Charlie 'i Thought We Could Tell Each Other Everything.' Dalton

The sunshine and the grump

Pairing: Sparrow!Ben Hargreeves x Fem!Reader

Summary: “Hi!! I hope you’re having a great day or night!,can I request a Ben hargreeves x Fem reader who’s very loving and sensitive ,like she’s silent and introverted with strangers but very extroverted with her loved ones and always supportive and very caring?,bonus points if she has chonky cat who’s lazy and loves Ben! That’s all!💓💓” -Requested by @weepingprincepeace​

Warnings: Sparrow!Ben being sparrow Ben? oh, also swearing

Word count: 2k

A/n: Thank you for the request, sorry it took so long!

The first time you met Ben Hargreeves was at a store robbery. You were an unfortunate customer at the cash register when the two masked robbers came in and not only demanded to get cash from the register, but forced you and the cashier to the floor. One was holding you and the cashier back, threatening you with his gun while the other got all the cash out of the register and from your purse.

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thinking about that one trope where the hero is dying and reveals their secret identity at the last moment so they can die known and as the true person they were, not the hero name they designed. how, if dick were out as nightwing and were to be somehow in a life or death situation he literally could not see a way out of, and he was with a civilian who was comforting him in his final moments, he literally would have to die as nightwing and not dick grayson or else risk exposing the rest of his family. even if the civilian swore up and down and made a blood oath to never speak a word of this, dick would be unable to bring himself to allow himself the mercy of dying as dick grayson or hearing the name his parent's gave to him one final time

Sometimes the fact that they were teenagers just hits me like a fucking truck. Like, particularly the fab five. The realistics of child sidekicks are very much something you need to kinda ignore in order to read comics, but sometimes you think about it. They were children. And sure, there were generations after them, but they had help, they had support, they had the fab five and the other first generation Titans as a guideline, to help them. But the fab five only had each other. Their mentors couldn't understand, sure they were heroes too but there's absolutely a difference between an adult hero and a teenager. They were kids.

memories

pairing : sparrow!ben hargreeves x fem!reader, past!umbrella!ben hargreeves x fem!reader

genre : angst, heartwarming, hurt-comfort

warning : prepare your tissue if you’re attached to umbrella!ben ig

summary : in which she found glimpse of them together through his eyes—the man that wore the face of the love of her life

wordcount : 3k

a/n : inspired by the song glimpse of us by joji. and i am aware that there are a lot of stories especially these days. If there are resemblance between this story with others then that is completely out of my control. great minds thinks alike after all. requested by @torchioethan i’ll try my best to interpreted the song to their relationship. the story is up to your interpretation by the way. on my remus lupin angst i wrote “some endings are meant to he interpreted differently.” also do you think this is ooc for sparrow!ben? cause this is what i think he’ll act like in this situation. also i put some addie larue reference in this iykyk

masterlist

Have you ever lost someone and then you just feel like you see that someone everywhere? Every place, every street, everyone, reminds you of the memories you hold dearly close to your heart no matter how hurt it is to remember for you refuse to ever forget about it. It hurts so much it does, but that’s the price you have to pay.

The first time she saw him again after going back from the 60s with the dysfunctional bunch of siblings, she thought she was dreaming. Perhaps, it’ll be easier if it were just a dream. Cause now she has to look at the face—at the body of someone who once had loved her and found nothing. A stranger with the face of the love of her life.

Same name. Same face. Different memories.

But does it all even matter now? The world is ending in hours. She could meet her Ben again, that only if he really does exist. She has never been the one to fully understand the concept of time and Five doesn’t speak in a language that she is capable of understanding.

She raised her glass of champagne in Luther’s direction as he danced with his newfound love before averting her gaze to take a look around the room. Diego and Lila being in each other's arms. Klaus being Klaus. Five who seem to be enjoying his time with the number of empty glasses on his table. And lastly, him. Sitting on the table far back from everybody else, drinking quietly as his eyes, too, roamed around the room. Even from a distance between the two, she could tell that he was judging all of them silently.

Slowly she rose and walked toward him with her glass wrapped around her fingers. Once she arrived at the spot, she gestured to the seat next to him. “May I?” Without hearing any response from him, she sat herself on the seat, putting her glass on the table. “The party is over there yet you distance yourself from the others, emo boy.”

He rolled his eyes at the nickname she gave him. “If anyone here is emo that would be your brother. All brooding, laying down alone in my room, wearing nothing but black.” He looked over at Viktor and she followed his line of gaze. “First, Viktor isn’t emo, and second, you just prove my point here.” She gestured to his situation right now. “You just described yourself.”

