F5K 2024 Letter

[miss_ingno]

Dear F5K creator,

My prompts are the same on here as in my sign-up, I've just added thoughts on characters and relationships, character guides, etc. in my letter :)

Also! I am open to treats of any medium :3

DNWs & Likes

General DNWs: breaking up requested ships, genderswap, anything related to cannibalism, body horror, graphic gore, zombies/undead, hanahaki, sickfic, permanent character death for requested characters (Deja Vu excepted), mundane AUs, setting change AUs, de-aging, incest;
nsfw DNWs: underage-under 16, watersports, scat, vore, sounding, enemas, fisting, ageplay, crossdressing, injured sex

General Likes:

• what ifs/canon divergences, alternate identity reveal, time travel (fix-it), canon aus where the canon setting remains,
• fluff, domesticity, banter, found family, family dynamics, friendship, developing & established relationships, intimacy,
• UST, misunderstandings, miscommunication, character conflict, conflict-rich dialogue, (emotional) hurt/comfort, secret identity, secrets and the slow reveals thereof,
• fealty & loyalty, devotion, protectiveness, protective possessiveness, mutual possessiveness, (public) claiming of some sort (jewelry, bitemarks, verbal, etc.)
• characters being competent at their jobs, Battle Couple, teamwork, nonverbal strategy communication,
• casefic, canon-style plots, mystery, action/adventure,
• outsider PoV, first/second PoV, epistolary, multimedia and experimental formats (fictional socmed, letters, snippets from history books, text books, mission reports, etc.) that fit the canon setting
• The intimacy of your lover being able to kill you but choosing not to: knife to the throat (for shaving or during a fight enemies-to-lovers style), human!partner being vulnerable in monster!partner's grasp, strong person who trusts no one being vulnerable with their partner, etc.

NSFW Likes: D/s, bondage, begging, enthusiastic consent, undernegotiated kink, kink negotiations, dirty talk, praise kink, happy sex/banter during sex, clothed sex, foreplay, aftercare, plot-relevant sex

Art Likes:

• monochrome, b&w with pop of colour, high contrast with few colours, (but really, any art style is welcome!)
• jewelry & flowers, swords! (and other character-appropriate weapons), fancy clothes,
• character poses that tell a story/embody the dynamic between characters, small intimacies (hand to cheek! fingers brushing! eyes meeting! back-to-back!), height difference where appropriate (or otherwise through environment)
• And I'm really, really into the styles of stained glass (so pretty! I love the mosaic colours and religious symbology of it), tarot cards (the levels of choosing a card meaning to fit the character, the pose, the details!), and tapestry (just, the historical vibes? Usually some sort of major event or conflict, depicting a story between characters? *_*)

Castlevania (Cartoon)

Fandom-specific DNWs:
Requested Genres: AU - Canon Divergence, Canon-Style Plot, Fix-it fic, Interpersonal Drama, Established Relationship, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Humor, Worldbuilding, Action/Adventure
Requested Ships: Alucard | Adrian Tepes/Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades, Alucard | Adrian Tepes & Trevor Belmont & Sypha Belnades

I really like the dynamic between these three, whether it's platonic or shippy. Their banter is fun, the way they tease each other and yet fall back in sync in battle, perfectly supporting each other and complimenting each other's fighting style is just gorgeous and gives me all the found family vibes.

As you can perhaps tell from my prompts, I have a fascination with how these three are perceived from the outside. Whether that's a random villager's perspective or someone who is supposed to be close to one of them, yet still isn't in on some crucial details (or learns them during the story) and the misunderstandings and mystery that arises from these circumstances are hilarious to me. Especially in the irony of a vampire and a vampire hunter being friends/lovers, and how outsiders would react to learning this with disbelief and shock :D

Alucard

What I love about Adrian is how his whole nature is a contradiction. He's an impossibility - a dhampir, Dracula's son and Dracula's vanquisher. He's neither entirely human nor vampire and doesn't quite fit into either world. He's powerful and full of arcane and future knowledge thanks to his father's library and his upbringing, yet he's still unbelievably young, too, having grown up faster than usual, appearing older than he is. He seems worldly and experienced, yet Sypha and Trevor are his first real friends.

His story is tragic, too, in that he loses his mother and father at the same time, and then is forced to fight his father to the death to stop him from destroying the world in his own grief. His entire world broke within that one event, and he didn't even have time to process that. I love how he's a snobby nerd when he gets to be himself, but also immature and vulnerable with his new partners.

And I'm a sucker (heh! pun intended) for the vulnerability in baring your neck to a vampire willingly, knowing what it means to surrender like that, and I think it would mean a lot to Adrian too, especially if it's Trevor baring his neck. Similarly, I love worldbuilding that shows some different vampiric mannerisms that Alucard shows around Trevor and Sypha but which they don't understand because it's alien to them (but he knows. He knows he's giving away how important they are to him, but it doesn't matter, because no one who would understand sees).

Trevor

I love how Trevor is a terrible Hero in the beginning, just a down-on-his-luck, foul-mouthed and filthy drunk. He's refused the call because fuck everything, he's lost everything including his will to live so what does it matter? Except it does bother him, actually, which is why he lets Alucard and Sypha convince him to fight after all. He's just a tangle of bad coping mechanisms and the world doesn't really offer him great incentives to get healthier ones.

I do like to think that he finds ways to process his own grief and sad backstory with Sypha and Adrian in different ways. With Alucard, it's easy because their story is one of parallels - they don't have to talk about it, or give it a name, it can be the implications between words and silences, a quiet understanding of late night watches and a silence that stretches for hours only to end with a semi-ironic "...good talk." Sypha, on the other hand, forces him to put his pain into words that makes it more real... but also naming his grief and tragedy and pain chips away at the power they hold over him, allows him to process bit by bit and cope just a little better in the morning. Just her presence and optimism makes Trevor want to be better, do better, and I love that about their dynamic. And I love that Trevor, ultimately, *wants* to get better, wants to save the world, even if he's grumpy about it.

Sypha

I love how much faith Sypha has in the prophecy that led her to Alucard and Trevor, that she's the optimist of the group. She's in many ways the moral center of the group. Where Trevor sees the worst of humanity, and Alucard wants to see the best but is just a little to predatory in his view, Sypha wants and sees the best in people. It can make her seem a bit naive, but I don't think it's quite that - she *chooses* to believe in good faith until proven otherwise, and she's been proven otherwise often enough, in the speaker caravans and her travels with her boys both. And yet, she refuses to let that leave her jaded.

Plus she's such a *nerd*, and I love how she geeks out with Alucard about history and the library and everything they know in various languages and the sources. The seeker traditions about passing knowledge on orally are such a delightful contradiction to her love for books and hunger for knowledge, and it gives her a good excuse for having a great memory and recall, being trained in the art.

I also love her temper, how she's truly a firebrand and runs hot and cold with those being her two elements. She's such a badass and genius with magic too (she grounded Dracula's castle!!) She's insanely powerful and skilled, and I love how a lot of time travel fics default to her somehow managing a spell or destroying a spell that keeps them trapped somewhere with the itsy bitsy side effect that they end up in the past. Whoops.

