the smell, looking like he’s questioning his life choices while the headline reads, “Boyfriend ‘Extremely Sure’ Expired Milk Still Good”; Zhao Yunlan asking Shen Wei if he’s married or has a girlfriend with the headline reading “QUIZ: Are They Flirting or is it Just Tax Software Asking if You’re Single?”; Shen Wei, embarassed, letting go of Zhao Yunlan’s hand, who narrows his eyes in confusion, with text that reads “QUIZ: Did Your Souls Meet in a Past Life or Did You Match on Hinge 5 Years Ago?”; Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan in a cab, Shen Wei looks at Zhao Yunlan, then adjusts his position to be more comfortable for Zhao Yunlan to rest against, the headline reads “QUIZ: Should You Pause Your New Relationship or Accelerate It Way Past a Healthy Pace?”; Shen Wei putting a bowl of rice in front of Zhao Yunlan, the counter they’re sitting at full with dishes he’s cooked, the headline reads “How to Cook a Beautiful Meal For Your Partner Without Appearing Domestic”; Zhao Yunlan tearfully agreeing to the bet Shen Wei suggested and Shen Wei grinning back, on the verge of crying, while the headline reads “How to Comfort Your Partner Even Though Crying is Kinda Your Thing” /END ID]
dumbass trio of Gusu strikes again, ft. sensitive Jin-xiong.
Here's my piece for day 3: courting
Bonus, their pets, Lan Xichen's bunny "Bloodborn" on the left and Jiang Cheng's puppy "Sunshine" on the right~