The look in his eyes was nothing like her Ben as he glared at her, glass tightly wrapped around his fingers. “Look, if you’re going here just to brag about your oh-so-perfect Ben. The others had took their chance every time they passed me so don’t even bother.” He leaned forwards to her—trying to somewhat looking intimidating as she looks at him, totally unfazed by it.

“No.” She leaned closer to him as he leaned back, clicking her glass with his. “That is a too sensitive topic for me to talk about. Actually, I was trying to give you some company.”

“Well, I don’t need your company.” He talked back.

She leaned her back on the seat. “Too bad. I’m already comfortable sitting here.”

“Then I’ll just go away from here.” He got up, looking at her irritatingly, clearly annoyed by her presence. Turning around he began to walked away from the girl that has been haunting his mind, but then she said something that made him stop. “You know you don’t want to, Ben. You wished to stay here. You want someone to tell you to stay. So here I am doing you a favor by saying this.”

Walking back towards her, he pointed his finger right in front of her face, a look of exasperation plastered on his face. “You stay out of my head. Don’t even try to use it on me.” He said. “You think you know me. You know nothing about me. Nothing. I don’t need your company and I most certainly don’t need your pity. I don’t need you.”

Her gaze softened at his words, his last words may hurt a part of her but it was nothing she hadn’t heard before. “I don’t need my powers to know what you’re thinking, Ben. Besides, it never works on you. Not on you. Not on any version of you, I suppose.” She looks back to her glass, avoiding his gaze before feeling him walking away from her.

***

Looking at Luther and Sloane, she offered them a large smile. “I’m happy for the both of you. Wish we could have more time to know each other, Sloane.” She said, eyes falling onto the girl that is wrapped around Luther’s arms before looking back at the sky that is torn apart every second that passed. “With the world ending, there’s nothing anyone wants more than spending time with their loved ones. I know I would do the same.” She could feel Luther’s eyes on her as she said that. “Cherish the time you have left together, okay?” That were the last words she uttered before she went back inside the building, leaving the newlywed to have their moments alone.

What she didn’t know was the fact that Ben was listening to her words as he finally succeed to get rid of Klaus’s presence. He was about to grab another drink when he heard her saying that. Spending time with their loved ones. What is left of his family are only Sloane and Reginald. One who is currently with the man of her life. The other one probably conspiring something against someone. Sloane, his sister, what left of his bunch of adoptive siblings, sure there’s a part of him that cares for her although he won’t admit it out loud. On the other side, Reginald doesn’t deserve any love from anyone in the building. An ounce of him may won’t stop trying to prove himself to the guy but he’s sure that there is no love that he holds for the old man.

Before the girl who just entered the building could fully walk passed him, he grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. She looked at him expectedly, a look of nostalgia flashed for a second. Perhaps it’s the alcohol talking, but the words come out of his mouth without permission at all. “Want a drink?”

She let her hand out of his grasp, raising one of her eyebrows. “Did Klaus really manage to talk some sense into you? Or is it the alcohol talking?” She paused before answering the real question. “The answer’s yes by the way. But not here. Let’s go somewhere else.”

***

“A windowsill?”

“A quite spacious one, yeah.” She put herself in a comfortable position before patting the space in front of her. “Come on. There’s still much room left here.” Rolling his eyes slightly, he sighed before sitting in front of her. Both of them facing each other, on the windowsill as the world out there is falling apart. Her gaze stayed on him as he sat there trying to search for a comfortable position. A nostalgic smile went onto her face. Happiness and sadness all become one as a glimpse of her Ben took over his position for some split second.

A memory from her past.

“Out of every place in this goddamn hotel, you-“ He began to complain.

“Hey, the world is falling apart. Be grateful for a few seconds.” She looked out the window. “Ben would’ve loved this.” She muttered loud enough for him to hear.

“I am Ben.”

“Well, not you. I mean Ben Ben.”

“The other Ben?”

“No. You’re the—Can you just drink it already and try to not be an asshole?” She almost forced the alcohol down his throat if it weren’t for him who already doing that as she spoke before. She looked at him before averting her attention to her glass, muttering under her breath. “Maybe this is a bad idea.”

“Not really. No.” His response caught her off guard as she wasn’t expecting him to even hear her. She pursed her lips, before taking a sip from her glass. “So you do need some company. Is this your attempt to not be alone at the end of the world? Was it because of the speech I gave earlier?” She put it down and then propped her chin on the top of her knee.