I'm open to fics in which Sypha is pregnant or Trephacard already has kids. Sypha and Trevor ~somehow (stasis spell? Time jump? Not turning them into vampires tho pls) surviving to Nocturne era and helping Alucard meddle with their descendants could also be fun, especially if oral tradition didn't pass on Alucard being part of their relationship.

Prompts:

• Time or dimensional travel that puts an established Trephacard face to face with a Dracula who still loves his son. I love the comedy and irony of Alucard and a Belmont being in love, and Dracula being forced to grapple with that. Plus I love Alucard getting protective, stepping between his father and his lovers. Ideally with a side of Sypha and Trevor being just as protective of Alucard('s feelings) and calling Dracula out on his bullshit.
• Similarly, time travelling!Trephacard running into Trevor's family in the past and having to hide that Alucard is a vampire (until he gets found out, then they're busy protecting him from knives and stakes and consecrated whips). Whether it's on the road where they share a camp or them stopping by the family home to warn them of the church's conspiracy to kill the Belmonts off
• AU where Lisa doesn't die and Alucard meets Sypha and Trevor during his travels. Getting together with a side of vampire politics, human "pets" and how Trevor being a Belmont vampire hunter plays into those dynamics
• AU where through future knowledge (Seekers?) the Belmonts get convinced they need to ally with Dracula for the survival of their family somehow (or maybe the survival of the human race by guaranteeing Dracula's family's safety?) and Trevor ends up Alucard's personal bodyguard turned lover.
• Trephacard travelling together fighting demons and vampires, either on their way to Dracula's castle or post-season 2. Having to hide from noisy villagers that they are a vampire/Belmont/speaker, and never quite knowing which of these identities will spark the villagers' anger (or worship, which can be even worse).

Crossover Fandom: Deja Vu x Time Engraver

Fandom-specific DNWs: using the Real People's full names, please stick to either stage names (Yoohyeon and Jiu respectively) for the characters or a title (e.g. The Betrayer and The Princess). Same goes for Time Engraver - please don't call the character by the actor's name.
Requested Genres: Interpersonal Drama, Mystery/Procedural, Action/Adventure, Humor, Worldbuilding, Canon-Style Plot
Requested Ships: Jiu (Deja Vu MV) & Yoohyeon (Deja Vu MV) & Time Engraver (L'Oreal "Time Engraver" Ads)
Links to Canon: Deja Vu MV (3:46 minutes) and Time Engraver 2019 (3:40 minutes) Time Engraver 2020 (6:28 minutes) commercials

Character Guide for Deja Vu

• Yoohyeon
• Jiu
• Sua - Siyeon - Dami
  - Handong - Gahyeon


• The two timelines: the one in which Jiu kills Yoohyeon
  
  the one in which Yoohyeon kills Jiu
  

I’m open to various interpretations! Is it a time loop? Parallel timelines? Visions of a future? Remembered memories of a past? Reincarnation?

What I primarily want from this crossover is time fuckery. Deja Vu has something going on with a time loop or parallel timelines or memories of different times, and the Time Engraver can stop and rewind time as part of his job of “engraving” scars and wrinkles and the like onto people. Maybe he can help Yoohyeon and Jiu solve their problems in an attempt to get their timeline “unstuck”?

Prompts:

• The Time Engraver notices that something is wrong with the flow of time in Deja Vu world. Maybe the engravings he put on the people within keep vanishing, maybe they turn up with different engravings than he remembers putting on them. He starts paying closer attention and realizes the world is stuck in a time loop/two parallel timelines got twisted up and need untangling. To leave it be would be dangerous – so he starts messing with the Deja Vu plot to solve things.
• The Time Engraver pulls Yoohyeon and/or Jiu into his workshop to work on them, but like Sunny | The Woman Who Doesn’t Smile (from the 2020 commercial) they are awake and aware or somewhat resistant to his magic. Maybe this is how the timeloop starts in Deja Vu – one or both of them learning time magic from the Engraver and trying to save the other from their fate.
• Yoohyeon or Jiu manage to reach out to the Time Engraver (pray to a god and the prayer ends up reaching him instead?) and request his help saving Jiu/Yoohyeon, since everything they’ve tried in the time loop always leads to the death of one of them. Or Jiu tries to find help fighting off the darkness that possesses Yoohyeon, believing the darkness at fault for the tragic ending.

Crossover Fandom: Detective L x Guardian

Fandom-specific DNWs:
Requested Genres: Interpersonal Drama, Mystery/Procedural, Action/Adventure, Humor, Worldbuilding, Canon-Style Plot
Requested Ships: Luo Fei (Detective L) & Zhao Yunlan (Guardian TV)

I would love for Zhao Yunlan to somehow end up in Luo Fei's era (portal gone wrong? Some Dixingren trying to buy time by getting the SID chief out of the way? The Hallows having Ideas about what Zhao Yunlan should do next?), and Luo Fei catching wind of the 'mystery man' suddenly appearing in his city. Bonus points if he correctly identifies Zhao Yunlan as a time traveller but (almost) no one believes him. Maybe they go solve a case together, and Luo Fei is equal parts delighted and disgruntled at ZYL keeping up with him/making his own leaps of logic without explaining them. Win Xiaoman and Ben Jieming are highly amused by the irony before realising the chaos potential. Heipaoshi can come portalling in to grab his errant boyfriend by the end of the adventure and give them a new mystery of supernatural powers to mull over ;)

Crossover Fandom: Grimm x Guardian

Fandom-specific DNWs:
Requested Genres: Interpersonal Drama, Mystery/Procedural, Action/Adventure, Humor, Worldbuilding, Canon-Style Plot
Requested Ships: Sean Renard (Grimm) & Zhao Yunlan (Guardian TV), Juliette Silverton (Grimm TV) & Zhu Hong (Guardian TV), Nick Burkhardt (Grimm TV) & Zhao Yunlan (Guardian TV), Sean Renard (Grimm TV) & Shen Wei (Guardian TV), Shen Wei (Guardian TV) & Rosalee Calvert (Grimm), Shen Wei (Guardian TV) & Nick Burkhardt (Grimm), Shen Wei (Guardian TV) & Juliette Silverton (Grimm)

Worldbuilding/Group ideas:

I'd be interested in either dimensional travel or same world fusion style crossover for this one! If you go with the latter, I'd be interested in how the worldbuilding would mesh: are Wesen an evolution descended off of Dixingren? Long lost Yashou cousins? The result of ancient Haixingren hooking up with either Dixingren or Yashou? Different for different Wesen? Having Professor Shen as the biology expert on dark energy speculate on how it happened with the resident Portland experts (Renard and/or Rosalee?) would be great fun.

Or maybe the SID picks up on dark energy readings in Portland due to the growing population of Wesen in the neighbourhood or Juliette's transformation into a Hexenbiest and subsequent power spike or some other Wesen plot - so they go check it out and discover/learn about Wesen.

Alternately, if the Guardian characters end up in Wesen world via dimensional travel, I'd love for them to hide what they truly are with Nick or Renard picking up on some suspicious secrecy vibes. Maybe Zhao Yunlan even convinces them into thinking he's Kehrseite-Kennschlichen and tricking the Portland crew into spilling enough information for him to piece together there's a subculture of powered beings here, too. Bonus points for Shen Wei's powers being revealed and spooking Monroe/Renard/Rosalee who know it's not a normal type of Wesen while Nick/Juliette are just like "cool, what type are you?"

On the reverse, if one of the Grimm characters (or more) ended up in Dragon City, I'd love for the SID to trip over them and trying to figure out what their powers are. Would Shen Wei be able to learn them? Are Blutbaden and Fuchsbau closer to Yashou, while Grimm and Hexen-/Zauberbiest are more like Dixingren? Maybe the SID suspect them for a case at first (maybe the people who caused the rift between the worlds are actually at fault, which just means our faves are in the wrong place at the wrong time).

Character & Character thoughts:

Sean Renard & Weilan: I think these would be fun in the way they'd try to talk circles around each other - ZYL leaning on the cop connection, while Shen Wei is in an important political position for his people similar to Renard being a Prince. Would they bond over navigating difficult conversational waters, or would the distrust be too high? Does Renard remind Weilan of Zhao Xinci or the Regent with his cold calculation? Does Renard try to woo them as allies for his side? Especially if he sees how powerful Shen Wei truly is? Can he tell, with his Zauberbiest senses?

Nick Burkhardt & Weilan: I think the parallels between Shen Wei and Nick as powerful but lonely figures in their communities who walk off the beaten path would be fun to explore, but also ZYL as the dutiful but rebellious cop and how that somewhat mirrors Nick's vigilante justice. I think these three would have a lot to talk about re: justice and duty and what is right vs wrong. Maybe Weilan can nudge Nick back on the right path after he starts losing sight of it slowly around season 3-4. Questions of morality and who deserves to be punished and how to deal with those that are not easy to capture and hold by the justice system feel natural for this exploration.

Shen Wei & Rosalee would likely bond over wanting to help people and swapping medicine recipes and tips. I can see them hitting it off with him as Professor Shen, too, talking about anatomy and Wesen biology and dark energy concepts.

Meanwhile, I could see Shen Wei & Juliette bond over how much fun they have with research. On the other hand, if this is Hexenbiest!Juliette, I could see Shen Wei being able to restrain her and help her find herself again as she's lashing out in pain, maybe even giving her a powerful opponent to lash out at to vent her anger until she breaks down. He'd offer her a way to put herself together again, but it's up to her to actual do the hard work required. Would he be ready to put her down if she chose wrong? Or take her away where she can't hurt innocents? Maybe he picks her up at the bar where she loses it in season 4 before the police can.

Similarly, I can see Zhu Hong & Juliette bond over learning to control their awakening abilities and what it means to be amongst humans but not human yourself. I feel like Zhu Hong could teach Juliette how to accept herself, having just gone through that hard work herself, while Juliette could show Zhu Hong to be her own woman outside of crushes and men. Maybe they'd grab drinks complaining about how oblivious the men in their lives are and how it hurts to not be the right person for them.

Prompts:

• Professor Shen is invited to Portland as a dark energy biology expert to solve a case
• Wesen are offspring of YOHE Haixingren/Dixingren couples
• the SID find dark energy readings in Portland and go to check it out
• ZYL social-engineers the Grimm crew into spilling the beans on Wesen

Crossover Fandom: Grimm x Harry Potter

Fandom-specific DNWs:
Requested Genres: Interpersonal Drama, Mystery/Procedural, Action/Adventure, Humor, Worldbuilding, Canon-Style Plot
Requested Ships: Hermione Granger (Harry Potter) & Rosalee Calvert (Grimm TV), Hermione Granger (Harry Potter) & Juliette Silverton (Grimm TV), Monroe (Grimm TV) & Sirius Black (Harry Potter)

I'd be interested in either dimensional travel or same world fusion style crossover for this one!

Prompts:

• Hermione comparing potions and ingredients with Rosalee in her apothecary, both of them trying to figure out why the other's work and how to adapt them for similar uses in their specialty (Wesen/witchcraft)
• Hermione being mistaken for a Hexenbiest who has iron control over her Woge
• Henrietta sending Hexenbiest!Juliette to Hermione for a last chance at a cure or learning control
• in an AU where Juliette coped better with the transformation, she and Hermione compare their different understanding of witchcraft and come up with new spells from their shared research
• Hermione is a friend of Rosalee's or Juliette's who gets dragged into Wesen plot by accident
• Monroe and Sirius meet while Sirius is on the run/got dropped into Grimm world via Veil, recognise each other as canines and (after possibly a pissing contest because instincts?) bond over werewolf/Blutbaden friends and struggles to live vegetarian

Crossover Fandom: Guardian x GYADL

Fandom-specific DNWs:
Requested Genres: Interpersonal Drama, Mystery/Procedural, Action/Adventure, Humor, Worldbuilding, Canon-Style Plot
Requested Ships: Luo Fusheng (GYADL) & Zhao Yunlan (Guardian TV)

• Weilan end up in Minguo era and get seperated - ZYL immediately finds trouble in the mob-ruled streets. Does LFS save him? Does ZYL impress him trying to sweet-talk his way out of trouble?
• ZYL joking that Shen Wei clearly had a secret love child in between him and Kunlun when he meets LFS
• LFS ends up bloody and injured in Dragon City's streets. ZYL finds him and brings him to a hospital/home (if LFS is awake enough to refuse a hospital for being tracked down reasons. Maybe ZYL assumes he's Dixingren?)

Descendants (Disney Movies)

Fandom-specific DNWs: focus on anything that happens in the 3rd movie (mentions are fine, pretending it never happened is also great)
Requested Genres: Canon-Style Plot, AU - Canon Divergence, Action/Adventure, Interpersonal Drama, Character Development, Getting Together, Established Relationship, Slice of Life, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Worldbuilding, Smut
Requested Ships: Jane/Uma, Jane & Gil & Harry Hook & Uma, Jane & Any Villain Kids, Jane & Carlos de Vil

Character Guide

Left: Uma, daughter of Ursula (The Little Mermaid) - Right: Jane, daughter of the Fairy Godmother (Cinderella, in the Descendants-verse she's the headmistress of Auradon High)


And here is one of the only times these two share screentime (THE only? I'd have to rewatch the movies to make sure, but I don't think they're on screen together in the same cut of DD2) Probably the only one they are seemingly next to each other, though!