This time, he is the one that avoids her gaze, looking at the falling word around them from the window. “I thought you said it didn’t work on me.”

“Just because my powers don’t work on you. Doesn’t mean I’m an idiot who cannot connect the two dots together, emo boy.” She said.

He looks down for a few moments before looking back at her, an uncharacteristic look on his face. “Guess that—guess that makes me a special emo boy or what?” This time he didn’t complain about the nickname. Instead, he said the words that brings a smile to her face. She nodded slowly before leaning back to the window frame and with teary eyes she lets out a chuckle. “What?” He asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

“You’re making it difficult for me to not cry. You see, you’re not supposed to say that. Not with that face.” She paused, taking a deep breath trying to not let the tears out just yet. “Gosh, you don’t just look like him or sound like him. Now, you talked like him. I suppose my prayers are granted in a way. I see you again now. Breathing and alive. Just not—just not the you that I need. It hurts looking into your eyes when all I see is him and yet there is no trace of him in this falling world.”

“What was he like?” His gaze stayed on her, less tense than usual. “Truly. What was he like?” He asked once more.

“What did the others say?” She asked back.

Hesitantly, he answered her question. “He was……kind. Selfless. A tiny dark cloud on a perfect sunny day. A know-it-all. A scold. Most of them-Most of them are bad qualities.” He furrowed his eyebrows together and seems to be frustrated not being able to decipher why the other Ben was so special compared to him. “I’m the Number One. Numero Uno. He wasn’t, was he? All of those praises about him, look how he ended up 6 feet under.”

Brushing over his last comment, she nodded her head. “Well all of them are true. He was a great guy, wasn’t he? One of the best that I ever knew.” Her eyes trailed over the window. “I first met them all when I was around the age of 8 or 9. He was hiding behind Klaus or Number 4 at that moment. He was never been the one to love the public attention but somehow tried to gain mine. I suppose that makes him sweet. After his death, none of us have been the same. All of us were drowning in a sense, well we all have been drowning for a long time. But since that happened, none of us could ever reach the shore.” Her chest got heavy just from thinking of that feeling.

“Where are you now?” He inched closer towards her.

She pursed her lips before letting out a deep breath. “Just floating around, I guess? Not drowning but not completely free either.” She thought about her last interaction with Ben. “Perhaps this is it. With the world ending, I’m getting closer to my final destination.”

Looking back at him, she continued her words. “Ben. He was-He was easier to love out of everyone in that room earlier, out of all the people I’ve known in my whole life. And mind you remember this, I love all of them greatly—well not all of them,” She referred to Reginald. “We all have a fair share of memories together, mostly in our youthful days that are full of trauma created by your daddy dearest—even I had some of mine too and I’m not even a Hargreeves.” Both of them chuckled at her words.

“Very much relatable that last bit. Klaus said a similar thing earlier. About how he was easier to love.” Ben inched closer once more, perhaps this is the alcohol talking, but seeing him open up his feelings to her like this makes her pay no mind to the fact that by tomorrow he’ll probably change into hard-shell Ben again. “That doesn’t seem fair. All of you love him like that yet none can do the same for me.”

Biting back a snarky remark, she decided to say something else instead. “One thing about him is that he makes love seem to be a casual thing to feel, I mean it is, truthfully it is but not many people have the opportunity to realize that.” She wiped a single tear away. “There are a lot of things to pay for when it comes to love. To any kind of love. Meeting you is one of those. The price I have to pay for this moment is not a kind one.”

He nodded quietly before looking back directly into her eyes. “I’m not him, you know?”

She chuckled at his words. “Of course, you’re not. I’ve said that already. If yes then I won’t be just sitting in front of you right now.” I would hold you and never let go like you had wished once before your last moments. The last part remained in her mind. Glimpses of them together flowed around the two, yet she was the only one to remember. “It is a lonely thing, isn’t it? To remember when the other person doesn’t.”

“What if……the other person does?” Her head snapped back towards him as he said so. Letting out a shuddered breath, she opened her mouth to ask what he means by that but she wasn’t able to find her voice at all. Then he continued his words. “You know what sucks, you have all of these memories with your Ben and I-” He took a glance at the sky before looking back at her. “And the only recollection I have about you is the one I had in my dreams. The one that I forgot the moment that I woke up. The one I wished to remember because there’s this feeling that I can’t understand every time I am in that dream.”

“You said all you see when you look into my eyes are him. Yet when I see into yours all I see is you. No other version you. Just you you cause you’re the same one from my dreams. The dreams that left only glimpses in my memory. But then even in those dreams, you were with him, I suppose. That happy feeling was his feelings, it was never mine, to begin with. All this time I was dreaming of someone else’s memories.” Tears stream down her face as she takes in the look in his eyes, the same look he used to give her.

This Ben would never be her Ben. He was already gone from her world. Leaving nothing but the memories that remain in her heart. Nothing but the feeling that she would always feel till the moment she passed. Meeting this Ben had brought heavy feelings to her heart. Makes her yearn to see a glimpse of him in his eyes. And when she found what she was looking for, hurt was all she found. “I’m sorry, Ben.”

He smiled bitterly. “Out of everyone, I thought you hated me the most.” He said. Recalling her avoiding him at all cost during their first interactions when the Umbrella first comes back to the timeline. The look in her eyes when she first laid her gaze on him was one that he will not forget.

She looked at him with sadness in her eyes. “That is an ability that I am not capable of. I cannot afford that. I don’t think I could even if I tried. You’re too much like him. Any version of you they all-well, I’ve only met two of you but you’re much more alike than I thought you do. Your feelings. The way both of you feel, I found it beautiful.”

A comfortable silence engulfed both of them as the two leaned back to the window frame simultaneously. The world is still falling around them. Slowly fading away from reality. Most people are already gone, reuniting with their loved ones on the other side.

“You were right.” His voice makes her look back at him. He offered the palm of his hand to her, so she made up a scissor using her point and middle finger. “I won.” She said with a large smile on her face.

Ben rolled his eyes. “You’re so childish. I couldn’t see why he loved you so much.” He said, clearly lying.

She crossed her arms. “Oh, the alcohol finally worn out? I was enjoying the non-asshole you.”

“Oh shut up.” He hushed her.

“What was I right about?” She waited for his response.

He met her eyes once more. She could tell that he was hesitant about it. “With the world ending, there’s nothing anyone wants more than spending time with their loved ones. Any kind of love.” Her eyes stayed locked with him as she reached for his palm once more, a warm smile on her face.

“Any kind of love.” She replied back.

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No hate to cql or anything but every time I read a fic that has Lan Wangji be the Chief Cultivator I die inside. Because like. NO. That’s a TERRIBLE IDEA for everyone involved. First of all, Lan Zhan cannot communicate properly enough to be a politician, and his main priority is his husband. He is not suited for that role. Second of all, the novels’ implication that the next Chief Cultivator (if there even is one) would be Nie Huaisang is actually very important for Wei Wuxian’s character development?? Like, Wei Wuxian knows that Nie Huaisang is a lil conniving bitch who painstakingly arranged for the downfall of the most powerful man in the cultivation world, manipulating multiple people to their deaths (or at least emotional ruins) all for his own revenge. He knows that Nie Huaisang is capable of as much damage as Jin Guangyao, and that he’s poised to take over his seat of power. Wei Wuxian knows all of that and, very deliberately, decides not to give a fuck.

Wei Wuxian, who spent his entire life picking up the messes of other people, destroying himself in the process, only to have those same people spit in his face and make him a pariah, sees this potential Problem for the cultivation world and goes, “You know what? That’s none of my business.” and runs off to elope with his boyfriend. Like, Nie Huaisang probably won’t be as bad as Jin Guangyao. He’s been shown to have more human decency, at the very least. But he also spent the entire series expertly lying to everyone, so much so that we really don’t know what he plans to do now that he’s gotten his revenge. And you know what? That’s fine. He can fuck over all the four great sects if he’d like, because the cultivation world’s politics have been a corrupt shitshow for decades, and it’s their job to sort that shit out. It’s certainly not Wei Wuxian’s job. He’s done enough, and he deserves this one moment of selfishness. He deserves to get his own happy ending and settle down with the family he’s always wanted and not have to worry about saving all those ungrateful assholes. Wei Wuxian is at least on good terms with Nie Huaisang (it was awfully convenient that his old friend’s revenge scheme coincidentally involved resurrecting him and setting him up with his crush) and he trusts that he won’t fuck with him or his family.

And that’s good enough for him! Lan Wangji is similarly happy to spend the rest of his life with Wei Wuxian, and after 13 years of mourning he’s sure as fuck not gonna ruin his second chance to go play politics with the most obnoxious people in the world. The ideal ending for both of them is a happy marriage that mainly involves doing their own thing, night hunting together, fucking every day, and teaching the kids. Their calling, where other people are concerned, is absolutely as teachers, and nothing more.