Prompts:

• Jane appearing like a soft and easy target to any of the VKs, who try to trick her into doing stuff for them/unfair trades. Ideally ends with VKs realizing Jane really *is* just that kind and that's not as harshly punished in Auradon than on the Isle, with maybe a side of "maybe it should be cherished and protected?", while Jane learns to stand up for herself
• any of the other characters finding out that bad girl!Uma is dating goodie-two-shoes!wallflower!Jane
• Uma asking Jane out and Jane assuming it's on a dare/a pity date/a prank, but still saying yes
• Jane drunkenly confessing her crush to Carlos and swearing him to secrecy the next morning
• Uma assuming Jane keeps staring at her because she's gawking at the Sea Witch's daughter/scared of her/trying to keep an eye on her because surely she'll do something awful soon and confronting her about it, only to be taken aback by a flustered Jane blushing and asking her out
• Jane and Uma going to prom together with their very contrasting fashion styles (Jane all in high-neck, long-sleeved pastel blue dress barely showing skin? Uma with a more punk-rock pleather aesthetic? But feel free to ignore me and go wild!)
• Jane being assigned as the Auradon guide/mentor for Uma (possibly also Harry and Gil) and having to deal with their boundary pushing, trying to see what it takes for her to retaliate (with Jane learning to set boundaries and the VKs being impressed when she finally does draw the line)
• AU where Jane (pre DD1 or in between DD1 and DD2) gets stuck on the Isle and has to survive (by joining Uma's pirates?)

Jane/Uma

For me, this started as a crackship - which characters are so different from each other that no one would suspect they're dating? And then have their future selves show up and have the canon kids react to that reveal.

Somewhere along that journey, my brain really latched onto this ship. It makes so much sense. They complement each other so well, being near entirely opposites. Uma is brash, in your face, unapologetic about being a villain. She knows what she wants and won't hesitate to get it. Meanwhile, Jane is shy, a push-over and people-pleaser, barely knows what she wants for herself, and if she does, she doesn't dare speak up about it, in case it burdens the people around her. She's everyone's friend but no one is her friend (before Carlos. Ben tries, but he's busy and believes her when she says "It's fine.")

They could be so good for each other. For Uma, Jane gives her someone entirely lacking in deceit. Jane is earnest and genuinely kind without ulterior motive, which Uma (and the other VKs) are not used to (nor would they trust it at first, I don't think). Jane could teach her to open up, to make herself vulnerable and come out of the other end whole - give her a person she can *trust*. Because the only people Uma trusts is herself (and to some degree Harry, but even there she knows it's because she's top bitch; Harry is devoted to her and her trusted second in command but on the Isle showing weakness leads to betrayal. I think they too could learn to relax and allow their friendship to grow into something more outside of the Isle, but I'm degressing.) The last time Uma trusted someone to any degree she got betrayed (by Mal in the books), which is the way of the Isle and growing up in that environment shaped her.

On the other hand, Uma could teach Jane to stand up for herself. Once Jane earns her respect, she would be protective of her, as part of her crew. Uma pushes boundaries and takes advantage of anyone she perceives as weak, and likely would do so to a push-over like Jane in the beginning. But Jane can learn to set boundaries in this relationship, and it's important for her to grow a backbone - and when she does, Uma respects her all the more for it, which works in a feedback loop to make Jane more certain of standing her ground and holding her own opinions. She can learn saying "no" from and to Uma, and with Uma's backing to others (especially Mal lol).

Also, Uma is pretty powerful magically, having inherited Ursula's sea witchery (in DD2 she turns into the same giant half-kraken Ursula does in The Little Mermaid). Meanwhile, we don't really see Jane use magic, but Fairy Godmother's wand is a powerful tool everyone is fighting for in DD1 and it does make Jane at least half-fairy. I feel like she could be a good match for Uma with the right training or incentive :)

TL;DR they both have fascinating insecurities and trust issues, and their relationship could go either fantastic or fantastically wrong, depending on how willing they both are to work on it :D

Jane & Uma & Harry & Gil

I have so many Jane & Uma & Gil & Harry friendship feels - I want them to adopt the mousy lil wallflower! She'd work as a great addition to the group, in an almost similar function as Gil does (he's such a golden retriever puppy, ready to play attack dog when necessary, but generally good-natured and so, so loyal) and Jane would add a moral center to the group :D

Like, Harry's such a smug lil bastard boy, and he loves playing up the unhinged angle to keep his enemies and allies alike on the back foot. He's someone who pushes and pushes and doesn't take no for an answer. He takes, and takes, and that's such a terrible combination with Jane! Because Jane is a people-pleaser and a giver and so easily taken advantage of? There's no way Harry would respect her at first, not with that first impression. She's a push-over, and if Harry's interested in anything about her, it's to see just how far she'll let him push (which, imo, would be pretty far and until she reaches her breaking point, probably). The thing is, Harry doesn't care about a lot of people - his family to some degree, but which of these kids doesn't have parent issues?, Uma, Gil, and what Uma wants. In that sense, Harry is the hardest for Jane to win over: if Jane is what Uma wants, Harry will fold her into their little group, but that doesn't mean he has to like her. I do think though that with time these two could grow to understand each other, if they get to a point where Harry stops distrusting Jane (the last of these three VKs to do so, imo) and starts opening up. Probably after Jane opened up about a lot of things. In the meantime, however, he's going to be snide and mock her and prod at her boundaries to see if he can make her lash out (and be delighted if he actually manages to push her over that line!)

Gil is the easiest to win over, since he's a very easy-going sunshine boy. He's like a puppy who is happy to play with anyone who wants to play, and I think he would take to Jane immediately. He's not dumb or oblivious exactly (you can't be, growing up on the Isle) but he's happy to live in the moment? He doesn't have to worry about Jane attacking him since she's physically weaker and her magical status is unknown, but she doesn't use it regardless, so he knows he can fight her off if he has to. That allows him to relax, and he's probably the first to trust in her kindness and general sincerity. Besides, he has Uma and Harry to worry about others faking niceness, so he can have fun befriending Jane in the meantime. And I think Jane would find him good company to be around, once she realizes he's not like the other jocks she knows? He's no Chad Charming, and despite his impressive and intimidating physique, he's the least dangerous of this VKs trio. He's the least likely to hurt her emotionally, too.

And Uma... well. She needs to assert herself as the leader, and Jane wouldn't challenge that, which is a plus point in Uma's book. But Uma would probably be a bit manipulative and push at Jane's boundary to see what makes her tick (very similar to Harry in that way, but with a slightly different vibe?) Like all the VKs, she carries her own trauma from the Isle and its way of survival, and for Uma this is expressed in a need to be on top of everyone else and in control, to ensure her own freedom. She doesn't like being dependant on others, and I don't think she would trust Jane's kindness to be genuine (too used to seeing it as a trap or a trade). There's a lot of parallels between Uma and Mal, they're narrative mirrors, and I think some of Uma's early interactions with Jane would go similar to how Mal's went in DD1. But I also think Jane could challenge Uma in a way that is non-threatening and still forces Uma to face the consequences of her own behaviour. Possibly Uma would be so focussed on figuring out what Jane's hidden motive is that she doesn't realize they've gotten close and things have gotten real between them (and then Uma panics and backpedals and hurts Jane in the process, which is even worse because now Uma feels guilty and that's something she *shouldn't* feel, she's a villain ffs, she doesn't do guilt. But now she went and tricked herself into caring for this baffling girl, and well. Once Uma gets over herself, there's no one that can stop her from taking what she wants.