Shen Yuan is two things:

1) chronically ill

2) rich rich

He couldn’t count on both hands the number of health scares he’s had, but he fought years to move out of his parents house and live independently!

…. Until he was found half dead by his sister and nearly died in the hospital. No one even knew until she showed up.

The smart thing- the thing his parents want- would be to sell his apartment and move back in so his family can watch him. But frankly, Shen Yuan was reaching the end of his 20s. He didn’t want to be 30 in his parents home being scolded for buying yet another anime figurine and fussed over all hours of the day by nannies.

So, like the adults they were, they compromised. Shen Yuan could live independently IF he put together a complete staff of live in specialists to help him. He had a few months to do so, and all had to be thoroughly background checked.

Which is how he ended up with an old estate filled with specialists who all bore striking resemblances to the cast of Proud Immortal Demon Way.

(SY endears himself over the course of months to the entire modern cast of svsss and collects them to live with him and be generously financially supported. Additionally he finally tracks down the hack author of PIDW and keeps him as well, taking away the financial strain so PIDW can achieve its true potential as art.)

The Bank Robbery (Sparrow Edition)

A quartet of people, two guys, and two gals, walk down a sidewalk towards a bank. One of the guys holds open the door for his friends as they all enter--

--and the lead guy promptly gets his nose bashed in by the butt of a shotgun!

The girls scream as several armed bank robbers grab them and pull them inside.

"Get on the goddamn ground!" one of the robbers yells.

〃く⁠コ⁠:⁠彡₊ ˚ ⊹〃く⁠コ⁠:⁠彡₊ ˚ ⊹

The bank is under siege. Various bank employees and customers are huddled on the floor of the bank as armed men walk around, patrolling the floor with AK-47s in hand. One particular robber is in the process of losing his shit as he talks with a hostage negotiator on the phone.

"I don't give a shit! You are out of time! I told you what would happen didn't I? Didn't I tell you?"

He gestures angrily and another robber approaches, pulling a frightened bank teller with him.

"Get him over here. C'mere." he grabs hold of the bank teller and holds him close, turning back to the phone. "I want you to listen real careful." He then holds out the phone to the bank teller, "Tell them your name."

"Craig, Craig Davis."

Taking back the phone, the robber continues.

"You go home tonight, your wife, she asks "how was work", and you tell her, Oh, not bad, got a guy named Craig Davis killed."

Protests sound from the phone,

"No, we're done talking now you're gonna listen."

The bank teller trembles in fear as the robber drops the phone and pulls out his pistol--

"Excuse me, sir?"

All three men turn to find a young girl in a school uniform standing there.

"The hell-"

The lead robber starts before suddenly, the girl raises both her hands, and he and the other robber are raised in the air, dropping their guns in surprise.

That's when all hell breaks loose. One robber finds himself jerked off his feet by a young boy in a similar uniform as the girl and thrown straight up, ricocheting off the ceiling.

A horrible scream rings out as the hostages whip their heads around to see a different robber being dragged head-first into a room by a pair of monstrous green tentacles.

One robber slowly walks backward as his eyes flicker around the room, scared out of his mind he hears a noise from behind him and whips around to see a boy and a girl sitting on the counter. In a panic he raises his gun and shoots at the boy, only to scream out as he feels a piercing pain in his own chest before falling to the floor. From her spot next to the boy, the girl seems to spot another robber trying to run off, opening her mouth she shoots a stream of venom towards him landing on his face and causing the man to go stock still.

In the vault, a group of men run around screaming as they are chased and pecked at by crows. A girl stands at the entrance of the vault next to a floating cube chuckling at the chaos.

The entire room seems to have erupted into chaos in only a few seconds but in the corner, squashed into a group of hostages, there sits a small girl watching the scene not in fear, but in fascination.

Just ahead of her stands one of the last robbers, he looks around frantically trying to find a way out of the bank without being killed by the freaky kids in uniforms. Just a second later he turns around and starts to look at the hostages, trying to find one that may give him at least a chance of getting out of the bank alive. The girl knows she's in trouble the moment the man's panic-stricken eyes lock with hers. At 4'11", she knows she's smaller than the average thirteen-year-old. Her nickname from her dad is Minnie because he says she's as quiet as a mouse and small like one too.

Frantically, the man pushes away the other hostages, reaching out and grabbing her arm tightly before pulling her towards him. She goes easily despite her attempts at protest, and soon enough she is standing near the doors with an arm over her neck, a gun pressed to her head, and the kids in uniforms standing around the two of them, ready to pounce at any moment.