Jane & Carlos

I love Jane and Carlos' friendship, but I just don't see them as romantic. I love the idea that they tried dating to "fit in" with what society expects of them, but were both awkward about it and it took them a long while to break up because they were both scared to ruin their friendship. But when they did, they were so relieved! And I want them to encourage each other to chase their respective gay crushes (in my head, Jay and Uma). I think they both are very similar in their character type, in that they are shy and easily slip into the background of any friend group. They're both afraid to rock the boat and lose their friendships if they don't go with the flow, but have to learn to stand up for themselves and their opinions.

Background ships: I personally ship Jay/Carlos and Ben/Mal/Evie, with Uma & Harry & Gil being an inseparable trio and Jane & Carlos being gay besties

Granting You A Dreamlike Life

Fandom-specific DNWs: The spy plot towards the end of the series, please pretend none if it happened. Also, the (imo unearned) canon redemption of Xu Xingcheng, Hong dad, Lin dad, Duan Tianci, and Hong Family's 3iC
Requested Genres: AU - Canon Divergence, Fix-it fic, Mystery/Procedural, Slice of Life, Interpersonal Drama, Established Relationship, Action/Adventure, Hurt/Comfort
Requested Ships: Duan Tianying | Lin Ruomeng/Luo Fusheng, Duan Tianying | Lin Ruomeng & Hong Lan, Lin Qikai & Luo Fusheng & Xu Xingcheng, Hong Lan & Luo Fusheng

Prompts:

• Canon divergence where Luo Fusheng stays the Hong family's top enforcer or returns to that position once Hong Lan becomes head of the family. How do Luo Fusheng and Tianying deal with the tension between his sense of duty and her sense of what is right and wrong? Can she learn to see the grey areas and recognize that LFS is trying to do the right thing in his own way? How do Tianying and Hong Lan handle being important to Luo Fusheng with their on-going rivalry? How does Lin Qikai handle feeling protective of his little sister, his crush on Hong Lan, and the tense situation between those two and his best friend and blood brother? How do all of them deal with the corrupt police being led by their former friend, Xu Xingcheng?
• Hong Lan and Tianying growing from rivals to friendship (although I see Hong Lan as the bitchy, snippy friend while Tianying is tolerantly amused by her poisonous barbs because she's learned to see the truth behind them)
• Hong Lan growing out of her crush and into her responsibilities of head of the Hong family, making alliances with the Lin family and learning to use her starlet reputation to obfuscate her family's dealings. Luo Fusheng being her 2iC and supporting her, unquestionably loyal, protecting her from usurpers and assassins
• Tianying getting to use her martial arts skills to kick ass. Maybe she gets kidnapped as leverage against Luo Fusheng and/or the Hong family, some sort of plot trying to drive a wedge between LFS and Hong Lan (who is very public in her rivalry with Tianying). While LFS and Lin Qikai prepare to rescue her, she rescues herself by being clever and all her stage skills.

Duan Tianying/Luo Fusheng

I enjoy Luo Fusheng and Duan Tianying’s developing relationship, how they grow from the early misunderstandings and mistakes into each other’s greatest support. Having to work through the early mistakes and assumptions they made leads to a sturdier basis for their subsequent romantic relationship, imo. Tianying starts with understandable misgivings about Luo Fusheng and his job as a mafia enforcer, she takes him at the mask he presents to the world and has to learn how to peel those layers back. Luo Fusheng, meanwhile, is someone who will put everyone he cares about before himself, he will give everything he has and more to make the people in his life happy, but hides this behind a cavalier mask. Tianying is good for him, imo, because she sees beyond his pretense and can take care of the injured soul behind the mask, and Luo Fusheng can support her loyally and unequivocally without ever worrying about her letting him fall (unlike everyone else in his life :/) I love that her voice can bring him enough peace to fall asleep without nightmares, and that he's always willing to protect her.

And let's not kid ourselves, Luo Fusheng is a service sub and Duan Tianying would rise perfectly to the occasion of being his kind mistress. I love how Luo Fusheng/Tianying's relationship is one of mutual care and respect and protectiveness, especially in contrast to their relationship with other characters (especially for LFS, who is always there for everyone else in his life, but none of them are there for him, especially Lin Qikai and Xu Xingcheng).

Hong Lan & Luo Fusheng

I like the complicated relationship between these two. Having grown up as childhood friends, but with the inherent power imbalance of Luo Fusheng being slightly older, yet subserviant to the Hong family, while Hong Lan is the precious daughter of the family head... nevermind Hong Lan's crush on Luo Fusheng and her selfish desire to own him, disregarding his feelings on the matter entirely, even as she is engaged to his then-best friend. Luo Fusheng never considers her as more than a sister he loves to spoil during canon, and this clearly frustrates her when she wants to be seen as a grown-up woman in her own right. All the more frustrating when she figures out that Luo Fusheng is crushing on Duan Tianying, a nobody (or so everybody thinks at first) who also has her fiancé wrapped around her little finger (not that Hong Lan minds about that, she has zero interest in marrying Xu Xingcheng).

I would love for the relationship between LFS und Hong Lan, whether platonic or romantic, to develop further from where the show left off. Hong Lan growing up, taking responsibility for her family after her father's death and learning to lead, learning to consider other people's needs - and Luo Fusheng, loyal Luo Fusheng, respecting her as the family head and helping her keep the family afloat and through these new dynamic realizing she's grown up from the little girl she once was (probably helped by the fact that she's no longer focussed day-in day-out in convincing him to date her).

Hong Lan & Duan Tianying

I like the rivalry between Hong Lan and Tianying. I would love for them to develop a friendship from there, or at least an appreciation and understanding. I like how condescending Hong Lan is, how much she abuses her power over Tianying, especially when she’s later forced to acknowledge Tianying after the Lin Ruomeng reveal as an equal. Anything that forces them into rival roles in their careers as actresses or puts Tianying in a technically dicey position due to Hong Lan being the heiress of the Hong mafia family is great fun to explore, especially since Tianying doesn't let Hong Lan's tantrums impress her and forces Hong Lan to treat her as an equal.

I would love any fic that focusses on Hong Lan growing into and taking responsibility as the head of the Hong family after her father’s death, and how that affects her relationship to Tianying/Luo Fusheng. E.g. taking LFS back in as second-in-command and giving her blessing for him to marry Lin Ruomeng – what would lead her to something like that?

Lin Qikai & Luo Fusheng & Xu Xingcheng

I love how mismatched the friendship between LFS and XXC is. Especially XXC's obliviousness to LFS’s unquestioning loyalty to his friends (including XXCI) and the tragedy of his accusations that LFS betrays him when the opposite is true: XXC always puts himself first, and LFS does everything in his power to put his loved ones first. I like how selfish and spoilt XXC is as an antagonist, and I would love for the narrative to highlight the contrast of their selfish vs selfless actions. Despite "competing" for Tianying's affection, LFS surrenders when Tianying chooses because he wants XXC to be happy (and if you go with the headcanon that they are ex-boyfriends or at least fooled around before, with LFS's heart maybe more in it than XXC... well. That hurts extra good, imo).

Meanwhile XXC insists on blaming LFS for the consequences of his own actions and "stealing" Tianying from him, when he drove Tianying off by stepping all over her boundaries and not respecting her. He never acknowledges all the sacrifices LFS makes for him (even helping him out to escape from Commissioner Xu who leads the corrupt police and could easily punish LFS for these infractions). He doesn't even *thank* LFS for all the risks he takes, to the point of taking those risks lightly. I will never forgive XXC for not going straight home after the doctor exams which LFS risked his neck for to get him there, instead running off to fool around and leaving LFS to face his dad's temper, then turning around and blaming LFS for getting caught.

And Lin Qikai does the same! He constantly blames the entire conflict on LFS, when it's XXC who is acting the spoilt brat and throwing a tantrum. Lin Qikai is supposed to be the eldest and wisest of these three sworn borthers, but noooo. I would love for him to apologize to LFS for putting the onus of saving their brotherhood and friendships all on him and acknowledge that it's XXC's obsessiveness that got them into these tensions. (A fact he funnily enough only acknowledges in canon when Tianying turns out to be his missing little sister, and it's suddenly not just "some girl" these two are fighting over - and suddenly Tianying's opinions carry weight. Like her insistence that she doesn't want nothing from XXC and is choosing LFS because she loves him. Ahem.)

LFS would probably forgive both of them way too easily because he also blames himself first, self-sacrificial idiot that he is *grumbles*

Grimm (TV)

Fandom-specific DNWs: re zombies/undead: please keep descriptions/depictions of the Hexen-/Zauberbiest Woge non-graphic/-detailed (see: body horror/gore DNW)
Requested Genres: Canon-Style Plot, AU - Canon Divergence, Fix-it fic, Worldbuilding, Character Development, Interpersonal Drama, Established Relationship, Getting Together, Mystery/Procedural, Action/Adventure, Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Humor
Requested Ships: Nick Burkhardt/Sean Renard/Juliette Silverton, Rosalee Calvert & Juliette Silverton, Adalind Schade & Juliette Silverton, Elizabeth Lascelles & Catherine Schade & Henrietta, Character: Juliette Silverton

Prompts:

• Juliette finding out about the Wesen world during the Seltenvogel case: I love how invested she was and how well she worked together with Nick to protect the Seltenvogel, even without being in the know. What if she followed him earlier? What if the Seltenvogel gave too much away for Nick to brush off? What if she saw something she shouldn't have and Nick is forced to tell her?
• Canon AU in which Nick and Renard have/had a fling pre-canon, before Renard becomes Nick's boss. I would love for some Unresolved Emotional Tension between Renard's emotional unavailability due to trust issues and Nick trying to 'forget' about his crush, mutual pining, "it was just sex" but actually there were feelings involved denial. Maybe they agreed to end it when Renard was promoted to captain?
• Any and all getting together romances, especially for Nick/Sean/Juliette as a triad after having had relations between the three in pairs. Working through their issues and learning to communicate and trust and working together as a power triad of Prince, Grimm and artificial Hexenbiest.
• Casefic! I'm especially fascinated by the misunderstood predator Wesen types where everyone assumes they're the perp, when it's a supposedly harmless prey Wesen using them as a scapegoat, or Nick & co having to face their prejudices when it turns out the predator Wesen is dating the prey Wesen for entirely harmless, normal reasons instead of being an abusive asshole to them.
• Casefic where Renard's hand is forced and Nick gets suspended (possibly for being suspected as the murderer in a vigilante style case?) and no one is happy about it and everyone works together to clear his name and save the day
• Wesen politics and how the characters fit into it, especially Renard as Prince of Portland but also a bastard and Zauberbiest, Nick as the friendly Grimm not working for a Royal exactly (or is he?), the Blutbaden working for a Grimm, the Kehrseite-Schlich-Kennen (Hank) who is so involved with a world he can't see or know, Juliette as either the Grimm's Kehrseite girlfriend or the artificial and overpowered Hexenbiest, etc.
• For OT3 in particular: I love plots where an Outsider mistakes a happy poly situation for cheating (catching Sean/Juliette or Nick/Renard at it) and then struggles with the dilemma of how to tell the third party about it :3
• Renard teaching Juliette how to handle her Hexenbiest instincts and teaching Nick what is natural to a Hexen-/Zauberbiest, which leads to Nick facing some uncomfortable truths about his captain and assumptions, but also becoming curious and growing closer to him (and Juliette again). Juliette writing notes in Nick's Grimmoires or writing a guideline to How To Hexenbiest for future generations?
• How do Hexenbiests learn and teach? Do they form covens? Henrietta and Elizabeth are known friends, and Catherine is an ally of Sean's but she's someone he slept with and not a friend of his mother - how do they think of each other? Is Catherine the youngest of the three older Hexenbiests, despite looking the oldest? Do more powerful Hexenbiests simply age more slowly?

Nick Burkhardt

I really like how Nick is a Good Guy with Morals, someone who takes the oath of protecting the innocent seriously and believes in the judicial process and justice of the system—and I love how all of it gets challenged by the existence of Wesen and how they can't always be prosecuted like normal criminals. Nick's development is fascinating as he tries to balance his morals against these new limitations, as he tries to be different than his ancestors. Sometimes he still slips up, lets himself be guided by assumptions and prejudice. He has the potential to go dark, especially when he stops thinking, when he's hurting, when it's personal. It's his connections, his friends who pull him back from that brink. Nick handles himself best when he's part of a team, yet he tends towards trying to lone wolf it again and again.

A tendency Juliette could really help with, if only he told her earlier. What does it take for Nick to tell Juliette? Monroe constantly reinforces the secret-keeping and his Aunt suggested he should break up with her, which he clearly doesn't want. But Juliette is right to reject him for said secret-keeping too when he proposes marriage. When he finally tells her, he's an emotional, incoherent mess, panicking because he knows Adalind did something, and tells her in the worst way possible—and then learns the wrong lesson from it and decides to keep it from her /again/.

Other then that, I live for the times a new Wesen realizes Nick is a Grimm, both when Nick leans into the intimidation factor to find out important clues or when Nick reassures the Wesen that he's Not Like That. The Eisbiber clan and their acceptance of Nick as an ally was one of the highlights of the early seasons for me.

Juliette Silverton

Juliette is my blorbo! I love how she gets dragged into the Wesen world and how she tries to figure things out despite Nick doing his best to keep her in the dark. Her analysis of Big Foot's hair was the perfect moment for him to come clean, and yet. Juliette is suspicious and scientific and empathic, and I love the few moments she works with Nick (e.g. during the Seltenvogel case). They make for a great team when they're on the same page, and it's a shame the show didn't explore that more. I'm convinced that if Nick told her earlier, during one of those moments were Juliette's suspicions were high and she was already thinking along the lines of the unnatural, the reveal would have gone over more smoothly than as Nick was panicking and being extra weird about a simple cat scratch.