A strange sort of calm washes over her at that moment and she closes her eyes breathing in and out steadying her racing heart as she continues to be dragged backward towards the door. Slowly, out of nowhere, the feeling of the man's arms around her disappears and gasps are heard both from behind her and in front of her.

When the girl opens her eyes again, all she can see is the surprised faces of the other children. Confused, she turns around to look at the robber who seems just as surprised if not even more panicked than before. Raising his gun he aims at her and before anyone can move, he pulls the trigger.

It almost seems like slow motion, the movement of the bullet as it speeds toward her, but what's even weirder is the fact that even though she sees the bullet go straight through her heart, she's still standing here just fine.

Falling onto her knees in relief, she stares at the spot where the bullet went through her, her mind running wild trying to figure out why she isn't dead.

Seeming to break out of his reverie, the tallest boy walks up to the cowering man and picks him up without breaking a sweat, the boy then throws him across the room, screams breaking out throughout the bank once again as the man's body ricochets off the wall.

Staring down at her chest with wide eyes, the girl almost doesn't realize when a pair of sneakers appear in her line of sight. Looking up at the person, she recognizes him as the one who summoned tentacles out of his stomach, she looks at him blankly when he extends a hand out towards her.

"You okay?" he asks, his voice not seeming very concerned at all, honestly he seemed kind of excited.

Breathing in, she slowly brings her hand up, letting out a breath of relief as she registers the feeling of his hand under hers. Grabbing onto his hand and letting him pull her up, she looks at him with a shaky smile, "I think so." Smiling back at her he lightly squeezes her hand in his.

"I'm Ben, Ben Hargreeves."

"Y/N L/N, nice to meet you."

The other Sparrows, after letting the hostages go, approach the two and introduce themselves to the new girl. Unbeknownst to everyone there the girl would become much more important to them than they could ever imagine.

In the future Y/N L/N is the Sparrow's closest friend, and their one and only future sister-in-law. For now, though, the children are just excited with the knowledge that they are making a new friend.

Hello Anon!

In general, it’s a little hard for me to find Jun Wu’s care sincere despite his claims since he was clearly more taken with the idea of Xie Lian rather than who he truly was as a person 😬

In Xie Lian, Jun Wu believed he found a kindred spirit, someone so much like his younger self, which sparked his desire to have Xie Lian as his heir while he positioned himself as a mentor there to guide him, both as Emperor Jun Wu and White No-Face. As Jun Wu, he does successfully obtain Xie Lian’s utmost respect and a willingness to be led by him, but that doesn’t mean much since his divine alter ego’s perfection is hollow. He wants someone to love him and never leave even when confronted with his worst side, hence why he mostly tries to “recruit” him in the form of his destructive alter ego White No-Face. 

I mainly see Jun Wu’s feelings as a self-centered obsession driven by his own loneliness. He longs to connect with Xie Lian because he believes him to be the only one who can empathize with the pain he’s been repressing all this time. He so desperately clings onto the hopes he has projected onto Xie Lian that he’s willing to endure 800 years of trying and failing to get him on his side. 

But of course, the big issue is that empathy is a two-way street and Jun Wu utterly fails on his side. He who has been traumatized by his past became a hardened manipulator who values control above all. Things like trust, honesty and communication, everything needed to form a healthy bond, have long been thrown into the pits of Mount Tonglu. 

As expected of Xie Lian’s shadow archetype and Hua Cheng’s foil, White No-Face instead seeks to groom Xie Lian into the image he has of him by worsening his despair while making himself out to be the only one who understands him. He tries to deliberately instill within Xie Lian a sense of dependence. Ultimately, it’s all gaslighting designed to make the “happy” friendship in his head come true. Jun Wu wants to be fully accepted but the abandonment of his former best friends + not receiving any help when he most needed it left him unable to trust or open up to anyone, so he can only rely on power and control, which naturally fails to get him what he most desires. 

Jun Wu was once a tragic victim who fell into the abyss due to circumstances beyond his control. He can’t bear to ever experience that again…That’s why he decided to go from victim of fate to enforcer of fate by becoming the Emperor that created the current dynasty of Heaven by  force and deliberately shaped the course of Xie Lian’s life. In being Emperor, he represents “heaven’s will” and that power is what lets him control other people’s lives as the one who can impose “fates” onto them.

That now brings me to examine the theme of fate and the father-son dynamic that factor significantly into Xie Lian and Jun Wu’s relationship… 

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