Her interactions with their Wesen neighbours while she's not in the know are hilarious, and I love how she immediately starts investigating when Nick doesn't provide satisfying answers. The dynamics of the Wesen interacting with Juliette, the girlfriend of the infamous Grimm, when she’s not in the know but *they* don’t know that are frankly hilarious to me.

I want canon divergences in which Juliette copes better with her transformation into a Hexenbiest, where she learns control and how to navigate the complicated politics of the Wesen world. There's a lot of worldbuilding opportunities there, in how Hexenbiests are feared by other Wesen. I would an exploration of how the Wesen neighbourhood reacts to her new power and how Juliette deals with this shift in perception - she's already gone through the "everyone fears Nick for some weird reason" phase, but now it's directed at her? And Outsider PoV on a Grimm dating/engaged to a Hexenbiest would also be fascinating!

Alternatively, what if she'd been a natural Hexenbiest who had her power suppressed? Or she travels back in time and stays a Hexenbiest while Nick is still new to being a Grimm and hasn't the associated trauma that complicates his acceptance of her new status? Can she learn to forgive him for how the other Nick reacted to her transformation?

Sean Renard

Renard is a /fascinating/ character. We're introduced to him as an antagonist, and he never quite shakes off that label. He works to protect Nick, but keeps him in the dark about a lot of stuff. He wants, needs Nick's support, but with his upbringing he doesn't trust enough to just ask. He actively works against Nick's interests, too, ordering Aunt Marie killed and having Adalind seduce Hank.

Having grown up an unwanted Royal bastard, but also not a full Zauberbiest must have been difficult for Sean. He had to learn at a young age to control himself, and that restraint is so absolute he even manages to resist the compulsion towards Juliette. The loss of control in that arc was something that clearly worried him and he fought against as well as he could. Renard doesn't trust easy (does he even trust anyone, truly?), another interesting side effect of his upbringing and place in the world. Even when he takes lovers he's always ready for them to betray him.

How does his reign as Prince work? I'd love to see him juggling handling traitors, strongarming Wesen into his service or into owing him favours, calling in favours, working against his brother's schemes, keeping Portland seperate and independant from the Royalty over in Europe. Especially interested in how a Grimm figures into his plans! Or an unexpectedly powerful Hexenbiest ;)

Nick/Sean/Juliette

All of their dynamics are sooo good!

Nick and Juliette have a really solid relationship at the start of the show. Every moment of domesticity is a great moment - I love their banter, and how Juliette knows when she needs to push Nick, and that Nick tells her details like that a case is getting to him. Juliette is the most supportive girlfriend ever, and when she's doing research is some of the best moments. Like when she offers to look into Nick's parents' deaths for him, because Nick is too busy/emotionally compromised to do it himself. But she's also clever and curious in her own right, see how she takes the Big Foot's hair into the lab. Really, if Nick had told her then, things might've gone very different. She's not a push-over either, calling Nick out on his secret-keeping during his proposal and when she's amnesiac and Nick *still* isn't telling her the truth about Wesen. She knows her worth.

Juliette and Renard have incredible chemistry on screen. The entire obsession arc was such a highlight for me, the way they fought the compulsion and desire. I like to think that the attraction lingers after the curse is broken, too. And the fact that Juliette seeks Renard out for help when she's turned into a Hexenbiest is *chefs kiss*. I mean, she calls him Sean! This is so important to me, y'all *heart eyes*

Nick and Renard then have this interesting tension. Renard protects Nick as best as he can when he's still fumbling in the dark of this new world, trying to take care of Reapers and the like using police resources, but not warning him. At the same time, Renard is the one who put a hit out on Aunt Marie and who ordered Adalind to seduce Hank to get to Nick. They don't trust each other, not exactly, but they work great together regardless. Renard goes through a Whole Process to purify himself so he can wake up Juliette, just because he wants to keep Nick on his side, but he doesn't tell him until he's forced to. The confrontation at the cabin was amazing and summarizes a lot of this tension. I'd love to see them at this point where neither is quite sure what the other will do or having overcome this phase and having found a common ground they agree on, some sort of understanding between them.

The three of them create a fascinating triangle with those facets. It could work out well with Renard more willing to tell Juliette the answers she seeks and a calming, restraining presence on Nick's worse impulses (as long as Nick allows this). Adding Renard would smooth the issues of the Nick/Juliette relationship out to a point where they could communicate better; while what's keeping Juliette/Renard apart is the monogamy commitment between Nick/Juliette in early seasons (and a lot of preoccupation with the relevant plot in later seasons). For Nick/Renard to work, Nick needs to decide to trust Renard, and Renard needs to be able to trust Nick to be more vulnerable and honest with him - this is true regardless of Juliette's involvement, but I think Juliette would ease that tension for them.

Adalind & Juliette:

I love how these two are set up as rivals. At first Adalind had the advantage, having powers and being in the know. But Juliette, even Kehrseite! Juliette is far from helpless. Over the course of the show these two keep hurting each other, Juliette having a grudge for all Adalind did to her (the coma & memory loss curse, raping Nick pretending to be her, which eventually leads to Juliette becoming a Hexenbiest) and being justifiably pissed. Similarly, Juliette was part of the conspiracy to keep Diana from Adalind, so Adalind starting from then has good reasons to be angry, too. I think if all that history wasn't between them, they would get along at least somewhat—neither of them would put up with the other's bullshit and they'd be too blunt and catty with each other. I can't quite see them as friends, but maybe somewhat friendly rivals? Rival acquaintances? I think if they were forced into close quarters (e.g. by Nick sharing custody over Kelly but staying with Juliette, or maybe sharing an enemy/goal) their dynamic and tension would be fun. They also seem to have the same taste in men, having both slept with Nick and Renard respectively.

Elisabeth Lascelles & Catherine Schade & Henrietta

I love the idea of Hexenbiest Covens! Any worldbuilding in that regard wouzbe great.

That said, I've gotten the impression that while Catherine is the youngest of these three (and used to sleep with Renard?) she's also the least powerful. I would love an exploration how power relates to the lack of aging with Elisabeth and Henrietta: do they have to go through regular rituals? Just age slower? What's the prize they pay for beauty?

Henrietta and Elisabeth are friends, and Henrietta helped Elisabeth and Sean flee the Royals. How did that come about? What happened during that time? Did Henrietta send Catherine to live in Portland nearby to support Sean and keep an eye on him?

镇魂 | Guardian

Fandom-specific DNWs: Shen Wei being naive/unaware of politics, Shen Wei giving up his role as HPS or Professor Shen
Requested Genres: AU - Canon Divergence, Fantasy, Canon-Style Plot, Established Relationship, Getting Together, Mystery/Procedural, Interpersonal Drama, Character Development, Fix-it fic, Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Action/Adventure
Requested Ships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan/Zhu Hong, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & Zhu Hong, Shen Wei & Zhu Hong, Zhao Yunlan & Zhu Hong, Character: Zhu Hong, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan & Da Qing

Prompts:

• Zhu Hong dealing with her unrequited crush by focussing on work, training to kick ass (and totally not to impress Zhao Yunlan), learning to move on
• Zhu Hong being forced to crash the Weilan relationship by outside forces (e.g. sex pollen via Yashou concoction or Dixingren power, some sort of curse, a Treaty subclause) aimed at either Shen Wei or ZYL, through much angst and Zhu Hong internally struggling with knowing she's the intruder and not a beloved partner, finding some triad arrangement which eventually turns into genuine three-way love
• Weilanhong within the time loop: Zhu Hong travelling with ZYL back to YOHE & Shen Wei knowing they're dating, not wanting to intrude but slowly joining them vs he meets them again in modern day and is surprised they're not together yet
• Zhu Hong growing into her role as High Chief of the Yashou
• Undercover fake dating casefic where Zhu Hong has to pretend to date either Shen Wei or ZYL (because the mark either knows ZYL so he can't go, or Shen Wei knows them so he has to introduce Zhu Hong as his girlfriend to avoid suspicion...)
• Weilan & Da Qing going on missions together in YOHE, with Weilan get together and Da Qing asserting his place as their cat
• post canon Weilan & Da Qing buy a house together, working out their roommate issues and solving cases

Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan/Zhu Hong

I very much liked how canon handled Zhu Hong's one-sided crush on Zhao Yunlan. He was gentle and self-effacing, trying to buffer her feelings, especially her self-worth, despite the inevitable rejection. He clearly knew about her crush, but also tried to put her off, a hint she noticed but couldn't quite kill her hope that maybe some day they could be together. I find the personality switch episode especially enlightening re: Zhu Hong's character here because she starts chasing Zhao Yunlan actively, using cutesy names and acting like a cutesy female lead stereotype. It shows that Zhu Hong usually /isn't/ that. Despite her crush she's feisty, proud and hides her feelings.

Her rivalry yet understanding with Shen Wei is imo under explored, their conversation about love in the park, while primarily serving to highlight both their romantic feelings towards Zhao Yunlan, drew interesting parallels between their characters. In a lot of ways Shen Wei is the sort of gentleman Zhu Hong is supposed to fall in love with, but at his core he is similar to Zhao Yunlan, especially re: justice and duty and responsibility, once the outer layers of bad boy vs polite professor genteel are peeled away. And vice versa, I think Shen Wei would find several of Zhao Yunlan's more brash and reckless traits reflected in Zhu Hong.

Ideally, I would want this ship to develop with established Weilan and Zhu Hong hopelessly pining from the outside, until circumstances force them to re-evaluate. Whether Zhu Hong has to marry either Shen Wei or Zhao Yunlan for political reasons and thus destroy their HEA, or one (or both!) of them need to have sex with her due to extenuating circumstances, I would love for Zhu Hong to go through some homewrecker angst and feeling like an intruder in the relationship (until they grow to a point where she becomes a proper part of the threeway relationship).

For a fluffier take, I would also love the fake dating/married trope undercover during a case, where for some reason or another one of Weilan can't participate in the trickery (whether the target knows them or they have a different part to play...) Bonus points for an outsider to catch Weilan making out at some point and assuming they're cheating on poor Zhu Hong 👌 ideally the fake dating would lead to a realization that there's relationship potential between the three of them, with a promise to explore that in the future.

Shen Wei & Zhu Hong

I find their interactions endlessly fascinating. From the early episodes where Shen Wei takes something of a dismissive, provocative approach (the interrogation scene), testing Zhu Hong’s reactions and probing for her weak spots, to the whole snake hypnosis sub plot where he reflects her powers back at her but makes her forget – almost taking on something of a mentor role for her developing abilities. I would love something that explored those vibes more deeply, that had Shen Wei help Zhu Hong develop her special abilities and confidence.

Zhu Hong is also the one that accompanies Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan a lot during the blindness arc, from being the first to learn about the Heipaoshi reveal to being there to very vulnerable and intimate Weilan moments. And then later, she has that conversation with Shen Wei about true love (which… Shen Wei talking about not having experienced love is such a lie lol Zhu Hong should totally call his ass out).

I would also love anything with these two being able to become friends once Zhu Hong is officially rejected by Zhao Yunlan and trying to move on. Maybe she even ends up talking about her difficulties with that and her jealousy with Shen Wei of all people, both being very aware of the irony but somehow having fallen into these roles regardless.

Zhao Yunlan & Zhu Hong

I love how Zhu Hong’s crush on Zhao Yunlan is canonically unrequited. The way the show handles him letting her down gently, talking her up and complimenting her and making it a “him” issue why he won’t date her is imo well done. It’s realistic too imo that she didn’t give up earlier, despite seeing how clearly Zhao Yunlan was falling for Shen Wei, unwilling to let go of the dream of eventually catching Zhao Yunlan’s romantic attention. I would love to see these two work together during the crush or after the rejection, with lingering effects on their work relationship. In my head, Zhu Hong would try to move on and put on a strong face, but things would be awkward for a while until they find a new rhythm and come out of it with a stronger friendship by the end.

Character: Zhu Hong

Within the SID, Zhu Hong takes on a big sister role, bossing people around and keeping Lin Hong on task. Simultaneously, she clearly enjoys pranking Lin Jing and has casual banter with all members. I find her dynamic with each of them fascinating, but in particular how she interacts with Lin Jing and Xiao Guo (outside of Weilan, who are always faves). There's definitely a sibling undercurrent in how she teases Lin Jing, while with Xiao Guo it's more a mix of bossy older sister and an assumed master/apprentice role (an interesting contrast to the mentor role Chu Shuzhi takes on).

I'm also fascinated by how Zhu Hong insists in episode 3 that she's a secretary, not a field agent, yet we see her display pretty damn good martial arts at least twice on screen (e.g. when she's mind controlled). Seeing as she's more than happy to play bait in episode 4, it's not because she's afraid of danger. I love stories that explore Zhu Hong taking a more active role during cases.

By the end of canon, Zhu Hong ends up in the position of High Chief, something she didn’t want an was imo pushed into by circumstances and Zhao Yunlan. I do believe she wants to do well in her new role, but she’s not exactly trained for this. Character conflicts with the other tribe leaders, learning how to navigate and negotiate the various interests – especially with Ya Qing being a former enemy and Fourth Uncle being her literal uncle – would be fascinating to me. Zhu Hong has to do a lot of work to earn their respect! How does she handle having to give up her position at the SID and seeing her friends less? While being thrown into this political turmoil at a divisive and improtant time?

Weilan & Da Qing

I love Da Qing being part of Weilan's family unit. With these three, I like anything from domestic fluff, slice of life, Da Qing as their cat, Da Qing raised Zhao Yunlan, Da Qing and ZYL’s sibling-esque bond, the complexity and simplicity of their relationship, being protective of each other, Shen Wei and Da Qing coming to an understanding, to Da Qing remembering some of his past with Shen Wei. Lately I’ve been really into Da Qing feeling the need to talk to Shen Wei about what exactly his place in the family is.